How do you spell...

This morning I was giving the little miss her pre-test for this week's spelling words.  They are not allowed to study for this. It kind of gauges how they have improved by the end of the week when their final test is given.
One of her words was Mississippi.
She wrote "Mrs. Sippy".
Best. Answer. EVER.

A 7 year old's Confession of Faith

A few Sunday's ago Little Miss P didn't want to go to her usual kid's church. She wanted to come sit in with us in the church service. When she said that I wondered what was wrong.  And then I kind of sighed.  She's very wiggly and it make for a not so relaxing way to sit and listen to the sermon.  Her loving daddy however wrapped his arms around her and smiled at her and said "Sure!" like it was the best news he'd heard all day...may I add he did this sincerely.

So she came and sat with is.  And she sung along with all the songs. And she was very still. It was very odd. I must admit I wondered if she was sick.  This girl is a going concern from the time her beautiful blues open in the morning until they close at night.  

And then she tapped on my shoulder and showed me this

"Jesus is the truth and the way and the life. I will forever love him and be a Christian.I will always trust Him. I will never bow down to an idol. I will never worship anything or anyone but Jesus. I welcome Him into my heart."

Her confession of faith.  This was NOT what the pastor was preaching on AT ALL.  She had her own time with God. He met her right then and there.

WOW!

Take me to Paris.

The girls and my mom were having a conversation and the girls were asking my mom when she was going to go to London again.  They talked for a bit about money and the cost.  Then Portia piped up, "Grandma, if you ever go to Paris you must take me!" My mom asked her why she wanted to go to Paris. "I want to be a fashion designer, Grandma, and that's where all the best ones live!" .

I have no idea where she got that but...the girl knows her mind!  That has been on her radar for 3 years now and she's only just 7. And you know, I think she would be excellent at it. So perhaps one day, we'll be heading to Paris to visit our fashion designer.  :).  

Little Miss P lost her first tooth.

It finally happened! Portia lost her first tooth. She has been waiting for a few years now for this to happen (since Miss M lost her first tooth).  Her adult tooth pushed it out, finally.  She lost it in class :).  She got a little poem and got to show it off to all of her classmates.  She was so proud!

This morning Shaun woke up and heard little mournful sobs coming from her room. He went in to see what was the matter.  She couldn't find her coin that the tooth fairy had left.  She had found it in the night and woken up a few times to make sure it was there...and now it was gone.  Shaun spent about a 1/2 hour looking for said coin.   Her whole room was torn apart, mattresses moved and all.  He even tried to invoke the right of a parent to replace a coin if the tooth fairy's coin was lost...nope...she needed to find that original coin.  How did she know which coin?  Well the tooth fairy's coin was super shiny! So Shaun kept looking. I joined in on the search once I heard of it.  Nada.  It wasn't anywhere!
Little Miss P was quite sad but we convinced her to continue getting ready for her day and perhaps it would show up.  About 2 minutes later we hear a little giggle and then pitter-patter of little feet as she rushed to us, "I found my coin! It was in my underwear!"  Ummmm how did it get there?  "I don't know!"  She must have put it there for safe keeping.  And it was very safe...so safe it couldn't be found...until it was :).
and that is the story of Little Miss P and how she lost her first tooth on February 28, 2012. 

Portia...a dichotomy in human form.

Portia has been driving me absolutely mental lately. It's like everything that is annoying...she does!!! Over and over and over and over and over again.   She's really cute and very charming but when I'm tired. Oye! And I've been tired a lot lately because she has been  coughing at night and I've been up 3 or 4 or 5 or 7 times a night.
 The banging on everything that she can because "I'm making a drum mama and I need the different sounds".  The screaming at the top of her lungs in the truck "because it's fun mama". Pulling down my wedding dress and ripping the bag because she just needed to see my dress and play with my vale.  Taking stuff out of the office over and over and over again and making her own office. Taking all the cutlery and plates outside to play with because she is "making a stew and I need something to serve it on". The other day she was trying to smell my armpits because "I needed to know what they smelled like mama!" of course you did Portia!
You have to give it to her. She is absolutely creative.  She is always creating new things to do and I love that.  It's just really really noisy and I can never find anything or when I do find it it's all used up or broken, or ripped. Like the brand new bottle of shampoo that I had bought the day before...she took a bath and used the entire bottle. I usually have another bottle on hand but because we have had one vehicle and Shaun had been working from sunrise to sunset getting to the store has not happened...so we were out!!! *sigh* good thing she's cute. I think she's been quite exhausted and I've been working A LOT! So that combo adding in me being tired makes for just a lot of ....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
She was up on stage this last weekend at church during the service and in the front row there was a rather heavy lady and Portia leaned over to her friend and pointed straight at the lady and whispered "look at the fat lady"...not once but 4 times.  I about DIED! Who taught her that? On another note she was wearing a shirt that was too big and she said, "I think I am losing weight mom...my shirt's too big." Shaun and I (in the midst of this diet) must be talking about that sort of stuff WAY TOO MUCH! We have stopped! NOW! I sat both the girls down and told them they have nothing to worry about, Daddy and I were just working on that for us and no kids need to worry about it.
Lying: dealt with that this week as well with little Miss P. I asked her a point blank question and she point blank lied 3 times.  Then she told the truth...after standing in the corner for 30 minutes we talked and she said very sweetly "But I've gotten away with lying before mom."  ACK! I was a bit speechless. And then I talked to Shaun and I then went back to her and said, "I will not always know when you are lying. God will know but I may not always.  But if you lie it will always be in the back of my brain and I won't be able to trust you. Do you understand what that means? Life will not be as fun because I won't be able to trust you."  "Ok Mama."
Today she took all her toys out and laid them on a blanket and priced them for a garage sale.  She then came and asked if she could go door to door in our cul-de-sac and invite people to her garage sale.  I love that! It's all kids toys so I let her knock on the neighbor's door who actually has kids.
She finds creative ways to get what she thinks up done...no matter how unhelpful us adults are.  And she has a VERY particular way in mind of doing whatever it is at the moment she has thought up.  There is not an easy way of swaying her from it...although Mercedes seems to have developed a knack for bringing her around to her way of thinking...and she is reasonable as long as she can see the reason.
She is a strong, independent, feisty, and smart little girl.  I admire all of those qualities.  I never want her to lose one of those.  I would, however, like to steer them in the correct direction. Needing wisdom. Pray for us if you think of it.
In the midst of all of that she is a very caring, loving, creative, leader, compassionate, laughter-filled little joy bundle. She is ever exploring EVERYTHING in her world and how it works.   I pretty much enjoy every second...even in the "driving me mental" moments.  I am pretty much always amazed by her.  She's quite tiny and kids often treat her as much younger than she is...but she quickly makes them realize who she is and what she stands for...someone to be reckoned with. She can definitely stand on her own two feet.  And then on the other-hand she has a fragile sensitive side.  She's a dichotomy..and I have to say I totally get it...she's a little spitting image of me on the inside...except I think she may just be quite a bit smarter.   

6! My Portia is 6!

Happy Birthday my wee little beauty.  The formative years are done for both of our girls with this milestone!  The first 5 years...gone!  I stand in the middle looking back and remembering with fondness those early years. I am also looking forward with great anticipation.  I love each new year, the wonders they bring. But my Portia...she is indeed a wonder child.
There is that sparkle in her eye that NEVER dims.  It's full of mischief and fun and wonder.  No matter what is going on she can find something to find joy in. She has that 'happy gene". She got it from her Daddy and her Grammie...they are unceasingly happy people.
She loves glam and glitz.  You take her to a store and she wants one of everything...it's all just so wonderful to her. But the thing is most of the time she is thinking of something for everyone...so when she sees something she usually wants it to so she can give it to someone.  She is always making cards and wrapping presents for people.
Her birthday was "the best day EVER!" and then her birthday party day came and that was "the best day EVER!"
She already knows how to use her voice (all cajoling and sweet) and her big blue eyes to melt your heart no matter what she's done.
She dances more than she walks.
She loves music and, even if she doesn't realize it, whenever there is music within her hearing her body is moving to the beat.
She cannot sit still.  It's just not possible.  She cannot be still. She does not even sleep with any level of stillness.
She is night owl. She wanders around the house when she is supposed to be asleep...she has startled me more than once.  "But I just can't sleep Mama".  I understand baby girl neither can I...there is just too much to see and you might miss something. I completely get it!
She loves to paint and draw and colour. Anything art and she's ALL over it.  She loves to learn the mechanics of art.
She's a FAST little runner and she wants to be measured every day "just in case I grew".
She has an astounding vocabulary and she uses it! She is always asking me "what does that word you just said mean Mama?" if it's new to her and then she'll go around using it (correctly) in sentences for the rest of the day. She's a word girl.
She has already learned about boys.  At 4 she declared, in the car on the way to church, "I get to see my boyfriend in Sunday School!" at which point her dad nearly drove off the road.  And then when asked what games she wanted to play for her birthday party she promptly said, "Spin the bottle" to which I promptly said, "um NO! You can't go around kissing people!" "Yeah but Mom...we could hug them!" and of course that sparkle was there in her eye.
 Her shoes, socks, and clothes must feel "just right" or she can't be bothered to wear them. Her hair must be "pretty" and that means her definition of pretty or she can't go out.  Yes she is indeed particular. She has a great sense of style. It's just natural to her.
 She is learning to read words. I am so thankful that I got to be her teacher during this grade of school because I got the privilege of seeing the light go on.  It enthralls her. She loves learning! Loves it! That brings me a tremendous amount of joy.
Awwww my Portia you are still my little joy bubble.  You are such a petite little bundle...still. My teeny tiny girl who is growing up quickly.  I love you my baby girl...with each passing year I love you even more.  I am so thankful that God saw fit to give us you.  You and your sister are our treasures...our jewels.

Ah my Portia

The other day Portia looked at Shaun and I and said, "My heart is always happy even when I am sad." That made me smile inside. It was one of those precious moments as a parent. It's those moments that it's all about.

I remember that feeling, as a kids. No matter what occurred, on the inside I was happy. There was a deep down joy that was unloseable. I remember being amazed by that as a child. I really noticed it. I completely understood what Portia was saying.

Update Oct. 2010

Well...it's been awhile hey!

This summer was hard. This summer was fun. This summer was BUSY. Let's see we were given several gifts of travel! It all started with my cousin Ricci being in the Paralympics here in Vancouver and Whistler. She gave us both opening and closing ceremony tickets. It was spectacular and wonderful but most of all it was amazing to see my baby cousin reach that triumph after so much. Then beginning in April my family (on both sides) brought us too them :). April was Reno for my Grandma's 80th birthday, July was Redondo Beach and Disneyland for my Dad's wedding, and September was Palm Springs for my Grandpa's 80th. Shaun's family also blessed us with gifts of a few trips June was Victoria with Glen and Christine and the beginning of Sept. was Galiano with Dad, Nan, Charlie (the girl formerly known as Sam), and Jack. Then the first weekend of Oct. Our dear friends took us with them to Tofino! That equaled 28 days of amazing fun, connecting, travel, adventure, refreshment! Things our souls have been longing for. On top of that my mom took the girls for 11 days at the beginning of Aug while Shaun and I worked like crazy people on the house doing 16 hour days. And my sister-in-law Ange came and watched the girls for a couple of days while I cared for my mom post surgery in July. Can you believe how blessed we are by family and friends?

On July 8th our house had a teeny tiny flood and that turned into a MASSIVE renovation. Shaun's parents were kind enough to take up in for weeks on end (literally) as we couldn't live in the house during most of the renovation. We are finally pretty much done as of today. It's just the little niggly things that are left. Shaun did all of the work and has done a BEAUTIFUL job as always. If you ever wonder if you should hire him come look at our house then decide.

We have also merged our business with Shaun's brother's business as of this month. VERY happy about this. I think I say about once a day (AT LEAST) "I love Jim" because he is amazing at what he does and it means I don't have to do the bookkeeping, keep track of what Shaun is supposed to be doing, and thinking about new and creative ways to run a business...I still do think about the latter part and can throw my ideas out there but the point is I don't have too! :) And that takes a massive load off of my back.

We have started our second year of homeschooling. M is in Gr. 2 and Portia started Kindergarten. I was apprehensive about adding another child to teach but I am happy to report that things are going wonderfully! We are having so much fun. Both girls have completely different ways of learning but in May I was able to get all new curriculum that suites Mercedes learning style as she is a completely visual learner. Portia is an auditory learner so she pretty much could do anything and learn. Mercedes is doing so well. I am so pleased with this new curriculum. It's not a fight this year as it was last year. Sooooooo thankful.

In other news M grew an inch and a half in 6 months. I cannot keep that girl in shoes or clothes. She has gone from a little girl to a girl. From a size 12 shoe to a size 2 shoe, and up 2 clothing sizes. She is a thoughtful, sweet, and loving girl. She is peaceful and calm. She loves going out on long walks (something she does with Papa and Grandma). She still loves being outdoors the best. Portia keeps us in stitches. Last night Shaun asked the girls, as he was putting them to bed, "what do I need to do to be a good Daddy to you?" She said, "Love the Pooch" (meaning Keiko). Not "love the puppy"...the things she says...She come up to me and says stuff like "You're the most beautiful mommy in the world and I'm glad you're my mommy. I love you so." and then proceeds to give me big hugs and kisses. She is one affectionate and loving child.

I think we are finally settling into our home after living here for 3 years now. It's takes time to orient oneself to a place and find friends, business contacts, your rhythm . We are still at our church. We couldn't give up that church :). So we drive. It's a bit of a nuisance not being close to our friends but we drive or they graciously drive to us. God has blessed us with an amazing core group of friends who are in the same stage of life and who have lovely children our girls' age.

I feel like I missed Spring, Summer, and Fall this year...although we did plant a garden for the first time. So I intend to take in Winter. I want to cozy up to crackling fires and just be cozy with my family and friends. That is what I am looking forward too the most this winter....speaking of Winter...it seems to be here! It's not even Nov. yet and it's cold and rainy. La Nina Winter is the rumor. Ironic considering we needed snow this last Winter for the Olympics :D and both Winters on either side of the Olympics will have amazing snow. There is already fresh snow on the North Shore mountains. Yesterday was the most beautiful Fall day... crystal blue sky with a full panoramic of all the mountains with fresh snow on them! Takes ones breath away.

Anyway, I've blathered enough. :) Have a great day.

Stylin' Girl

I thought I would put up pictures of a sampling of Portia's creativity in dress. I don't dress the girls except for Christmas and Easter. Other than that they are free to choose their clothing in whatever order they would like to wear them.

Portia-ism

So Portia said to me one Monday, "Mommy I would like some girled chicken."
To which I responded, "GIRLed?"
"Yes Mommy GIRLed...grilled is wrong. It's girled chicken."
Mercedes and I had a good giggle...as did Shaun when I told him.
Oh the joy that little sweet beauty brings.

Whipping cream is "whooping cream"
Calamari is "calamardi"
Croutons are "Coupons"

There is no swaying her on these things. She is not a follower that is for sure! I love it!

Portia isms

So Portia is funny, surprising, and sweet! I mean we all know that b/c...well...I've told you!

-We were driving and she is like a dog on a bone when she gets something into her mind. No matter how much you answer her she won't let it go until she gets the answer she wants. This particular day I was very tired and I had answered her several times (my bad...generally I keep it to 1 time answer rule) so finally I said, "Portia ask Daddy when we get home." Which was really not fair to Shaun but I was desperate by this point. She, with much sympathy and speed responds in her sweet sweet little Portia-girl voice, "Why Mommy? B/c you just can't handle it today?". I must say that a lot!

- As I mentioned Shaun has been teaching the girls Psalm 24 before bed and Mercedes has it down pat. Portia has never seemed to be listening, nor has she said it at any point in the memorization period out loud AT ALL. She just putters while Shaun and Mercedes work. So, for once, Portia was done brushing her teeth before her sister. So Shaun asked her if she wanted to go over Psalm 24 before they started memorizing their next chapter. She looked at him and then just said the WHOLE chapter...no help...my 4 year old knows a WHOLE chapter of the BIBLE! Pretty cool! And what a smarty pants!

-Yesterday Portia was asking me some questions about Jesus and then she turned to me and said, "Mommy do you think "so and so" knows Jesus?" I said I didn't know if she did to which Portia responded ,"Well next time I see her I'm going to ask her...I've never asked her that before Mommy". She said it like she had just come upon a thought and then determined it was REALLY important to do. So Precious!

She thinks deeply but you don't realize it because she is usually laughing and making others laugh. Then she comes out and says the most profound things. Just like her Daddy that one.

And then she...

Portia appeared downstairs waaaaay after bedtime a few nights ago. She said "Daddy!" in a breathy excited voice with a little bit of a giggle and a little bit of awe thrown in. "Daddy, Mercedes and I were playing that I was the mommy and she was the baby and that I was singing her to sleep and she was pretending to fall asleep...and then you know what Daddy? She actually fell right asleep!" I asked her if she covered her with a blanket and she said, "yes I did. She's all cozy Mommy."

Mercedes had fallen fast asleep under Portia's bed. I just had to sneak up and take a picture :)

My Portia...what a sweet sweet girl you are. How I love you and your sister. :)

Portia's haircut

Portia cut her hair a little bit ago. When I told her that we would have to cut off the rest she sobbed....literally! So I didn't pursue that further and set my mind to doing her hair so you couldn't tell. We used clips and headbands and all was well until she took them out. I figured I would just let her hair grow back in and trim the other hair so the shorter stuff could catch up.
On Thursday my niece Sam woke up and wanted her hair cut short. So Becca cut it and then sent me a picture. I showed it to Portia. She now wanted her hair cut too. She said, "I'm not concerned anymore mom. We can get my hair cut now." (There are days when she sounds 14 not 4!) So on Saturday, while we were at Shaun's side of the family Christmas Dinner Auntie Becca cut her hair.

So here is Portia before:

during the haircut:

(it was a community event)

(I think she was a bit nervous)

all that hair...gone!

and the final result...

she wanted to stand next to her "twin" Sam...

Still adorable as ever!

The next morning when I was doing her hair she commented that she wanted hair pretties so she didn't look like a boy. I think she is not quite sure about this look...but we keep reassuring her that she looks beautiful and that her hair will grow back.

Mercedes, on the other hand, is QUITE pleased about Portia's haircut because her hair is now longer than Portia's...which is a first!

For Posterity

*The other day I put the girls down for a nap as they have had some late nights and have been a little under the weather. They had been up there for about an hour, and hadn't slept yet, when I heard this sobbing. Went upstairs after a minute to see what it was about. Upon peeking into their room I saw Mercedes leaning back against the wall in a sitting position with Portia's head on her lap. Mercedes was stroking her hair and talking softly to her. Portia was sobbing her little heart out and saying, "I just waaaant to be fooooouuuuuuuuuurrrrrrr." Over and over...and then....,"I don't want to be an adult" and I don't want any more birthdays...I just want to be foooooooooooouuurrrr"...she was wailing and sobbing like her heart was breaking. Mercedes was saying, "But you are four Portia. It's OK." Which brought on another round of the same. I took over at that point and just held her and and said "OK you can be four". (b/c anything else I said just brought on fresh sobs). I still have no idea what brought this on. It came on the heels of a very frustrating, busy, and exhausting week for Shaun and I. Once she calmed down to just hiccup crying she said that while she did not want the birthday parties and she still wanted to have the presents and she wanted Mercedes to still have parties.

*Mercedes learned how to ride a two wheeler on our 11th wedding anniversary. She had been practicing in our backyard for about a week all on her own on a little bike...basically getting her balance. So on this past Saturday we were finally able to have the bike great bike that was given to us fixed up and go to a big field near our house to "teach her" how to ride. When we got there Shaun was all prepaired to run alongside her and help her. She said, "No don't help me. I will do it." Shaun gave her one instruction to start on a bit of a hill. She got on her bike and pedaled away. No help! HA! She did it all by herself and she had it! Not one fall. That's Mercedes. She studies things carefully for awhile and then she executes it pretty much perfectly. It was pretty fun and amazing to watch.

*Shaun was cracking up the other day while loading up the car to go somewhere. Portia was chattering away and using words like "Apparently". Shaun had asked her a question and that was her answer. Not yes or no...but "Apparently!". It's quite a big word for a four year old and when said by said four year old is VERY CUTE!

I was pondering both the girls last night. Mercedes is a gem of a child. She has her moments of course but she pretty much is a very obedient, patient, helpful, responsible, thoughtful, good humoured, and sweet girl. There are many more wonderful adjectives I could use to describe her. At 6 she's just a delight! She is exploring her world and it's so much fun to watch her. She is growing so quickly. She pretty much stands as tall as my shoulder. She has lost one tooth and another one is on the way out. She is very tidy and organized and if you ask her to do a task 99% of the time you can count on her to complete it in a timely manner with excellence. She loves to be outdoors. She has a lot of energy. She could hike without tiring for hours. In fact her Papa is planning on making her his hiking buddy when she's just a little older. She is a born teacher. She has taught her sister so many things from grammar to etiquette.

Portia is a gem of a child as well but in completely different ways. She is hilarious, wherever she goes she brings joy, very creative, good humoured, sweet, She is pretty much the antithesis of her sister in how she goes things. Here is what I mean: she is very artsy, more random, she is very capable of organization but she goes about it in a more scattered creative way. But the finished product, if given enough time, is done with excellence and creativity. She enjoys the process. She is not competitive. Whenever Mercedes has done something or learned something (i.e. got her ears pierced or learned to ride a two wheeler) we have asked Portia if she would like to do the same and she says something like along the lines of "No I'm good." In fact the other day when Mercedes had ridden her 2 wheeler for the first time...upon being asked if she would like to do the same she said "No I am practicing piano right now. I need to celebrate that." She is really good at letting Mercedes celebrate and have her moments...which is important to Mercedes. At 4 she is a delight.

Both girls are amazing playmates to each other. As sister I am constantly amazed by their deep love and affection for each other. They pretty much get along...although I do have to say that the rule in the house is "If you do not get along you do not play. You sit on your bed until you decide you are willing to play sweetly." They have sat on their bed for, probably what adds up to, several hours. Each time they don't get along the time gets longer (escalating consequences and all) They have done the math and decided it's better to get along.

Anyway, I am thankful for these 2 precious treasures that God has entrusted into Shaun and my care. They are amazing girls. And we are having fun!

Portia-isms

There are so many stories that I could tell you about the hilarity level of my Portia. She is a RIOT! She just turned four and since she was born she has had this amazing belly laugh. It's, flat out, the best sound in the world. Well no, let me correct myself, it's one of the two best sounds in the world. The other one is when her and her sister are laughing together. Her second middle name is Allegra...which means joy and she has this incredible ability to bring joy where ever she goes. She makes me laugh out loud at least once a day...usually much more often.
Today was no exception. I was unloading groceries from the shopping cart into the car. She was sitting in the cart facing me. This lady walks behind the cart heading towards the store and Portia, without moving her head to look says in a somewhat loud voice, "HI LADY!" as she keeps staring straight ahead in the complete opposite direction of the lady to whom she was addressing the comment. She, of course, had a very impish look on her face. This was after she had been addressing me all morning as "Bay-buh". "Hey Bay-buh Mama" "Bay-buh what ya doin' Bay-buh?" Later, as I was getting her out of the car to go into the house I said very sternly to her "Portia you are not being very obedient!" To which she promptly replied, without so much as batting an eye with equal sternness, "Mommy you are being VERY grumpy today!" To which I replied, "No Portia I am being stern not grumpy. There is a difference!" "No Mama YOU are BEING GRUMPY!"
Yesterday, we were all driving to church and we were joking back and forth, all of us in the car, because Shaun was speeding in order to get to church on time. He was saying if an officer pulled him over he would say, "Office..." and before he could day anything more a voice pipes up from the back in a Boston accent "Forget about it! Don't worry about it!" Sounding very Sopranos or The Godfather-ish.
Honestly, I really don't know where she comes up with half the stuff that she comes up with but she is so good with words, rhyming and rhythms. She is a charmer and her comedic timing is impeccable! She is very bright and very quick to pick up on things. Between Portia and Shaun our house is in stitches much of the time.
And I am thankful. As the good book says, "A joyful heart is good medicine." So laughter is the best medicine and we are careful to take out daily does.

"My Eyes Are Soooooo Silly Mommy"

2 days ago the girls and I were running errands and we were about 10 minutes away from being done. I didn't want Portia falling asleep in the car as we were headed home and I was looking forward to a quite time while the girlies napped (yes they do still nap...for my sake more than theirs I must admit). So when I looked into my rear view mirror and saw her beautiful blue eyes closed I started making a lot of noise and calling her name so she would wake up. Then a little voice from the closed-eyes face piped up "Mommy I have been trying and TRYING to keep my eyes open. But they won't listen to me. They just keep closing (her eyes are now trying to open without much success). My eyes are SOOOOO silly Mommy!"

That's my Portia!

My Portia and her button pushing limit bending day

So today has been one of those days. I know you moms know what I mean. One of "those" days that left me gaping at my 3 year old and then threatening to take her completely out of gymnastics and then watch her cousin do the gymnastics for an hour each week until June if she EVER behaved that way again...not my shining moment either!...yeah one of THOSE days. She pushed every button and limit today. She was in fine form. Mischief personified.

Now usually my Portia is a rather charmingly precocious child. She is still required to be sweet and obey...no exceptions. Today it didn't matter. I will give you 2 examples that happened in an hour's time...and the day, as you know, is so much longer than an hour.

She had gymnastics today and truly I wish that I had made a video of her a couple of times. While we were waiting for class to start she was chasing her cousin and sister around and fell and skinned her knee...now Portia is my second born. She is VERY tough. Not much makes her cry. She can hurt herself in ways that would send my first born to emerge and she will get up and keep going.AND she is, by nature, VERY independent. So "I can do it myself (with great emphasis on myself)" is a common sentence from her. Well today that skinned knee got the better of her. She would not walk on her leg because she needed a band-aid. And boy did she howl. and howl and howl and HOWL! So we got her a band-aid and some polysporon. Do you think that did the trick? NO in fact I think she set to howling even more. She wanted me to carry her everywhere...to throw away her tissue, to go to the bathroom, to get a drink...remember we are still waiting for class to start with everyone looking on at the show. And then she did not want to go into class. I finally convinced her to go in and she went and sat on a mat in the very middle of the class and just sat and watched for a good while. And then she decided it was time to RUUUUUUUUUUN!

She is generally in her own world anyway but today she really was in her own world. And the rest of the time while her whole class, including her cousin, where going through the routine she was running like a banshee around the ENTIRE gym...let me make that clear...the ENTIRE gym. She would come bang on the window and wave exuberantly at me before taking off again at a gleeful gallop around and around. And then it would be my turn to tap with authority on the window to try and get her attention to go "listen and obey". Oye Vay! Not sure why I bothered. She was "that" child today. The teachers would glance at her every once in awhile and gently call her over to participate in class. She must have known they were not going to require her to participate because for all the attention she paid them they might as well have not been there. I guess she is feeling better. It's been a long while since she has felt like running so it is good to see her with so much energy. A lady sitting next to me leaned over and asked how old she was (she is 3 but she is in the 4-5 year old class b/c she will soon be 4). Her son, who was doing a make-up class is also 3 it turns out and she said in his class they all act like Portia was acting today. That was a small comfort...very VERY small.

I told my mom that latter story tonight on the phone and she thought it was "so cute" as a grandma has a prerogative to think. And she had a good laugh. But me, the mother who is trying so hard to raise her to be a wonderful citizen of this world, did not think it was cute (well...maybe now I do...just a little...I have been giggling recalling it but at the time...) and in fact I wanted to sink through the floor while throttling her. But of course I would never do that! The day went on from there to hitting and pinching and whining, and crying, and more whining.

But you know...I am sitting here, as I type, thinking that, in all, I am thankful that she has her spunk back. I missed it while she was sick this past while. I am thankful that she is a healthy beautiful child and that she is my child. I am thankful that God lent her to me. I am thankful that I am the one that she calls "mama". She is a such a sweet, funny, cuddly, and joyful child. She is my little joy bubble. As her name means so she is. She is a gift...to all who meet her but most especially to me. She is so very full of life. And as for the days that try my sanity levels...well, as a friend reminded me not too long ago, the days are long, when they are this young, but the years are so very short.

Hmmmm...I wonder who the city kids are?

So we were at my friend Charlene's house for a week. It was a great time. I thought I would relay a funny little bit of it. We had 6 small children and 3 adults (and then 4 adults the last few days b/c Shaun came) in 1,200 square feet. They are off the grid completely. Their house runs on generator and battery power. Their water is well water. At night all the power and water are off. The week we were there the hot water pipes were frozen for the most part so it was an adventure to get all the kids plus adults bathed. They have cell phones and no computer. It was a nice quite week in that respect. No outside demands. It was -30 C or so so it was too cold for the kids to play outside. So Charlene and I needed to be a little creative to keep all the little kiddies entertained. They live in a BEAUTIFUL country setting on 10 acres that Charlie inherited. The river just down the hill was frozen so we got to have a little walk on that our last day. They are a beautiful and happy family. I really enjoyed my week there. It was a quieter life in so many ways. There were times when I needed to go outside to get something and I would just pause and listen to the quite. It was restful and peaceful. Just what my soul had been craving. In all, as I said, it was a blast.
These city girls learned a few things. Mercedes, when we got back home here in BC, noticed that some lights were on and she walked over to them and turned them off saying "we need to save power". Another funny thing that happened was a few days before we left (now mind you pretty much all the outside walls are windows so you have a great view) a cow walked down a hill (which is part of their yard) and right on down onto the river. Charlie and his dad had seperated the cows from their calves that morning and she had gotten out and was rather agitated. Seeing her lasted for a matter of about 30 seconds. It was hilarious the reactions of the kids. Charlene's kids ran to the window and started banging on the window yelling at the cow...Mercedes stepped back to the middle of the room and Portia started screaming and ran to me terrified. It took about a half an hour to calm her down. It was VERY obvious who the city kids were. Anyway, Charlene and I had a good laugh over it. So I thought you might as well :).

Our wee girls and the dog

There are days that simply exhaust me. There are days that make me thankful, to God, to be who I am at this time and make me giggle. The other day was the latter. I was praying with Portia before she went to sleep. Usually I start praying and she interjects thanking Jesus for "Papa, and Nanny, and Grandma, and Auntie Becca, and Jack ,and Sammy, and Pickles (Sammy's big doggy), and..." on and on she goes. Where she stops we never know. Anyway, this particular night she interjected with "...and thank you Jesus for my princess body." Now I was prepared for a person's name...I double checked with her to make sure I had heard correctly and not misunderstood her. She came up with that one on her own. We hadn't even talked about princesses that day. She just knows she is a princess...the girls and I have had many discussions about that. :)

Then yesterday we were driving in the car. Mercedes and I were having a discussion about semis. I was trying to pass all of them on Mary Hill by-pass. I don't know why I thought I needed to...perhaps because it was a beautiful sunny day and I have a V6. I like going fast. Always have... I digress. Mercedes asked me why I was going fast and I said "because the trucks are slow". Instantly I thought I better not leave it there so I went on to tell her how important those semis are to our world. How they bring food to the stores for us so we can then buy it. How they bring gasoline to the gas station so then we can pump it into our cars and so we can keep going fast. We were having quite the question and answer time when all of a sudden Mercedes says, "Mommy look there's a plane up in the sky. I wonder if it's going far away like to South An Erica?" I said, "Ummmm...Where?" "South An Erica Mommy". I asked her if she meant "South America?" "Oh yes that is what I meant. "


Whenever her Papa goes traveling for work we always show her on the map where he is going. As he goes all over the world she has seen a fair bit of the map. Anyway, it was just very cute and very funny all at the same time. Those are the jewels some of the most precious jewels of my day. Thought I would share them :).

oh and I just thought of one more thing...this afternoon as I was coming home from the park with the girls and Keiko our neighbor waved at me. She said she knocked on our door yesterday to tell me that Keiko had brought a whole roast into their yard. And was I missing a roast? I said no I was not...wondering where in the world my crazy dog had gotten a huge roast. She said it was still packaged nicely so it was still edible and did I want it. I said no thank you feel free to keep it. The fence needs to be fixed in our yard so Keiko is forever taking herself on walks down the alley. The landlord won't fix it...so I think we will have to do a make shift fix for now...it will look pretty tacky but hey at least the neighbors won't be annoyed and Keiko, when in heat, won't find herself "with puppy" as it were. The only thing I can figure it that she went in the back door of the grocery store and nabbed it.

well that's about all the interesting things I have to share :) Be blessed!

Where's the flood mommy?

So this morning Miss M hopped into our bed and informed us that it was raining. Then she wanted to know where the flood was? I mean it's raining mommy doesn't that mean that there is supposed to be a flood? I asked her why she thought that since it was raining there should also be a flood she said "Well when it rains it's just supposed to flood" Like duh Mom that's just how life is...don't you know anything? I then clued in that Shaun had read her the story in the Bible about Noah and the flood during bath time a couple of days ago. I then explained to her that, really, we don't want floods to happen. They are not good things. That particular one happened because God was judging the earth. She wasn't convinced and still wanted a flood.

As I was putting Mercedes to bed tonight I checked her teeth to make sure i had done a good job brushing them. she looked at me a second and then asked, "Is there plastic on them Mommy?" I said "Plastic? Do you mean plaque?" She said "Yes that's what I mean. What's plaque Mommy?"

Just when I put the girls down for their nap I warned them to go right to sleep and told them not to "mess around". They could mess around all they wanted too when they got up but right now it is quite time. I have them say "Yes Mommy" so I know they are listening and Portia didn't say that so I said in my best mommy voice with sternness (which is nearly impossible with my little button of a girl as she's just so cute) "Portia" and she looked at me and said with equal sternness and deep concentration on her little pixie face "No messing around Poor-tuh (which is how she pronounces her name some days)".

I am blessed! I am thankful that I have the opportunity to be home and enjoy those little moments with our girls. They are treasured times that I do not take for granted.

Have a good day enjoying the treasures (whomever they may be...) that God has richly given to you.

Tama