Thursday, September 29, 2016

Here comes the sun

It must be said that after the rain comes the sun. After a few weeks of very difficult and very busy days and late nights and bad attitudes, temper tantrums and sick kids, we have finally settled into a rhythm of this school year.
We've made art and enjoyed delicious smoothies. We've snuggled and read books and played with shaving cream at our water table. We drew chalk pictures patio and practiced riding our bikes on the Iron Horse Trail. We've listened to music and danced. We twirled and sang.

We've gone on slow walks and watched a snail make her way across the sidewalk. We've made lemon-zucchini bread, chocolate-chip zucchini bread, ratatouille and stuffed cheesy bread. We've scootered to neighbors house and made perfume with treasures we found in the yard. We've had dinner with friends and spontaneous playdates.
We watched The Princess Bride in its entirety on a Sunday afternoon, and practiced our new piano songs after school. We've done kitchen science experiments and had leisurely dinners in the backyard where the light is soft with the warm sun setting. We've had soccer practice on hot days and we've colored on the green grass. We've gone to choir practice and parent participation gymnastics class and ballet class. We've checked out stacks of books from the library and cried on the final pages of reading Charlotte's Web. 
When the tide is against me, and life seems hard and overwhelming and chaotic.  I cling to the joy this family brings me as though they were a life raft. And when everything is going well, I just enjoy sitting back and thinking of all the smiles we shared. 

Friday, August 12, 2016

On the Road

In January of 2001, when I was 20 years old, my cousin Andy gave me a novel. Technically, a friend of his, when I complained to them both about looking for something to read, Jeff slipped it in my hands when I was saying good-bye. I took that book with me, shoving into the outside pocket of my carry-on bag, next to a bag of cookies.

I boarded my flight to Ireland, I listened to music on my Walkman, I tried to watch in-flight TV. I was restless. I was nervous. I ate a cookie. I pulled out the book, running my fingers over the cover, reading the title once more, On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I sat back, reading the opening paragraph. I consumed the novel in one sitting. I re-read it again, marking quotes, jotting in the margins.

I read On the Road two more times my first two weeks in Dublin. I finally got set-up on email through the university system, I sought out Jeff’s email. “That novel you gave me, I wrote him. “I loved it. I loved every part of it,”

The response was short, “Oh yeah,” he wrote. “I thought you might.”
***********************
I read that book again and again and again. I carried that book in my pack around Europe. I brought it home to college, from college to my adult life, from Sacramento to Los Angeles to the suburbs of San Francisco, packing it up with every move. It still remains, without question, one of my top three favorite novels of all time.

When I met J, we bonded over a love of reading and travel. He’d tell stories of lay-overs in Australia and jet off to New York for the weekend, and I’d reminisce about my time in Ireland. We'd share our favorite novels, talk about our favorite characters like they were old friends. After we graduated, our weekends were free, and often times we would skip town for the weekend, deciding at the last minute where to explore next. We’d pack up a cooler and drive: San Luis Obispo. Hollywood. San Diego. The Redwood Forest. On our drives we would plan out elaborate trips to Europe. To Asia. To Argentina. Anywhere and everywhere.

The weekend excursions diminished as we earned more responsibilities. Grad school and a mortgage. Babies and routine.  Weekend trips were less likely to happen, but they were essentially what really built our relationship. 
*********************** 
A few days after Christmas 2008, we were driving up to Orangevale. It had been a particularly hard month, and we had hit rock bottom.

“What if we just skipped Christmas and kept driving?” he asked. "Yes." I answered without thinking. 

So we just left. We let in the rain, with just the nights’ clothes on our back and a coffee to share. No plans except an idea to head north.

As we drove on I-5 towards Oregon, the quote from On the Road that I had memorized years before came flooding to the surface.  “What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies."
***********************
This past weekend as we drove farther and farther north, we kept questioning our decision. “We should have camped in Sonoma,” I muttered, as Violet cried, and “Are we there yet” sang out for the thousandth time. But, then north of Eureka, the landscape changes and something shifted and it felt right.

On Saturday as we hiked through Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, and we watched the girls climb on tree stumps and raced among Redwood Groves. We ran our hands up and down the soft bark of the trees. We breathed in the fresh air and played games among the trees. We built campfires and roasted marshmallows. We dug in the dirt and balanced on tree logs. In forty-eight hours we watched each of our girls grow in different ways.
*********************************** 
I am nostalgic to a fault. I miss people before I’ve left them. I reminisce about things ten minutes after they’ve happened. I look back on times that were happy and they made me happy, but they make me sad too, and sometimes there is just no way to separate the happy from the sad, and it’s because you can’t go backwards, I think, because there’s no way to press the repeat button. Things happen and then they’re over. People are here and then they’re gone. We keep going forward because we have to, and the past recedes in the rearview mirror behind us, and it gets smaller and smaller and smaller.

Nostalgia, if you can believe it, was once recognized as a medical condition. Soldiers fighting in wars in the eighteenth century were diagnosed with nostalgia and sent home. Rousseau’s Dictionnaire de Musique describes how Swiss mercenaries were banned from singing the songs of their homeland – the Kuhreihen, or cattle-herding melodies – because they stirred in them such a powerful longing for the past that they would run away, become ill, or even die. Nostalgia – from the Greek word nostos meaning “returning home” and algos, meaning “pain.” So, when it comes down to it, we feel nostalgic when we are looking for a sense of grounding or stability.

You can’t go home again, they say, and it’s true, you can’t: you can’t go back in time to a grand international adventure in 2001 when all the world seemed alive and new. You can’t go back with hard-won knowledge and hard-earned skills, and you can’t do it over, even if you swear you wouldn’t do it any differently at all. But, remembering the past inspires hope and builds confidence. Nostalgia helps us make sense of this wild ride. It grants us perspective, reminding us: Nothing is permanent. You can’t go backwards, and so you have to go forwards. But there’s nothing wrong with looking over your shoulder every once in a while. 

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

A letter to my little peanut: Violet is TWO

Dear Violet,

In the morning when I get your from your crib, I stand and watch your sisters dancing and singing and playing with you. I watch them reading you stories. I think it then. I walk in and as I do you smile and shout "HAPPY BRTHDAY (birthday) ME!" We play our game: I ask "How old is the birthday girl?" and you hold up four fingers, and say "TWO!" and we all giggle and laugh. I think it again while you nestle against me, your skin against my skin, for our first morning snuggle. 
In the morning, you sit up on your chair spooning in large mouthfuls of greek yogurt and cut strawberries and you babble to your sisters. Joining in on their conversations about pirates and dragons, laughing at their jokes and listening to their stories. You interject your own words in between bites of Daddy's leftover pancakes, and I think it then. I help you put on your "LA-LA" (Cinderella) dress and dance around the playroom with your sisters. I watch your face light up as you skype with your SASSI (Grandmother) as she sings you the Happy Birthday Song, and I think it then too. I think it while you expand your knowledge of the world, and sharpen your vocabulary with words we use every day. You ask to make play dough, AY-DOH, making the sign for please, "PEAS, MOMMA. ORANGE. PEAS." I think it then as we gather the flour, salt and cream of tarter, as I watch you stir in the orange colored water and oil. You smile and giggle. "HOT" you tell me, pointing at the stove. Smiling, I think it then too.
We're readying for quiet time, and you are snuggled on my lap asking for hugs and kisses and I think it then. You tell me "READ" and we're reading Ollie the Stomper and Gossie and The Day the Babies Crawled Away. More you sign, "MO" and I think it then, as we settle back for Bear Wants More and Ladybug Girl and her Momma. I think it as I set you down in your crib with your piles and piles of board books stacked around you in your crib as you blow kisses and wave "BYE" as I leave the room.

We're walking Casey around the court, and you see the neighbors walking their dog and you exclaim "PUPPY!", insisting we stop and pet the dog. You stop and investigate each and every flower you see. I think it then. You run to keep up with your sisters, and insist on playing on Daisy's scooter riding around the court. As you focus on balancing, I watch you and I think it then, a few steps behind you, giving you space to learn, but ready to catch you if you fall. As we ready for our Parent and Me Swimming class, you smile and say "MY TURN", so happy to have your own turn in the pool after watching your sisters at swim practice all summer long.
I think it while we're playing in the water together, your sisters cheering you on while standing on the pool deck. You wave and clap your hands at them, "SISSYS" you shout, and you blow bubbles and kick your feet, beaming with pride. I think it then while we sing and swim together.
We're readying for the night. You are tired. You march into your bedroom and demand to be bathed and changed, picking out the pj's of your choosing. I think it then. You ask for stories, demanding more after each one. I think it then. I think it while we read together, while your heart beats beside mind. I whisper it then. I whisper it with my lips on your forehead, with my soul bursting, and your fingers rubbing up and down my arm.
I whisper it again: I love you. I love you sweet girl.

I love you more than all the stars in the sky and all the water in the oceans.

Love,
Momma 

Monday, August 01, 2016

A Letter to my Bug

Dear Lily,

On Saturday you turned fifty-four months old. I had to count out your months and look at your last few letters because I keep forgetting you are already four and a half. 

I still remember when you hit about two weeks old and I stopped counting your age in days. Mostly because of my fried brain and lack of sleep, and navigating life with two children under two, and I just couldn’t keep track any longer, and I started crying. Actually, bawling. It was totally devastating to refer to you in weeks instead of days. You were growing so fast that it took my breath away. And now, going to four and half, or fifty-four months, or 1,642 days, or how ever we want to count it and my breath starts catching because it just seems impossible.

Tomorrow I’ll probably be waving to you as you drive off to college and in a week I’ll be watching your children graduate from high school. I know that when you’re four and half time stretches on forever and ever so that every hour feels like an epoch, but trust me: time flies.
At the Chevron Family Theater Festival. We saw the play the Wizard of Oz, got our face painted and made masks. All in all, a very fun afternoon. 

While you've grown in so many ways over the past six months, one of the biggest things you've really started mastering is swimming. Like, you kick your feet and pull your arms through the water. Swimming for hours and hours like a mermaid swimming. You have left behind the floaties and have donned your magic rainbow goggles to become a swimmer. You cannon ball and swim laps. You play elaborate made-up games by yourself or with your sister. It’s been so amazing to watch, you started this summer completely fearful of the water. Afraid to let go of my hands, afraid of not wearing your swimming vest or not having fins. I spent the first few weeks of summer having to convince you to get into the water, and now I use all my mad-parenting skills trying to pry you out of the water. It’s been really cool to watch this transformation. 
You did a "little" swim team this summer with swimming practice several times a week that culminated in a swim meet where you earned a medal after your "race." 

Your love of cooking and baking has also really taken off in the past six months. You love to help daddy make pancakes on Saturday mornings, or roll out the pizza dough on late Friday afternoons. You constantly want to help me in the kitchen whether its making the balsamic dressing for our salad or baking muffins for breakfast. You love to test if the pasta is ready by throwing it against the wall to see if it will stick and are forever asking how exactly the yeast causes the bread dough to rise.

Additionally, your love of stories and books has also risen to new heights. You constantly love to listen to your stories podcasts, and in your humble opinion, the best day of the week is library day. It's not just that you love the stories, but you've been very interested in learning how to read too. Earlier this year you asked me to teach you. At first, I was very hesitant. Four year old seemed so young to learn, but then you were insistent, and started recognize and spell several words on your own: STOP, MOM, DAD, SHEEP, RAT, DOG, GO, and so this summer, the reading lessons have begun in more earnest. And even though I never intended to teach you letters and writing and reading until you were closer to kindergarten, and even though I feel a little silly getting so geeked out over something so little, I'm not really certain which of the two of us is more excited about this. 
One weekend we drove up to Lake Tahoe, which honestly was a bust. There was a wind storm that whipped the sand around and caused crazy white caps in the water. So we switched gears and played mini-golf and ate ice cream up at NorthStar. 

My little bumblebee,  you are  a wonder to behold. Sometimes you are a tempest. You are wild and angry, but there is something beautiful about you, something amazing, and even in the worst of rages I can look at you and see my baby, my darling girl. I hold you and rock you until the sobs subside. Other times you are calm and peaceful. You are inquisitive and nostalgic. You are thoughtful and compassionate and observant. I see glimpses of the woman you will become. To me, you are magical. 

I could have never seen it fifty-four months ago when I was crying about you growing up so fast, but being with you at this age is wonderful. I love you more than all the stars in the sky and all the water in the oceans.

Love, Momma

Friday, July 08, 2016

The photo dump: Summer Edition

Most mornings, after breakfast, and before swim practice, we head out on the trail for a walk. This is how it usually ends. Lily abandons her bike, and Violet runs ahead with Daisy while I hold Casey's leash, and push the stroller carrying the bike. 

Last Sunday we decided to play hooky from responsibilities and chores and instead spent the day exploring Land's End in San Francisco. 

This was mile three of our four mile walk. Sometimes I feel that mother is synonymous pack mule. 
 We are revamping our dining room and family room with new paint, flooring and lighting.
While Daisy is at swim practice Lily and Violet swing. And swing. And then eat snacks.
 My parents came to play for a weekend, so a trip to the zoo was in order.  
When we got home from the zoo, we realized that Daisy had a fever. We spent the next 10 days with a summer cold passing through the house.
For my birthday, we went out for cocktails in nearby Walnut Creek. Then we bought paint and lighting fixtures from Home Depot before crashing in bed before 10pm. And people say that parenthood doesn't change you. 

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Wild

Lake week, I took two of my daughters to the wild.

It was the perfect early summer-like day, and I had a full morning with Daisy and Violet, a morning with no errands or chores needing to be done, one of our first days of summer vacation. Lily was spending the morning at cooking camp, and I asked Daisy: "What would you like to do today?" 

"Go hiking", she said. "I want to explore the wild." And so we did. 

We hiked up the giant hill of our favorite trail, marveling at how different the fields looked from a short few months ago. We hiked past the large broken tree trunks, where we pretended they were moose grazing on the land. We hiked past wildflowers admiring their many colors. We measured our shadows. We hiked over a thick sticky mess of mud, amazed at how the creek has dried up so quickly. We jumped, we skipped, we ran, we laughed. 
John Muir once wrote that "one day's exposure to the mountains is better than a cartload of books." I love books, always have, and I am not sure that I could survive without them, but sometimes when I stand at the top of the world, surrounded by the click of insects I cannot see, listening to the thud of my heartbeat and feeling the rustle of wind across my skin, I think that I could not survive without this. 
We play games out here. We mimic the sounds we hear, the whistles of the birds, the soft rubbing of leaf against leaf. We find broken sticks that become our magic wands. We pretend we are explorers finding new lands. We make believe we are bumble bees or butterflies or fairies. We explore - we run fast, climb trees, dig in the dirt and jump on rocks. We walk forwards or backwards, fast and slow. I do my best to not issue warnings. I encourage my girls to let them see the world through their own eyes. Sometimes we fall, sometimes we have scraped knees and hands, but we pick ourselves up and brush ourselves off. Learning that we are strong, learning to keep going, learning that hard work always pays off. 

Hiking, I have always called it. Walking, or birding, or nature-journaling, or exploring. A green hour, naturalists now call it, as they encourage parents to connect their children to the outdoors. 

Later that night over dinner, Daisy told Daddy about our day. "A whole morning alone with Mommy and Violet. We went to the wild and saw magic." 

As our eyes met, with a smile on our lips, I thought, "seeing magic in the wild." That sounds much nicer than green hour, don't you think? 

Saturday, June 04, 2016

Sneaky Spies

A couple of weeks ago, we heard the distinct sound of footsteps padding around upstairs well after our bath, books and bed routine had finished. We heard giggling and talking. We heard laughing and music playing. We dismissed them. Daisy and Lily share a room, and sometimes are up after lights out sharing stories and laughing about the day.

About 20 minutes later Lily comes tip-toeing down the stairs with a hoodie on over her PJs. Zippered. Hood up. Sunglasses on. She’s hugging the wall and creeping along into the family room.

“Don’t look at me. Don’t watch me guys” she tells us.

“Alright” we say slowly, unsure what is going on. She heads over to our shoe cabinet, reminding us to not look at her. 

Seconds later her shoes are on (now, why can't she put her shoes on this quick when we are running late for Kinder drop off?) and she heads straight for the garage.

J and I both jump up, asking the essential questions: "What's going on," "Why are you up?" "Where are you going?" 

She turns towards us with a deadpan face, speaking slowly and enunciating every word. She explains that she was going to sneak out and meet her neighbor friend for her first mission. "I'll be back before morning."

And this was the story of the time time one of my daughters tried to sneak out at night. I am very sure it won't be the last time either. 

Saturday, May 07, 2016

What I hope to teach my daughters

Tramp through the woods, climb up mountains and sink your feet into the sand. Breath in salty air and watch the waves crash into the shore. Banish gremlins. Dance with joy. Remember that the right person can make any situation fun, but know that the right person can be - and always is - you. Remember that the world is full of magic, and you can have as much magic as you want, you just have to believe. Connect - to yourself, to others, to the world. But, always know that the best thing you can do with your life is to feel and to love.

Cultivate gratitude, the way you cultivate a tomato plant or a strong caffeine habit. Practice joy. Hone your focus. Develop patience. But, most importantly, love yourself.

Revel in the simplicity of life. Fresh, in season, still warm from the sun, fruit. Remember how the rain feels as it falls across your face. Take in the breathtaking beauty of a sunset, or the shapes made from a streak of vibrant purple paint. Feel the way air fills your lungs. Spend time among trees. Admire their height, run your hands over the crinkly bark, admire at their deep, sturdy roots, feel their silky leaves. Marveling among the trees reminds you that the world is magic.

See the world. Travel to far flung places into the far corners of the earth, but also see other parts of your world - a new park or a small street you've never visited before. Celebrate different cultures, understand differences of opinions and rejoice in the variety of life. We were each created to be unique and special.

See the best in people. This brings out their best. Believe someone is amazing and they become amazing. If that amazing eludes you remember that life always works out. It may not be exactly what you planned or anticipated, but with enough time, even the most devastating event can be the best thing that happened to you. If you keep moving, and looking up, things get better.

Do what brings you joy. Every day.

Believe that life is a playground.

Believe that we are all connected by God's grace and love. He made the world a magical place with turquoise waterfalls and starry nights and created us with a bright spark of internal strength, which allows us to handle the tough stuff, love deep, and do our best work.

Believe in leprechauns and glittery fairies and unicorns and elves and that Santa Claus truly does exist.

Believe that love is all around. You just have to tilt yourself toward it.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

The books we like to read

We've been reading up a storm lately, while we are big readers here at Chez Stars - it is possibly a combination of the stomach flu that hit our house, rainy weather and a streak of really great titles that has propelled us to crazy new levels.

The Worst Witch: This was meant to be a independent read for Daisy, and I only read the first chapter out loud to the girls, but then we couldn't put it down...so, we just kept going. It's a fun and sweet and we love the magical fantasy element. 

The Secret Garden: I loved this novel as a child, and I have a beautifully illustrated version that we have been reading from. At church (and preschool!) the girls have a "secret passageway" from the main building to the parking lot with a space they call "their secret garden" and thus, the reason for the reading of this book. Daisy and Lily love it. The first few chapters were a bit intense (apparently I blocked out the entire reason why she was living with her Uncle in the first place), but now they love it. 

I am #1: Sacagawea: Daisy has been fascinated with Sacagawea since she first read Fancy Nancy and the Book Report when she was a mere two years old. I have learned much about this amazing woman in the past four years. We both enjoyed this book and the subsequent conversations about life as an Native American women. In the after notes, we learned that there are more statues in the United States of Sacagawea than any other women, and Daisy wants to try and find them all. Along with another biography about her. Apparently, the obsession isn't over yet. 

The Princess and the Giant: I have loved all the books by this author. The illustrations are adorable and whimsical, the rhyming text is playful with a fun twist on a classic fairy tale.

Interstellar Cinderella: Cinderella has long been a favorite in this house, I both love it from a classic Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy tale perspective and from a cultural perspective as it's one of the more popular fairy tales retold in many difference countries from China to Iraq to Native American to Greece and Poland. The girls have loved all the versions that I've read to them, of course, the Disney versions being the most popular, especially with Lily. So, it's really no surprise that this has been a popular choice. I do like that in this version Cinderella is a take-charge mechanic that doesn't need a prince to rescue her. She rescues him.  

Peter and the Wolf: We've been reading the story, listening to the music, we watched the Disney version one wet and windy afternoon.

SuperFudge: This is a special read aloud just with Lily. She asked for a special Mommy read aloud, and I never turn down a chance to snuggle up with my little jumping bean. 

Ollie the Stomper: One of Violet's favorite reads are the Gossie and Friends books, and of course, this has quickly become our morning read, our nap time read, our before bedtime read, and any other time in-between read. 

When Breathe Becomes Air: I've been seeing this pop up everywhere and frankly, I thought it just sounded depressing. However, between my personal connection to a thirty-five year old young husband and father who was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and all of the amazing reviews, I thought I should give this a chance. This has turned out to be a beautiful book and I cannot believe that I waited so long to read the poetic words. I found this to be thought-provoking and beautiful. Sad, yes, but life-affirming and spectacular as well.

America's First Daughter: I just started this, so admittedly I'm only on chapter 2, but so far I'm hooked. Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and the American Revolution is my favorite time period, so it has that going for me. I love the unique perspective and so far, it has completely captured my attention (like, I'm ignoring the huge laundry pile on my couch and the stack of essays to grade to keep reading this).

Next up on my reading list: Murder on the Orient Express, All the Light We Cannot See and potentially a re-read of the Harry Potter books (to get ready for this summer's new release!) 

Sunday, March 13, 2016

A letter to my sweet Monkey girl

Dear Daisy,

Several days after Christmas we started talking birthdays. It’s really no surprise with Lily’s birthday and your birthday within the first eight weeks of the year. We talked about how we wanted to celebrate, what types of cake we wanted and if there were any specific birthday gift requests. A few days later, over breakfast one morning, you asked if you could have a tree for your birthday, a tree to plant in the community.

We had been learning and talking about trees. In school you were observing the changing of the tree in the courtyard, drawing and noting when the leaves changed color. You were scientists writing facts and drawings in your observation journals. At home we were talking about trees providing shelter for squirrels and birds and bugs. We read books explaining how trees produce oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the environment. We walked the neighborhood talking about which trees had the prettiest new blossoms.

I think this perfectly sums your personality: unbelievably kind, generous, curious, inquisitive and ready to make the world a more beautiful place. In the end, we had a tree-planting birthday party. We picked a Red Dragon Japanese Maple Tree for the meditation garden at our church, and with your friends you got your fingernails dirty digging, planting and watering the tree before diving into a chocolate cake at the nearby park.
Daisy, these days you are a wonder to behold. Besides the amazing gift you gave our community, you are also mastering the art of storytelling. You are constantly making books and writing stories. Creating skits and plays for you and your sisters and friends to act out. You live straddling two worlds: a world of dragons and princesses and fairies and unicorns. But, you also live in a world fueled by logic and precision. You are passionate about science and facts. You like order and absolute truths. I have to say that while I love the world of pretend and make believe, it’s been amazing to see these two worlds of yours merge together.

Honestly though, part of your ability to merge these two worlds is powered by your younger sisters. They are very much still enthralled in the world of make-believe, and the three of you love to play together. Whether you are exploring in your secret garden, or having a tea party with pirates, I watch the three of you together and am just left in awe at the relationship that you are forging. The three of you are building a friendship that I sincerely hope will endure for many, many decades to come. There is something special about sharing a childhood that creates a bond, which really cannot be broken. I genuinely hope that you enjoy experiencing life together for the rest of your days.
Daisy, sweet monkey girl, I hope you always have kindness. I hope you always enjoy storytelling. I hope you always appreciate your sisters. And I hope you never lose your creativity.

I love you more than all the stars in the sky and the water in the ocean. To me, I love you, just doesn’t seem powerful enough.


Love, Momma

Sunday, February 28, 2016

My Monkey is SIX

Today is Daisy's birthday. In lieu of a babybook, I ask the following 20 questions to my birthday girl (starting with the third birthday). You can see Daisy's previous answers, here, here and here. So, this afternoon while she and J built with her new Roominate Dollhouse I fired away: 
  1. What is your favorite color: yellow 
  2. What is your favorite toy: roominate (Note: She received this yesterday from a friend for her birthday - and Daisy is IN LOVE. It's basically building a dollhouse through circuit building. But, she also loves playing with her dollhouse and riding her scooter and roller skates).
  3. What is your favorite fruit: watermelon 
  4. What is your favorite movie: Kung Fu Panda (Note: She is still obsessed with all things Asia.) 
  5. What is your favorite thing to wear: rompers 
  6. What is your favorite animal: zebras. elephants. owls.  
  7. What is your favorite song: (Momma's Note: She didn't really have an answer for this. She pretty much loves all music and audiobooks. She, too, loves the Kids Stories Podcasts, and she has a playlist of relatively soothing songs that she listens too at night sometimes and she's learning "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" on the piano.) 
  8. What is your favorite book: Any of The Adventures of Sophie Mouse or Owl Diaries chapter books 
  9. Who is your best friend: Sadie. Karly. 
  10. What is your favorite breakfast: a bowl of Cheerios    
  11. What is your favorite lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Luke's cheddar clouds, fruit 
  12. What is your favorite dinner: quesadillas or cheese pizza or grilled cheese. (Note: basically anything that is heavy on the cheese is her favorite)
  13. What is your favorite snack: popcorn; grapes 
  14. What is your favorite dessert: rainbow sherbert  
  15. What do you sleep with at night: blankie  
  16. What is your favorite thing to play outside: in our playhouse or to ride my scooter
  17. What do you want for your birthday dinner: roasted cauliflower grilled cheese, salad and roasted sweet potato "chips" (and we will have leftover cake from her birthday party yesterday). 
  18. What do you want to be when you grow-up: an owl scientist 
  19. Where is your favorite place to go: to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum (Momma's Note: this is where the obsession with all things avian started) 
  20. What is your favorite game: sorry

This girls amazes us daily with her creativity and kindness. For her birthday, she wanted to donate and plant a tree for her community to enjoy, and yesterday at her birthday party, she and a few friends planted a Red Dragon Japanese Maple Tree. We are so fiercely proud of this girl and we love her golden heart. 

Sunday, February 07, 2016

Letter to my hazelnut: 18 months

Dear Violet,

Yesterday afternoon we were all playing outside. The big girls were helping daddy build the playhouse you three girls received for Christmas and you were playing on our little tykes slide. Up you climbed the ladder and down the slide, roller coaster arms and big smiles. Up and down. Up and down. Then you fell. You lost control and tumbled down the slide landing smacking your forehead against the concrete. I picked you up, offering hugs and kisses as I checked you over for bumps and bruises. Almost immediately after your fall you picked yourself back up, wriggling away from me, and tears still streaming down your face, and a large bruise already developing on your forehead, you climbed right back up the slide and did it all over again.

This is you in a nutshell: You fall down and before you even brush yourself off you’re back on the wagon. This tenacity, determination and spirit are characteristics I hope you never lose.  

In these last six months you have learned so much and are growing into a very independent little girl. Besides learning how to climb up steps and ride down slides, you learned to walk! And run! You can kick a ball. You can throw a ball (often better than your two older sisters!) You love to play with your musical instruments. You can stack blocks. Your favorite word to say is “sisters.” You feed yourself at nearly every meal. You’d rather sit in a booster seat at the dinner table than your high chair. You love bubbles and magnets. You love to sing and clap along with the music. You wave hello to people and blow kisses to say “thank you.” You love shoes. To say the word, to hold them, to try them on. But, you refuse to keep your own shoes on for any length of time. You love to push your pink Minnie Mouse ball in the baby stroller. You love to climb up the step stool and brush your four little teeth at every opportunity. You understand almost everything we say to you, honestly. Although, one of my very favorite things has been watching you play and interact with your sisters. You want to do EVERYTHING they are doing. Art projects, tree climbing, dress-up, and nothing makes you happier than being with your sisters, being a "big girl": just like them. 
You refuse to sit in the cart unless you have a snack you picked out from the store. It doesn't matter if we just ate, or if I brought a snack from home. Your favorite is bananas. A second favorite is cereal. 

I find you amazing little hazelnut. It warms the very corners of my soul to find that a sturdy and adventurous toddler has replaced the flimsy, helpless infant we first brought home. Everyday you make new connections that astound me. I know I’ve said this before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, but watching you and your sisters grow and learn is the greatest gift. At the end of the day, regardless of my exhaustion or frustration, I am struck by just how grateful we are to have you three in our lives.
Grow, little hazelnut, grow.

I love you more than all the stars in the sky and all the water in the ocean.

Love, Momma

Wednesday, February 03, 2016

Letter to my Bumblebee: Four Years

Dear Bumblebee,  
Last Saturday, on your birthday, you had a surprise party with a couple of your neighborhood and family friends. Traditionally, at a surprise party the guest of honor has no idea (well, at least in theory) that the party is going to happen. However, in this case, you planned the entire party: the guest list (your two very best friends, your sisters and the family friend who introduced you to surprise parties), the activity (drinking tea) and the theme (Frozen, naturally), including how you were going to walk into the surprise. The entire week before, you were so excited about THE! SURPRISE! PARTY! that you practiced your surprise face in front of the bathroom mirror many hours per day.

And the day played out like planned, your birthday morning included Daddy’s Pancake Breakfast and concluded the day with hamburger’s and French fries and a new book. It was the perfect way to celebrate four years of wonderful, darling, because it was everything you love in the world: cupcakes, people you love, a party and a controlled surprise.
You insisted on roller skates for your birthday, regardless that they are off-limits for another 4-6 weeks.  

At four you avoid washing your hair at all costs and love to sing “Happy Birthday to Me” all the time. You do not believe in sleep, and I’ll often find you happily having a dance party down the hallway at midnight. You want to wear sundresses everyday, maybe with leggings if it’s very cold. You almost never get in your car seat in a timely manner and you always forget your jacket. Pouches of pureed fruit and vegetables are your very favorite special snack. You ask to cuddle and to be read to everyday. But, my very favorite: You are the queen of spontaneous kisses.
Last week after a grumpy morning and a few days cooped up from the rains, we went out for a local hike. We tromped through the mud and rode dragons made of fallen tree logs. We fed imaginary baby dinosaurs, yelled at the top of our lungs and danced in the grassy fields. Sweet girl, I hope you never lose your adventurous spirit and your amazing creativity.

Two weeks ago you fell and broke your arm. You cried for a few minutes, and avoided using your arm, so the next morning I made you an appointment for an x-ray. At the doctor, when recounting the story, you told her: “I just tripped. I just tripped over my own two feet.” You were so brave and so calm in the midst of a very challenging afternoon. You were articulate in telling your story. You were so polite while even in great pain. I saw you a bit different in those four hours. You were mature, no longer my baby, but I saw glimpses of the woman you will eventually become. As we sat waiting for the cast to dry I declared a new family rule: Anytime you have to have a cast you should go out for a treat afterward. Would you like a scone or a milkshake? I asked. And you pondered momentarily, “Momma, can I get both? Please Momma? Look at my arm cast.”

And so, I saw you again, just as you are: my negotiating little three year old.

Three was cuddles and tears. Three was crazy outfits and strong opinions. Three was stories and books, chalk and paint, scraped knees and colorful bandages. Three was temper tantrums and hours of pretend. Three was dress-up and imaginary friends. Three was made-up songs and play-dough. Three was independence and dependence.
Oh how I love the sparkle in your eyes and the smile on your face

I wonder what adventures four will bring: I can’t wait to find out. I love you more than all the stars in the sky and all the water in the ocean.


Love, Momma