Speaking of parties, today was Avery’s last day of school, and her teachers held a little get-together for the parents. I couldn’t go – I had a meeting in the office at 10 AM – and I was feeling somewhat blue, and guilty, about the scheduling conflict. But then the mom of Avery’s close friend (also named Avery) snapped a picture on her phone and sent it to me…

I guess Avery wasn’t too upset about me not being there!

-M

We’ve been on the party circuit much of this month – with several of Avery’s classmates turning four, and her preschool holding its annual spring picnic. Here are a few pics – and a video – of Avery in action.

-M

I recently signed up for these “stress-free parenting” alerts, which are designed to give parents advice on cutting themselves slack “and getting over the notion of perfect parenting.” A recent one – on, basically, seeing the beauty in all those less-than-perfect pictures of our kids – resonated with me. The mommy blogger wrote:

Once upon a time, I was one of those moms… who strived to capture the perfect picture to proudly send out in December so people could marvel at my beautiful children. One who only shared shots where every child was angelically grinning at the camera and my house was clean and tidy in the background. One whose albums were filled with the idyllic moments that made up approximately one percent of our days. The problem with those pictures, I quickly discovered, is that they don’t represent real life. Real life isn’t picture perfect, especially where children are concerned. Kids are messy and uncooperative and frustrating, as well as adorable and sweet and charming. Shouldn’t we document and share all of that? Years from now, the pictures you’ll appreciate most are the ones that truly reflect your life at any given moment in time. And today, I’m quite sure your friends and family will appreciate a glimpse into the life you really live, rather than a pretend one.

I don’t aim to give an unrealistic portrayal of family life here on the blog (I’ve complained a-plenty about the challenges of raising two little ones), but I do typically only post photos that I consider good (and by good, I mean ones that feature a smiling child or two). And I do admit to getting irritated if the girls won’t smile/pose for photos during outings; I just want to capture the moment, I tell them and Q, but they often don’t care.

And so, in the spirit of the stress-free thing, and the blogger’s advice to capture the good and the bad, I thought I’d share another photo from our recent ballgame. It may appear that Zoe is simply giving her mom (in mid-sentence) a loving hug; in reality, Zoe had just gotten done yelling that NO, she doesn’t want to take a photo with Mommy before walking to the ballpark. And she turned her head away from the camera to make sure Q and I understood that. (The sharing of a photo in which my kid is uncooperative and frustrating? Check!)

-M

We went to our first Giants game of the season as a family yesterday. It was a pretty great day to be out (warm but not too hot), and the game ended in very exciting fashion. But perhaps most exciting: The girls, along with the two kids of the friends we went with, lasted through the entire game – even extra innings – with no problem. (Another benefit of having kids who no longer nap!)

-M

Yesterday marked the first-year anniversary of Avery’s ear-tube surgery. The months leading up to the procedure, when we learned about Avery’s hearing issues, were a little stressful – as were the months following, when I wondered if her speech (which had been affected by her hearing) would catch up with other children her age. I’m happy to say that things are really good now: Her speech is right where it needs to be, according to her teachers; she has developed little relationships at school (something she didn’t really do her first year); and – more importantly - she just seems so much happier and more bubbly than ever before. A lot of the changes are likely due to her age, of course, as well as her growing comfort at school – but I also maintain that her ability to hear clearly and more effectively communicate has opened up a whole new world for her. My only regret about her surgery: That we didn’t do it months earlier!

-M

And here’s the video. The lyrics are difficult to make out, but the (inconsistent) choreography is pretty fun.

-M

Today was the last Friday of the preschool year, and Avery and her classmates gave a special morning performance for parents (video coming). And check out who helped me sell yearbooks beforehand…

-M

Speaking of excited, Zoe was very happy about a certain milestone today: She’s six and a half! (We sang to her, and she’s also hoping for a half cupcake, or donut, when she gets home.)

A snapshot of what she’s like these days… She’s a happy, fun girl – someone who can be quiet in new settings but also energetic and silly when she’s playing with her friends or with family at home. She’s also uber-responsible (I have to remind myself sometimes that she’s only in kindergarten) and the ultimate big sister – often playing with, teaching, watching out for and loving up Avery. She’s competitive with her sister at times, too – they most often quibble over which carseat they’re going to use (they both favor our new purple one) and who gets the best spot (next to their dad) in our bed in the morning – but overall the two get along really well.

I sometimes think of Zoe as a bit of an old soul; she has a very sensitive, sweet side – often comforting me when I’m sad (or I might be sad) and reminding me to calm down if I’m upset over something silly. (The phrase that the two of us recently adopted? “No problem” in Hebrew.) She is very thoughtful – often bringing us gifts and making us cards when we’re upset (or for no reason at all) – and she recently offered to use money in her piggy bank to buy her sister a toy Zoe thought she would like.

Zoe can be a bit of a deep thinker, asking us thought-provoking questions about things like God and death. A sampling of some recent questions from just one conversation: What were the last names of Adam and Eve? How did more families come in existence if there were originally only two people on Earth? Who was the first person to have the Browdy last name, and why does everyone take the dad’s last name? Why are there more Christians than Jews in the world? And why are there more boys than girls? (I corrected her on the last one.) And she made me laugh (and reminded me of her age) just a few nights ago, when we were talking about how, should I die before she did, I would watch over her. “So if I wanted some peanuts, I could just say, ‘Hey, Mom, I want some peanuts,’ and you’d throw some down from the sky for me?” she asked.

She likes being helpful – her teachers told us in our recent conference that she often jumps up to help them (passing out papers, etc.) without being asked – and she can be very organized and efficient. (She likes making lists of things to do – like her mom!) When she recently heard that, due to our remodel, our water was going to be turned off for a day, she promptly gathered and filled with water six cups, which she proudly stored on the bathroom counter. (“Just in case we need them,” she told me.) And she also drew “do not flush” signs for us to put on our toilets that day.

Speaking of drawing, she loves doing artwork and making little books. Other interests are sewing and doing other little craft projects, playing make-believe school or shop, reading, and “doing research” on my little pink laptop. She also loves being goofy – dancing and making up songs and playing games like hide and seek.

She loves school – PE and Jewish Studies are two of her favorite classes – and we hear a lot at home about what she’s studying there. She recently learned about bees and came home every day buzzing (ha, ha) over something new she had learned. (She was particularly interested in the proboscis.) She has made several new friendships this school year, and most of her close friends are still boys.

Milestones since our last update: She completely stopped sucking her thumb, she lost her first tooth (and then another since then), and she went on her first elementary-school field trip. And most exciting: She’s a full-fledged reader now. She started reading in the fall but since then things accelerated to the point where she can read almost anything (not just the level-1 books she started with). I’m still kind of amazed by it – especially since she showed little interest in reading when she was younger – and it still feels somewhat magical to me. One day a child can’t read, and it’s like the next day they can!

-M

Avery may have been excited over her school’s recent Pajama Day, but I was excited by an impromptu hair styling session that took place there one day. When I dropped Avery  off in the morning her hair was down, but look at what one of her teachers did…

-M

Sunday morning, a very-tired Zoe got upset over something small and told me that I was the meanest mommy in the world (which I’ve heard before) and that she didn’t love me anymore (which I hadn’t). I was a little surprised by the remark, but not too upset: I knew she didn’t mean it, and I knew she felt bad for saying it. (And I told her it wasn’t a nice thing to say.)

Later that day, after Avery and I got home from a birthday party, Zoe presented me with flowers and my favorite tea drink, as well as a card she had made with Q. Inside they had typed:

Mommy, I am sorry for saying I didn’t love you this morning. I will always love you no matter what I say when I am grumpy. Love, Zoe.

It’s another keeper.

-M

Friday was a big day for Avery because she got to wear her pajamas to school. Pajama Day (a semi-annual tradition at the preschool) was a big hit, with her teachers reporting in their weekly newsletter: “The kids all participated in a parade which was preceded with a snacktime brunch of pancakes and syrup along with hot chocolate and marshmallows. They REALLY enjoyed this snack.”

Avery’s class is below; she’s in the center next to her two besties, (another) Avery and Naomi.

-M

It has been long established that Zoe (i.e. Little Mommy) looks out for her sister. But Avery also has her sister’s back – as was clear on the ride home from school the other day. Zoe was upset when she learned we were out of muffins, and she got even more upset when I told her not to worry, that it would only take 20 minutes to bake a new batch. (“But 20 minutes is so long!” she cried, obviously exhausted and acting irrational.) Suddenly Avery piped up from the backseat. “Mom-my!” she said in a scolding tone and with a furrowed brow, “you are being mean to Zoe! Twenty minutes is too long! You are making her sad!”

Avery’s intentions were so sweet I didn’t even mind getting scolded (for no reason).

-M

The girls had off school on Wednesday, and the three of headed to the Bay Area Discovery Museum, just across the Golden Gate Bridge. We spent almost the entire day there, and it was one of the best times I’ve had with the girls in awhile. I love, as Avery calls it, “ghouls days.”

-M

Speaking of life with a three-year-old, funny questions and comments are the norm. Last night at dinner, Avery – obviously thinking of her upcoming birthday - asked her sister with a smile, “Zoe, when you turned four, did you get a pineapple?”

Zoe’s laughing response: “Huh??”

-M

As for the surprise, and the reading…

-M