Water-logged

Sissy swims on a non-competitive swim team with our local aquatic center.  However, in the summertime, they have meets with other local teams, who all range in skill level and competitiveness.  It's a fun way for Sissy to compare her ability against others, and to also have the excitement of a swim meet. Booney likes these meets because she can use her hollering skills to cheer Sissy on.  Booney's big mouth hollers as loudly as an ape on fire.  

We spend a fair amount of time watching Sissy practice, but the evenings are so nice it's hardly a sacrifice.

And then we get to watch her compete, which is the best part...well...minus the baby-wrestling.  Apparently a 1-year-old isn't keen to sit nicely in the bleachers during swim meets.  I don't know what that's about.

In any case, we sit and wrestle and holler and beam with pride.

It's even inspired Baby to be a swimmer like her sister.

Sissy is contemplating joining the middle school swim team in the fall.

I sure hope she does.

I just can't get enough of the baby-wrestling. 

Is it July 4th Already?

We have been bouncing from one activity to the next throughout the entirety of June.  When Independence Day rolled around, we was tired-ee, tired, tired.  

We had discussed getting up early and catching a parade.  When the morning dawn broke, Michael and I decided we didn't want to deal with the masses of candy-grubbers. So we had a leisurely morning instead.  When Sissy emerged from her cave sometime near lunch, she asked when the parade was happening.

Oops.  

Let's just say that the news of our ditching the festivities didn't land well.  There were tears. And yelling. Sheesh, I didn't realize the parade was that important.  We quickly distracted Sissy with an apology and lunch from McAlister's.  She loves that place.

We didn't have any other plans so we settled in for a day of lounging and movie-watching.  (Hey, we was tired-ee, tired, tired. Don't forget it's a free country and I can celebrate my Independence on the couch in my jammies if I want.  And I want.)

But then my friend texted early afternoon and invited us over for a 4th of July pool party and BBQ.  Okay, okay - that seems better than lounging. So we went.

Sissy swam, Michael and I ate and visited, and Baby finally let our friend play with her.  He's been trying since her birth. They went in the pool and everything. Success.

By nightfall, I was ready to put Baby in bed so Sissy and Michael ventured off on their own to find fireworks.  They parked at the mall and had a moderately successful viewing area.  The only downside was that it took 45 minutes for them to drive the 2.4 miles home.

I admit now that we should have gone to the parade and been more 4th of July-ee. It makes the day more meaningful to actually celebrate our Independence, rather than just eating lunch on the couch.

I guess it's true...you're never too old to learn something new.  Next year.  Next year.

Happy 4th of July!

Drama

Sissy wanted to participate in a summer theater camp with the same group she performed with for Seussical the Musical. The camp began 2 days after we arrived home from Oregon.  I was tired, barely unpacked, and there we were, awake at dawn to get to the theater by 8 am. 

No matter...it's only sleep.  I haven't had much of that since having a baby anyway.

The musical was Matilda, Jr.  I was excited about the show and hoped all day that Sissy would get a good role. When I picked her up at the end of the day, I could tell that Sissy was unhappy.  She cried as we walked to the car and barely said good-bye to her friends as we left the theater.  In the car she exploded with emotion.  She didn't get a speaking part and was only cast in the ensemble.  Most of her friends had speaking parts.

I was heartbroken for her.  Sissy declared that she was going to quit the show and the whole thing was unfair and lame. She was only in 2 songs and it was a stupid waste of time. I also felt indignant for her.  How could my daughter not get a part?!  I honestly didn't really mind if she wanted to quit the show - it would mean I wouldn't have to wake up at dawn.

But then I remembered that I have to be the responsible parent.  Poo.

Michael and I talked with her about the importance of fulfilling obligations and sticking to things even when they don't go our way.  She wasn't convinced and insisted on quitting.  We encouraged her to be responsible and follow through. By that evening, she agreed to continue with the show and try to have fun anyway.

It was difficult for Sissy.  She held some disappointment all the way to the end.  But she still showed up every day.  Even though she was only on stage for a few scenes, I sat in the audience and exploded with pride.  I was watching my daughter perform with grit and integrity.  I loved it.

So did Baby.  She was enraptured.

Sissy's only request was a box of Bottlecaps at the end of the show.  Did you know that you can't just walk into any store and find Bottlecaps?  I know that now.  

She chose Domino's pizza as her celebratory dinner.  We sat on the couch, ate pizza, and celebrated Sissy's accomplishments.  

I'm incredibly proud of her.  Man! I'm a really good parent.

Father's Day

I have to admit something:

I'm not perfect.

I'm close, but not quite.

I accidentally planned our trip to Oregon so that we'd be gone for Father's Day.

Whoops.

Who leaves their father home alone on Father's Day?

I do.

But don't go feeling bad for Michael.

He did this on Father's Day.

And I left him surprise gifts to open - some fancy filament for his 3D printer and some fancy sugar-free caramels.  He reported that his day was great despite being abandoned. Hooray for friends with a boat!

I'm sure grateful this guy is the father in our home.  He is amazing at it.

Happy Father's Day, Mykey!

Oregon, Part Deux

After a few glorious days with my sister, we bid farewell and skedaddled off to meet up with our friends.  Sissy's head nearly exploded with excitement on our journey.  As we pulled into town, I asked Sissy if she recognized anything.  It's funny how kids' brains operate.  Everything was exactly as I remembered it, they were the same streets I traveled for years, but Sissy could only pick out one or two things that were familiar.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that her eyes are continuously diverted to a book when we drive, or that she's just a kid, but I expected her to recognize more.  However, she did manage to pull out memories everytime we ventured to a specific location, and it was fun to reminisce about her early years in Oregon.

It was also fun to see our friends.  We stayed with our besties - Sissy and her bestie have been intertwined since they were babies.  It's a mind warp to see these girls as pre-teens. Like us, some of our friends have also moved away, so we didn't get to see all of our old buddies.  But it sure was fun to see the ones we could.

We were able to repeat some firsts: I went on a walk with my dear friend at the park where we first met.  At that same park, I pushed Baby in the swings for the first time. They were the very same swings where my older baby also had her first swinging encounter.

Baby had her first breadstick at Straight from New York.

And her first visit to PanezaNellie's, the family-run restaurant we visited every Saturday after swim lessons.  When we walked in, the girls behind the counter exclaimed, "Wow! We were just talking about you and wondering how you were!" I felt a little teary at that. 

It was a wonderful visit.  We had lots to do - we went on a very hot history walking tour for Juneteenth then enjoyed BBQ for lunch.

Had an art party and stayed up late with childhood friends.

Visited a woman who is dear to me.

And ventured to a park and enjoyed the weather.

We also gathered with my friends for an evening of gossip, went swimming, drove by our old house, and had plenty of laughter and fun.

It was a great trip!  I'm glad we were able to go and revisit the past for a bit.  

(But I'm also glad to be back home and living in the now.) 

Oregon

If you're interested in having an elevated heart rate, unrestrained sweating, and steady panic for hours upon hours, I have an infallible formula for you.

Take a one-year-old on an airplane across the country by yourself.

You could also throw in an eleven-year-old, who will argue that she's old enough to roam the Atlanta airport WITHOUT YOU, and that she doesn't need to ever take off her headphones or eat anything that grows in the earth.

Trust me...you will experience all of the unpleasantness.

But, once you arrive all the way across the country, you'll be filled with an explosion of happiness that will nearly make you forget about all of the stroke-inducing stress.  Nearly - some trauma never fully disappears.

Here's what happened: when we decided to move to TN, I promised Sissy that I would one day bring her back to Oregon to visit all of our friends. That "one day" came sooner than I anticipated.  But a promise is a promise so off we flew.

We had a delightful 10 days out West.  We spent the first half of our trip at my sister's place with cousins.  It was just like old times but also different.  A lot changes in a couple of years during puberty age.  Like forgetting how to smile for a photo.

We had such fun hanging out and laughing.  We went to an immersive art experience called Hopscotch.  There were cool light displays and fun interactive exhibits.

We visited the wooden troll.

We walked around downtown and had snow cones and hit up the library.

Sissy played video games with her equally obsessed cousin.

We ate delicious food. So much delicious food.  

And we just enjoyed each other.  We talked and laughed.  We swam in the pool at the hotel and shattered the lid to my sister's glass cake stand - oops. We played games. We went to the park and had a picnic. We were together and it was wonderful.

In addition to being wonderful, it was odd being back in Oregon.  We lived there for 9 years.  It was the only home Sissy ever knew.  But being back felt different.  It was familiar, I knew how to navigate everywhere without GPS, nothing had changed in the surroundings.  But I have changed and it didn't feel like home anymore. I felt like a stranger in a familiar place.  It was odd.  However, closure accompanied the oddness. I have felt some guilt about moving Sissy all the way across the country to a new home, I've missed my dear friends, and I've longed for the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.  In the depths of my head, I've sometimes wondered if it was the right choice for us to leave Oregon.

Being there confirmed that it was right to leave. It was time for us to write a new chapter. But I will always be grateful for the years we had in Oregon and the friends we made there. It will always hold a piece of my heart. 

But, wait! What about all of these friends I've been rambling on about? Did we visit any of them?  

I'll tell you next time. 

Random Tings

Someone went to Girl's Camp for the very first time and loved it.

Someone has braces now.

Someone is watching...always watching.

Someone is an unphotogenic weirdo. 

Wait. What?