Fall Fun Day

Well, the sugar festivals have begun and are in full swing. Let the extra brushing of the teeth commence!

Today was the Fall Fun Day party at Lindy's school. Instead of wearing costumes, they were supposed to wear orange. While not exactly a staple in her wardrobe, I was able to find something to fit the bill. Moms take turns planning the party events and it is always fun to see what clever ideas they come up with.

First up for fun was a cupcake spider. It appears that Lindy decided to eat one of her spider's legs in this picture...

In the craft room, they made pumpkin masks. Here is the arteest at work...

Girls just want to have fun...

Sweet friends

Playing pass the pumpkin

It is days like today that I feel so blessed to be able to share in these moments with Lindy. I know it is also important to her because she starts asking WAY ahead of time if I'll be there. Today when she saw me waiting for her, she came running to me and jumped in my arms and hugged and kissed me in such a big way that truly warmed my heart. Then I heard her excitedly telling people, "My mommy is here. Her name is Lisa."

Although the candy and treats are plentiful and quite yummy, the sweetest thing is my girl...

Our Queen Bee

This past weekend was the Trunk of Treats at our church. Back in July I had an epiphany and decided what she'd be for Halloween--a bee. I decided to be a crafty momma (ha ha if you know me) and make her a tutu, the antennae, and enlist the crafty daddy to do the wings. Little snag came up when since about August Lindy made it pretty clear that she wanted nothing to do with Halloween festivities this year. At first I thought she was being dramatic. Then the decorations started popping up around stores and she was scared to walk near them. She also is a bit more reserved around adults than she has been in the past. You know, the fingers in mouth, hide behind Mom routine...Not buying it from this extrovert!

Anyway, while Don and I weren't totally in agreement about how to proceed we had made her costume and we forced her go on Saturday night knowing she'd get into it and be glad after the fact.


I really am not one to brag and am not big into showcasing what I've done, but I will admit I was pleased with her tutu. I should've made it a smidge (that's a mathematical term) longer but other than that, it was the way I wanted it.

Don made the wings. They turned out pretty well. I was too intimidated to do them and I think I would've used nylons instead of tulle but that man can find his way 'round a craft store and I like that about him.

My bad. I bought too big of pom poms for her antennae. They were out of the smaller ones back in July when I bought the goods and I never went back to look for small ones again. Their crazy all over the place tendencies kind of match Queen Bee's personality!

Not only did she get candy but she got her favorite chips--Cheet*os. You can see the orange stuff from this tiny pic.

She had a fun evening collecting candy, eating orange chips, drinking "Sprout," and playing with friends.

I suppose you'll see more of this costume later this week when she gets to do what she really wanted to do all the time and that is "sell" candy to the kids. My little queen bee is also an entrepreneur.

Happy Halloween!

Flashback Friday

Nobody puts baby in a box...

September 19, 2006

First Day of School Foto Frenzy

Yesterday Lindy started back to preschool. She is now in Miss 'Berta's 4 year old class and this is her last year before she starts kindergarten next fall (yep, I'm already fretting about that).

It was a rainy day (yea) and that seemed to make Miss Sleepyhead move even slower than normal in the morning. The princess does NOT like to be rushed.

I snapped a couple of shots but she wasn't cooperating too well, we were running late, and I was trying not to get my camera wet or topple over in the mud.

I didn't want to take it so far away but she wanted her lunch bag in the picture. Subsequently, she covered her leggings and all you can see are her scuffed shoes. I've learned not to send her in good shoes because they get TRASHED!

Ever since she turned four in May, my normally exuberant, independent child has been going through more anxiety about new situations and showing greater hesitance when leaving me. She was experiencing a bit of that yesterday morning.

However, she got over that hesitancy once she saw her AWESOME teacher!

She had a great first day and came home very happy and pretty worn out, too. I am really excited for Lindy and all that she'll experience this coming school year. We're proud of you big girl!!!

Mensa should be calling any day now

The other day I surprised Lindy by serving her lunch on these lovely princess paper plates I had gotten on clearance at a local craft store. Well, it is definitely the little things with that girl and she squealed with delight when she saw them. After she cleaned her plate, she was admiring their pictures and talking about them and, of course, missing Cinderella, Aurora, and Belle. Then she said, "Momma...Ariel can't stand for this picture; she's a mermaid."

Gotta run...The phone is ringing...I bet that's the local Mensa chapter calling to invite her to the next meeting...

Lindy's Thankful Thursday

Periodically, I share a Thankful Thursday list on our family blog. Lindy and I talk a lot about a lot of things. Today I decided to ask her for some things for which she is thankful. Here is her list.

1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. My friends
4. God
5. Food Mommy & Daddy gave me
6. Bugs--the rolly pollies...then butterflies, caterpillars, and ladybugs
7. My room
8. Pajamas
9. Clothes
10. The earth God gave us
11. Trophies, I think
12. My family and grandma and grandpa

Prayer request that she threw in: "Help my baby to come here soon."

The Best Days

One of my favorite artists to listen to these days is Taylor Sw*ift. I really, really like her songs. I don't know if I'm going through some desire to relive my youth or what but even at 41 (gasp, choke,--BREATHE) some of her lyrics hit home. On one of her albums there is a song that I just can't listen to enough and I just can't stop crying every time I hear it. It is simple, sweet, and part of it makes me just want to be a little girl again and the other part of it makes me want to stop the hands of time because everything seems to be going too fast sometimes.

I am not the first one to want to stop the hands of time from moving and I know that isn't possible. However, I can choose to make every day a "BEST DAY" with my little Lindy...

And so I share with you...

PS...Turn up the volume and you can hear the song...

The Best Day
by Taylor Sw*ift

I'm five years old it's getting cold I've got my big coat on
I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you I run and run
Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides look now the sky is gold
I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home

I don't know why all the trees change in the fall
I know you're not scared of anything at all
I don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day with you today

I'm thirteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean
I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys
And we drive and drive until we found a town far enough away
And we talk and window shop till I forgot all their names

I don't know who I'm gonna talk to now at school
But I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you
Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay
But I know I had the best day with you today

I have an excellent father
His strength is making me stronger
God smiles on my little brother
Inside and out he's better than I am

I grew up in a pretty house
And I had space to run
And I had the best days with you

There is a video I found from back when I was three
You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you're talking to me
It's the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs
Daddy's smart and you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world

Now I know why all the trees change in the fall
I know you were on my side even when I was wrong
And I love you for giving me your eyes
Staying back and watching me shine and I didn't know if you knew
So I'm taking this chance to say that I had the best day with you today

Signs...

Kind of makes me wonder what things will be like when she's a teenager.

Of things purple, pink, and sparkly

If you've met Lindy, she's probably told you her favorite colors are, "Pink, purple, and red." She may have also told you her favorite animals are, "Horses, ponies, and unicorns." You also probably know she's all about the sparkle and shine.

Well, the other day we were making an "in and out" trip into a particular store to make a return. I was not going to stop and look at anything. Alas, the sirens of the shoes were working against me and wooed my daughter to the above shown shoes. In a matter of moments it was apparent we weren't leaving the store without them. She had taken off her sandals and was prancing around on her tip toes in these. She was in love.

I admit I am a bargain shopper. I look for sales and rarely pay full price--especially when it comes to Lindy (and me) because it just seems silly to me since they grow so quickly. These shoes were not on sale and they were the only pair. I was at a tough spot here. The practical side of me told me to not give in but I knew it was purple and pink perfection in her mind and I'd have a very disappointed little girl if we had to walk away.

I guess you know I bought the shoes...I did the quick, "Are you sure they fit, do they feel comfortable, I don't want to hear they hurt your feet later" speech. She doesn't ask for things when we're out (usually), so I also made sure to tell her this was NOT going to be a common practice.

While I questioned my decision at the time, I am glad I bought them. She has danced and pranced around in them for the past week and has declared her love for them many times, and more importantly her thanks. She's so smitten she's even asked to wear them to bed and has worn them with non-matching outfits. YIKES!

It is likely pink and purple and red won't always be her favorite colors, so I'm going to enjoy these pinkalicious and purplicious moments while they're here.

China Camp 2009

One of the highlights of Lindy's summer was to attend China Camp during the last week of July. Over the past 18 months or so, I've been fortunate to meet a really cool group of women in the area who have been blessed by adoption and who all have Chinese daughters--most about six months younger than Lindy. Early in the summer, Shawna, one of those mommies, said she wanted to put on a China Camp for the girls as a way to teach them about their Chinese heritage, as well as grow their friendships with one another. Well I already knew Shawna is creative, organized, hard-working and a go-getter but I was BLOWN away by the amount of effort and planning she put into making China Camp super special for the girls and mommies, too. For three days from 9:30-1:00'ish, we gathered at Shawna's house for a host of activities, games, arts and crafts, and lunch. Highlights included:

• Using a map to locate and mark the province and city each girl is from
• Making Chinese fans, lanterns, and plates
• Having a dragon dance
• Playing games
  
• Making (and eating) Chinese dumplings
• Learning about three cultures in China and praying that they someday would know Jesus
  
• Eating Chinese noodle soup, lettuce wraps, and moon cakes
• Learning about panda bears
• Feeding the dragon with chopsticks
• Show and Tell of something from each girl's province
• Learning to get along, share, work as a team, and be sweet friends

Lindy's turn to lead the dragon dance and wear the coveted dragon head

The dragon boat relay race

The relays turned into a bit of a contact sport. Lindy, that'll be a 15 yard penalty for pulling on Ava Claire's tee...

Story time with Miss Shawna. Love Grace Lin books!

Making colorful Chinese lanterns

Showing off her Chinese lantern and fan

Enjoying Chinese noodle soup

Lily showing a picture of a panda during Show and Tell. Each girl brought something native to her province.

Lindy showing Maliah her silk embroidery from Hunan

Olivia showing off her embroidery ball

What's going to work??? Teamwork!!!

Using chopsticks to "feed" the dragon during the relay race

Making Chinese plates or is it china???

Making Chinese dumplings

Eating the dumplings...YUMMY...

The girls...
(On the ground) Lily,
Seated (L to R) Lindy, Ava Claire, & Olivia,
(last row L to R) Sioban, Maliah, & Libby

My gift from God (and China)

Having tea for the first time. Thankfully, decaffeinated!!!

More tea please...

What's a tea party without sweets???

Pure sweetness enjoying pure sweetness

Learning about the legend of the red thread and getting a red thread bracelet.

The girls enjoying a video about panda bears

It was three days of non-stop fun and activity. Thank you so much, Shawna, for being the hostess with the mostess.

"I saw that going differently in my mind"

Wow! Why did I let myself get so behind on this? I'm really paying for it now.

One of the things we were excited about this summer was putting Lindy into swim lessons and the prospect of her learning how to swim or at least learn some basics. I am not a swimmer and Don is not a strong swimmer, so having Lindy learn how to swim is super important to both of us. She usually really enjoys being in the water, so we thought for sure she'd love the experience and be really pumped about learning to swim.

One of my favorite movies is Hitch. I laugh like it is a new movie EVERY time I watch it. One of my favorite quotes is when Hitch says, "I saw that going differently in my mind" after a botched first date with Sara. I am the QUEEN of getting my feelings hurt, being disappointed, and let down because I envision how I think things should go and what should be said. It is a huge character flaw of mine and it leads to a lot of disappointment. It is something I've become acutely aware of over the last two or three years and it is also an area of my life I'm trying to improve. In keeping with my struggle, NOTHING, I mean NOTHING could've prepared me for the tremendous battle I endured for two weeks. We thought she'd love it. Instead, I'm thinking this was the hardest two weeks of parenting I've encountered. I am fully aware that says a lot and the huge blessings attached to that statement but still I was befuddled, bewildered, and beaten down after it all.

For two weeks I watched my normally easy-going, "whatever," girl fret and be overcome with anxiety and fear. She'd wake up early and cry for four solid hours until her lesson. She would come up with dozens of "what if" scenarios and it was obvious she was petrified. For all but the last two days, she cried the entire time during the lesson. She never threw a fit, never refused to participate but was so miserable the entire time. I wanted to acknowledge her fears and anxieties in a loving way but yet help her try to overcome them. She was a mess. I was a mess. I felt so helpless. She doesn't know how to swim yet but other people have assured me it just takes time. I'm not sure how we'll get there but hopefully we'll get there eventually--just not this year. Here are some shots of the week.

First day. No tears--yet. Just a bit anxious but still open to the experience.

First day. Not loving it so much now.

Second to last day. No tears while using the noodle. Not sure how the breakthrough happened but it did!

They always ended class by jumping off the diving board in the big pool. She didn't jump but was thrown into the pool.

A rare non-crying shot. This was the last day. I think that is the face of relief.

A little celebratory sugar and bling for persevering