The Big Snow 2010 (Day 1)

I am still floored at how very different snow can be from time to time! This snow was fluffy for the first few inches, but then was packed down under a few inches of sleet. The result was snow that was fabulously fast for sledding (but not so good for doing anything else). Today was truly a sledding day. It was my favorite sledding ever, . . . it wasn't as deep as last time (about 5 inches), and we didn't need as steep of an incline to go fast. We slid right down our snow-covered road! Once we made a snow track, it was like a roller coaster over and over again. SO FUN!!! With our brand new blow-up snow tubes and a jump rope we made "The Family Toboggan" and we slid down the road as a family over and over again! It was so much fun! Annie, who was a little skooch today, ; ) got the best of it. I don't think she ever walked up the hill once herself, . . . we were always pulling her behind, . . . with her maxing and relaxing on the tube, sucking down sleety snow to drink. ; )

Flying Bunnies

Today Annie was on a mission to be a "Flying Bunny." She played with the dress-up clothes absolutely ALL DAY. Lots of bracelets. Lots of necklaces. Lots of clip-on earrings. And a very proud Annie! Eventually, our Valentine bobble-hearts became her "ears." She was all dolled up and hopping all around! When it came time to pick Leia Rose up from school, Annie cried because she had left her "ears"at home, . . . but finally conceded, "Okay, I guess I can still be a bunny. [Sniff, Sniff]" And we ended the bunny day by my two bunnies having their first "spa treatment" for their hands with Mamma's new early Valentine gift from Brian: a paraffin wax warmer! (LOVE IT!) No more dry/cracked winter hands for us! : )

Annie's Lip

Poor Annie. What a day it was this Wednesday when she had to have the (big) bump on the inside of her bottom lip removed. About a month ago, Dr. Reid (the girls' dentist) noticed a "mucus seal" on Annie's bottom lip. It got bigger and bigger and bigger. He said to take her to an oral surgeon if it didn't go away in a month, so we did. Meanwhile, Mamma was doing some MAJOR dentist role playing with Annie, . . . even using Orajel to numb her mouth so she could tell what it would feel like. The result: a totally relaxed Annie! (And Mamma did a really good job hiding her nervousness.) Annie was simply happy that she was promised a pony afterwards. : ) The nurses and the doctor (or the "dentist" as we told Annie) were FLOORED that Annie was so calm. Everyone came to talk with her and marvel at her blue eyes and happy demeanor. Anyway, it only took a minute or so, . . . no tears, just an "Ow. OW!" when she was given a shot of Novocaine. My instructions? Take her to get ice cream immediately (in lieu of an ice pack), . . . then to get children's Motrin, . . . then to get the pony. Well, we high-tailed it to Kilwin's (the famous ice cream shop in town). Annie requested a strawberry ice cream. BUT she literally took three licks and I noticed what I thought was a hair hanging from her top lip. Nope. It was the stitches! Suddenly the flood gates opened and Annie bled all over the ice cream shop!!! Annie, who has a mild fear of blood, absolutely freaked out. I'm afraid I did too (as I kept weighing emergency room vs. back to the doctor). I RAN with Annie all the way back to the car, got back to the doctors office, and the doctor had gone to lunch!!! The nurses worked with us to stop the bleeding, . . . and then went out to buy Annie both Motrin and FOUR PONIES with their own money!!! The doctor came back and did the whole surgery AGAIN! This time Annie cried a little bit, but she was still good. : ) Now the stitches held and we could leave. . . . and later we went back to Kilwin's with Leia and Alexis to get the free cones the owner had promised us. WHEW! Poor little Annie. Posted are before and after pictures, as well as us at Kilwin's and Annie with her ponies. : )

Leia's Cheerleading

Ever since the possibility came up, Leia Rose has been begging us to allow her to cheer for the Immaculata basketball team: the Stars. This brings back SO many memories of cheering at Saint Helens School! Here is Leia in her cheer uniform. The little ones only cheer at the girls' games, so as not to make it too long and overwhelming for them. I just love the third shot of Leia when she realized (from across the court) that we were attending her first game! Annie, however, wasn't thrilled with the prospect of basketball. The whistles and buzzers were a bit too much for her. "I will just sit here and cover my ears. And, no, I do NOT want to read a book about basketball."

Playdate with Morgan

It was so very special to finally have Leia's little friend Morgan over to our home this evening for a "dinner playdate." Yep, Morgan couldn't get enough of our bunny or the Calico Critter house. : )

Overnight at Oma's

Tonight Brian and I got to go on our first date in years! We went so see Avatar so Oma and Papa agreed to babysit the girls, . . . and we gave the girls a choice as to whether they wanted to come home afterwards or stay at Oma's house. The response was overwhelming: "STAY AT OMA'S!!!"

No Hit! No Push! No People Named ANDREW!

The drawings of children are really telling, aren't they? This is a sign that Leia has been posting near all of her games lately. Now is the time to bring up Leia's big school issue this year: Andrew. Andrew came to the class as a new student this year and Leia noticed right away that there was something severely wrong. Fighting, hitting, kicking, disrespect, violence, bathroom words, . . . and severe classroom disruption. "Mamma, Andrew made this the worst day EVER!" I was in constant contact with the teacher whose responses at least originated with extreme concern. We began (and continued) with the question "What would Jesus do?", but when Andrew began leaving red welts on my child and hitting her in the head with balls, . . . Brian and I went to the principal. Long story short, there is mainstreaming going on here. Teachers are told to ignore all behavior that isn't violent. Our response was to be honest with Leia, in terms that her little-kid mind can understand: "There is something wrong in this child's brain that makes him act differently than other children. This does not mean it is okay for YOU to act this way. The teacher is watching him closely and will punish him at the proper time (which is never in front of the class). Always, always be kind, Leia! But honey, please try to stay away from him! And if he says something horrible right to your face, why don't you say, 'God bless you, Andrew.'" Ironically, Leia had already come up with a better tactic. "Oh, Mamma, I am already doing something that works. When Andrew says something horrible, I just smile." Wow. I am SO proud of her!