Two days after her fifth birthday, Kiley lost her first tooth. First, let me say, the Tooth Fairy has a business model our government should follow. That gal has a racket going on. We Googled the going rate for baby teeth and it appears it is $10. That's a little stiff for my wallet. If she can afford to be giving out $10 a tooth, I want to know where she's making her money! Anyhow, when Brad called me to tell me Kiley had a loose tooth, I couldn't believe it. It wasn't just the tooth, though. It was what happened to my little girl. Literally, overight, she has blossomed into this uber independent, uber articulate, uber self-sufficient little girl. She is making her bed, dressing herself consistently, and paying attention to personal hygiene (which means she doesn't want to take baths with Robyn anymore, but too bad on that one!). For the moment, it is a parent's dream. I don't know how long it will last, but I'm soaking it up. I just can't get over how fast it happened. You get so used to a child being one way and when she decides to change, it is a stark reminder that she is her own person, making decisions independent from me. I am glad Brad is spending so much time with them these days. But I do feel that I am missing out on some big milestones. I am jealous that he gets to watch them play, cuddle, and romp while I miss out. But I love what I am doing and enjoy the time we have in the evenings. Pretty soon, Kiley and I are going to venture to the ice skating rink. Start praying now.
As for Robyn, she can keep up with any boy you put in her path. Yesterday, while we were at Chick-fil-a, she decided to play queen of the playset and pushed a little boy down. His mother ran in to save him and I blushed and rushed in to discipline Robyn. But secretly, I was kind of proud of her. Does that make me a bad parent? Since we moved here, the people who have cared for Robyn have called her "Queen Bee", "independent", and "determined". I think it is a good thing she is so cute. People are more likely to forgive her. But for all her independence, she has a deep soft side. She is actually a giver. Most of the time, she is looking for ways to share with others. She will be the first to comfort when someone is hurt. She loves to cuddle and hug passionately. She is in every way different from Kiley. I love my experiences with both of them.
We are learning that our girls have not been used to being around each other 24/7. They have had to adjust to sharing parents all the time and having to compromise on activities. We try to separate them once a week to take them on individual date nights. I think school and daycare will be really good for them. We have observed that they both flourish with other children around. They do not want to be at the playground by themselves. But if there are other children, they will be content for hours.
I love the diversity of LR. Kiley and I were at Subway a few days ago. The man helping us was Hindu and Kiley wanted to know what the red dot on his head meant. So, I encouraged her to ask him. He was very gracious and, I think, enjoyed the opportunity to talk about his religion to this curious child. He was hesitant at first, but once he realized I wasn't going to try to evangelize him on the spot, he was very forthcoming with information. He explained that the dot is called a Chandlo and encouraged Kiley to Google it when she got home. This, of course, sparked some spiritual conversation when we got back in the car. She had lots of questions and I took the opportunity to explain Jesus. It is very hard to explain to a five year old the differences in what we believe versus our new friend at Subway. After some discussion about Jesus and how we have to believe in him to go to Heaven, Kiley took the next logical step in her mind and asked "Does that mean our Subway friend is not going to Heaven?" I'm not sure I had an appropriate answer, but I told her the important thing to remember was that our job is to love him and be his friend and hope that one day he will believe in Jesus. Again, I'm not ready for her to grow up. Pretty deep conversation for five years old, huh? Point being, you never know when opportunity is going to cross your path. I beleive God was fully aware that Kiley has a lot of questions right now and he was helping me address those by making my take note that she is curious about him. How wonderful it must be for him to watch those sorts of things unfold in a child's mind. I wish I could have just a glimpse of what he sees in our children's minds.
We are confident that our move to LR was a good one. Our children are being exposed a lot of diversity and culture and it is stretching us to face some tough questions. Any advice is welcome. Regards...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Birthday Pics
I am finally getting around to using my Flickr account a little more. I have posted Robyn's 2nd birthday pics from December and also Kiley's 5th birthday pics. So, if you're interested, you can view those pics here.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Today
It decided to become Winter again around here today. Lows in the 30s last night and pretty chilly waking up this morning. But I got out of bed anyway. I made a commitment recently to start working out again. This decision has been a long time coming for me. I always knew the motivation would return some day. But I've been waiting for about a year and a half. And finally, its back. Over the last 18 months, I have dabbled at running and working out but have not been able to see that time as productive. I am thankful that I am able to enjoy it again. That's all I'll say about that.
On another note, we have been spending a lot of time getting to know our surroundings. Little Rock is a fascinating town. I have really enjoyed living in a Capital city. Through my job, I get to sit in on some really important conversations about our State's politics and am witnessing firsthand the policy makers of tomorrow. Last Friday I spent 3 hours at the Capitol Building observing a meeting with local Senators and State Representatives. They discussed several pieces of legislation that would be coming up for a vote within the coming weeks. Because of the Chamber's lobbying efforts, they passed a very important bill that will allow for better incentives to draw industry to Arkansas. Very important in these economic times. This bill will make our state more competitive for large industries looking for affordable U.S. real estate on which to establish business. Another bill was passed last week that will draw the film industry into Arkansas. Hopefully, we will now compete with states like Michigan for movies, etc. Arkansas has a great deal of racial history that, I think, could be significant to racial healing if portrayed properly through film media. But it is important for those stories to be told where they occurred. Now, we can compete for such projects. Pretty cool to be on the ground floor of things like this!
When I am not working, I love spending time with the girls in the yard. They are loving watching the flowers bloom and running around in the yard. Brad and I can sit on the porch or the deck and watch them play. They are adapting marvelously. Tonight, Kiley thanked God for our house when she prayed. It makes me feel like we haven't completely screwed them up for life by moving at this stage of the game. Brad is doing a great job with them. Every day while Robyn takes a nap Brad prints off worksheets so Kiley can practice her letters. When I come home in the afternoon, she gets to tell me what letter they are practicing and what words start with that letter. Yesterday, she wrote her entire name (first, middle, last) all by herself. Today, she put a large puzzle together. A present from our good friends the Wilkies (Thank You) for her birthday.
Yes, Kiley turned five last week. A huge milestone. So naturally I have been pretty reflective. I remember how nervous and excited I was to become a mother. Most days, I still have those nerves. Am I spending enough time with them? Am I modeling healthy behaviors? Am I too neurotic? Did Robyn poop today? Did Kiley eat well? It never ends. I feel like there is some huge lesson I could be teaching at any given moment. Some sort of prophetic wisdom I should be passing along. But then, I just sit back and decide to dye Easter eggs and the world is at peace. I am trying hard to give them the childhood they deserve. Honestly, it has been a little easier since moving. We are able to spend more quality time together as a family because the only people we are accountable to are each other. We are definitely healing from a lot of things right now and it is wonderful! Thank you God for healing.
Today, my prayer of thanksgiving is for good, loyal, honest friends who have stood by us through so many events. I praise God every time I remember you! I love you.
On another note, we have been spending a lot of time getting to know our surroundings. Little Rock is a fascinating town. I have really enjoyed living in a Capital city. Through my job, I get to sit in on some really important conversations about our State's politics and am witnessing firsthand the policy makers of tomorrow. Last Friday I spent 3 hours at the Capitol Building observing a meeting with local Senators and State Representatives. They discussed several pieces of legislation that would be coming up for a vote within the coming weeks. Because of the Chamber's lobbying efforts, they passed a very important bill that will allow for better incentives to draw industry to Arkansas. Very important in these economic times. This bill will make our state more competitive for large industries looking for affordable U.S. real estate on which to establish business. Another bill was passed last week that will draw the film industry into Arkansas. Hopefully, we will now compete with states like Michigan for movies, etc. Arkansas has a great deal of racial history that, I think, could be significant to racial healing if portrayed properly through film media. But it is important for those stories to be told where they occurred. Now, we can compete for such projects. Pretty cool to be on the ground floor of things like this!
When I am not working, I love spending time with the girls in the yard. They are loving watching the flowers bloom and running around in the yard. Brad and I can sit on the porch or the deck and watch them play. They are adapting marvelously. Tonight, Kiley thanked God for our house when she prayed. It makes me feel like we haven't completely screwed them up for life by moving at this stage of the game. Brad is doing a great job with them. Every day while Robyn takes a nap Brad prints off worksheets so Kiley can practice her letters. When I come home in the afternoon, she gets to tell me what letter they are practicing and what words start with that letter. Yesterday, she wrote her entire name (first, middle, last) all by herself. Today, she put a large puzzle together. A present from our good friends the Wilkies (Thank You) for her birthday.
Yes, Kiley turned five last week. A huge milestone. So naturally I have been pretty reflective. I remember how nervous and excited I was to become a mother. Most days, I still have those nerves. Am I spending enough time with them? Am I modeling healthy behaviors? Am I too neurotic? Did Robyn poop today? Did Kiley eat well? It never ends. I feel like there is some huge lesson I could be teaching at any given moment. Some sort of prophetic wisdom I should be passing along. But then, I just sit back and decide to dye Easter eggs and the world is at peace. I am trying hard to give them the childhood they deserve. Honestly, it has been a little easier since moving. We are able to spend more quality time together as a family because the only people we are accountable to are each other. We are definitely healing from a lot of things right now and it is wonderful! Thank you God for healing.
Today, my prayer of thanksgiving is for good, loyal, honest friends who have stood by us through so many events. I praise God every time I remember you! I love you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)