You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'The Girl' category.
Even I don’t have the words for these photos.
Long ago in a galaxy far, far away. . .
Jedi in training
Happy Leia
Game face
Use the Force, Luke.
A little frightening
Didn’t spend a dime. . .cobbled it together from things in the house–my turtleneck for Thad, his Daddy’s socks on over his tennis shoes “strapped” up with cream ribbon from my aunt–a Cleopatra dress for Victoria with a turtleneck over the top and a wide white ribbon I wore as a belt in high school. Thad’s well-used, much-loved el-cheapo light sabers, and we were good to go. We even had the whole brother/sister vibe going on.
My daughter is alseep in my grandmother’s bed. (another found draft. . .from three years ago)
At this time 11 years ago, I still had no idea if I was about to meet Victoria or Thad. We were of the infuriating couple ilk who did not find out if they are having a boy or a girl. This trend is coming back I’ve noticed as of late, but in 1998 we were among the few and the annoying. It was especially irksome as we attended a church where 15 baby boys had come into the world over the previous 3 years without even one hint of a girl. So. Imagine the chagrine when we did not find out the gender of our first child, nor did we release the name choices prior to her birth.
Tony was the hard core “Can’t Find Out Before the Baby is Born” one. I had more than one nightmare that the ultrasound tech told me the sex of our unborn child, and I knew FOR A FACT I wouldn’t be able to keep it from Tony for the rest of my pregnancy. We would not have kept the names secret, except we had chosen Thaddaeus as a boy name, and we knew there would be NO END of commenting on the moniker. Now all we hear is, “What a COOL name.” At the time of Thad’s birth it was more like, “What?” “Why did you add the extra letters?” “Where did you find THAT name?” “Do you REALLY expect him to be able to spell that?” To answer all of those questions, we had one simple mouth-shutting answer. It’s a Biblical name–an apostle– and the spelling is the original Greek. By the way, he spells his name just fine.
But 11 years ago we were standing on the precipice of still not knowing exactly whom I’d been trying to bring into the world for the past 15 hours. As it turns out, it was our daughter. The photo is the one we took when I finally got to see her about 5 hours after she was born. I’ve written before about all the scary things that happened before and after this photo was taken, but this is the newborn picture I love the most. She is just hours old, yet she has on her face a look of concentration and understanding that surprises me to this day. That furrow in her brow is still there when she concentrates. . .the little upturned lip–still there–the piercing gaze–still there. All of it is still there in the girl that is moving at lightning speed toward adolescence. Despite our best efforts against society in trying to let her be a little girl, she is, indeed, moving away from that time in her life. We still have a little while left, but each moment of each day brings longer legs, growing opinions, a few more eye rolls, more maturity, more responsibility, a fraying of the apron strings.
She is an amazement, this girl of mine. From the moment I knew I was carrying her to the moment I managed to bring her into this world she was ONLY mine. Now I have to share her with the universe. . .and sometimes that is hard. . .but I am thankful that I still see traces of the baby I held in my arms that night. I am even more thankful that God trusted me enough to let me be her mother. We gave her gifts today–a digital camera, a figurine, some food erasers, some days of the week socks–tokens of our love for her and our knowledge of what she likes. But SHE is a gift every, single day.
His exact words were. . .
“Wanna piece uh me, Cupcake?!?”
He balled up his fists, stuck out his arms, did his best Dirty Harry impersonation, then ended it by calling his sister “Cupcake.”
Seriously?
What 8 year old boy does that?
I guess this one does.
The first thing that inspired me to have a Mother & Daughter Luncheon each year was Tony’s gorgeous yard. It was always so verdently green and lovely that it was a shame to not share it.
Verdently green, manicured lawn at old house
We had no grass this year. In fact, the lack of grass plus our sprinkler system plus torrential rains at the beginning of the week had grown some equally verdent slime on parts of our dirt. I was thinking if people squinted that it might take on the APPEARANCE of grass. Alas, I had Tony rake over it to till it into the dirt.
So this year there was no grass–but there was a MUCH bigger kitchen which was worth the loss of grass. We ended up putting the tables in the blazing sun (lesson learned), and I already knew having it in May was probably going to be hot. Right on that.
I have been trying all night to get these photos into a post, and they ended up in gallery form, so just click on them to see them larger. I have to tell you that my son was so excited to get to attend this year that he lowered himself to wear a pink shirt. He REALLY wanted one that said, “Tough boys wear pink”–even though I told him I think the saying is “Tough GUYS wear pink.” He STILL insists that it’s “boys.” Momma and Victoria and I searched high and low but couldn’t find one for him. We DID find a pink shirt with a skateboarder, so he settled.
I must also tell you that the little girl in the chair with him is a friend from church–Chloe. We have never teased Victoria and Thad about boyfriends and girlfriend. Our kids just like to PLAY–and it doesn’t matter if you’re a boy OR a girl, if you’re up for playing then come on! But I think Chloe MIGHT just have her cap set for my little man. She’s LUCKY that I think she is cute as a button and love her to death.
-
- Verdently green, manicured lawn at old house
-
- It’s Mother & Daughter Luncheon Time!!!
-
- We had plenty of old friends. . .
-
- . . .and church friends. . .
-
- . . .teacher and baby friends. . .
-
- . . .really CUTE baby friends. . .
-
- . . .cousins. . .
-
- . . .crafts. . .
-
- . . .games. . .
-
- . . .and woodland pals. (Thankfully it was just a benign tree frog and not a snake that came out of the woods.)
-
- Victoria welcomed people to our “lobby” with her dolls. (When we first moved in she mistakenly called the foyer the lobby.
-
- A guest table that makes you wish you’d worn your sunglasses inside.
-
- We like it bright.
-
- Dessert–though not the final arrangement.
-
- Cupcakeage on a stand hand polished by my son who ALSO wore a pink shirt for the occasion. It was his first time in attendance.
-
- We made the candy flowers–and you can too!!!
-
- Perfectly, though unitentionally, matched floral towel courtesy of MaMaw.
-
- Food. . .
-
- Even MORE food. (Forgot to move the Sunchips bag.)
-
- This just SHOUTS, “Happy!!!!!”
-
- And more happy.
-
- And UBER happy.
-
- A collection of happy.
So a couple of years ago I tore out a place card idea from a Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Victoria saw it last year and wanted to make the craft, but we didn’t have enough time. Today, however, we went to work and just look at the All the Cuteness. . .
You can find the “How To” here. Martha’s colors are a little more “sophisticated”, but Victoria did the choosing and wanted HAPPY turkeys. We got our cardstock at Hobby Lobby, then ran next door to Wal Mart for cheap yarn. The tan is sort of a mottled khaki and brown.
We did the yellow and brown, then the red and brown, but Thad wanted all three, so he did his that way, and Victoria and I both agree that the color combo is the cutest as it draws out the colors of the cardstock.
The only thing we did differently from Martha was to add a clothes pin on the back rather than the paper circle on the bottom. (And buy our yarn at Wal Mart rather than raising the sheep, sheering the wool, carding and spinning it, then dying it with plant dyes that we made from vegetables grown in our organic garden that we fertilize with the sheeps’ manure before finally serving the mutton and vegetables on the same table as the placecards that they helped to make.) That way it will TRULY stand on its own and can be reused next year if we so choose. We also used hot glue to adhere the paper turkey body and the clothes pin.
Victoria thought the turkeys needed a snack. We bought the bread at Wal Mart too.
This is what you get when you take a 3 1/2 hour nap on the couch and your children are left alone to entertain themselves. Hey–it kept them quiet enough for me to sleep in the same room. Normally Thad is VERY particular about his Lego People, but he and Victoria had a ball mixing up the Indiana Jones, Mars Mission, Batman, and Agents Lego People to create a new set that they named “The Swapians.” Creative, no?
Top Row, Left to Right:
Headless Bob, Captain Underpants, Jr., The Lone Stranger, Mr. Spy, Mrs. Bossy Pants, Muscle Man
Middle Row: Ahem, Ty, Ariel, Indiana Smith, Black-Eyed Pea, The Person With No Name, Skelato
Bottom Row: Shoeless Joe, Ordinary
If you look closely, you can see that Marion Underwood (from Indiana Jones) has REALLY been spread thin. Her blouse is being worn by Muscle Man, her hair is being worn atop Henry Jones’s (Indiana’s Dad) head by Ahem, and only her face is gender correct on Ariel. I think, were she able to speak, she might have a thing or two to say about that.
This morning on the way to church I was discussing with Tony an odd requirement God had made of the Israelites in regards to what they were to donate to build the tabernacle. Among the list of scarlet, purple, and blue thread, gold, silver, and copper, acacia wood, goat skins and the like, was the requirement for “the hides of sea cows dyed red.” Now that one stumped me. I mean–they were near the Red Sea presumably. . .and I’m sure that there WERE such things as sea cows (Tony bets on Walruses, I think just seals)–but I found asking for the hides of sea cows while traipsing through the Sinai Desert a bit much. So I say to Tony. . .
“Exactly HOW did He plan on them finding SEA COWS in the middle of the desert?”
And from the back seat in this very teen-agery-duh-you-are-so-dumb voice Victoria says,
“Well. . .I guess they PRAYED for one.”
That shut me down right there. . .I mean what shortage of sea cow hides CAN’T be overcome by a simple prayer.
And as I pondered my daughter’s quick thinking brain, I also realized that her first reaction was for someone to pray and my first reaction was to question God about exactly how one could be expected to complete a monumentally daunting, if not dowright impossible task. She didn’t quote any of “those” scriptures. . .with God all things are possible, the prayer of faith, etc.–there was no need. She just wrapped that thought around a brick and threw it at her momma’s hard head without even intending to. What would HER first reaction be? What would MY first reaction be? And how long will it take for that to NOT be her first reaction if I do not proceed very carefully with my own reactions.
I think I have a lot to learn from my girl.
And Thad stands a good chance of becoming a politician, because after worship today, Tony asked him, “What did you learn about in Bible Hour today?” To which Thad replied, “God.” Certain and all encompassing enough not to be questioned, but vague enough to cover all bases.
____________________________________________________________________
We are on spring break. I took a four hour nap this afternoon. It’s been a long time coming–the week just about did me in.
Tomorrow morning bright and early I am headed to a “Friendze” store in Katy that I found out is closing. (Sarah–puh-leez tell me this in not true of the store in Abilene as well–they will mail me stuff if I pay over the phone). I went there to get my “joy” ring on Saturday and found the announcement of their closing posted on all of the windows. So I will be getting my “joy” ring at 30%-60% off. (Sarah–I’m going at to be there when they open–leaving the house at 9:30–call me on my cell if you want me to get you anything–not sure if the jewelry will be on the 30 end or the 60 end.) I don’t shop there very often–but they have these wonderful sterling silver bracelets engraved with scripture that are just about the best gift EVER.
On Tuesday we are going to Galveston. . .where we will ride the Bolivar ferry, go putt-putt golfing at a really pretty and neat course, build sand castles, eat at the Rain Forest cafe (both kids meals are free thanks to Victoria’s excellent 2nd grade GPA and the certificates that come with it), visit the Galveston light house if it’s opened to the public, and Tony and I will try to visit the Moody Mansion and Museum. And if he won’t go, I will go by myself–I feel the need to lose myself in someone else’s old house for a bit. Tony’s parents will come to “visit” their own house–where we are staying–one day, and other than those wonderful activities we will play Uno and generally loaf around.
I DO have some papers to grade. . .and I will TRY not to procrastinate. . .if I get around to it. 
Tonight we served our time at the Girl Scout Cookie store. Now, it’s cold in Houston, Texas tonight, folks, and it was incredibly cold outside of the Kroger at Hwy. 6 and West Rd. Misty, windy, cold. And our cookie store was from 6:00-8:00, so it was dark too. But the girls loved it. They loved playing and being out late and accosting the unsuspecting Kroger customers with their cuteness. Our whole family was there–Thad even tried to drum up some business for his sister.
Now we are home–thawing–the kids are up late (for them), and seeing as how none of us had dinner before we went, we are eating Wendy’s burgers and fries way past time for adequate digestion. There’s a fire in the fire place, Olympics on channel 2, and I have two movies in my purse for Tony and me to watch once the kids are in bed. We will be tired when it’s time to get to class in the morning, but the evening’s contentment–happy family in a happy home full of dinner that I didn’t have to cook OR clean up after–is well worth it.
Time to go see who is winning the down hill ski races.
