heyMamas

Happy 9!

          

My Belle:

Today my sweet little Belle, you turned nine.  We have been celebrating your birthday for the last three days and it has finally come to an end.  We made your special birthday plate and decorated the house last night so when you woke up you knew this was your special day.

I came home from work just as you got off the school bus and we planned to go see New Moon.  We almost changed our mind at the last minute as Dad and I started googling whether this new Twilight movie was appropriate for a nine and six year old.  You saw the original Twilight movie and had trouble sleeping for a few days after.  Lily on the other hand, totally unfazed.   

Based on our research we decided, what the hell and we made our way to the theater.  Lily strangely enough, decided she didn't want to see it but you still did.  We armed ourselves with popcorn and our red Icee drink (probably your favorite birthday perk of ALL the presents you received) and made our way into the theater.

Since it was Monday night, raining, AND a school night not too many movie-goers were out.  Your Dad had us drive halfway around town before we ended up at the right theater but guess what?  Being thirty-five minutes late for a movie on a rainy Monday school night when no one is in the theater is not really thirty-five minutes late for the movie since they hadn't even turned it on. 

On our way up to the theater you reassured me that you would be fine and you were SO over being scared, that's so eight years old.  As soon as we heard the music for the PREVIEWS you stopped in your tracks and wouldn't go any further.  As I nudged you along you looked up at me and I could tell you were freaking out. 

And once we turned the corner and saw the empty theater, there was no way that was happening.  I didn't even say a word I just turned and walked right back down the stairs to the mean girl behind the counter and asked if we could get the 3D glasses also so we could go join your Dad and Lily in A Christmas Carol.  

And by the way, what is up with all of the 3D movies these days where they charge you like fifteen dollars a ticket?  Every movie we have gone to see in the last six months has been in 3D. 

So after the movie which was quite enjoyable and involved a small nap for me, we made our way to the Sushi/Chinese restaurant and got a smorgasbord of fun things to eat.  Lily of course, sat and watched the whole time dreaming of the pizza we would pick up for her on the way back to the house while I tried to shove scallion pancakes down her throat.

We arrived home and lit the third and last cake of the birthday celebration marathon and opened presents.  You had a great day and I will leave the story for how you ruined your brand new Ugg boots after wearing them for two minutes, for another time. 

I love you and thank God every day for bringing you into my life.  I look forward to the next nine years and am sure you will keep me laughing through every SINGLE one of them! 

Love always,

Mama

xox

I didn't know bodies could even move like that

I get offers daily like many other bloggers, from different companies and different people asking me to review their products or attend their events. Because every waking minute that I am not working is spent with my girls, I decline most of these invitations even though they sound really cool.

One offer that did jump out at me was the invitation to attend Cirque du Soleil's latest production called Wintuk.  I responded that I would love to attend and would I be able to bring my family?  The answer was yes and so off we went to the theater in Madison Square Garden to see the show. 

As we waited in our awesome seats, which for those of you that have never been to this theater, I must tell you that I don't think there is a bad seat in the whole place as no matter where you sit you can see the stage perfectly.  So as we waited for the show to begin, little paper snowflakes fell from above and we tried to catch them. My girls, ever the competitors, tried to catch them before the other one could and a couple of elbows were thrown.

As the girls threw down, Drew and I reminisced about our last trip to this theater when we spent about three hundred dollars to see the Wiggles. That's right the Wiggles and I just had to rewrite that because it has been so long that I originally typed the Giggles.  Anyway, we thought we were such rock stars. We kept the tickets a secret for like two months and STILL didn't tell them until we actually arrived at the theater and when we walked in the girls were like "what?  the Wiggles? so what? that was the big surprise?"  We were like "WHAT???"  We just blew three hundred dollars and they could care less.   That was four years ago which puts them at about three and five years old.  I mean the Wiggles were big back then right?  Holy shizz, jaded already at three and five years old we said to each other, what might we expect when they are moody teenagers?

The show was AWESOME!  The performers were top notch on every level.  I can only imagine how much training and preparation goes into the making of a show like this.  The way the performers move their bodies?  I mean, I am happy with my body if I am able to stand upright when I get out of bed in the morning after I have been lucky enough to have a particularly long sleep.  But these performers were intense.  Their bodies were their tools, each one carefully crafted and every move controlled. 

 

The set design was beautiful as were the costumes, but what I was most impressed with was the music.  At one point in the show my eyes drifted off to the side of the stage and up towards the back of the theater where I could see the musicians playing their instruments.  While I was watching the show I never realized that the music was actually live.  I could see the violinist and all the other mmusicians playing theirr instruments .  I thought that was cool.   

 

The performers below were one of Belle's favorites and when I asked her what she liked most about them she said, "everything about them was great, but I don't understand how they can just jump off that pole and walk away after hitting their penises so many times in a row."   

 

 

This woman with her hula hoop was Lily's favorite and when I asked her what she liked the most about her, she said, "um, um, I think, um, everything" with a grin from ear to ear.

 

These dogs were so life-like that when one of them appeared to have died, BOTH of my girls asked me if they were really dead?

 

And then of course while I went to the bathroom Drew felt compelled to buy these souvenirs which I NEVER allow because they just end up getting tossed aside after about five minutes, but he felt he wanted to mark the occasion and remember what a nice time we all had.  Interesting that he felt so compelled when I happened to be in the bathroom.

 

 
  

The show is currently running a promotion for a 30% discount off of children’s tickets and if you are in the area and would love to see a great show I highly recommend it. http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/07cyg8?camefrom=CFC_WAMUTHEATER_WINTUKKIDS25

You can also catch some videos on youtube here: www.youtube.com/cirquedusoleil
 

 

Thanksgiving 2009

I give thanks for my beautiful family, the love we share, the fun we have, and the laughter that fills our home each day. 

Belle is thankful for "God, Jesus, Mary and the whole cross.  I am thankful for turkey and indians and pilgrims because they came up with Thanksgiving.  And water, the solar system, Mom and Dad and my whole family and Aidan, he is such an angel."

Lily gives thanks "for the toys we have, for the friends we have made and our family."  (I think someone peeked at my answer before she gave me hers.)

And Drew would never be able to keep a straight face if I asked him to be as gay as I am being right now.

Teacher's pet

To my beautiful girls:

Last week I met with your teachers and had my first Parent-Teacher conference in your new school.  I have not had the opportunity to speak one on one with your teachers at length so far this year and after doing so, I realized why you both love school so much. 

Belle, your teacher can not be older than twenty-six.  She is so adorable and full of spirit.  She is the perfect match for you and I am so excited for all of the wonderful things you will get to experience in her classroom. 

Your teacher said that you are doing great!  You are reading above grade level, interested in learning new subjects and you participate every day.  Overall she said you are a delight to have in the classroom.   The only issue that we have had this year other than wanting to wear leggings and tank tops everyday with no jacket, is that you get too much attention from the boys. 

They like to flick your hair, breathe on you and ask you why your last name is what it is.  Your teacher told me what we had already figured out at home, and that is that the boys like you.  I asked her if any other girls in the class were teased as often as you and she told me the following story:

Last week you had to leave class early to get your H1N1 mist (yes, I did it.....after careful consideration and reading through hundreds of pages of internet research I got my girls the flu mist, don't judge) everyone in the class began saying, "goodbye Belle, see you tomorrow.  Where are you going?  Why do you have to leave early?"  The teacher said she thought the Queen of England had left the room and NEVER had she EVER received a farewell like that and she is loved heavily by her students. 

She told me you were adapting beautifully to your new school and had made many girlfriends.  She also must have told some other parents about how special you are because we have had some mother's come up to us asking for a play date.  That your teacher told the other parents that you were a great girl and they should encourage their child to have play dates with you.  Not bad my crazy (remember, crazy in a good way people) unpredictable first born.

She also told me their is a girl in your class that has special needs.  She has trouble concentrating and that you of all the students are the one that helps her the most.  You are protective of her and always understanding of her situation.

And now on to your sister...

My sweet first grader Lily, the first thing I want to tell you is that your teacher couldn't say enough things about you.  I myself felt very special that she in such a short amount of time had also noticed all the little gifts that you posses that make you, you.  She GETS you, every part of you. 

She knows what you are capable of, she knows how generous in spirit you are.  She went on to say you take on new tasks with ease because you can, because you know you can do anything you set your mind too. She said you help other children with things like tying their shoes should their laces come undone.  You share snacks if other children have left theirs at home and always offer to help her when she needs something.  She knows how smart you are and most of all she said you were competent in a way that few children are at this tender age. 

For example, she is reading Charlotte's Web to your class and at Parent-Teacher night she suggested to the parents that it might be nice if we were to buy a copy for our children so that they could read along silently while she was reading out loud to the class. 

So I did.  I bought you a beautiful hard copy and you read 165 pages in a week, not to mention you have been torturing us with the movie.  You were determined to catch up to your teacher and then once you did and read past the class, you were intent on finishing the book.  She said she didn't know too many first graders who could read Charlotte's Web in one week's time and really know and understand what was going on in the story the way you do.

You, just like your sister, have this magical way about you and others gravitate towards you.  They always have, even adults. You are constantly surrounded by other children who want your attention and have never been anything but kind and caring to each one.  You don't have a mean bone in your body and I PRAY that we can maintain a majority of that kindness through the years.

 

I love you both so much and am so happy and thankful for the life we have started in our new suburban town.  It suits us on every level and we have already met some of the greatest people.  You have play dates with new friends every week and truly get along with each one.  You enjoy your teacher's and told me that you don't even feel like you are going to school but it feels more like camp.  Let's hope that feeling lasts as long as we can make it last.

Love forever,

Mama

 

And by the way, writing at a desk is so much more conducive to quick efficient writing than laying in a bed.

Halloween ghost

I know it is so ridiculous that I am now writing about Halloween a week away from Thanksgiving, but hey I do what I can to get the memories in print.

This year, our first Halloween in the suburbs started out with a real spook.  A few days before Halloween we got a knock at the door and when I answered it I looked down and there was a brown paper bag with a note attached (see horribly fuzzy picture below). 

It says, You have just been hit by the Halloween Ghost and then it tells you to hit three other houses just as you have been hit.  So of course Belle and Lily just about had a heart attack with all the excitement of that bag and decided that we had to hit the other houses right then and there.  Thank goodness I had bought all my candy early. 

We filled the brown bags with candy, photocopied the note and headed out to find our three targets.  Strangely enough, it just so happens that we have made friends with exactly three families so far in the new 'hood.  

So we head to the first house all the while I declared my love for the suburbs for the thousandth time and how this Halloween Ghost would have never happened in the city.  We would have NEVER done this in the City.  And we drive up to the first house and turn the car lights off.  Lily was too scared to even get out of the car so we sent Belle.  

Belle moved like a stealth warrior, crossing across the grass, climbing the steps to the front door, ringing the doorbell while going unnoticed and then triumphantly racing back to our waiting car as we sped down the street.  

And after each house we would fight until we got to the next house.  Well mostly it was me yelling at Drew saying something like "you shouldn't turn the car lights on until we are completely down the street.  Turn the freaking car around and face the other way so we can make a quick exit.  Why does this seem so STRESSFUL?  This is supposed to be fun, not stressful."  This is supposed to be FUN right? 

We hit the next two houses in much the same way as the first and decided maybe next year we would do better at staying calm and having fun with this.  Until we got another hit the next night....

 

Clearly this picture sucks as I took it with my iphone.  And don't even get me started there.  I am hoping Santa brings me a camera that can actually take a decent picture and hoping that I figure out how to use that camera by my birthday in April.  

Here are some pictures of the Hicks Pumpkin Farm that we went to with our friends the weekend before Halloween.