A journey to far-away Fitchburg

I took the girls to a park  this last weekend.  As E is 6 and S is 3.5, I usually run with S in the stroller while E bikes a bit ahead, lots of parks to go to within 2-3 miles but this was a new route.  At one point when we crossed the line from Madison into Fitchburg, the sidewalk ended so switched to the street.

E asked why the sidewalk ended, and I replied it was because we crossed the invisible line into a different city, that we had left Madison and were not in Fitchburg.  She considered this for a few seconds and then we got to have the following exchange:

E- "Daddy, do they speak a different language in Fitchburg?"
A- "No, they speak English just like we do in Madison"
E- "Ok good, then I can talk to any kids we play with"

Ten Years!

Andy and I celebrated out tenth anniversary together in style...hiking around Epic with the girls, feeding the Epic animals at the farm, trying out a new local pizzaria, and each taking a nap.

My favorite Billy!

Ten years!

Playing with mud in the stream.

Wandering, wandering...

It wasn't all happy, all the time...

The girls' favorite part!

There was lots of confusion about anniversaries and marriage from the girls, so we had some great conversations today.  Elsie insisted at one point that I shouldn't be married to Andy because she is going to marry me.  When Andy explained that wouldn't work, Elsie decided she was going to marry Cousin Campbell.  Oh, my.

My favorite, though, was this gem from Sylvie, as I tucked her into bed tonight:

Sylvie: "Mama!  I can't feel your Marry!"
Mama:  "Feel my Marry?  What does that mean?  Do you mean my ring?"
Sylvie:  "I am touching you, and I can't feel your Marry!  When you get Married, you get a kiss and your kiss goes out of your mouth and falls on your shirt, and then you have a Marry, but I can't find yours!"
Mama:  "Ummm..."
Sylvie:  "And I can't find Daddy's!  Maybe you can make each of you a new Marry and then you can kiss again and sew them onto your shirts so you will both be so pretty and Married."

I can't wait to see what the girls think of the wedding we are attending tomorrow, given the expectations of marriage they have!

Fostering again!

Got home from work a few days ago to learn we have new foster kittens to bottle feed and & take care of until they are ready to adopt.   The girls were very excited to tell me about them, my attempt at a transcript:

S: This one is all clean.

E: His mother got hit by a car.

S: This one didn't get hit by a car, cause its safe, and now it (muffled voice as he hugs kitty)

E: Both of the babies didn't get hit by the car but their mother did.

S: ...yeah.  Their mother got a BIG, BIG, big owie.

E: We just got these newborn ktities today.

Biking

Just a quick quote, from Elsie on the way home from the park:

"My bike is so tired that it is making *me* do all the work" - Elsie

10 am.

It's 10 in the morning, and Sylvie has already painted three watercolors, completed an entire sticker book, colored two pictures with markers, built a castle with Magnatiles, read two stories, had a very involved dance party, eaten a snack (twice), and cured me of numerous horrible illnesses while playing doctor.  Is it nap time yet???

#almost3 #whirlwindpreschoollife

Sylvie grows up

 

Almost three and full of spunk, this toddler is turning into a big kid right before our eyes!
I offer the following four items as evidence of her readiness to take on the world:


Sylvie the Dictator:

Sylvie the Imaginative:

 
"Mama?  What are these?  Are these Daddy's Crab Claws?"

5 minutes later:  "Awww.  Daddy's crab claws don't work!  I can't grab anything with these claws!"

(they were cedar shoe inserts- Andy was wearing his fancy shoes at work)


Sylvie the Naked Cowgirl:

Sylvie the Brave:
Going down the big snow hill like a pro!
 

Spelling lessons from Elsie

In the bath:

Elsie:  "Sylvie!  I know how to spell cat:  T-A-C!   Or maybe A-C-T.  CAT!"

Musings from Sylvie (two years, nine months)

"Mama!  I got Jubilee!  She's my best friend."

A random epiphany, in the middle of the day, with utterly no context:
Sylvie: "Mama, when I get frustrated, I can ask for help!  Then I won't be frustrated any more!"


At bedtime:
Sylvie: "My Bun-bun (bunny) keeps me from getting scared at night.  And if I get scared, I can close my eyes really tight and think of something happy.  You can do that, too!"
Mama: "You're a smart kid, Sylvie."
Sylvie: "You're a smart kid, too, Mama."


Jumping on the bed with Daddy and Elsie, when Daddy tried to stop her from hitting her head:
Sylvie: "Daddy, you cannot just hold on to people's arms!"
Daddy (laughing)
Sylvie: "Daddy, stop laughing!  I am getting very frustrated!"

Last play date with the LeF family.

Remember these photos?

M, A, Elsie, and EO (2010)

E and A making the Guiness Book of World Records as part of the Great Cloth Diaper Change of 2011

A and E (2011)

A and E, twins! (2011)

At the apple orchard (2011)

Park Date (2012)

First ballet class ( 2013)

Elsie the Parrot, A the Rainbow Fairy, Mama the Wizard (per Elsie's request), Sylvie the Giraffe, and J the Peacock (2014).

These photos are special, as they document a lifetime (literally!) of friendship between two little girls, A and Elsie.  Born a month apart, they knew each other before they could hold up their own heads.

These girls have literally grown up together, sharing blankets and toys (and germs) and little sisters and snacks and tears....and now the saga is ending.  In three days, A and her family are moving across the country, and Elsie will be losing one of her very best friends.

And of course, as these things go, it also means that I will be losing one of my very best friends.  You can't ignore the bonds that form between first-time mothers as they navigate the dangerous and confusing road of parenthood together.  From leaking cloth diaper solutions to food allergy elimination diets to non-sleeping troubles, we have shared it all, and relied on each other, and found our friendship utterly and completely necessary.  I am going to miss dear M terribly.

Elsie and I have had a few months to get used to the idea of Madison without the LeF family, but now that the moment of departure is almost upon us, I find that I am ill prepared to say good-bye myself, much less to shelter and guide Elsie through the separation.

Instead, we pretended that nothing is going to change.  We shared one last play date today where A and Elsie laughed and fought like sisters, and the little ones ("number twos"), Sylvie and J, happily tagged along and began to realize that they are big kids now, too.  When it was time to go, Sylvie cried out, "But I wuv my J fwiend!  Come back, J!" and Elsie cried, "But we'll see them again, right?  Why are they moving?  Can't they just stay here?"

So, without answers, I did my best to document the obvious joy of the girls as they played together on this day, what may be their last time together.  And I am grieving that I won't get to see A and Elsie, Sylvie and J's friendships blossom with age, and I am grieving that I am losing a dear friend, and a cornerstone of my mothering foundation.

And now that night has fallen and the girls are asleep, I am finally letting myself explore the great cavern that was formed as I gave them hugs for the last time.  I am so utterly thankful for the amazing five years that we have had, and especially for this last beautiful day together.  I have a feeling that the echoes of the laughter shared today will stay with me for many, many years to come.

Hiking and such.

Now that the girls are getting older and are more or less self-ambulatory, we've been trying to get into the great outdoors to go hiking more often.  We each have our own reasons for this...for my part, I am determined to ingrain in them a deep love of camping, hiking, and the natural world.  Andy, I suspect, goes along with my plans because he is willing to do anything that might tire the girls out enough to allow us to sleep through the night.  Especially if that doesn't involve another round of "Monster Game" on the trampoline.  Ahem.

Regardless of our reasons, Sunday morning found us at another local natural treasure.  The hike started off well, with lots of skipping and running and general merriment.  Before long, the girls were climbing bridges and taking in the sights:

"Daddy, GET BACK.  Daddy, go stand by Elsie.  DADDY, NO TOUCHING!"

And then we began to re-evaluate our choice, as we came upon the first posted "map" of the nature area:  a big plasticized picture of the ENTIRE TOWN, with a one-inch green-colored nature blob in the middle, and a red dot labeled "You Are Here" in the middle of it.  And no labeled trails or streets or general directions.  Not all that helpful.  Still, we trucked on.

And then S decided that she no longer wanted to hike, but would rather be carried the whole rest of the way.  And when I say "decided", I mean Loudly Informed the Entire Park.  Repeatedly.

And then E decided that she actually did "NOT like hiking at all, but would rather be biking". Or "maybe sitting at home and resting".  And she did not approve of the fact that some of the plants on the path were touching her, and her feet were getting dirty, and her legs itched, and she did not think she knew where she was going.

And then we got lost and accidentally ended up wandering down a very busy street for a few blocks before finding our way back into the woods. 

And pretty soon the more intense whining began, and the general dragging of feet, and the screeching complaints of imminent collapse.  So this bench happened, along with a very large bag of Goldfish crackers:

Yes, that is Daddy on his phone.  Yes, that is S single-handedly devouring a family sized bag of fish.  And yes, that is E's butt on my lap.  Because "Are We Having Fun Yet"?

Lucking, we were getting close to where we left Kermit car.  Unfortunately, it turned out that the way back to Kermit was mostly up hill, and mostly in the sun, and mostly among tall grass and flowers that "touched" E when she walked.  But we made it:

The Last Ten Yards.  Everyone was really happy, and not at all crabby. 

Boom.  Another round of Good Ol' Family Fun under the belt.

Devil's Lake with Daddy!

Epicnic 2015

Summer visit to the Murray's through Julie's camera.