Birthday Weekend Fun

Weekends are for celebrating. Especially for celebrating a pretty awesome six year old! It's been a good (exhausting) weekend of birthday party fun.

A Birthday

My baby girl turns six today. My sweet Sicily. My spunky little sprite.

She's our child that keeps us guessing. She's surprising. She's a rock star in a princess dress. She's polite and friendly but she can beat up anyone, boy or girl, who gets in her way, or she'll at least go down fighting. And sometimes she punches her brother and sister in the arm just to start a fight. She's feisty like that and may have too much aggression for her own good. Luckily she can hold her own and she gives great hugs to make up for it.

She's a mama's girl. Steven often says he didn't see that one coming. She has all the makings of a daddy's girl. But she's kind of a wild thing. She knows not to bite the hand that feeds her. She's the best at snuggling and gives awesome kisses. She also has the best pout I've ever seen. Between that and her big brown eyes she gets her way more than I'm willing to admit.

She's a punk fashionista. Today for school she wore grey and white striped tights under a red patterned skirt with a white hoodie, green and yellow leg warmers, and green and orange fingerless gloves. She wears a head band everyday in her wild, blond hair. And she loves pink glittery nail polish and lip gloss.

She loves to ride her bike and scooter with a baby doll in a baby carrier on her back. She likes Legos and Barbie dolls, Disney princesses and video games. The girl has range.

She's a sprite, a mess, mischievous, and sweet.

I love her more than life.

Happy Birthday my sweet Sicily!

Frozen

Our beautiful snow turned into ice overnight. The ground around us is frozen solid. But the kids refuse to be deterred from enjoying the winter weather. They had big plans for the day before breakfast was even finished cooking.

The boy took it upon himself to clear the worst parts of the ice first. Like a little man he ate his breakfast then trudged outside with a snow shovel to clear the driveway and walk. Wanting no help, he worked for an hour breaking up ice and shoveling it away. It was a big job for a boy who thinks he's a man. But the boy's persistent if nothing else. When he decided he'd done a good enough job (which was pretty good indeed), he came and got his sisters. The three took off to find the other neighborhood children and the sleds. With happy faces they went out to conquer the world of ice, a little ragamuffin army of freckle-faced light.

Falling

I sat down to write thinking surely I had something to say. I thought for certain I would write a poem of melancholy depth that would tell you how I'm feeling. But instead I restarted and scratched out more times than I can count. None of it quiet right.

The winter has turned dark and cold and I think I'm frozen. No art today. No words. All I seem to be able to do is stare out the window at the falling snow. It's fallen all day. Big, white squares falling so fast at times I grow a bit dizzy. I just can't stop staring at it, and not a single thought in my head. The boy is sitting here with me, also staring. It's oddly mesmerizing.

We built a snowman earlier. One of the neighborhood kids ran through him though and he's gone. It was kind of a mean and selfish thing to do after all of the time we put into it. Maybe we'll build another. I think we need the distraction. We're both a little lonely and grey.

Routine

Monday we jumped back into our routine. After a week of rest we headed out the door quiet energetic. They all came home from school beaming, all with exciting news to share.

Tuesday we were still rolling, though the little one needed some rest time by afternoon.

Wednesday the boy was already back to complaining because his sisters were taking too long to get ready to leave.

Thursday both girls had full meltdowns before dinner.

Friday Sicily's head hit her muffin before it hit the table as she fell asleep in her breakfast. Later in the morning I found the cat sound asleep in my still unmade bed. I followed her lead and had a nap.

Ah, routine. It's exhausting.

I predict Saturday is going to be a pj day.

Cheers To An End and A Beginning

For last year's words belong to last year's language.
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.

~T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

I wouldn't say this year has been bad. I wouldn't say this year has been good either. I would say this year has been challenging. It has been a year of growth. And of growing up. It has been a year of set backs. It has been a year to reevaluate. And reevaluate. And reevaluate. It has been a year of heartache. It has been a year of deep sacrificial love.

This was the year the baby bird flew the nest. The year she took off to a new world outside of our home. The year she started kindergarten. This was the year she found her best friends. (A feisty mess of sprites they be.) This was her year for independence. And the year her independence left her needing a lot of mama snuggle time. This was the year she learned to ride a bike. This was the year she learned she likes having wheels to exert that independence. This was the year the ocean didn't scare her. This was the year she started learning to read and add and write her name. This was her year for growth.

This was the year the middle one was pushed, maybe too hard. This was a year of tears. This was the year she drew on, sculpted, and built with at least 200 cardboard boxes. This was a year of fairy magic and nature appreciation. This was the year she learned to ride a bike. This was the year she learned that she doesn't really like riding a bike. This was her year to need shelter and comfort. This was the year she got her ears pierced. This was the year she soothed her soul with the ocean. This was the year her best friend moved away. The year she made a new best friend. This was the year she read A Little Princess. This was her year for challenges.

This was the year that marked a decade for the boy. The year he heard the phrases "be respectful" and "be nice" and "go to your room" more than he cared to. This was the year he found his creativity. This was the year he sculpted a dragon and filled a sketch book with drawings. This was the year he read novel after novel after novel. This was the year he watched Princess Bride and liked it (something his mom thinks is key to be a well rounded person). This was the year he was put in the honors class. This was the year he learned that while honors may mean extra privileges , it also means extra work. This was the year he rose to the occasion. This was the year he grew into the same shoe size and T-shirt as his mom. This was the year seeing his mom cry made him pre-teen moody face soften. This was the year he learned that doing that right thing can leave him feeling left out with his friends. This was the year he needed more wisdom from dad than care from mom. This was the year he started growing up.

This was the year that Steven and I...well I don't know what to say about us. This was the year we reevaluated everything. Everything. This was the year we went bankrupt. The year we learned our family could not only make it, but thrive on very little. This was the year we fought hard. This was the year we loved hard. This was the year Steven excelled at work. This was the year he really knew he had found his niche, his calling. This was the year he worked three jobs to make the income from that calling livable. This was the year he sold his motorcycle. This was the year my last baby went to school. This was the year I started to accept that she is really my last baby. This was the year I learned to make strawberry jam. This was the year I let the ocean soothe my soul. This was the year I needed a lot of soul soothing. This was our year of set backs and break-through. This was our year of heartbreak and deep sacrificial love.

I'm ready for the new year. And yet with each new year I want to slow down time. I'll turn thirty this coming year and my son will officially be a pre-teen in the coming year. It's cliche, but childhood does go by far too quickly. As does life. I have many resolutions for this new year but that's for another day.

For now, let me just say "Cheers!". Cheers to the new year. To new opportunities. To new beginnings. To new growth. To new joys.

And thank you. Thank you for reading, for commenting, for supporting this somewhat melancholy, sometimes muddled woman. For loving our beautiful mess.

Happy New Year.

2010 Has Come and Gone

"Today is gone. Today was fun.
Tomorrow is another one."
- Dr. Seuss, One Fish - Two Fish - Red Fish - Blue Fish

2010 has come and gone. It was a good year. It was a hard year. It was an emotionally charged year. But more on that tomorrow. For now, here are some of my favorite pictures from the year. My freckle-faced wildflowers have never been more beautiful.

Another free digital slideshow by Smilebox