A Dozen

Sissy turned 12.

Did you hear me?

I said, "SISSY TURNED 12!"

All she wanted for her birthday was the new Lego Zelda set. Unbeknownst to Sissy, I had pre-ordered the set many months before she asked.  She wasn't aware the set existed and I was going to save it for Christmas. But then she read about the set on one of her fan sites and my plan was foiled. Nerds ruin everything. 

I told Sissy it was far too expensive and to come up with a different idea. She begged and begged, tried making bargains, begged and begged some more, and wouldn't stop yammering about how much she wanted the set.  And there I was, making her suffer while I was already in possession of the thing. It was diabolical of me.

I was in a pickle though.  We have always had extravagant parties for Sissy because...well...Sissy planned extravagant parties and she was my only child.  This year I didn't want to pay for both an extravagant party and an expensive Lego set.  But how to tell her that without telling her I already had the Lego set?

Here's how.

I told her I had the Lego set and she couldn't have an extravagant party.

Surprise!

Telling her was also diabolical because now she had to wait for the Lego set for weeks, knowing it was in the house somewhere.

What can I say?  I'm a butt.

It was still a wonderful birthday despite by buttox-ery shenanigans. A couple of weeks before her birthday, Sissy had her bestie for a sleepover.

They played games.

And played kazoos late into the evening.

We went to the trampoline park where Baby had a smashing good time.

When her actual birthday arrived I made a Dune sandworm cake.  It was enormous.

We also gave her a couple of surprise gifts. You always need a surprise.  This one was a pixel art kit and Cow Tales.

And then the big kahuna arrived.  Wrapped in 2 boxes.  

What? You already know I'm a butt.

After her favorite meal of carbs, Sissy went straight to work on building.

The next day she had this beauty.

Pure joy.

Happy birthday to Sissy!

Anatomy of an Afternoon Walk

Baby loves to be outside.  If the weather is nice, I take her out every afternoon around our little section of condo road to let her explore. She has a specific route and routine that goes like this:

Stop at the Halloween sign. There's also a skeleton on the porch she converses with.

Choose out the perfect stick. Or rock. Or both.

And give it to Booney.

Say hello to the No-pooping-in-my-flower-bed sign.

Give Buddha a pat on the head.

Boop the lady's nose.

Pet the bunny.

And boop its nose.

Talk to the owl and say, "Hoo-Hoo."

Touch the garden flag - it's quite a stretch.

Repeat.

Eventually we have to stop to go pick Sissy up from school. (Baby does not appreciate this part.)

But don't worry...we'll be back at it again tomorrow.

It's always a fun time strolling around with my babe!

They Were...Dancing!

Well, friends, we have arrived.  

Sissy attended her very first middle school dance.

When I saw the announcement for the dance I felt a little queasy.  And then Sissy declared that she wanted to attend.  My stomach was agitating like a top-loading washing machine.

"Why so on edge?" you might ask.

Because it's a middle school dance! I was worried Sissy wouldn't have anyone to hang out with.  I was worried it would be a terrible time.  I was worried she'd feel awkward.  I was worried about the obnoxious pre-teen boys. Okay. Fine. I was worried about everything. I'm her mom and that's what I do.

It was a Halloween dance and costumes were allowed. Mykey and Sissy are planning on attending a Renaissance Faire in November.  The costumes have already arrived from China and Sissy has been dying to wear hers.  So instead of donning her actual Zelda Halloween costume, she went with the Renaissance Faire outfit.  

She looked so pretty!  She even made her own potion out of mineral oil and mica powder.  She also filled the belt pouch with 3D printed coins - and 10 actual dollars from me.  I didn't think she needed money but Sissy pointed out that there would be snacks for purchase and she needed to purchase snacks. My mistake.

She spent weeks thinking about how she would wear her hair, what friends she would go with, and what to do once she arrived at the dance.  She wrote it all down in a special notebook for reference.  This girl was serious about the dance.

When I picked her and her friend up at the end, they were wild with excitement.  They apparently had a wonderful time jumping around in a "mosh pit" and spending my 10 dollars on chips and soda.

I was glad she had fun.

And if that wasn't enough, we then went to a pumpkin patch with her church friends.  We had a great time despite the cold and Sissy even rode a mechanical bull.

It was a long and exciting day.  Booney was tired at the end.  All that adrenaline from worrying really wears a person out.  

Hooray for our first successful middle school dance!

Look

Look at Sissy earning a blue ribbon for her Social Studies poster, which included a 3D printed Cuneiform tablet.

Look at Baby getting her own lunch of dried pasta.

Look at Sissy trying on new dentures.

Look at Baby helping with chores.

Look at the nerds drawing Baby into their web.

Aw, man! Come on! 

15 Months!

Baby had her 15 month well child check-up.  15 months already!  

And here I am still chubby with baby weight. 

Nevermind that.  

Upon arrival to the clinic, Baby immediately discovered the toys in the waiting room and puttered around babbling and touching everything.  It was adorable but I also cringed at the thought of how many other gremlins have been drooling all over those toys.  It's good for the immune system, right?

She didn't really want the Dr. to touch her or look at her or talk to her, and she screamed and screamed during the immunizations, but we managed to get er done. I hate those dadgum shots.

Baby is growing perfectly and everyone cooed over her cuteness.  I expect nothing less.

Here's how she measured up this visit:

Weight: 23.3 pounds - 75th percentile

Height: 32 inches - 87th percentile

Head circumference: 45.7 cm - 48th percentile 

She was exhausted by the time we arrived home.

At 15 months, Baby loves to read and her favorite book is "Miss Spider's Tea Party." We can all quote it verbatim. She also loves dancing to music, being outside, making messes, and exploring.  She continues to be a joyful spot in my life and I'm incredibly grateful to have her wearing me out everyday.

 

Fall

Our Fall weather has been perfect.  I don't remember a time that I've enjoyed being outside as much as I have over the past few weeks.  I just want to be outside!

So we've been eating dinner on the porch.  We pull out our camp chairs every night and eat.  I love it.  I don't even care that we don't have actual patio furniture.  

We bought Baby her own outdoor dinner chair and she thinks it's a royal throne.

Sometimes Sissy regales us with her trombone and I sit and feel content about life.

And we've been getting out for walks as often as we can.

Such simple pleasures but oh, so impactful.

Mawage

Mawage. Mawage is what bwings us together, today. Mawage, that blessed arrangement.  That dweam wifin a dweam. 

Skip to the end.

Ok. Here goes.

I flew to Idaho with Baby, by myself, again.

Ain't doin that no more.  It be rough.

We spent 2 days with my parents. I did the most important things while there: saw my nieces, had fish tacos, bought a truckload of corn, BBQ in the backyard. 

Then when my Sissy arrived from Northern Idaho, we all drove to Utah to be at my nephew's temple sealing. As soon as we slid into Logan, we did the other most important thing - hot and sour soup and tiny spicy chicken.  Baby approved. 

Baby also met her cousin and they were both instantly smitten.  My nieces doted over Baby and basically took care of her all day at the sealing and luncheon.  It was so sweet.   

Do you know what else was so sweet?

Being with my family.  Going to Costco and Sam's Club to gather all the food.  Hauling all the food into our hotel rooms and getting it ready in the morning for the luncheon.  Laughing.  Gabbing about everything and anything.  Running into the grocery store at the last minute with my other Sissy for mayo and mustard and watching my nephew eat a tomato like an apple. Eating cake. Laughing some more.

It was all lovely and wonderful and far too short.

The highlight was the temple. I love being in the temple with my family.  I love the reminder that these are my people for eternity.

You see how blessed I am? So very blessed.