Firsts

There have been some big firsts around here lately.
First day of pre-school!When I asked her teacher how she was on her first day at pre-school she said
"Oh, she was fine! She asked a lot of questions."
THAT'S IT?! C'mon, lady, I need details!
When I asked Violet what happened at school she said
"I put stickers on things and played in Tigger water".
Any additional attempts to pump her for more information has been met with the rolling of eyes and "I already telled you!". So, now she has a bit of a life of her own, away from me. She loves school, as we all knew she would. When I pick her up from school she seems very happy, but I notice that her drawings and paintings looks like generic kid scratching. At home she's painting faces with hair, teeth and ears, and family scenes with sun and water. Also, since school started she now has a running commentary explaining things and teaching to her dolls. It's hilarious. She seems so grown up.

aaaand....

Jem's first birthday! My sweet baby boy is one!
We celebrated with a small family dinner (even though he really wanted to go to the casino). He seemed a little unsure of the cake and singing at first. Violet had picked out the candle and had put the sprinkles on.
Warming up to it quickly...
Cake for everyone!He's got quite a few words already, and can do a barnyard full of animal noises. He still loves to read, spending a lot of time sitting and flipping through a pile of books and laughing. Such a lovely boy!


In other news:
As you may have noticed, a year has passed and I still seem to be at home even though our beloved Oma has returned to look after the kids during the day. I'm giving my own freelance graphic design and photography business a shot, and it seems to be going well...even though most of my business has been family so far. Good thing I have a huge family.
It's a good life.