Things are a changin'

The past couple of days I've been feeling unsettled.

It's the end of the semester and usually I feel excited and confident about what my students will be offering at juries. However, this week I just feel disconnected.

For the past month or so I've been music directing a musical revue for the school. 

Last night was the final dress and the show is really good. 

Lots of dancing and high energy and pretty singing. 

And then, remember this?

Well, after seeing the specialist here for a follow up, he's decided that he'd like to redo the biopsy.

I think it's been bothering me more than I realize.

Also, yesterday Aleks and I took Maia to look at a preschool.

It's a really great school. They offer traditional preschool and Montessori primary. It's part of an independent private school that's K-12.

Maia loved it and wants to go back and stay by herself.

That's reason enough to go forward with it, but I'm having conflicting feelings.

You know the acronyms; SAHM, BF, BW, AP, CS?

(Stay At Home Mom, Breast Feeding, Baby Wearing, Attachment Parenting, Co-Sleeping)

Well, I'm not militant or really, 100% of any of these, but I'd like to have friends here who at least see the value of involved parenting.

See, since being here in Wichita, I've met lots of nice people. 

People who's kids LOVE Dora and the Disney princesses and anything Disney.

Which is great.

It's just that my kids have no clue about those things, and I kind of like it that way.

Aleks and I definitely enjoy pop culture, but if I had to put a label on us, I'd say we're more PBS than Disney channel.

I think we'd meet more people like us if Maia was in Montessori.

But, if she goes to Montessori, then she has to be enrolled 5 days a week.

And that makes me want to cry.

For the rest of her life, Maia's going to have responsibility.

For these few short years, her only job is to wake up and play.

And I'd miss her.

Sure, it's only half days, but then add to it the days I work and her dance class and all the other things we do to keep busy and then I feel like I'd just never see her.

It may not even be an issue since she's not potty trained.

However, she went twice this week. And sits on the potty without screaming.

Which is a major breakthrough for my control freak daughter.

Look at the cute little bottom.

I can barely handle it.

I don't work today, so I'm going to spend it taking deep breaths, drinking coffee, and kissing my girls.

Gordon William Truman Pappas (and a tornado)

Last week I got to visit my Grandpa for his 90th birthday party.

Here's a recap in Instagram pictures.

The new BART line from SFO to the rest of the Bay Area is super convenient, albeit stinky.

My dad is very smart.

And it's very entertaining to watch him use my iPad.

We had a party for my grandpa and in true Pappas style, there was a program.

Apparently my mom and her brothers and sisters were in the Pappasito Brass in their youth.

(Never-mind that the Pappas ancestry is Greek)

Here they are "practicing."

 Two of my cousins came and played an original composition for my grandpa called "The Man, The Legend."

It was written for theremin and mandolin.

Don't know what a theremin is?

Check it out here.

Grandpa also inspected my iPad.

The sound was too tinny for his taste.

Which, with regards to musical matters, is impeccable.

I found this treasure on the shelf at grandpa's house.

A vintage Weight Watchers Official Scale.

There were so many wonderful moments while I visited, these pictures hardly do it justice.

It totally reaffirmed my love for my family.

And for the Bay Area.

Anyone know of an area we can live that has great schools and we don't have to make 6 figures?

Anyone?

I got home Friday night.

Which was perfect timing, because we had a tornado Saturday.

At 8, Aleks told me he was going downstairs to "watch the storm."

Around 9:30 or so the sirens went off.

We woke up the girls and took them down to the basement.

At one point the weather man said the tornado's trajectory would lead it to Central and 159th.

We live off of Central between 143rd and 159th.

About a month ago, Aleks bought a tornado kit online.

I made so much fun of him for it.

The storm got closer and hail started to come down so we moved from the center of the basement into the bathroom.

And about 5 minutes later we lost power.

Thankfully we had a tornado kit and there was a crank style flashlight/radio and glow sticks.

The girls were super excited.

15 minutes after the power went out, we heard the all clear come over the radio.

Aleks ventured up to find an untouched house.

In the morning, we saw this in our neighbor's backyard.

And throughout our neighborhood there were many trees that had fallen in the 70 mph wind.

Down the street a pole holding up a power line had cracked and was perilously leaning towards the road.

We were lucky.

Unscathed.

Just tired from our unplanned basement party.

I feel like I can now say I'm from Kansas.

What I've learned this year

Another birthday has come and gone.

And for the record; I love having my birthday on Easter.

Everyone looks beautiful and there are great brunches at all the restaurants.

Here a couple of things I've learned this past year.

1. I actually like running.

I hope to run a half marathon before my next birthday.

2. My voice is still improving.

As a light lyric soprano, I thought for sure by the time I turned 30 my voice would be done growing. Thanks to pregnancy hormones and whatever else, my voice has become richer and more colorful. Now if I could just find time to practice...

3. (This is more of a reaffirmation than a new insight) My husband rocks.

There is no one with whom I'd rather raise my kids or spend my free time. When we got married at 22 years old, there was no way I could know that Aleks would be such a wonderful partner.

4. I'm an introvert.

I definitely have extroverted moments, but I've recently discovered that with two young girls who need my attention 100% of the time, a husband, and a job in which I am NEVER alone, I've been getting burned out. This year I plan to make more time for myself. Alone.

5. I'm no longer in survival mode as a mom. 

For everyone who said "it gets easier," you were right. At least, it's easier to get in a shower each day. And I'm now getting consistent sleep after 2+ years of waking up at least once a night.

I'm fully aware of what a wonderful life I have and I can't wait to see what the year ahead will bring!

3 is a wonderful age

3 years ago on April 4th I was being induced for the second time.

After 12 hours on Pitocin, and no progress, we decided that her jig was up.

Did I mention that Maia's due date was in March?

At 7:20 pm, our lives changed forever.

That first year was intense.

Well, actually every day with Maia is intense.

Any preconceived ideas I might have had about being a parent, were obliterated those early days in the hospital.

I'm so grateful that I had a strong willed child first.

It's forced me to put aside my parenting desires and be the parent she needs.

I said "yes" to cupcakes way too many times yesterday.

Cupcakes without frosting, because Maia doesn't like frosting.

And yes, it was dark outside when we had cupcakes.

That's how the Sternfeld-Dunn house rolls.

Early. 

I feel like all that is good about Aleks and me has been transferred to Maia.

She's a little ray of light that everyone can't help but notice.

Happy Birthday to my sweet sweet girl.

And on another note:

Yesterday day I was laying in Ruby's room as she fell asleep and the fan was making a rhythmic whirring sound. Then another sound joined it and as I sat up, I saw Ruby tapping her hand on her bed in time with the fan.

Then this morning we were listening to the radio and Ruby played a note on the piano in the same key.

And then did it again an octave higher.

It's probably just a coincidence.

Right?

Pump it Up!

So, spring break is long gone, but I have one more adventure to share with you.

On our last day in Phoenix, we decided to try out Pump it Up.

It's 2 big rooms with these kinds of toys in them.

My oldest little, who refuses to go down the slide at the playground, did this about 100 times.

 And my littlest little wanted to do this the entire time.

The next morning when we left at 5:00 am to get to the airport, Maia said "I want to go back to the bouncy place" and "Kansas is not my favorite, Arizona is my favorite. I want to go back to Arizona."

I haven't told her yet, but there's a Pump it Up in Wichita.

We may be visiting it this summer.

Food Truck Friday

My brother and Cydney invited us to Food Truck Friday while we were in town.

It's basically what it sounds like.

A bunch of food trucks gather in a location on Fridays from 11:00-1:30 and sell food.

Really good food.

Unfortunately Wichita hasn't caught on to the food truck craze yet.

When we got there it was packed and we had to wait about 20 minutes before we could find a place to sit.

 In the meantime, Aleks and Ruby browsed the trucks.

Aleks got fried pork belly.

Of course.

 I got a delicious chicken dog with mango chutney wrapped in flatbread.

I have decided that flatbread makes everything better.

Obviously I enjoyed it.

I got Ruby a scoop of salted caramel ice cream and Maia a scoop of watermelon sorbet.

Ruby ate both and Maia ate the sucker that came with my lunch.

I also had a salted caramel creme brule, but that wasn't around long enough to take a picture.

Papa even left work early to join us!

Two thumbs up for Food Truck Friday!