Girl stuff

One day while David was visiting his best friend Bailey (who fortunately moved from Wisconsin to Columbus), Mary and I (and Stacy) made a much-anticipated visit to the American Girl store. 

American Girl does cause me some eye rolling. But now that Mary is old enough to really, truly play with hers, I'm rolling my eyes much less. Mary is diligent in saving her money for new clothes, accessories, books, and play sets. And she wisely doesn't want anymore dolls. She just wants to focus on Stacy.

It was a fun trip to the store. Sara was at home, so Mary was free to browse as long as she wanted without a needy little sister in tow. Mary was careful and thoughtful in how she spent her money. One of the things she purchased was a set of supplies to play school. So much fun! She has spent hours playing school with Stacy and her stuff animals. She's even made little flashcards and has been quizzing Stacy. (That sure beats Xtra Math!)  Hanging out with Mary is a lot of fun. What a great little shopping trip.

(Mary and I spent a fair amount of time looking at the dolls trying to figure out which one looks like Sara. None. It was kind of weird. Especially since Mary looks exactly like hers. Will Sara want an AG doll? Will she want one that looks like her? Which one will she think looks like her? How will she see herself? Will she recognize she doesn't really look like any of them? Will she care? Am I just messed up because Mary looks almost freakishly like a doll? I had some complicated feelings...)

Another subject...hair cuts!

One evening I took Mary and Sara to my hair stylist for hair cuts. They were so excited! Mary loves going to the salon and getting her hair washed, trimmed, and styled. Like LOVES. (She did not inherit this from me.) Sara was super excited too. The last time I took her (in August), she was clingy and scared. But this time she marched right up to Barb and told her she was there for a hair cut. Then she insisted on going first. She was so mature and adorable! I love my girls! Here are their after pics:

Speaking of hair, the other day Sara had her first pig tails!! Look how cute. . .

Aren't you just dying from the cuteness of those little piggies??

What a cutie. 

This morning Mary and I dug out some matching dresses that we had totally forgotten about. Super cute. Sara and Mary let me take a few pictures of them after church.

Then they performed a dance for me. They had been working on the choreography this morning. Even though they didn't have the music, they gave me a sneak peek of what they've been working on. You can see their Sunday afternoon driveway dance here. (You can also see how much they love being sisters.)

Wow, I sure do love my girls.

Baby Bear helps out (and visits the dentist)

On Friday Sara and I went to the elementary school to organize the Friday folders. We do this most Fridays.

The children love Sara. Everyone is always so happy to see her. They think she is so cute and never fail to say so.

And Sara loves to visit David and Mary in their school environments. David and Mary love getting their big, sweet Sara hug at school on Fridays.

Sara is my adorable, happy little helper.

(This last Friday before we went to the school, Sara had her last dentist appointment here. She has two teeth now, and she was so proud to show them off to everyone! It was very exciting for the whole office. We had a nice visit. We will definitely miss CincyKidsTeeth. I am especially grateful for Dr. Giulia Pagano. She's been helpful, knowledgeable, and calming. We have been so fortunate to have had such good care here while we've been figuring out Sara's diagnosis.)

Showcase

The dance teams had their big showcase last weekend. They put on a great show!! Mary is part of the Little Gems, the youngest intensive dancer group. The Gems do not go to competitions (which is one reason we love her dance studio), but they do participate in the Showcase. They performed a ballet number and jazz number.

You can see their ballet performance here. (Mary is in the middle.) The big drama was their costumes. Apparently, their original costumes were elegant, graceful, one-shouldered numbers. But when they came in and the girls tried them on, they couldn't lift their arms! So they had to send them back and quickly find others...and they ended up with short, poof-sleeved, floofy party princess pink and purple dresses. The girls HATED them. They felt like four-year-olds, and they were so embarrassed! Mary absolutely refused to have her picture taken in it--and she wasn't the only one. To make matters worse, they were super itchy too. The director had a near mutiny on her hands. But the show must go on! Fortunately, their ballet number was towards the beginning of the recital. As soon as it was over, they ran to the green room ripped those scratchy little-girl tutus right off.

Above and below is Mary in her jazz costume. Very cute. And the dance was adorable too. You can see the jazz performance here. Mary is on the very, very left. They loved this dance.

This was Mary's final performance with the Little Gems. It has been such a great experience! At her studio they are not allowed to compete until they are at least nine years old, no matter what, which is a great policy. Little Gems gave her the experience and camaraderie of an intensive dance team without the stress and added commitments of competitions. She also had the opportunity to be a leader and example. Her confidence has grown so much. We are grateful she's had these opportunities.

Yay for Mary! We love you. And you'll always be our Little Gem. :)

10 January happenings

Besides snow (and some oddly warm weather), some other things have happened in January. Here are are 10 of them . . . 

#1--The celebration continues. Sara gets more fun stuff in the mail to celebrate her three awesome years.

#2--Go Knights! David has been playing basketball this season. He has learned so much! It's been great. His team and some other teams were honored during halftime at one of the Kings high school games.

#3 PJs and Piggybacks. Mary and Sara have quite the collection of matching footie pajamas. I love my cuddly girls. One of Sara's favorite ways to hang out with Mary is via piggyback ride. Mary takes such good care of Sara. She gives Sara her breakfast, she helps her get ready in the morning, she did all of her class valentines for her, she dances with her, she helps her get bathed, she colors with her, she cuddles with her, just to name a few of the ways Mary is an awesome big sister.

#4--Black Belt Test Prep. David worked very, very hard in January preparing for his black belt test. I am amazed by how much information he has in his mind and body. I don't think he realizes how amazing it is. His test was last Friday. All that preparation paid off! Black belt posts coming soon!

#5--A trip to the Children's Museum. One random Monday we went to the Children's Museum. I think our school district was the only one with that day off because there was no body at the museum. It was great! David and Mary had such a great time! They had the freedom to work and play and solve problems. Sara was a little overwhelmed, but David and Mary took her under their wings. She loves any reason to spend time with them. It was a wonderful morning.

#6--We're moving in April! In January we found out we're moving to Edwards AFB at the beginning of April. This is unusual, as most military moves are in the summer. We could probably have found a way to keep the kids here until the end of the school year, but staying together as a family is our first priority. Fortunately our kids are young enough (i.e., no one is yet in high school or even middle school) that moving them during the school year isn't too complicated. It's true they will only have six or seven weeks of school in California before summer break. But this way they'll have a chance to make friends and get to know the school.




#7--Reliving the Nutcracker. The Nutcracker DVDs came in! Mary was finally able to see all that action she missed while backstage. Sara loved watching the dancers and trying to copy their moves. The girls spent a Saturday morning watching it.

#8--The Pinewood Derby! The Pinewood Derby was a big deal in our house this year. Greg is the Cubmaster, so he planned the event. This year the Cub Scout age girls were invited to participate too. So Greg got to help two kids make cars. (Yippeee! Not. We're lame parents, remember?) Actually, Greg did a great job of making sure David and Mary made their own cars. (I guess this is a real problem? Greg had a quick, small race right after the Pinewood Derby so any grown-ups who wanted to could race their own cars. This way dads can make their own cars and get out of the way of their kids. It also allowed younger siblings to race a car down the track if they wanted. This turned out to be a really good idea.) David and Mary did a great job on their cars! The event was a success. It was super fun having the girls too. It was bigger and more festive and more exciting. There were so many families there! Greg did a great job organizing the event. He made sure all the kids got to race a lot, that it was fair, and that it ran smoothly. Most of all, we're pleased with all the thought and hard work David and Mary put into their cars. They both did well, and we're also thankful for their help in pulling off this big event.

#9--We cleaned the house! Yes, it had been a long time, so, yes, this was a big deal.



#10--Montessori Observation/Practice Teaching! The last week of January I was observing in a Montessori school in Indianapolis. The first week of February I was teaching. I was working with a teacher at the Indiana Montessori Academy in Carmel. The school is only about 2 1/2 hours away, so I was able to come home some evenings (like for the Pinewood Derby). But leaving at 5 am is a killer for this night-person, so fortunately I was able to stay in Carmel some of the time. It was such a great experience! It's a very lovely school. I am incredibly fortunate for the connections and mentoring I had there. It was inspiring and very helpful. I might even be brave enough to open my own school one day! I was able to go because Greg took a week off of work, and my mom came out the second week. I obviously couldn't do this without their support. I'm also grateful to my kids for being so strong and resilient. Having your mom gone is the worst! But this was the last of it. Just five weeks of exams this summer--but they will be coming with me for that. I think I can see the ending of this Montessori training. . .

Snow days

The big, record-setting snowstorms have mostly passed us by this year. This resulted in tears from David, who felt utterly left out of history-in-the-making, and sighs of relief from me. As much as I love snow and don't mind the cold, I've grown impatient with winter. Most of all, I think I'm tired of snow pants and gloves and boots and wet socks all over the house. I think I might be ready for some of that California sunshine!

Fortunately for my desert-bound kids, Mother Nature has given us a bit of snow and even a few snow days this winter. . .

I need to pause and comment on how much David loves shoveling the driveway. It's awesome! He can't wait to get out there and work hard, and he feels a sense of accomplishment when it's finished. Greg hasn't had to shovel the driveway once this year. (Me neither.) And the girls like to get in on the action too by shoveling the sidewalks.

In conclusion, snow is fun, and Sara has the best brother and sister ever in the whole universe. The snow may not go with her to the desert but David and Mary will.