So colorful and for the best reason ever

In June 2004 my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. 10 years later, as a survivor, she decided to celebrate by doing the C*lor Run. We decided to do it with her as a family and include the girls. One big celebration and colorful fun.

As you can see, we started out so crisp and clean and ended up quite the opposite. R kept calling it "celebrating Granny's birthday" because she couldn't quite grasp the concept of the walk to celebrate her cancer survival. But we went with it.

The girls had a BLAST. C ran almost half of the 5K with SP. R rolled around in all the colors to the point where I am still scrubbing blues and greens from her skin and scalp. It was great to be able to do something a as a family and I am sure we'll do it again in the future.

Drum roll please...

Today is the first official day of Summer Camp for the girls. C has been to camp before, but it's a first for R. Cross your fingers it goes well.

SP is out of town this week so I was flying solo this morning. Trying hard to keep the mood festive and upbeat after a night of C being anxious and even throwing up she was so worried about the day. Her primary worry was R and I struggled explaining to her the difference between watching her sister all day and looking out for her. Hard concept to grasp at 6 that it's the Camp's job to oversee R's safety and well being, but as family we look out for each other and have each others back.

I was tired this morning. Frazzled myself at the new experience of sending my kids to Camp. I was trying to figure out how to make it seem fun and exciting not huge and terrifying. So, this happened.

Me: Guess what your breakfast options are? (In a festive upbeat voice.) Drum roll PLEASE! (I drum on the counter.
Girls: (Stare at me like I have three heads.)
Me: Donuts, oatmeal, cereal, yogurt
C: I want to try that one thing.
Me: What one thing?
C: The drum roll.
Me: The drum roll? That isn't a thing you eat. (Demostrate drum roll again.)
R: Yeah, me too. I want to try the roll.
Me: The drum roll is a sound, not a food. You can have donuts, oatmeal, cereal, yogurt...
C: But I want that drum roll. I want to try it.
R: Me too.

This went on for about 10 minutes before I finally got them to understand that a drum roll was a sound introducing something, not a food.

What a difference...

 First Day of Kindergarten August 20, 2013.

Last Day of Kindergarten June 5, 2014.

The changes are subtle in the photographs. Shorts once at or slightly below the knees now are above them. Hair is longer. Face is more defined. Feet are larger and shoes are different.

She looks so much older. So grown up. So something that I cannot fully put my finger on. So 1st grader.

She is the same in many ways and so different in others. Her personality, while still sensitive and sweet, is also more defined and fiesty. Her pool of friends has broadened through Girl Scouts and Soccer and day-to-day school activities with a new group of kids. She's no longer a baby but still wants to crawl in my lap and be cuddled. She is gentle and kind and cares about others around her. She can now read and do math and has a loose tooth. We got her ears pierced. She can make her own bed and pick out her own clothes. She does things without us but often looks back to see if we are there. She has passion and grit and determination but still lacks confidence and trust in herself to see how great she really is.

They say these days go fast. To cherish them and hold them close. Live in the moment. Stop and smell the roses. Seize the day. All that jazz. Which is often easier said than done when you are a working mom with two kids and a husband and a life and bills and god knows what else that can be thrown our way on a daily basis. But I am trying to slow myself down so that I can continue to be a sponge that absorbs all that is this little girl and her magnificence. She deserves that.

How does your garden grow?

Last year one of my work friends gave me a left over jalapeno pepper plan that she didn't have room for in her garden. We planted it with little understanding of growing things and not much research. Just put the plant in a pot and let it go.

We were pleasantly surprised when a) it flourished and produced A LOT of peppers and b) the girls got extremely in to the process. The downside of course was the peppers were too hot for them to eat so they didn't get the taste the rewards of our semi-effort (I did stake up the plant so it wouldn't fall over.). At that time we decided to do a garden this year and plant things the girls could eat and enjoy.

The gardening time has arrived. We decided to do a container garden because I am not real fond of the idea of taking up my yard space for a garden. I know. I am weird. But everyone has their preferences.

I researched square foot gardening and decided to do a 4x4 container. SP built the container with a little help from our home improvement expert C. This year we are experimenting with a box that has a bottom and wheels. The idea was to be able to move it if necessary but I am not sure that is going to be needed. Also, not sure how the bottom will work with root growth.

I am planning to grow everything vertically, been researching that too. The first question that will come to your head when you see the list below is how can you possibly grow watermelon vertically? It's possible but who knows if we'll be successful. More to come...

I used the soil mix recommended in the book. Not going to go crazy and try it any other way because I don't know what I am doing. If they spell it out as being successful I am for it. The girls both helped mixing up the soil and getting the box ready. I think they honestly had more fun getting dirty than they did anything else, but that was sorta the point right, to get them involved? At one point R was rubbing the soil mix up and down her legs. Nothing like a dirt bath.

We planted the following...

• 4 tomato plants (includes heirloom and cherry)
• zucchini
• beans
• cucumbers
• basil
• onions
• carrots
• red pepper
• green pepper
• watermelon (R's selection)
• strawberries (C's selection)

So far we have produced two very small strawberries that the girls promptly ate. Everything else seems to be taking off to the point where I am not 100% sure what to do with it all. The girls get super excited about seeing the plants grow and that in itself makes this a success. If we manage to actually get some fruit and veggies out of if, well that will be a huge bonus.

Shark!

What a surprise to find this happening in C's mouth. It's called Shark Teeth and supposedly pretty common.

Count down to Summer

We are quickly approaching the end of the school year and the days are jammed packed with field day and picnics and graduations. My mind is swirling trying to nail down our Summer plans as this will be the first time we've had to find things for BOTH girls to do. Ideally, we'd have a Summer sitter who would stay with them but that's not in the cards this year.

I am slightly nervous about our plans and hope it works out. There will be about 6 weeks where they are at a local facility that we are familiar with that offers a kids camp. While there it's all swimming and gymnastics and play, play, play. I am worried R will be too stimulated and become a mess. C will be fine and adjust ok.

To try to ward off too much drama I have set up time each week with R's former OT to do a session mid-week. We haven't been doing OT since she started the new school in February, but I think having this one-on-one quiet time will be good for her. Crossing my fingers it works.

I honestly cannot believe that we are at this point. That by Wednesday of next week R will be out of school and by the first week of June C will be too. I get so caught up in it that I often forget to live in the moment. I am trying to do more of that. To see what is in front of me when my nature is to plan ahead and foresee what is coming. So here's a brief insight into my girls at this moment.

C

• Soccer player who seems to have a bit of her Dad's athleticism. She seems to enjoy soccer and hopefully will continue on with it.
• Gymnast who recently completed her first "fun meet" and did great. She really stepped it up with the older girls and we were so proud of her.
• Gentle, mothering soul who is going to be a great care giver and mommy one day. She has such a nuturing way about her that I am trying to develop and let shine.
• Sassy pants who is currently testing the boundaries of 6 year old life. She's got a mind of her own and not afraid to use it.
• We've done a few play dates now with kids from her class and I am not longer worried that she isn't making friends. While her teacher felt there were issues at the beginning of the school year, I felt confident she just needed to warm up and get comfortable which she has done.
• Hair eating/chewing is a new habit that we are trying hard to break. Not sure where that is coming from. Gross.
• Her eyes still light up with her smile and it's contagious.
• Forever a cuddle bug who still wants to be loved on and held. I hope that continues for a long, long time.

R

• Gymnast who recently started back in a group class and while for many this is no big deal, for her is HUGE. Crossing our fingers it continues to go well.
• Singer of all songs both made up and on the radio. She'll sing for hours songs that are in her head.
• Silly, goofy girl who likes to make you laugh and her cackle is music to our ears.
• Sensitive still and wants deep massage of her hands and feet...sometimes her whole body. The good news is now she can ask for what she feels she needs.
• Shy and slow to warm up but once comfortable there is no stopping her.
• Curious and smart to the point where we can't fool her anymore. She remembers more than we do.

I love my girls. I am happy to see Summer come but sad that it means they are growing up.

Happy 4th Birthday

Dear Ramsey,
You are now 4! And as you so perfectly put it..."I don't feel 4." I don't feel like you are four either. Where in the heck did time go?

For your 4th birthday we had a Fr0zen themed party because that is your absolute FAVORITE movie...EVER. Sven...pronounced SPEN and Olaf are tops of your list as the greatest characters with Elsa and Anna not far behind. Finding Fr0ze stuff was not an easy thing to do as every other child in the city also loves this movie and items are hard to find in the stores. So, I got creative and made my own.

We held your birthday the Saturday before your actual birthday because this year your birthday fell on Derby Day. You will one day learn that most people around here are doing Derby things and having a birthday party on that day just doesn't work. No slight to you...and secretly I love that you are a Derby baby because it's one of my most favorite times of the year.

Because of the timing of your birthday, it was like birthday week for you. There was lots of celebrating with ice cream and candy and visits with friends and family. I think you really enjoyed yourself. Who doesn't love an entire week dedicated to them?

I am looking forward to what this next year will bring for us. We have grown a lot, you and I, as we navigate through all that comes our way. I think you handle it better than I do pretty much all the time. Your sense of humor is a constant and your smile is contagious. I hope you never lose that silliness because it perfectly captures who you are. I plan to laugh more with you and worry less this year. You deserve that.

I hope you feel the love we have for you because it's almost too much to contain. Wishing you the best, most enjoyable, most fun year ever!

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Love Mommy