Innocence Lost

I knew this day would come. I just didn't realize that it would come so soon. I didn't really expect that my girls would remain innocent forever. I just thought we might make it to the double-digits before it happened. Well, too late; it's already happened. My sweet little girls have figured out the difference between girls and boys. That's right....you heard me. Sugar and Spice know the difference between boys and girls. Oh, I know what you're thinking..."What kind of mother would allow this to happen? Obviously they've been exposed to something they had no business seeing or hearing." Well, I really don't know how it happened. But they found out. And just in case you haven't heard....girls have eyelashes.

The Formal Dinner Party

Sugar's teacher held a formal dinner party at her home this afternoon for the entire class as a culminating activity for the nutrition and manners units of study they completed this week. It was fantastic! I'm sure the kids will remember it for the rest of their lives. First they gathered in the living room where Ms. Matejka took photos and served all of her guests hors d'oeuvres . As she circled the room offering each child a cracker with canned cheese, she reminded them of appropriate responses if they did not want anything or thought they wouldn't like it. She even instructed them in the fine art of taking a small bite if you're unsure and then hiding the rest in your napkin until you can get rid of it! :) Next each of the gentlemen was instructed to invite one of the ladies to join him at the dinner table, which was set with black and white table cloths, silver charges, specially folded napkins and goblets of water. The courses included chicken noodle soup, garden salads, sorbet, the main course ( fish sticks, macaroni and cheese, green beans, carrots, and corn), and dessert (brownies presented on a plate with chocolate syrup, whip cream and sprinkles). During the salad course she provided tips about how to move food around your plate if you don't like it so that it appears as though you're eating and how to respond if your host should notice that you are, in fact, not eating. The party ended with the presentation of the hostess gift (some lovely flowers and a bracelet that the room mothers thoughtfully picked up) and a tour of the house. I wish kindergarten could last forever!!!

The Birthday Dance

Sugar's teacher goes above and beyond what any parent could expect to make each of her students feel special each day, but birthdays are a major event! The birthday boy or girl is greeted at the entrance with a message in sidewalk chalk and a blow-up cake, he or she receives a special birthday gift (which is top secret and must be opened at home so as not to spoil the surprise for others!), and then the birthday dance begins. If that weren't enough, the principal bestows a birthday blessing upon him or her during chapel service. It was incredible and I'm so glad I got to be there to see this!

All I Want For Christmas

Sugar originally wanted a horse for Christmas. We managed to convince her that Santa wouldn't bring a horse to a family that wasn't prepared and didn't have room for a horse. Well, now she wants a sled. So far, we haven't been able to budge her from the sled request, no matter how many times we say that there's not enough snow in this part of Texas to ride one. She insists that, "She's going to use it for something else!" What? We haven't gotten any kind of answer to that. I guess we need to hire a Santa who can tell her that he doesn't bring sleds to little girls in Texas. Anyone? Anyone? Thankfully, Spice is a little easier to please.

Our Little Kindergartener

Sugar made the transition into kindergarten last Tuesday flawlessly!. (I, on the other hand, had a little difficulty!) She has a fantastic teacher who has so many amazing things planned for this year and she loves going to class each day. Paprika, once again proving his superior mental capacity, told Spice that she would be going to Grammygarten each day while Sugar was at kindergarten, which seemed to appease her quite nicely. We are so excited to see our Sugar blossom into a confident, independent little girl and we can't wait to see all of the things that she will accomplish this year.

Sugar, The Artist

Sugar loves doing craft projects, whether it involves coloring, painting, foam stickers, or whathaveyou. So when we found The Art Barn this summer (thanks, Michelle!) Sugar was hooked. She has thus far made a bowl for Grammy, a pumpkin plate for Nana (sorry, no photo of that one!),
a rainbow box for her cousin's birthday next month (shhhh!) and a unicorn box for herself.
I even joined in the fun and made this tile collage cross.

And They Swam And They Swam All Over The Dam!

For the last couple of weekends, we've had the pleasure of spending Sunday afternoon swimming in the pool at my brother's best friend's parent's house. Got that? The girls just love going 'swimming', although neither of them can swim yet. Sugar would still rather die than go under water, and Spice isn't too much better about it. However, I am finally seeing some progress and now have hope that maybe one day they will actually be able to swim. Look at Sugar floating on her back and swimming all over the pool! She even jumped into the shallow end by herself. (Okay, I bribed her with the Swan Lake Barbie movie, but it still counts!) There's just a tiny section of Spice doing her thing, but that's because everything you see in that section is everything she does in the pool. She's just gotten comfortable floating with the life jacket in the last couple of weeks...up until then she would have a panic attack when she couldn't touch bottom any more. So she's making progress, too. I predict that we'll have a couple of swimmers next summer!

Little Gymnasts

Every summer for the last three years, Sugar and Spice have gone to the Little Gym for classes. It's one of their favorite things about summer and they really look forward to going to their one-hour class each week. This year I've really been impressed with how much their confidence has increased! Both girls are walking on the high beam without assistance and jumping off the end and both of them can do a basket hang from the bar (hands and feet on the bar). See for yourself!

Sugar Shaker!

Sugar received a hula hoop for her birthday last Friday, which she immediately identified as her favorite gift....along with her Belle doll, her unicorn, her Alaskan doll, her kitty, her new clothes, etc., etc. (She wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, dontcha know!) Anyway, she has been practicing with her new hula hoop every day and doggone if she's not hula hooping already!

A Picture Paints A Thousand Words, Oh Yes It Does!

Both Sugar and Spice have now had their first experience at the wondrous place known as the Build-A-Bear Workshop. I took Spice for her birthday in April after she received a gift card from her uncle. May I introduce you to Princess Aurora Royale? No amount of coaxing could convince Spice that PAR needed any type of clothing, accessories, or other paraphernalia. She finally acquiesced to a small bouquet of flowers on her front right leg, but later had second thoughts and promptly removed it.
And, here is Princess Estella Royale. Sugar sincerely apologizes for the lack of fancy gold and silver sandals, a skirt, and several other items that her cruel mother would not allow her to purchase. Painfully, she was limited to only two additional items of dress and was thus unable to properly adorn her new companion.
Yep, these pics pretty much sum up my girls' personalities.

Cowtown Camera Girl Rocks!

A couple of weeks ago my friend and colleague Nell Valdez, who is not only a super librarian, but also an extremely talented photographer, got some new equipment. She offered a free sitting to someone who responded to her blog post and I won! Last Wednesday I took the girls to her new house (it's beautiful!) so that she could shoot them wearing some tutus that she purchased for her business. Here are a few shots from that session:

After the tutu shots, we went to a nearby ice cream store so that Nell could get some summertime ice cream cone pictures. I haven't seen those yet, but I'm sure that they will be just as good! Nell has lots of interesting ideas and an amazing eye for what will make a fantastic photo, plus she shoots her subjects very naturally so the finished product shows the real expressions and smiles that you love. You can see more photos from our tutu session, as well as more of Nell's work at here blog, Cowtown Camera Girl. Here's the link to the complete session!

Sugar's First Time Behind the Wheel

While we were in Juneau visiting our dear friends, we were treated to a little boat ride. Sugar took over the captain duties briefly and actually did quite well for her first time behind the wheel. She was quite proud of herself, as you'll see in this video.

The Scariest Words of All

Sugar said something the other day that hit me like a punch in the gut. I know I'm not the first parent to hear these words or the first to feel their effect. In fact, I'm sure that I'll hear similar words from Sugar again and Spice is bound to weigh in at some point, too. I don't even remember what it was that I was doing, but here's what Sugar said as she joined me in my activity: "I'm doing exactly like you, Mommy!" Oh. My. That's sobering, to say the least. I sincerely hope that she doesn't do exactly like me. I pray that she's smarter than I've been. I pray that she's less selfish than I've been. I pray that she's more patient than I've been. I pray that she's less judgemental than I've been. I pray that she's kinder than I've been. Most of all, I pray that she trusts her Saviour more than I have and that her life is marked by a deep faith in God that guides her day by day. Of course, if she still wants to be a librarian when she grows up, that's okay. She's already got the look down.

The Ghosts of Christmas Passed

Well, it's over for another year. All but the tear-down, that is. Paprika and I have always disagreed on the time-frame for the Christmas un-decorating. I have always felt that I must dismantle everything and have it stored away on the day after Christmas. By noon, if at all possible. Paprika is a little less stringent about the timing, perhaps willing to leave everything in place all the way to THE NEW YEAR. *Deep breaths...slow...deep breaths.* I have (in my mind) a good reason for this need to clear away all the Christmas stuff....my school break is two weeks long. Depending on the way the calendar falls in any given year, this gives me approximately a week of Christmas doings and a week of total vacation. How can I POSSIBLY enjoy said total vacation when all these Christmas items are staring me in the face every day reminding me that they must be taken care of before I return to work? Well, I can't, I tell you!!! Or I should say I couldn't. I find myself relaxing a bit this year...not in quite as big a rush to complete the tear-down and get on with other things. Maybe it's the fact that I've got two little girls who will be so disappointed to see Christmas go. Maybe it's the fact that we've rushed ourselves silly for the last month or so and I am all rushed out. Maybe I'm finally learning that time will go by quickly enough and I better not wait until everything is just the way I'd like it to be before I can relax. Yeah, that's it. At least I hope it is.

Our Little Picasso

All of a sudden, Sugar has started doing some really nice artwork. It's like she just noticed the lines and started coloring inside them without being prompted. Just look at this:

I may be slightly biased, but that's pretty darn good for a four-year-old in my opinion!