according.to.kim

April 12 of 12

Glimpses of our Easter Sunday, set up for my April 12 of 12 scrapbook page. I love doing these. So simple.

This evening is strangely quiet. We had no Brownies, Sparks, or dance class due to the Easter break. Sophia and Georgia (and Sherlock) are in Avonlea, and poor Madeline is sick with a fever and cough. She fell asleep on the couch 30 or 40 minutes ago while I was working on these photos.

I'm awfully tired too. Madeline tossed and turned and coughed much of the night, so Neil and I didn't really get to sleep until after 3:30 a.m. (Neil even went to Shopper's at 1:30 a.m. to get cough medicine). I stayed home from work this morning so I could sleep more, but it still wasn't enough. I may actually turn in early tonight... Since I won't be reading bedtime stories in the girls' bed, I won't be having my usual evening nap either.

Cowgirl birthday party

Invitations:

• homemade pink cards in the shape of cowgirl boots (made from this colouring page)

Decorations:

• brown kraft paper on the table
• sisal rope draped around the room and over the window
• chili pepper lights draped over the window
• Mexican blankets over the couch and chair
• two cowboy hats hanging from the lamp (I tried wearing one and was much too hot, but Neil wore his)
• four plastic barn door panels over the TV and on the wall (from Gale's on Dewdney)
• all the plush horses and dogs from our house placed in clumps around the living room (the girls' idea and actually very cute)

Arrival and group photo:

• as each guest arrived, we gave her a child-sized cowboy hat and tied a pink bandanna around her neck
• once everyone was here and wearing their hat and bandanna, we assembled the girls for a quick group photo session
• there were 11 children including ours

Food:

• we set the food out right away, so the girls could snack on it throughout the party...
• ripple chips
  
• carrots, cucumber, celery sticks, and dip
• Pigs in a Blanket (made with multi-grain crescent dough, cheddar cheese, and mini sausages from Sobey's -- double smoked turkey and bacon & cheese; they turned out great!)

Games:

• the children seemed to enjoy all of the games we planned...
• pin the tail on the donkey (from Bazarre & Novelty)
• find the cowgirl boots (I printed 20 boots (same as invitation) on pink card stock (four to a sheet), cut them out roughly, then hid them all over our main floor using tape to stick them in various places -- not too difficult, but I had to give hints for the last few and we didn't find one... Madeline found it three days later!)
• rodeo roping (idea from Sophia and Madeline; Neil tied a sisal rope lariat and used some wire to reinforce the loop shape; each child sat on Madeline's little horse, Butterscotch, and then tried to toss the loop over Scooby Doo's head (stuffed animal about two feet tall); it wasn't easy, but they liked trying and there were a couple successes!)
• cow, cow, horse (played just like duck, duck, goose)

Gift opening/hot potato:

• we had the girls (still sitting in a circle from the last game) pass the gifts around slowly while The Devil Went Down to Georgia played on the computer, and then Madeline would open whatever gift she was holding when the music stopped (Neil controlled the music)
• this worked pretty well and gave me a chance to jot down what came from whom

Cake and ice cream:

• we had the girls colour on the table (kraft paper) with wax crayons while they waited for their drinks and then cake (it was great having them occupied at this time!)
• beverages were water and caffeine-free root beer served in little plastic wine glasses
• the cake was a rainbow confetti cake baked in a bundt pan, frosted with pink (vanilla) Dream Whip Fluffy Frosting; and topped with six cowgirl candles (two each of white horses, pink cowboy boots, and purple hats)
• we all sang Happy Birthday to Madeline before eating, of course (and the kids coloured on the table again while they waited for their cake and ice cream)

Free time and goody bags:

• the children played for about 20 minutes before parents started arriving
• each guest received a goody bag as they were leaving...
• a plain brown paper lunch bag filled with western-themed notepads, horse stickers, a little plush horse, and a pack of sugar-free Juicy Fruit. The top was folded down and secured with a horse sticker and we used hemp string to attach a white label with the child's name (printed by Madeline)
• everyone got to take their cowboy hat and bandanna home as well

That's it. It was a great party if I may say so myself! I will try to share some pictures soon.

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• laughter
• smoking bans
• extra strength gel eye drops (my eyes are horribly dry right now)

Madeline at six

At six, this dear child of mine:

• practices printing her name often, and likes to print words we spell out for her. She uses a mix of upper and lower case letters, and has NO sense of space (yet!) -- often running out of room at the right edge, or printing words on the very top or bottom edge of the paper (despite having plenty of room). It's funny!
• enjoys watching The Smurfs, Alvin & the Chipmunks, and Scooby Doo, playing with her stuffed animals, playing Webkinz on the computer, listening to bedtime stories (those of her choosing in particular!), saying French words, and singing.
• resorts to whining and shrieking (and occasionally turns into a blubbering mess) when she doesn't get what she wants. I'm confident she'll grow out of this.
• sleeps on the top bunk with Sophia now (a decision they both made), but still climbs into bed with us once in awhile. She does it so quietly, I often don't notice until I get up (which is nice!).
• dances around the house practicing Irish dance steps.
• insists on choosing her own outfits, which almost always include a skirt, and are often not colour-coordinated or weather-appropriate (which aggravates her father immensely!). She can be incredibly defiant when it comes to her clothing. If she wants to wear a certain something, it is next to impossible to get her to change.
• plays well with her sisters, cousin, and other children. She is very easy going and amicable in this department -- almost to a fault when it comes to her big sister! When she and Sophia argue, it is always Madeline who gives in or gives up. (I often tell her to stand up for herself and not give in.)
• is very quick to say sorry when she's done something she shouldn't have, or hurt someone by accident; and, on the flipside, says "that's okay" if she has been hurt by someone -- even as she's crying.
• has a wonderful way of telling stories and expressing her enthusiasm. If she's excited about something, her face and voice are so bright and bubbly, you can't help but smile and be lifted up -- no matter what kind of mood you were in! It's a gift.

She's a gift.

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• popcorn
• my coworkers
• time to reflect and record*

*Jan 22: I have to add that I don't have time in the sense that all the chores are done, the house is tidy, I'm prepared for upcoming activities... nothing could be further from the truth! But when I want to write something like this (i.e., what my child was like at this age), I just make time or take the time because it's important to me. I just ignore everything else and do it. (That's my secret to "having time"!)

M's first scrapbook pages

Madeline and Sophia made the first page about Sherlock the same evening M received her scrapbook kit, and Madeline made the other three pages on her own over the past week. She loves seeing baby photos of herself, so that was a natural second choice for her. The other two pages are about Will and Zoe, dogs that belonged to my aunt and uncle in Victoria and their neighbour, respectively. The girls adored these two dogs when we stayed there for five days in the summer. Will passed away in October. (I only had the photo of Zoe because the girls had used our little camera to take a few photos which hadn't been uploaded to the ill-fated laptop hard drive. My aunt provided the lovely photo of Will.)

Last day of vacation

I was very glad to have two days at home before going back to work. I did get a lot done but could do so much more (as always). Most importantly, we almost finished unpacking and I took Sophia and Madeline shopping for their school supplies. I will label everything this weekend.

We had our laptop hard drive looked at yesterday (for the third time) and were not surprised to learn that we'll have to send it away to the land of last resort (www.WeRecoverData.com). The hard drive is quite dead and cannot be handled locally. I am not very hopeful at this point. We also had a new drive installed in the laptop. At least that didn't cost very much.

In other news, Sophia, Madeline, and my niece Bronwyn had their ears pierced today. They had been wanting to do it since early this year but we managed to keep putting it off for one reason or another. Now it's done and we begin eight weeks of cleaning three times daily. Fun fun. For the piercing, Bronwyn went first, then Madeline, then Sophia. The first two were quite calm about it while Sophia was anxious and a lot less calm, but she was fine soon after it was done.

M's first baby tooth!

Kids DO the darndest things

On Sunday, Madeline had a little run in with a lid from a tin can. And the lid won, of course! For some reason -- that only a five-year could know but not be able to explain -- she took a tin can lid off the kitchen counter (it was clean and en route to the recycling bin) and then tried to bend it. What a little turkey! I heard a scream from the living room and then she ran to me, screaming and dripping blood along the way. Her middle finger had a cut right across the fingerprint and it was bleeding a lot, so Neil took her to a medi clinic. She didn't get stitches (they used steri-strips), but she has to keep her finger dry for a week. She's been very careful with it so far. What perfect timing for the weather to turn cooler, so the sprinkler and paddling pool are less attractive!

Fresh braids and rain, finally.

I love fresh clean hair that's neatly braided, don't you? Madeline has been wanting her hair braided lately, and I'm very happy to oblige. Sophia wears her hair down almost all of the time, and occasionally uses a hair band to keep it out of her face. She rarely puts it in a pony tail or braid though. I was very pleased this evening when she brushed her hair thoroughly after bathing and then asked me to braid it for her. Once both girls had their hair braided, I had to get a photo! It's just so unusual. I chased them around for a bit and didn't get a whole lot of cooperation. Then Neil opened the back door to check the weather and the girls rushed over to see too. What a sight for sore eyes! A long overdue rainfall, and lovely braids to boot. (It has been so dry and windy lately, the rain is very welcome. I hope it's a good one.)

Cool catchlights

Look! In Madeline's eye, you can see me taking her picture. Certainly one of the most detailed catchlights I've ever captured. Here's the whole photo...

I'm off work today! Just on my way to dig weeds out of the garden paths (and I'm happy to do it!)...

Have a great day everyone!

First bike ride of '08

I took Sophia and Madeline for a bike ride last evening and I had Georgia in the stroller. It was a lovely evening for a walk. (The girls have been on bikes a bit this spring at the homes of friends and family, but this was the first ride on their bikes in our neighbourhood this year.)

Last Sparks meeting

Sophia and Madeline had their last Sparks meeting tonight, so I thought I'd share my favourite Sparks photo with you. I took this one at the Santa Claus parade in November.

They each received a few more badges this evening and were very pleased with their badge-covered sashes (phew! so glad I got that sewing done on the weekend!). Sophia wants to go into Brownies in the fall and Madeline wants to go in Sparks again. They both gave their leaders big hugs at the end of the meeting. When I thanked their wonderful(!) leaders for their time and commitment, they said our girls were a delight to have in the group. Love hearing that!

The end of the evening was kind of bittersweet as we celebrated Sophia's "graduation" to Brownies, but also realized they won't be together in their meetings anymore (because of her age, Madeline won't be able to go into Brownies for two more years and that's when Sophia will finish Brownies). They enjoyed doing this together. In bed tonight, Sophia said, "I'll miss having Madeline with me," and Madeline said, "me too." I sure enjoyed having them in the same activity as well!

Just a couple photos I like

Both were taken at the MacKenzie Art Gallery on April 18.

The girls' paintings

Finally got these pictures of the girls and their paintings! Our little photo shoot didn't go as well as I had hoped though. Oddly enough, Sophia was quite happy to be photographed at that moment, but the other two were not (they are usually more than happy to smile and ham it up for the camera). But despite the crankiness and fleeting cooperation, I didn't want to postpone the photo taking any longer; the paint had been dry for three weeks already (since March 30)!

Photo time!

Just a few from the past week...

Madeline fell asleep wearing the ballerina costume my mom made for me when I was eight or nine.

Sophia wearing the hat I bought for her.

Every week, Georgia wore a swimming suit to watch her sisters' swimming lessons from the viewing gallery.

Goldy #2. (I didn't even get a photo of Goldy #1.)

Georgia's painted toenails -- with a quick and easy photo effect. Instructions here.

What a sweetheart

Watching me apply concealer make-up, Madeline asked, "What are you doing?"

"Covering my spots."

"But you're perfectly good. I like you that way."

"With spots?"

"Yeah!"

{heart bursting} "Thank you, Madeline."

Pats game and budding photographer

Madeline took this photo at the Brandt Centre on Saturday. I like the angle. She used our little camera to take almost a hundred photos over the weekend at various places. It's pretty funny what a five-year old will photograph! (And odd -- there are several photos of an unknown lady at this same location.)

Neil decided to take Sophia and Madeline to a Pats hockey game last week. It was going to be their first live hockey game (of course they've had many opportunities to see NHL hockey on TV). On Thursday, he got tickets for the three of them to see a playoff game on Saturday night.

Unfortunately, when Saturday came along, Sophia had come down with a fever and couldn't go. She was disappointed, but handled it fairly well (a sign she's growing up, for sure). So, Neil called his cousin's nine-year old son and he agreed to go to the game with Neil and Madeline. By coincidence, my brother and his family also had tickets for the same game (but in a different section) and by chance they saw each other before the game as they were entering the Brandt Centre. As for the game, Madeline was ready to go home within the first period, but I understand she was pretty good throughout.

Pink hat and boots

Snapped this one last week. The day she got 'em, I think.

(I hate to say it, but... I'm not feeling well at all. My stomach still has not recovered from the weekend, and now I'm coming down with a bad cough and headache thing. It's going to be nasty. I can feel it. So, I'm going to bed now. Gah. I hate going to bed this early! I prefer getting things done.)

Rainbow butterfly

As always, the girls had their faces painted  by Street Culture Kidz at Spring Free From Racism. And, as always, they did a wonderful job. Madeline requested a "rainbow butterfly" and she sure got one! We were there at just the right moment because the artist was able to spend a little extra time on Madeline's face. She said she hadn't done one like that before, so we arranged for me to send her a photo and I sent this one.

The SFFR Family Day event was good. It always is. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling very well so that made the afternoon more challenging for me and I couldn't eat nearly much as I would've liked. In fact, before we left, I was feeling quite ill as I rushed to put rollers in Sophia's hair after her swimming lesson. We had to go to a drugstore on the way so I could pick up some Gravol. I think that helped as I felt quite a bit better for the next couple hours, but then I felt awfully tired; probably thanks to the Gravol which "may cause drowsiness". We were there for more than two hours before Sophia and Bronwyn danced. And we stayed for awhile after their performance while Sophia had her face painted and ate more food. By then I was feeling quite drowsy and the girls were also becoming increasingly tired and demanding. I think we stayed a bit too long; I was pretty crusty by the time we left! Georgia and I layed down as soon as we got home at 4:30 p.m. I'm feeling a little better now.

The joy of twirling (and culling)

I've managed to sift through over 1800 photos over the past two days, taking me all the way to the end of June May 6* 2007! (This photo was taken June 29 after we had our hardwood floors refinished.) I don't know why I took more than twice as many photos in the second half of the year, but I'll soon find out.

So far my selection rate has been higher than I wanted -- 36% rather than 20% -- so I plan to do a second pass and cull out more photos before I print. A quick glance at my highlight folders (selected photos) tells me it won't be too hard to de-select some photos. I've found the key to speedy selection, for me anyway, is to do absolutely no editing at that time. I will be doing some quick edits before printing (mostly lighting, cropping, and red eye, if necessary), but it's helping me a great deal to keep that task completely separate from the selection process. I'm actually enjoying this, and have learned that I can get through more than 250 photos in 30 minutes. I was a little doubtful before.

*Edited, March 12: I was quite mistaken about how far I'd gotten last evening. There was a batch of photos originally uploaded to the laptop that messed up the chronology when I transferred them over to the desktop (because it included photos from the beginning of May and end of June). Well, the numbers make more sense now (1800 to the end of April, rather than June).

Spring Free From Racism

When I was going through photos today, I came across a few from last year's Spring Free From Racism Family Day. This is Sophia and Bronwyn in their costumes for their Irish dance performance. I'm pretty sure they're watching Sally's Chung Wah group doing a kung fu demonstration. It must be because there was lion dancing on stage in my very next photo.

The girls will be performing at Spring Free From Racism again this year. It's on March 16, at the Italian Club (as always), and their performance with the Prairie Gael School of Irish Dance is scheduled for 2:40 p.m. See www.sffr.ca for the complete line-up. I look forward to going again (our fifth or sixth year straight) and enjoying lots of great entertainment and food!

P.S. Madeline started vomiting around 1:00 a.m. and was sick all night last night. She couldn't keep anything down until mid-afternoon, but was much better by bedtime. Although Neil was home, I decided to stay home from work as well because I'd had very little sleep. Madeline amazes me. She was so stoic throughout. She didn't even cry when she threw up in her bed the first time. What a sweet little patient.