Sarah Jane at 4 and a half

This weekend Dave and I finally tackled the obstacle course that has been accumulating at the bottom of the basement stairs.  Boxes and boxes and boxes of baby STUFF that we amazingly don't need anymore.  So hard for me as every little stained onesie, swaddling blanket and chewed on toy is a tangible moment in time that goes away as soon as I put it in the box. Poof.  Dave was pretty mystified when he found me finally breaking down over the box of burp rags. I certainly don't miss baby spit-up but packing away all those sweet soft little diapers that Dave's Aunt Belle gave us when Sarah Jane arrived was just too much.  There is so much baby in those beaten up rags!  So much anticipation when I washed everything I got at my baby shower (twice - with Dreft) and then stood in front of the brand new dresser trying to decide where everything would go.  And now she's going to Kindergarten? It was too much to think of not remembering which is the whole reason behind this blog in the first place.  I write this partly so our family who is far away can know our kids but also for the Hansel and Gretel style crumbs that help me find my babies.  Moral of the story - I'm sitting down to write the Sarah-Jane-at-4-and-a-half that I should have written in February.... 

Here's a day in SJ's life:
She is, and always has been, our first kiddo up.  She gets up with the sun, these days just before 6. As of about two weeks ago she magically began to dress herself.  She has figured out that if she shows up dressed, we don't make her take a shower.  Hair - not so clean these days.  Her favorite clothes are hand me downs from Teacher Alison's daughters.  She puts on a skirt, a shirt and hot pink socks and calls it good. She hasn't worn pants in over a year. Two days ago she carefully picked out an outfit for each of her siblings and laid them out just so while the rest of us snoozed.  So helpful, so Sarah Jane.  While Dave and I get ready for work she entertains her brothers, alerts me to potential problems, plays "Cinderella" with Anna and for the most part is perfectly lovely. 

Goofy in the morning:

We head downstairs early these days, usually around 7:15 and have breakfast.  M/W/F are cereal days.  Tu/Th are eggs and toast.  Sat and Sun (Mommy and Daddy days) are pancakes and french toast.  All made by dad, our breakfast chef.  Sarah Jane generally eats breakfast.  She generally doesn't eat anything else for the rest of the day. 

At 7:45 Vicky comes and at 8 Elizabeth comes.  We push Dave out the door and then launch into a flurry of shoe finding, sock shodding, hair brushing (whining, crying, flouncing off, pouting, more crying), sun screening (more of the same), shoe finding (again - we've lost them by now), lunch getting, lunch losing, lunch getting, shoes on for the third time, leaving.  I always want to leave at 8:20.  We always leave at 8:40.  I know I should shrug and go with it but it drives me batty.  By the time I FINALLY get the girls into the car and am waiting for them to do their "clicks" I have to sit with my head on the steering wheel doing deep yoga breathing to keep from blowing purple steam out my ears.  (Throwing that one in there for when I'm nostalgic about pre-school four years from now.)

Sarah Jane was in the Blue Room at Berkeley Hills this year with Teachers Kris, Lisa and Caitlin.  Her best friends were Audrey, Bryn, Callie, Colm, Wade and Preston but she happily plays with everyone.  She LOVES school and learned all sorts of things this year.  She can write her name and read from sight a growing list of words.  Her name is now in the right order in a straight line, different from the random assortment of s's, j's and n's that used to pop up on the back of her art work.  Below is Sarah Jane's graduation speech, Teacher Caitlin read it.

They also sang some songs, not SJ's strong suit (for posterity note all the parents behind their iPhones):

Sarah Jane gets picked up from school most days by Grandma or Zeke.  She plays in the park and then jumps into the car to go get Anna.  At home she has quiet time or a play date while her brothers and sister nap.  At four she and Anna head out with Elizabeth for the afternoon adventure - Studio Grow, the library, the park,, some lucky days they hit Target (a favorite).  They arrive back home right at 6 and sit down for dinner.  Sarah Jane is usually wailing about what is or is not on her plate (unless it is plain spaghetti of which she will usually condescend to eat 1 to 2 bites.)  She has learned (from watching her LITTLE sister) to ask please to be excused and to clear her place.  She even occasionally thanks her mother for "the delicious dinner," which she did not eat.

After dinner she plays with Anna while the boys get their bath and get ready for bed.  At 7 I take the boys upstairs with their bottles and Sarah Jane and Anna sit down for a glass of warmed up milk, fruit and a bowl of plain yogurt with honey and granola.  Which Sarah Jane DOES eat.  At 7:30 we brush teeth (3 times out of 5 it's a fight though we're getting better) and read books.  Anna's first, then Sarah Jane's.  We just started our first chapter book - Besty-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace.  I'm not sure if she's listening but having a chapter book makes her feel very grown up.  At 8 sharp we head upstairs and Sarah Jane gets in bed.  Previously, Sarah Jane always asked me "to sit a while" so I would get comfortable in the rocking chair and settle in for 40 to 60 minutes of reading my iPad interrupted by trips to the bath room, water fetching, book fetching, tucking in, re tucking in, blanket finding, PJ changing and more water.  The wails that would ensue when I tried to sneak out before both girls were sound asleep kept me glued petrified to the rocker for longer and longer intervals.  Not my favorite part of the day.  Dave suggested I stop.  I rolled my eyes - YOU try and stop.  YOU have the fight.  GOOD LUCK with THAT.  But as usual, he was right.  Two weeks ago I announced at 11 in the morning that "Tonight I am not going to stay a while."  "Ok," SJ shrugged. And at 8pm headed up to bed and went to sleep without me and without a peep. Really? That's all it took?  All those hours of sitting there and all I had to do was announce I was wasn't going to anymore? REALLY????  

Other things about Sarah Jane right now that I want to remember:

She has loaded up one of my old purses full of things that one might find in a purse and carries it with her everywhere.  Her purse contains chap stick, Kleenex, several pens, a pad of paper, an old cell phone, a brush, hair ties and spare keys.  She came up with all of those items herself.

Sarah Jane loves taking photographs.  Her favorite part of Disneyland was the disposable camera I bought her.

Sarah Jane loves to draw and spends hours with her art box which is arguably the best thing I have ever done as a mother. 

Sarah Jane goes to soccer on Saturdays and tennis on Sundays.  She's still scared of a lot of things but jumps right into the scrum and last Saturday scored three of her team's four goals (the fourth was an own goal.) She's not that in to defense (see below.)

Above all else, Sarah Jane is a great big sister.  She keeps her siblings safe, happy and in line.  Here she is hanging with her brother's in the play house.

She no longer fights with Anna about who gets which cup, plate, fork, straw etc. because "I'm 4 and I know it's the same, right mommy?"

Speaking of being four, Sarah Jane, lucky goose, gets to turn five twice this year.  Once in August for her real birthday and once in April for her school birthday.  Pictures of the rainbow cupcakes and birthday girl below.  Passing out the cupcakes might have been the highlight of her year.

Writing her name in the book we gave her school for her birthday (a BHNS tradition):

Sarah Jane is a joy right now.  I think last time I wrote an SJ update I likened living with her to harboring a tiny terrorist.  How far we've come.  She's morphed into a nurturing, silly, still sometimes stubborn but loving little helper.  We are so lucky to have her.  (Apologies for the many details, someday I'm going to want to remember all this.)