What's Missing?

Campbell brought this worksheet home from school this week. Notice the Freddy Krueger arm.

See what I mean? The resemblance is alarming.

For such a sweet girl, she can be awfully weird.

Campbell's Classroom Party

I took cupcakes and juice to school yesterday morning so Campbell could celebrate her birthday with her school friends. We had to celebrate early because today is the last full day of school. Only about half of her class attends school five days a week, so yesterday was the last full day of school with her entire class. So we celebrated early!

She picked out the design for her cupcakes all by herself. Chocolate and vanilla with white icing, pink and purple polka dots, and sprinkles.

I wasn't sure how they would turn out, but there was no need to worry. They looked great and the kids gobbled them up in record time. Luckily they were scheduled for PE right after our party!

I took a video of her class singing to her (with Campbell singing to herself) and have watched it no less than 15 times.

This girl is nothing but pure joy from the inside out. Such a tremendous blessing!!

Memorial Day Weekend

The day that signifies the beginning of summer has come and gone. We had a great weekend - everything we normally do was cancelled for the holiday, so we got a chance to relax before the insanity of June begins. 

Google says Memorial Day is a day when we remember those who have died in active military service. I'm so thankful for those that have served and are serving our country, but I like to extend my thanks to include the military AND first responders. Many in my family have served in our Armed Forces -- in fact, we ended up living in this area because the Navy brought us here. But I think recognition of those that have died in service to our country should also include first responders - their families also make daily sacrifices and they put their lives on the line to keep us safe every day.

Yes, the military keep our country safe - there is no disputing that. But the military aren't the ones who calmly answer the phone when you call 911. They don't scrape you off the highway and haul you to the hospital when you've been hurt in a car accident. They don't put dangerous fires out, and they aren't the ones you call for help when someone is trying to break into your house.

I consider all of it as service to our country.

I'm off my soapbox now, back to the cuteness!

We had a terrific weekend - we spent lots of time playing outside, we cooked out twice, made some crafts, found a nest of baby birds in the tree by the garage, got the house powerwashed (the Preschool Mafia graffiti is finally gone!!), went to church with Mama and Papa, and spent some time on the farm picking strawberries.

The weather was too chilly for the pool, but it was still a beautiful weekend!

Campbell painted this bus!

Cassidy spent some time making friendship bracelets.

Hungry baby birds!!

Hunting for just the right strawberries!

I can't believe this girl will be five years old in nine days. In many ways, the time has gone by very fast. But it many MORE ways, I feel like I've counted every minute to get us here.

The days are long, but the years are short.

We only have three full days of school left, then a few half days until the 2012-2013 school year ends.

Welcome, summer!!

Morning Attitudez

Campbell took the sidewalk chalk and wrote "NO CASSIDY" in big pink letters across our front porch this morning. Check out that face.

Cassidy was dismayed (kind of).

Then Campbell wrote "NO CAMPBELL" and asked me to take a picture of her posing next to it.

It's a shame these girls don't have any personality.

Never Again

Lieutenant Sexy and I had a conversation just as he was about to walk out the door yesterday morning.

Sexy: "I'm tired. I don't feel like going to work today."

Crazy Fool (that would be ME): "Maybe it will be a slow day and you can come home early."

I knew deep down it was the kiss of death, but I said it anyway. What was I thinking?!?

At the Evil Empire, we never, EVER comment on how well a code drop is going - even if it's the fastest, most flawless code drop in the history of technology change - because everything catches fire as soon as the words are spoken.

It always happens like that. Always. It's the rule, not the exception.

I should have known better. As soon as I said it, I knew something would happen.

Sure enough, awful things happened and all hell broke loose just before the school bus rolled up this afternoon and I was left with a mess on my hands. How does one person get two children to two different places (20 minutes apart) at the same time?

The solution included a well-timed holiday that resulted in make-up dance classes and some strategic speeding. Lieutenant Sexy finally got home at about 10:30PM.

I will never wish a slow day for him again... at least out loud.

This morning, I sent Lieutenant Sexy to work with cheerful wishes of a terrible day: I love you, honey! I hope your day sucks rotten eggs!

We'll see if that works any better.

Sunday Funday

We made an effort to take it easy today after yesterday's excitement. I was scheduled to teach Sunday School, so we started off our day at church. While we were at Skinny Dip yesterday, the girlz asked if they could get their nails painted. They haven't been in a while, so I told them I'd take them today. After packing up my Sunday School supplies, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed to the salon.

Girlz at lunch

Campbell getting her nails painted

Cassidy getting her nails painted. When did she turn 15?!?

Drying the nails

We spent the afternoon playing in the yard and preparing for Campbell's birthday party. That means I carried chairs and moved lawn items while the girlz played with the water squirters.

It was a great day, and now we prepare for the last full week at school.

The end is near!!

Dance Team Tryouts

Today was the big day - Dance Team Tryout Day!! We were given very specific instructions on what to have the girlz wear - black leotard, pink tights, hair in a bun. No colors, no flair.

Cassidy had swimming lessons first thing this morning, so I ended up picking up our lunch right at 11AM. We had an early lunch because I didn't want them to be overly full or overly hungry during tryouts.

After eating, getting them dressed, and gluing their hair into buns, we were ready to go.

We stopped for a picture as we were heading out the door!

We had one last talk about expectations on the way to the studio.

Campbell: Today is not the day to be climbing all over the Dance Moms, running around the studio, or throwing even the slightest hint of a tantrum.

Cassidy: Today is not the day to mark your moves or make excuses.

Both girlz: Please do your very best. And most importantly, HAVE FUN!!

We got there early, and it was already a packed house. I lost count, but I believe there were about 24 girls trying out for spots on the Teenys and Minis. 24 girls!!!

Campbell was number 17 and Cassidy was number 18. Campbell got a blue dot, meaning she's in the 5-6 age range. Cassidy got a pink dot for the 7-8 age range.

I took this picture right after Campbell's audition ended. The first thing she said was "Am I on Dance Team now, Mommy?!?"

After it was all over, we went to Skinny Dip to celebrate! These girlz LOVE their frozen yogurt, so it was the perfect way to end tryouts.

And now we wait. We should receive their letters this week, and I'm praying it's nothing but good news.

The suspense is already killing me!

Dance Recital Costume Week

This week is one of the most highly anticipated weeks at the dance studio - recital costume week!! Pictures of the costumes for every class have been posted in the lobby for months, and Campbell has proudly pointed out her costumes to anybody that will look.

I only took one picture (bad Mommy), but here's Miss Priss in her ballet costume. It comes with a bear wearing a matching costume.

There's going to be some serious cuteness at this year's recital!

Mother's Day Weekend, Part 2

I hate to admit this, but I really wasn't feeling Mother's Day this year. Lieutenant Sexy worked nights the whole week leading up to this weekend, and those are by far our hardest weeks. Doing most everything myself is a drag, but it's the misbehavior that drains me of every drop of energy and patience. And for some reason, this week seems to have been even more difficult than usual.

Cassidy has had a terrible attitude most of this week.

Campbell was removed from dance class for bad behavior (dance team tryouts are this coming weekend - nice timing, Campbell).

Cassidy brought home 2 bad grades that dropped her A in Social Studies to a low C.

And then to top it off, I was treated to more of Cassidy's attitude yesterday while trying to enjoy fun Mother's Day events with my girlz.

Sadly, it took the fun out of the whole thing. I cried to Lieutenant Sexy before we left for church this morning and told him I didn't feel like having Mother's Day... which then made me feel ungrateful for the blessings I've been given.

It's a vicious cycle.

There are no cute pictures to share from today. In our house, today was one of those real-life days where things aren't anywhere close to perfect.

And it's days like today when I go back to Steve Wiens' blog and read this post.

I have to remind myself daily that I'm not alone.  It will get better. It may take a while, but it will get better.

To parents of small children: Let me be the one who says it out loud

I am in a season of my life right now where I feel bone tired almost all of the time. Ragged, how-am-I-going-to-make-it-to-the-end-of-the-day, eyes burning exhausted.

I have three boys ages 5 and under. I’m not complaining about that. Well, maybe I am a little bit. But I know that there are people who would give anything for a house full of laughter & chaos. I was that person for years and years; the pain of infertility is stabbing and throbbing and constant. I remember allowing hope to rise and then seeing it crash all around me, month after month, for seven years. I am working on another post about infertility that will come at a later date.

But right now, in my actual life, I have three boys ages five and under. There are many moments where they are utterly delightful, like last week when Isaac told my sister-in-law that “My daddy has hair all over.” Or when Elijah put a green washcloth over his chin and cheeks, and proudly declared, “Daddy! I have a beard just like you!” Or when Ben sneaks downstairs in the morning before the other boys do, smiles at me, and says, “Daddy and Ben time.”

But there are also many moments when I have no idea how I’m going to make it until their bedtime. The constant demands, the needs, and the fighting are fingernails across the chalkboard every single day.  

One of my children is for sure going to be the next Steve Jobs. I now have immense empathy for his parents. He has a precise vision of what he wants — exactly that way and no other way. Sometimes it’s the way his plate needs to be centered exactly to his chair, or how his socks go on, or exactly how the picture of the pink dolphin needs to look – with brave eyes, not sad eyes, daddy! He is a laser beam, and he is not satisfied until it’s exactly right.

I have to confess that sometimes the sound of his screaming drives me to hide in the pantry. And I will neither confirm nor deny that while in there, I compulsively eat chips and/or dark chocolate. 

There are people who say this to me:

“You should enjoy every moment now! They grow up so fast!”

I usually smile and give some sort of guffaw, but inside, I secretly want to hold them under water. Just for a minute or so. Just until they panic a little.

If you have friends with small children — especially if your children are now teenagers or if they’re grown – please vow to me right now that you will never say this to them. Not because it’s not true, but because it really, really doesn’t help.

We know it’s true that they grow up too fast. But feeling like I have to enjoy every moment doesn’t feel like a gift, it feels like one more thing that is impossible to do, and right now, that list is way too long. Not every moment is enjoyable as a parent; it wasn’t for you, and it isn’t for me. You just have obviously forgotten. I can forgive you for that. But if you tell me to enjoy every moment one more time, I will need to break up with you.

If you are a parent of small children, you know that there are moments of spectacular delight, and you can’t believe you get to be around these little people. But let me be the one who says the following things out loud:

You are not a terrible parent if you can’t figure out a way for your children to eat as healthy as your friend’s children do. She’s obviously using a bizarre and probably illegal form of hypnotism.

You are not a terrible parent if you yell at your kids sometimes. You have little dictators living in your house. If someone else talked to you like that, they’d be put in prison.

You are not a terrible parent if you can’t figure out how to calmly give them appropriate consequences in real time for every single act of terrorism that they so creatively devise.

You are not a terrible parent if you’d rather be at work.

You are not a terrible parent if you just can’t wait for them to go to bed.

You are not a terrible parent if the sound of their voices sometimes makes you want to drink and never stop.

You’re not a terrible parent.

You’re an actual parent with limits. You cannot do it all. We all need to admit that one of the casualties specific to our information saturated culture is that we have sky-scraper standards for parenting, where we feel like we’re failing horribly if we feed our children chicken nuggets and we let them watch TV in the morning.

One of the reasons we are so exhausted is that we are oversaturated with information about the kind of parents we should be.

So maybe it’s time to stop reading the blogs that tell you how to raise the next President who knows how to read when she’s three and who cooks, not only eats, her vegetables. Maybe it’s time to embrace being the kind of parent who says sorry when you yell. Who models what it’s like to take time for yourself. Who asks God to help you to be a better version of the person that you actually are, not for more strength to be an ideal parent.

So the next time you see your friends with small children with that foggy and desperate look in their eyes, order them a pizza and send it to their house that night. Volunteer to take their kids for a few hours so they can be alone in their own house and have sex when they’re not so tired, for heaven’s sake. Put your hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes, and tell them that they’re doing a good job. Just don’t freak out if they start weeping uncontrollably. Most of the time, we feel like we’re botching the whole deal and our kids will turn into horrible criminals who hate us and will never want to be around us when they’re older.

You’re bone tired. I’m not sure when it’s going to get better. Today might be a good day or it might be the day that you lost it in a way that surprised even yourself.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

You’re not alone.

Mother's Day Weekend, Part 1

Today was part 1 of Mother's Day Weekend, and we had a great time (for the most part).

First up was a fancy party. The local library had scheduled a Mommy and Me tea party, and I was very impressed with the amount of planning and thought that went into the event. It was a truly special morning!

You can't tell from the pictures below, but Cassidy was in a funk for the first 20 minutes of the tea. She's either testing limits or acting out because Lieutenant Sexy has been working nights all week... but whatever it is, she needs to stop. SERIOUSLY.

They served pink lemonade in fancy silver pitchers!  Excellent!! 

The beautiful centerpieces!!

Campbell was most impressed with the cupcakes... typical.

After we ate and listened to a story, we made a picture frame shaped like a tea pot.

And after it was all over, each child received a beautfully wrapped gift - a book, 2 pencils, 2 stickers, and a bookmark. It was a wonderful event, and far better than I ever expected!!

I didn't realize we would be eating at the tea, so we skipped lunch and headed straight to Mama and Papa's house to drop off Cassidy. Right after Christmas, I purchased tickets to see Pinkalicious - The Musical for Campbell and I, and the show was this afternoon. Cassidy spent some quality time with Mama and Papa while I took Campbell to see the show.

Campbell thought it was outstanding. The show was super-cute and it was nice to spend some one-on-one time with my firecracker.

It was short-lived. The green-eyed monster of jealousy had bitten Cassidy while we were gone, and she was a terror for the much of the remainder of the afternoon.

So far, 8 is really not my favorite age.

Teacher Appreciation Week 2013

I tried to get even more creative than last year with Teacher Appreciation Week. I did the Symphony Bars again, and found a new idea on Pinterest for tumblers.

I'm in LOVE with tumblers lately. I got an ADPi print tumbler from Lily Pulitzer several months ago, and found that I drink FAR more water with that tumbler than I ever would from a water bottle, sports bottle, or cup. I'm convinced it's something about the straw that makes the water go down so much quicker and easier.

Anyway, I ordered some super-cute tumblers from Mixed Bag Designs on April 25th thinking I was giving myself plenty of extra time to package the cups and get them to school.

Think again, Head Nerd.

The Symphony Bars went to school on Tuesday, along with a craft basket for Campbell's teachers. The remainder of the week came and went with no box on my doorstep. I prepped the gift bags and straw tags so I'd be able to turn them around as soon as they crossed our doorstep.

Well, they arrived Friday morning. Yes, FRIDAY MORNING without a second to spare. Luckily, I had to be at the school at 1PM for a Room Parent Meeting, so I immediately got to work filling the cups with Propel powdered drink mixes, taping the flags on, and tucking the cups safely into the decorated bags.

I thought we would be celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week into this coming week, but I was able to get all five gifts delivered while I was on campus. Whew!

I'm really proud of these tumblers and wish I'd had time to take a proper picture. I took this picture in the school parking lot just so I could remember what I'd done. You can even see all the gift bags lined up in the trunk in the background.  HA!

I love this gift and think it may be one of my most favorite teacher Appreciation Gifts I've done. And it actually met two out of my three criteria for gifts - can it be used, eaten, or spent? Yes - it can be used and eaten.

Winning!

Boycotting the backyard

So Lieutenant Sexy was at work the other night when I glanced out my office window and spied something terrible in the grass - a dead field mouse.

GROSS.

I decided the best course of action would be to ignore the carnage and let another animal take care of disposing the remains. I texted Lieutenant Sexy to let him know that because we have a dead body in our backyard, I will not be going out there until it's gone. His response was underwhelming at best.

It's all fun and games until that dead body turns into a Zombie. I bet you won't be laughing when our Zombie Mouse chews your face off while you're sleeping, Lieutenant Sexy.

Yep, it's all fun and games.

Dance Competition #3

It's taken me a few days to write this post. We travelled out of state for Dance Competition #3 last weekend, and I'm left with mixed feelings about how the event played out. In fact, I'm still trying to process the whole thing and decide how I feel about it.

On one hand, our girls did a really terrific job.

On the other hand, Cassidy's routines didn't score high enough to win any overall titles or trophies. I don't think she really understands the scoring system, but she does understand that she gave the trio's first two trophies to the other two girls in the group. The third competition trophy was supposed to be Cassidy's, but they didn't earn one. Disappointing.

Leaving our little bubble of local events means competing against different studios, bringing new excitement and a fresh perspective. There's no way to know what dance studios will be at competitions before we get there. As luck would have it, we ended up competing against one of the top studios in the entire country... as in three-time FDC Pinnacle Cup Winner. The Pinnacle Cup is the highest award given by the Federation of Dance Competitions.

There are no words for how good these dancers were - calling them phenomenal would almost be an insult.

The good news is that we got to rub shoulders with up-and-coming dancers who will likely reach the ranks of professional dance. We gave them a run for their money and scored incredibly well considering what we were up against. All three of Cassidy's routines were awarded High Gold - a huge achievement, considering our yardstick was unexpectedly recalibrated!

I'm so proud of how our girls did, excited that we got to watch such beautiful dancers, thankful that Cassidy got to see where she could be if she works hard enough, and a little disappointed that the playing field was so skewed.

Bittersweet.

Campbell's PALS Test

Year-end testing at Big Girl School is in full swing! Campbell's class just completed their PALS testing to assess reading readiness. Campbell did a great job, and we expected nothing less.

She was tested in the Fall and missed 12 questions - answering 113 out of 125 correct.  She missed one or two across most sections, but took a big hit in the rhyming section. Even still, answering 90% of the questions correctly a full year before Kindergarten starts is pretty terrific.

Her Spring scores were even more impressive - she answered every single one correctly!! I'm impressed, especially considering she's one of the youngest in her class.

You go, Campbell!!

My favorite part of Campbell's test is the improvement she has shown in her handwriting and self awareness.  The picture on the left is from the Fall test (check out that E!!), and the picture on the right was done this week.

I've been a bit concerned that her later birthday might cause her to struggle a bit. But not only has she met and exceeded every milestone, she's done it with typical Campbell flair.

Something tells me our girl is going to do just fine.

Afternoon Walk

I was looking through the pictures on my phone this morning, and found a few that I took on Sunday afternoon. The girlz decided they wanted to take a walk around the neighborhood, so we went exploring. It was a gorgeous day for a walk!

A few items of note:

1. The pool cover has been removed. Only a few more weeks until our Tour De Pool begins! Hooray!!

2. Cinderella (the stone statue in our neighborhood's prissy rose garden) has bird poop on her head. Campbell finds this completely unacceptable and wants us to go back and clean her up.

3. The playground is looking awfully small all of a sudden. There was a time when Cassidy was too little to enjoy most of the equipment, but she's almost too big for it now. Crazy!

Such a fun afternoon!