Well so much for my kindergarten fantasy...

Today was Lily's first day of Kindergarten. I had this wonderful fantasy that she would wake up so happy, excited, and eager to go to school. Instead...we got tears, temper tantrums, and a battle of wills....oh well...so much for my fantasy...

We were even a tiny bit late for school. However, once the battles were over and she was dressed and ready to go, she posed happily for the camera. Go figure. I raced home from work early to see her get off the bus. The photo captures it all! She seemed to enjoy her first day and spoke very animatedly about the gingerbread man and how he left the book and left multiple clues/trails all over the school. She even came home and set a gingerbread man trap!


Unfortunately, the evening ended with more of the same. Lily was excused from dinner for not listening and hence began to lose multiple toys, having another screaming temper tantrum, and ended up having to get dressed and go to bed early. Needless to say, it was not the way I pictured today!

Let's hope that tomorrow is a lot better!

Twas the night before kindergarten...

This poem was written by a Megan Henry, a fellow guate mama and a dear friend. It expresses so much of how I feel.

Twas the night before Kindergarten and all through our flat
Not a creature was a flutter, not even a bat
All of the new supplies were placed neatly in her pack
It is so heavy I pray it won't break her back.

My big girl, no longer a baby, was nestled all down in her bunk bed
Goodness, I hope she doesn't wake up tomorrow with bedhead
And Daddy holding still, and I in a puddle of tears
Both sat on the sofa in quiet thinking it couldn't have been already five years.

Wasn't it just yesterday we were in Guatemala holding our new baby girl
Rocking slowly and running our fingers through her soft curls
It is like a dream how quickly the time has flown bye
To say I don't miss those early days, even the hard ones, would be a lie.

Tomorrow starts a new chapter in her life full of new stories yet to be told
I am sure some will make my eyes want to roll
She will be surrounded by new ideas, new pressures, new friends
Her Daddy and I can only hope and pray that her good heart does not bend.

But tonight I hope she sleeps well and has a beautiful Kindergarten dream
Tomorrow will come soon enough, and she will have to start walking on that beam
But her Daddy and I will cheer her on daily, catch her if she has a trip and fall
Just as we did while she was learning to walk and to crawl.

Looking at her now I can see how big she has grown
I know that she is ready, even if I am feeling quite blown
My dear Kinder girl tomorrow maybe a day that in your memories that might not last
Daddy and I will always remember it as the day that came too fast.

Indian Princess, Professional Model and Artist

Our future Matisse

Lily Indian Princess

Our Model...yikes...

Well, the summer of being home together is coming to an end. I think both Lily and are ready to separate and begin new routines. The last few weeks have been fun though as Lily has been getting in touch with her Native American "Indian" roots thanks to Pocahontas! We have talked at length about what type of Mayan Indian she is (Quiche) and what type of Native American Indian Pocahontas was (Powhatan). She has the image from the media she has been exposed to of being strong like an Indian. She told me the other day that she was "strong like
an Indian". She is frequently found wearing her beaded headband and wielding a sword for example: a wooden stick she found outside or a kitchen curtain rod that we recently took down. She also speaks "Indian Spanish" a creative language invention of her own. So far we have learned 3 of her words: farewell, love, and die, all done with hand motions.

Lily has also been found to mimic mannequins in the shopping mall. Many times while in a store, I will turn around and find Lily has climbed up on the platform to be right next to the faceless or headless mannequin and assume the same exact pose! Very cute! Today however I realized that I better get on my knees praying...We were walking through the mall and Lily said, "Hey mommy look"....when I turned around to look she was imitating the pose of the Victoria's Secret model...it was very funny....but like I wrote on Facebook...I am going to ramp up my prayer life in regards to Lily!

Lastly, Lily has spent the summer, coloring and cutting up a storm! Yesterday at IKEA I bought her an art easel with her very own roll of paper. Maybe that will stop her from taking all our computer paper:) Anyway, I must say I was really proud of her masterpieces. I am really excited she will be able to take art class in school this year!