On Spontaneity

This past Wednesday, the girls had dentist appointments at 8:30, I had a volunteer job at the school at 10, Daisy gets out of school at 12, then Helen at 3:00. Girl Scouts was at 6:30. Our days are so scheduled and in some ways that is good. Kids like routine. Heck, I like routine or at least the part where I can look at a calendar and it tells me what I'm supposed to do next.

But it was also the first of 3 days in a row where Helen was going to have a sub at school. She was not happy about it. (That love of routine thing again.) It was also Ash Wednesday and we seemed to have no time for church. There was a service at noon. Should I get Daisy a little early and she and I go without Helen? The other choice was 7pm; right in the middle of Girl Scouts. Should I take Helen out of Girl Scouts but then put Daisy in the nursery since she was bound to be melting down by then?

Here's the thing. I am not spontaneous. I frown upon breaking the routine. I most definitely frown upon breaking the rules. But here's the other thing. Helen's class has tests on Thursday and Friday so there is no getting around that in this mom's stern book, but honoring my daughter's need to not be stressed versus the (most likely) insignificant amount of learning that would go on for one afternoon with a sub was important too. And it also bugs me to no end to be placing church at the bottom of the priority list.

So our Wednesday went like this: 8:30 dentist appointments, 2 hours back at school while I did my volunteer assignment, 12:00 Ash Wednesday service (where the girls behaved like the most pious little angels anyone has ever seen- or ever will again from this family no doubt!), extra playtime at home on a gorgeous warm, sunny February day, and 6:30 Girl Scouts.

So it wasn't our typical day.

Well, thank goodness for that!

On Eating Too Well

This is the lunch that Daisy asks for. As in, "What do you want for lunch today?" followed by, "I want tomatoes and broccoli and carrots and celery and apples and ranch. That's all." "Ham?" "No." "Crackers?" "No." "Chips?" "No." "Anything with any calories at all?" "No."

I know I must be the only mother who walks into the pediatrician each year complaining about how my daughter eats too many fruits and vegetables. I mean, that sounds so ridiculous. Except when you are in the 3rd percentile for height and weight, it is painfully hard not to want to shove every kind of fat and protein down her throat that you can think of. I know intellectually that Daisy's mother made me look tall and fat and her grandmother was about the size Helen is now, so in reality, Daisy is probably going to be 4'9" and 75lbs when she is full grown, but it is hard to process sometimes. On top of that, she eats very slowly- very, very, very s-l-o-w-l-y. I thinks she would make an excellent French woman!

Ham and cheese today too. Hooray!

3 Birthday Parties and a Sleepover

Okay, so the title is a little nod to the "Four Weddings and a Funeral" title-ha.

Party #1: Saturday: Pump It Up

Party #2: Later on Saturday: Houston Scuba Academy

Followed by a sleepover at the birthday girl's house for Helen

Party #3: Sunday: Palace Bowling Lanes

Add church on Sunday, my night out with a friend to see "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," Daron donating platelets on Saturday, and Daron finishing the new plumbing for the shower we're remodeling. Whew! What a weekend! Thank goodness there's nothing on next weekend's calendar...

On Sibling Affection

This morning, Daisy woke up and moved from her bed to Daron's recliner. After snuggling with me in my bed for a few minutes, fixing the coffee, and starting her breakfast, Helen climbed on top to give Daisy a snuggle.

If your kids are younger than 7, or just not as insanely independent as Helen, then the idea that she fixed the coffee and made her breakfast may sound quite impressive. But if you have now, or have ever had, more than one kid in your house, you should know that voluntarily hugging your little sister is the most shocking thing that happened this morning!

On Meanness

Maybe it is just me, but I am very naive when it comes to the kindness (or lack thereof) of children. I know there is the "Mine!" stage and the "I'll be your friend if you give me that ____" stage, but I was unprepared for the outright meanness stage. That is, the meanness of children to other children. (Siblings excluded of course.) This year, I have heard stories from Helen of kids calling other kids fat, unpopular, and ugly; forbidding a boyfriend (yeah-that's right-I said boyfriend!) from playing with other girls; hitting; cursing; kissing; it just goes on and on. The innocence is lost it seems.

Now, my daughter is far, far from perfect. And of course, she is not always nice. But she is also unconcerned by the perfectness of one's hair or the size of her waistline or the notion that anything can be posted on Facebook. She watches cartoons, not sitcoms with teenagers and tweens kissing. She thinks "stupid" is a bad word that one should never say. She is only 7.

Thank goodness, her individuality will take nothing short of a steamroller to suppress (I'll admit that I've tried a time or two). The girl has a sense of self that most adult women would kill for, but her innocence cannot be regained.

On Inspiration

I am in a book club with some other moms- super fun and has gotten me reading regularly again. I love it. The book for March (which I have not read yet-especially since I haven't read February's- is "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin). I visited her website and watched a 1-minute video titled, "The Years are Short." (www.happiness-project.com) The video shows Gretchen and her daughter and a little story about riding the bus. The point of the video is that in the maddeningly crazy, exhausting years of motherhood: The Days are Long, but the Years are Short. It is very poignant and spot on. If ever there were a time for not being able to see the forest for the trees, it is when picking up the balled up socks and backpack from the kitchen floor (again), explaining why it is necessary to brush one's hair (again), fixing the PB&J just the right way (again),... But here's to my view across the lunch table every day.

Kindergarten starts in the fall.

The days are long, but the years are short.

On Documentation

So I have new found enthusiasm (I hope) to restart my blog. I have floundered over the recent months. When I began my first blog, it was to document our journey to China to get Helen more than 5 years ago and I kept at it (mostly) faithfully for 3 years, encompassing also our trip to Vietnam to adopt Daisy. Two years ago, I had that blog printed into a book and started this blog to mark a change in our status. A family that had finally been made whole and complete.

But in the ensuing years that now included 2 small children, my life at home became busy, erratic and, let's face it, normal. I began to post to the blog less and less and wonder who in the world would want to read about missing teeth, another year's Halloween costumes, and yet another trip to the zoo. This is not meant to

diminish the significance of my adoring fans (are you there mom?), but I basically lost my motivation.

I have felt very bad about it though. I love the blog book I have. Reading the stories of our days overseas and the comments of all the readers brings me to tears. every. time. It is a documentation of our lives, however small. It is a recorded memory. It is our history. It is us.

My grandmother. My daughter. My parent's home. Christmas 2011.

How's that for irreplaceable documentation?

Zoo

A couple of weeks ago, we went on a zoo trip with our local NOAH (albinism) group. We got to have a little zookeeper class where the zookeeper had some bones and skins for the kids to feel as well as some small animals.

Afterward, we went to feed the giraffes which is a relatively new thing at the zoo. You walk up to a platform and feed the giraffes lettuce. This was a big hit last time and this time and Helen even got a giraffe kiss on her cheek. Guess she must have looked like a piece of lettuce!

What is your definition of cool?

So, it has been 110 degrees around here for the entire month of August. Officially, it was just announced that we beat Oklahoma for the hottest June to August time period ever on record in the history of the National Weather Service. That information is key to understanding why my daughter, on September 8th, at 2:45 in the afternoon, under sunny skies and a temperature of 85 degrees in wearing her fuzzy winter slippers. Come on people, it's almost chilly down here. Bare legs and fur-lined slippers. Only in Texas.

New look

Well, it's a fact. I can't stop them. They insist on growing up no matter how much I threaten, cajole, or bribe. Daisy has stylish new "big girl" glasses with a more rectangular shape and purple no less. This is proof she's growing, even if it is in millimeters. The opthamologist finally deemed her head too big for her old circle ones. She does indeed look more grown up and ready to head to school. In fact, just today, as she started her third day of school, she looked up at me and said, "Mommy, when we get to the hallway, can you let me go? I know the way. " Bwahhhwahhhwahh. Me (in my head), "I don't know! I'm not ready!" Me (out loud), "Okay." sniff sniff. We made it halfway down the hall before she remembered. Then she looks up at me, "Hey! Wait just a minute." and starts backing up. Indeed, she walked on by herself. I don't get so much as a kiss or hug these days. Thank goodness she has no interest in going past lunchtime- yet.

Three in a Row

Uh, is there nothing newsworthy in this house but missing teeth? Seems like it based on the ole blog these days. I told Helen she was beginning to look like a Jack-o-lantern! Ok, I promise something other than teeth photos next time...

Another tooth

Another tooth has bit the dust (third one now). Helen lost it the day before we went to the dentist. Something about a missing top tooth that is always super cute on a kid. :)

First Lost Tooth

Here is the little snaggle-tooth herself. Helen lost her tooth this morning when eating a banana. In my job as mother, I was required to receive the chewed up banana spit into my hand so I could wade through it and find the missing tooth. Such a glamorous life I lead!

This all occurred en route to visit and feed the horses at the Police Horse barn. Those were some pretty big (and hungry) horses!

Twas the night before a first tooth fell out...

So Helen's bottom front teeth are wiggling. We discovered this at her last dentist visit a few weeks ago. But now one of them is finally wiggling... a lot. This is cause for celebration in our house because Helen has been Desperate with a capital D to lose a tooth. Everyone in her class has lost teeth and even the kindergarteners are starting to lose them before her so there is pride at stake here. She has been very excited- until today. Oh the roller coaster of emotions that surround childhood events. She did not eat today, at all, until dinner. She kept saying she's not hungry and dumb Mama took until tonight to figure out that A). It hurts to eat on a wiggly tooth and B). We are now a little scared about it falling out- in that there might be blood. She finally ate an omelet tonight. But, backtracking a minute, Helen sometimes gets bloody noses. As in blood pouring out the nose at random times. And she freaks out about it. So one minute she is wiggling the tooth frantically back and forth and the next, she is trying to keep it in.

Drama number two is that I am going out of town Saturday morning for 4 days. Now is when I admit that this drama is mine alone. As in, "Please don't lose your tooth while Mommy's gone. I don't want to miss it!" I know, it's sad. I'm pathetic. I am near tears at the thought that Helen will lose her first tooth and I won't be here for it. Cue rational adults to say "There will be many more" "it's just a tooth" "Get over it!"

So to ease everyone's drama, the tooth fairy was busy at her sewing machine tonight making something special for the occasion whether Mama's here or not.

Go Texan

In honor of Go Texan Day, Helen's Girl Scout troop dressed up in their cowgirl finest for their meeting. I thought Helen looks so great and doesn't she just "jump" out of the picture. There's not missing that beautiful girl! This picture was in the local neighborhood newspaper too.

Between you and me, we're going to pretend that I am not back-dating every post from here til March. Enough said.

We flew to Belews Creek on Christmas Day this year. We landed in a couple of inches of snow and if we'd been a minute later, might not have made it. We had a very treacherous drive from the airport but the girls were quite excited. Not much snow in Texas and all that... Due to the weather, we missed seeing most of the extended family this year, but the girls had a great time with their cousins. Helen got to go sledding and proved to be a major snow bunny. She trekked back up the hill many, many times (or so I heard, since I could not be less of a snow bunny). Poor Daisy got stuck with me who cajoled and begged non-stop to please go in where it was warm. Pops did build her a "snow monster" with the very dry snow.

Cousin Love

This is Helen's "I'm so pleased with myself I'm hunching over like I'm embarrassed" look.

Baba and Daisy in the NC snow

First snowball

Daisy's "snow monster"

Well, and no trip to Granna's is complete without a swim in the bubble-filled jacuzzi bathtub.

Advent - Day 25

Merry Christmas!!!!

The Abominable Snow Monster

Zhu Zhu

Oh Mario, wherefore art thou Mario?

Well, the last one bears some explaining. After being obsessed for over a year with Winnie the Pooh's Christmas, Daisy's letter to Santa asked for a fly swatter, carrots and a Christmas tree, just like Rabbit wanted. Everyone asked me in horror, "What are you going to do?" I said, "Get her a fly swatter of course!"

Advent - Day 24

Christmas Eve! The kids were bouncing off the walls but fell fast asleep by 8pm. Tomorrow, it looks like we're flying into a white Christmas! But today meant exchanging our family gifts and a child-friendly Christmas Eve service at church.

Daisy's annual "number" ornament

Cheese!

Some Spode and Hello Kitty

Can't forget the Wolfpack!

Baba's 3 pretty girls

Advent - Day 23

Got our PJs on and going to see the neighborhood Christmas lights!

Advent - Day 22

Cookie Decorating Party at home with friends was so fun. Here's a few we're saving for Santa. Meanwhile, the girls played with their friends outside for a couple of hours. No whining, no injuries meant great chatting time for the mommies!

And here's our tree laden with presents!