Milestones

Wow!

This week marks the end of Year 1 for Jesse and the end of nursery for Luci. Next year it's reception (kindergarten) for her. Of course, it wouldn't normally be the end (the end of school is actually in 2 weeks) but since we are heading to CA on Monday, it was the last day for both kids on Friday.

I felt myself feeling really sad to mark this point, particularly with Luci. She still seems pretty small (immature) and yet she has spent so many hours away from home carving out a life (of play) for herself in her colorful school environment. Thankfully she has 2 amazing volumes of her life there that the teachers put together--it includes artwork, pictures taken of her and her friends, and things that she said. (In N Out burger even got a mention as the thing she was going to do on her summer holiday last summer when questioned about it, apparently) The upside of Luci's transition out of nursery is how much she adores the fact that she is going to "big school" next year where Jesse goes and had already familiarized herself with the ponies in Saturn class, which is where she will be. Amazingly, she was able to visit the big school with her key worker Rachel from nursery, who she absolutely adores. Rachel and Lu even managed to squeeze in making a book about it between the visit and a party at 2:30 that marked the end of international week at nursery. Luci got recognized at the party so it served as and end of the year party for her.

Jesse finished up with a trip to Greenwich park with his class. They announced the trip about 3 days before it happened and when J came beaming out of his classroom saying they were going on a trip, my heart sank because I thought he'd miss it but alas it was Friday so J had good closure to his time in Year 1 as well. Not to mention the kids and I went to a fun fair at his school today.

Samuel is amazing, still smiling at every turn. I've never had anyone in my life so happy to see me and life with him is just about absolute bliss I have to say. He's using his arms a lot now and bopping things around which is really cute to see. One of things that used to characterize Samuel's face was his intense forehead wrinkles, of which my friend Hannah said, "I have never seen that on a baby before". I thought he was just taking after me and he had them from birth. However, D just commented that they are gone and it's true! His head has now grown into all that extra skin I think. I think I actually miss his wrinkly forehead a bit. Time flies--he is already 3 1/2 months.