Such a Funny Gal

Born with darling dimples that frame her impish face, M has the most contagious belly laugh that resonates deep within one's soul. With that laughter comes an adult-size sense of humor which sometimes causes her parents a bit of grief when she is misunderstood by her same-age peers.

Sitting with good friends last night while we awaited the start of our oldest daughter's first choir concert, M was visibly upset that her younger sister had found a friend to sit beside. A family friend noticed her disappointment and immediately made an attempt to strike up a conversation with M. "M, would you like to come by me? We can talk about school...and boys...and giggle!" M wasn't buying into it. I then attempted to prompt her slightly by offering, "M, tell Robin who the Grand Marshall in the parade is going to be." M took the bait, "Grandpa George!" Robin was quick to tell her how exciting that must be and asked her if she and her sister would be riding alongside. M explained that she wasn't sure yet, as parade details were still in development. When Robin asked if M had been practicing her "parade wave", M didn't miss a beat. With a twinkle in her eyes and a showcase of those lovely dimples she simply stated, "I been practicing my whoooole life!"

363 Days

It is official. Less than one year to go, and I will be forced to admit that I am the mother of a teenager. Yikes!

Where did the time go? Only yesterday, she was a squished up little bundle that did nothing but poop and hiccup. She easily became a "nookie" girl and didn't go anywhere without her Pooh pacifiers and her white fleece Pooh blanket. When she was a toddler, she would use her "cute face" to get what she wanted. Grandpa fell for it every time. She loved to watch Beauty and the Beast at 18 months old...start to finish, only getting up to refill her bowl of cheeseballs.

The wrinkles are gone from her fingers, her round belly now slender. That "nookie" has been easily replaced by an iPod, although she still drags around a blanket made especially for her by her favorite Big Sara. She still uses that cute face, and Grandpa still gives in to her every whim. The Disney movies have been tossed aside in exchange for iCarly and Hannah Montana, although those, too, seem to be losing her interest.

Twelve years later, my big girl still loves to snuggle, has never waivered from her favorite color blue, and will remain a Daddy's Girl through and through. She carefully walks the line of tweenager, choosing to "play" with her younger sisters while choosing to "hang out" with friends her own age. Her father and I are sometimes "uncool", but we're okay with that. We know in the end, she has her priorities straight...for now...and feel blessed to have such an amazing daughter.

Good-bye, Halloween

What has happened to the Halloween that I remember? As a kid, this was the one of the best holidays...candy, costumes, staying up late on a school night. I remember houses with large candy buckets sitting in the open on the front stoop with a note saying, "Sorry we couldn't be here. Take one and leave some for your friends." And that's just what we did. I remember creative costumes, huge costumes (like the Karate Kid in the shower curtain), scary without begin gory costumes. I remember fun parties at school that always included a fun "haunted house" put on by the student council or 4-H or some other club.

The past costumes donned by my own children have been fairly creative, slightly crafty, and all-around fun. But the schools now say no to make-up and hair color and no to props that might possibly be used as a weapon (including wands). That takes some of the fun out of it, but fine. Try to purchase a ready-made costume at the local retail store and parents choices are limited to goth princess, goth vampira, goth cheerleader...Dora, a few movie characters, or Hannah Montana (all of which are simply a thin one-piece outfit devoid of any props or true character)...And all at a cost of over $30.00. What?

After numerous discussions and debating over what the girls would like to be and what I feel is appropriate and economical, they came up with three final thoughts. #1 Secret agents (black pants, trench coats, ear pieces and brief cases), #2 Monkey Ninjas (black turtle-neck and pants, black ski mask and knit gloves with tips cut off, and monkey ears and tail, and #3 Velma and Daphne of Scooby Doo.

I opted for #3. We took a trip to Goodwill where we easily found a purple dress for Daphne, orange turtle neck and brown skirt for Velma. The rest we gathered from around the house. Fully dressed and side-by-side, the girls' characters were unmistakable!

However, the excitement was short-lived as we received a memo from the school stating that the "student council" voted to have a Harvest Party in lieu of a Halloween and that the students would be dressing for miss-match day in lieu of costumes. I must admit, I have my doubts as to whether the idea was generated by the student body or an adult influence. Seriously, what 9 year old is going to say, "Hey, guys, wouldn't it be great if we didn't wear our costumes to school and instead just wore all miss=matched clothes. That way, everyone can participate...like the kids that don't celebrate holidays." Right.

We live in the state of Wisconsin. Trick-or-Treating is often interrupted by rain, sleet, or snow and therefore requires the appropriate outer gear which covers up the majority of most costumes. The in-school party/parade is the only time that the children have to actually see one another in costume. It's a time of oohs and ahhs over Timmy's costume, amazement over the creativity of Sally's costume, and wondering what exactly Mikey is supposed to be. But like the Christmas programs of years passed, Halloween is now removed from our school.

When will summer start?

A friendly waiter at a favorite Mexican restaurant once commented that his family members back home think we mid-westerners are crazy to allow our children to play any sports in such a tundra! With the snow yet to melt completely, the girls began soccer and softball practices this spring donning heavy sweatshirts, stocking caps, and mittens. They were eager to see old friends, learn new skills while perfecting old ones, and to spend a little extra time with their beloved coach...Daddy. Games began in May and the season was in full swing by the time school let out. We managed to squeeze in three weekends of camping into the month of June and one early in July. But our weeknights have been completely occupied with each of the girls' games and practices. It really is amazing to watch their progression as individuals as well as a team. As a parent, I love the friendly banter among parents cheering each other's child on, yelling at the refs for missed calls and the umps for not paying attention, and the gentle camaraderie that develops between teammates. As the last weekend of July approaches, soccer has ended and we are heading into the final softball tournament of the season. I am looking forward to breathing a bit in August and have put all fall registrations off to the side wondering...when will summer start?

M

The first time I held her, I was honestly taken aback. Her tiny pink hands were curled into tight fists and tucked beneath her perfect chin. Her nose wasn't smooshed or wrinkled like most newborns. It was this adorable little button that I couldn't help but kiss over and over again. The RN suggested that I try to nurse her right away, so I tentatively held her to my breast trying to figure out what exactly the two of us were doing. But M knew what to do, and with a grunt she latched on for dear life. It was amazing. She snorted like a little piglet, sweet and pink and apparently starving! Now, so many years later, I fall in love time and again as I sneek into her bedroom to kiss that sweet little nose. Some day, not so very far away, M will be grown...too old for secret kisses.

Fee Fi Fo Fum...I smell...chocolate?

Some days, asking my children to make their beds AND pick up the floor of their bedrooms is a battle that I simply choose to ignore. While straightening B's bed the other day, I reached for her pillow and threw it onto her sister's bed while I began to strip the covers from her own. There was a slight waft of chocolate in the air. I dismissed it entirely, thinking clearly that this low-carb re-diet of mine was truly getting to my head. As I fluffed and tucked and made less-than-spectacular hospital corners that would have my grandmother clicking her tongue at me, but the job was nearly complete. I reached for the pillow to remove the pillow case when that familiar scent again filled my nostrils. Knowing full well that this is not a scratch 'n sniff Dora pillow case, I lifted the pillow toward my face to investigate. Suddenly my fingers felt a strange crinkling like paper...foil paper. I reached into the pillow case. When I removed my hand, there were several wadded foil papers, the remnants of my secret (or not-so-secret) stash of mini Snickers candy bars!!! MY PMS STASH!!! My boiling point screeched above the thermometer...and then it was gone. I was suddenly dumbfounded by how devious my otherwise innocent daughter had suddenly become. She is the second worst liar of the three, and always breaks under pressure. I never would have expected this from her. And then I began to wonder what else she had hidden and where...I've been missing a few things...

To Each, His Own

M. Sweet, sassy, sensitive M. She is small in size, but gigantic of heart. And her heart is filled with the love of basketball. Her talent is incredulous, given her inexperience and size. But she really is a natural. The only element missing, a good 15 inches in height. And still she's learning how to use her size to her advantage. In soccer, she managed to weasel her way in and out of the clusters and come out on the other side with the ball and a smile. In softball, she manages to make her strike zone nearly non-existent. In basketball, she has found that when you are closer to the ground, it is heck of a lot easier to steal the ball. And then away she goes...Now, if we could work on that fast-break lay-up.