Posts
All Comments
Happy happy joy joy! A good day was had by all today. I would write a big post about it, but I am wiped out and short on time. We get ready tomorrow to fly to Alabama on Wednesday to visit C's side of the family and there is not enough time to do it all. BUT I am here to say that I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that I will see you in the new year! We will be back on the 2nd, so I doubt I will post before then. Happy New Year!
I grew up in Upstate New York, born in the Adirondacks to be exact. I know what it is to wake up to fresh snow on the ground. I also know what it is like to not see the ground under that snow for months on end. I have made snowballs and igloos, snow angels and forts. I have laid in the snow and watched the newly falling flakes settle around me for hours (no kidding!). I have, also, shoveled driveways, scraped ice and snow off of car windows (every freaking day, sometimes), had near death experiences on roads covered with frozen water in one form or another, and been stranded places by the pretty white stuff. Yes, I have a love/hate relationship with snow.
But, when you live in the desert, snowfall is few and far between. It does not stick around long, if it even "sticks" at all. Yes, you can drive to see it any time you want up on the mountain. But, sometimes, maybe once a year, you can wake up to find a little of the frozen white water gracing your yard. If you are really lucky it will stick around long enough to make a snowball or even a tiny snowman.
This was one of those mornings. Not having anything scheduled for this day, I did not have any set time I needed to be up and about. I did, however, set my alarm, to help shift my wakeup time earlier in prep for a very early wake up on Friday. It was unusually dark when I awoke. Must be cloudy, I thought as I got out of bed. Something prompted me to peek out the blinds. There it was. Snow on our trampoline, only on the edges, but still. Snow. E was already up with me, so I went into A's room and woke her to show her the snow. We went downstairs and out in the backyard to touch it before it melted. If I had not set my alarm, it would have melted before we had a chance to see it. Such is the ephemeral nature of snow in the desert.
E got a handful and I took a couple pictures. That is all we had time for. This time.
Success
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
I ran across this on the internet this week and just had to share. Most of you have probably seen it in one form or another. Who the author is is unclear, but what is clear is that this person really GOT it. They understood what life is all about. Notice there is no mention of money or stuff or fancy degrees or fame. By these measures, I am quite successful in life. And so are my children. Now. Not some day in the future when they grow up and get a job. Not only are they already successful, but they are set up for a life of great success because they know what is important. Maybe not if you were to sit them down and quiz them on it, but by how they live. They laugh every day, they impress people all the time with their minds, other children love them, they see beauty all around them and fail to see the faults in others. Not bad for eight and six, huh?
Our Entry
Candy Cane Cookies
E Placing the Star
Wooden Santa made by my mother
The Cookie Decorating Aftermath
Merry Christmas Everyone!!
In case you were wondering what kept me from writing here 
THIS time, I have a good excuse. We went for a little trip down to San Diego to visit my friend Flo and her family, go to Sea World and get in some ocean-time. We left Thursday morning and made it to Flo's early enough to take a walk to a nearby park to get the wiggles out after a long drive. There was the coolest playground! I have never seen anything like it. It had all these amazing, moving, spinning and climbing contraptions, with an organic/futuristic look. The one on the right was a ring that rotated on an angle. Here is Daddy and the girls playing around with using their weight to get it spinning and trying to stay on. Physics galore there!
We headed back to Flos' after the sun set and had pizza, catching up and letting the girls play. They had not seen each other for two years, but was like no time had passed! It was the same for me and Flo. This visit was sweeter than ever now that they have decided to unschool their girls. Their oldest, C, is a year younger than E, but in true unschooling fashion, they were best buddies. They dressed up and danced for us. A was doing her own dance style in the background. I think I caught her mid-grand jette! We left for our hotel and a good night's rest as the big day at Sea World started the next morning.
Flo and family met us at the entrance the next morning and we had a great day, doing as much of the park as we could manage, 
which was less than A was happy with and more than I thought we could get in. Some of the highlights were the dolphin, seal and Shamu shows, petting and feeding the Bat Rays, the cool playground, and watching the walruses. A was in animal heaven, even teaching her father a few things about the animals, but E was actually the one to mention wanting to be one of the trainers when she 
grows up. I had thought A would want that, but I guess she wants the whole shebang by being a zoo director. She must feel that she would have interactions with many more kinds of animals that way. The Shamu show was very touching and even though we sat in the "soak zone" we did not get wet. Which was a good thing since it was getting late and cooling off! We closed the place down, sneaking in a quick trip to the gift shop on the way out as the sun set. Good day.
Saturday was another unseasonably warm and sunny San Diego day, so we took a trip to the beach to soak up the view, feel the sand and do some shell collecting. The surf was very high and it was a joy to watch those breakers crash and to hear the thunder of it. Not a day for getting in, 
for sure, nevermind the crazy surfer dudes. The girls frolicked with Flo's girls, getting wet and cold, but not seeming to mind a bit. Flo and I chatted and watched and took pictures from mostly dry beach, while the guys got in the surf and stayed close to the kids. They headed back to get the baby down for her nap, and we stayed a little longer, not willing to say goodbye to the ocean quite yet. Without my friend to talk to, I decided to go ahead and brave the cold water. So, I took off my shoes and socks and went down to play with the girls. Right as we were getting ready to leave, a big wave came up behind us and got my nice rolled up pants wet as we ran for higher ground! I, too, was christened that day by the Pacific.
Back at Flo's, we decorated Christmas ornaments and had a nice dinner together before we had to leave. It was sad to say goodbye and we hope they come up our way for a visit soon! Sunday morning we got up and drove home, wiped out, but happy to have had our wonderful weekend.
Ok, here is the full story on our weekend. A wanted to go to Build-a-Bear to buy herself a Happy 
Feet penguin. The first BaB she ever got was a birthday gift and since then she has wanted one for her birthday, but she also wanted a different present from us, so she 
buys one with her own money. Every year she has me help her be sure to save enough money for the BaB animal. So, on Saturday we headed downtown to one of the casino malls to get her her penguin. Of course, E wanted one too and thankfully she had enough money for it! A told me later that she really likes the workers there because they are so nice. The guy we had that day was especially enthusiastic, I thought he was embarrassing the girls, but I guess not! E named hers Rumble and A couldn't decide so she came home with a blank "birth certificate". Since then the name Freezy has been chosen.
After the penguins were stuffed, we had some dinner in the mall and then it was time for the big surprise of the day. I had gotten tickets for Lance Burton, Master Magician! A has wanted to see that show since we moved here. It was really cool and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. My mind was swirling with "how did he do that?'s. E wants to be one of the "girls" of course. Not only was Lance a great magician, but he was a great guy, too. Lots of kids were called up on stage to help with tricks. A said before the show that she did not want to volunteer, but afterward, she was changing her tune. If we had not been in the balcony, she might have done it! It was a good night.
Sunday was the birthday proper and we had a party planned. But first gifts were opened. We 
got A a Pet Vet kit, which she has enjoyed a lot in the last few days, ministering to her extensive collection of stuffed animals. I also got her a necklace with a silver 'A' 
on it that she had wanted one day when we were shopping together. I went back and got it for her later. E basically did the same thing with her gift. In the grocery store, A had pointed out this huge stuffed zebra as something she would have wanted for her birthday if I had not already bought her her gift. E whispered to me that she wanted to come back to get the zebra for A. So, she and Daddy went out to get it. A was very surprised!
Daddy took the girls to church without me so that I could finish getting the house ready for the party. You never seem to have enough time to get it all in, do you? Two of her friends came home with them and the girls decorated with balloons and streamers before the rest of the girls arrived. A's grandparents and her Aunt called before the party began. A spent some time on the phone with her Aunt K; here she is pacing a path across the back of the couch, down to the coffee table and back to the couch!
A wanted a "girl" party, so 8 of her girlfriends were invited and we 
planned things like manicures and making homemade lip balm, with a flavor of their choice. We had sparkling lemonade in champagne flutes (plastic) and pizza. 
The girls all sat on the floor of the family room and toasted to A with their lemonade (birthday girl on the far left). It was so sweet! Near the end of the "official" party time, we did the cake thing. It was a zebra cake that I had fun making. A's friend S was on the phone with their friend M in Kansas during the candle blowing and M
sang "Happy Birthday" to A over the phone when she was done blowing out the candles. It was a testament to the kind of friend A attracts. All the girls seemed to have fun and A was very happy with how her party turned out. She was just so pleased to be eight!
She is growing up so fast, it boggles my mind sometimes. Oh, a quick story to wrap up: One of her girlfriends gave her some cash as her present. I saw that she had given her sister one of the dollar bills and asked her how much she had. She counted it out. 12 dollars. She then proceeded to hand each of the girls sitting around her one of the bills. There was a huge smile on her face as she did this, and the girls were thrilled as well. Later, A told me as I tucked her in to bed how good that made her feel. She said "Now I understand the true spirit of Christmas!" My heart just about burst! If this is eight, I am gonna love it.
I hope this works because I really love this video and wanted to bring it here to save for all posterity! Makes me cry every time...
To see the high resolution version you can go here. The animation is worth the wait.
My sweet girl turned eight today and I am so proud of her. She is growing up and turning into such a sweet young lady. I will fill you all in on our wild birthday weekend as soon as my camera battery charges so I can upload the pictures. But for now I just want to mark this day here on my blog as a very special day. Eight years ago today I became a mother for the first time. A has taught me so much in the last eight years. Even today I had a lesson from her on forgiveness and how to love. She is an amazing girl and I am so thankful for her in my life. Happy Birthday A!!
