Gosh, so much has happened in the last year. Miss River is so old now! Happy 5th year Earthside!

Things that happened this year:

River started Preschool last summer and then moved into Kindergarten January 2016.
River met Grandpappy Dan and Even-Grander-pappy Michael and all her cuzzies in NJ.
She learned how to blow bubbles with bubble gum.
A few days after her birthday she taught herself how to whistle, which she's been wanting to do since      last year.
She began dance classes at school.


Things I love about River:

River is an amazing little artist. She comes home with the most unique and interesting artwork I've ever seen. Sometimes she works with symmetry, sometimes not. Sometimes she works with patterns, incorporates writing, draws scenes, or simply colors in mandalas from school. I wish I had a bigger refrigerator.

She is also quite the builder. I love watching her build with Legos, plus plus, beads, blocks, and basically anything else she can get her hands on. She has a mind for this kind of stuff and a vivid imagination. Just recently she built a fighter plane and flew it to the mailbox on our walk. It had to stop and refuel a couple of times. It made me want to keep her little like this forever.

She loves telling jokes. She could tell you knock knock jokes all day long. Most of them don't make any sense, but she's always coming up with something funny and creative to say. And she's getting funnier every day. Last night we were eating fruit while she was in the bath. She put a kiwi on her forehead and said, "Look Mom, my third eye is a kiwi," and so I laughed and asked her what she saw with her third eye. "Keys."

She speaks her mind. Obviously this isn't the most fun thing to deal with, but it's important that she never loses the ability to tell us about things that are important to her. If she doesn't want kisses or hugs, if her underwear are too tight, if she had a bad experience with a friend at school, she'll let you know it.

She doesn't let anything stand in her way. When she wants to learn something she'll practice day and night. Right now it's hand stands and cartwheels. I have videos of baby River right around 2 years old trying to teach herself to jump. I want to encourage the kind of behavior that leads to hard work paying off.

She's just the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and I tell her every day. I never ever want her to think that she's alone or unloved. Her dad and I are her biggest fans and she has a whole entourage of people who love her and think she's the bees knees.

A visit

River met Joel this summer at his apartment in NY. They played board games and she met his kitties, Willow and Lucky. Last Monday, she got to meet his parents and brother. Today was another happy meeting.

Close up

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.