Oh, my two front teeth!

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!  Oh wait, are you allowed to sing that in October?  Katie Bug lost her two front teeth at 2 AM in early October.  How did it happen at two in the morning, you ask?  Well, Miss Kate fell out of bed, hit her chin we presume, and almost knocked those wiggly little suckers right out .  We heard the thud and then saw the blood...sorry for the visual!  Kate wasn't upset about the fall though because her two front teeth we're hanging on by a thread and able to pop right out with one little tug.  It was an exciting event!  She loved her new look and we loved her beautiful toothless smile! And although she wasn't able to sing the "All I want for Christmas" song because her teeth grew in before then, she did resemble some our favorite Halloween characters with her missing teeth and her lovely new fangs!

The Buttefly Exhibit

Every fall and spring we make a trip to the Desert Bottanical Garden to visit the butterflies.  In the fall we see the monarchs and in the spring there are a variety of species to observe.  It's always such a pleasant day hanging out with butterflies in the lovely seasonal weather. 

This year we went with my friend Kara, her sweet little girl Hana and some of their good friends who also enjoy visiting the butterflies.  The girls got to make butterfly crafts outside the exhibit and play together on the garden paths.  It was truly a beautiful day and I look forward to the spring when we can go again!

Slide Rock Apple Fest

Ah, the trip to the Apple Fest.  Blue skies, sweet crisp apples, leisurely strolls among local craft booths.  NOT!  This has to be one of the most comical, bizarre day trips I've ever experienced and I think Mom would agree.  I was hoping to take the girls to an apple orchard in the fall to pick apples but since we were a little too late in the season, I was happy to hear about this apple festival in Oak Creek Canyon.  I had visions of eating homemade baked apple goods and hanging out in the sunshine, but apparently something went terribly wrong in the world and damaged the apple crop, THUS leaving the festival with no apple pies, no apple strudel...no APPLES at all!  And to top it all off, the sunshine that greeted us early in the day turned into a sky full of thunderstorms!

But wait, it gets better.  We took a trolley to the festival in Oak Creek Canyon and left our car in Sedona.  My sweet little Gracie managed to sneak her blue purse on board the trolley after I told her to leave it at home.  Why would I deny a 6 year old her favorite purse, you ask?  Well because the purse was filled with her coin collection, mainly the quarters and pennies and must have weighed ten pounds!  We noticed the purse sitting next to Gracie on the trolley but it was too late, we couldn't turn the trolley around!  We began to laugh with thoughts of how ridiculous it was going to be lugging this money bag around the festival.   Mom is a problem solver though and  quickly had us buying necklaces with the quarters and paying for a train ride in pennies and quarters.  Hmm, I wonder if the people behind us in line were just a bit annoyed.  Oops!  We eventually donated the rest to the 4H club after Katie milked a goat.

We never found any apples but we did visit the old apple sorting shed which was creepy interesting.  Actually we took shelter in there after the rain started.  It would have been really cool if there were apples inside instead of just the apple memories of yesteryear.  Have I mentioned that I thought there would be apples at the festival?

After standing in the shed for some time, we decided to brave the rain and head toward the trolley stop.  The rain eased up and as the trolley approached, we were greeted with yet another bizarre happening on this day.  I got my first bee sting.  And guess what...I have a bee allergy.  I almost died.  Well maybe it wasn't that dramatic but I almost blacked out and saw only white for a while.  What a day!  I think I'll be a little better at planning our apple field trip next year.

Sweet & Sassy Six Year Olds

My little babes turned six on September 8th!  They had a fabulous party at their favorite beauty shop, Sweet and Sassy.  I have an earlier post which describes this special place in more detail.    I'll let the pictures tell the story this time.

The guests arrive

They change into gowns and the royal makeovers begin!

  They chat it up.

You'll never believe what the prince said!  Oh no he didn't!

Look at these beauties!

Princess Kaylee

Princess Emily

Princess Hana

Princess Kaylie

Princess Jessica

Princess Hava

Princess Kate

Princess Gracie

They learn how to curtsey

They receive their crowns and wands

They form a conga line, of course!

They feast!

Happy Birthday, my little princesses!

2010

So it seems I couldn't keep up with this blog for a year which doesn't surprise me, but does leave me feeling a bit disappointed. When my mom and brother told me to keep posting because they missed reading about the girls, I felt a little guilty for my slack and thought maybe if I worked a little each day I could catch up again. So a week ago I made a list of all the significant events, the holidays, the outings, etc., that had happened since the start of kindergarten and decided what to include in my catch-up project. I went through my pictures and chose my favorites (writing them down as well) and figured if I slowly chipped away at the list of blog entries, I could catch up and make everyone, including myself, happy and fulfilled once again. And now I sit here on January 1st, resolved to write, and you know what, I lost my list. Amidst all the Christmas chaos, the wrapping paper, the receipts, the clutter that got stacked up on my desk during the season, my list has disappeared. I guess it's just another setback, but the missing paper seems to parallel my life in its current state and I can't help but see the significance and think that the universe chuckling a bit and saying, you thought you were going to write about your girls' 6th birthday tonight...teehee.  Not on the advent of a new decade, sister.  So maybe this little cosmic joke, my list not being available when I was ready to write, is a way to make me consider the year to come instead.  Or maybe its just an exercise in developing my sense of humor.

Anyway, like my list, I'm a bit lost. My direction is unclear and I sense I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing in this life which makes me feel out of balance. At times I think I'm on the right path but then something happens and I'm back to the beginning again, trying to figure out which path to take. I hope this is the decade I discover how to use my gifts to best serve others, without feeling like I am completely drained in the process. I hope that I can find peace and understanding in my home life and that I can connect with others on a deeper level. I hope to be more diligent about utilizing my intuition and the energy within in order to manifest what it is I need. And most importantly, I want to feel like whatever I do, whatever I think or say, is coming from a place of love and not fear.  So here's to Twenty-Ten, MMX, the 10th year of the third millenium.  And please, dear universe, help me find my list now because I also hope to be more consistent in my blogging.

1st Day of Kindergarten

Gracie and Kate started kindergarten in August. There were no tears on the first day...not even from me! I think I'd cried enough the week prior and therefore didn't have any reserves left for the big day. I finally got to read the Kissing Hand to my own babies which was definitely a more emotional experience compared to the times I'd read it while teaching. With a kiss on their palms, they walked up to Mrs. Leubner's classroom, gave a quick hug to Mom and Dad and never looked back. The first day went wonderful. As we walked to the car, Kate said, "Kindergarten is fun!" I'm so happy they had fun. I hope their learning is always a fun experience.

Thoughts on the big transition

I wrote this soon after the girls started kindergarten:

And so the letting go process has begun; my babies are in kindergarten. I've sent them out there to experience this world without my protection. Everyone says, they will be fine. I know they will be fine. I really believe they will like kindergarten. What I don't know is how to truly articulate my concerns which seem to run a bit deeper than whether or not they are fine. I think I'm having separation anxiety, not wanting to release them quite yet.

Needless to say, I'm a wee bit emotional over this big transition. It's not that bad... like I wouldn't break down or anything upon seeing a Wal-Mart commercial where the mom is helping her daughter decorate her college dorm room. Oh wait, that commercial made me um...cry. Perhaps it is worse than I thought! Maybe I've just been having way too many thoughts on the whole "kindergarten" subject and haven't been able to process them yet. Maybe I can start working through some of this today.

Kindergarten is such a milestone in their little lives. Until this point, they have pretty much been home with me every day, with lots of freedom...with lots of encouragement to be who they are and to explore their interests. They have been cherished. They have been loved completely for just being them. There have never been and will never be any conditions on my love for them. And now they are entering a world full of conditions. It's a hard pill to swallow. On one hand, I want them out there experiencing the school community and every wonderful thing that goes along with it. I want them making new friends, learning new and exciting things, reading and playing and making projects. I want them to come home with stories from the classroom. I love hearing about their days and knowing they are enjoying being part of something bigger than our family. On the other hand, I'm not sure I'm ready for Kate coming home and telling me that someone doesn't have a daddy because he was killed in war. What's war, Mom? Or hearing that Gracie didn't do her math paper because she was sleeping past the designated rest time. It just breaks my heart a little to know that my sensitive little one who needs her sleep and alone time is overwhelmed by the all day, every day structure of this school world. Can't we have Wednesdays off or something? :)

I am fully capable of comprehending that I need to let them go a little. I mean, it's logical to think that if you fill them up with everything good, their strength of character will prevail in difficult situations. You provide the wings that allow them to fly. I get that, really. I just think there is a fine balance as to when you should push them out of the nest, so to speak, and when they are truly ready to fly on their own. Of course being in kindergarten isn't truly being on their own, but it's a definite nudge out of the nest.

Since I have chosen not to homeschool, I need some reassurance that I am making the best decision for them. I guess I need to determine what it is I want most for them out of this school experience. On a questionnaire sent home the first day, the teacher asked: What are your goals for your child this year, both socially and academically? I answered I would love for [Kate/Gracie] to continue to develop her love for learning in a safe, nurturing environment. I want her to feel like she is an important part of the classroom community and to respect the other members of this community. I think at the end of the year I should evaluate this goal. If they are still curious, enthusiastic learners who feel respected for who they are and who respect others for who they are, I should feel satisfied. It's easier said than done, I'm sure, but being at peace with the decisions I've made for my children is important to me. I just want these precious little birds to have the strongest wings possible. This life is hard.