Catholic Schools Week

This morning the girls' school held a Mass to kick off Catholic Schools Week. Molly was selected from PreK to take part in the Rose Procession. Traditionally they open this Mass with representatives of each grade and the faculty carrying roses as a symbol of their patron saint, St. Therese.

She did a great job and was so excited that she wanted me to take photos of her ater Mass with the rose bouquets on each side of the altar. Brenna was asked to represent her class as well. However we politely declined since Molly had already been asked and we agreed that, in fairness, another family should be represented. And with Scout Sunday next weekend, Brenna will have her moment in the sun then anyway. So now they are ready for a fun week of school activities including an Open House and the Talent Show.

Hooping it up

Brenna decided to do a winter CYO basketball clinic again this year. She's not a big b-ball fan and she willingly admits that it's "not really my sport" but it's a fun activity for a Saturday morning and all of her school friends are there. Frankly, I think she's just in it for the T shirt! (this year's shirt is the red one - it says Little Flower Hoops on the front which she thinks is a riot!)

Don't Say It!

We had a really funny incident this time last year when the little boy next door was here playing. His mom came to get him and although I love them both dearly, I often wonder if perhaps she thinks I'm the worst parent ever. (Then again, she leave her kid here so I must be okay!) She's older than I am and he is their first child (and back then an only) so she's much more particular in her parenting style. For example, she'll tell them all the reasons they shouldn't be walking on the stone wall between our houses. I simply yell "Don't come crying to me if you fall!" You know, things like that which prove I'm a horrible mom.

Anyway, she and I are chatting and the kids are playing (a bit rowdier than usual) upstairs. Brenna comes down looking nervous and announces, "Molly just said the SH word." Hmmmm. Now I'm mentally saying the SH word because my neighbor is sitting right there and of course I have to follow through on this so that she doesn't completely think I'm hopeless as a parent ! I was wondering where this came from because neither Dean nor I swear like that but then again, she could have heard it from someone else. Also I didn't think Brenna even knew there was a bad SH word, but then again she can spell and it doesn't take a brain surgeon to sound that one out! I asked her to tell me what Molly said but she started shifting from one foot to the next in that "Please don't make me repeat it" action. So I ask again and tell her it's okay to say it just this once. Brenna, her cheeks as red as apples, says "She said 'Shut Up'." My neighbor and I did a great job trying not to laugh but I was dying inside. See, in a house with, by comparison, two pretty mellow girls - this was about the worst thing one of them had ever said. We later found out Molly heard it from the movie "Annie" and we had a nice chat about how it wasn't a swear word per se but it still wasn't a nice thing to say.

A year later, Molly still remembers this. The only trouble is she's determined that it's the same for all "negative" words that Mommy doesn't like her saying such as hate, stupid, or pretty much anything said with a nasty tone. The second problem is that, because she can't spell, Molly calls them "PH words." Dean will say something is stupid and all we hear is
"OOOOooooo Daddy said a PH word!" I'll complain that I hate grocery shopping and then I'm the nasty person who uses PH words. We were having lunch with some of her classmates when one of the boys said something was dumb. Molly came marching over to the adults declaring that "Quinn used a PH word!" You could see the wheels turning as the other moms tried to figure out just what he had said that was so offensive. I'm just enjoying this silly little quirk now because soon Molly will be able to spell - and will discover the truth about her good friend Pheobe!

OOOOooooo! Even her name is a PH word!

Keep 'em coming . . .

Thanks to all of our family and friends who are helping us collect Boxtops for our school. Our classes have started contests so now would be a great time to mail us any you have tucked away. Grade 2 is in first place right now and Brenna wants to make sure it stays that way! Check all those cereal boxes, frozen meal cartons, etc. - there are Boxtops on tons of things!

Thanks for your help!

Snuggle

It hit me the other day that Molly is going to be 5 in the spring.

4 is still little. 5 is not.

5 is a big kid. 5 is old (well, from a mother's perspective!)

Things have changed a lot in these years.

Remember this baby?

.

Pitiful, huh? It gets better . . .

And my personal favorite . . .

Okay, not even Christmas was good for her . . .

And there are so, so, so many more. She's the first child ever who has not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR full pages in her scrapbooks devoted to photos of her crying.

She was less than 24 hrs old when the hospital nurses took her to the nursery one night so I could sleep . . . and then brought her back to me an hour later because she was crying so much that they couldn't get any work done. I should have guessed when trained professionals gave up on her.

Well now Molly is a new gal. This is how we spend our days.

She's a total snuggler. Her alarm goes off for school each day and she'll wait for me to come in and give her a cuddle before finally getting up to get dressed. She's always full of hugs and kisses.

But now she's getting too heavy to pick up. She won't fit in my arms much longer.

5 is looming and I don't like it one bit!!

And There It Goes!

After weeks of looking like some sort of hillbilly with her loose front tooth all crooked and twisted, the darn tootin' thing finally popped out tonight. Now Miss Brenna is full of holes!

She can't wait to go to school tomorrow and show off her new grin.

Here it Comes!

The snow finally made an appearance in our neck of the woods. Granted it was only a dusting but it was enough to pull out the snow saucers on the back hill for a little while. At least until they whisked all the snow away with their sledding!

Brenna is a little disappointed though. Way back in November everyone in her class guessed when the first snowfall would be. Everyone's guesses have now passed except for Brenna and one other girl. Well Brenna guessed yesterday and Katherine guessed today!

Oh well - deep down Brenna's just glad the snow is here.

Lords (or Ladies) of the Dance

They made it! The dancers are in the talent show. They'll have a rehearsal on Tuesday and a dress rehearsal the following week and then the show is on 2/1 during Catholic Schools Week. Let's hope they can learn the routine enough by then and that their teacher isn't offended by how badly we butchered her piece. See they hadn't finished learning the full dance in the last session of classes and the new session hadn't started before tryouts so we sort of took liberties and finagled a few steps they did know into a decent dance. Whatever works I say - and it must have worked.

Brenna is also slated to sing the National Anthem with her Brownie troop and the kindergarten Daisies. Suffice to say that dancing is her better talent! Well actually she has a cute little voice, but something about thirty 5 and 7 year olds warbling the world's most difficult vocal piece is a bit unnerving. They tried it at their Investiture in November and luckily we parents will smile at anything! I hope they get some practice in for that as well.

Molly's class wasn't eligible to try out.

Good thing because I'd be afraid, be REALLY afraid, of what she'd decide to do for an audience!

For You Shelly!

Shelly said she wanted to see a picture from our wedding after seeing Brenna and Molly wearing my dress. I had forgotten just how BIG my wedding dress was with the train on it!

So here we are just over 10 years ago - younger, skinnier and, at that time, completely unemployed!

My what a decade does!

Winners no matter what

Brenna tried out with her dance group for the school's talent show. There are about 20 of them who take the class and when Brenna and her friend decided to dance for the show, we moms encouraged them to ask everyone in the class rather than just a handful (which would admittedly be the ones who actually knew what they were doing.) They agreed and thus 14 of them danced today.

They did okay.

Actually they did great for a bunch of kids who learned the routine yesterday but the judges didn't know that! If they make it I'll say it's a mercy vote because the group includes so many kids representing 4 different grades. Had we let our girls just choose a select few, I have no doubt they would have made it. But that wouldn't have been fair to the ones not invited to the group and I will never have it said that my kid deliberately excluded others.

I was curious how Brenna felt about the tryout so I was asking her over dinner. It doesn't matter whether they make it or not because this was her reply . . .

"Well, we did okay I think. Even if we don't get in I suppose it's okay because everyone had fun. We had a fun practice, no one fought over partners and everyone got along. And we didn't leave anyone out so no one has hurt feelings. So it was good no matter what."

Talk about being winners!

I spend a lot of time with her at this age talking about fairness, talents and skills, individuality, friendships, etc. All subjective things that frankly don't mean much to second graders so I often wonder how much is really penetrating her little noggin. Evidently I'm doing okay because times like this prove that she really is a sweet kid.

Amen.

Where's Winter?

We had our bikes out today enjoying yet another unseasonably mild January day. All of the neighbors were out and about so we got a chance to catch up with everyone.

And no, I don't usually let Brenna wear shorts in the winter but she had basketball clinic this morning and it honestly was decent enough to let her stay out for a while before changing.

UPDATE: It was nice again today and the forecast predicts 67 degrees Monday dropping to 34 by Wednesday. A nearly 35 degree drop? Brrrrr! I guess it's time to dig out those hats and mittens after all.

Here Come the Brides!

I was looking for my wedding veil today and pulled out my dress thinking it might be in the same bag. Needless to say, two fashion models needed to try it out. Too funny!

Good thing they didn't ask me to put it on. It wouldn't have been nearly as attractive as it was 10 years ago!

No wonder people think we're strange!

I cleaned out a cupboard this morning that had all sorts of random things in it - water bottles, thermos jars, and just misc. plasticware that the kids use in their lunchboxes. I figured I'd clean up the things I wanted to save before putting them back so I threw them into the sink. Molly said she wanted to wash them but I put her off for a bit. Then we got sidetracked and ran out on a quick errand. When we came back, she again asked to wash them but since we were headed to a movie, I put her off again. After the movie we met Dean and went out for dinner where Molly again mentioned the dishes. As dinner went on, she did something that I needed to correct her for so I turned her to me and said quite firmly,

"That's it. Now you're definitely not doing the dishes!"

That's right - don't mess with this mama because I dish out (no pun intended) some serious punishments!

Dean just busted out laughing. I cracked up too when I realized just how ridiculous it sounded. But honestly, it was a fair punishment! Molly was really bummed out! My husband on the other hand still thinks it's hilarious and is trying to get punished himself so he doesn't have to take out the trash!

Over and Over

03 Track 3.wma (Hear the tune here - about 2 mins. long)

Brenna is trying out for her school's talent show with a few other girls from her Irish Dance class. Mind you their tryout is Tuesday, there's no school tomorrow or Monday and they have a song but no clear cut routine. She's been dancing all afternoon trying to choreograph something. At least they chose the funkiest piece of music they've worked with and she's having fun with it. In the meantime I can hum this in my sleep. At least she's getting more wear out of the dance shoes I shelled out the big bucks for too!

"Did you ever notice . . .

that they make bread in the exact same shape as the toaster?"

Molly noticed that yesterday.

I'm 36 and can't say I ever noticed it.

Kids are just so amazingly aware of themselves and the things around them.

If only they'd eat the crust. . .

Nobody did anything funny today . . .

After a glorious weekend, today was back to school, back to homework, back to dance classes, etc. I was at school today teaching Brenna's class an art lesson on Georgia O'Keeffe which was really neat. Then I cruised by the gym and got some yearbook photos of Molly's class playing floor hockey. I'm back in tomorrow for Library with Molly's class and Brownies with Brenna. Off on Weds but back on Thurs. for Hot Lunch crew and another art class with Gr. 4. Does it matter that I don't have a child in Gr. 4? - of course not! It just adds to the fun. I'm just glad that I'm able to do all this (and enjoy it too!) while the girls are young and still like having me at school with them. We have a day off Friday though - I think we'll all need it!

Ummmm . . .

It was 73 degrees today.

We had all the windows open and played outside all afternoon. My daffodils are several inches high and my potted plants are still green. I even managed to get a mosquito bite!

My calendar says it's January but it sure feels like spring to me!!

Here we go again . . . Your Molly Moment of the Day

Brenna came home all abuzz today because her school's "Pennies from Heaven" charity campaign kicked off a new project today. For the next few weeks they'll raise money for poor schools overseas. Miss "I'm-Making-My-First-Communion-And-Earning-A-Religious-Medal-So-I-Simply-Can't-Get-Any-Holier" raided her piggy bank and was marching all over the house soliciting additional donations from everyone (namely me since I was the only one here!)

Actually Molly was also home and, after listening to Brenna 's pitch, she agreed to donate. Up she went to her room and came down with one of her many, many (many, many, many) purses and started digging through it for change. It soon became clear she didn't have any. Then comes the Molly Moment - she pulls out one of those sample credit cards (the plastic ones that come attached to all the junk mail applications), holds it up and says

"We're in luck! Bren, do you take credit cards?"

Deepest Thanks

I'm coordinating a program for the Girl Scouts at Brenna's school which has them working towards a nice religious medal that they will receive on Scout Sunday. The girls are great and the project is fun but it's been really time-consuming for me. Today I held an afterschool session for them and had one of our priests come to help us work through some material. He's very dynamic and although he did a great job with the girls, he did get them all jazzed up. Then we did a lot of activities and had to get the school hall all cleaned up . . . Anyway, it was after 5pm when we finished and I was so tired that I just took the girls to McDonald's for dinner.

(None of that first paragraph is relevant to the story but as you can see, it's just all that's been running through my mind for the past 48 hrs.!)

So the girls are chattering away to me and Molly launches into a story. She said something about "trains" but I thought she said "planes." When I questioned, "Planes?" she looked at me, sighed and with an expression that she's merely tolerating me said in her best adult voice, "Well . . . no . . . that's not what we're discussing right now . . . (leans back as if to resume the story and then quickly puts her hand on my arm) but I would like to thank you for mentioning it." and just continued on with her story.

How can I not laugh at this kid? My best guess is that it must be something her teacher has said when the kids interupt her with the bizarrely random comments that they're famous for. It's just that Molly uses these comments at exactly the right time, with all the right expressions, pauses and gestures and most of all with such sincerity that it's unbelieveably comical. It was as if she was really trying to make sure my feelings weren't hurt! Oh and the sighs - she's forever sighing at me. But at least she tolerates me. Then again, that's not what we're discussing right now . . .

The love of a sister cannot be estimated . . .

Driving home from church on Sunday I made a comment to Brenna about her upcoming First Communion in May. She replied something about having to make her First Penance first. Before I could say anything, Molly asked "Is that the thing where you tell the priest your sins?" I don't think she knows what a sin is but she must hear Brenna talking about it and absorbs far more than we give her credit for. Brenna said yes and Molly asked again, "Do you need to tell him about all the times you're bad to your sister?" I was ready and waiting for her to lay into her big sis about all of the transgressions that Brenna has inflicted but that was not to be. Molly instead says, "Because if you do, when my turn comes I'm not gonna do that part. I'll just wait for the other thing when you get to taste the bread and do that part instead."

I can see it now, in 3 years at her First Penance as Molly stands up and says, "I'm going to pass on this activity for now. I'll see you all in a few months for First Communion. Later dudes!"

Of course we have to survive 3+ years of Catholic school with her first. Managing that will be a miracle in and of itself!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! ! !

Look who lasted until midnight and welcomed the new year! I think it helped that Molly slept from 8:30 last night to 9:50 this morning so she was well-rested for the task. Miss Brenna just runs on adreneline! Although she slept until 9:15 herself. All the fun of Christmas vacation has caught up with them. Needless to say we went to a late Mass today.

We'll no doubt pay for this when we have to get them up for school on Tuesday but they really, really, REALLY wanted to try to stay up. And you know what, why the heck not?!

Happy 2007 everyone!!