Moments of Redemption

OK, I am going to be really honest here, friends. I hate the 4th grade. For real. I hated it when I was in it, and Lamb's 4th grade year really isn't changing my opinion of it at all. The awkwardness, the drama, the I'm-not-a-little-kid-but-I'm-not-a-teenager, the worries over grades that she isn't likely going to remember by this time next year... I could go on, but it's starting to give me heart palpitations, so I'm going to stop there. It's not my favorite year. Or Lamb's either, to be fair.

But just when I think I can't take another eye roll or one more twinge of heartache over seeing her awkwardly trying to become herself, we have a night like tonight. Because tonight, Lamb came to me and said, "Mommy, I would really like for you to give me more responsibility. Could I have more chores or something, please?"

Am I in some sort of alternate universe? Am I being "Punk'd"? Maybe I accidentally took some super-trippy drug. (And if so, what was it and where can I get more?)

Whatever. Tonight I am just going to soak in this little moment of redemption... and try not to make any sudden moves. I definitely do not want to rock this boat.

Maybe not JUST like me

Get ready to learn something new about me. Are you sitting down? Here it is...

In general, I think I'm a pretty typically affectionate person. I mean, I might not be what many consider a "hugger", but I don't shy away from an embrace, I'm happy to touch the hand of a friend who is struggling, and I love me a good massage. Touch is not an issue for me.

But when I am sick, leave.me.alone. For real. I don't want to be snuggled or stroked or rubbed or touched in any way. I barely want to be spoken to. I can remember even as a kid feeling my stomach turn when my cat would crawl on my lap when I was too sick for school. I just want to curl up in a ball with a hot cup of tea and a good movie--or even a not-so-good movie... or an old episode of "Friends"... or just Pinterest--and be left to suffer in silence.

For the past 10 days or so, a bug has been making its way through my house. In fact, there have been a few of them over the past few weeks, to the point where I can't even remember where or with whom this most recent one actually started! All I know is that I avoided it for a long time. Until Friday night. While my kiddos had a few school friends over for a belated Halloween celebration, I started to feel increasingly run-down. For the next few days, it was a minor annoyance. But today... ugh. I feel terrible.

I just want to sit and sulk in peace.

In the meantime, I'm not the only victim here. Like I said, a variety of bugs have been hitting my house, but yesterday I took Lamb to the doctor for what turned out to be a sinus infection and strep. She actually didn't feel too bad, but the strep had caused a nasty rash on her face that was itchy. Unfortunately, the amoxicillin is taking its toll on her tummy, though, so today... while I feel like death... while I just want to sit in peace and moan... Lamb was home with me.

And my little girl, my mini-me, my child who drives me crazy because she is just like me... apparently has at least one key difference from her mama. When she is sick, she wants to snuggle all.the.time. She wants to constantly be touching me and rubbing my arm and nuzzling her head into my neck. She wants me to be in the same room AT ALL COSTS. She wants to whine and commiserate.

This is not funny, Lord.

And here's the odd part: She hasn't always been like this! The first time I noticed it was just 3 weeks ago, when she had Hand, Foot, and Mouth. I blogged about it then, too. It was grating on my nerves then too--but I was healthy then. Today all I want is to put myself in a bubble, and she is trying to crawl back into my WOMB.

For as many times as I have prayed, "Lord, does she have to be like me in every way?", I had no idea He would chose this as the way to show so clearly that she is her own person.

I'm sure I'll laugh about this later. (OK, I'm laughing about it a little bit now, too...)

First Day(s)!

Do you know what happened this week?

This happened...

 

And this...

 

And this...

 

 

And this...

 

And yes, if you're paying attention, Roo is wearing 2 different shirts in these pics. My big kids actually started school yesterday, but Roo's first day was today. I still wanted to get a pic of the three of them together, though, because it's just so darn cute with all three of them there.

 

And then, because they continue to be so cute, I have to share some more photos with you.

He loves his big sister!

One year we'll get one with ALL FIVE of us smiling at once. I refuse to believe otherwise.

Me: "Roo, say 'Cheese!'"

Roo:

He's a stinker.

 

 Singing "Old MacDonald" with Papa

 

Time for the bus...

 

And they're off!

 

 

Just one boring summer day

I am a big believer in free time. I don't like to overschedule my kids (though I struggle with that in my own life). I'm all for church programs and sports teams and piano lessons, and even trips to the zoo and play dates and other activities to keep them well-rounded and create memories. But I also think there is tremendous value in just being home. No agenda. No plan. And sometimes, Mommy isn't available to drop everything and solve all the world's problems--sometimes they have to figure it out while Mommy folds laundry. I think this is good. Important, even.

Do I sound a little defensive? A little like I'm trying too hard? Because I really do believe that, but sometimes I have to remind myself. Sometimes I have to say, "Remember, my heart, we do not HAVE to leave the house every day. I am NOT a bad mom just because Monkey's eyes plead with me when he says, 'I just can't find anything to DO.'"

Yesterday I was reminding myself. We are leaving for vacation in a few days, the boys had both been sick, life had been busy. I needed to catch up, do laundry, wash dishes. Monkey and Lamb were bickering, snarking. I sat them down and read out loud to them for a while, then gave them required separate play time. "You can play anywhere in the house, but not together. You cannot pester each other or ask each other questions or even comment on what the other person is doing. Play by yourself for a while, and I will let you know when you can play together."

There was eye-rolling. Followed by a little bit of moping. Maybe even a door closed juuuuuuuuuuust shy of slamming. There was silence, broken only by a sigh here and there.

I decided to make myself scarce, closing myself in my room with a big pile of clean clothes. And I wondered. "Maybe we do need to be out every day. Maybe they need me to keep them busier. Maybe I need to make them a list of things they can play. But I don't want to squelch their creativity. Do they have creativity, or have I already squelched it by scheduling too many things for them, and now they are ruined for life?"

I emerged to find the start of something wonderful, although I didn't realize it at the time.

Monkey had begun a game of "stuffed animal bowling." My kiddos have a couple of stuffed animals that are basically plush balls with faces. He was using those to knock down other animals, and was quite delighted with himself.

I lifted the ban on playing together, then went back to work.

My friends, what happened next was absolutely amazing. My two kiddos (Roo was at camp) put together their own obstacle course of fun, complete with six different stations. They used stuffed animals, empty paper towel rolls (from the recycling! no piles of unused towels laying on my kitchen floor!), markers and crayons, paper plates--all kinds of things that were laying around the house. They made six different stations of activities and games. And then they went through all of the stations together, laughing and giggling through the whole thing. They kept score of sorts, but it was sort of like "Whose Line is it Anyway?"--the points didn't seem to matter.

They laughed more than they have all summer. They created something--a whole assortment of somethings--and they worked together to do it. They brainstormed together and helped each other.

And I. was. vindicated.

Just one boring summer day. Probably the best day of our summer so far.

It's a girl thing

June isn't even over, and I am already exhausted from our summer "break." Don't get me wrong--I am not complaining. I'm just amazed at how much fun we have managed to cram into just a few weeks' time. A quick trip to see some old friends (and for our kids to make new ones), VBS, ice cream, play dates, date nights for the grown-ups, and the list goes on. Big on fun, low on sleep.

In the middle of it all, we got a call from Roo's school that the local Rotary Camp (a camp for kids with special needs)--which happens to meet at his school--had an opening after a student dropped out, and they offered it to Roo. It is free.of.charge. Transportation is included. The only downside? It is Monday - Friday, 9 AM - 3 PM (no naps), for SIX WEEKS. Did I say that was a downside? ;-) Seriously, it is exciting to have the opportunity, but that is a lot for a little guy. He missed the first week because the other student dropped out partway through, and then we went on vacation; but he joined in last week, and is back again this week. He is completely bushed, but he seems to be loving it.

So Roo is gone during the day... and now this week, my sweet Monkey is at church camp (during the day) too! (Last year the big kids went to camp at the same time, to make life easier for Mama. This year, though, Lamb is going to SLEEPAWAY CAMP! For real! And the way the schedule worked out, it was better to send them on separate weeks.) So all week long, from 9 AM until 3 PM, it has been just me and my girl.

 

On Monday we did some boring stuff (grocery shopping, laundry, etc), but then hit the library and went swimming at a friend's house. On Tuesday she gathered up some spending money, and we went shopping. You've gotta cover the basics, you know.

 

 

Yesterday was the second in our series of 8 mother-daughter dates in the Secret Keeper Girl series. (There are 2 books of dates. This is the one we are doing right now...)

 



 

A few weeks ago we went to a fancy tea house to have (of course) tea, and to remind Miss Lamb that

she is a masterpiece created by God. Yesterday we had facials and talked about real physical beauty, and also proper skin care, since she is coming to the age where her skin will be changing. I had originally planned to take her to a spa to get facials for the two of us, but oh.my.word. My budget was not built for that kind of abuse. Instead, we called up a friend who sells Mary Kay, and she came to us. It turned out to be a great choice, because she could walk Lamb through the steps she needs to do to care for her skin--and Lamb said that she preferred putting everything on herself instead of "just laying there" while other people did it for her. (Whose child is she, anyway?!?)

And today we are wrapping up our girl time in one of our favorite spots: Starbucks. (Ready for some irony? Neither of us drinks coffee.) My hubby asked what we were up to today, and I told him, "We're going to drop Monkey off, drive straight to Starbucks, and stay until we have to get Roo off the bus--or until they kick us out, whichever comes first." And he gave me a look that said, "Why on earth would you do that?" But wisely he actually said, "Great! Have fun!"

No, we're not just sitting around watching the clock. We came armed with great ways to spend the time... books, notebooks, magazines, a Bible study that we are doing together, my laptop, and the best part...

 

board games. We brought Sorry, Skip Bo, a deck of cards, and, well, who knows what else is in my big Mary Poppins bag. It has been a great way to connect with my little mini-me.

 

 

Tomorrow Roo will be staying home from camp, since he is turning into a train wreck after days and days of no naps (and nights and nights of refusing to go to bed). Our girl time will be done. The laundry will need folding, the dishes will need washed, the carpets will need swept. But I do not regret one.single.minute of this week. Because yesterday she was a tiny little baby all swaddled up in my arms, and tomorrow she will be a mysterious and moody teenager, but today she is OK with--no, she craves--girl time with her mommy. And I am going to soak it up.

 

 

Library, swimming, shopping, facials, Starbucks. It's a girl thing.

 

 

 

And we wonder why moms are a little bit crazy...

Thursday afternoons are hectic.  Partly because I am just.so.over the week at that point--swimming lessons after school on Tuesday, church Wednesday evening, and an after-school science program on Thursday. Our afternoons and evenings are NON-STOP, from the minute they get off the bus until the magical time when they are finally in bed for the night. For two days I have been pushing them, "Guys, we have to get going. PLEASE get that done. What else do you still need to finish?" As if a typical day wasn't cramped enough, on these days we have chunks of time stolen from us. And suddenly it's Thursday and I'm tired of it, and I know that I have to do it again.

And when I do go pick up the big kids from their after-school program, I have Roo with me. And he is excited to find his big brother and sister. Who are in two separate rooms. On the exact opposite end of the school from the parking lot. And I don't know if you have guessed this, but Roo can be a lot to handle.

As an added bonus, on this particular Thursday, it was raining. Strike that, it was POURING DOWN RAIN. So I didn't bother to pull the stroller out of the van and set it up, I just grabbed Roo and ran for the building.

I have to admit that it was comical to let him run through the building, partly because it is just plain hilarious to see the way he runs, with his arms flying and his feet still a little unsure. And also because he would stop at every open door and BELLOW his siblings' names, in language that only our family could understand. I did, however, get weary of having to run and grab him every time he turned down a wrong hall (on accident or on purpose!) or ran into a room where some poor teacher was trying to finish up for the day.

And then... the program ran over the regular time slot. So we finally got back to the appropriate place in the school... and we had to wait. And Roo doesn't wait well. (The previous week, by the way, I had arrived at the correct dismissal time, and my kids were the only ones left. And I had to answer questions like, "Why did you come so late, Mommy? Why weren't you here when we got done? Did you forget?")

It feels a little like an understatement to say that I was frazzled by the time that they got dismissed. I think you have probably done that math in your head already.

But what you don't know is that my kids LOVE the after-school science program. And that they come out with the energy one would expect of a person who has chased a Monster drink with a 5-Hour Energy.

They were a little amped up.

"Mommy, guesss what!"

"Mommy, I can't wait to tell you!"

"Mommy, look what we made today!"
"Mommy, my project is hanging in the hall!"

"Mommy, Blake said he'll come over sometime!" (I have never heard of this Blake person. When did we decide to invite him to our house?)

"Mommy!"

"Mommy!"

"MOMMY!"

And as a grabbed Roo's hand for the 10th time in 5 steps, I finally said in as nice a voice as I could muster, "You know, guys, I'm having a hard time listening to you and chasing your brother. I can't talk to anyone until we get into the van."

Good job, Mommy. You handled that like a pro. That should solve all the world's problems.

"Mommy?"

"No. Did you hear what I just said? You have to wait until we get to the van."

Pause.

"Mommy, guess what!"

"Not until we're in the van."

Pause.

"Hey Mommy?"

"Nope. In the van."

Pause.

"Oh, Mommy, I forgot to tell you--"

"NO. Not until we're IN.THE.VAN."

Pause.

"Mommy?"

Look of death.

"Oh yeah."

Finally we reached the magical place where I could buckle Roo in, unload the bundle of things I was carrying, and plop my weary body into a comfy seat.

SIGH.

"OK, guys. We're in the van. I've had a minute to collect my thoughts. Now, what did you want to say?"

Blank stares.

"What do you mean?" (Lamb.)

"I told you guys that I couldn't talk until we were in the van. You wanted to say some things on the way and I told you to wait. Now we're here. What did you want to say?"

Pause. More blank stares.

"I don't think I needed anything. I think it was just Monkey." (Totally not the case.)

Monkey shrugs and says, "I don't know. Guess it wasn't that important."

Oh for the love.

The No (more) Drama Mama, part 1: The Questions

If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I had a post planned for tonight... and then I lost it... from my brain. Yep, it was in my head, and then it was gone. I was left with nothing but a title and a vague feeling of greatness lost.

And now here I am, posting, and you might think that I have found the post that has hidden itself away in a dark corner of my mind. You would be wrong. This isn't it. Instead, this post is born out of my evening--and my last 8 years as a parent.

I know that people typically go to blogs for what they can get: craft ideas, recipes, a good laugh, a thought-provoking read, or even a heart-warming story to make them smile. Tonight, though, I'm hoping that you will come see what you can give.

Tonight I am looking for ideas. Suggestions. Input. HOPE!

Tonight I come to you as a mommy to a little girl entering the tween years. And all the drama that comes with that.

I remember when Lamb was just a little tot, talking to other moms about little girl attitude and little girl drama. And we would say, "If they act like this NOW, what are we going to do when they are 13?"

And now she's 8, and I'm wrestling with the same things I did when she was 2 and 3. What am I going to do with all of this drama?

And more specifically, here is my real question: How do I validate her feelings and let her know that she can talk to me about anything... without feeding into the drama?

To be fair, some of it is on me. I know this. I have very little patience for the mannerisms and tone-of-voice that come with uncomfortable conversations with this girl. The fidgeting and the incomplete (and whiny) sentences ("Wellllllllllllllllllllllll............ it's just.................. I mean........................... sometimes......................... I mean.................... I don't know....................... I just..........................") make my skin crawl. For real. It is just about more than I can handle. Am I alone on this? Is this just my personality, or do other moms have to will themselves past this too?

And once we get past the logistics, there's the content. I fully recognize that an 8-year-old's world is much smaller than mine; therefore things that seem small to me might be big to her. That's the part where I want to validate her feelings and not blow her off. And at the same time, I have a sense that the feelings aren't always genuine--that they may (at least in part) be about attention or getting her way or staying up past bedtime.

So where is the balance? How do you as a mom discern when to "go there" with your daughter and when to say, "that's enough"? How do you keep yourself calm and not go, "This is ridiculous. Go to bed"? (Not that I have ever been temped to say that, of course. Definitely not in the last 15 minutes.)

What are your tips for cutting the drama? Post your comments here or on the Facebook page. Pass this along and ask your friends for their tips. I will compile them--along with some things that I have learned myself (yep, there's one or two bits of wisdom in there)--and post them in a day or so. (But if no one gives me suggestions, I'm going to look rather silly with this post just sitting out there. Come on, help a sister out!)

A little privacy, please!

This may be a little too personal. Just be warned.

Lamb: "Mommy! Mommy! Moooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyy!!!"

Me: "I'm in the potty."

Lamb: "I know! I need to go potty! What do I do?"

At this point, it's important that you realize that there are FOUR bathrooms in our house. FOUR.

Me: "This is not a problem I can solve for you. You're going to have to figure that one out on your own."

Lamb (dejectedly): "OK, I'll use the potty upstairs."

{5-second pause}

Monkey: "Mommy?"

Me: "I'm in the potty."

Monkey: "OK. Mommy?"
Me (hoping that I sound more patient than I feel): "Can I just.go.potty?"

Monkey: "OK. But Mommy?"

Me: "Does this need to be handled RIGHT NOW???"

Monkey (saddened): "Nooooooooo. I'll go start my homework."

{5-second pause}

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK (on the bathroom door)
Roo: "Min!" ("Come in!" This is what he says when he wants to open a door.)

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK
Roo: "Min!"

Me: "Buddy, I need.just.a.minute.PLEASE."

{5-second pause}

Roo: "Mommy! 'Ere go."
And he slides a magazine under the door.

For the love. Where did he come up with that?????

It's super cute. I have to admit. But a little privacy would be nice too.

First Day

At our house, we like to play a little game called "High-Low." It's a pretty simple game--we simply go around the table (or around the room, if it's not dinner time) and tell our high and low for the day. I'm sure many of you do the same thing, or something similar. It's a good way to get people talking about what's going on in life.

So today, on the first day of school, I am going to tell you all about my highs and lows...

High: Everyone got up and ready with no complaining! We had a delicious breakfast (waffles, at the kids' request, and scones that my mom made), got the bookbags loaded up, and had plenty of time for pictures. Nana & Papa (my parents) and Gram (my mother-in-law) came to see the kiddos off, too.

 

Low: My babies got swallowed up by a big yellow monster. Two of them, actually.

 

High: Everyone got through the morning tear-free, including Mommy (mostly).

 

Low: When I got back in the house and tried to upload the many, many pictures I had taken, I found out that my memory card was dislodged. I didn't get ONE.SINGLE.PICTURE. :-(

 

High: At least the grandparents had some photos. I have the photos from Gram already (which is why I have some of the morning shots) and am looking forward to getting the shots from my parents as well.

 

High: I got to spend some quality time with two wonderful friends. :-)

High: More work is getting done on my basement! Yay! The painting should be done tomorrow, furniture will be arriving soon, and carpet will be ordered on Thursday.

 

Low: First day of school = first call from the school nurse. She is a lovely person. Last year we talked a LOT because of Monkey's headaches. Today, though, his head was fine--this time she called because he had fallen off the monkey bars and landed on his shoulder. She was calling to tell me to keep an eye on his collarbone, because his range of motion was definitely affected. Fortunately, I could hear him in the background, and he didn't sound upset.

 

High: Everyone came home happy! :-)

High: After-school snack...

Funny: A direct quote from Roo's teacher (in a note she sent home): "He certainly is curious!"

 

High: I shamelessly made the kids redo the morning's photo shoot, which is why we have so many good photos here. :-)

 

Low: Monkey's arm was still hurting when he got home. He could lift it to the side, but not in front of himself. Oddly enough, though, it didn't seem to be bothering him when he was playing--not even when he reenacted the event that led to his injury. ;-)

High: By the time bedtime prayers came around, Monkey and I had a talk about the cost of medical care and dramatizing an injury just so one can get an x-ray. And then he realized that, whaddayaknow, his arm didn't hurt anymore.

 

 Low: As the kids were heading up to bed, Lamb tripped on a dog toy and went down crying. This led to some major overly-tired-and-already-dramatic 8-year-old drama. She started off with, "Life is just so hard when you're in school!" and moved to "Sometimes I just feel like parents don't understand" and then she sobbed, "Today just wasn't very exciting!!!!!" Oh for the love. I think it's time for bed.

High: Everyone is sound asleep, and I am thankful for my kids, their schools & teachers, and the opportunities they have before them. Lunches are packed, kitchen is clean, and now I can relax. And tomorrow I get to hang out with my Roo! :-)

 

 

Thanks for joining us on our first day of school. See you soon!

Score One for Mommy

"Mommy, Mommy, MOMMY! Wait till you hear the GREAT NEWS!" Lamb burst through the door after school today.

She handed me a crumpled piece of paper that she had stuffed inside her jacket--apparently wanting to protect it from the rain but not necessarily from being wrinkled and crushed beyond recognition. I smoothed it out and read, "Congratulations! You have been selected as a chaperone for the 2nd grade's field trip to 'The Little Mermaid.'"

"Can you believe it?!?" Lamb cried out. "You get to come with me! Isn't this just SO EXCITING?!?"

Every parent knows what a mixed blessing this is. I love that I am home so that I can be involved in what they are doing. I love that she wants me to be involved in what she's doing. I love the chance to put faces with the names that I hear every day. I even love, if truth be told, the idea of taking her to see "The Little Mermaid." But I do not relish being one of 4 people (including her teacher) who is responsible for herding corraling guiding a class of 24 second graders on this cultural and educational experience. My mom was a teacher, my college roommates are all teachers, several of my friends are teachers, and there's a reason I didn't become one. Still, I knew that there was a decent chance I wouldn't be selected, and I am glad to have the opportunity to go with her.

"But do you know what's even BETTER?" she continued. "The best part isn't that you get to come with me. The BEST part is that my friends were all excited that you got picked beause you're so much fun!!!!!!!"

Now that is some of the highest praise this momma could imagine right now. This same mom who wonders if she's doing anything right, if my children will be talking about me in therapy one day, if I will ever find the stage of motherhood that is my forte... I'm the one the kids are excited to have along. My daughter is proud to have me be with her.

Score.

Unique

Last week Lamb's class made books about their families. Each page contained a writing prompt of the beginning of a sentence, followed by blank lines for the student to complete the thought. Lamb's book described our family's favorite outdoor activities, thing to do together, and other fun tidbits.

And then I laughed out loud. I turned the page, and the prompt read "What makes our family unique is..." Above it was my 7-year-old's rendering of her baby brother--no surprise there. Roo definitely makes our family unique. But what made me laugh--and cry--was her explanation. Her sentence read, "What makes our family unique is my little brother Roo, because he can't have hair. And he has Down syndrome."

Roo makes us unique... because he "can't have hair." The Down's was there, but it was an afterthought. When she thought about her little brother being different, she thought about his bald head.

I love it. We are unique, thanks to our bald 3-year-old.

My baby girl...

...isn't such a baby any more.  Can you guess what today is?

If you guessed "The day that part of my heart walked away from me without so much as a backward glance", you would be correct!!!!

Today was Lamb's first day of first grade!  She was so excited, she practically floated onto the bus this morning.  I miss her and cannot wait to hear about her day.  In the meantime, I have some brownie baking to do, so I had best be going.

Talk to you soon!

Questions over Cheerios

As Lamb, Roo, and I sat at the breakfast table this morning (Monkey is sick and Mr. Fantastic was upstairs with him), she seemed unusually quiet. After some probing, it turned out she had some questions on her mind...

"Is Down syndrome a sickness?"

"Is it good or bad?'

"I thought you said he would have Down syndrome for his whole life.  But if they can fix his heart, why can't they fix the Down syndrome, too?"

A year ago I would have been devastated by these questions, but today they had a certain sweetness to them. She wants to understand, she wants simple answers to complicated questions. I can definitely relate. And I can also appreciate her next question...

"Do we have any kiwi left?"

Sometimes you need to ponder life's mysteries, and sometimes you need to accept them and move on.

Quality Time

It's a little before 3:00... both boys are down for naps... and Lamb and I just finished reading time.  Right now she is in the craft room, whipping up some new piece of art and singing joyfully away.

And I am basking in the glow of a few stolen moments with my daughter.

Of all the fun things we have done or have planned to do this summer, hands down the best thing I have done is institute afternoon reading time.  This is the first summer that Lamb hasn't had nap/rest time in the afternoon, so while the boys lay down, she spends about 30-45 minutes reading.  And the best part is... (with few exceptions) I read with her.

For the first 15-20 minutes, we snuggle up together and she reads to me--generally we pick something at the upper end of her range, so I can help her when she needs it.  I love hearing her voice, seeing the way she looks to the pictures for clues if she gets stuck on the words, catching her when she tries to mumble something under her breath and move on quickly if she's unsure.  I love the joy she has every time we finish something new--especially if it's a chapter book (She's speeding through both the Junie B. Jones and the A to Z Mysteries series.), the way she gets involved in the story and thinks about which character she would be.

But the best part is the second half of reading time.  This is when we each read our own books.  We sit at opposite ends of the couch, tangle our legs all up together, share a blanket, and sit in a wonderful silence as we get lost in our own stories.  I love that we share not only the ability to read, but the enjoyment of it.  I love feeling this kindredness, even when she's reading Purplicious and I'm reading Gone with the Wind.  I'm glad that I make myself take the time to sit down and read while she's reading, to show her that it is an important hobby at any age, that it doesn't always have to take a back seat to scrubbing toilets and unloading the dishwasher.

My dear sweet Lamb knows how to push my buttons.  She is often silly beyond measure--and in ways I don't always "get".  She is defiant at times and has even been known to be mean to her brother.  But for about 30 minutes each day, she is all mine--my sweet kindred spirit in books.

In a few short weeks, school will take away our reading time most days.  In a few short years, adolescence and boyfriends and extra-curriculars will take it away altogether.  But for today, I enjoyed a few moments of peaceful bonding with my baby girl that I hope she will carry with her throughout her life.  I know I will.

Looking up

Well, I think we all know that yesterday didn't start off too well.  It was one of my DS low points, and there were definitely some tears involved.

But what I didn't tell you is that yesterday wasn't just Assessment Day... It was also my birthday. What a way to kick off the day, eh?

But you know what?  There was nowhere to go but up... and it went up.  A few hours after the assessment, the kiddos and I had lunch with my parents and mother-in-law, where I got my first round of birthday presents.  My parents gave me money for a much-needed trip to Ann Taylor (Aahhh, Ann, my BFF... how I have missed you!), and my mother-in-law gave me this fantastic find...

 Can you believe it?!?  I cried.  She used some of my pictures, so those photos are actually from my trip.  This is just the COOLEST thing!

After our fabulous lunch (and ice cream!) we came back home for naps & some housework, but little did I know that Mr. Fantastic would pop in the door at 3:30 in the afternoon to snatch up the kids for a "Top Secret Mission"!  They took off, and I felt like the peace & quiet that ensued was quite possibly the best birthday present ever.  And that wasn't even my gift!!!  What more could I possibly need?!?

They were gone about an hour, and they came home carrying armloads of presents.  OK, Mr. Fantastic had an armload--each of the big kids was carrying one present.  But it was kind of an armload for them.

First I got a gift from Monkey.  Let me give you a little bit of background... Monkey got a Nerf dart gun for his birthday in February... then Lamb got one for her birthday in June.  Monkey then determined that his daddy needed one for Father's Day, which left me the only one who was unarmed--well, you know, the only one who is big enough to hold a dart gun.  So Monkey handed me his present, with a handmade card on the front, where Mr. Fantastic wrote the message that Monkey had wanted to say.  It said, "Dear Mommy, I'm sorry you don't have your own dart gun.  But open this present and you'll be surprised!"  Can you guess what I got?!?  :-)  But here's the best part: My gun holds 10 darts, and all of theirs only hold 6, so while they're reloading I can take them all down.  Oh yeah, baby.

Then I got my present from Mr. Fantastic--a window box to attach to our deck!  And Roo got me 4 different herbs to plant in it.  I am SO. DARN. EXCITED about this--it is exactly what I asked for.  And if you knew Mr. Fantastic, you'd know that this is in itself a miracle--normally the thing I ask for is the one thing that he WON'T buy for me, because he wants me to be surprised.  :-)  I love that man.  And I am SO VERY HAPPY to have gotten exactly what I wanted this year.  :-)

But it wasn't over yet.  I still had a present from Miss Lamb.  I opened it up... and it was a plate.  But not just any plate.  It was THE plate.  You know, the collectible plate that my birth mom had given my parents and my mom had given me?  The one that I dropped and broke as soon as I brought it home?  Yep, that one!  No, it wasn't the broken one--Mr. Fantastic must have found it online somewhere.  (At least, I'm assuming that it was him and not my 6-year-old... ;-) )  I thought my tears were done for the day, but no--that plate and the love and effort that went into finding it (again)... oh my goodness.  Have I mentioned that I love that man?  Oh, and here's my plate...

And just to top off my wonderful birthday, we piled into the van and went to a local nature preserve and then out to dinner.  Yes, you read that right--I didn't even have to cook!  ;-)

OK, and I know you're probably tired of hearing me sing the praises of Facebook (If you're not, talk to my husband--he definitely is!), but I also got almost 100 birthday messages/posts on Facebook, and it made me feel so darn good!

So yeah, the day got off to a rough start.  But it came to a wonderful conclusion.  Absolutely wonderful.

By the way, just a couple of orders of business... I am still working my way through my FIA goals, although this week has seen a few changes.  I'll write more about it soon.  And with all that's been going on here, I have completely forgotten to post the next installment(s) of my adoption story!  I'm so sorry.  Next Wednesday.  I promise.

That's all for now.  It's time for me to snuggle up my Monkey and watch a little "Bolt" before bedtime.

Faith in Action, Days 7 & 8: Kindness cooks & reading books

Happy Friday! Is it just me, or is the summer absolutely FLYING BY?!? Lamb is only going into first grade, and already I miss when all of my kids were "little" and we didn't have to worry about dumb old school schedules. I actually wish (and those of you who have known me IRL for any length of time will probably fall over laughing at this) that I had my act together enough to homeschool her... not forever... just for a year or two. But I don't.  So we're going to have to pack as much fun as we can into the next 6 or 7 weeks.

Yesterday's project was to bake a cake for someone, and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. My kids love helping in the kitchen, especially Monkey.  Take a look at how our project went...

It takes a super hero to bake a cake from scratch!

And a beautiful princess, of course.  :-)

Now THAT is some sisterly love right there.

She made sure there was enough left for herself, though. :-)

Monkey's cars had to watch.

The finished product!  Complete with yellow sugar sprinkles (which you totally can't even see, but that's what Monkey picked out...) and dolphin sprinkles (Lamb's choice).

This was my favorite day of the FIA month so far.  I had tons of fun making the cake (& frosting) with the kids, and I loved listening to them decide who should get the cake.  They settled on a GREAT family.  Not only is the little boy Monkey's favorite person in the world--and both of their kids are great friends to my kiddos--but their mom has been a super friend to me, always willing to lend a hand with babysitting or meals when we needed them or anything else.  She has shown our family so much kindness, I was so happy to be able to do a little something in return.

And as we baked the cake, we talked about other ways to show kindness.  The kids came up with all kinds of things we could give people, so I asked them how we can show kindness without "things."  That really got them thinking.  I loved hearing all of their ideas!  Everything from hugs & kisses to just the tone of voice we use when we talk to someone.  And on the way to our friends' house, we all took turns praying for the family.  It was such a great day with my kids!

Today my task is to start on a book that Mr. Fantastic and I are going to read together.  Also... I am ashamed to admit that I got behind on my Bible reading--I missed the last TWO DAYS. And since the reading is 4-5 chapters per day, I have my work cut out for me tonight!  I just completely and totally forgot about it.

So I guess I'd better quit jabbering and get reading!  Talk to you soon...