Lucky #7

Sassy is now 7! She's such a sweet, wise-beyond-her-years kid.  Sometimes I forget how young she really is (like when she's tired and whining and crying like a stinkin' elementary kid.  Oh wait.. . .)  So far, the summer she turned 7 has been pretty good.

This was her first year playing coach pitch.  BIG step up from t-ball!  Let's just say she may have inherited the J Family "We Play Once a Year and It Shows" Genes.  HA!  Actually she did really well. Softball is a hard sport to learn.  First there's the whole hitting the ball thing.  Then on defense, you've gotta watch to see if you can tag a player or just the base.  And watch who's on what and where you need to throw the ball.  But all of the girls improved SO much.  It was really fun to see how much they had grown and learned throughout the season.  And  Sassy got some great hits.  It was so fun to watch her get on base--and even make it home!

Her team had a pool party on Sunday night to celebrate the end of the season.  It's been really fun to get to know the other families, and her coaches were amazing.  One asked if she was going to play again next year and she responded with an enthusiastic "YES!"  followed quickly with, "Are they having another pool party?"   All for the love of the game, right?

At the pool party she conquered another first:  going off the diving board.

One of her coaches was treading water below "catching" everyone and unbeknownst to him, Sassy can't swim.  Well, Sassy THINKS she can't swim.  She'll kick like crazy, paddle correctly and turn her head back and forth, even stick her face in the water, but as soon as I remove my ONE hand from her belly, she sinks.  So we get her to jump to Coach S and he helps her surface, then lets her go!  And sure enough, she doggy paddled to the side!  I think I'll just keep tossing her in the deep end.  This one isn't our daredevil and she can talk herself out of trying something new WAY too quickly. . .

Like trying to ride her bike without training wheels.  Daddy took them off a few weeks ago because we suddenly realized she was almost seven.  Oops.  Shouldn't seven year olds ride bikes?  Parenting fail! After one night of trying (and crying), she demanded that we put them back on.  (Unfortunately, so many things have come easy to Sassy that she doesn't always tackle a challenge well. . .)   The next day, she changed her mind and we practiced some more.  And then almost overnight, she was doing laps around our circle drive!  She still has the occasional wipe-out (or collision with a tree--just yesterday actually. . . ) but it's amazing how fast she picked it up.  It's so fun to see how proud she is to do it on her own.

On vacation (more on that later!), she lost another tooth (I think that was #7!) and the Tooth Fairy managed to find our condo.  :)  She also tried paddle boarding and she rocked it!  We laughed and said it was because she was a tad bit lighter than Daddy and didn't have as far to fall. . .

And finally, the biggest news about turning seven was this:

I had initially told her she had to wait until she was ten and then over the past few months, we decided to surprise her for her birthday.

(She's truly 7 going on 40.  Just this morning she woke me to say she'd had a nosebleed.  I jumped out of bed, crying, "Uh oh!" and her response:  "I handled it."  Of course you did. . . ) We planned on going on her birthday and she asked if Wednesday was good.  HA!  She didn't want it to hurt ON her birthday.  So Wednesday it was.  In true Sassy fashion she was a nervous wreck (wonder where she gets that) but then she stepped up and owned it.

The night of her birthday we sat out on the back deck at midnight and watched the Super Moon.  It was one of those moments you want to bottle up for later.  I'm so proud of the young lady she's growing into.  The other day she asked how I remembered her birthday every year.  HA!  My initial response:  "Uhhh, I was there."  But then I realized: "That was the day I became a mama."  And she thinks it's HER lucky day.  :)

Road Trip

R and I love Florida.  LOVE.  Like want to move there but our families would kill us love.  Like want to retire there on a catamaran someday and make our kids visit US love.  :)  So when we found out that we could drive there in a mere twelve hours, we were on it.  Yes, really.  12 hours.  Now let me clarify, our condo was on the northern Gulf side, in fact just over the Alabama line.  We even went to church and several restaurants on the Alabama side (near Gulf Shores) but let's be honest, it sounds way better to say you're vacationing on the beach in Florida rather than Alabama.  HA!  I got really excited about packing and planning for the trip (blame my OCD--Organizational Call of Duty.)  :)  And every once in a while, R had to remind what it really meant.  "It's like driving to my parents' and back and then to your parents' and back.  All at once."  Ohhhh yeah. . .

Nevertheless I started searching Pinterest and the Internet for road trip activities.  Grandma A gave the girls' great birthday gifts: bags full of stuff to do!  Movies, books, Lalaloopsy dolls, handheld games, crayons,  magazines.  A few months beforehand I started saving magazines they were getting in the mail (as well as my new issues!) I added a bunch of new apps to the iPad, and no playing until the trip.  We hit the library for new books, movies, and a book on CD.  I also bought travel versions of Guess Who and I Spy, some window markers, and pipe cleaners (I read that they're great for molding in the car.)  And then I hoped we would survive.

Homemade worksheets were a big hit (and I had a blast using up
stickers!)  Keke worked on upper/lower case letters,
 beginning sounds, patterns, etc.  

I tend to be a bit of a idealist.  I pictured this great American road trip with happy, laughing children.  I forget that Sassy gets car sick and Keke inevitably always spills and that while the girls love each other, they also fight more and more the older they get.  But I'm happy to announce that my great American road trip HAPPENED.  The girls were rock stars.

I'm still not sure exactly what we did on the way down and back.  It ended up taking us about 14 hours by the time we stopped for gas, potty breaks, and meals.  In 28 hours, Keke watched one and a half movies and Sassy watched half of one.  We didn't even touch the book on CD, the travel games, the pipe cleaners, window markers, or some other stuff in their birthday bags.  They looked at library books, played on the iPad (only 25 minutes at a time), colored, and I have no clue what else. . .   And they were just GOOD.  They kept themselves quiet and busy and we rarely heard a peep.  And what did I do?!  I have no clue either.  I took five books and read ONE all week.  How was I in a car for 28 hours and didn't read more?  I guess R and I talked and we watched the new scenery (another plus to road trips!)

And of course, we looked for license plates.  I found the
50 state stickers in a magazine and I made the "Plates We See"
on the computer.  We even saw a plate from Canda (Canada!)

I won't say that getting there was half the fun (because Florida is hard to beat) but getting there (and back) was truly a great time.  The time flew, we all still loved each other at the end of the day, and we found that 14 hours really isn't that far.  So, girls, remember that when Daddy and I buy that catamaran and head south.  

Full Heart

We're on vacation in Florida. My girls' first time at the ocean. This pic says it all. My heart is so full.

We went to mass this morning at a gorgeous church.

The priest had all visitors stand (about 75% of the congregation!) Then he commended us for taking time from our vacations to attend mass. Funny how an hour still doesn't feel like enough for all He has given me. Sitting on the beach and feeling oh-so-blessed to have this time with my family. 

Our Baby is 4!

We officially have a four year old.  I'm not sure if it's because we're older or the second time goes faster, but #2 is FLYING.  I feel like it took forever for Sassy to get to kindergarten and here we are a year away for Keke.  Crazy.  I can't even begin to explain how much this one both infuriates me and makes my heart swell.  She is such a blessing and I'm so grateful that God has given us this little soul.  She brings laughter, joy, exasperation and gray hair to our house.  To celebrate her day, I've been jotting down some more "Stinkus-isms."

1.  We frequently pull out "Richard, what'd you do?"  (Tommy Boy classic)  The girls hear it frequently (imagine spilled cups of milk, shoes on the wrong feet, etc) and even use it on us. So one day we're talking about vacations and where we want to take the girls someday.  I mention that I want to head to Seattle to see my Aunt Mary Jane and Uncle Richard.  "Richard, what'd you do?!  THAT kind of Richard?"

2.  At some point, Keke has realized that I can't say no to her face.  And she now uses it against me.  "Can you say no to dis face?"  Complete with pouty little lips and eyelash batting.  Holy cow.  We're in trouble.

3.  One morning Keke was having a hard time listening and following directions.  Complete with backtalking.  Finally I asked, "Who is the mama here?"  K: "You."  Me: "And who is the little girl who needs to listen to what Mama says?"  K:  "Sassy."  Once again, it's hard to discipline when you're choking back a laugh.

4.  One of our good friends recently had a baby in their car (Yes, really.  All is well but it was definitely the talk of the town, and apparently our house.)  I didn't realize how much I had talked about it until one day in Walmart, Keke started exclaiming (very loudly) that she was having twip-wets in Walmart.  Yes, twip-wets.  Then she started talking about how she saw them coming out but she pushed them back in.  Again, LOUDLY.  Every time I told her to knock it off, she'd just hold her belly and yell,  "But I having my twipwets in Walmart!"

5.  Sassy has a bit of her mama in her and frequently has crises.  Keke is a little bit like her daddy and doesn't understand said crises.  Let me tell you from experience (and Daddy has learned), there's nothing worse during a crisis than to have someone tell you it's no big deal. Keke hasn't yet discovered this. So in the middle of Sassy meltdown, her words of wisdom? "Who cares?!" Complete with dramatic shrug of shoulders. Let's just say it doesn't comfort Big Sis.

6. One day Keke apologized for her "bloody" fit. Leave it to her to discover a cussword from another country.

7. Keke loves to stall at bedtime. She always needs one more hug, a lovey has fallen behind the bed, she needs tucked back in, she can't reach a book.  One night she yelled for yet another drink. To which I answered no. Long pause then I hear her counting. "One, two... you don't want me to get to free!"

The other night she was going on and on about how beautiful she was. And modest. I told her it was more important to be beautiful on the inside. Then I tapped her chest and asked if she knew what I meant.  "Dat mean I have a heart filled wif my fam-wee and God." Oh lovey. I hope you know how much YOU fill my heart. Happy 4th birthday!!!