Grease

The Girls attended a Sock Hop the a couple of weekends ago . Sounds simple, nice, huh? Not for me.

Let me rephrase this, The Girls attended a Sock Hop the other weekend, alone. Sans Parents. No Mommy allowed. What the??? Not allowed? Excuse me, who says I am not allowed to attend a social function that runs from 6:00 to 10:00....P.M.?

Well, the Girls say so, of course. But 6-10, at night, when its dark. That's four hours. At a dance. Without their Mother. I don't know if I am ready for this. Well, apparently, it doesn't matter if I am because Quinn is ready. And, as it turns out, she is ready.

Now, let me explain that I do have faith in my Quinn. I am aware that she is growing up and ready to take on more responsibilities. I just don't want to believe it. So, she did exactly what I would have done, she proved me wrong. She went to the dance with her sister. She brought my phone. She called me every hour, not because she missed me or wanted me to pick her up, but because I asked her to and she was being (gulp) responsible. "Hi Mom! Everything is fine." "Do you want me to come get you?" "Uh, no Mom. We are at a dance. We are having fun." She didn't even say it with attitude. Just the fact.

I'll admit it, I was sure she would lose the phone. (So much for faith in my kid). But she didn't.

What does this mean? Am I supposed to allow her to continue on this course of maturity? Surely she will be wanting to do more and more without me and where will that lead us?? Riddle me that Batman.

I turned away for a second and she grew up. I missed it.

Must Love Dogs

Another sample of Gabbie's writing. This is interesting because instead of the normal straight forward plea to her father for a dog, she is starting to write stories about dogs and their plights. This one is about 6 dogs who are confused about what they should eat for breakfast. (Get it?)

Easter Parade

Here are some pics from the Oxford Egg Hunt - I took the girls and their cousins for a scavenger hunt around Oxford. They were very excited and thought they made out like bandits, until they got to the car and started opening the eggs up. That's when they discovered that, like their school Administration, The Easter Bunny has new ideas on nutrition and ole' style jelly beans and chocolate are not on the menu. They have plenty of plastic "Some Bunny Loves You" rings, Pencils, braided string bracelets and tiny plastics dinosaurs though.

We also had a new arrival to Nana-re's and Pop Pop's family, namely the love Bam Bam. What a cutie! He was thrown into this crazy family, with all these kids trying to hug him and play with his ears, Stanley absolutely freaking out to play with him and the normal yelling and screaming of our lives, and took it all in stride. In fact, its like he has always been here. His a mellow dude with a low rumble of a bark. He kinda looks like a white and tan seal when he is facing you, his paws stick out and he has a long, low body. He also thinks he is a lap dog. We are all madly in love with him!!

Pay It Forward

When the girls are not distracted by their "How to Get a Pet" Campaign, they donate their time to various PSA's (Public Service Announcements). Here are a couple of Posters they designed for Jordan Banks Elementary School (grades K and 1st): (Please keep in mind that JB Elementary is not aware that they asked for these PSA's...yet. Gabbie is planning on telling them when they are all finished.)






Important fact here: Bullies can be a boy OR a girl!

That is one of my favorites!
Here we see that a friend is also forgiving

Are they saying Pop Corn isn't good food or that Cake is a good food?

Another one of my Favs!
Again, we do not discriminate, a boy and a girl can both steal.




A few simple ideas to help make the world a better place. Way to go Quinn and Gabbie!! You rock!

Puppy Love

Well, things have taken a very dramatic turn in our house. It seems that persistence has won over a certain member of the family. Unfortunately for Gabbie, it is not a key (i.e., income earning) member, but still, her ranks are growing and we are beginning to get the full force of their united front. Here is the latest essay delivered to my husband by none other than Quinn!


Again, for those not used to reading over a third grader's homework, a quick interpretation:

Dad, can we please get a puppy. I will skip school to take care of it. I will walk it every day. It can stay in my room. Please! You can watch all the TV you want. I will feed it every single day. I will brush it too. You can pick it out . Please, you can pick it out!! PLEASE! PLEASE! I am begging you. I will make sure it doesn't touch you. I'm begging you. It will be trained. It will never go to the bathroom in the house. It will be 12 months old. it will be 2 feet. It will never jump or run away. DAD, PLEASE.

- Quinn B. (in case we were sure which one)

NOTE ABOUT THIS POST:
This is a post from May that was in my drafts. since this post Randy has worked very hard in turning Quinn to the dark side. Unfortunately for Gabbie, it has worked!!

Dog-ma

Let me tell you a story of my girl Gabbie. Gabbie, a self proclaimed expert on dogs and cats, has the grave misfortune to be in a home with a person with pet allergies, a person with animal fears and a person with no patience. The odds have been stacked against her since birth. However, she is diligent to get her message across. She needs a pet. That is her message. Straight forward and simple. The delivery is what changes. Some time it is a subtle hint when you least expect it, other times it is an "in your face" attack. My favorite is the written messages delivered and left in inconspicuous places around the house. Case in point the following essay addressed to her father:


For those of you who are not used to the writing stylins' of a six year old, here is a translation [wording in brackets added by this author]:
"I want a Pet: I want a dog. Let him lick me. I will be nice to him. I will clean after him. It will be a size you want. Even a cat [what the hell]. I [will] clean after her. The cat could live in the basement. Buy nice rugs for it. Buy a bed for her. I will be there every day to take care of it. I will be the best owner ever. You will never see it. I will do everything. I will brush it. I will be so, so good to it. I Need A PET to make my life perfect...[I will be] the best owner ever and ever!"

It is pathetic. Someone needs to adopt a dog for this little girl. And by someone, I mean Nana-re and Pop Pop.

Saturday the 14th

Just when you thought it was safe to look at the calendar again....
Happy Valentine's Day! Randy and Quinn got up early and got Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, Yeah! I'm all for celebrating another Hallmark Holiday!
Yesterday during Quinn's Valentine's day celebration at school, her class had a Mystery Reader. This "mystery person" submitted five clues that Mrs. Heeter gave the class throughout the day:

1. My favorite Book when I was in the Third Grade was "Island of the blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell.
2. I love to listen to music.
3. I was born in New Jersey.
4. I love to scrap book.
5. My sister and her family live in Alaska. In 2007 I went there with my daughters.

Now, pretty much everyone reading this figured out who the mystery reader was by number 3. In a room of 27 kids, there is the possibility that someone else had a parent who was also born in New Jersey. However, there is no way Quinn did not know what was going on by clue number 4. I mean, really.
Mrs. Heeter told me that she kept asking the class if ANYONE had any idea who the Mystery Reader was, and NO ONE guessed correctly. In fact, one little blonde at the back of the class didn't even attempt to guess. No, she was busy looking down and fidgeting in her seat. After clue five, still no guess. At this point, the little girl had her head on her desk.
But I am jumping ahead. I have no idea this is going on, I am in the hallway waiting for my big entrance. Mrs. Heeter opens the door and I walk in with a huge smile on my face. I say Hi! and scan the room for Quinn... and my heart stops. My smile falters. I think...Bad idea, Kim. Bad idea. Get out, Get out, Get out. There is Quinn, she is an off shade of green with such a look of distress and sickness on her face. It hits me, she is embarrassed. Of me!
So now, I am completely panicked. I am trying to act cool, but I am scared to death. They are having a party and are still eating and cleaning up. I take advantage of the chaos to approach Quinn. I bend down and whisper, "Is this OK?" She nods slightly, but doesn't speak. Is that a good sign?
The class settles in and Mrs. Heeter gives me a stool to sit on and read. I brought two books that Mom bought in Alaska. The first is "Eye of the Needle," a Yupik tale about a young boy who learns an important lesson about sharing when his Grandmother sends him out to hunt for food. Its a good book. The boy swallows everything he finds (even a Walrus and a Whale). The kids are getting into it. There are some smiles, then a giggle. I look up. Is that a smile on her face? She looks relaxed, as if she is not embarrassed. For now. Briefly. I know I can tip the scales either way in a moment, so I stay on script and just read the book.
I read the second book "Aurora" a story of how the Northern Lights got up into the sky. It wasn't as big of a hit as the first, but not a complete flop either. She's laughing with her class and looks happy. Crisis averted.
To sweeten the pot, I take her home with me when I am finished. 10 minutes before the rest of the school is dismissed. This is the best part for her!
Later at dinner, she whispers, "I wasn't embarrassed, Mom" and quickly walks away.
That was a close one.