An Uncle Lou Weekend

Uncle Lou flew home for his friend Jessie Simon's Wedding. It was a surprise for us to go see him. We drove down Friday after Grampa got out of work. Uncle Lou was awaiting us at the Marriott Hotel with his good friends. You both were beside yourselves with excitement... nearly bursting at the seams with joy... we had Burger King drive thru for dinner and Cheetos in Gramma's car - a no-no in mommy's book but a go-ahead in Gramma's...but when we actually were with him; you hoolies clammed up and wouldn't talk at first. After Uncle Lou's friends left the room after a while of visiting...(we seen pictures of Nick Amato's baby girl - oh she's precious) you warmed up and started playing with the cootie catcher mommy made in the car. It was precious. It was a late night of visiting... midnight before you went to bed. Oye!

 Then you hoolies woke up about 7:30-8 a.m. and we got ready and went down to the restaurant to have breakfast. It was a spectacular buffet and you both loved the endless fruit! It was so cute to watch you sit so politely and eat your breakfast with Uncle Lou in the middle. After breakfast Gramma Deb decided it was time for a swim, so you three got your suits on and we headed down for some splashing good fun!

 About 11 a.m. Uncle Lou had to leave to go get ready for the wedding, on his way out Guess Who came to see him too?!!! Auntie Angela, Uncle Josh, Jordy and Abby Doo!! Then they got their suits on and we all went swimming together... ok Uncle Josh swam with you - while Gramma and Grampa went out in search of some arm floaties... with no luck at all.

 After our swimming we did venture out into the mall that was connected to the hotel. It was pretty cool. We came across an interactive floor game. First you played "soccer" then you chased leaves, you got to kick balls and "splash in a puddle". It was really an amazing interactive screen/floor thing!

 After this we went into a store that had an escalator and Gramma Deb "took you on a ride" up and down it. Then you wanted to "ride" the escalator even more. It was the funniest thing to watch... we kinda looked like people who never go anywhere... which is kinda true. I love that you kept calling it a "ride". The people in the store didn't find it nearly as funny as we did.

Then we hit up a toy store...You hoolies each picked out a Unicorn stuffed animal that entertained you for hours... Gramma & Grampa bought you a game...Pop-It Lalaloopsy... and you played that with Auntie Angela for a very long while; with Gg beating everyone and I'll tell ya; Auntie Angela played to win too! Then Gramma and Grampa had to get ready to go to the Reception... which is where the following pictures were taken by Grampa hence there only being 17 total and only 3 that turned out decent. We did not get to go because it was an adults only affair.

Uncle Lou with his besties - Casey and Steve.

Uncle Lou & Gramma dancing

 Yep that's the end of the "good pictures" from the reception that Gramma & Grampa were at for 4 hours... oh Grampa... not really a picture taker. While they were gone enjoying the fancy-dancy reception, we ventured back into the mall where you hoolies played for about an hour in the play area. Then we went and ate dinner at Coney Island with Auntie Angela & Abby Doo at first... Uncle Josh and Jordy joined us towards the end for a quick bite because Jordy wasn't in the mood to dine. On our way out of the mall we grabbed a yummy icecream and were on our way back to our room for the night. Auntie Angela, Uncle Josh, Jordy and Abby Doo said their goodnights and off to their hotel they went while we got cozy and tucked in for the night... by 7:30 Gg was sleepin and Kk followed about a half hour later. We slept until 5 a.m. when were awaken by the noisy alarm clock reminding us that it was Sunday and Uncle Lou had to go home... we got up and dressed, while Grampa packed the car. The drive to the airport was quiet... these partings are always sad. It's hard to say goodbye. It's even harder to go months without seeing Uncle Lou. Kk took it very hard, you cried for about a half hour after we dropped Uncle Lou off. He has to go home though, these quick visits while not much in quantity were full of quality time even though it was brief. I love that we had this weekend with Uncle Lou. At least this visit was a happy one.

Going home.

Fireman of the Year Dinner

Kailee is so excited to go with daddy to the Fireman of the Year Dinner.

Daddy and his sweet little date for the night.

Daddy was a little nervous about going to the dinner tonight because he was being presented his award at the dinner. It is pretty cool that Kailee was able to go on behalf of mommy. Kailee, you were all smiles when you came home. You sat by Chief Al and Miss Jayne, everyone spoke to you and Chief Al announced your name at the dinner and daddy said you smiled SO BIG it was priceless. Thank you for being daddy's date for the night. Mommy's leg would not have held up for 2 1/2 hours. Daddy said you were a mini-adult tonight, so proud of you.

Gramma Sandee Day

Today you were picked up from the bus stop from Gramma Sandee. She rescued you because mommy and daddy were at mommy's doctor's appointment. It took a VERY LONG TIME.

We arrived at Gramma Sandee's at about 4:30 p.m. You colored and had a snack... Gracie showed Gramma her Picasso Punkin and Gramma remembered that she had a book of Picasso that a friend gave her after she graduated from high school. Gramma found the book, and you each sat down on either side of her, she opened it up to a page that had a very abstract picture of a naked woman's body. Now this is not the first time you have seen art work like this because when we looked at a book about Leonardo da Vinci, we came across a statue of "David"... well, this happened when Kailee was 4. This statue is a naked man...and Kailee immediately said, "Why does that person have a thumb right there?"...mommy still laughs when I think of that 4 year old face saying that to me... and of course we had a conversation about how sometimes in art - artists will capture parts of the human body in certain ways - which you accepted and we moved on. Well, so this book of Gramma's... Kailee seen the picture of the abstract woman's body and said, "Well, that's inappropriate." Gramma closed the book and put it away. Neither of you mentioned this event either, Gramma actually told daddy about it and I just thought it was a cute moment that you had with Gramma Sandee that needed to be written down. :)

xoxo

Picasso Pumpkin by: Gracie

Mommy's incision 2 weeks post op! Lookin good!

Choir Day...

Sweet lil Choir Girls and the extra hoolie... (Gracie) Love them faces!

Punkin Patch with Daddy

Today there was a church outing to Bill's Farm Market. You were gone for an hour and half with daddy. I was washing the counter off; and I hear the door open to two little voices saying to daddy, "no their gourds not guards." It was priceless. Then you came in to show me the cool gourds you picked out for me and then you showed me your very cool pumpkins! Here's your punkin patch & hay ride story:
We pulled into Bill's Farm Market and the sun was shining bright... we get out of the car and it's not warm it's windy and cold but we don't care. We see our friends from Sunday school and run over to them. We are so happy to get to go on a hay ride. Mr. Bill did not drive the tractor this time it was Mr. Paul instead... Mr. Bill gets a little crazy. We got to see the cows and even pet them, while Mr. Paul fed the cows. The cows are REALLY big. Then we went back to the punkin patch and picked out our perfect punkins. Kk chose a medium size one. Gg chose a small one because that's all she could carry. Daddy got to carry mommy's gourds. After we picked out the punkin's we got to have an apple and some homemade apple cider. There is nothing yummier than Mr. Bill's apples. They are very crisp and sweet.Then we said goodbye to our friends, thanked Mr. Bill, Mr. Paul and Miss Shirley for doing this fun trip for us. Mommy we're sorry you didn't get to go again this year... maybe next year.

Hay Ride

Punkins

Apples & Cider

 

*side note

I just want you both to know, you do create wonderful things for your daddy... I was just looking through this blog and nearly all; like 99.9% of the pictures are of nice things you create for mommy. I never take pictures of the amazing creations for daddy. I will try and make a better effort to take a picture of your daddy creations. :)  Just wanted to point that out because it looks like you love me a lot... which of course you do because well, I'm your mommy. But you love your daddy just as much. xo

October Opinions

This morning as I lay in bed feeling the pulse in my right foot, the foot that worried me only 9 days prior, I hear a squealy voice, then another. It's then I realize it is morning... today is already October 20th. This date has no significance of any kind other than to mark that there only 11 days left in the month, 9 days post surgery. Only 65 days until Christmas. The days are much shorter than they were 2 months ago. The entire month feels like we have just drifted through the days. My camera sits unused in it's case, a layer of dust has collected on it now. It saddens me because I have very little to photograph from my chair but so much I could at the same time. The world around me has been captured thus far through the lousy camera on my phone. It's not my top #1 that would wish to use. Maybe this next week I will use my nifty nikon and see what I capture.

Our week has been one of little events yet full of so much. The girls picture was in the newspaper for the Summer Reading Program on Thursday, their award certificates came home in their Thursday folders.  Gracie produced another 100% spelling test! She's still reading the Junie B Jones book. I just realized that Grace who will be 7 in (tears are welling up in my eyes) 3 weeks, has a classmate who will be 6 next week. So that means this little girl started full time school when she was 4. That is a crazy reality, when Grace started Kindergarten last year she seemed ready, confident and wanting to learn. Now I see why her classmate acted younger... because she was an entire year younger infact. I am happy to know that Grace has her age as an advantage. Parts of me wishes I would have waited until Kailee was 6 before putting her in Kindergarten because she would have been an entire year older... her academic progress has been astounding in spite of being half a year younger than many of her classmates.

Kailee finished up MEAP testing this week, she is confident that the best of her abilities were used. I have mixed emotions about MEAP testing. It is generalized test that the children take in October and results are not given to teachers until late March, early April. What good are results that are 5 - 6 months old? That's my first issue. The second issue is that this test that is "supposed" to measure a students academic progress is created by individuals who are not even state certified teachers; also they are corrected by individuals who are not state certified teachers. The questions are set up with the expectation that the student will fail in a sense. They give two "close to correct" answers and the student needs to pick the "most correct". This years MEAP is the best of all the years that they will have to take. Next year and on students have a lot of writing portions that they must complete. The fact is that these students ideas of what the stories summary are can all vary because all students come from backgrounds that are various. We have children who come from very poor backgrounds and unfortunately these children are not to exposed to as many words as children who come from higher class. The measure of ability in my opinion should be based upon portfolios, examples of a child's work in order to progress. If a child is not progressing from one week to the next that is how you know whether or not they are learning but if the child progresses weekly then we know the child is on the right path. One day my darlings hope you don't have to take these tests to measure your progress... I hope that (as all good teachers do already) the state sees that progress needs to measured by what the child produces weekly and monthly.

It feels good to be able to give you girls my insight into the why's and how's of decisions, thoughts and feelings... one day if I am not able to be here to answer your questions you'll have this to reflect upon and see my point of view. You'll be able to have this little bit of mommy always. Though my feelings may fluctuate on these topics for now this is where I stand. You both know and realize already at your young ages that mommy is a passionate person about many things. Sometimes my passion is confused with opinionated but that's okay too because I can be just that. There's a lot of things that make me feel passionate, first and foremost you both... no one better say anything about my babies or they will have to answer to me.

Second, early childhood...it's an area that needs attention by every avenue of society. Third, politics... this is what our world is made up of and if we sit by the sidelines and do not do our civic duty as individual Americans, we could lose our rights one day. We need to make our voices heard on the issues that are important to us. For mommy those issues that are most important to me right now; Women's Rights-- specifically who can and cannot make choices for our bodies. Mommy feels that a woman should be the only person who makes decisions about her body. There are many issues that fall under this one alone. Within those issues some go against our Catholic faith...one day when you're a bit older I will dive further into those details. If I never have that opportunity daddy will fill you in because he hears me talking about these issues often.

Health care -- in order to create equality amongst Americans and not allow the insurance providers to keep raking in their trillions of dollars we need Universal Health care which is what President Obama is on the road to. Insurance providers need competition to keep their premiums low... right now 1/8 of daddy's paycheck goes to insurance. Not to mention the deductible we have to pay. Mommy has had a lot of issues in the last year with her knee... which (as you know) has resulted in surgery. Well, those surgeries cost a lot of money. With our insurance we still are charged $5000 for the surgeries... which is a lot of money, especially since daddy already pays a lot of money for health care.

Education -- specifically high education needs either a longer grace period for repayment or complete forgiveness. Now, I don't believe we should get our higher education for free... but I do feel that we should not have to pay any type of interest rate on that money that is borrowed from the government because they essentially making money off people who cannot afford to pay for all their college outright (which is 99% of American's). College is an important part of a person's life. If you want to have a good job with good benefits you will need a college education. Ever since you were babies you have heard me say, "Little Kailee/Grace Spalding what kind of doctor will you be when you grow up? I would fill in the blank for you when you were really little, neurosurgeon was my favorite. As you have gotten older your responses have included, Kid Doctor from Kailee and Pet Doctor from Grace.

Marriage -- there is a lot of controversy about same-sex marriage. As you both know there are some families that have 2 mom's (like with Kailee's friend Harlen) Harlen's mom's are not allowed to be married in Michigan, it is illegal for them to get married and that is sad because their family is no different than ours. Just because there are 2 mom's doesn't mean Harlen is not loved the same. Every child should have the opportunity to be born/adopted into a married family if they can be. These issues are most important right now to mommy... there are more but I feel like I've overwhelmed you with enough of mommy opinion. :)

I love you my little Sassy Spalding's. You are my entire world. xo

Daddy Questionnaire

Since daddy and I have been home all week together I decided to ask him all the questions too.

About Daddy


1. How do you pamper yourself after a long day? I like to watch tv. 

2. What are you favorite hobbies and TV shows? Hobbies: I like to volunteer at the fire department. TV Shows: Pinks, How Its Made, The Great Food Truck Race, Gold Rush, Fast N' Loud.
3. How do you keep the romance alive in your relationship? I tell Mommy I love her every day. I take care of her and will do anything to make her happy.
4. What is your best attribute? Kailee & Grace
and last but not least:
5. What inspires you? Different things every day.
6. Favorites:
 a. color: Red
 b. number: 6
 c. flower: daisy
 d. stone: Petoskey Stone
7. Most prized possession? My family. 
8. The most important moment of my life: The day mommy & I got married.

One week Post Op

Today marks 1 week since surgery. We unwrapped my leg like a very gentle Christmas present today. I knew what it looked like 4 days after surgery but it looks even better now. This is good news! Mommy has not had any pain since Sunday either.

Can you see the arrow? This is where the new ligament was placed. Very exciting news.

I found this under my toothpaste this morning. I love you my little Sassy Spalding's. You make me feel blessed to be your mommy.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... well kinda... the Christmasy return address labels came today! It's fun to think about all the lights and glitter that will fill our home and make it more magical. I have your pictures for Christmas cards all ready... now I have to decide if I want to use the original card we made that said, "happy everyday" or do we go with a more traditional picture once the tree is set up... oh the choices... I guess we will decide after the tree goes up. We are trying to talk Daddy into setting up after Halloween but he's not buying it. Darn him. Mommy could use some Christmas Cheer.... okay really I don't need Christmas Cheer because I have you both but it's a valid reason I think. :)

The Surgery Story

Ever since I came home from surgery you both have been asking oodles of questions about it... yet nothing specific at the same time. I'm going to write this story in hopes of giving you some insight into the 4 W's & H.

It all began 4 years ago, I remember it was a rainy, cloudy, gloomy April 23, 2008. I went to see Dr. Wilcox at Bay Street Orthopedics, he took an xray of my knee because I was falling down a lot and having pain on the outside of my knee. I remember sitting there looking at that xray before Dr. Wilcox could even say a word, I knew what that bright white spot on the xray was... that began the journey to meeting Dr. Rubert who was then down in West Branch. She is a orthopedic oncologist who is renowned for dealing with bone tumors. The first meeting with Dr. Rubert was the only one we had before the first surgery took place. You both came with daddy and I to the first appointment. Dr. Rubert (from what we have come to realize) takes her time with each of her patients so if we wanted quality care; we had to endure the long waits. She looked at the xray and could tell us that she was 99% confident this was a Giant Cell Tumor in my femur.. When we all left Dr. Rubert's office we had no questions left to ask... we had no concerns... we felt relieved to think that if this was the type of tumor to have this is the best kind. I had the first surgery on June 18th, during this you stayed with Grandma Deb & Grandpa Lou. Grandma Deb came to live with us during the week for the first 2 weeks after surgery. Grandma Sandee came as well, and stayed with us on the days Grandma Deb tutored. We had a revolving door of people during that summer.

February 2, 2011, out of the blue, mommy missed the bottom three steps going into the basement (because I was carrying Christmas boxes) and landed on my knee. In that instant I knew something was wrong, I could feel how unstable the knee was but I had hoped it would just improve. I let the pain go for a while then in May I knew I had to go back and get it checked. I tried to see Dr. Wilcox at Bay Street Orthopedics again but he wasn't much help. So back down to Dr. Rubert we went. This trip was just made by daddy and I since you both were in school all day. After an MRI and some leg "stressors" Dr. Rubert does in office she proclaimed that surgery was the best option again, because it looked like an LCL tear that had detached from the bone. So, on a beautiful Thursday morning on the 23rd of June; mommy had her second surgery. For this surgery you both were actually there and got to see me right before and right after. It worked out great because Grandma Deb brought you down and brought you back to her house where you played the afternoon away with Abby & Jordy. Daddy stayed with mommy in the hospital room and took care of me when the nurses were too busy. I came home the next afternoon and you both were my very best helpers! We didn't need anyone to say with us this time because we were much more self-sufficient.

In May of 2012, mommy was experiencing a lot of pain in the front of the knee and after another MRI, Dr. Rubert came to the conclusion that I may have torn my meniscus or scar tissue was building up and she needed to clean it out to give me a fresh start. This surgery was quick and minor; I had surgery on May 15 and was walking again by the time Kailee had her birthday slumber party. Everything was great until May 25, mommy was going to stand up out of the chair when I felt a rip or tearing sensation on the side of knee. It progressively got worse. Dr. Rubert didn't want to do surgery right away she wanted to see if Physical Therapy would help but the longer we went more new symptoms popped up; like the top part of my foot was numb and then the side of my foot, then the front of my leg. So, when we went back in for another follow up on September 4, she informed me that surgery is the best option; especially since the symptoms were getting worse. So, after a lot of talking she agreed that doing an LCL replacement and a peroneal nerve decompression would be best.

Mommy had to call on Wednesday Oct 10, to see what time I had to be at the hospital on Thursday, Oct 11. (Daddy and I were hoping for something later so we could get you ready for school.) But, they wanted mommy there at 6:15 a.m. So, Grandma Sandee volunteered to come at 4:30 a.m. to sit with you both and help get you ready for school. Grandma Deb met mommy and daddy in Boyne Falls were we played cat and mouse all the way to Grayling.

This picture was taken at 7:25 a.m. right before mommy was going back to surgery. Daddy sent it to Miss Kelly to show you both that I was doing great! Still happy and smiling! The surgery started at 7:32 a.m. and lasted until 1 p.m. It was a long surgery but very worth it.

After surgery the nurses took good care of me and give me lots of medicine to make me feel better. When you came home from school Friday, Gramma Deb & Grampa Lou were waiting for you! From what I understand you had a lot of fun, sorting box tops, doing homework, looking through Thursday folders, and of course playing board games like Sorry! It was also Grandpa Bob's birthday today,  you each had made him a tie and so Grandpa Bob & Grandma Sandee stopped over briefly so you could give him his birthday goodies. You both went to bed well for Gramma Deb & Grampa Lou which was wonderful. Knowing you both were doing so well is the reason I was able to come home to you on Friday!

When I came home; these beautiful I missed you and I love you pictures were hanging on the door for me. It makes me all misty eyed to think about how much you love me... because there is no way you can ever love me as much as I love you.

Thank you my sweet girls for being so good to everyone who had cared for you over the last 2 days. You accept change much better than I thought and I am very pleased to see how well you adapt. You make me so proud!

The Night before Surgery

Once upon a time there was a mommy who had a bum leg. Her little girls had to miss out on on many things because their mommy couldnt take them to their events. So the best thing the mommy could do for her little girls was have surgery to get her leg all better. A beautiful fairy seen this mommy looking so sad and she asked, "what is wrong?" The mommy confessed she was really worried about her little girls because the girls were so sad about the mommy's surgery tomorrow. The fairy said, "I know what I can do to help!" The mommy's eyes began to glisten because of the kindness being extended to her. The fairy said, "To make your little girls worry less, I will bestow Mommy Magic upon those they encounter tomorrow. The mommy magic will comfort your little girls and then you will not have to feel so sad." The mommy was so greatful to the fairy that she began to smile again. That mommy had her surgery and her girls were never sad all day because of mommy magic. The mommy's leg improved every day because of the love and happiness of her little girls! The End.

Mommy Questionnaire

On Sunday Kailee started asking me a lot of questions about me; like my favorite color, my favorite food, my favorite season, etc... so after spending the most spectacular seven minutes with her discussing my favorites (yes I only got seven minutes but I'll take it) she wanted me to write it down so she could see it in "person" and have it so if she wants to make me something she will be "inspired" by the list. (I say this to her all the time -- I need to know your favorites because they change daily -- Gg's new favorite color is teal/aquamarine/bluish-greenish. Kk is still my pink girl... though she wanted a teal coat this year.) So, here's a Mommy Questionnaire I found:

 About Daddy & Mommy

1. married/boyfriend? if so for how long? Married - 10 years!
2. When going out together who drives? Do you prefer it this way? Daddy drives, I like it that way because I prefer to look around at the sites to see.
4. Are you planning on more children? No more, happy with my two beautiful, healthy girls.


About Mommy & Girlies:

1. Do you work or stay at home? Is this by choice? Stay at home; now that mommy has graduated with her Bachelor's Degree and you both are in school, I am going to look for a job. Up until now it has been by choice because I wanted to be home with you both so I didn't miss the one-time firsts that you each had.
2. what's the newest accomplishment your child has done? Kailee just blasted off again in Rocket Math! Gracie is doing a fantastic job reading!!! Both received 100% on last weeks Spelling Test!
3. When is your child the most crabbiest? Gracie in the morning (if she didn't sleep well - like last night) Kailee is the same.
4. What is your favorite way to spend time with them? Reading books snuggling or playing games.
5. Name a unique thing about your child? Gracie will try anything (like going on a rollar coaster). Kailee loves very hot spicy foods (which she is proud of.)

About Mommy

1. How do you pamper yourself after a long day? I like to read books, Nicholas Sparks is still my favorite author.
2. What are you favorite hobbies and TV shows? My favorite hobby is scrapbooking but I haven't done much of it lately - no excuse other than walking down to the basement hurts my leg. TV Shows that I enjoy are: Pinks, 2 Broke Girls, The New Normal and Parenthood.
3. How do you keep the romance alive in your relationship? Daddy and I spend the evenings together either we talk, lately we have been painting a lot or we just lay in bed and snuggle while we watch tv; usually Pinks.
4. What is your best attribute? I believe you girls are the best thing I have ever done. My best quality is my ability to be kind I think...
and last but not least:
5. What inspires you? Book quotes, movies, etc? The most inspirational thing I have heard and has always stuck with me is "Actions speak louder than words." This is absolutely true! You know that people love you because of the way they treat you. You know who cares about you by the amount of effort they put forth in the relationship.
6. Favorites:
 a. color: Yellow (bright and beautiful)
 b. number: 8 (the date I was born)
 c. flower: Sunflower or gerbadaisy
 d. stone: marbled onyx
7. Most prized possession? My wedding ring and mother's ring. I wear them all the time. I have not taken off my the engagement ring (which is in the wedding band now) since daddy gave it to me 12 years ago. Just like I have not taken off the mother's ring since daddy bought it for me 2 years ago.
8. The most important moment of my life: I have had three: The day I married daddy, the day Kailee was born and the day Gracie was born. Those three days will forever be imprinted upon my heart. 
Those are the only ones that I have time for now... I'll do it again soon, promise! 

Mommy Magic

Tonight Gg woke up crying, she had a bad dream that brought crocodile tears and required lots of back rubbing and hair stroking. When I asked her to tell me about the dream; she said, "no, its too sad." So I had to retell the story of Mommy Magic, I have told this story to each of you many different times; Kailee was told the story a lot because mommy was so worried about the seizures during her first 2 years of life but mostly now I yield the story when you are sick or really hurt bad - which thankfully has not occurred in a very long time. The story came to me in a dream one night while we were in Ann Arbor for Kailee's 2nd Dr. Hoban, Neurologist appointment when she was only 9 months old. I decided  I should share it here for you both to have always and forever. *disclaimer: the story changes with each passing day, no words will be exact and phrases are meant to change.

Once Upon A Time (because that's how all good stories start out) there was a fairy, she seen this mommy crying one day. She came down to the mommy and asked what she could do to wipe those tender tears away. The mommy told the fairy she could not make her child feel better, that is when Mommy Magic was made! The fairy could not help every child in the world, so she knew that if she provided Mommy Magic more children would smile & laugh. (Every time a child laughs, a fairy gets her wings!) So, the fairy bestowed magic upon this mommy, she was to use this marvelous magic in any way necessary to make the child feel better. The mommy used her new radiant and brilliant sparkling Mommy Magic every time she heard her child crying; she would stroke the child's hair and rub the child's back thus releasing the magic on the child making them feel better. Every time her child fell down the mommy would kiss the boo-boo and like magic naturally does; it made it hurt less or not at all. When her child was sick that mommy would hold her little child and rock her; she would whisper in her ear; don't worry the Mommy Magic will appear but you must be patient, you must be kind, you must have faith that I will make you all better. The fairy was so elated that the mommy had used this magic in such a magnificent way that every time a baby is born and the mother became an official mommy, that fairy would come and sprinkle that mommy immediately with Mommy Magic. Thus giving all mommies the ability to make their children feel better. The End (because that's how all fantastic magical stories end). 

One day my darling's I know you will use Mommy Magic... and there are exceptions to how Mommy Magic is used; sometimes a Mommy can help another Mommy's child if they are right there and that mommy cannot be. So Mommy Magic works best on a Mommy's own children but sometimes it can be used for the good of any injured, scared or upset child. One day you will see... one day the fairy will come and sprinkle you with Mommy Magic... may that day be 20 or more  years from now.

-------------

Because I'm your mommy I wanted to know what a dream about death meant and it says, "the symbolic ending of something, whether that's a phase, a job or a relationship." People who have dreams about death tend to be those who are entering or exiting an uncertain phase or period in their life. It could be a potentially life-changing event that creates anxiety and fear of the unknown. So may be Gg's dream is because she has some anxiety about mommy's surgery. I just want you to know Gg that God will watch over us and we will be fine!! xoxo

Time...

it seems that time is dwindling quickly as we draw near to mommy's knee surgery. Today mommy spent 2 hours compiling outfits for you two... I have about 20 outfits each hung up and ready to go for school. I'm hoping this will get me through the first couple weeks of surgery without worry that daddy is sending you in sweat pants & pajama shirts - not that its ever happened before! With this new found "outfit" pairing you both have agreed that this might be the way to go from now on... I however wonder how quickly it will take before you grab a skirt from one and a shirt from another (Gg is famous for this -- my little Miss Matched Munchkin)!! Mommy is working hard to try and make this surgery as painless easy on  you both... to go from having mommy laying out - outfits the night before, crafting lunches that are fun with special little notes, and yummy dinners to daddy taking over and well... we never know what could happen. It's a lot of work on daddy taking care of me, both of you, the house, the bills, the laundry, your lunches, oh pretty much everything mommy does minus the thank you's. Well, once mommy has the surgery I will be sitting or laying pretty much 24 hours a day for 8 weeks. That means no nothing. No fun pretty much. Thank goodness I have you both to entertain me! Thank goodness I have you both to make sure the decorating will get done the way it should for Christmas! We always decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving but this year it might be tricky since I will only be at 6 weeks post-op. I promise this time I will not use my leg sooner than I should. I will not bare any weight on it at all until 8 weeks. I DO NOT want to ever do this surgery again. Every day Gracie tells me that she prayed for my leg that I wouldn't need surgery. She's sad that God is not able to answer the prayer yet. I told her that instead we need to pray for healing. So that is her new prayer. I hope that one day that you know that prayers are not always answered in the way that you think they should be. God is not a magician. He guides us to do the right things, he guides us to the paths we are meant to lead and we will march those paths with open eyes and renewed faith. We must hold strong my darlings, part of prayer is patience and we must have patience because that is what I am learning from this surgery already. I cannot control everything, I cannot be in all places at once, I cannot fix every issue but I can be patient. I can be understanding. I will be those things and more and I know you will as well too.

We have quite a tomorrow ahead of us... it will be a whirl wind of a week yet again... Monday was school, after school folders, laundry and playing. Plus you earned a half hour of DS time which you jumped at immediately! Tuesday will bring school, choir, after school folder for Gg, dusting and waiting to see if Chum-Chum shows up to see Lily. - Yes he came tonight! Lily was so funny!!! She jumped at the window and hissed at him but then she laid down right across from him and was falling asleep watching him - watch her. Wednesday is school, a possible quick run to Sheridan School for some fun (fingers crossed the rain holds off), grocery shopping, after school folders and preparing for Thursday's surgery. All will be well my darling's I can feel it!

Colors of October

The horizon is now filled with shades of deep purples, oranges, vibrant reds and nearly neon yellow...As the leaves turn brilliant colors around us and the sunlight begins to dwindle we find ourselves cozy on the couch by 6 p.m. instead of outside enjoy the evenings. It turns out that since the turn of season... school exhausts you both and by 7 p.m. your sweet little selves are tucked in snugly with smiles upon your faces. Now that school feels more like a routine it seems we have found our rhythm. The mornings progress so smooth right now, you both follow your morning routine chart without fail! This makes venturing to the bus stop painless.The weekday day-hours are spent in your classrooms... but our "S" day weekends are filled with fun... mostly card or board game playing but still fun... laughter and learning more and more about who we are as individuals and a family. Every day, no kidding, every day you come home from school skipping, happy, and eager to share about your day! Your favorites from Homecoming week at school: Kailee: wearing pj's to school, having the football players come to school on Thursday and getting autographs, going to library and blasting off again in rocket math.Gracie: popsicle day, pajama day, autographs from the football players and gym. You both always include recess and when I further question about what makes recess a favorite, I receive the same answer; "Playing with my friends." xoxo

We are officially 1 week away from Mommy's surgery day. I just want to say that you both have been so understanding and compassionate to the situation that mommy is in with the knee. You don't get mad or upset if there are things we cannot do because of my knee. You both make me so proud. You are growing up (which brings tears to my eyes to admit), growing beyond what I could ever imagine you would be like. Your happiness radiates from you both, your smiles make me get up in the morning, your laughter keeps my heart full, and your love & daddy's makes bearing this knee-nightmare all better. Having the three of you by my side; rooting for me, caring for me and loving me washes away all my fears. Thank you my darling girls... thank you!

When I was going to school my darlings, the only things better than an unexpected snow day, was a scheduled day off (i.e. teacher inservice). We snuggled our morning away... we are going to play long into the afternoon and just as the sun starts to hit the horizon we will be enjoying a special treat! We are taking you to see the Tale of Timothy Green. It's supposed to a great family friendly; not scary at all (because scary in this Sassy House of Spalding does not go over well at all)... and this will be our special thing we do before mommy's surgery. Daddy and I feel you have earned it! You have done an amazing job completing the first month of school.  Believe it or not but mommy is already counting down the days until Summer Break: 245 Days!

Northern Lights

Tonight my darlings long after your beautiful baby blues were closed tight and sweet dreams were swirling around in your magnificent little heads...the Northern Lights kept peeking out it was amazing! I tried to capture it for you. Look closely its the greenish haze you see in the picture.

Painting Phase 1 Complete!

A whirl wind of a week... our painting has come to an end (thankfully -- I think everyone was sick of the furniture being everywhere with no place to sit)... our put together living room and dinning room is once again decorated with all the Halloween garb and you love, love, love it! You may notice there are a few extra floor lamps now too my Sassy Spalding's.... well, with the darker paint job we noticed that the room is much darker -- more cozy -- but darker. So, off to "brighten up" the room we went yesterday! We found some nice looking silver ones at Wally World. You both definitely take after me! We spent an hour browsing the lamps in various shapes and sizes... after coming to a mutual group decision we made our way over to the light bulbs. {More lamps = more light bulbs} Well, it turns out there are even more choices of light bulbs than there are lamps and lamp shades! We browsed, we read, we contemplated what would best "brighten our room up"... well, after some subtle nudging from me, we all decided that purple light bulbs, blue light bulbs and pink light bulbs that would totally rock in a bedroom would be a little... too wild for our now cozy living room. We found some great "100 watt -- that only use 26 watts -- light bulbs" Kk was exceptional at figuring out the best light bulb to choose. She read every one that I asked you to and it was awesome to see you whip through words like, "iridescent" or "electrical" without a beat. Any chance I get at having you read; I take and yes, it happens all the time and yes, you love it! We also moved the pictures of Aunties, Uncle & Cousins to living room. Everyone came to the conclusion that we needed a picture change. So... mommy pulled out Uncle Lou picture & Auntie Angela's wedding picture and put them up on the wall. (My favorite is the symmetry of the pictures.) Thank you my Sassy Spalding's for being so patient through out this endeavor. Tomorrow mommy is going to start taping off the kitchen and by the end of the next weekend we should have a painted kitchen too! :)

Picture Perfect

Recently mommy, Grandma Deb & Great Auntie Roxanne spent an evening looking through old photos of Great Grandma Joy's... we sorted, we laughed, we even cried... we miss Great Grandma so much. Well, while reminiscing I found old school year photos. Wow. Big bangs, weird outfits and awkward smiles are all I seen... I do not want this for you my Sassy Spalding's. So, it is my mission to make sure your school photos are magnificent!

Today we started out making memories by going to Gramma Deb's and Grampa Lou's where we proceeded to dabble in some photography... it was fun... minus the "I don't wanna's" and "no not yet's"... after mommy lost her temper... (can you believe it?) we got back on track and captured some beautiful moments. Then Auntie Angela & Uncle Josh stopped over, mommy took pictures of Jordy & Abby Doo, then their whole family... capturing those pieces of time in a photograph already is a beautiful thing. All 4 of you love your pictures taken... it just has to occur under the right circumstances.

After we came home and a wave of mommy's magical wand (candy bribing) you both agreed to a few more portraits... and I think we have our school pictures for 2012 complete!

And now unto the photos... These are my favorites.