Speaking of reading, Zoe got to serve as Mystery Reader for her sister’s class again, and this year she read two books all on her own. (No help from me; I was just there to provide moral support and to hold Avery’s hand.) Her choices for the four-year-old class? “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type,” and, natch, “Frozen” (the book). As we told the class, the latter is Avery’s favorite!

-M

One thing I do like about seven? The love of books that seem to come along with the age. Zoe is a huge fan of reading, and she devours in a short period of time chapter books whose protagonists are usually funny, strong-minded third- or fourth-graders. Lucky for us, most of Zoe’s favorite female characters are the subject of numerous books (there are 11 Judy Moody books alone; we just finished #2 last night), which means lots of trips to the library or bookstore. And an added bonus: I love reading, too, so this is something we can do together. (Now if only I could get her interested in Judy Blume, my favorite author as a kid!)

-M

Prompted by some less-than-pleasant interactions with Zoe, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the age of seven. To be honest, it’s not my favorite.

I don’t have much experience with kids, so I was taken aback when Zoe – shortly after turning seven – started exhibiting behavior that in my mind is more closely associated with pre-teens or teenagers. Door shutting, heavy sighing, declarations of “I want to be alone right now” and “You just don’t understand, Mom!” – those sorts of things. I wasn’t initially sure how to respond to this behavior (which seemed so out of character for her), and – as I mentioned here a few weeks ago - I quickly found out that the disciplinary tactics that once used to work with Zoe no longer do. I also started taking Zoe’s actions personally – thinking they meant that she no longer liked me or needed me that much.

During one of several talks about her, Q suggested that much of Zoe’s outbursts involve her need for independence – she’s older now and doesn’t want to be told what to do. He wasn’t making excuses for her – it’s not right for her to be disrespectful or mean regardless of the reason – but he was saying that if we gave her a little more space and freedom in certain areas, we would probably see a difference in her mood and attitude. And, so, I’ve been trying to give her some space, let her do more things on her own, without my hovering or interfering – and I have seen a bit of a difference.

Backing off from Zoe doesn’t come naturally to me. I want to still pick out her clothes every morning, and I don’t want to be told she’s too busy to talk because she wants to read a book in her room. (I miss her!) But when I see how happy it makes her to, for example, make her bed in the morning without my asking, I know that letting go a bit is what I need to do. And maybe after I get used to it, I’ll really like seven!

-M

Following a recent after-school playdate with a friend who lives downtown, Zoe got to commute home with her dad. And how cute: Once on the Muni, she plunked herself down and, without saying anything to Q, pulled out her book and started reading. What a city kid!

-M

I feel like Frozen has become the soundtrack of our life – songs from the movie are constantly playing in our house or car, or being sung by one of the girls. (When Zoe was sick recently, she listened to the CD on repeat.) We’re not the only ones to be taken with the movie, and I read somewhere that YouTube has become inundated with videos of 4-year-olds singing Frozen songs. So here’s another one…

-M

This week has been a bit rough: Zoe and I had a not-fun morning yesterday, and before that both Avery and I were sick with the stomach flu. But it actually started out well, with the girls and I being off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and heading to a gorgeous park that I’ve been wanting to take them to for years. (It’s located just south of the city, in the town of Pacifica.) We explored the large playground, sat in the grass picnicking and singing Frozen songs, and ran around in the sun. Pretty much the perfect morning.

-M

Q’s mom made a recent comment about how much Zoe looked like a young teenager. She’s right – and Zoe certainly acts like one too! Take this morning, when Zoe (mad at me over something quite small) left the house in a huff, without saying good-bye. It’s the first time we’ve ever left one another without saying good-bye, and I was hit with this reality: She’s not a baby anymore! And also: This is likely just the first of many, many times in which she’ll leave the house angry at me.

(sigh)

-M

To take advantage of the warm weather and time off work, we went to Santa Cruz over the long holiday weekend. The girls had fun playing in the sand but were probably most excited about swimming in the pool, where we spent the majority of Saturday. Q and I got home and promptly signed the girls up for swim class!

-M

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Zoe’s teacher asked her students to write up their own version of “I Have a Dream.” This is Zoe’s (with the original spelling):

I have a dream for my school. My dream for Brandeis is that there’s no more being mean to other people.

I have a dream for my school. I dream that everybody could help the school because we can pick up trash as a school and we could be helpful to the teachers.

I have a dream for myself. I dream that I can be marryed and that I could have five babys. I dream I could go to Stanfard for callege. I dream that I am nice to people. I dream that I live in Arizona.  I dream my family was great.

I have a dream for the world. I dream that people will help the ocean. I’m sure everyone will help. I dream people will help animals. We can help by feeding. I dream that people will have God by saying please and thank you.

-M

During a moment alone with me over the weekend, Avery out of the blue echoed something she’s heard me say before: “Mommy, you’re testing my patience.” And a beat later: “What does ‘testing your patience’ mean?”

-M

If it’s a Sunday in fall or early winter, we’re likely to be home watching football – and there’s a good chance we have friends joining us. Below are a few shots from recent weeks of the girls and their friends (who are more likely to be running around, goofing off, or watching their own show than watching the game).

-M

Today is Tu B’Shvat, a minor holiday that the girls’ preschool celebrates with a special feast. (Flashback: Here’s Zoe at her first one.) Avery told us that she and a few friends are singing a special song, “The Almond Tree Song,” at today’s event, so I rehearsed with her last night.

-M

We get a newsletter from the preschool each week, and the picture below, which was in last Friday’s edition, caught my attention. Unbeknownst to me, Avery and her classmates had done a rain dance (it is really dry here!) and even made Native American headbands for the event. Her teachers explained more of what happened:

We discussed as a group the symbolism of the blue and turquoise colors (water) and feathers (wind) in their headbands. After watching a recording of a Native American rain dance on YouTube, the children decided they needed some instruments to carry out their own dance. Wearing their headbands and shaking maracas and other instruments symbolic of rain, the children danced together on the playground, chanting for rain and raising their hands up to the heavens in order to bring on the rain.

The class also talked about the importance of rain – in particular, how rain helps trees and plants grow and enables us to eat their their fruits and vegetables. Avery explained this in video over the weekend.

-M

I love having one-on-one time with the girls - even if it’s as something as simple as running errands or walking on West Portal, I think it’s good for the girls to have moments when it’s all about them. (The dynamic is just different when the girls are together.) I was surprised, then, when Avery and I were at Target the other afternoon and she said out of the blue, “I miss Zoe.” I’ve always assumed the girls love sister-free moments, but it’s clear Avery enjoys Zoe’s company (especially, apparently, during shopping). It was a sweet moment.

-M

As “preteen” as Zoe sometimes seems, she’s still very much a little girl. This photo – taken per her request at a playground recently – reminds me of that…

-M