Photographic Memories

This week the kids had VBS.  Addie had a rough first day, which was no surprise.  But she really improved her attitude the following days when I told her I was getting a treat each day and if she was a happy girl at VBS, she could have one, too.  Yes, that's bribery.  Yes, that breaks a big rule in the book of Good Parenting.  But it worked, so I'm going to call it "motivation."

Today they brought photos of their small groups home.  Something tells me she was not as happy as she and her leaders let on.  This is the photo that 20/20 will use to describe her "less-than-idyllic childhood," when they do an expose on her tortured life as an artist, or actress...

...or serial killer.

Girl Clothes

I am now a regular Thursday shopper at Sappington Market.  So are several other friends.  I most often run into my friend Adriane there.  Yesterday we were checking out next to each other and the woman standing in line behind Adriane was causing a scene with her outfit.  She was a very attractive lady with a cute pink rosette in her hair, big sunglasses and several tatoos.  Her tight little top was very low cut and her skirt....whoa.  As Adriane put it, "We could could see ALL of her cheeks."  Adriane had all 4 of her kids in tow and her oldest daughter said, "Mommy, look.  That lady is so fancy."  Luckily they were in front of the lady or she might be fielding questions about the lady's quite visible rear end....right at child eye-level.

Ugh.  I will need to have some very frank discussions with my daughter about the way she dresses as she grows.  And now that she has moved into GIRLS sizes, and every bargain retailer and department store seems to think age 5 is when a girl ought to start dressing like a tramp, I won't feel bad about spending a little more on the skirt with the shorts underneath at Lands End.  Which begs a whole other discussion on socio-economics and girls...but some other time.

10

This week we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.  We had a gift card for Robust and Uncle Rob offered to watch the kids for the afternoon so we had a lunch date.  Great food.  Too much wine.  Felt like we needed naps afterward.  Stopped at Roots.  Didn't buy anything.  Headed home.

I've been thinking the last few days about how I should blog about 10 years of marriage since it's a pretty big deal and all.  But my marriage to Steve feels like this big, sacred, beautiful gift, and writing about it would make it smaller or less somehow.  And that doesn't even seem like the right explanation of why I can't write about it.  So I'm just not even going to try.

Neighbor Love

Kids,

I know we've had the conversation about how unusually loud cars and motorcycles are just selfish, obnoxious, rude and, let's face it, fiscally irresponsible.  I hope you remember that even when you're teenagers.  Here's something else I want you to remember:  If you, against my advice, decide to own a ridiculously loud dirt bike and decide that it's fun to ride that bike up and down the alley every evening, disturbing every family living along said alley that is trying to enjoy a peaceful evening in their own backyard, when a lady kindly asks you to start your ridiculously loud dirt bike a few houses down the alley so her baby can keep napping, the proper reply is, "Sure, sorry about that."  NOT, "It's the alley, lady."

love,
Mom

Retreat

Last week, I had the luxury of an honest-to-goodness vacation in San Francisco.  I visited 3 separate beaches with these three amazing kids who I didn't realize how much I missed until I saw them again.  I'm sad that my kids don't really know them.  We need to fix that.

We hiked through mossy Muir Woods among redwood trees that make it look like you were Photoshopped into photographs at the wrong scale.

After our hike we ate lunch on the lawn of the Pelican Inn.  My mom actually told us about this place after she saw an interview with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.  He recommended the grilled cheese.  He knows what he's talking about.

 

We also ate an incredible dinner at Wood Tavern.  One of the best meals of my life...both times I've eaten there.  But the best part of the weekend, aside from a nice long mommy break, was living inside of a family a few years ahead of mine.  It was like being on a parenting retreat run by good friends.  I got to ask questions and share ideas and failures and most importantly I saw the fruit of good parenting in their kids.  Their kids talk to each other.  They don't scream.  They still argue, but they are so well equipped by their parents that when they do disagree, their parents can ask them to go in a room, shut the door and talk it out.  And they do.  It was incredible.  

So I came home inspired to reread this book.  And to teach my kids how to explain themselves and hear others.  And to stop yelling.  Thanks Brian and Jen.

 

Addie Turned 4...over a month ago

We celebrated Addie's 4th Birthday during the whole month of March.  We started with a purple kitty cake and gifts from just our family on her actual birthday.  Here she is taking the 4-Year-Old Pledge...."I promise to share my stuffed animals with my friends, to actually brush my teeth instead of just sucking all the toothpaste off my toothbrush, to wear at least a jacket if it is below 40 degrees outside..."

Around the middle of the month we celebrated Addie's birthday with her class at school.  We sang to her and 3 other friends in her class with March birthdays and snacked on Rice Krispie Treats and donut holes, both smothered in sprinkles.

At the end of the month Nathan was baptized and Uncle Jason, Aunt Marie & Tucker flew in from Atlanta to celebrate.  We decided to celebrate Addie's birthday with the whole family that day, too.  This time the kitty cake was yellow.

The family added several My Little Ponies to her collection.  And lots of girly clothes, dress up gear, princess swag and art supplies.

And as excited as she was about all of the girly girl gear, one of the many things I love about Addie is she is rather well-rounded.  All of her make believe games of My Little Pony and Barbie involve an athletic contest or dinosaur attack.  She loves to wear skirts and jewelry but will promptly sit in a mud puddle in them.  And she LOVES bugs.  This is a picture of "Inky" who was so named because "when you squeeze his bottom ink comes out."  Pretty sure that's not ink.  Happy Birthday to my spunky, funny, and wonderful Miss Sassafras.

 

Update:  I found the random piece of paper I wrote Addie's stats on today, May 22, 2011.  Height: 43 3/4", Weight: 38 lbs.  For the record, that's gigantic for a 4 yr. old girl.

The Memories Dad Makes

This is (was) our new little friend.  Steve made him out of all of the dog hair that was caught in the lint trap after washing the dog's bed.  In this stage of pre-athletic teams and Daddy/Daughter Dances I hope the kids will remember that their Daddy did things like this and it was pretty hilarious.