School has begun! Hannah has started kindergarten, Abby is in third grade. Mike is still teaching second grade, and I am still teaching part-time at a local college. I decided that I also wanted to go back to school, so I have begun my PhD in child development. At the moment, I am completely overwhelmed and am wondering what in the world I was thinking when I signed up for this.
Luckily, my parents took the children out to dinner. I am sure this was so I could get my homework done, but I think blogging's more fun. Plus, I have been getting the old your-blog-isn't-updated complaints again. Enjoy the posts, and don't tell my parents.
Happy 8th birthday, Abby, my love!
I put the girls in the tub, and walked away while the water was running.
When I returned a few minutes later, I told them that I had cleaned the tub that morning, and I didn’t want them to drink the water in case there were chemicals in it.
They responded:
Abby – Okay, Mommy!
Hannah – (Pause) You mean, don’t drink it again?
While eating at McDonald’s, Hannah was deep in thought. Finally, she asked, “Mommy, how do they know if you’re a boy or a girl?” A small panic hit me as I thought about how much I wanted to delve into. I said, “Remember, our private parts are different.” She looked confused and pointed to her happy meal toy, which was meant for a girl. “No!” she said. “How do they (pointing to the people behind the registers) know if you’re a boy or a girl (pointing to her girl toy).”
The girls were thrilled to be in the Wizard of Oz play this summer. Abby was Glenda the good witch. Hannah was a munchkin, but she kept calling herself a chipmunk.
While waiting in line at the store, Abby asked Mike to have a contest to see who could hold their breath the longest. “Ready, go!” They both took a big breath and held it. I’m sure Abby was breathing through her nose, because the contest lasted for at least two minutes. She finally blew her breath out, and said, “Dad! Are you still holding your breath?” Mike looked confused for a moment and admitted, “Oh! I forgot we were playing!”
Mike woke up with a blocked saliva gland. His face was swollen, so he went to the doctor. Apparently, the doctor told him that he needed to eat things that would activate his saliva glands. She encouraged him to eat one thing in particular. He came home with a smile on his face. “The doctor told me to eat more candy!” He held up a box of Lemonheads, which is just what the doctor ordered. Anytime the girls tried to sneak a piece, he’d cry, “Stop eating Daddy’s medicine!”
I was trying to shop for a new bra with the children. (Don’t try this.) Abby was mesmerized by the entire department, especially the bras that have pre-formed cups. “Mama, it’s like they’re all in 3-D!”
The girls were eating alone while I was working. I later noticed that Hannah had sauce on her cheek. After wiping it off, I saw sauce on her shoulder and back. “Hannah! How did you get sauce all over yourself?”
“Abby slapped me with a pizza!”
The girls needed back-to-school shoes, so I took them to a reputable shoe store. I asked the sales associate to size their feet. Figuring Abby was about a 12, I was shocked to hear him say that she is actually a 3! (Kids shoes go up to 13 and then start over at 1.) I was a bit skeptic that her feet had grown four sizes without me noticing. Then he measured Hannah’s feet.
Worker –“She’s a five.”
Me – “But she’s been in size 10 shoes.”
Worker – “Let me check something.” He speaks softly into his headset, obviously asking for help, then turns back to me. “Okay, yes. She will stay a ten until she gets into grade school, then she becomes an 11.”
Well, if that’s the way it works. . . .
Abby said that she wants to earn money by having a lemonade stand in the front yard. I explained that since there is very little traffic on our street, it might not make much money. “Sure it will!” she said. “I’ll put it out right before Lifegroup comes over on Thursday!”
Abby had a “spa” birthday party.
We invited her friends over, and with the help of my family and friends, we treated the children to a luxury spa day.
They loofahed their feet in the tub, got cleansing masks on their faces, had nails painted, hair styled, and makeup done.
It was a very fun day.
After the cake kicked in (with their cousin):
I went to get the girls ears pierced today (Abby's b-day). Who was I kidding? Hannah volunteered to go first to show Abby how it's done. But as soon as the first earring was put in, Hannah started crying, which sent Abby into hysterics. Abby was huddled in a corner crying and screaming. Abby absolutely refused (Happy birthday indeed), and we left with one child pierced. Hannah is furious with Abby because Hannah only did it so that Abby would gain courage to do it. Hannah now says she hates the earrings and is threatening to take them out.
The pictures are in order here:
Hannah was so excited to start kindergarten! Since Abby’s first day of kinder was so memorable (remember the bus?), I was worried that Hannah wouldn’t be able to top it. So, she didn’t go. Hannah had the stomach bug on her very first day of school.
When she finally got to go to the second day of school, I discovered that Mike had taken the camera to work! I emailed him, “You took away my camera on my baby’s first day of kindergarten!” I stopped a friend in the hall and begged a picture off her phone.
