We made it! First Day of School 2011

We made it through the first week of school!
I've so much to catch up on here - but that will have to come soon... But I definitely wanted to get the photos of the girls up from their first day of school and their arrival home.

They both were a bundle of nerves the day before... it helped that we had a trek up to the airport to say goodbye to my parents (sniffle sniffle - I should say it was hard...but the distraction helped) and that we had a HOORAH to summer last fun activities planned for the day! Sweetpea came with me and we went to learn how to do a super neat "Twister" quilt (very cool way of doing 'pinwheels' in a table runner). And BooBooBear went with Daddy and got to go to the driving range!

Sweetpea did most of the sewing while Momma cut & helped

What a drive! 40yds...better than her momma!

I would have liked to do a "back to school dinner" and have a neat little evening discussing our "theme of the school year" an idea I loved from NieNie Dialogues blog and have been doing for a few years now. We did a really fun and good for you taco meal and discussed our theme, worries, excitement, questions, and what we did for our activity that day. It was a wonderful family evening.

We were all ready Monday! Sweetpea was excited and nervous for her first day in the "big" middle school. She came with Mr. Safety Man and me to drop off Boo. Boo was a little clingy and nervous but settled right in... after several "to do's before you leave Mommy"'s.  ("Mommy can you help me write my morning note, Mommy can you sharpen this pencil, Mommy can you help me empty my backpack) -it was hard to leave (I'd like to say on both of us... but I think more so on me) - but she's got the same teachers (2 years in this school) again this year - so she was ready and calm.

 It was good that we had to rush out and get Sweetpea over to her middle school. I think that helped me not feel sad to say goodbye to Boo. But I was nervous too. I still cannot believe my big, baby girl is in middle school. The three of us met our friends and followed them by car to the school - I think this helped Sweetpea a lot. She was really hoping to walk in with her bff and was able to! It was SO cute to see them walk in together.

Here they go

A little hand hold for comfort...

And there they go... 

I did Ok...a few little tears for me but Mr Safety Man was there and we were talking about all the details of the morning. I think the big kicker was the next day when she got out of the car and I was on my own after she got out with just a "Bye Mommy...(me:"have a good day") I WILL! (me: "I love you SWEETPEA") I love you too Mommy! BYE" and she was skipping off down the driveway. sigh. tear...tear... tear.

 

It was so neat to see them get off the bus after their first day's of school. I was really wondering how it all went... but their smiles and big hugs told me everything that I needed to know... 

Blue

The skies are certainly blue. I love being able to see it. The sun does help me warm up - I just wish my mood wasn't so blue. Why? Why do I feel the way I feel? It is frustrating and heartbreaking.

We had a WONDERFUL and I mean WONDERFUL Spring Break. I cannot wait to post photos! We were really in our element. It was SO good to be together as a family. I love our time together. I truly, truly do. 

Families are forever.

I believe that with all my heart.

It was so fun together. We had a TERRIFIC week!  But then it rained the last day. We had to leave a bit earlier - not my choice. And it hit...our wonderful Disney World passes that I didn't think were even obtainable when we actually got them - until they were in our hot little hands- are expiring at the end of this month. There is no renewing them... not this year. Not with the year we've had. It's too bad. I really love going to Disney World. I know how lucky we were to be able to get our annual passes. I love to see my little, sweet girls' faces when go on a ride or show they love. I love that my oldest (11yrs old) still lights up that Minney Mouse waved to her.."She looked right at me Mommy and WAVED!!!".  It's been such a blessing to help us get a through a really tough time. A time I am sorry to say that is never gone. It's always lurking in the shadows of my mind. I think I am doing better though. sometimes. Is it funny to say that going to Disney has helped?

But I guess I'm down for a variety of reasons. Only I can't shake them. I want to lie down and throw the covers over my head and not move. I feel things are not controllable - and that is hard for me. I see my Sweetpea and she is growing up fast - but still a little girl. She is trying so hard to figure out who she is... then it hits... She'll be in Middle School next year. And I don't want that. But I do. I don't want to lose my first born baby...not that I am losing her... but the "baby" I am. I pray that she will still be my sweet girl. But we know Middle school age stereotypes...don't we? I pray she will be like me and my mom were. I never thought my mom was "queer" (yes... it was the 80's y'all). I never was embarrassed to hug her in front of my friends. I was a bit unique I guess. But I adored (still do) my mom and dad. I just pray I have that with both my girls. They are such snuggle-y wonders to me. How did I receive such a gift - twice? Such blessings?

I am sad. Yes. I will work through it and try to be more "me". Yes. Remembering that what is important is right here with me and beside me... crawling in to bed with me the last few days, weeks, months - still to wipe away bad dreams and telling me that they love me. THAT is what will help me defeat these awful feelings.
Yes.

I will somehow triumph. yes.

Love her...

We had a wonderful visit with Nana "de" Blanche! It makes me happy to see her again....and my babies adore her. When she first arrived Monday AM... my girls had no idea... they were so shocked... Sweetpea was SPEECHLESS!!! BooBooBear was absolutely shocked she didn't know what to do... It was wonderful. We surprised them at school for Effort Honor Roll. Both girls enjoyed showing off to their Nana how well they've done in school!! We are all super proud of the job they've done in school!

We truly relaxed all week - no major projects this time around, no set agenda. Just visiting, enjoying time together, shopping, just being with no crazy schedule. It was FANTASTIC. I was trying to think what day was my favorite... Nana running off the tram to give me a hug & the surprise and happiness of my girls seeing her, or shopping around Crowder's.... NOPE has to be running around on the beach in rainy weather! Carrying umbrellas -  watching the girls running in the rain - trying to take photos was so much fun!

A very sweet week.
Thank you for everything Nana "de" Blanche...

I absolutely love, love, love this shot... so sweet!!!

Another lovely one...

Glad I have you Blanchey!

It got chilly REALLY quickly...

And rather windy too!

Then again... the pajama party was awful fun too...

PROUD & Locks of Love

proud  (proud)

adj. proud·er, proud·est

1. Feeling pleasurable satisfaction over an act, possession, quality, or relationship by which one measures one's stature or self-worth: proud of one's child; proud to serve one's country.

2. Occasioning or being a reason for pride

3. Feeling or showing justifiable self-respect.

4. Filled with or showing excessive self-esteem.

5. Of great dignity; honored: a proud name.

6. Majestic; magnificent: proud alpine peaks.

7. Spirited. Used of an animal: proud steeds.

 

I am so very excited for my daughter... I am so proud of her and she is proud of herself... and to me that means more than ANYTHING!!!  You see Sweetpea decided to grow out her hair... except she decided to grow it out - not for vain reasons but to donate it to such a WORTHY cause.... She decided to donate her hair to Locks of Love... and she did! Her appointment was at the end of November. She was excited and a bit nervous... but WOW what a cute "do" she has! 

Did you know that 80% of the donations of hair are from little girls to help other little girls!?! Can you believe that!!!?! I cried when I found this out...How truly remarkable.

I am proud of my Sweetpea. I am touched that she would do this for another person. She feels a great accomplishment... It's just a great time to have such a warm feeling... and so needed!!!

Before! Getting ready to go...

It's TIME!!!

"I get my hair washed too?!?!"

Brought one of her BFFs to give her moral support!

And HERE WE GOoooooooooo... snip snip snip

She's holding her hair! IT IS OFFICIAL!!!

WOW she is AMAZED about holding her own ponytail!!!

Now to start the "beautifying" process...

Add a bit of a fringe... (are you tired of these photos yet?)

Teaching her how to style her bangs (POOR Sweetpea has MY hair/hairline!

More styling and teaching...

Look at that dimple!!! SO SWEET! I don't know about her... but I LOVE IT!!!!

Checking it all out in the mirror! SHE LOVES IT!!!!

There's my baby!!!!! So beautiful!!

We love this little girl and what she did... so. very. much.

Projects, projects everywhere...

It seems that I just cannot focus and get one thing accomplished. I work on my house and sorting Grammie San's things falter, as do the many projects I want to finish to start building up some "inventory". Conversely if I work on the house I don't get things unpacked, the house/garage is still a wreck and I am no closer to setting up a studio to get projects done.

I was explaining this to two of my friends... the best I could describe it as was "the domino effect". In this house - I need to find that one domino that will start all the others to topple over. If I could just get the one task complete that would start the flow for everything else... I could get things ACCOMPLISHED in this house. Does that even make sense?

This weekend Mr Safety-Man was gone alllll weekend long. The week I had had before with behavior of my babes made me cringe at the thought of dealing with them alone this weekend... HOWEVER what a shock I received!!

We had the BEST weekend all together. And we did some fun, crafty projects together - which meant a lot to me!! We watched a movie at the theater - GIRL's NIGHT OUT, we had a double feature actually. Sweetpea got to have some quality momma/biggest girl time and we went anywhere she wanted to go! 1. Books-a-million (twist my arm... NOT!), 2. Walk around Toys 'r Us (just to look at things "to see what the little ones think is cool" she says! HA!), 3. Hancock Fabric (for material to finish making her cousins their Christmas gifts from her to them)!! She is bound and determined to make her cousins' Christmas special - even with losing their dear, sweet brother. I am SO, SO, SOoooooooooo proud of her. And today both girls worked on sewing projects!! We had dueling sewing machines going!!!

The projects that are a result are: Sweetpea - a cool stuffed animal lizard with crazy button eyes (her OWN design and pattern, sewing etc...), a polar fleeced with puppy dogs on it - guitar shaped pillow (complete with pocket and strap to hold on your back (all her own design/pattern), and soon to make a square pillow with giraffe print. BooBooBear - a pink fabric with kitties on it - made in to a cat's face for a pillow. Such wonderful imaginations! I am so pleased with how everything turned out. I loved doing the teaching and helping on the projects, I loved spending time with both my girls, I loved how they were thirsty with knowledge on how to sew
(machine and hand), how to pick out fabric and for what (loved watching BBB rubbing fabric over her face to ensure it was comfey to lie upon), loved seeing their creative juices just boil over with what they wanted to do for each part.

So all the mundane, boring projects didn't get touched (well except MOUNDS of laundry) nor did my fun projects that I wanted to work on. But spending fun time, quality time, IMPORTANT time doing my girls' projects with them... now that was where I needed to be. It was necessary. It was gratifying and it filled me up.

Proud Momma project photos to follow soon!!!