I Could See the Future (and My Past)

Last night as we were herding putting the girls to bed the phone rang - the home phone. This in itself is not an odd thing as that thing on the wall often makes noise, but this time it stopped and then started again immediately which is a pretty good sign that someone must really need to talk with us. The second round of incessant ringing usually prompts one of us to actually walk over and answer it (or at least look at caller ID more seriously). I hear Josh answer and then hand the phone to The Boy. I was a little dumbfounded as it wasn't his birthday so why would anyone call and immediately ask to speak with him? Cute and funny story so far, right? Well here is where it gets sad . . . my son has ZERO phone etiquette. Instead of simply saying "hello," he says "is this Sam*"? Josh and I stood motionless as we watched him bumble through this initial exchange and then some silly I am eight and talking on the phone nonsense." (*not his real name)

Once the laughing ended they were able to get down to business and it turns out these boys are working on a project together and needed to chat about some changes to their Dred Scott presentation. Amazingly the giggling continued and for the life of me I can't figure out what is so funny about 1) homework, 2) PowerPoint presentations, 3) Supreme Court rulings, or 4) pre-Civil War history; but then I am not in the 3rd grade. The Boy then proceeded to spend 30 minutes on the phone with his buddy while they searched for pictures and factoids to add to their project.

I snapped the picture soon after he got comfortable in front of the computer because I felt the need to capture when it all began. I wanted to be able to look back on January 16, 2013 as when talking on the telephone with friends began for him because when I look back on my childhood that is a HUGE part of what I remember. I don't think we talked about Dred Scott unless there was cute boy in one of my classes with that name and we sure didn't discuss changes to our PowerPoint presentation but times have changed as the old folks (like me) say. 

Taking the Xmas Card Picture

After Thanksgiving we took one afternoon to get serious about the Christmas card and we hustled the kids outside (after insisting The Boy put on an appealing sweater) for a photo shoot. I had been working on a more "artistic" card design that involved props but since the props were not getting made (carpenter must have taken a long Thanksgiving break) we just needed to get a picture taken and move on with it. Taking the Christmas Card picture is really not that daunting when you have a digital camera.

I really sympathize with my parents who would spend hours (or it seemed to me) posing my brother and I and working so hard to get us to smile because they only wanted to use up a few film shots and I cannot even imagine how slow their camera was in the late '70s  . . . but I digress.

In this century we just stick the kids in a few different poses and start doing silly things while we let the camera peel off 50+ shots then we load them to the computer and hope for something usable. All in? Less than 15 minutes! Of all the shots we got there really was only one where they were all looking at the camera and smiling and had their eyes open which is the one we used for the card, but the one above is my favorite. I think it most accurately captures their personalities at this point in their lives.

Dinner

"I cute."

New Kid: "What IS for dinner?"

Me: "We don't know yet."

New Kid: "Ooh, I like that."

Princess Tea Party

 For Pickle's Princess Tea Party I got out our china cups and saucers which I discovered I had not used in the 13 years we've been married. The kids learn "tea time" at school so they are very well-versed in how to serve tea and offer cream, sugar, and treats and I knew they would be gentle with the "good stuff." They had a grand time trying on different outfits and posing for pictures. Cake and Tiaras courtesy of Cee-Cee!

Is 5 the Magic Number?

Dear Darling Daughter #1,
Yesterday was your birthday and if that one day is a predictor of things to come then I would say that we are putting Frustrating Four behind us and moving into Fabulous Five! You are a girl who knows what she wants and you are not pleased when things do not go your way. Dad and I are working hard to practice patience with you and allowing you to be your own person but it is a tenuous process as you can turn on us quickly as frustration makes you angry. You are strong-willed and do not like to ask for help but I know this independent streak will make you a strong woman one day; I just hope you don't forget that we are here to love you and help you no matter how old you are.

This past year has been a very big one for you. You learned to ski and started playing soccer; you spent time in Florida and loved playing in the big waves; and you took tennis lessons and performed in your first dance recital. In school you have learned to read, write, and can do dynamic addition. I even got to watch you have a multiplication lesson and this is just kindergarten! You are a very smart young lady and your academic world is moving quickly. You love school and schoolwork and beg for homework, and you still love crafts of any kind but singing and dancing are your favorite things to do.

You have a very interesting sense of style which causes lots of friction between me and you. I am trying to let go of wanting to pick out your clothes and have you match perfectly, but you have your own ideas of what looks good and what is pretty. (Funny thing about looking pretty . . . you never want to have your hair brushed!) You are not a fan of pants and want to wear dresses or skirts every day and you love tights and fun socks. Your current favorite pair of shoes are the cowboy boots I bought you to wear for the International Festival and you wear them with everything - even your Tinkerbell costume on Halloween!

All of these things make you a very unique and special little girl and when you want to turn on the charm you are very engaging. You are beginning to enjoy playing with your sister more now that she is older and your brother is inviting you to play with him more and more as you are maturing. I am very excited about what this next year holds for you and cannot wait to see what new things you learn and start to love.

Much love,
Mom

914 days

 914 days doesn't really sound like too much but in the case of New Kid that encompasses her entire post womb existence. Two and a half years really isn't too big a deal - she doesn't have a well visit or get any new shots. The half birthday is a random, and often forgotten, day on the calendar. But New Kid's half birthday this year saw her get to do something to which she has looked forward for as long as she can remember. This morning when we went to the little Montessori school down the street to drop Pickle off, New Kid got out! She stayed too . . . not as a try out or just for fun but as a student. Today was New Kid's first day of preschool.

After we dropped her off Christi was a bit emotional but the mid morning phone call from the teacher let us know that everything was fine and New Kid had assimilated into the routine like she had been there forever. She sang the songs on the line in the morning and although she was half a beat behind everyone else she belted out most of the words without any hesitation. We went to pick her up at noon because it will be awhile until she is an all day kid as they are known around our house and she looked to be having a great time. We got a further update as to how the rest of her morning went and it sounded great. I'm a bit disappointed that she can neither read nor count past 4 yet but I will try to be a bit more patient with this last little one.

Halloween 2012

Another year another round of chaos!

Our little Halloween gathering is becoming something of a tradition and certainly an annual event. This is the 3rd year we have hosted our friends and their children for dinner and trick-or-treating and the group just keeps growing. This year we invited one of Pickle's friends from school so she would have someone to play with since the usual group of boys tend to be exclusive and a tad violent. I figured putting the boys in super hero costumes and some with "guns" that the violence would be etched up a notch . . . and it was!

Our three - Tinkerbell, Jingo Fett, and Pumpkin:

I am particularly fond of Tinkerbell's choice of footwear!