The Ooh La La Beauty Spa

One night before my mom had to leave for a meeting, she read me Fancy Nancy's book, Ooh La La!  It's Beauty Day!  While she was gone, I got an idea that was stupendous.  (That's a fancy word for wonderful.)

I followed the directions in the book exactly and set up a beauty spa in Mommy's bathroom.  Daddy tripped over our Spa when he was trying to bathe Reese, and so he convinced us to wait until the morning to set the spa up (convinced is a fancy word for required).

First thing in the morning, I popped out of bed and raced down the stairs.  In no time at all, I had the Ooh La La Beauty Spa set up for Mom.  I was so excited that she got right out of bed and came to the spa right away - before she had a chance to put in contacts, wash her face, or get coffee.  But when someone is as ecstatic as I was to get started, it's contagious.

I followed Fancy Nancy's book exactly... I had magazines for her to read (Discovery Kids and ZooBooks), a little Barbie bathtub full of water for her to soak her feet, rose petals scattered across the floor, a recorder to play for her while she relaxed, nail polish, hair brushes and spray, and so much more.

We painted her toenails and then used the hair dryer to make sure they were really set.  Then we rubbed  lotion on her legs.  I don't want to brag, but I was really thorough.  Next came Dad's turn with the lotion and then came time to fix Mom's hair.  I didn't have bananas and cucumbers for the face mask, so I told Mom I was just going to use lotion and oranges instead.  Right then is when Mommy looked at her watch and realized that it was time to get ready for the day.  

We had to pause the Ooh La La Beauty Day but Mom promised we'd get stuff for a proper face mask and finish it sometime soon.  

Mom is awfully lucky to have such a fancy daughter who is so inspired (that's a fancy way to say that the book gave me a great idea)!

Click here for pictures from the week

Love,

Fancy Avery 

Happy 11 Months, Reese!

At 11 months, Reese:

*Has two new teeth - both molars on the bottom.  Her incisor and canines haven't even come in yet, but she's got herself some molars.  Daddy says it's because she needs some serious help with all of the food she's chewing

*According to our home scale, she weighs 20 pounds on the dot

*Is on antibiotics... she had a 103.5 with Tylenol and a nasty virus (cold/congestion) that caused ear infections.

*Takes whole milk and formula - the transition is taking a while because she loves her bottles!

*Walks 8-10 steps, but is still tentative about it

*Is starting to verbalize!  Says "Dada" for Mom or Dad, "Sitz" for Sister, "Dat" for That

*When she wants something, she points at the item and then at herself until someone sees her

*Loves shredding and trying to eat all sorts of paper, most especially tissue

*Isn't as interested in her own toys as she is in getting into the big kid stuff - loves unpacking crayons, crawling over My Little Ponies, pulling puzzle pieces off of their base

*Loves her Little Tykes cabin and her Laugh and Learn house

*Loves loves loves balls.  She will chase Avery's soccer ball all over the room, loves to throw it, loves to chase it, and loves it when Daddy throws it back at her

*Eats and eats and eats!

*Is certain of what she does and does not want.  She's good natured but she certainly is driven when she decides to do something.  Being disciplined (being told "no" sternly) really hurts her feelings

*Can charm just about anyone with her smile, her shoulder shrugs, and her infectious giggle

Oh, this little girl.  She holds my heart in her pudgy little hand.

I love you Reese!  You're an amazing almost-one-year-old!!

Galveston with Smug Mugs 2012

This year, my playgroup was at it again: 3 fun-filled days in Galveston!  We had 5 families on the trip and we spent our time eating, playing on the beach and in the pool, and treating the time in the condo like it was a big, long playdate!  Perfection!  (Mom and Dad decided to send Reese to Lockhart with Nana and DD because it's just so hard to keep an interested baby like Reese from ingesting sand, seaweed, and everything else.  Reese was super happy with that choice, too.)

Our favorites:

Mine: swimming in the pool
Avery's: swimming in the pool

Abigail's: going swimming
Hannah's: playing Twister and ring toss

Cole's: the waves
Chase's: swimming in the pool

William's: skim boarding
Vimmer's: digging holes
Paxton's: the water

Macy's: going to the pool
Noah's: digging a hole with his Daddy

What a treat to have friends that we love so much we can travel with.  It was another amazing trip and we've already been asking about when we can go back.

Click here for pictures from the weekend

Love,
Kate

A Farewell to Kindergarten

Avery's foray into the wide world of Kindergarten was the single biggest milestone in our lives; it was emotional, it was beautiful, it was fun and it was challenging.

Avery's first day of school - August 2011

I've made it no secret that Mama dealt with the ripples of such an event off and on all year.  It's been a journey for Avery and I've experienced my own journey as she took on big, long hallways; crowded, noisy lunchrooms; rules and expectations; learning; and most of all as she made friends apart from my direct influence and outside of my play-by-play guidance.

Avery's last day of school - May 2012

Given how proud and moved I've been by the entire experience, I fully expected the farewell to Kindergarten to be in line with the rest of the year: emotive, bittersweet, feeling as though my chest would explode because of who Avery has become.

Ah, but God knows my sense of humor and He knows what I need and we had the best time smiling together, He and I, over how the end of school went.

For weeks, Avery came home singing very poignant and cute songs in preparation for the Celebration of Learning.  We'd marked our calendars, charged our cameras, and prepped my heart for the big event.  However, on the morning of the the Celebration of Learning, Avery woke up sick.  No fever, no obvious symptoms, but the child could not stay awake.  She took a 3 hour nap in the middle of what would've been her Celebration of Learning.  Poor thing doesn't even take naps when she has strep.

I was pretty disappointed, but what can you do?  Avery took it in stride and accepted that she'd missed the big event.  I thought about how the last time I was in the school as a Kindergarten mom, I didn't even realize it would be my last time since I planned on being back for the Celebration of Learning....

...but I was still sure I'd have a chance to be sentimental.

Well, the last two days of school, Jordan came down with a miserable stomach bug and was locked in our room in bed for the duration.  With him down, taking care of all 3 kids nonstop didn't leave much time for reflection about how far we've come and all God has done through this school year... but no problem, right?

I figured I'd spend a few moments of reflection watching her walk across the street one last time as a Kindergartner...

Except that on Thursday, our last day of school, I planned poorly and ended up rushing to get Avery in time.  We were running so late that I missed seeing her walk from the building down the sidewalk and I didn't even have time to put Kate's shoes on before we went to our little spot on the corner.

All of the Kindergarten walkers had crossed the street and I was still straining to see Avery.  Her friends had come, but no Avery.  And then, a little sad faced girl came limping across the street, her teacher supporting her by the arms, because Avery had fallen on her way down the sidewalk and skinned both knees.  And bless her heart, when she looked down and realized they were really quite bloody, she just lost it.  Another mom grabbed Reese for me so I could carry Avery to the car, followed by bare-footed Katie.  And then it started lightening and thundering.

At this point I could see that we wouldn't be having any moments of reflection and I started being highly amused with how the day had gone.

When we got home, Jordan had used the little energy he had to wrap the door and put up a sign that read, "Summer is here!"  Poor Avery wasn't able to stop crying long enough to take it all in and pushed past the door.  She laid on the couch and - I kid you not - took another two hour nap.

Our first family event to celebrate summer went in a similar fashion: we used the girls' own money and paid $9 in dimes at Ceramics by Tess, Kate dropped her bag of change three times, Reese stood up in her stroller and then pulled a very loud metal chair down on herself, Kate's ceramic figurine had a mishap with the concrete sidewalk... and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

I mean, God tells us that there are times for reflection and times for sentiments.  This week was more about times of laughter, acceptance, and embracing the moments that make life so real.

Click here for pictures of the week

Congratulations on your first year of "real" school, Avery Leigh!  We are so deeply proud and love the fast, unexpected moments watching you grow just as much as the slower, more reflective ones! 

Soccer 2012

Our first jaunt into team sports started out with a bang.  Avery loved feeling like she was a part of something, loved being treated like an athlete, and loved being a Green Dragon.  (Incidentally, when the team was coming up with a name, Avery's suggestion was, "The Practicers".)

After the first month or so of practices and the first game we made it to, though, the excitement started to wear off.

By the end of the season, we'd only made it to half of the games (bad planning on my part, but it worked out well since the games weren't Avery's favorite part).  We noticed by the last few games, though, that most parents had very lofty goals for their children: "Kick the ball into the goal!"  "Wow!  Let's see how many goals you can score this game!"  or even, "Kick the ball down the field!"

Our goals for Avery were slightly different:
"Try really hard to get to touch the ball with your foot at least once this game, ok?"
And, "If you can play and really try without complaining during this game, we'll go swimming right after!"

Just like in school when a teacher modifies the assignment so her students can all achieve their level of success, we found this strategy to work well for our Soccer Girl as well.

When she got her trophy, the coach called her, "Hardest Kicker", which was true: when she touched the ball, she did have a powerful kick.  Avery took the trophy, beamed ear to ear, and then told me, "I think I'm ready to do dance instead of soccer next year."  Sounds good, big girl.  Sounds good.

Click here for pictures of the week

A Week in the Life of Reese

The 2011-2012 school year is closing up, and I thought it might be fun to give you a glimpse of what I do all day while my sisters are busy with their activities.  So, I present to you... a week in the life of me!

Mornings
-Sleep until sometime between 6-7:30.  Wake up with a dirty diaper.  This is a non-negotiable.
-Bottle and Eat.  And eat.  And eat.
-Try to convince Mom that a sink bath is necessary using 'smear and smoosh' tactics.
-Get ready for:

Monday: Gymnastics with Kate.  Flirt with Ms. Emilee.  Make a fuss about sitting still... this will lead Mom to give in and let me play on the equipment.  Score!
After gymnastics, hang out in the church nursery while Mom goes to Bible Study.  Vary between grumpy baby and sweet baby.  Gotta keep 'em on their toes!
Tuesday: Drop Kate off at school and then off to BSF childcare!  The women there are sweet, nurturing, and excited to see me.  But it's still pretty key to occasionally cry so hard that they have to go get Mommy from class.  What would life be like without a little variety?
Wednesday: Katie's playgroup.  Follow the big kids around, since I'm almost 4 myself.  In my mind's eye, that is.  Also, focus heavily on snack time.  Snacks can and should be strewn about the park, restaurant, or home that we're meeting at.  Occasionally, sacrifice the snacks to get attention: either by sharing or by letting the big kids stomp them into tiny crumbs.

Thursday: My day!! Storytime at the library.  Coo and giggle as much as possible to positively reinforce Mommy's efforts to give me time of my own.  Chew on books while Sister 'reads' them to me.  Generally enjoy being the center of the activity.
Friday: Nana Day!  Meet Nana at St. Peter's to drop off Kate, and in the event that Nana comes with breakfast (as she often does), stuff my face again.  It's the best way to show appreciation. At Nana's; either sleep the entire time (it's so much quieter without sisters there!) or woo Nana and DD away from their tasks with giggles and tricks.  One-on-one day is the best!

Afternoons

Sometimes, if the setting is just right and I feel like it, I nap.  Other days, I chase Sisters around while they engage in various forms of play:
Slip and slide outside
My Little Ponies (always act indignant when they call for Mom to help them with "Trouble Reese")
Splash Pad
Biking
Tea Party
OR, help Mommy with things like dishes, tearing up the trash or toilet paper roll, unloading her purse...

Evenings
Depending on the amount of naptime taken during the day, sometimes it becomes necessary to cry through dinner.  This alerts the family that it is bath, bottle and bed time an hour early.  If this is unneccesary because optimal sleep has been achieved, acting like a human garbage disposal is always Plan B.  If the food doesn't all fit into my stomach, I still feel the need to clear my plate, so I just dump it into my lap or onto the floor for the dogs.

And there you have it - a day in the life of Reese!

Click here for pictures of the week

Click here for pictures by Ms. Emilee

Love,
Reese

Mayfest, Kate Style

Last year, I watched Avery do be-nastics (gymnastics) at Mayfest and get flowers and a trophy.  This year, it was my turn!

I had told DD one very important thing: "Mayfest is when you come bring me flowers and I do be-nastics."  I remembered well that last year, Avery got a trophy and flowers from Nana and DD.

DD did not disappoint.  He showed up with flowers for me and a separate one for Avery... just like last year!


Mayfest starts with a dance routine and I loved practicing the dance for the last several weeks... most of the time.  Every once in a while I would decide I just couldn't participate and then I'd stand there, unmoving, for the entire practice.  Sometimes I'd start the dance and then one of the coaches would pick on me (I'm an easy target, they say), and then I'd have to shut down again.  Mommy finally told me that if I didn't practice my dance, she'd tell Nana and DD that they didn't need to come see me dancing.  That did the trick!  I practiced hard from then on.


Mayfest Kate-Style was underway.  I have really paid attention in class all year and my body size suits be-nastics well, so I was really focused and proud to show off my moves.

After Mayfest, when it was time to get our trophies, I noticed that mine looked a lot different than I thought.  I guess because the theme was Olympics, the trophies this year looked more like medals.  Mommy promises that once I watch the Olympics on tv this summer, I'll understand why this is so special.

Be-nastics was super fun this year and Mayfest was just what I expected... and lots of fun!  It's good to be a big girl and get a turn of my own.

Click here for pictures

Love,
Kate Olympian McClinton