Summer stuff...

I have been meaning to write a post or two but I don't seem to put pen on paper.  Or fingers on the keypad?
Summer holidays started third week of June for the kids.  Since then it has been a lot of relaxation and non stop fun for the kids.  No schedule really.  No camps.  Play dates.  Playing with each other at home for countless hours.  Some music practice, a tiny bit of math, some reading.  Other than that, this summer especially has been one of those lazy summer types where the kids get to play and while away time.  One week, my family was visiting us and then we drove to my sister's place for her daughter's arangetram.  That was a lot of fun for the kids.  It moved me to tears of course when my niece fell at the feet of her parents to get their blessings and get the salangai from them.  It takes being a mother to feel that moment.  I don't know if I would have been as moved before kids.  But knowing what it takes to take the child week after week to class, get them practice and go through the ups and downs with them through it all...and that moment felt like the culmination of all those efforts and it really moved me to tears.  For me, am at the beginning of such journeys with my children, but I was trying to imagine what it would be like ten or twelve years from now when they are at the point of an arangetram.  I had to just stop myself from dreaming of such things and just stay in the present.  After we got back from that, we went through a round of sickness.  Next week we are headed to a national park for about six days.  Looking forward to it.  But also very nervous as to how the kids, esp KB will do in terms of food in the middle of the wilderness.  He has to just survive on fruits I think.  Let's see how it goes.

The other big thing that happened was celebrating KG's fifth birthday.  I still cannot believe she is five.  Second children just grow up in a flash.  Each year goes by faster than the previous one it feels like.  She is so different from her brother in many ways.  But she looks up to him and dotes on him.  I don't know if him being there for her is why she doesn't try hard to make friends of her own.  She is most happy to be playing with him or tagging along his play dates.  I do feel bad that she doesn't have very close preschool friends etc.  It is what it is!  She fights with him non stop, compares between him and herself all the time.  I can't even give him a hug or a kiss without making sure she gets one at the same time.  If by chance I give him a hug when he happens to come to the kitchen, she will run to the kitchen and ask "Mamma, did you just hug KB?".  If I just said yes, she would immediately have a sullen face and say, "You only like KB".  But I am of course careful and I say, "Yeah KG, I am waiting to hug you too" and I have to give her a hug.  She plays beyblades with her brother non stop all day long.  She is becoming better at reading.  She is able to read words like "sweater" , "lobster" etc on her own from flash cards.  KB worries that she should be reading "Level 2" books. He is the worry worm.  Not me.  I feel like she is doing fine and she will get there soon enough.  KB is always happy when she reads well or does some math well.  KG also seems to really enjoy math and loves it when we give her arithmetic problems to solve mentally.  She is OK when it comes to writing, she writes well, but she writes so many letters and numbers as mirror images.  She is fiercely independent as she has always been.  She laughs with abandon and is generally a carefree soul.  I hope she retains that ability to move on with things and generally live life without worrying too much about it.

I managed to write a quick post before our trip.  Hoping we will all have a good time and get to see a lot of wild life too!