A real goodbye

Yesterday was the last day of Nick's Parent Ed class. Not only that, it was MY last Parent Ed class, after nearly eight years.

Nick's teacher this year has been "Teacher Judy." I have been in her class with all three of my children, at some age level or another. I gave her a note today, in which I wrote about all that I have gained by taking her classes.

Nick picked out a gift for her: A Parrot puppet and a Hermit Crab puppet.



"Teacher Judy" has the most unique Song Time. From her funny versions of "Open and Shut Them" and "If You're Happy and You Know It" (the kids' favorite is "If You're Scared and You Know It") to her many puppets and the songs she has made up about them, it seems to have been Nick's favorite part of class.

Normally a painfully shy child, even with old friends, he loves those puppet songs so much that he actually sings them! Out loud! and goes up to the front to give them a pat! With other kids around!

So you can see what it meant to him, and to me, to give "Teacher Judy" a couple of new puppets. She could definitely see it -- she told us that when she makes up songs for these new puppets, she will mail them to us. And she told me that she noticed that he came out of his shell for the puppets and their songs; and she really loved seeing that side of him. She is a special person.

Some of the puppets Nick loved this year are:

I have patches on my eyes, I have stripes on my tail
Some say that I'm a thief, but I've never been in jail
I sleep all day and I wake with the moon
Who Am I? .... I'm a raccoon!


Three Nice Mice
Three Nice Mice
See how they run
See how they run
They're always polite when they nibble their cheese
They never forget to say "Thank you" and "Please"
They cover their mouths whenever they sneeze
Three Nice Mice


Oh I'm a Lovely Green Iguana, sitting in the sun
A Lovely Green Iguana, I smile at everyone
I have a crest running down my back
I eat lots of bugs, and then I take a nap
Oh I'm a Lovely Green Iguana, sitting in the sun
A Lovely Green Iguana, and now my song is done


I have a pet gorilla, Mathilda is her name
Mathilda likes to sing all day, and this is what Mathilda sang:
"Ooh ooh ooh ooh ah ah ah,
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ah ah ah,
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ah ah ah,
Ooh ooh ah ah ah."


"Mmm aa" went the little green frog one day
"Mmm aa" went the little green frog,
"Mmm aa" went the little green frog one day
"Mmm aa mmm aa mmm aa aa aa."
All the other froggies went, "fro dee oh dee oh dee oh,
fro dee oh dee oh dee oh,"
All the other froggies went, "fro dee oh dee oh dee oh,"
Except for the little green frog, who went,
"mmm aa mmm aa mmm aa aa aa."


First he runs and then he walks, in the water, on the rocks.
Eight little legs go clickety-clack, hurry forward, scurry back
Little crabs live by the sea, I watch them and they watch me


Fuzzy little caterpillar, with eyes so big and wide,
Something says, "it's time! It's time! Find a place to hide!"
Stretching and growing and stretching and changing,
Something says, "it's time! It's time! To come outside and fly!
You're a beautiful butterfly!"


Alligator, Crocodile, we are quite alike
If you get too close to us, we will surely bite
Alligator, Crocodile, I'm fast and I am strong
My teeth are sharp, my hide is tough, my tail is very long
Alligator, Crocodile, would you like a ride?
Don't you dare say "yes" to me, or you'll soon be inside

Julianna's last day of preschool

Last Friday was Julianna's last day in Room 2 at Calvary Preschool. In September, she'll be movin' on to Kindergarten!!

They held their "end-of-year party" the Friday before, so it had been a week of celebrations!

Julianna brought plants to give her teachers, Mrs. Shallcross and Ms. Belinda:




They had a party with a nice potluck and a graduation cake. Nick got to join in (see if you can spot him), and Julianna of course sat next to her dear friend Scarlett.



Julianna is very friend-oriented at school. It's all about who played with her (or didn't) on any given day. She looks like she's enjoying her friends in these pictures from her last few days, doesn't she? Free Play (up in the loft with Scarlett and Carissa), Circle Time, Bike Yard time (riding on the rocket!)...





As a parting gift, the teachers gave each child a book. Julianna is one of only three kids who can read, so the teachers gave them a chapter book to challenge their reading skills! Julianna was so excited about her "Judy Moody" book, and is very proud of her reading skills. (Katie was jealous about the book, which is exactly what Julianna wanted!)

Katie and the Concert

Katie has been taking a Beginning Violins class after school every Monday this year.

Last week was the end-of-year concert. Every student played a solo piece that they had selected. Katie's was called "Popcorn."



There were group numbers by each class (Beginner Violins, Intermediate Violins, Orchestral Violins, and Brass & Winds) and a piece performed by all of the classes together. Way to go, Katie!

Katie's Actual Birthday

A week after The Great Slumber Party, Katie celebrated her "Actual Birthday."

It was a low-key, family day.

On Saturday (the day before), Katie and Mommy went to the cake supply store and bought a cake pan shaped like an open book. Then, the whole family surprised Katie by taking her to the local music store and telling her she could choose an instrument, which we would buy or rent for her, and we would give her private lessons for the summer. She was very happily surprised, and decided to keep studying the violin. She walked out of the store happily clutching her new violin.

She spent Sunday opening her gifts (she loved each and every one!), as well as singing "Happy Birthday," blowing out candles, and eating the Book Cake that Mommy made.

Katie's Slumber Party Birthday

On Saturday, May 24, Katie had a slumber party to celebrate her 8th birthday. She invited three friends over: Catherine, Brooke, and Emma.

(Julianna went to Sara's house to sleep over - they had fun but then had trouble sleeping and apparently, it was a long night.)

The 8-year-old girls and the very-excited-to-have-Katie's-friends-over little brother had a VERY fun time!

After the friends arrived, and all of the suitcases and dolls had been situated, the girls decided they wanted to do one of the crafts that they had planned. You see, Katie and Catherine had spent the entire week at school planning out what they would do at the slumber party; Catherine had a beading kit, and it was decided that she would bring her kit and the girls would make bead jewelry. Mommy also had her beads and elastics out for the girls to use. Nick had spent much of the week beading with Julianna (and by himself), so he was very happy to join in making bracelets with the big girls.



Then, they decided to play Felicity (the colonial American Girl), so they all got dressed up. Catherine was Felicity, Katie was Elizabeth, Emma was the teacher (in the picture below, I believe they are having a music lesson), Brooke was the mom (she stayed "home" (upstairs) and "took care of things" (explored Katie's room and the playroom - she's an only child and was looking for some time alone with the toys, I think)), and Nick was sometimes the baby brother and sometimes the cat.


We interrupted colonial times to feed them dinner. Katie had chosen spaghetti, broccoli, and strawberries. We surprised her by adding bread!


Katie chose an ice cream cake (cookies and cream). We were going to have "Enchanted" decorations, but had to come up with a new plan. We found "Mickey & Minnie in the Soda Shoppe" and decided it was perfect for an ice cream cake!


We sang her "Happy Birthday (cha cha cha)," she blew out eight candles, and we ate up!


They decided that after cake, they wanted to get into pajamas "because that would feel more like a slumber party." Similarly, they got their dolls and stuffed loveys ready on the couch.


Katie opened her gifts from her friends, many of which were homemade letters and stories.


Then it was time for another craft! Katie was particularly excited that Mommy had bought a big set of Perler beads to make Perler Pets! The set included animal-shaped templates, so they could place the beads on the template in the colors of their choice to make a cat, a dog, a horse, a turtle, or a fish.

We also had a square and a hexagon, which came in handy since Emma chose to make a monogram instead of an animal. She put the initals E, B, K, and C on a square. (Later, the girls discovered that this stands for BOTH "Emma Baker & Katie Chabot" AND "Emma, Brooke, Katie & Catherine." They found this fact AMAZING!)


After the beads are all placed on the template, Mommy irons them so they melt and fuse together. Then you have a 2D plastic design!


The girls had also planned to watch a movie during their Slumber Party. They chose to watch "Ratatouille." They kept working on their Perler Pets during the movie, and Mommy kept up with the Perler ironing. All of a sudden, Mommy appeared with Popcorn for the party girls! This made them cheer! A movie and popcorn! "Slumber parties are even better than I had imagined!"

Emma is reading!

You may be wondering where Nick is. Well, the movie was started at 8:30 pm. It was Nick's bedtime. He threw the biggest fit his Mommy and Daddy had ever seen that he couldn't watch "Ratatouille" with the girls. We think he had been a bit overstimulated!

So, at about 10:30 the movie and all of the Special Features were over, and the girls discussed sleeping arrangements with Mommy. They all wanted to sleep in Katie's bed, except Katie, who wanted to sleep downstairs on the hide-a-bed. It was very difficult to agree on a plan, but we finally had two girls willing to sleep in the sleeping bags on padding on Katie's floor, and two girls willing to sleep in Katie and Julianna's beds.

Off to bed they went, and after quite a bit of giggling, and complaining about snoring (Daddy put some music on in there to drown it out), they fell asleep.

The next morning, Mommy apparently forgot to take pictures. But the girls got up at a decent hour and Daddy made them cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

Getting dressed seemed to be putting dress-up clothes on over pajamas.

On the porch table, Mommy set up a Sand Art craft. They made Sand Art jars, necklaces, and bracelets.

After more free play indoors & out, the girls' parents arrived. All of the girls thought it was too soon and wished to play longer. Isn't that the sign of a good party? Leave 'em wanting more?

The girls each went home with their party favors:
Their crafts: bracelet, Perler Pet(s), and Sand Art
As well as a pad of Post-Its in the shape of their initial, and a bracelet for their American Girl (made for each girl by Mommy).


All in all, it was a perfect 8th birthday party for our Big Girl Katie!

96 Months

Dear Katie,

Congratulations, you're eight years old! I have really enjoyed this birthday. Last weekend, your slumber party was a lot of fun. You and your friends were busy with the crafts, movie, and playing Felicity. You were a good hostess and party planner!

I couldn't believe it last night when we read "Beezus & Ramona" at bedtime, and the chapter we were on was Beezus' Birthday! What a coincidence. We sure marveled about that!

Your gifts were a lot of fun for me this year. It was so special to surprise you yesterday with music lessons! I am looking forward to your first private lesson on Wednesday. I think your choice to keep working on the violin was a thoughtful decision. Do you know what my favorite part was? The big smile on your face as you walked out holding your new violin! We're renting it for now, but if you decide to keep up your violin studies for eight months, we'll own it! I loved giving you such a big surprise for your birthday!

What a great day today, opening presents from family, getting to choose lunch and dinner, and having a book-shaped cake! Grandma gave you the sewing box you were hoping for (another coincidence from the book: Beezus got a sewing box for her birthday!), and you got lots of books, a movie, crafts, games, a High School Musical doll, outfits, math brain teasers, and some money to spend. You are so happy with all of it, and it's nice to see you appreciate everyone's kind gestures. You sure are growing into a lovely girl. I'm so glad you are enjoying "The Daring Book for Girls." When I looked through it at the bookstore, I thought you would enjoy exploring the many topics in the book and trying out the activities with your friends, sister, or me! (It's kind of like Beezus' book "202 Things to Do on a Rainy Afternoon." Another coincidence!)

You have been growing like a weed lately, and I'm not just talking about your height! You seem to be maturing before my eyes! Your first slumber party, the first time you said, "Mom, you're embarrassing!" when I was acting goofy at home with no one around... as well as your interest in learning new skills like sewing, the plays and lessons you are always planning with your friends, and the times when you and I can get serious and have good discussions about things... it's an exciting time!

But you and I have also been talking about the things that haven't changed (and thank goodness!). You still choose a different stuffed animal lovey every couple of days. I still like to pick you up for a big hug. You still have your fears that I don't quite understand. You may not be afraid of the Disney Princess movies anymore, but you are now afraid of history, and the possibility of learning history in school each day is making you nervous. You were so relieved last week when you came home and told me "Mom, there's nothing scary about the Wright brothers!" (Scary people have included Florence Nightingale and Abraham Lincoln (when he visited injured Civil War soldiers).)

I have been thinking today about eight years ago, June 1st of 2000, when you came into my life and changed everything... as I always do on June 1st! How during the day I was at work finishing up the school year, and in the middle of the night, I was becoming a mother. I spent that whole first June 1st feeling happy, scared, lucky and overwhelmed all at the same time. Whether you like it or not (and at age eight, you still really like it), you will always be my baby.

Gen-u-ine Celebrity!

Sunday it was the radio, today it was TV. She's all over the media, talkin' and teachin' about National Tap Day!

We're having fun listening and watching online! Katie just told me "I am really good at tap because in the summer I take my lessons from the BEST TEACHER IN PORTLAND!"

The TV segment can be seen through this link.

Julianna's boo-boo

Nick slammed the sliding glass door on Julianna's finger yesterday.

There was a gash on the front side, so I cleaned it up and put a Band-Aid on, and had her ice it to keep it as cold as she could stand for as long as she could stand.

Today she took the Band-Aid off and the skin underneath was WHITE. The nail bed was purple, as was the tip of the swollen finger. The WHITENESS freaked me out, and I started imagining all kinds of Worst-Case Scenarios, as I got J and N out the door to the Urgent Care.

By the time we got there, it was pinking up, and all the WHITENESS disappeared during our waiting room stay. This made J and I feel a bit better.

The doctor determined that it did not need to be drained, and the x-ray showed that the finger is not broken.

All that worrying for nothing! And you know who worried even more than I did? Julianna. She was terrified of showing it to the doctor, because she thought he might do something painful in order to fix it. Many, many tears were shed. And when he told her that all he wanted to do was take a picture (x-ray) of her finger, more tears were shed - this time of relief.

Whew!

Here's what her finger looks like now:

Happy Birthday G.G.!

We love you so much, G.G.!

July 2005 (Nick)


May 2003 (Julianna)

November 2001 (Katie)

June 2001 (Katie)

Touchy-feely

When I picked Julianna up from preschool today, she had something exciting to tell me: "I got to let one of the butterflies go!"

Her class has studied the life cycles of butterflies and frogs, and has kept caterpillars and tadpoles to observe. The butterflies all hatched from the cocoons over the weekend, and today they were flying around their little net home, ready to go outside. (Three of the tadpoles have turned completely into frogs; the rest are somewhere in-between.)

The teachers drew names to determine who would get to release the butterflies, and Julianna was lucky enough to be one of the children chosen! While her classmates looked on, she let a butterfly climb onto her finger, then carefully moved her finger out of the net habitat to the open air, and off it flew!

I asked her which she liked better: having a butterfly on her finger or holding a snail in her hand (she LOVES that), and she said "the butterfly!" Cool! I wish I could have seen it and taken some photos!

Sunday!

I woke up late and had to rush to meet the choir before church without having eaten breakfast.

Eric got the kids ready all by himself and took them to church. No time to clean up discarded pajamas or the pile of dishes in the sink.

Home after church, Eric quickly sighed, "I am not doing that again." (You see, this was the first week after Sunday School ended for the summer.)

Kids gave me the Mother's Day things they made at school.

Eric: "So, should we go run some errands?"

Me: "I don't want to run errands. You know what I want to do? I want to go to Disneyland."

We discussed for a moment whether we could get by without a grocery trip and some laundry loads, but in the end the fact that our annual passes expire in one week proved to be decisive. We all changed into pants and comfortable shoes, threw some snacks, camera, and sunscreen in a backpack, and headed over there!

We decided Disneyland might be too crowded, so we went to California Adventure. It was a great day! We went on a few rides, saw several shows, had some food, took J to the potty seventy-gajillion times, and just enjoyed each other's company. Emphasis on that last one.

Katie and I took Julianna on Soarin' Over California for her first time, and she loved it. How could she not? It is a great ride. You really feel like you're flying through the air over the California scenery.

The girls and I also saw the Aladdin show - first time for all of us. It was well done, and we were all glad to see it. Meanwhile, Daddy and Nick were watching the Pixar Parade (Lightning and Mater included) and riding the "Silver Rocket" over and over again.

We had never been to the Animation area before. It is really cool! There are shows in which you get to talk to this CG turtle from Finding Nemo, and he actually talks to people in the audience. Nick loved it. We also went to a show where they teach you how to draw a Disney character. Then there are places to explore on your own - making a zoetrope strip and watching a huge claymation zoetrope thing.

The kids were all asleep in the car within a few minutes, as we left later than we had meant to, but they managed to get up and off to school just fine. Walking to school, the girls decided that it was the best Mother's Day ever. Certainly for them! and truly, it was a great day for me too.

Happy Mother's Day

What gift could be better than a good laugh?

We interrupt this blogger malaise to bring you the following announcement

Julianna just lost her first tooth!

Bermuda Triangle in my Brain

My friend Eileen had her third baby a few months ago. I am having fun watching her deal with three.

When she drops the oldest off at preschool, she takes the infant seat out of the minivan and snaps it into the Snap 'N Go stroller, as the two older boys jump out of the car and head toward the classroom. At the classroom door, the baby lying in the stroller waits outside because there isn't really enough room to roll it inside. (I sneak over and give the baby some goofy grinny faces so he'll smile at me!) Boy Number Two wants to stay and play in Big Brother's classroom so Eileen has to coax him out of there. And they're off! Back to the car to rush to Boy Number Two's music class or Parent Ed class or Target.

At Parent Ed class, I get to see more of the Third Baby show. Eileen switches the baby between the stroller and the sling. Walking around with an 18-pound baby strapped to her body, she helps Boy Number Two with the swings, the slide, the toy cars, the Birdseed Table, the tricycles, the craft of the day... At Song Time, she tries to surreptitiously nurse the baby while Boy Number Two sits next to her. On the days when BN2 wants the lap spot, she shifts the baby over to one arm and holds them both close. During Snack Time, she makes sure the baby has nursed enough or burps him or bounces him to sleep, while friends like me make sure BN2 gets the snack refills he needs.

I watch and enjoy helping out, and I think to myself, "did I do this too?"

Because I am surprised to say that I DON'T REMEMBER IT.

It's like there is a huge chunk of time missing from my brain.

How did I drop off Katie with a barely-2-year-old and a baby? Did I use my Snap N Go? Did I just carry him? When did he nurse? OH! I remember, I nursed him in the minivan in the preschool parking lot, right after drop-off, since there was no time in the rush of the morning getting the other two out the door.

How did I carry him during Julianna's Parent Ed class? Did I carry him in the sling or the Bjorn? Did J understand when I needed to tend to the baby? Did she sit next to me during Song Time or fight to fit into my lap?

Was I actually there?

I guess I was, because I found this picture:


That looks like something I would remember, doesn't it?



Ugh, it saddens me.... because they are little for so short a time and my brain has lost some of it! I want to be able to close my eyes and transport myself back to those days... relive it a little bit... But when I try, there's nothing there!

I can do that for the first baby, and the second baby, but not for number three. And I love Nick with every beat of my heart. He makes me melt with happiness.

What up, brain?! C'mon, help a girl out!

I was calmer with this baby than with the other two, that much I know. I rolled with the punches and gave myself permission to take more naps. I was more relaxed about this, knowing everything would work out. And he was a happy, calm baby, so that helped. The days passed by smoothly. And then I forgot.