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River wild thing!

River Isaschoolgirl Rae Frazier

River's first day of school was like a fairy tail. I think she's been ready for a long time to leave home and be part of her community. I think we've prepared her and it's also just part of her independent personality. She loves school. This weekend she asked me three times if it was Monday yet so she could go back. I'm really lucky and happy to have a kiddo who is curious and happy and likes school. And it's all just so cute.

Big Smile on her very first day of preschool.

Sleeping on the way to home from Daddy's house...I think. Rainbow bear.

River as Queen Elsa at Gravity Park this weekend.

Walking to her classroom with Ms. Debbie.

Menchies date after a great first day of preschool.

Bathingsuit selfies.

She's saying, "I'm a preschool!" Lol.

She was awake early for the first day of school, but the rest have been a struggle. lol

Beauty

Check up!

River saw the doctor she been seeing since she was 2 months old, yesterday for her 4 year well child check. We have been fortunate not to have had many in-between visits over the years, but we make sure to check in with Jeff once a year so he can make sure she's progressing normally and to get her vaccines. I'm to understand that she passed her hearing and eye exams, although she tells me she was shy for the second eye...lol. She is just under 40 lbs. And is a very tall 42.5". I suspect we will run into issues with her always looking older than she is before too long. She's just a healthy, happy four year old and I thank the universe every day for that. Chris tells me Jeff has no worries at all about her verbal skills, as they had a lively conversation about Disneyland. :) Apparently, she was ok for the first shot but cried for the second and her story to me is that she doesn't need anymore shots until she's 11.

Big Step

Today, River decided that even though she is shy, she was going to volunteer for just about everything this morning in her meditation class. I am so proud, but it was also kind of funny watching her sit very shyly in front of everyone. She did a great job showing everyone how to cross their legs. She was also very quiet the whole time! She also volunteered to pass out craft items.

One thing that has been somewhat of a big deal every week is how to deal with our big feelings. For the first two classes, River cried for a long time because they gave her a song book... don't ask me why. I don't think she can even tell you. After the second time, we discussed what she would do if she was offered a song book again. So last week we practiced saying, "no thank you." This week, our new friends joined us and we had a lot of fun sitting next to them. River said, "no thank you." Her friend did the same. My friend and I both took song book. Unexpectedly, the girls stole our song books! Haha. River opened it and showed Suvi the picture in the front and said, "This is a lotus flower." She still wasn't really into the singing, but baby steps!

I think the routine nature of it will be good for her. All of the teachers are licensed so it will also teach her a sense of being in a classroom setting. She is one of the youngest if not the youngest every week, so she's learning by watching older children and how to interact with all different ages. This is all a bonus to the actual meditation practice and lessons being taught. I only wish there were more outdoor activities or moving around, but they can't do it all in 1.5 hours. She is learning skills she will use all her life and that she may not get elsewhere.

Meditation

River initiated mediation tonight. She was very hyper. She was very excited to show daddy her dharma envelope with the conch symbol on it that she had made at Kadampa. We read some of the lessons, the first of which was to thank someone for their help and kindness. She excitedly thanked me for my help and kindness. I thanked her for helping me put oil in my car and doing such a good job being in charge of the dipstick.

Daddy asked her to get a book to read. A really nice woman bought River her first Buddhist story. So they sat down together and she promptly crossed her legs, closed her eyes, put one hand on top of the other and began to calm herself down. We all practiced breathing and becoming very quiet for ten whole seconds! Lol. We talked about many things including beaver tails, trees, where our hearts are in our body, etc.

River's Coronation Gown

While we were at Disneyland, River saw Anna ' s coronation gown and really wanted it. She exclaimed excitedly that she didn't have one of those! I try hard not to instantly buy toys and stuff and I really didn't want to spend money on a bunch of toys inside the park itself anyway.

After we returned home, I went to Disney online and ordered a couple of souvenirs. They arrived on my birthday and it was a great gift to me to see how excited she was to see that dress come out of the box. She didn't even say anything. She just threw her arms around my legs and hugged me. Then a tiny, "Thank you, Mom," could be heard from her cute little face.

She promptly hung it up in her dress up closet and begged Daddy all day the next day, while running errands, to wear it. When they finally got home, they did a little fashion show and she was a little ham for the camera. She is beaming!

Science!

Color science! I forgot that I had this birthday gift for River up in the top of the closet. She got it this weekend. :D Woops!

Kadampa

Since I first laid eyes on River, I knew that when she turned 4, I was going to take her to the Kadampa Meditation Center for their children's class. I know it's a weird thing to wait so long for, but truly, it is more a testament to time marching forward endlessly. Every birthday, every milestone, I thought about how much more time until I got to take her to this class. Now that the time is here, it feels bittersweet. She's no longer a baby. Next year she'll be in Kindergarten.

When she was a baby, I wondered what she would be like at 4 and if she'd even like the class or if I was just needlessly getting my hopes up. Now that she's 4, she is someone. She has her own thoughts and opinions and things that she will and won't do. She has quirks and sensory issues and a personality all her own. She's so smart, so independent, yet so reliant sometimes. She's a whole person. She's a true being who listens to everything we say and watches everything we do and reacts in her own way.

This morning we got up and, like all mornings, had a hard time getting out. We made it on time (crazy!) and sat in the back of the classroom.

River and I have a love of the Eastern Deities and she often talks about them and always recognizes our favorite, Ganesha. He is the remover of obstacles. I want her to know that obstacles can sometimes be people or situations, but most of the time, the obstacles are all in our heads.

Today's lesson was about one of the 8 auspicious symbols, the Lotus flower. Ganesha, and many deities carry it in one of their many hands. This has always caught River's attention.

She resisted meditation (of course) by whispering to me loudly that she wasn't going to close her eyes, and wanted nothing to do with the sung prayer. That's all fine. Entirely her decision. Then we spoke of the meaning of the lotus, which is purity. Purity, meaning freedom from obstacles of the mind, such as worry, fear, anger, jealously, and hatred. We made a lotus flower to take home and colored one as well while having a snack. Then we joined the adults in the prayer room. River decided to gift her colored lotus picture to Luther, her friend from birth. I never encourage it, because I want that to come from her, but I always tell her that she's done a good thing by giving to others.

I am not perfect. I often doubt my worthiness as a parent, but I know I'm exposing her to things that will help her overcome me in the future. All I want out of life is to set her up for success. The class was just a class. The lesson was just a simple one. But if I can give her a million of those, I will have done my job.

Random Riverness

Well, lots of fun stuff happening this weekend.

Happy birthday from Miss Yvonne

Last year, Yvonne and Mario took River out to Chuck E Cheese and have her a Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl doll.

This year, Yvonne asked River what she wanted for her birthday. She remembered her Jessie doll that she loved so much and asked for a Buzz Lightyear! Well, Miss Yvonne is such a great auntie that she came through. I'm pretty sure this is one gift she'll never forget. She's running around lasering just about everything.

River's hair cut

Truthfully, River does not approve of hair cuts, per se. However, she did allow me the honor of trimming her bangs this weekend. She did great and didn't wiggle too much. :)

Climbing fun

Out of the blue she wanted to go climbing! More photos to come. She's a natural!

Disneyland

Our good friends who just moved to California gifted us a weekend at their home, trip to the SD Zoo, trip to the beach, and a very special trip to Disneyland. I swear this was one of the happiest experiences of River's life, seeing as she got all the princesses one little girl can handle. Probably the only thing that tops princesses right now would be the TMNT but those, sadly, are not Disney characters. Lol. You can see evidence of this happiness through some photos I took. I'll also probably be ordering a couple of professional ones for anyone who would like one. Enjoy!