And we're off!!

I know that the school year has begun because we're off. We are always off to somewhere.... soccer, dance, horsebackriding, music and when we're not off to those places there are still the necessary trips to the grocery store, the drug store, the dentist, etc. The kids are enjoying their activities although as you will see they don't always enjoy waiting for each other. Hannah really likes horsebackriding although we are regularly dealing with the problem that there are several dogs at the barn (and you all know how much she loves dogs - not). We have started going to a phobia specialist to deal with her fears (and eventually Sophie's as well), so we can go on with our busy lives that inevitably have us encountering dogs of all shapes and sizes. Sophie loves soccer but more for the outfit than anything. She preens around the house before practice saying "Do I look like a soccer kid?" Last year when she did gymnastics it was "Do I look like a gymnast?" followed by a dramatic pose. She is taking jazz dance this fall too which seems to be a good fit for her because jazz dance is all about looking dramatic. She came downstairs yesterday with her black leotard and black jazz pants and sunglasses!(it was 6:30 at night!) When I asked her about the glassees she said it made her look "cooler, like a dancer from New York City." God forbid she look like a six year old dancer from Chelmsford!

Now that the kids are both in school full time I am finding myself with less free time than I thought I would have. The hours seem to slip through my fingers and before you know it they are home again and we are off to some activity.

Yesterday, I went to the mall by myself for some quiet shopping. I went to the Burlington mall which is where I used to frequently go when Hannah and Sophie were little and were tolerant of being in the stroller for hours. I looked at the other moms there with their little ones and felt a pang in my gut for my babies that have grown out of their strollers and have moved on to big kid school leaving me with the ghosts of the people they will never be again. Then I suddenly realized that the pang was actually a sippy cup that some two year old had thrown at me from his stroller andI happily went on with my shopping - alone.