A Nickname With Swagger

......Lillie Joel.....

It was coined. By none other than Rod (Uncle Rod, but the girls don't call him that?). He said it right before her Christmas recital. This was the first recital she really noticed was a recital, so the nerves were on high alert. She looked at me with even bigger black eyes and a paler face. 

He said it again later on in the holidays. She told me she wished he wouldn't call her that. In the back of my mind I am thinking, "I love it. It fits her. Thank you Rod for this awesome nickname.!" 

I use her new nickname occasionally. It is growing on her. 

 Practicing in the hallway. 

On the little pink keyboard her Papaw gave her.

She is learning about Beethoven right now.

The fact that he was helping support his family at 12 blows her mind.

Mine too. 

Autumn:)

Playing Hookey

What do you do when you know your child could/should go to school, but in your heart you know they are just tired? I did something I never thought I would do. I let her stay home. After all it is just kindergarten. I would never say that in front of her, but it's the truth.
I did feel guilty on the way to take Ainzli to school. I know she was tired too. But cripes, missing in third grade is completely different than kindergarten.
Like night and day!
For goodness sake, Ainzli has to do a science fair project this year! What the ......!!!!!! That packet came home and I was dumbfounded. That's a whole-nother bottle of wine story! Obviously I am a little sore about it.

So what exactly do you get to do at home on a day you play hookey? Sort of played hookey. She did go back to bed and slept till 10. Not anything too exciting. Except play Guess Who about a million times. That's always very exciting.

You do have to get your picture with your mama. 

And you must be agreeable.

You do have to pose so very sweetly.

With large, black as coal, eyes. 

You also realize just how much you miss your big sister.

And apparently the day is so much longer at home than at school.

And the bus never gets here quick enough.  

Autumn:)

I Want to Remember When

I want to remember how my Lillie Blue would make her bed in the morning. She would set a scene up. Her stuffed animals would greet her when she arrived home from school. Blankie front and center.

Melt my heart my little Lillie Blue.

___________________________________________________________________________________

I want to remember when my Ainzli Isabel finally took the initiative and did her hygiene without prompting (most of the time!). She does it because she wants to. She is now aware that if she doesn't do it.......well she wants to do it. :)  And yes we call it the "hygiene basket". Face wash, astringent, melaleuca oil, oil free face lotion and deodorant.

My sweet and responsible Ainzli Isabel.
Much love Sis.

Autumn:)

Having Trouble

We seem to be having a serious issue with getting back on track at bedtime. This is nothing new for us. When we have a break bigger than a couple of days the bedtime just goes right out the window. Last night was no exception. Although the culprit was something all together different.

 This note was taped to Lillie's bedroom door.

I noticed it this morning. 

I suppose Ainzli just wanted to cover all her bases, 

you know, in case we couldn't find Lillie.:)

Their minds! Their minds were playing terrifying tricks on them last night. Ainzli is about to finish the second book in the Harry Potter series. That can be a little scarey in its self. Her National Geographic magazine came in the mail yesterday. There was a spread in it about Voldemort and Belatrix (?). She was leafing through it after bedtime. Lillie joined her after sneaking down the hall. They had a night light on looking through the pictures as Ainzli is reading the article.

I hear a noise coming from that end of the house. I bust Ainzli getting out a pillow and a couple of additional blankets from the linen closet. She is startled. She starts rambling. Like she always does when she is busted! So cute!

She explains to me that they are scared (or s carded. I LOVE IT!!!). I can see it on their faces. Lillie's eyes, laying in the dimly lit bedroom, are as big as silver dollars. Ainzli made her bed so they could sleep together. I let them. No harm. I told them no complaining in the morning of being tired. They didn't. Such good girls.

I asked Shannon if he remembered being scared at their ages. He said no. I told him I was scared all the time. Paralyzingly scared. My mind would race. The sounds in the old farmhouse out in the middle of a field would warrant me begging to sleep with my parents. They would make us sleep on their floor. Hey, it was better than having to return to the room that surely had someone in it who was going to steal me. I was afraid of someone kidnapping me. It makes me laugh now. Kidnap me. HA! They truly would have brought me back. No doubt in my mind. That little girl was a force to be reckoned with.

Kids and their imaginations running wild. I wished that mine would run wild like it used too. Oh the stories I could conjure up. !



Autumn:)

Back In the Saddle

I loved my holiday season. I truly did love it. It was spent with family. It was not rushed. It was worry free. It made me realize that I have so much. Just so much. :)

So now we are back in the saddle again. The daily grind. Getting up to an alarm clock. Ugh!!! Trying to get one little woman up is like trying to tame a creature from Where the Wild Thing Are. Ms. Blue told me she hated school this morning. We don't use that word here. But apparently I let it slide when the little women are super tired. Picking my battles. Always picking my battles.
This school year is half way over and people are talking of Spring Break plans. Wow! And exciting!


So the real reason for this post. As I have made apparently clear in previous posts, I struggle with my Ainzli getting older. Not in the case of "oh I miss her being a baby" but, "oh crap, there is so much going on out there and how do I prepare her for all of it!".
She has an iPod. She has access to the internet on it. As of right now she is very responsible with it.  There are perimeters, but enough give where she feels a little freedom. We feel this is important for the years to come.
There is an App for everything under the sun! Seriously, everything.
Finally, Shannon is a techy person. He loves it and apparently always has. Hello Mr. I Had A Cell Phone in 1994!!!! Seriously!

All of this is leading to here................

We downloaded an App for her that allows her to text. (Please hold all judgement until the end!)
I was completely against it at first. Then we discussed it. We, as in Shannon and I. He pleaded his case. I pleaded mine. Me against. Him for. We found common ground. Finally, I agreed.

1. Only people we approve and know.

2. It cannot go on after bedtime. 

3. Mom and Dad are always aware of who, what, when, where and how.

She mainly texts with her closest friends. 4 little girls, Ainzli included. Two of them have their own cell phones. The conversations are that of 9 year old girls. They are quite cute. Very short. Very basic. Oh, to be inside of the head of a 9 year old girl!:) The other friend has an iPod too. The iPods can only text when they are connected to WiFi. This is a big sense of relief for me. She really only does it while she is at home. And she does not do it very often at all. Yippee!!

There is a sense of letting go a little, but also the reassurance that if you don't freak out all the time, they will know you are a rational parent they can come too. I believe Shannon and I are, at this point, achieving that balance. I pray everyday we are that balance.


Oh yeah, by the way, Happy New Year from the Grismore abode.


Autumn:)