Baby Giggles

Zayin...My quiet storm.  So thoughtful and watchful.  You seem to be absorbing and processing everything you encounter through those two beautiful blue windows.

photo by Angie Dykshorn

You are quiet and charming, though your lungs are well exercised.  I often wonder what is going on in that little head of yours...are you preforming mathematical equations, or pondering the meaning of life?  The way you constantly furrow your brow, it must be something weighty.  But just when I think you are all melancholy and seriousness you break into the most beautiful smiles and giggles.  You, Sir, are an "old soul", with a very silly sense of humor.

...And as soon as you can talk, I'm dying to know what you are thinking!

Hair to Share

Today was an important day for me.  I was going with my mom to get a hair cut.  My hair was long, itchy, sweaty, heavy and tangly.  I was ready for a summer hair cut.  I wanted to cut my hair so that it would be just below my shoulders.

My mom and I walked to the hair cutting place.  I think it was called Great Clips.  In the shop I was signed up for my haircut.  I looked at a few hair styles, but I ran out of time.  I got ready for cutting.  First my hair was combed out.  Then she sprayed me with water and combed some more.  Next she asked how I wanted my hair.    So I told her...  She asked me if I wanted to cut it a few inches shorter, so that I could donate it to Locks of Love.

Locks of Love helps kids with cancer get a wig for after their hair falls out.  I was scared to cut it short, but I thought about all the girls with no hair.  I wanted to do it!  She asked me again, and I said "Yes! I'm sure!"

 Before it looked like this.  The old me!

After I looked like this.  This is the new me!

This was a good Day...And I can still do pig-tails!

A Very Merry Un-Birthday To You!

Charis' 8th Birthday Party...er...Un-Birthday Party!

"Im late, I'm late, for a very important date.  No time to say hello, goodbye!  I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"  

- White Rabbit.

From mid-February until last weekend this quote was on a continuous loop in the back of my mind.  I love parties and planning around a theme (I know I've said this before).  They are fun and exciting, but for some reason when it comes to my kids birthday parties, I drag my feet.  I dread figuring out what weekend will work, who to invite, who not to invite, and using the postal service wears me out.  When all those things are accomplished, the rest is actually fun!

So since we missed Charis' actual birthday, and any weekend remotely close to her birthday, we decided to have an UN-birthday party.  We made the invitations with the quote above and invited her friends to celebrate their un-birthday's along with Charis.

After everyone arrived we loaded up the kids and drove them "through the looking glass" to Wonderland! (a.k.a. Gramma Sally's Garden).   It's a land where nothing makes sense, but everything is Wonderful!  We played several games...

Kick the Milk (A Gramma Sally original) There is no point to this game.  You just run around and kick empty milk cartons.  What could be better.

Fishing for Bugs - Instead of using bugs as bait to catch fish in water, you fish for (magnetic) bugs in the dirt.

Silly Hot Potato - A small package is passed around until the timer goes off.  Whoever has the package when the time is up gets to open it.

Inside is a small gift and a piece of paper with something silly written on it.

All the kids then have to do/act out whatever is on the slip of paper.  This one was make a funny face.

After all the games we loaded back up and returned to our house for a Mad Hatter Tea Party and un-birthday presents.

We also decorated "tea cups" for them to take home.

I didn't have many pictures turn out from this part of the party, but we will still have the memories.  Though it would have been nice of me not to procrastinate, I loved that we could do Charis' party outside and that we could have a party that didn't focus completely on her.  She still had a little "It's my birthday" syndrome, but much less than usual (thank goodness no tears this year).

Look Mama No Training Wheels!

Anya has been wanting to learn to ride a bike without training wheels for a looooonnnnng time.  I can't even remember a day of bike riding without her incessant pestering to "PUH-LEASE" take off her training wheels.  I'll admit, I'd been dragging my heels.  I knew I was in for a lot of work, and I wasn't ready yet.

Teaching Anya is...well...teaching Anya....*sigh*....I'm not sure anyone can actually teach Anya anything.  No matter how hard I try, or what method I use she either seems to accidentally absorb the information, you are trying to teach her, or she doesn't.  End of story.  It's not rebellion, it's just the way she is.  The strange thing is that she is usually equally happy with either result.  I knew somehow this was going to be different.  She wanted to learn, she neeeeeeeded to learn and not doing so would NOT be okay!

 So I took a deep breath, pulled out the wrench and removed those training wheels, muttering under my breath all the while. *great parenting - I know*  As soon as the wheels were off, she hopped on and adjusted her helmet.  I held onto the back of her seat and gave her a little nudge.  She forgot, unfortunately, that she was in control of her bike and we ran off the sidewalk nearly missing the neighbors tree.

I explained that she still needed steer as well as pedal, and things would go much smoother.  She hopped back on, I grabbed her seat and she began to steer like a pro.  However, she just let her legs dangle limply instead of using them to pedal.  "You're doing great", I said.  "Are you sure you know how to teach people how to ride bikes?" she replied.  *mutter, mutter, mutter*

"Okay, you're gonna get it, hop back on and this time try to use your arms and your legs together". I try pathetically to encourage her.  Because, really, I don't think she's gonna get it.  I felt terrible, but I had no faith in either my ability to teach, or her ability to learn at that point.  She then got back on her bike, turned her face to mine and smiled sweetly.  I'm expecting a heartfelt "Thanks for helping me", but instead I hear, "Mom, I really think I could do this better on my own.  I don't think you know what you are doing."  I had to laugh.  She's right.  I have no idea what I am doing.  So I let go.  And she rode her bike.

It turns out she wasn't the one that needed to be taught.  It was me that needed to let go.

Look What I Can Do!