Mommy/daughter dates

A few years ago, our family started the tradition of having mommy/daughter dates in the weeks before school begins. My girls are so close in age, that they do everything together and sometimes I forget who they are as individuals. We all love these special days.

My girls are so funny. When we were talking as a family about what each girl wanted to do, they would both decide that they wanted to do the same things. However, once I had Ruby alone and gave her some options, our plans changed.

We went to All Start Sports which has carnival rides and mini golf. Ruby had never played before, but quickly got the hang of it and by the end of our second round, she was having a hard time waiting for me to get my ball in the hole.

Ruby has matured a lot this summer. She's still my fiery little peanut, especially when she doesn't understand something, but she's learning to communicate with words instead of tantrums and outbursts are becoming less frequent. She's at that wonderful age where she's not too self aware and as a result is unintentionally cute. The other day she said "You know what? Every year I get one year older!" 

Ruby is going to have a strong start to 1st grade. Her reading skills are quite good and she will often read in the morning before coming to get us out of bed. However, if you ask her if she likes reading, she'll say no. Ruby is a little fish in the water and learned how to dive this summer. She is often playing the piano, making up pieces to play and shows a real sensitivity to sound and color. She also says she doesn't like playing piano.

Ruby is the spice in our family; she adds flavor, dimension, and interest.

Once Maia heard that Ruby went to All Star Sports, that's where she wanted to go as well. Over lunch I suggested pedicures, Barnes & Noble, and ice cream. Maia immediately thought that was a great idea. I was excited not to stomach those rides again.

(Maia just whispered in my ear "Ruby has to learn that I can't spend every moment with her." I think they're ready for the autonomy school will bring.)

This summer Maia has been reading, reading, reading. She'll come down in the morning and lie on the couch with a book while Isabelle licks her legs. I don't know what it is about Maia, but Isabelle LOVES licking her.

Maia continues to be my even keeled kid. She's rarely moody, but just this summer has started to become a little secretive. I understand that blossoming need for privacy and hope I'm respecting it in the way she needs.

Maia is beyond excited to start school. She loves learning, which is something I will never take for granted. At this point she's interested in becoming the first scientist of the family, something of which Aleks and I are very supportive. Maia loves facts and is great at "mansplaining" things. For example, she's explained to us that people in China don't know what chocolate is and that our dog is the smallest in the world because she's a Chihuahua.

Today we were driving in the car and she had her arm sticking out the window. Maia said "I can tell this wind is from Mexico because we're driving south." We were in fact driving west and there was only a wind because the car was moving. I pointed this all out to my darling daughter and she thought for a bit and then confidently replied "Well, the wind is from the east. It's from some eastern part of  America."

Maia is the sugar in our family; she makes everything sweeter with her energy and infectious smile.

I keep reminding myself that this week I will need extra patience. As excited as we all are for routine and new beginnings, inevitably these changes come with some tension. However, all signs are pointing toward a wonderful school year.