gone fishin'

Last weekend the kids were pulling fish out of the water hand over fist. It was getting so out of control that at one point Tom told them that no one could cast again until he gave the go ahead. It seemed that if their lures touched the water they'd be reeling in a fish.

Drew was pretty excited to be catching some fish. He hadn't caught one since he was Julianna's age. He did have a traumatic event involving a lure stuck in his forehead, just above his eye, last spring...so I can understand the hiatus.

Lily gave this same look when she caught her first big fish.

Julianna is quite proud of her big brother.

And Drew is quite proud to tell Julianna all about it.

This is after things had calmed down. Lily was waiting for another bite.

Drew is checking on his lure here. Thankfully he hadn't caught anything because you'll notice that his pole is laying behind him on the dock.

Imaginary Becca

Julianna says:
Becca is here. My friend Becca. (Who is Becca?) My friend. She is my friend. She is playing in our house. It is raining in our house. The raindrops are coming in. (How do you know Becca?) She is my friend. I visit her in her truck. She lives in Kansas. She is tiny like me and has pink hair. I visit her. [Julianna runs and gets a piece of paper.] She shows it to me and says: This is Becca in her airplane. She is on the airplane. I say, "You are spectacular, Julianna!"  Julianna looks at me for a second and then bursts out, "Oh! AMAZING. Becca is AMAZING!"

I went right to the computer right after this conversation so that I wouldn't forget what she'd said. Julianna continued to talk to me as I typed and this is what she said:

My name is Charlie. I'm supposed to be in fourth grade. My brother's not nice. But I was angry. I was angry to my brother. So my mom supposed to be in my school. And my mom was tolden her school. Can you see my couch? My couch is in the air. Yep, it's flying to Becca. Do you have a couch? (Uh-huh.) I have a couch at my house. This is my couch. 

i want to hold you haaaannnnd

Julianna screams: I need to go poop!!

I'm upstairs so I run down to the lower level and help her to the bathroom. I set her on the toilet and turn to leave.

Julianna: Don't leave! Hold my hands!

Me: You can poop without holding my hands, can't you?

Julianna: Noooo!! Hold my hands.

I hold her hands and she goes about her business.

Julianna: (still on the toilet) I need a Kleenex.

I grab a wet wipe to wash off her whole face. She is still recovering from a cold and she'd just finished a smoothie from snack time and her face shows it all. I let go of her hands and push too hard to get her face wiped. She falls in the toilet - where she's just gone potty and poop. I grab her but not before the damage is done.

Julianna: (crying) I need a bath!! I fell in the toilet!!! I NEED A BATH!!

Me: No you don't. Let's get you cleaned up and change your shirt. You'll be fine.

We leave the bathroom and Drew asks what happened. "I fell in my poop," says Julianna, laughing to herself.

I guess I will be holding her hands for every bowel movement for a few more months.

the first day of the last year of preschool

Drew,

Dude, you started your last year of preschool yesterday. I'm pretty sure you're counting the days until kindergarten while simultaneously trying to stay mama's little boy. Sometimes you want to be so close to me and with me so often that I just want to toss you in the closet. Most of the time, however, I am just soaking it all up.

Photo by Monica Holder, but not a first day of school shot.

Right now you're into thinking that boys are cooler than girls. You don't want to be fancy, just cool. You are totally obsessed with making sure that you do the most "boy" thing possible. I have no idea where this is coming from, but I hope that you remain sweet, despite your need to be so cool. You love super heroes, pirates, baseball and wrestling. You said that you'd like to marry a boy because girls don't like to wrestle. I will be interested to see if you change your mind about that or not.

Everyone was expecting you to wear a bow tie to school. I didn't suggest it and I guess maybe you didn't think of it. When we were looking through your options you managed only to say that you wanted to be cool...no fancy. Your hair was spiked in a crazy fashion at your request, as well. I think that Dad might think that I suggest these things to you, but he is wrong. You are coming up with this stuff all on your own...maybe Lily's doing a little suggesting that I don't know about.

You are growing up fast. You are the most helpful, kind-hearted kid and you find humor in all things. These traits are much appreciated by everyone around you. Dad and I are very lucky to be along for the ride as you grow up. I know the snuggles will not last forever, but I'm trying not to hang on too tight.

Love,

Mom

You were not into posing for me. The neighbor was working on his truck outside and that was much more interesting.

but you're always up for a silly shot!

Holy cuteness, Batman!

Do you remember when Lily was having trouble getting along with others at school last year? (If not, you should read this post.) Lily was fighting with one particular girl, E, at school. The girls have equally strong personalities. Their friendship started with dramatics but it all turned out well with a little direction from the grown-ups.

Fast-forward to first grade. The girls are in the same class again. We saw her at the open house and she greeted Lily with a hug. Lily was excited to have her in her class again and so she made something for her to deliver the first day of school. I didn't look over the project at all. I didn't exactly know that she'd taken it to school. I guess E thought it was the 'best envelope she'd ever gotten from a friend.' The girls played together at recess and everyone had a good day.

Today, after school, I checked Lily's bag. All I found in her bag was E's answer to Lily's first correspondence. E made three pictures for Lily. One was a fancy drawing full of stickers. One was a drawing where E had made a big fancy square in the middle of the paper and left the middle of the square blank with the instructions for Lily to draw E a picture in the square. The last one was my favorite. It was a list. E had posted on top of the page: "Things I like to do with you" and "Things you like to do with me" and then had drawn lines for Lily to fill in her answers. E had already filled in her favorite things to do with Lily.

I know that this is only the second day of school. I'm sure that the girls won't be sending each other notes back and forth everyday of the year...but how can you not think that it's the cutest thing ever? I just might die from the cuteness.

first day of first grade

Where did summer go? Yesterday we're swimming in the lake and today Lily started first grade.

From the looks of things Lily's first day went off without a hitch. Her favorite friend, Charlie, is in her class, so all is well. Today she wore two tutus and a shirt with a tutu skirt attached. She also wore her purple clip-on earrings that she'd purchased herself at a thrift shop downtown. She looked fabulous.

On Saturday she received a letter from her new teacher, Mrs. Mendoza. She was extremely excited to get mail addressed to her so she quickly wrote a response, sealed it in an envelope and had me address it for her. Today when I was leaving, I saw the flag up on the mailbox and went to investigate. Sure enough, she had put her response letter in the mailbox for the mail carrier to pick up. I did the nice thing and put a stamp on it for her. I'm sure Mrs. Mendoza will be shocked and excited to receive mail back from a student. The letter is totally unedited and pure Lily. :)

In other Lily news, she is starting dance this fall. She has been asking for an entire year if she could please do ballet. I was hesitant because of our track record with after-school activities. She was persistent and I really think she wants to try it out...so we went and signed her up at the dance studio's open house on Saturday. It's a very serious studio and if she truly wants to be a ballerina, then this is where to learn. I'm wondering if it's the fancy costumes or the fancy twirls that is making her want to try it out. I guess we'll see how she does.

I am looking forward to another year of growth and change. She always has something amazing up her sleeve.

i was running

I've been working out four to five times a week for a year now. It was getting hard to remember back to what life was like before I started. I have become accustomed to the workouts and what they do for me, my brain and my life. I have more energy, I get to snack more frequently (sometimes annoyingly so), my chores are completed and I just feel happy about life.

I also started training for a half marathon several weeks ago. I cannot tell you the impact that has had. It's like my brain needs me to run. The runs give me a constant state of focus and accomplishment. If I don't get anything for myself the rest of the day, I've still given myself (and my family) a huge gift. I just feel really great about it all the way around. I will be sad when my training is over because I have gained so much from it. I'm not sure that I can run long runs by myself. Hopefully I can convince at least one of my running partners to meet me once in awhile for a good long run.

As I said, I was having a hard time remembering what it was like before I started these regular workouts - then I got sick. I wasn't really that sick. I just had a slight cold - coughing, congestion and body aches. But that little cold made it really impossible for me to run. I forced myself to take four full days off and went for a run yesterday morning. It was too much, even with the four days off. It took me all day and night to recover from it. I know it sounds crazy, but I needed that run anyway. I haven't been myself. After about two days of not getting some sort of exercise I start to feel less motivated, less focused. I really start to remember the benefits of these crazy 5 am workouts. I get more grumpy, more messy and less likely to want to much besides....well....nothing.

I know that this all sounds a bit crazy. I know that some people think that I'm one of those insane people....and maybe I am. But who wouldn't do the same for themselves if they were in my shoes? If you dealt with a brain that seemed like mush sometimes and all you had to do was get out and get your heart rate up and your muscles pumping to sharpen your mind - wouldn't I be crazy not to do this for myself?

Dear Lily...

Dear Lily,

Here we are at the end of summer again. You are starting first grade in a few short days. You are extremely excited to start school and after the open house last night you came home and packed your back pack for school. You plan on taking a bookmark (for all of the chapter books you'll be reading), an extra headband or two and two of your books about the human body. You are sure that your teacher will be interested in seeing your books.

I'm not sure how to explain to you the change I've seen in you this summer. You have matured so much and are so smart and insightful. You have become less my little girl and more a growing, changing person finding your way in the world. You care so much about your family and your world. You are absolutely the definition of tree-hugger. And you are the epitome of creative.

You and I have come a long way. As you start another year of school, I am celebrating how far we have come and how much we have left to go. I will not assume that it will be smooth sailing from here on out, but you better believe I know that you can handle whatever life has to toss at you. So, keep you mind on your work, don't lose your sparkle and be the best you can be. I can't wait to see what you come up with next.

Love,

Mommy

Photos by: Monica Holder

illness, empathy, mushrooms and points

Last week I logged 26 miles. This week I have a cold and I have skipped a cross-train workout and a 5 mile run. I'm hoping that a couple days off to let my body fight whatever is ailing me won't hurt me training too much. Surely it's better to rest when you are sick than it is to try and train through the pain.

Yesterday was a long day. I was feeling crummy and the kids were tired from a busy weekend. It was not my best parenting day and I used the TV and computer a lot more than normal just to make it to the end. At bedtime I had a chat with Drew (who seemed to be the one that pushed the hardest and resented me the most for being sick). I told him that I was sorry that I was grumpy with him and that when we are sick it's no fun to take care of other people, that I'd rather be in my bed trying to get better than getting him that drink of water that I know he can get on his own. He gave me a genuinely shocked response. He said, "Oh! I didn't know that it was hard to take care of me. I didn't know that you wanted to rest!" I really think that he didn't know that he was asking a lot of his sick mama. Today is a sure sign that he took note of what I said. He was extra sweet. He offered to make Julianna her breakfast, cleaned up his room, tired to pick out my clothes for me and offered his general assistance with whatever I needed. Whoever ends with this guy is going to be a very lucky person, indeed.

Yesterday while I was half paying attention to the kids and half trying to rest in bed, the kids went outside to play. We always talk about how Lily is going to be an artist; however, some days I'm not so sure. I would not be surprised if she ends up being an environmental biologist or something. Yesterday while I was only half paying attention she snuck across the street to he neighbors' yard and stole a pile of the mushrooms growing in their yard. Mushrooms were just too fascinating for Lily to leave alone without exploration.

One more thing. One time awhile back I was getting the kids loaded in the car to go somewhere. It's not always the most fun activity of my day. There is lots of dawdling and messing around in the car rather than sitting in seats and getting belts buckled. Anyway, one day when Lily got in her seat quickly and got her belt buckled I gave her some encouragement for everyone to hear (turns out giving one kid positive attention tends to encourage positive behavior in everybody else). I told Lily that she got the points for that day. She was really excited about getting the points and "winning." Now the kids tend to get in their seats and get buckled on the off chance that they might get the points for the day. The points mean nothing. They have no idea how many points they are getting. And the points don't lead to anything besides a congratulations from mom...but it is getting the job done for now.

books, grumpiness, bedtime battles and a new baby

The only thing better than reading a really good book is having your six-year-old read you her first chapter book. Lily has recently started reading more and more words without help. It is like something has clicked for her. Last night she and I cuddled in her bed while we took turns reading a book about fairies. I loved every second of it. I just can't get over it when she reads a word that I'm sure she'll have trouble with. She just flies through the words like a pro. I was even more excited this morning when she brought the book to the breakfast table to take turns reading again. When she was very small she would sit for hours while I read to her. Recently, there had been a huge drop off in the amount of time she would sit and let me read to her...I was getting worried that she wasn't into books anymore. I was wrong. She's totally into it and now that she can read herself the possibilities are endless. I have been anxiously waiting for the day that I would have a child who could read and share books with me. Pure joy.

Drew may have finally given up the regular naps. He now goes two to three days between naps. He's doing pretty well...besides the grumpiness. He suddenly has quite a temper. He will come from another room and wallop Lily for a minor infraction. Yesterday he actually bit Lily so hard he left a bruise. I assume that this behavior will not continue as he gets used to not taking naps; however, I'd like to hold him down and make him sleep some days just so we can see that sweet little Drew that we know and love when he wakes up. I miss that kid.

Speaking of sleep....Julianna STILL WON"T STAY IN HER BED. I am going a little crazy. She gets up over and over and over again. I just don't understand! I know she is tired. I let her stay up 30 minutes past the other two. By the time she goes to bed she is yawning and rubbing her eyes. But as soon as I leave her room for good, we start the fight. I don't know what to do with her! She and I have discussed what it looks like to have a good bedtime. When I asked her to tell me what it looks like to have a good bedtime, she answered, "Tay. In. Bed." Yes, you're correct! And then you go to sleep! "I tay in bed and yell and cry!" Ugh! I am considering locking her in there. *wink. wink*

Did I tell you that I am going to be watching Miss Shanna's baby this school year? I am so excited to have a baby in our house again. I'm also equally excited that I can send the sweet baby home at 4 o'clock everyday. I am happy to report that Shanna and her husband, Trent, welcomed a new baby boy into their family on August 6th. His name is Ben....Baby Ben if you live at our house. I finally met the sweet, perfect, bundle of joy last night. Shanna was looking amazing, as usual, and I'm happy to report that things seem to be going well with the new addition. I love this baby already and I'm so humbled that I have been trusted to be his caregiver this year when his mama goes back to work. I hope that the transition is smooth and that Shanna feels just a tiny bit better leaving him knowing that her sweet baby Ben will be loved and smooched by me, Julianna, Drew and Lily all day long.

magic under your pillow

Drew is currently sleeping with a toy pirate gun under his pillow. Lily told him that if he did, then when he woke up in the morning, either he would have a new toy...or more guns.

When I questioned him about this idea he assured me that he really thought that Lily was telling him a true story and that she had not made it up.

I will let you know how it turns out.

moments from today

Today Lily ask me to list the reasons why wearing underwear was necessary. I could hardly come up with one.

Today we went to the library to get some new books. We were also picking out some audio books for our upcoming road trip to my grandparents farm. Lily found a favorite story of hers from school called "Arnie the Donut" in the audio books. She told Amy (her aunt that works at the library) that there was another book, about scrambled states of America, by this same author. She asked Amy to help her find it. Sure enough, Lily was correct. There was a book called "The Scrambled States of America" by the same author. It's amazing to me that she remembers this sort of thing.

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My friend Andrea gave Drew a tennis racket today. He was really excited about it and so today, in the heat, he convinced me to play "tennis" with him in the garage. It basically required me to toss the ball for him to hit and then wait for him to chase it down and toss it back to me. I was texting between tosses (I know, I'm terrible). I swear I only texted a couple of times and then Drew said, "Mom! You don't play tennis with a phone!" And that was the end of my texting for the day.

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Today Julianna was playing babies where she didn't think I could hear her. She was trying to put her babies to bed, but apparently they weren't staying in bed like they were supposed to. I heard her saying, "Stay in bed, baby. This is not funny! We are not going to the bathroom again! Stay in bed. Shhhh! Baby is sleeping." I'm happy to report that she reflected a very patient parent that didn't really get upset, but was persistent in her effort to get her baby to stay in bed. Sadly, the game she played did not translate to a better bedtime. For some reason she has gotten really bad about going to bed. It lasted one hour and 25 minutes tonight. I know she was tired because I had to wake her up to pick Lily up from gymnastics. I know she was ready for sleep....I am so tired of the drawn out tortured bedtime.

small acts, big lessons

I saw in the newspaper awhile back that our local food bank was low on supplies but their needs were high. I thought it would be a good idea to take the kids to buy some food to donate. I like the idea of teaching big lessons with small acts.

Today we were out running a couple of errands and I mentioned my idea to the kids. Lily was all about it and Drew wanted no part of it (I'd like to think it's because he's four and doesn't actually understand what I meant and that he was tired from a busy weekend). Lily was encouraging to him. She said, "Oh, Drew! We can help the world! It's important to help the world. It is a very good thing." Drew responded, "I don't wanna help the world....I just want to go home." I assured Mr. Grumps that we would only be in the store and making a donation for a short bit and that Lily was right; it is important to help out with others needs when we can. He decided he could maybe help out a little bit.

It was interesting to see what the kids thought would be important for people to have. Lily started with thinking that paper plates might be important, but in the end understood that maybe a box of cereal or jar of peanut butter might be a more reasonable choice. Once Lily got that we should be choosing things that people need and maybe couldn't buy themselves, she was very into helping decide what to get. We went to a store where they got to push their own cart which made it much more meaningful to them as they made choices of what to put in their cart. (I gave lots of advice and feedback.)

I hope that this small gesture of kindness will go a long way in teaching them the importance of being generous of spirit. They are naturally amazing children, but it's good to have reminders that they are a part of a larger community. I hate to get all sappy...but I'm excited that they are getting old enough for these activities to have meaning for them. I am excited that Lily was aware and prepared to be helpful and I'm hoping that Drew's understanding of this activity is just around the corner. Today we did our part in "helping the world."