Our Twelve Days of Christmas 2010

On the twelve days of Christmas my family and I had

12 Glee tunes playing

11 poinsettias blooming

10 crazy friends

9 rounds of Wii Just Dance

8 nutcrackers

7 minutes with Santa

6 jars of hand scrub 

5 hot blonde guys

4 kids making ornaments

3 trips to the pediatrician

2 fainting spells

and


1 house off of Partridge Lane

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Christmas Past

I found these pictures on a memory card while searching for pictures for T. I remember taking them last year with a hope in my heart that it would be the last Christmas spent in our little "Gingerbread Home".

As much as I love our new home and neighborhood, I have to think back fondly on our previous home. It was the house that AC spent the most years in, where she learned to swim, ride a bike and control her temper. It was also a new beginning for our family, the place where we became a true unit. 

Advent Conspiracy

The Movement: Advent Conspiracy

The Goal: to feed 1500 orphans in a Malawi village for one year

The Purpose: To honor Jesus this Christmas season

This was the goal given to our church at the beginning of the Christmas season. As a family we made a goal and established a plan. We would give up any and all fast food for the month of December. Whenever it would be easier to order a pizza or we were craving an ice cream, we would instead think of the children that had no food, the children that were praying for God to send someone to nourish and love them. We set out with very good intentions.

But, as the month wore on, those Chick-fil-a nuggets pulled us in and the busyness of the season caused us to stop and grab something on the way home from this practice or that lesson. Still, we didn't lose sight of the fact that God was calling us to something more important and it was our responsibility to take care of those in need.

AC doing some extra dusting

So, we came up with a new plan. The callouses on my feet are just going to wait, as are the gray hairs on my head that desperately need coloring and Christmas cards will just not be mailed this year.  Anna Cate has taken on more chores at home to make up for the deficit in her little Advent Conspiracy box, including "poopy duty" that makes her gag. As a result, Matthew and I will be feeding 10 orphans this year and AC will be feeding one (entirely by her own efforts).

I'm not proud that we did this. I am filled rather with a feeling that we grew a little this year; That we took a moment to look outside our little worlds and see the bigger picture.  My hope is that we also experienced a more sincere gratitude for all that we have. In a society that constantly encourages us to buy more and consume more than we could possibly need, concentrating on the things that are really important can be really difficult. Maybe, for just a moment, we were able to do that.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

We Need a Little Christmas, Right This Very Minute...

And what says Christmas more than running in 70 degree weather, dogs dressed in costumes and bouncy houses? Okay, so maybe we are a little strange, but the 12k's of Christmas race really did get our family into a cheerful holiday mood.

Every year the city of Gilbert hosts a 12k, 6k and 1.2k race with proceeds going to the Valley's animal rescue organizations. Participants are encouraged to create matching costumes and bring their dogs along for the fun. Guided by his latest obsession passion, Matthew suggested we all take part and compete in the event this year. He ran the 12k (and placed 31st out of 1000+) and AC and I ran the 1.2k. We dressed in matching reindeer antlers, red shirts and black running pants. I don't recommend reindeer antlers for any runner actually concerned with his time, but it was fun seeing little AC running down the path with them on her head.

After the race, we met up with some of AC's friends from school and they immediately began scooping leaves together and throwing them at one another. They also ran up the hill and rolled down several times and climbed on the playground that was in the park. (Did I mention this was after she had run a mile?) Then, finally, we walked to the area where all the rescue organizations had set up tents and brought dogs that were eligible for adoption.

It was perfect! The weather, the jolly mood, the incredible number of santa hats, the dogs, dogs, DOGS dressed up and ready to be pet. AC fell in love with two huskies who snuggled up to her in total contentment. We left with a definite feeling of happiness.

Of course, in typical Anna Cate fashion, on the way home she asked, "So guys, what are we going to do now?"

Don't You Ever Grow Up

Taylor Swift released her newest cd a few weeks ago and many of the new songs were deemed "must-haves" by Anna Cate and I. One of our favorites is the song entitled, "Never Grow Up".  Although I feel such pride in all the ways that AC is growing in independence, I am starting to see how quickly time is passing. I am enjoying the conversations we have now, the way she is growing in knowledge of the world but still so innocent of it. And though I know she will grow up, there are a few ideas of hers that I want to hold to.

*Some close family friends were not married at the time their child was born. The man he calls "father" was present at his birth, but wasn't actual his biological father and therefore the child has a different last name. After listening to an overall simplified version of the story that ended with me saying, "They weren't married when he was born".  AC responded, "How is that even POSSIBLE"? 

* I was pulled over for speeding a few weeks back and AC was in the backseat. As the officer walked back to his car to check my license, AC begins to explain to me how I went wrong. I answer that I already feel bad about the situation and her advice really is only making me feel worse. She then says, "Mom, now you know how I feel. Because,  you know how when I make mistakes at school and then I get home and we have to go over them all again? Well, I've already felt bad about them and then when you sit me down and nag at me, I just have to feel bad all over again".  Point taken.

* There is a little boy in class that AC decided was mean on the very first day he entered school. After listening to an episode that occurred in Spanish class Friday, I remarked that it sounded like on that occasion he was trying to be thoughtful. She said that maybe he was then but that he pointed his middle finger at people. I said, "Oh really, well, why is that bad?" She answered, "It means the worst bad word ever and I don't even know what that is". (Oh, my sweet, sheltered child)

Dressed up as a trash-collecting robot

*We are trying to make a conscience effort in our home to teach AC how to make responsible decisions when spending her money.  She had received several gifts one weekend and wanted to go to the store that day to buy some more Pokemon cards. I told her that she needed to wait. There was no reason that she had to have the cards that day. She marched upstairs and I didn't hear anything from her for 20 minutes. She then reappears downstairs and says, "If I order the Pokemon cards from Amazon, I won't actually get them until at least Wednesday. So, that is still following the rules, right?" (I walked upstairs to see an Amazon cart full of Pokemon cards.)

* We are driving down the road and AC is telling a story about another classmate that had seen the Funniest Video episode where a kangaroo began kicking a little boy. She said his name and I wasn't sure I understood, so I asked her to repeat it. She repeated the name and then followed it with, "he's a little brown boy" in the most matter-of-fact way. So funny because she has absolutely no idea why mentioning the color of someones skin is in anyway a big deal.

* Anna Cate came home one day and mentioned that she thought one of her teachers went to our church and I disagreed with her and explained that I knew the church the teacher attended. She wanted to know how that church differed from ours so I explained why we didn't agree with the main ideas taught there. She was quiet for a minute and then said, "I think it's scary to think about people who don't believe what God says".

Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up

don't you ever grow up,
just stay this little.

 Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up
don't you ever grow up

     it can stay this simple.

A Day With Anna Cate

We have been on the go for months now. So, I asked AC what she wanted to do on her day off from school and she requested that we stay home ALL day. Sounds like a peaceful day, right? Here's a rundown of our day:

8:00 - Begin working on a catalog for Tix (the store she plans to own and run when she grows up). Catalog contains a map that she googled and printed and then pages dedicated to each of the departments shown on the map. Pages have titles and are packed with pictures from the internet and magazines.

9:30 - Breakfast

10:15 - 10:45 - Mile Run. Complete with ipod and singing songs aloud as we run.

10:45 - 11:30 - Walk Abby around the block because she also needs some exercise. This turns into a nature walk with AC collecting items to use to make a nature diarama.

11:30 - 12:15 - Practice backbends, front walkovers and dive rolls. Also included some weight lifting.

12:15 - 1:00 - Work to complete our "Thankful Turkeys". This included cutting out turkey feathers, turkey legs and attaching these pieces. Then taping them all to straws and arranging them in their little box.

1:00 - 1:20 - Monster drawing and comparing monsters AC drew a year ago in the notebook to those she drew today. Conclusion: The ones more recently drawn are more realistic. (I'm not really sure how monsters get more realistic looking, but we're moving on).

1:20 - Lunch (Whew)

2:00 - 5:00 - Clean house. AC helps with the downstairs dusting and cleaning the bathroom sinks upstairs. She also makes videos with the computer while singing to her ipod playlist and makes a sting ray kite. While cleaning the bathroom, a song comes one that contains the lyric, "'cause sparks fly whenever you smile", I ask AC if sparks fly for her whenever someone smiles and she answers, "yes". I go on to ask who and she responds, "You and Dad".

5:00 - 5:45 - Look up how to make "fortune tellers" or "cootie catchers", depending on where you are from. We then make five of them, all with different fortunes, and take turns predicting one another's fortunes.

5:45 - Turn TV on for the first time today.

6:00 - Eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches and grapes together while watching "Wizards of Waverly Place". (Call me a bad mom if you like)

6:30 - Play "Queen of the Couch" and try to see who can keep the other off the couch the longest. This game is really just a "girly" way to wrestle. Then I lead AC around the house while she pretends to be blind. She says following me is actually very relaxing because she can just trust that I am going to take care of things. We then discuss what our lives would look like if we truly believed that God was by our sides, holding our hands all the time.

7:00 - Begin shower.

7:30 - Quiet reading followed by reading together, a back scratch and a song.

8:00 - Lights out!

And I am tired. I never knew a "relaxing" day could be so exhausting...and so wonderful.

And the winner of this quarter's Character Counts award for 2nd Grade is... (insert drum roll) ANNA CATE!!  OK, so in actuality, it may not have been that dramatic. But it did contain a few "Yay, Anna Cate" and "Woo-hoo" from her classmates as well as a beaming-like-crazy Mom.

Each quarter at AC's school they focus on a character trait. It is discussed in class and various activities are completed in the classroom that highlight the characteristic. This quarter they completed a lion that was "Roaring with Responsibility" and Responsibility Shields where they drew examples of how they can be responsible with friends, at home, in the lunchroom and in PE. The children also had several journal topics concerning how they can behave responsibly. The last week of the quarter the school had Jungle Jill come visit with over 20 animals and talk about the responsibility it takes to care for the animals and a separate assembly where members of the ASU Women's Basketball Team performed skits for the children concerning responsible behavior.  The finale was the award ceremony and a school-wide pizza party.

When the teacher emailed me to tell me she had chosen AC for this quarter's award, I was so very excited for her. I love going to see her at gymnastics or watching music recitals, but those are talents she has been blessed with. This award signified something more important to me, this was more about who she IS.

She said when she was sitting there, she was thinking, "Oh, I wish it could be me." and then when they called her name she felt surprised and REALLY happy.

True Traditions

As I was looking at the pictures from this Halloween, I was struck by how much the children have all changed since we first met them. Then it occurred to me that we have known these families now for three years and they have truly become a part of who we each are today.  When you move away from home, you have to find some way to create a type of extended family wherever you are so that you can live life with people. Every family needs people that are there to share the big and little events of life, the laughter and the struggles. And an extended family we are - the children sometimes argue, people get frustrated with one another, tease one another and are there to move furniture or wipe tears. And, we have created some wonderful traditions, one of which is our Halloween get together.


It's craziness really. There are children running around everywhere, ten different conversations going on, animals winding through everyone's legs...and surprisingly soothing and restful for me. I love to hear the laughter. I love listening to the children tell their funny stories. I love that there are men that Matthew will actually hug (with only a little discomfort). And I love that like with all traditions, there is no question as to whether or not we will be there only some discussion of how everyone will figure out how to make it work.

Family Tradition

My child cannot sit still at dinnertime. I don't know if it is because she sits still all day at school or if it is that she is just the type of person that has problems sitting still, but at this point it is almost comical. So, when I asked her to sit down the other night, I mentioned that the situation was becoming a "family tradition" to which Matthew responded with the following:

People ask you, AC, "Why don't you sit?"
(When Mama asks you to)
"Why don't you eat veg-gies?"
(When Mama asks you to)
"Why won't you sit in the chair that we bought?"
We ask you oooo-ver and ooo-ver,
put yourself in a seated position
'Cause when the dinner bell rings
and Mama cooks tasty things
It's a... family tradition....

At this point, I'm laughing hysterically, Anna Cate is now standing proudly by her chair shaking her little hips and Matthew is grinning from ear-to-ear at how very clever he is. Oh well, sitting down while eating is a lesson for another night I suppose.

Tales from the Second Grade

A huge change occurred in our household two weeks ago - AC became a full time student of a charter school.  On the very first day she walked right into class and sat down at her chair without a single look back. She  hops out of the car every morning with a smile on her face and comes every afternoon with an agenda for me to sign, an empty lunchbox, new songs to sing, funny stories and some negative situations too. I listen and watch and realize that my baby is no longer a baby, or a toddler or even a pre-k"er", she is a kid - a full-fledge kid. With all that is going on right now, I really haven't had time to reflect on how I really feel about this, so for now I'll just relay some of the main events from the past two weeks.

On her teacher..."She is a good teacher. She is creative and fun." As a parent, I have been impressed with the calm manner she handles the classroom and how positive she is with the children.

On her classmates... "My friends are Chase, Sidney and Anna and Zachary and Zach, Raven and Sophie. Zach goes to my church. Chase is my friend because he cheers me up by drawing funny pictures in his journal. Sidney is like Molly and Anna is like Jaiden. Anna keeps on losing teeth in the classroom, so does Zachary!" She also told me that she wished she had a time machine that could make me a second grader again so that I could go to school with her and be her best friend. (Such a sweet little girl)

On having fun in the classroom..."At the end of the school day we write names and draw pictures for practice on the cool (smart board) board and we use an electric marker and do fun games with it. I like to sneak marks. Zach thought of it."

Favorite class of the day..."There are two of them. I like Music and P.E. P.E. is where we play dodge ball and Music is where I learned the song, 'The Picnic in the Forest'. One day Valoon got hit in the mouth with a baseball bat during PE, and one time, I dropped Anna while running the wheel barrel relay and her face landed on a moth (giggle, giggle)".

Traumatic Events..."Once me and meanie Melissa, we were going to the restroom and the lights went off. I stayed calm, but meanie Melissa screamed to the top of her lungs. I felt embarrassed because she was in my class. I was shivering too. The next one is a bad one, I think. At lunch time, I spilled chocolate milk on my skirt that was brand new and I cried and cried and cried until a teacher came and asked me what was wrong. I told her what happened and she took me to the nurse's office and the nurse asked me to put on a different pair of shorts. And then she hand washed my skirt, and I put it on wet!"

Making decisions for my child is always very stressful for me and I often second guess myself. But, for now, the decision to transition AC to a full-time school seems to have been the right decision and we all appear to be benefitting from it.

First day of school
(Very comfy outfit b/c I believe the last thing a child needs to worry about on the first day of school is whether or not she can button her pants or if her panties show when she bends over)

A second shot so that the new lunch box could be included 

    

What Do You Do When It's 110 Degrees Outside

and you have twelve hours to fill with an energetic, creative little girl? In AZ, it can become a bit of a problem, because you simply can't play outside unless there is water involved and children do get tired of swimming everyday. Luckily, in our home, creativity runs wild. So, often all I have to do is make some suggestions, gather some supplies and try to reign in the control freak that lives inside me. Here are some of  AC's most treasured creations of this summer.

If you can't actually adopt 100 dogs and your parents refuse to buy you a hamster and/or any type of reptile, the next best thing is to pretend that you do, indeed, own all types of animals. One way AC created to accomplish a "feel" for having these animals was to create an album entitled, "My Pet Pixs". She spent hours looking for different pet pictures, printing her favorites, naming each animal, pasting their pictures on paper and combining them all in a notebook.

The cover of the completed "photo" album

Photos before they were compiled in the notebook

She also began collecting Mighty Beans this summer. One of the cool things we found that we could do with these silly little toys was to create obstacle courses for them and race to see whose could make it down the track the quickest. It was interesting watching what household objects she would choose to add to our little tracks.

This creation includes some books, a tool box, a Sprite bottle cut in half and a paper towel roll all held together with masking tape.

Another project that lasted for several days was the house she created for the little Chick-fil-A cow figures that she had collected and saved from her kid's meals. I helped with cutting two of the doors and applying the "wallpaper" in some rooms, but the inspiration was entirely hers. I gathered the supplies and hopped in the shower. When I came out, this is what I saw...

She is attaching the bathroom that contained a shower.

Almost complete - one cow is taking a nap while the other two are watching TV.

While our summer is officially over, I'm happy that the creativity is not. She is currently creating a field journal on various owl species. I look forward to seeing the final product.

Moments

In Donald Miller's newest book he talks about making "moments" in your life. Having been given the task of writing a script for a movie about his life, he realizes that life is really about the moments that really stand out and everything else is just filler. He gives many examples of huge moments people create in their lives when they get up off the couch and actually do something. I agree that it is important to do big things, but I also believe that some of the best moments of life are those where we simply let life happen. Happily, we had a few of these moments this summer.

Our time in Georgia is always rushed. We have so many people to see and sometimes feel like our time is spent just getting to the next event. So, the night we stopped at a park and played with Troy this summer will always be special to me. We were returning from eating dinner and he pulled into the parking lot of a park on a whim. We all got out and headed to a baseball field. Anna Cate and I pretended to bat while Matthew stood behind us. When we swung our pretend bat, he would throw the ball as far as he could. The "batter" would take off running the bases and T would run to catch the ball and then attempt to get us out. We tired of that and moved to the playground. At this point, we began an intense game of crocodile and monkey. (a game AC and I invented based on a finger play she loved as a toddler) Troy, Matthew and I were all climbing on the equipment, hanging from the bars and running around with as much enthusiasm as AC. We left the park sweaty, laughing and totally relaxed. Everything seemed right with the world. To me, that's a moment.

The little town we found while exploring with T

Fast forward a few weeks. Matthew calls me mid-day Monday and tells me he is going to Honolulu next week and thinks we should make a long weekend of it. One big step, I said ok. (This is probably the whole idea of getting up off the couch and doing something.) And, although we have so many wonderful memories from the trip, the second night there is probably the most special to me. We had gone to Pearl Harbor earlier in the day and then returned to the hotel for some beach/ocean time. After some body surfing and taking a few turns on the hotel water slide, we grabbed a table at the little hotel bistro located pool side. With the ocean in front of us, a nice breeze surrounding us and a Jack Johnson-esque guitar player strumming in the background, we settled down for dinner. Anna Cate and I started playing telephone and giggling at the funny ways our words were getting twisted with all the other noises surrounding us. Matthew wanted in on the game, so the three of us started taking turns creating the beginning sentence or phrase. Within moments, we were all three laughing our heads off. AC would start a phrase and whisper it to me and then I would have to get up and run around the table to whisper it in Matthew's ear (who, by the way, we discovered was the weakest link in this particular game). It was simple, it was goofy and it was a very special "moment" for our little family.

At the pool in Honolulu

Sometimes it seems that our lives get filled with all the activities that we "have" to do. I'm not sure if it was Donald Miller's original idea, but I think just taking time to have authentic moments with those we love most gives our life meaning.

Anna Cate at 7

So, it's official, my baby girl is actually a seven-year-old. Sometimes I wonder who this little person is that inhabits my home (and almost every waking moment). She is somewhere between the baby she once was and the teenager she will soon become. But, here is a snapshot of who she is today...

Dream Career: a vet and the owner of a store named "Tix". The vet office will actually be inside the store which will carry everything from pet supplies to homemade art and flip-flops.

Special Talents: the ability to completely fold her tongue until the front half is flat against the back half and to wrap her feet behind the back of her head. I have seen her eat a sandwich, watch television and talk on the phone in this position.

Parenting Advice: "I think if you want to kids to help around the house, you should promise to give them something like money or a toy...if you bribe them to work, it will be as easy as getting a pig to eat ice cream".

On Friendship: "Everyone is my friend unless they do something mean to me. Then they have to work to get me to forgive them".

Where She Wants to Travel: China

Things She Is: creative, artistic, competitive, a leader, logical, argumentative, funny

Things She Is Not: easy-going, afraid to speak her mind, open to change, easily persuaded


*side note: We went to the doctor today for her well check and she has grown 10 inches taller since we moved to Arizona!

School's Out for Summer

We have made it! Another school year gone. I can't believe my baby will be going into 2nd grade in just two months!! Here she is this morning. This is her second shirt choice, the first one climbed up her back when she bent over and she didn't want anyone to see her panties.

She actually is sad that the school year is over. She has made a new friend named, Matthew, whom she plays dragons with at recess. She actually asked me, "What's so good about summer?" Ummm, you don't have to do anything. I guess I'm the one that felt stress over running all over the valley trying to make all her practices and classes on time. :)

Sing Us a Song, You're the Piano Man

It's so easy to get in a rut, to think of dates as a time to catch a dinner and movie, but ruts can become quite boring. So, when our friends called to ask if we were interested in doing something different for the night, I hit the computer and started googling fun things we could try. In my search, I ran across a dueling piano bar in Tempe called The Big Bang. I got really excited seeing as it is something I've always wanted to do. But, by the time our friends picked us up, it appeared that another night of dinner and movie was in store.

I tried to suppress my disappointment, grateful that we were at least going to eat at Lucille's and I could munch on some fried okra. Still, when we got in the car, I mentioned the piano bar as a possible future date. Joel and Tish really liked the idea and Matthew said he would try it sometime if everyone else wanted to go.

As we finished dinner, it looked like maybe we wouldn't have time to fit in a movie (babysitter time constraints), so we started discussing our options. Initially we planned to go to a tattoo parlor (?) and watch Joel get a new tattoo. Unfortunately, the decent ones close around 7 on Friday night (I think this little fact just deserves a pause. What happened to the whole idea of people getting drunk and deciding to get a tattoo at midnight?) Anyway, we were in Tempe and decided to try The Big Bang.

First of all, you have to walk downstairs to get in, which is so reminiscent of Cheers that I already felt cool just by entering. It seemed almost empty and I thought maybe we would be disappointed, but then realized that it was only 8:30 and only us "old" people would consider going out before 10. Turns out, being old is a real plus because within an hour, the place was packed with standing room only.

And, we were definitely not disappointed. The piano players were incredible. They played requests that ranged from Journey to Bon Jovi and Cindi Lauper to Lady Gaga. Their playing was accompanied by just about everyone in the room and they actually remarked that the crowd did the best rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" that they had ever heard. It was hilarious and we all were screaming the lyrics to the most ridiculous songs and laughing at the piano players, other people in the audience and one another.

So, as the song goes, "...we [were] all in the mood for a melody and [they] had us feeling all right".

So Long, Zac

Ever since Anna Cate saw High School Musical almost two years ago, Zac Efron has been the leading heart throb in our home. She never talked about how cute he was, but if a folder, notebook, pencil, purse (you get the idea) had his face on it, she HAD to have it. Just last month when she was listing her "crushes", she still included him. But, I think his reign may have finally ended.

This morning as she sat down to write her weekly letter (that is her writing assignment every Friday), she asked if she could write a letter to Lee Dewyze. For those of you who read this blog and do not watch American Idol, Lee is one of the contestants this year. Remembering back to the year that someone gave me Ricky Schroeder's "real address", I smiled and told her that of course she could. She got this somewhat nervous look and asked if I thought he would really read it and then her face broke into a huge grin as it occurred to her to ask if he would write back. Oh my goodness how I wish I could have captured the little giggle that snuck out when I answered that it was possible that he might send her a picture or autograph.

So, here is the completed letter and drawing.

Now, I just have to figure out where to send it...

Hero

When Anna Cate was a toddler, she rarely identified with the female characters in stories. She would almost always favor the male character and pretend to be him. I introduced all the princess stories to her because that was what all her friends liked, but she showed little interest. Thinking back, the only one she ever pretended to be was Mulan. And, quite frankly, Mulan is not your normal princess. She spends the movie fighting for her family and her nation, competing with boys and well, kicking some bum.

I'll admit, that this bothered me some. I wondered if she was having trouble with gender identification. Was she not happy with her place in the world?

Then, I started to actually watch the shows. The lead roles were normally played by males. The boys took control, they showed strength, they won in the end. Okay, I can see why these traits appealed to my strong-willed little girl. Like so many things, this "worry" was ecclipsed by life and I had actually forgotten all about my previous concerns.

I was reading Donald Miller's latest book entitled, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years", and came across the following quote...

No girl who plays the role of hero dates a guy who uses her. She knows who she is. She just forgot for a little while.


May my little girl continue to play the role of the hero in her life. May she never forget who she is.

Tooth Fairies and Leprechauns

Some parents look down upon encouraging the belief in mythical little creatures. I've been told that children will believe their parents have lied to them and begin to distrust what they say. I've also been told that once they see these creatures are false, they will begin to wonder if Jesus and God are only fairy tales told by parents to keep children on their best behavior. But, I don't buy it. It's fun and innocent. Did I mention that it also really adds excitement to our home?

We will be leaving for Spring Break in a few days. We're going to Disneyland and making several other stops in Southern California, but do you know what kept AC up last night? She was concerned about that top front tooth of hers that is lose. She was really afraid that it would fall out during the night and "get digested". This happened to one other tooth and the Tooth Fairy brought less than her friend, Molly, had received for her tooth. AC is therefore convinced that if you swallow a tooth, it diminishes it's value in fairy land.


Another topic of conversation lately is what we should do for the leprechauns this year. For three years we have created traps to catch them when they come to our house on the eve of St. Patrick's Day, all of which have failed miserably. They always leave these little notes behind that kindly mock our attempts then do silly things like rearrange pictures hanging on the walls, move playroom furniture or trail shamrock confetti all over the house. This year, Anna Cate has decided that she will not try to catch them, but instead just leave some fake gold and chocolate for them. She even wrote a note to them so they would understand. (I love that she chose to close with "Sincerely" because she said she didn't really love them and wasn't sure if they were her friends)

Maybe other parents have some valid points. If Anna Cate ever asks me out right, I will tell her the truth. But until then, I'm going to let wonder and magic fill our home and soak in all the laughter that comes because of it.

A Whole New World

Today, for the first time, I dropped Anna Cate at a friend's house and...left. It was a big step for both of us. You see, she has been invited to come play at other friends' homes before, but she always said she was "just not ready" She preferred to host, but today she said she was ready and excited.

It's interesting, because I remember the first times I ventured into a friends' homes on my own. It was like entering a whole new world. I remember the interest at seeing how different families did different things. Their houses were organized differently than mine, they ate different food, they had different "things". Almost always, the homes were louder than mine. Generally, they had more people hanging around and some sibling causing trouble. In Anna Cate's case, her friend has five older brothers, three of which still live at home - talk about a different environment!

I left as she and her friend scurried upstairs to explore her bedroom, which was "pink, just pink everywhere" and returned to find them swinging in the rope swing in the front yard. She hasn't shared anything about the trip other than to say it was "fun". I'm guessing she will open up and tell me little bits of her adventure in conversations throughout the next couple of days, or maybe this is one of the first experiences she will have and want to keep to herself. Either way, I'm proud of her and the self-knowledge she possesses at the age of six. I'm glad I let her make the decision and I'm content to see her continue to grow at her own pace.

When she got home, she asked if we could snuggle on the couch. She said she had missed me some. She may have entered a whole new world, but for now,she's still my baby girl.

Inspired

I had begun to slip into a funk. This happens to me from time to time. I don't really want to do anything, I can't find any music on the radio that I like, I even put down two different books and shelved them because I just didn't feel like finishing them. (For me, this is almost unheard of, even if I don't enjoy a book, I have this "thing" about closure. I have to know how something ends.)


But, then I came upon a few blogs, that led me to more blogs, that led me to more
blogs. All of which contained simple, easy crafts. I started to feel some excitement, I started to feel some interest. Then, one day, I actually took the time to complete a fabric flower clip that I had seen several girls wearing and had wanted to try. It was so easy! I loved it and wanted to try some more.

Voila! Just like that, I was out of my funk. I have discovered that I have a creative part of me that needs an outlet. If ignored, it clogs up other areas also. So, I now have a long list of new things to try. And, with Spring Break coming up, I might even have some time to complete them!

Here is an example of another type of hair clip I completed. These are the rage in the valley.

Valentine's Day Fun

The past few weeks Anna Cate and I have been hard at work preparing for Valentine's Day. We've laughed, we've argued and we've compromised. And here are our finished products...


The popcorn bowl we hand-painted for Matthew. We filled it with popcorn bags and the cheese seasoning that he loves. His card reads, "For the Best 'Pop"! Love, Anna Cate"
On the other side of the rim, it reads "Hands Off" and then inside the bowl "pop" is written several times. The "pop"s were Anna Cate's idea and I thought it was really clever.







The little jar of gold wrapped chocolates that we made for AC's teacher. We tied little strips around an elastic string to decorate the top of the jar, then attached a note that reads, "You're as good as gold!" I then used various sheets of scrapbook paper to complete the look at the top.

Then, of course, the little store bought valentines were not quite enough to give to her friends at school, so we made little goodies bags for them with the cards attached. Anna Cate was responsible for adding the pencil and blow pop while I was in charge of the Laffy Taffy. She also cut the ribbon and tied it around the bags once they were completed.



Finally, we could not forget AC's gym coaches, babysitter and music teacher. They all received little bottles of antibacterial lotion with cutouts of AC's hands on each side. I discovered this idea in FamilyFun magazine. It is always a hit and something she can do almost entirely by herself.



Whew! Who knew Valentine's Day could entail so much work! But, we did have fun creating these gifts and both enjoy watching the reactions of the people who receive them. It's our small way of sharing love with those people who teach, support and help AC grow in their own special way.