Year Six - Year End Review

Dearest Birthday Bear,

You've been counting down your birthday since practically August. I'm both flabbergasted that you're six years old and relieved that the Great Birthday Countdown has finally stopped (until your Half Birthday Countdown starts up in a few months).

Here are your Thank-Heavens-You're-Finally-Six Top 10 Lists:

Top 10 Things You Love:

1. Natalie
2. Legos
3. What's Inside YouTube channel
4. Snack food (specifically Cheez-Its, chips, pretzels, and string cheese)
5. Phineas and Ferb (for what it's worth, this would be on my Top 10 list, too)
6. Cheese pizza and cheeseburgers
7. Going to church
8. Babies
9. Wrestling with Daddy and Natalie (but not with me; I'm too delicate for that fool business)
10. Opening and holding doors for people

Top 10 Things You Don't Love:

1. Many foods (including beans; veggies that aren't orange and yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, and broccoli; casseroles; bread where you can see the grains/seeds; cooked fruit)
2. Scary parts in movies
3. Emptying the dishwasher (cry me a river)
4. Putting your laundry away (again, boo hoo)
5. Coloring
6. Big dogs
7. Disappointing people (you're a huge people pleaser; we're trying to harness that for good and for it to not give you anxiety)
8. The dark (you've slept with the lamp on since you were one)
9. Spiders
10. Losing a game (we're still working on teaching you how to lose both graciously and gracefully)

Top 10 Things You're Good At:

1. Math (you instinctively knew to 'count on' - like, when you first started adding a problem like 4+3 in your head, you naturally started counting at 5 and adding 3 more as opposed to counting up to 4 then adding 3)
2. Building Charlie-original Lego designs, usually vehicles
3. Reading letters that aren't there. I'm super impressed with the progress you're making with reading, but sometimes you assume you know what the next word or letter will be. So you say it, only to find out that, sadly, you're not an awesome assumer. 
4. Apologizing (you always want to make things right, but you take after your momma and sometimes apologize too much or apologize when it's not needed)
5. Throwing a Frisbee
6. Writing your letters (I'm a sucker for pretty penmanship and I'm doing my best to have your handwriting be legible)
7. Helping Daddy (I love seeing the two of you in the garage doing 'guy stuff' together)
8. Making people laugh (you're welcome for your awesome sense of humor)
9. Being charming (thank Daddy for your awesome sense of charm)
10. Praying out loud

Top 10 Things You're Not Good At:

1. Keeping your Legos organized. (Does it bother you? Not in the least. Does it make your mother super twitchy to see bins and bins and random Lego pieces? Without a doubt.)
2. Hanging up your button-down shirts on a hanger. Without fail, you'll come to me with a completely baffled look on your be-dimpled face while carrying an unbuttoned shirt and a hanger. You show me how IMPOSSIBLE it is to hang up, usually with the finesse of a hapless infomercial star when she tries to open up a carton of milk and manages to spill it all over the counter. THERE'S GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY. I button up a few of the buttons and hand it back to you. You put it on the hanger and realize that the buttons keep the shirt securely on. IT'S LIKE MAGIC.
3. Saving money (the second you get money, you want to spend it ... everything in the store becomes The Coolest Toy in the World and the Very Thing You've Been Wanting for Years and Years)
4. Quantum Physics (just like your sister ... lazy bones)
5. Waiting your turn (eh, you're six ... it comes with the territory)
6. Keeping surprises a secret (you're a professional Bean Spiller ... it's like it causes you actual pain to know about a surprise but not be able to tell someone else)
7. Doing your schoolwork without decorating your pages with a various assortment of stick figures and doodles. It's sometimes hard to see what you wrote through all the smiley faces and random shapes. It's infuriatingly adorable. Or adorably infuriating.
8. Putting in Lego arms. I insert no fewer than one set of arms into empty Lego torsos each day.
9. Sleeping in. You're a great sleeper but you have yet to realize how delicious it is to sleep in on Saturday morning. You do find it positively amazing to jump on Daddy and me on Saturday morning, however. It's a good thing you're cute.
10. Sweeping. (if the goal was to fling or to scatter, you'd get an A+; as it is, you need some improvement)

I can remember the instant my midwife handed you to me. I was hopelessly smitten and absolutely terrified. A son. I had a BOY. But I didn't know the first thing about what to do with a little boy! What do I say? What games do I play? What places do I take you to? I was stumped. But my heart was so full of newborn sweetness that I didn't care. Who knew that all I'd need to keep you happy was six hours of hair dryer noise at night and lots of cuddles during the day? And that when you got older, you needed no hair dryer but that you still liked cuddles during the day. And that you're perfectly content with a near-steady supply of cheese, carbs, and Lego time. The Lord was so generous when He gave you to us. He knew that my heart longed for you before you were even born. 

You like to use big words. It's understandable - I, too, have an incredibly smart older sister and I did my darnedest to keep up with her. Sometimes in your haste to go toe-for-toe with her you'll throw out gigantic, $10 words. I've been impressed with your correct usage for many of these words. But then there are those times. Those times when you throw out a sentence like "Look at my hair, Mommy! Do I look like a negotiate?"

Speaking of your hair, you're quite particular about it. You style the front in a specific swoopy way that makes you look like an adorable businessman. Who has a penchant for Captain America t-shirts. 

My sweet boy, you bring an ease to our family, a particular playfulness that leave us in stitches, and a soft heart that leaves us wishing the world were kinder but that by simply being you, the world is automatically kinder. You're respectful, silly, sensitive, excitable, and talented. You're incredibly friendly and extraordinarily thoughtful. Everyone who meets you is smitten by your mischievous smile and carefree attitude. 

There are two verses that I pray over you often:

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

These verses speak to me about a few of your natural, God-given strengths (kindness, respect, and protection). I pray these continue to grow as you get older, always seeking out ways to look out for and serve others. I also pray the Lord would develop and grow the areas of your life that are currently marked by scary thoughts at bedtime. I pray that you will learn to train your mind on good things, on lovely things, on things that He has created. One of the ways to do this is to realize and to remember that He is with you always. There's not a moment He's left you or forgotten about you. You are immeasurably treasured to God, my darling.

And you are to our family as well.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

October 2017 - Recap

My sweet angel,
You've seemed awfully grownie here recently. I was commenting to a dear friend about how you look so different from October 2016. I look back at our family Halloween picture from last year (when we dressed up as the Batfamily) and yesterday (when we dressed up as a 50s Family) and the difference in you is startling. And when I combine yesterday's picture with the picture of almost-two-year-old you also dressed up as a 50s girl, I have to take a deep breath. As I've said many times, I've never been one who mourns each passing stage because each new stage has been better than the one before it. But looking at your toddler sock-hop-y picture and seeing you yesterday makes me realize just how quick seven years has passed and what an amazing person you've grown into. I've loved getting to witness this growth first-hand.

You've always been artistic but you've been uber-artistic this month. We found a channel on YouTube that's full of cartooning tutorials and you've been working through them at a steady pace. I'm incredibly impressed with the smattering of cartoons you've drawn. It took a few months but I'm glad to have finally found a good art channel to supplement our homeschool curriculum.

Speaking of homeschool, it's still going great (and all the mommas said AMEN). It's fun to teach you in a grade when I specifically remember being in that grade. I loved my teacher; I loved learning what the word satchel meant (my teacher called them satchels instead of backpacks and it took well into the first day of school before I figured out what she was talking about); I loved math; I didn't love social studies. In fact, I got my first C in third grade - my final six weeks grade in social studies was a C+ and I thought that meant I wasn't going on to fourth grade. I was sobbing at my desk on the last day of school because I thought I failed the third grade.

One of the things I distinctly remember learning in the third grade was multiplication. We spent days and weeks and months going over multiplication tables. Then we spent a week or two doing 100-problem worksheet drills to test our speed and accuracy. One of my few claim to fames is that I was the only student in my class who could correctly answer 100 multiplication problems in five minutes. It took three or four tries (it took that long for me to remember that 7x8 was 56 and not 54), but I finally did it. And my reward was that I got to play with clay (like actual artist's clay, not Play-Doh) during the next day's math lesson. Which was awesome. Except that squishing and kneading the clay to where it would be soft enough to actually play with took the entire length of the math lesson. So, awesome but kinda not. However 30 years later, I still remember that 7x8=56. Boo yah.

So I'm passing on the 100-problem torch to you, my dear student. And you couldn't be more thrilled or excited to carry on this time-honored tradition. Ok, so maybe thrilled isn't the right word. Maybe eye-roll-y tolerating is more accurate. We've only done two worksheets so far but you went from missing four to only missing one (8x6 is definitely your version of my dreaded 8x7 ... psst, it's 48 not 46). And you've shaved five minutes off your time. Another boo yah.

I love being present for each of your boo yahs.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for November 1, 2017:

• NYC Attacker Followed ISIS Playbook, Planned Rampage for Weeks
• Navy recommends sweeping changes after ship collisions
• Team U.S.A. Prepares for the Winter Olympics
• Fellow soldier, intel analyst defend Bergdahl
• Harvey Weinstein banned for life from the Producers Guild of America

September 2017 - Recap

My sweet love,

Whelp, once again I forgot to write last month's recap so I'm pulling double-duty this month.

A few weeks ago, you took your second-but-you-were-too-little-to-remember-your-first trip in an airplane. We flew to Texas to go to our dear friend's wedding outside Austin and to see another set of dear friends in Houston. Flying is not my favorite thing in the world. I never feel well when I fly - it's a combination of a headache and queasiness and discomfort-from-being-six-feet-tall-and-jammed-into-a-tiny-space. When I fly, it's definitely about the destination; the journey can go jump in the lake.

But this journey included two kiddos who had never been on an airplane before - and things are always better when you see them through the eyes of first-timer. On the first leg, you and I sat next to each other and Daddy and Charlie sat next to each other. We switched kids on the way home.

We parked the car in long-term parking and waited for the shuttle to take us to the airport. You were fascinated and thrilled during the entire three-minute ride. You couldn't stop giggling and kept looking around with your mouth open. I love that you're easily impressed. It makes life so fun.

We got through security and boarded the plane without any issues, and you immediately buckled up and started reading the safety information card. That's typically your M.O. Whether we're at a public pool, a playground, a trail, or really anything with a set of rules, you immediately read them. ("Mommy, this sign says the playground is for kids who are 3-5 years years old. Charlie is five-and-a-half. Is that OK?")

You looked a little nervous as we sped up for take-off, you ooh'd and ahh'd as Nashville got smaller and smaller, and you giggled as we rose through the clouds. It was such fun to watch you react to everything. Flying with you definitely helped to distract me from feeling queasy.

And despite my pleading for you two to NOT have to go to the bathroom for the four hours we'd be in an airplane, nature came a'callin' during our flight home. I warned you beforehand that an airplane bathroom was ridiculously small and you got to see for yourself. 

One of the coolest things was when the pilot of the flight to Texas let you and Charlie sit in the cockpit as we were exiting the plane. He encouraged you two to play around with the steering wheels (is it called a steering wheel in a plane?) to get the whole 'pilot experience'. Southwest, you're top-notch.

School is in full swing and this year has already surpassed last year by leaps and bounds in terms of your excitement level and enthusiasm. We've had a few tears, of course (what would homeschool be without tears?!). But I feel like we've hit a good groove this year (whereas last year was fairly groove-less and frustrating). So thumbs up to you, Third Grade. Please don't punk out on me.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for October 2, 2017:

• At least 58 dead, more than 500 injured in Las Vegas shooting
• Tom Petty, legendary rocker, dead at 66
• OJ Simpson: What's next following prison release?
• American trio awarded Nobel Prize for Medicine
• Equifax Made Major Errors That Led to Hack, Smith Concedes

Month 68 - Recap

My best bear,
So I don't even think you know I do these recaps. Or don't do, as has been my normal for the past few months, but that's neither here nor there ... But since your darling older sister called out my slacker tendencies on keeping up with your recaps, I got back on the wagon with hers. But I can't very well recap her life and leave yours out (I mean, I can - #secondchildprobs - but I won't).

So you're now a graduate of K4 at First Presbyterian Preschool in Dothan and are now enrolled as Student #2 in the Smith Academy of Occasional Learning and Constant Cheese Consumption. I'm still working on our school's name, but the point is that I'll be homeschooling you for kindergarten. I'm both nervous and excited to be teaching you both. This will be a year of growth, full of laughs and tears, lasting memories and occasional eye rolls. But let's stop talking about me.

We got you a new bike. I don't expect Daddy and me to receive an award for Most Observant Parents for When It's Time to Upgrade Their Child's Bike. See, you've had the same Cars bike for pretty much your whole life. It's not like your bike has grown with you through the years so I'm not sure why it really never occurred to us to get you a bigger bike. With each inch you've grown, your bike looked more and more ridiculous. But you know what's funny? Daddy and I didn't even realize it (until a few weeks ago). I mean, we sort of did, but not fully. I guess we didn't realize how much you had grown (newsflash, self: a kid grows a lot in three years *facepalm*). 

Nashville is anything but flat, so we're all getting used to riding bikes over these hills (the only hills we encountered in SE Alabama were a speed bump or two). After our 2nd or 3rd bike ride, Daddy and I realized that you were struggling a lot to keep up. And it wasn't for lack of trying; you were pedaling like a mad man. It was because your bike was made for a wee baby child. So we upgraded you to the size of bike that Natalie had and upgraded her to the next size up. And wouldn't you know it, your legs aren't a blur anymore on our bike rides. Now we just need to work on our endurance. Because, oof.

A few days ago Daddy gave you and Natalie the task of bagging all the leaves from the backyard. Because of having longer arms and three years more focus, she finished bagging her piles that same evening. You, however, only finished half of your piles. It was supposed to rain the next day so I wasn't counting on the job getting finished. But after breakfast the next morning, you got your socks and shoes on and informed me that you wanted to finish you job. You were outside for an hour, bagging up the soggy-from-the-overnight-storm leaves. Never once did you complain (except for when you saw a bug. I tried to tell you that it's normal to see bugs outside, especially in leaf piles, but you were having none of it).

You finished your job without me prompting you. You knew it had to be done, so you did it. No fuss, no whining (minus the bug, of course), just hard, sweaty work. And it was probably the most proud I have ever been of you in my whole life. What may have seemed like a simple action speaks volumes about your character. I pray integrity continues to be a habit, that it becomes fully ingrained into your very person. I don't want you to shy away from hard work because it's everywhere. The Lord has given you a sweetness and compassion that's incredibly endearing - and couple that with a desire to work hard? My boy, you'll be a force to be reckoned with.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for August 9, 2017:

• North Korea Mulling Plan to Strike Guam, State Media Announces
• Google may face lawsuit alleging gender discrimination
• Ex-Astronaut Offers Bold Three-Step Plan to Put Humans on Mars
• Paris Police Hunt BMW After Soldiers Rammed in Levallois-Perret
• 'Rhinestone Cowboy' Crooner Glen Campbell Dies at 81
• Disney removing content from Netflix to make way for its own streaming service

July 2017 - Recap

My sweet girl,

So your super-slacker momma has lived up to her prestigious title and failed to do a recap for the last few months. If you were younger you'd never know. I'd just be a happy little slacker going about my happy slacking business. But nooooo. You're a voracious little book worm who reads everything she can get her hands on. This also includes your monthly recaps. You love reading about how you threw up all over me when you were a baby. You giggle endlessly about the funny things you said when you were a toddler. You delight in going through your Yearly Recaps to see if your Top 10 Lists have changed. I say all that to say this - somebody has noticed that somebody else has neglected her recap-writing duties and has been quite vocal about that failing. Very well then.

You did fun things.
You said funny things.
You ate food.
You slept in a bed.
You read a billion books.
You drew a billion pictures.
You had to write sentences because you were a sassy little potato.

And that about sums up the last few months.

Oh! I almost forgot. You had a solo in our church's musical and I sobbed all the tears (in case you didn't know by now, I'm that mom). You finished second grade (barely ... ha). And let's see, what else ... what else. Oh yes, that's right. We packed up our stuff and moved from Dothan to Nashville. A pretty boring few months, I s'pose.

So, Nashville. It's fantastic. It's busy and fast and gorgeous and delicious and full of fireflies. We're renting a two-story house; finding a one-story house isn't easy, I've come to find. I'm not a super fan of stairs (being the Queen of All Things Clumsy) but you and Charlie were thrilled when we picked our rental and you saw that it had stairs. We're almost two months into this house and we've had zero broken bones and zero tumbles down the stairs. The only injuries have been rug burns on Charlie's belly (from sliding down the stairs without a shirt on - Momma ain't got a whole lotta sympathy for that kind of injury) and a sore booty for you after your flattened cardboard box sled slipped out from underneath you and you bumped down a few stairs on your rear end. (*Note: this was not my idea. This was a Daddy activity. I was on stand-by with keys in hand should we have to make a quick trip to the ER).

Out of the two kid bedrooms, yours is noticeably bigger (Older Sibling Privileges for the win!). You have a little nook in one end of your room where we've put a desk and some of your art supplies. When Daddy and I showed you the final result (the desk with its shelf filled with blank paper and five metal buckets full of markers and pens and colored pencils hanging on the wall) you squealed and jumped up and down. "I FEEL LIKE A GROWN UP KID NOW!!!"

And I have to admit when I see you at your desk, working on your latest masterpiece, you do look so grown. It's pretty awesome. And slightly heartbreaking because you're not so little anymore. But mostly it's awesome. Because as you'll remember from previous recaps, when you were little, you threw up on me all the time. And that was most assuredly not awesome.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for August 1, 2017:

• North Korean missiles may reach US, but lack effective re-entry: analysts
• Scaramucci removed as White House communications director after 11 days on the job
• Los Angeles Awarded 2028 Olympics In Deal With IOC; Paris Gets 2024 Games
• Jailbreak: Inmates used peanut butter to fool guard
• 'Smoldering': Historic Heat Wave to Hit Northwest
• World's Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge Opens in Swiss Alps

March 2017 - Recap

My darling dollbaby,

You got a part in our church's musical! You have two lines as the Mayor's wife. You reeeeeally wanted a speaking part and you've been praying super hard that the director would give you a part, regardless of how big or small. What impressed me the most, though, is that you also prayed for God to keep you from being grumpy if you didn't get a part, that all you wanted was for the director to make the right decisions - and that if you weren't the best choice for any parts, you wanted to be OK with it. You were just excited to sing and dance with the rest of the kiddos. But you did get a part! And I can't wait to watch you shine as Mrs. Mayor.

The biggest news of your eight-plus years of existence occurred yesterday. YOU LEARNED HOW TO RIDE A BIKE WITHOUT TRAINING WHEELS! You've been trying for years (literally) to figure out this whole balancing thing. It's confounded you each and every time, and most every bike riding session ended with you in huffs and wails and sighs of epic proportions.

But yesterday. Yesterday. Daddy took you outside to practice again and he came in a few minutes later telling me that you were close. I came outside to see you teetering and tottering down the driveway. I walked back into the house fairly impressed. Not ten minutes later, you ran into the house screeching at me that you just rode down the street and back by yourself. I was all, whaaaaaaaa?

I walked outside and, sure enough, you hopped on your bike and zoomed off down the street as if you've been riding for years and years. Seriously. Once it clicked, it clicked hard and there was no turning back. No wobbling, no hesitation, no nothing. You fell once into the grass when you turned into some loose gravel but that's been it!

I'm so proud of you.

I love how your timing is uniquely you. It may not be typical, but why would it be? Why should it be? You are anything but typical and I love that about you. I pray you'll always be unique, always maintaining your own timing for doing things, always striving to be the best you can be. You are such a treasure, my rad little Boss Rider.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for April 1, 2017:

• The Coolest Parents in the World Celebrate Their 11th Anniversary
• Texas Church Bus Crash: Witness Account Highlights Dangers of Texting While Driving
• Sen. Schumer Says It’s Unlikely Gorsuch Will Reach 60 Votes
• Chicago Police Make Arrest in Sexual Assault Shown on Facebook
• Beyoncé Is the Top Pick to Voice Nala in 'Lion King' Movie
• National Parks Could See Budget Cuts
• New Images of Tennessee Teen Allegedly Abducted by Teacher Give Hope to Girl's Family

Months 63 & 64 - Recap

Hello second child,
Whoops. Forgot about Month 63. Well, I mean, I didn't forget about Month 63. We did things, you built Legos, you aggravated your sister, you ate lots of carbs and cheese - it was a good month. But I forgot to document that month on time. Soooo yeah. My bad.

Know what else I forgot? I forgot to check your school bag one Friday in Month 63 that informed me that you were scheduled to be the Start Student for the following week. I didn't check your school bag until five minutes before we left for school the Monday of your Star Student week. I read the letter informing me of this Most Highest Honor in K4 and telling me the necessary supplies (five photos of the aforementioned Star Student and a questionnaire) and was all "Oh SNAP. I stink at momming." I told you how I messed up and you looked positively brokenhearted. But you mustered up all the maturity a five-year-old could muster and told me "It's ok, Mommy. Don't worry about it. I don't have to be a Star Student." And I was all "Oh no way, Jose. You're going to be a Star Student. This was my fault so I'll fix it." And your darling teacher did indeed fix it. You got to be the Star Student for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (you had a dentist appointment on Tuesday) and the entire next week. You were beaming from ear to ear. Your teacher is the cat's pajamas.

You've been doing magic tricks lately. And darn it if your magic tricks aren't some of the cutest things on the planet. Your showmanship is an A+. Your slight-of-hand, however, is a solid D. For your "pick a card, any card" trick, you fan out a stack of cards. We pick a card, look at it, then hand it back to you. Then you (oh-so obviously) put that card on the bottom of the stack. You make a dramatic show of saying abracadabra and waving your magic wand then you pull the bottom-most card while you say "Is this your card?" And, shock-of-all-shocks, it is our card! You're so pleased with your magic trick that you run back to your bedroom to bring out another one.

This trick involves a hat. You bring out your baseball hat turned upside down (so the open end is facing up). You wave your magic wand over the hat and say "I'm going to make a ball appear out of the hat." After a few abracadabras, you turn over the hat and, voila! A ball falls out! Amazing! Stupendous! You love explaining the 'secret' of how there was a ball in the hat THE WHOLE TIME! Who woulda thunk it?! NOBODY, I tell ya.

You've turned the top of your dresser into a one-of-a-kind Lego city. At any one time, it has a church, a school, a jail, a construction site, Batman fighting Spider-Man, and various assortment of cars and boats. It's beyond fantastic. And you're so proud of it.

My momma heart is often at the verge of bursting when it comes to you, sweet boy. You're simply one of a kind.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for March 9, 2017:

• Texas woman uses social media to give homeless man new lease on life
• Trump Admin Ups Drone Strikes, Tolerates More Civilian Deaths: Officials
• Fierce Nor'easter Goes Easy on Most Big East Coast Cities
• Kids Crash Professor's BBC Interview on Live TV
• Somali pirates demand ransom for oil tanker, EU force says

February 2017 - Recap

My sweet princess,
You're in our church's musical, and if there's ever been something that seems tailor-made for my singing-and-dancing-and-twirling-and-flair-for-the-dramatic little peach, it's a musical. To say I'm excited to see the performance is a huge understatement.

I love that you like to talk about things. Recently you've wanted to talk about your dream home. So while we eat dinner, we go around the table and we each say one thing we'd love to have in our dream home. So based on this game I learned this about you: you'd like a big backyard with a swimming pool and a swingset. And you want a big desk in your bedroom full of your pens, pencils, markers, and crayons - all organized into cute little bins and buckets. In case you were curious, Charlie's dream home would also include a pool, but it would be made completely out of Legos. And he, too, would have a big desk, but, again, it would be made completely out of Legos. And one of the drawers in the desk would be filled completely with --- you guessed it --- Legos. Mommy and Daddy both want a big kitchen, I want an actual laundry room, lots of crown moulding, and a giant shower, Daddy wants a big(ger) yard.

I so treasure the time you and I can have our one-on-one time. The older you get, the more important and precious (and perhaps rare) this time will be. I love hearing your thoughts (that you want lots of fun bins and buckets to organize your craft supplies made my heart sing), your story ideas, your original songs, how to handle difficult (but inevitable) situations - I love it all.

You are fascinating, my dear girl, and I pray that one day you and I can spend a lazy afternoon in our pool, talking about everything and nothing, then dry off with towels we got from the dryer located in an actual laundry room, then go eat some yummy snacks in the big kitchen of our dream home. But for right now, I love talking to you while we eat snacks in our not-so-big kitchen, and look out the window and watch the silly squirrels play in our pool-less backyard.

While a giant shower, a big kitchen, and a laundry room would be nice, a dream home is wherever my people are. So my dream home is right here with you three.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for March 1, 2017

• PricewaterhouseCooper Accountants Behind Oscars Flub Booted From Show
• Lego Making 'Women of NASA' Figures
• Two Women Charged in Kim Jong Nam's Death by VX Nerve Agent
• Oprah Hints at White House Run Against Trump
• Dow Soars 300 Points, Closes Above 21,000 for the First Time

January 2017 - Recap

My sweet eight-year-old,
You decided this month that you were going to learn how to roller skate. We went to the local skating rink before Christmas with some friends and you managed to stomp and inch your way around the rink a few times but there was very little actual gliding (in other words, very little actual skating) going on.

So Daddy walked with you up and down the driveway as you slowly got your balance. And once school started back up, you used the incentive of skating afterwards to focus on school (and not daydream about unicorns and rainbows - ahem).

The first day of skating lessons, you and I were a hot mess. You spent more time on your rear than on your feet, despite my attempts at holding you up (#momfail). It happened to be trash day that day and the trash collectors had a good time watching us go (fall) up and down our street. We considered it our good deed for the day.

The second day didn't see much improvement. But by the third day, you insisted I let go of your hand while we were in the driveway. And suddenly it felt like you were 18 and leaving for college.

Never in my eight years of being your momma have I been overly concerned about you getting hurt. I figured a broken arm or a twisted ankle is a part of growing up. In fact, you and I often talk about what color you want your first cast to be. See? I just don't think a broken bone is that big of a deal. Now I don't encourage you to be foolish, but I'm not going to discourage you, for instance, from climbing high on the playground equipment for fear you may fall. I will caution you to watch where you put your feet, but I want you to gain confidence in trusting your body to do the awesome things God created it to do. But for some reason, I wasn't prepared to let you go. I didn't want you to get hurt. I didn't want you to grow up and not need my hand. I didn't want any of that. WHERE DID ALL THESE FEELINGS COME FROM?!

You insisted I let go of you and I flat out told you no.

You: Momma, let go!
Me: No way, man! You're not ready to skate on your own!
You: Of course I am! I'm never gonna learn if you keep holding my hand!
Me: I don't have plans to go to the ER today, so I'm not letting your hand go. Sorry.
You: But I won't fall! And even if I do, we've already talked about it - I'm getting a purple cast. It's not that big of a deal, right?
Me: [super annoyed that you used my words against me] Fine.

I let go and you proceed to almost fall about 200 times. And you actually fell about 5 times. And each time I felt my heart leave my body and slam on the ground right beside your fanny.

Fast forward just three short days later and you can skate up the street and back again all by yourself (meaning without holding my hand - I'm still walking beside you). You're slow going and you've got the benefit of the rough asphalt to keep you from going too fast, but you're skating. I'm so proud of you. Seeing your focused face, seeing your determination when each time you fell down you immediately popped back up, and seeing the joy when you figured it out was such an awesome experience for me.

My reaction completely surprised me, and although my heart has finally returned to a normal rhythm, I imagine there will be many more times for my heart to jump out of my chest. But please know my hand is always available for you. You may not need it (or even want it) but it will never not be here for you to hold.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for February 2, 2017

• Democrats Fuming Over Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch Backed Him in 2006
• Lady Gaga says her Super Bowl concert is 'for everyone'
• Police Use Backhoe to Breach Prison, End Standoff; 1 Dead
• Protests, Violence Prompt UC Berkeley to Cancel Milo Yiannopoulos Event
• Donald and Ivanka Trump Make Unannounced Trip to Honor Fallen SEAL

Month 62 - Recap

My sweet master builder,
Like I wrote in Natalie's recap, Daddy and I mixed up Christmas this year for you and Natalie. Instead of letting you two rip open all of your presents within 20 minutes and then find yourselves overwhelmingly surrounded by toys, we insisted that you two play with each toy after you open it. It prevented you from being overwhelmed ("I don't know what to play with FIRST!!! Waaaaaa!!!") and it allowed Christmas to last all day (and to even extend to the next day).

You got some cool books and toys but your big gift was a cool Lego police station (that your awesome mom found for 50% off). You usually put together Lego sets and then immediately disassemble them and make your own creations out of the pieces. My Type-A brain shudders every time you do this but I'm learning to just look away when Chuckzilla comes to destroy something. And honestly, the things you create with a pile of random pieces blows me away. I pretty much need an instruction sheet to build anything more intricate than a MiniFigure but you can build the most amazing things from just your imagination. You're quite the master builder indeed. I've asked if you'd just prefer a big bucket of Legos instead of sets since you never keep the sets together but you insist you like the sets better. Color me confused.

Anywho, we bought you the Lego police station and I assumed two things:

1. You'd need a LOT of help since it's a pretty giant set
2. You'd (we'd) build it and then immediately tear it apart to build one of your creations

I was wrong on both accounts. Well, kind of wrong. You put together about 80% of it yourself. You have a hard time following each instruction and sometimes would prefer to just skip to step 10, having ignored step 4 and 8. But by the time step 11 would come around, you'd get all frustrated because some piece wouldn't fit because of the critical pieces you left out in the steps 4 and 8. So we had to help you a few times by retracing your steps and making sure you included all the pieces. But we had to help you a lot less than we were expecting.

You had the entire set built in three days and you kept it perfectly assembled for almost three weeks. This is a new Charlie Bear Record. Then, a few days ago, you decided that a tornado passed through the town and destroyed the police station. You haven't tried to build anything with the pieces yet, choosing instead to leave the mayhem just as it is. Good times.

These are indeed good times. YOU are a good time, my angel bear. I'm so tickled to be your momma.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for January 9, 2017:

• President-Elect Trump Lashes Out at Meryl Streep After Golden Globes Speech
• Ft. Lauderdale Airport Shooting Suspect Heads to Court
• Wilkes Barre Faces Heroin Scourge Turning it into the Most Unhappy Place in America
• Subway Strike Brings London to Standstill, Strands Millions
• The U.S. Dropped an Average of 3 Bombs Per Hour Last Year
• TV news report prompts viewers' Amazon Echo devices to order unwanted dollhouses

2016 - Year End Review

Why hello there, my mature grown-up girl (your words, not mine). You never cease to amaze me with what comes out of your mouth and I've been tickled endlessly these past eight years (well, these past six years - you hardly said a word your first two years. But I think you've more than made up for it.)

Here are your mature, grown-up Top 10 Lists!

10 Things You Love

1. Gymnastics
2. Wrestling with Charlie
3. Being tickled
4. Singing
5. Drawing/coloring/painting
6. Pink and/or purple and/or sparkly clothes
7. Swimming
8. Traveling. You love new cities.
9. Church
10. Quality time (I do believe I've found your love language)

10 Things You Don't Love

1. Emptying the dishwasher (I often have to explain to you that in life, we don't only get to do that which we like to do)
2. Naps (A DNA test may be in order)
3. Humid weather (A DNA test isn't at all necessary)
4. Only a few foods (namely beans, cooked carrots, cumin) 
5. Bees/wasps/yellow jackets
6. Learning something new (New concepts introduce the opportunity for you to get things wrong! A fate worse than death!)
7. Automatic flushing toilets
8. Not being involved in every conversation. It seems to cause you physical pain.
9. Being corrected. (Ahhh, humility. 'Tis a tough thing to teach a precocious one.)
10. Disappointing people

10 Things You're Good At

1. Math
2. Doing cartwheels and handstands
3. Making rubber band bracelets
4. Handwriting (makes my lettering-loving heart so happy)
5. Following directions
6. Being encouraging
7. Being funny. Your wit is razor-sharp.
8. Making cards for people
9. Being friendly and an include-r. Please, oh please, keep this up.
10. Singing. We need to work on your volume control, but you can definitely carry a tune in a bucket.

10 Things You're Not Good At

1. Sleeping in (you're a great sleeper but you're not a good sleeper-in-er)
2. Sitting still ... you fidget, you stir, you flip, you flop, you spend so much time trying to get comfortable that I'll be old and gray by the time you find the perfect position.
3. Focusing while I read to you during school. I'll read out of your history or science book, look over to you, and can practically see the daydreams floating above your head. Rainbow unicorns are fantastic but I'm pretty sure they weren't present while Washington crossed the Delaware or while scientists were naming the parts of the flower.
4. SPEAKING IN A NORMAL VOLUME.
5. Acting. Pretending to be asleep, trying to act natural when you're playing a joke on someone, maintaining a poker face when we play a game - none of these are things in which you excel.
6. Not interrupting. You so want to be included in every conversation - even if the conversation is adult-y and boring and doesn't involve you in the slightest - so you interject any chance you get (or any chance you take) with a question or a comment, related or unrelated. 
7. Rinsing all the conditioner out of your hair. Granted your hair is impossibly thick, but still. You often come out of the shower with your hair still feeling like a gooey slimeball.
8. Keeping the dramatic tone to an acceptable level. Lawsy mercy.
9. Doing a flip on the trampoline. And the fact that Charlie CAN do a flip on the trampoline goes over like a lead balloon. It infuriates you that he can do something that you can't.
10. Quantum physics. *sigh*

My heart skips a beat or two when I think about how you're halfway to 16. 

You've changed a lot this year. You've lost a few teeth and grew some new ones, so your smile has changed dramatically since you turned seven. Your hair has gotten a lot longer (and, therefore, a lot more tangly) and you've gotten a few inches taller.

You and Charlie have become so close this year. You two still squabble over silly things and I still have to play referee, but my time spent repairing hurt feelings has gotten less and less and you two have gotten better and better at working things out on your own. You and Charlie can spend hours lost in your imaginative world of police officers, unicorns, shipwrecks, and world travel. It's so fun listening to you guys play. It's, um, slightly less fun when both of you come to me with pouty faces because Charlie won't play exactly the way you tell him to, but c'est la vie. 

This has been a pretty emotional year. Lots of things have made you cry, lots of things have made you upset, and lots of things have made you stomp around the house and huff Big Bad Wolf-sized huffs. And on the flip side, lots of things have made you squeal, lots of things have made you jump up and down, and lots of things have made you laugh great big belly laughs.

It ain't easy being a girl, sweet love, and I can't tell you I'll always have the right answer or the wisest advice, but I will tell you this: you are not alone. I understand big feelings because I feel them, too. Big feelings are tough, baffling, and exhausting. Big feelings can also be beautiful. But above all, big feelings can remind us that the Lord is with us. Because when we feel all the things and don't know how to process them, He is there to calm our storm. He is there to carry us through the storm. Feelings aren't reliable as facts, but boy, are they good at pointing to our need to spend some time with our Father. 

I pray that you'll find comfort in praying through these feelings with God. He's the safest One to turn to; He loves you like nobody else in the world ever has or ever will. It's an honor to teach you how to process these big feelings and an even bigger honor to see you building a relationship with Him. 

You are the answer to so many of my prayers, my angel girl. Being a mom is awesome. Being your mom? Well that's a privilege that's beyond compare. I like growing up right alongside you.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

December 2016 - Recap

My sweet baby,

I'm still trying to process that you turn eight today, so if some of this recap is scatterbrained, you'll understand why.

Daddy and I changed things up for Christmas this year. I have a dear friend whose children make Christmas last all day because they play with each toy as they open it - as opposed to the "open a present up, toss it to the side, open another one up, toss it to the side, repeat ad nauseam" method that you (and many, I assume) kids take on Christmas morning. That causes all the presents to be opened in 20 minutes, then you're surrounded by a bunch of toys and you don't know what to play with first. And this often triggers meltdowns, bad attitudes, and poor behavior - not the kind of things I want to have on Christmas morning. 

So Daddy and I decided that you and Charlie would play with each toy as you opened it. At first you two looked very confused but once we explained how easy the day would go by doing things this way - and how you could possibly be opening presents up until dinner! - you were both on board. And Christmas morning turned out to be a dream! It was peaceful and joy-filled and thankful-filled. There was no sense of urgency, no sense of panic, and nobody got overwhelmed or grouchy. In fact, you two took so long opening presents that you still had one left to open on the 26th! A Christmas miracle!

We took a quick, impromptu trip to New Orleans between Christmas and New Years. We haven't been in years and it's one of our favorite cities, particularly because it's where Daddy went to college (and because of the beignets). It was such a short, busy trip but we all had such a good time. We ate some wonderful food (see above: beignets), road the street car, and saw a great dance troupe perform a show on the way to dinner. In fact, you got to perform with the dance troupe! They asked for kid volunteers and you shot your hand up as high as you could reach. You're such your daddy's girl. (While Charlie buried himself safely in Daddy's arms - he's such my child). You did a cute little dance with a few other kid volunteers and you got paid $20 for your work!

You sweetly offered to split your money with Charlie so you could both get some New Orleans souvenirs. You picked out a pretty, handpainted, purple wooden monkey with a coiled wire to place a picture in it. And Charlie picked out an alligator head. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for January 1, 2017:

• New Year's massacre at Istanbul nightclub leaves at least 39 dead
• Vandal changes iconic LA sign to 'Hollyweed'
• President-Elect Trump calls Russia's Putin 'Very Smart'
• Hundreds Attend Light Saber Walk to Honor Carrie Fisher
• Queen, 90, Misses New Year Church Service Due to Heavy Cold