School Drop Off

Some of the funniest stories happen in the morning on our way to school, I'm in full zombie mode just happy that we've almost survived another day, and your little brains are already up and running.

Today I have two new favorites to add to the collection in my head.

First, I hear Parker admiring a piece of schoolwork that Payton had left in the car.  I thought it was a little funny, because although I know Parker admires Payton, she hardly ever acknowledges that Payton is older or her work is more complicated.  So, I hear her asking Payton something along the lines of "Wow, you did all this?", to which Payton answered, "yeah, well, some of it was there and I did the rest".  Here's the funny part, Parker, still impressed, "Did you get a STAR??"  "Well, in SECOND GRADE, we don't really do it like that, we don't really get stars".  Which is hysterical, because Payton is always putting stars on her own homework and papers, even before she returns them to school, so she is definitely still seeing stars at school and considers them a job well done. 

A few minutes later Payton asks me if I can shave her legs when we get home.  "Uh, WHAT??  Why would I do that?"  She informed me that she can see hair on her legs.  I wanted to answer I didn't do that until I was in college, but of course that would be an outright lie, so I go with "I didn't do that until I was a teenager!", which in my mind was practically the same answer, but probably also somewhat of a lie.  Not so much to Miss Payton.  Her response was that she's "ALMOST a teenager, only 6 more years and that's not very long."  Then she laughed at her self a little and corrected herself that maybe it is a little while still.

Parker Turned 5, and Mommy Was Busy!

It's been a few months, but Parker, you made it to 5!  Between your fearlessness and spirit, there have been times over the last 5 years it's been questionable.  I have to say, I feel like this summer you really grew up a lot, and in so many great ways.  You were SO excited to start kindergarten was so hard for you to wait, but now we're in the full swing of it, and you are doing great.  Even since the beginning of the school year I feel like you've come leaps and bounds, and I already thought you were ahead of the crowd.  I kind of missed writing your 5 year post, promise to better next year!

School Rules

Yesterday was the 4th day of school, and on the way to school Payton informed me that she'd had to make a new rule for the bus and school.  She had to make a rule for Parker, no kissing on the bus or at school.  I think it's pretty funny, because I can't think of a time that I've seen Parker trying to kiss Payton, maybe some big bear hugs here and there, but kissing just isn't something I see her do.  Guess she sure must be missing her sister at school!

You can if you're able, you may if you must...

"May you get me a napkin please?",  my sweet Parker says to me at the dinner table.  This is how I know that somewhere in there, she really is listening to my little life lessons.  You see, I once had a teacher who tried to teach us the difference between "May I" and "Can I", and I learned the lesson (maybe a little too well) and so when the girls ask me a "May I" question with "Can I", it makes my skin crawl, so I've corrected her at least 1000 times.  Well, she heard me, and I guess I wasn't clear in teaching the WHOLE lesson.  Oh well, we'll get there.

Practically A Teenager

Payton, you are 7, going on 17.  I know that every parent feels this way at some point and we are there.  Your goal these days is to look/act/be like a teenager in all you do.  You won't wear dresses (unless they are VERY teenager-ish), but instead choose jean shorts which have to be dark denim.  Most of your shirts fall off of your shoulders, and this drives me bonkers even though I try hard to keep it to myself.  Gotta say, most of the time you look as cute as a button.  We've gotten to the point in life that I have to take you shopping for your own clothes, because I apparently have lost all fashion sense.  Wow, how did that happen?  Your hair is such a beautiful color, strawberry blonde your always quick to tell your admirers, and the few times I get to "fix" it, it has such gorgeous perfect fluffy curls, but for the most part, you like to slick it down and try to get it straight.  Sorry babe, it's just not gonna happen.  You and Parker have decided that Daddy does hair better than me, still unsure when you're going to figure out that I might have a better idea how do do "girl" hair, but for now I try not to let it hurt my feelings too much.  Beyond your look, you also have developed quite the teenager attitude.  You're sassy and always have to chime into all conversations, invited or not.  I hear you say things sometimes and it makes me laugh because I HEAR MYSELF as a kid and finally get why my mouth got duct taped shut when I was about your age by one of my parents friends.  While it sometimes makes me crazy that you never stop talking, I'm also so proud that you have the confidence in yourself to make yourself heard.  You are still a charmer, and everyone that meets you always tells me how wonderful you are.  You know how to speak to people and are usually sweet and polite.

What else should I tell you about your 6th year?  Well, you learned to ride a bike without training wheels, you lost your first and second teeth (within 2 weeks of each other),  you lost your grandfather, you played on your first soccer team, and gave gymnastics a try.  You loved your sister and continued to grow your friendship that I believe will be your best friend throughout your life.  Oh, you also have developed a love for bugs recently.  I'm still trying to work that one out in my head.

Your cat Max and you go to bed together almost every night.  He follows you up to bed, and snuggles up next to you or lays across the foot of your bed.  He'll sleep with you for a while, then spend the night carrying and batting plastic Easter eggs around the house.  Then in the morning, my alarm clock goes off, Max meets me at your door, and we go in together to snuggle you awake.  I usually get a little snuggle, but he's the one who demands your full attention, and pets, and makes you wake up.  It's just about the cutest thing ever.  If finally figured out that you wake up a much happier kid when we go this route versus just telling you it's time to get up and going.  And, I love having this time with you each morning, while you're still little enough to be happy to snuggle with me.

This year we changed your school to Pinewoods Elementary, and you've come so far!  The beginning of the year was so hard for you as you struggled to learn to read, and had such a tough time with tests.  We all stresses and worked and fought, but now as we've wrapped up the year I can honestly say I couldn't be prouder of your school work and your efforts.  You finished up the year with a B in reading, for both the quarter and the year.  WOW!  I remember sitting down with Mrs. Kolar early in the year looking at test scores of 54 and 0, and being heartbroken for you.  I knew that you wanted to succeed, you just didn't get it.  I have to give both you and Mrs. Kolar credit, because now you do.  You still struggle, and there's certainly more work ahead, but you do a really good job of working it out when you come to words you struggle with instead of just getting frustrated.  You seemed to breeze though math and grammar, finishing up with A's in both.  I think that in the last quarter you finished up with a 99% in math, seriously, who does that?!?!  And then there are the spelling words, which are part of your grammar score.  Coming from parents who can't spell to save their lives, I love that each week you get new words that you don't know, and by the end of the week you throw them out without a hitch.  Way to go baby girl!  You've charmed all of the staff members you come in contact with, and every time I walk onto campus I hear someone telling me what a sweetheart you are or how well behaved you are, you just bring cheer to everyone around you.  I feel like you are such a well rounded kid, I'm so proud that you're mine!

I have to give a BIG HUGE thank you to Shannon J Dodge who took these amazing photos of us a few weeks ago.  They are so amazing and capture so much of your spirit, it's impossible to pick just a few favorites.

Grandpa Jim

I've been putting off writing this to you for almost 2 months now, dreading it for over 2 years.  So I'm going to start with some basics, because I don't know what you'll remember and what you won't, and I just don't know exactly what to say.  On February 6th your Grandpa Jim, Papa, as you both called him when you were very little, died.  He had been diagnosed with stage 4 (I believe) cancer 2 years previously, and had been in a great deal of pain for quite some time.  The last 5 days of his life he was, for the most part, in the hospital with Grandma Barb by his side, but before that he hadn't been hospitalized and literally was working right up to the end.  The man was amazing. Who in the world runs a business while they are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments?  He and Grandma did not ever accept the fact that cancer could possibly take his life, he fought like no one I've ever known. 

Grandpa Jim was fun hearted, he loved to play with you girls in the pool and it cracked me up to see pictures of him crawling around on the floor with you.  He liked Coors Light and he liked egg foo young.  I have no idea why that's important to me, but as I've been tossing this letter to you around in my head over the last month, I felt like you should know that about him.  Grandpa and Grandma loved each other so (almost sickeningly) much.  He was easy going and laid back, but also could be very firm and made sure that you  girls followed the rules.  He would run 3 miles every morning, and ate an apple for lunch then salad for dinner.  I don't know many people that sustain a healthy lifestyle as well as he did.  He also enjoyed a good pizza and BBQ on the weekends.  He loved football almost as much as your dad, and the two of them could talk forever about nothing, I mean, football.  In business, he was dependable and honest.  People loved to work with him, because they knew he would not fail.  He also loved his politics, ugh.  We didn't always agree, but I always respected that he held tight to his beliefs and opinions.  He was a republican through and through, and had been involved with the local tea party movement, although his health didn't give him much time or energy to devote to anything other than work over the last few years.  He's so much more of a person than I can write here, becuase I only got to be a part of his life over the last 12 years or so, and can only write from my own perspective.  I'm certain your dad and grandmothers could tell you so much more.

When you were both younger, before he was sick, you'd spend the night at their house very regularly.  I wasn't there, but I hear that it was always a barrel of fun, full of movies snuggled up in the big bed, splashing in the pool, singing, and bubble baths.  I know that he had the fullest intention to get better and continue that tradition, but sometimes life doesn't work out the way we planned.  Right before he got sick, in October of 2010, Grandpa and Grandma took Payton for a weekend trip to Bush Gardens.  To this day, Payton, you still talk about it and beg to go back.  They had a plan to take Parker on her own special trip as well as she got a little older, but I suppose now that trip will look a little different. 

I wonder if you girls will remember any of this.  I wonder if you'll remember playing with him, or remember him sick.  I wonder what you'll remember about the funeral, or if you will at all.  Will you know how you reacted when we told you?  Did we do it right telling you, not telling you, too much, too little?  He died overnight and Daddy and I didn't know until we woke up in the morning when we discovered we'd missed a call from Barb in the night, and we both knew what that probably meant.  We called her before waking you, and learned the news.  Unsure what to do, what to say, we decided to send you to school without telling you so that we could process a little ourselves and go be with Barb to help her and support her as she was in shock.  We spent the day with Barb and her dear friends Jerry and Lois.  They kind of got the ball rolling with services and such, and I'm so thankful for that.  Daddy and I came home to pick you up at the end of the day and sat you both down in the living room.  Parker, you took it pretty much like I thought you would, you were young enough I think to not fully get the finality of death, because you just kind of said okay and went on.  Over the next hours, days and weeks you'd say things very matter of factly about Grandpa being dead, but the time you were really emotional was at the funeral.  You sobbed and sobbed as the service went on, it was so hard.  I think you were scared of all the sadness and didn't know what to do with it.  You still randomly tell me you miss him.  As much as it breaks my heart to hear, I'm glad to hear you thinking about him, and understanding.  Payton, you were devastated and I think angry.  Daddy told you, and you ran stomping and crying to your room.  It's gut wrenching to type this, because I've never seen such pain in you.  You cried and cried for a while, and Daddy went to your room to talk to you after a few minutes.  You guys talked and asked some questions and worked through it.  You fully got it, and I hated that for you.  But within 20 or 30 minutes you had come around a bit and were handling it.  I don't really remember what happened from there.  I know that I sent an email to your teacher and principal to let them know and then we did send you both back to school again the next day.  It was a crazy time, Daddy was super busy with work, Barb was trying to understand what she needed to do with the files that were in process at the title company and I just wanted to make things right in the world for you all. 

Now we're two months down the road, and the sky hasn't fallen, well, at least not any more.  Grandma's getting back to some of the things she likes to do, cooking special foods for you girls and you even had a sleepover last weekend.  I'm sure that there are going to be hard days ahead, holidays, anniversaries, random Wednesdays when we all just miss him.  But, know that you were loved, a lot, by a great man.