Friday, October 31, 2014

Swimming, birthday party, glass elevators and pumkins


The girls started swimming lessons this week - twice a week for the next month or so.  It just so happened that their first lesson happened to fall on Julie's birthday.  The lessons are from 4:30-5, so between that, picking the girls up from school and CeCe's preschool, there wasn't much time for me to make a gourmet supper.  So I did the next best thing.  Ordered Boston Pizza to be delivered at 5:30 and bought an ice cream cake.  (I don't think there were any complaints.)  Julie stayed home from swimming lessons just in case the supper showed up early or we were late getting home from swimming - it turned out to be a good thing because the supper was early and waiting for us when we got home.  

The girls all put their bathing suits on at home before we left.  When we got there, we just went into a family change room and they took their clothes off that they were wearing over top of their suits.  However, there are several different lessons going on as well as a parent/tot group so after lessons, the line-up for family rooms was pretty long.  The older two have changed by themselves before, but CeCe was kind of a wild card.  She's old enough that she doesn't like to come into men's bathrooms with me.  (I don't really like public men's bathrooms either.)    After a solid warning and chat, she agreed she would listen to Jorja and accept help if she needed it.  I sent them in to the women's room on their own.  I waited...and waited...texted Julie to tell her what was up...waited...heard CeCe's name being spoken while I waited outside...waited.  Finally they all emerged more or less in tact.  One had pants that were soaked, one had no socks and one was commando.  But we made it.

We then had our birthday supper and had cake served on vintage dessert plates with sparkling raspberry cider served in tea cups.  What more could a girl ask for?  Pinkies out.  Pip pip cheerio.


The girls all love going to the library, so we end up there fairly often.  The library here is in the basement of a building and there is a glass elevator that goes down the one floor.  It has become a highlight of the trips.  The last time the girls rode solo.  They were a little excited:



Ginny's class was carving pumpkins at school this year.  She really wanted me to come - the only issue was what to do with CeCe.  To be honest, I wasn't super keen on the idea.  But I sucked it up and asked the teacher if it was ok if CeCe came along.  Somewhat to my disappointment, she said that was no problem at all.  There was no going back now.  So Wednesday afternoon, CeCe and I set off to carve some pumpkins.  It turns out there were a lot of parent helpers and a lot of little siblings.  Ginny had fun and got her hands dirty.  Once we were both all goopy, we shook hands.  Mmmmm, squishy pumpkin gut handshake.  CeCe didn't have as much fun - preschool, swimming and birthday party the night before along with skating that morning made her a little crusty.  But we made it.  The kids drew the faces and the adults manned the knives.  I ended up carving four pumpkins and zero fingers.  I'd call that a success.



Tonight we'll be off to get some candy.  Two ninjas and one princess.  No, I'm not the princess.  Later.




Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Out of birthdays

I'm not quite sure how to start this, so if it seems like I'm rambling or rabbit trailing, I apologize.  I've had this post ruminating in me for a while, just not quite sure how or if I should share it.  But here goes.  I'll warn you now, you're not going to laugh like most of the stories on here.  I'm going to attempt to share how a four year old sees life, death and faith.

CeCe has said she misses Great Granny ever since she passed away.  If you remember this post, you will remember that CeCe was quite curious about death and what happens after.  She remembers that your hands get cold and your body stops working and that you get to go live with Jesus in heaven.

To listen to her pray is quite something.  She thanks God for always looking after us and for our blessings.  She knows God is always with us to help us.  She is looking forward to the day that she will see Great Grandma again.  (I tell her that I hope that isn't for a while yet.)  I guess that's why Jesus told us we need to have the faith of a child.  They just get it.  

A couple of weeks ago, we were at Julie's parents' place for the weekend.  The weather was nice, so I took the girls for a quad ride to the cemetery to see Great Granny's grave.  They were all quite fascinated.  The older two walked around reading all the headstones that they could to see when people died.  Some only a few days old when they died, a couple only one day, some long lives.  Jorja is getting into history, so she paid attention to the dates and thought some could be from the Spanish flu and some during the depression.  CeCe found a couple that she liked, and just sat there for a while, thinking about things.  


And some are nameless.  The girls all thought that was pretty sad.


CeCe has a book she likes to read too.  It took me by surprise the first time I read it.  It's a Chester Raccoon book (The Kissing Hand) - we had ordered a group of them from one of the girls' scholastic book fairs once.  There's The Kissing Hand about going to school for the first time, there's one about bullies, one about moving and it turns out there's one about death.  It's called the Memory Acorn.  Chester Raccoon comes home from school and says that Skiddel Squirrel had an accident and died and won't be coming back to school anymore.  The book then talks about how to make and cherish memories about loved ones that have passed.  I got a little weepy the first time I read it and wasn't expecting it.  At the end of the book, CeCe looked up to me and said, "I know why Skiddel Squirrel died.  He was out of birthdays.  Just like Great Granny.  She was all out of birthdays too."  

I guess all this just hits a little close to home these days.  With both of the girls' grandpas living with cancer, it's hard.  But I guess it's just like CeCe says, someday we will all be out of birthdays and then we can see God and Jesus in heaven.  It is definitely something to look forward to.  It's just hard on the rest of us still having birthdays.  Later. 

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Authority figures and staying in the lines

I feel like I should keep everyone up to speed with CeCe's skating lessons.  Today she had her fifth lesson.  I know, time keeps flying by.  Last week the instructor told all the parents that we were no longer to watch from the bench at ice level.  We could now either go up into the stands, or inside behind the glass.  She said that it was so that 'the children knew she was the authority figure' out there.  Like there was ever any doubt regarding that matter.  Not from the parents anyway.  So here is my view from up in the bleachers.  CeCe is the middle skater in the picture.  

The girls all like to color pictures and usually the picture is for somebody.  However, when the picture is not received with the gratitude and praise that the giver feels is deserves, it can just as easily be rescinded.  Here is a picture currently hanging on our fridge that Ginny made at school for Jorja.


I guess in Ginny's defense, she didn't totally cut Jorja out - she is part of the family after all.

CeCe and I were doing some coloring a couple of mornings ago.  We were working on the same picture of Jasmine and I asked her what I should color.  She said I could color the lips.  'Red?' I asked.  'Yes,' she replied, 'just try to stay in the lines.'  She's kind of a demanding little thing sometimes.  I did the best that I could, but in my defense, the markers had a pretty thick tip.


So we kept coloring and our hands kept bumping into each other.  It was a pretty small picture.  I would say, 'Ahem! Ahem! You're in my way.'  She would giggle and move her hand.  Then we would bump again and I would say, 'Ahem!'  After the third time of this, she said, 'Or you could just say excuse me.  Did you know that?'  I guess I just got schooled in manners.  Here is our masterpiece:


Until next time, stay in the lines and mind your manners.  Later,