seven?!?!

Dearest Rachel,

 

How in the world did this happen?  How did you manage to turn seven in the blink of an eye?  They say time flies, but never have the years flown as fast as these last seven with you have.  You're getting SO tall, with long legs like your Mommy (so finding pants to fit your tiny waist and long legs is already proving to be difficult--I'm so sorry to pass this incredibly frustrating trait on to you!). 

This year as you've adjusted to being in school all day, you've learned a lot about working hard, trying your best, trying new things without being so scared or getting quite so frustrated, asking for help when you need it, and many other valuable skills you'll need as you go through life.  You're reading well and working on learning your math facts more quickly.   You love to go to school and I'm so thankful that you enjoy it so much.

You love to draw, paint, color, and create.  Your imagination continues to amaze me, and you love to role play all sort of imaginary scenarios, both by yourself and with your sister.  You don't dress up quite as much as you have throughout the rest of your life, but you still love it, and more days than not I find you at some point in a dress up outfit.  Playing outside is a favorite of yours, and you pretend all sort of things out in our back yard, usually involving princesses, fairies, or other magical things.  There is almost always dancing, as it's one of your very favorite things to do.  One of these days we'll get you some dance lessons....I keep working on it!

You say that when you grow up you want to be an illustrator.  For your birthday today we're giving you drawing lessons!  I hope you love it and learn a lot.

Your birthday party was this weekend.  We were a little worried that we would have to cancel it, since you came home from school on Thursday feeling sick to your stomach, and ended up missing school on Friday with the stomach flu.  But Friday night you started acting a little more like the Rachel we know, and by Saturday you were almost back to normal, so we went ahead with your party.  You had a great time with your cousins.

You wanted a Brave birthday party with a cake that looked like a target (since Merida loves archery), so that's what I made you.  You wanted party games, so we played a version of pin the tail on the donkey with a target.  You played the game dressed as Merida and had a great time--you even won the game!

We love you so much, sweet girl, and Daddy and I absolutely love being your parents.  You fill our lives with so much joy and excitement.

Happy Birthday, dear Rachel!

Love, Mommy

(On the day of your party we also went to Build a Bear Workshop because you had gotten some birthday coupons from there and you wanted to use them.  With your coupons you got your bear, Ella, who you got last year on your birthday, a Daisy Girl Scout outfit...pictured above.)

happy Easter?

Well, this isn't the happiest Easter I've ever had....  Last night I woke up at 12:30 AM and felt so, so sick to my stomach.  I spent much of the rest of the night making trips from the couch to the bathroom (I moved downstairs so I wouldn't keep my husband awake)--I won't go into details, but I felt miserable and didn't get much sleep. 

I continued to feel bad this morning, so going to church for Easter was out of the question.  My husband got the girls all ready in their Easter finery, though, and I enjoyed seeing them before they left.  I was so sad to miss it.

I'm feeling a little better, though still not too good.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better, as Rachel goes back to school and we go back to "normal" life again.

Happy Easter!

(My favorite people in the world right here.....)

easter egg hunt 2013

We continued the tradition of going up to my brother's for their annual neighborhood Easter egg hunt.  (Rebecca's sickness appeared to be a quick thing, and she's been completely fine since yesterday morning, so we went ahead and took her.) 

If you click on the links in the paragraph above, it'll take you to the previous years' posts about the easter egg hunt--I enjoyed seeing the pictures of how much the girls have changed over the years.  In the last two links, Rebecca hadn't even been born yet! 

The girls had a great time!

 

Waiting for the hunt to start with Grandma and Grandpa

Waiting for the bell to ring--almost her turn!

She had to shake each egg before she put it in her bucket....I had to keep reminding her to pick up some more, but eventually she sped up and got the hang of it.

Rachel was happy when they finally rang the bell for her turn--she was in the third group this year, age-wise, so she had to wait a little longer!

Showing Daddy her chocolate!

Cousin-love....Rebecca is enamored with her cousin, Ethan, who is 12.  He is good with her, but clearly gets annoyed with her constant ploys for his attention at times, too.  But he's a good sport and plays with her.

sick girl

Stuffy noses, coughs, fevers....I can handle those fairly well.  But throw up?  Ugh.  It's just the WORST. 

Last night I put Rebecca to bed and told my husband that I was worried that she might wake us up that night throwing up.  She had had a really nasty diaper before bed, had been super whiny at dinner, sat in the bathtub staring into space instead of playing, and complained that her tummy didn't feel good. 

And unfortunately, my intuition was right.  If ever I wished I was wrong, it was then!

It took me two hours to fall asleep because I've been sick this week, and my husband and I keep each other awake coughing (he's been sick for about two weeks).  Then, after finally being asleep about an hour and a half, she woke us up, crying, after throwing up in her crib, and not knowing what in the world was going on. 

She got a bath (but even washing her hair twice didn't take the smell out completely) and sheets changed, and put back to bed.

An hour later it all happened again.

This morning she slept late and when she got up she said, "It stayed in my mouth this time!"  (Meaning that she didn't throw up again.)  She's so funny....

She seems okay this morning, so far, though she's hardly eaten anything.  She got another bath, but I STILL can't get the smell out of her hair!  Any advice for getting the smell out???  Yuck, yuck, yuck.

fun at the museum

We're home from Grandma and Grandpa's now, but while we were there we went to the children's museum near their house.

Both girls had a ball.

at grandma's

It's spring break, and just like most of the Midwest, it snowed all day today. We escaped by traveling north, which didn't help the weather, of course, but it doesn't matter...we went to GRANDMA'S!

Forget Florida or anywhere else warm. Grandma's is heaven for my girls....

wacky Wednesday

Rachel missed wacky Wednesday a few weeks ago because of a snow day, so she was thrilled to have another attempt at it today, during "spirit week" at school.

She came downstairs all dressed this morning, she was so excited (she never comes down dressed...there's almost always grumbling when I tell her it's time to get dressed).

So here she is in the outfit she picked out and the hair do she decided on to be wacky.

Silly girl!

Oh, and a not so wacky Rebecca, just because she wanted her picture taken, too!

on the mend?

Here's hoping that today is Rachel's last day at home. Her strep test yesterday was negative, so we are just waiting for the virus to run its course. Her throat still hurts a lot and she still had a fever this morning, though lower than yesterday, so I'm hoping it is on its way out. She's cried every morning when she finds out she can't go to school. Yesterday it was, "but I can't miss library!" Today it was, "but I can't miss game day in math class!" Then she realized that she missed art class on Tuesday and she was super sad about that, too. I'm happy that she loves going and always has things she looks forward to. Hopefully she won't have to miss tomorrow.

Rebecca, on the other hand, has loved having her home, and so have I. They've played together lots. This morning I brought up a princess tent from the basement that had been put away for awhile, and it was like a brand new toy. They played in it forever.

I don't think I've mentioned how affectionate Rebecca has been lately. She always has been more cuddly than Rachel ever was, but lately she just wants to hug me all day long and tell me, "I WUV you, Mommy!" And also for the last few days she's been calling me Momma. I don't know why, and for some reason it's driving me crazy. Sometimes I let it go and sometimes I say, "Why are you calling me Momma? My name is Mommy." Then she starts calling me Mom. I'd much rather be Mommy for as long as I can, than Mom. For some reason, though, she seems to prefer Momma right now. Strange. I guess if I have to choose between Momma and Mom, I'll take Momma for a little while.

I never posted my final picture of my new shelf, after I got new baskets. It looks a lot better, I think. The problem is, when my husband and I put our coats on it, they hang all the way down to the bench, which makes it harder to use! Oh well....I still like it.

sick

Rachel was home from school yesterday and will be home again today, sick. Each morning she's been in tears because she can't go to school. But she has a very sore throat and fever, so she can't go, unfortunately. I almost didn't send her on Monday, either, but she hadn't started the fever yet at that point. I hope to get her in at the doctor today.

I don't like that she's sick, but it's nice having her home. When she has ibuprofen in her she feels pretty good and and plays normally. So she entertains her sister, which makes things easier on me! Yesterday she and I dressed paper dolls while Rebecca played with other things. She said, "I like going to school, but I'm having fun at home with you, Mommy." :) But a few hours later she kept telling me how bored she was, lest you think it's all roses....

Rebecca's still got her cold, too, but hers only had a fever associated with it one night, and otherwise she's just been stuffed up (and now she's coughing). Come on, spring!!

But so much for spring...there's a coating of snow on the ground this morning. Yuck!

So that's the news from here. I'll be glad when everyone's healthy again (and spring is here to stay!)

spring!

The weather this weekend is very spring-like. We went to the park yesterday and today the girls played outside without coats and were so excited.

While playing outside they picked up the snowman's clothes from a couple of days ago. When I went outside to check on them, this was what I found.

bowling with Daddy

Today was "Father Daughter Bowling" day for our Girl Scout troop.  Most of the girls hadn't bowled before, including Rachel.  She was a little nervous, but excited about it.  I had to be there, too, in order to pay and I guess be there in case something happened (even though all the dads were there), so I became the official photographer.  I took a TON of pictures.  I can't show the ones with the girls' faces (except Rachel's), but here are some of the others.  Here's my husband....

Daddy instructing Rachel on how to bowl....

Take a look at her form!

I love this--Rachel's in mid-air, jumping up and down, so excited to see how many she'll knock down!

Poor Rebecca....she was supposed to go to my friend's house to play with her two little boys, but she got sick and was up half the night with a stuffy nose and slight fever, so I couldn't take her, and she had to come with us.  I was worried about how she'd behave, but she was a perfect angel--in her stroller the WHOLE time!  What a trooper!

snow day

I don't know why, but Rachel has a snow day today. They forecasted tons of snow, the opposite side of town got eight inches, but we only had two, if that. But all of the schools in town were closed. Rachel came down all dressed this morning (which NEVER happens) because it was Wacky Wednesday today and she was excited to wear her clothes backwards and have crazy hair. When I told her it was a snow day she said, "No!!" and burst into tears. She was so excited about Wacky Wednesday.

But she got over it. Then she asked me to print her some worksheets. Huh?? Rachel wants to do extra schoolwork? That never happens either! But she did it all, even the math facts that took her FOREVER! She stuck with it and finished them all. I was proud of her.

Then she went outside with her sister to play in the snow. A little while later she came and knocked on the door and asked for clothes for her snowman, which she had made all by herself for the first time ever. So I got him some clothes and then, of course, Rebecca wanted a snowman. So Rachel helped make her one and we clothed him, too.

Here they are with their creations (on Rebecca's snowman Rachel told me she lost some of the rocks I gave her for the face, so she just used dirty snow!!!).

overheard

The girls are at the kitchen table painting right now.  Until just a minute ago I was doing the dishes, listening and watching.

A few minutes ago, Rachel, clearly thinking about how she wants to be an artist when she grows up asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up, Rebecca?"

"A Wadybug!!!!!!!" she exclaims.

Rachel and I laughed.  Rachel says, "No, you can't be an insect when you grow up."

Rebecca answers, "Oh....I be a bunny when I gwo up!"

our little comedienne

Rebecca is constantly cracking us up with the things she says.  She doesn't mean to be funny, but it just comes out that way.  I only remember a few of the hilarious things she says.  I wish I could write them all down to remember them, but I never have anything handy to write it down.  So here are just a few of the things she's said lately to keep us laughing.

Last weekend my parents were here.  Rebecca was sitting on Grandma's lap while Grandma was talking to me.  Rebecca kept trying to get her attention while she was talking to me, so she finally put her hand on Grandma's mouth and said, "Don't say another word." 

A few minutes later, while we were still laughing about that one, she was trying to get my mom to look at something she had made.  My mom was looking in that direction, but Rebecca wanted to make sure she was looking closely, so she kept trying to push her head down, right next to what she had made.  "Just a WIIIIIITTLE bit cwoser," she kept telling her.  ("Just a liiiiiiittle bit closer," is what she was saying--she doesn't say her "L" sound very well yet.)

A few weeks ago she was watching The Wonder Pets.  It's not a show she normally watches, so she was watching pretty intently.  After it was over she said, "Mommy, we don't have a fwy boat.  We need to go to the store to buy one!"  (The Wonder Pets fly in a FLY boat....she calls it a fwy boat.)

As she gave me a hug not too long ago she told me, "I love you, Mommy.  You're my sweet little mama." 

I wish I could think of more.  She's so funny, but these don't sound quite so funny when you write it down.  Some of those, "I guess you had to be there...." type of moments, I guess....

While they were here, my parents were entertained by both girls.  Rachel decided to play Egyptian princess with them, and put these things on them (they're the protectors from the arms of the living room chair) to turn them into an Egyptian Queen and King.  They decided to play along and "Walk Like An Egyptian."

Rebecca decided to try doing it, too.

Oh, and she got a haircut...so here she is with her new 'do.

Love my crazy family!

mazes

Over the weekend we went to the science museum.  There was a special mazes exhibit. 

Rachel had a great time and worked hard at making her own maze.

Rebecca traveled through the maze.

Rachel had a little trouble with this maze...

There was a bounce house in a different exhibit--Rachel loved it.  Rebecca spent the whole time like this because she couldn't stand up!

But we all had a great time.