Life Delicious

Summer Firsts

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:02:00 +0000

Every year we have at least one beautiful rainbow across the street in the same place. We've been watching and watching this year for it to appear, and a couple of weeks ago, it finally did. There have been a few more since, but this was the first of the season...the view from our front porch.

It made me realize we've had quite a few fun little firsts this summer...and some of them have gone without a blog post to remember them by.

Keelyn got to go to her first movie in a theater! We went to see Toy Story 2, which of course is wonderful. We had to laugh though, because a big part of the movie has to do with the toys avoiding a trash truck, and Keelyn happens to be horrified of the trash trucks in our neighborhood. It was like the worst villain she might ever imagine. Trash day usually consists of an entire morning of me carrying her around as we get dressed until we can leave the house. It's actually like a weird obsession where she loves to hate them. She'll watch and watch out the windows as she hears them driving around, and to hear her talk, you'd think she was excited...but then when she sees one coming, she tears across the house to me, nearly in tears as she climbs onto my lap or up my legs. Anyway, it didn't phase her in movie form, and she really enjoyed herself.

And also the popcorn.

Another first I've been meaning to share is Hailey's drawing habits. These aren't the first pictures she's drawn, but she draws the same things so often, I felt like I needed to document her first favorite things to draw. They are rainbows, herself, and...

...her family. Oh, and flowers. And she writes KDMH on everything...as in Keelyn, Daddy, Mommy, and Hailey. So, these little doodles are representative of her first favorite things to doodle.

And Keelyn has recently loved her first of the summer...helping me grocery shop with her own cart. Before now, we've always been on a tight shopping schedule, but the slow summer days have allowed for the long grocery trips required to accommodate such fun activities.

And our most recent first was bowling. The girls had a blast. Hailey loved chucking the ball down and watching it bounce on that wood floor...and then blowing on it to get it to continue ever so slowly with absolutely no momentum to hit the pins. It even turned back to us at one point. So funny.

Keelyn bowled with a ramp. Her first score was an 89 and that included two strikes. She's a pro.

Then we went to the game room for some ticket earning fun...

...and collected these lovely pieces afterwards.

So here we are at the end of July, and it came just as quickly as the end of June. I can already see the end of August. I'm just glad we've had some rainbows to slow us down a bit once in a while.

My latest project.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:38:00 +0000

Hailey can pretty much occupy her entire day with drawing and coloring and painting and creating...and Keelyn is just starting to be the same way. I converted a bookshelf in our hallway to an art supply station for them to allow easy access to their essentials whenever necessary. I also have wanted the kids to have a pint-sized table and chairs since forever. The one major problem with my want: even pint-sized is too big for our house. We are flat out, out of space. But. I talked them into being okay with parting with a toy we have that's a house made for littler kiddos which they still manage to play with at times...if the other side of the deal was a table to go in its place.

I searched high and low and found some cute ones, but our second issue was budget. I just didn't want plastic, and couldn't find anything nicer for less than $100 (or way more). So I found this on Craig's List for $35. It's as old as I am, as it was sold by parents my parents' age, just now getting rid of their children's things. It's sturdy wood and really cute. It also needed a touch up.
I had no idea when I got started that I would talk myself into the particular definition of "touch up" I decided on, but I suppose I must have been looking for a project. So I primed.
Then I painted (many, many, many, many coats).
Then we hand printed.
Then I lacquered (many, many, many, many coats).
And now it's all done!
It only took me every waking non-kid hour of my life for a couple of weeks...but hey, they LOVE it, and even with all of the paint and supplies, it still stayed well under the $100 mark, and it's completely personalized and way nicer than anything else I found in my previous search. I ran into some glitches with this heat wave. Apparently polyurethane does not like 103degree days. But then, who does? So here it is up close.
And here it is in action.

Another Movie for Monday!

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:45:00 +0000

This is kind of an ordinary video. Hailey explains her project in depth while Keelyn buzzes about entertaining herself. (Not that anything about a child's imagination is ordinary.) Anyway, a look inside a typical mid-day moment.

AFresh APizzapie-a!

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:51:00 +0000

Homemade pizza is a favorite in our house...but summertime homemade pizza really can't be touched...I could eat it every day.

Fresh ingredients.

Busy little fingers.

Andrew's completely perfected whole wheat blend pizza dough with just the right amount of fresh rosemary to make the house smell good for the entire day.

Hot out of the oven. Deliciously nutritious.

TONS of leftovers.

Mmmmmmmmmmm.

What we were doing before all of this took us down.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Dear Pneumonia and other Horrible Lung Stuff with big names I am still working on pronouncing,

Please leave my child alone.

Sincerely,
Frustrated General Hater of You

P.S. You look fat in that x-ray.

Big Scary Panda

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:00:00 +0000

I literally spent the entire day on the verge of tears. Like, closer than the letters are on this page to each other. Closer than your finger is to your mouse as you scroll. I was close. But I kept them in my eyes. Or maybe my throat. Either way, I am frazzle-dazzled from what was easily a four-hundred hour long day. I can't even remember if I showered. Or ate.

Let me start from the beginning, because it's kind of important in the ending.

Less than two weeks ago, I took Hailey to the doctor to let him have a listen to her breathing sounds. They sounded funny. She has allergies, and a cocktail of meds to go with them, but this was a bit different. Asthma maybe? Doc said no. In fact, maybe just a nervous habit, the way she was breathing. He didn't really hear anything. No cause for concern.

Okie-dokie.

Four days later, she got a fever. Wait, no, let me rephrase that...an elevated temperature. I have since learned that what I call a "low-grade fever" of 100.7, to some is actually a "normal temperature" until it reaches 101. So no matter what you call it, she was sick. With no symptoms other than her non-fever-fever and an affinity for sleep...oh, and a non-interest in anything food.

Finally at the one week mark of fever, which had now turned into more of a cough-the-entire-night-and-get-no-sleep-and-still-no-eating, we went back to the doctor, despite the silly nurse who told me she wasn't sick because she didn't have a "fever" and really it would all just go away.

Saturday morning we learned she had an ear infection. Also, pneumonia. Also, weight loss.

So now it's today. The nurse on the phone this morning told me I might be expecting too much to think that it would improve too noticeably in 48 hours of antibiotics, but I made an appointment anyway. Not sure why I called the advice line. I knew we needed to go in. This time, the other ear is now infected, and the doctor can't hear anything in her lungs.

And I don't mean "can't hear anything," as in "nothing bad." I mean, like, nothing. Like no matter how many times she told my baby to take a deep breath... notta. That led to a breathing treatment, which I was ill prepared for.

Note to self: Even when you think you are just being uber-paranoid and going for an extra visit and the doc is just going to have a little listen and send you home...ALWAYS BRING THE LOVIES!!!

Right. Okay then.

(But they had a cute little panda bear nebulizer.) (And a fishy mask!!) (But none of that matters when you don't have Blankie.) (Also: Emmit.) (Because both children are scared of the nebulizer, even when only one child is being tortured by it.)

Seven minutes later, she could hear maybe a little breathing, maybe a little crackling, maybe a little who-knows-what. Maybe. But she did that whole I'm not committing to anything until we know more thing that doctors do just to make moms like me completely go off the deep end of insane worry and terror and shakedy-shake-shake-hold-me-please, before I fall over.

So we went down the road and purchased a beautiful new nebulizer. It's a grey box. It is not a big scary panda.

Then, we went down the road some more, and graced the x-ray machines with a view of the lovely insides of my little lady. Thank God for the nurses there who kept Keelyn entertained while I stayed with Hailey for the scans. And thank you to Keelyn for going with them to explore the outer room of the lab. I'm not exactly sure how the afternoon would have gone without their cooperation. As in, I don't know which child would have been forced to scream bloody murder while I stayed with the other. Just what I needed as I tried to hold myself together, right. Sophie's choice, no thank you.

Anyway.

Final analysis: Atelectasis.

Basically her lungs are partially collapsed. Basically this "little bug" she seemed to have is not so little. There is a similar symptomatic tightness to asthma. Risk factor for pneumonia. Would not have gone away with the antibiotics. Is making my child completely exhausted many hours of the day. Also, not eating. Can you blame her? She's been using teeny-tiny pockets of lung to collect teeny-tiny amounts of air for many days now. Here's to hoping that the multiple daily breathing treatments, along with a host of meds she was already on, will clear this thing up.

Final lesson: When something doesn't seem right, keep taking your kids to the doctor. Even when other people tell you not to. Even if it costs you a crazy number of co-pays. Even if it means you have to deal with your other child squealing and jumping around in the exam room while you wait and spend 5 hours of your day requiring "inside voices," and "please sit down on your bottom," and "I need you to behave just a little longer," subjecting them to ten thousand stickers to choose from at every location as really-not-so-great bribery. Seriously. Stickers only work at the first appointment. In the first hour.

Final, Final lesson: Never again leave the house without lovies. Never.

Final, Final Diagnosis: We'll see. I'll believe this is all squared away no sooner than it actually is.

And. If I'm feeling defeated by this day, it's all wiped away by watching the video I posted earlier today of her a couple years ago. I am so lucky to have such an awesome kid. Now, if we could just find her some working lungs.

A two-and-a-half-year-old Hailey.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Guess what? I got a video up here for a Monday post!!! Yay! Maybe I can keep up with my weekly goal after all.

This is a VERY old one. I realized today, that Keelyn is the same age now that Hailey was when she was born. I went back to look through some videos of what Hailey was like when she first became a big sister, and found this one. It's actually when she was a little bit older...in fact, it's from almost exactly two years ago today.

She's talking up a storm, and I just laugh at how clear I used to think her speech was. Of course when it's your own kid, you understand everything...and I still can, but I can appreciate it for the two-year-old diction it was now better than I could before.

She has a little stutter too, that started when Keelyn was born. She never lashed out or did evil things when she became a big sister like some little ones do. Instead, she internalized the stress of the change a bit and it affected her ability to communicate easily. At the time, it was very stressful for me, and my postpartum self shed a lot of tears over my feelings about it. Now I can look back to two-and-a-half years ago, and see that it would all be okay. This video was taken a few months after Keelyn was born, and the stutter had cleared up tremendously, but was still quite obvious to me since I knew what she was saying. When the stutter first started, she could barely get out a few words for a simple request. I remember recording this and just crying at how happy I was that she was finally telling me a whole story again.

Anyway, that was a long explanation, but I'm putting these up here each week because I wanted to document some things, so the words are necessary! Here's the cutie pie. And in case you can't tell, she's talking about all the pretty colors of the bicycles in the sky. And then of course when it occurs to her that I'm using the video camera, she gets goofy for a bit. Some things never change.

The closest I will ever come to having a son. Also: Ethan.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 02:52:00 +0000

When Hailey was first born, a friend of my mom's set me up on a blind coffee date at her house with her friend's daughter. Tricky huh? The point is she and I are about the same age, had both grown up around here, and both managed to have little baby girls within days of each other.

So, coffee we had. The girls were about five weeks old, and Angela had the nerve to show up at our first date in pre-pregnancy clothes. But. I have forgiven her, as she's since spent way more time in maternity clothes than I have. We'll call it even.

Anyway, we pretty much liked each other. In fact, shortly after that we got together again, and I'm quite certain we have not gone more than a week without speaking to one another since...often much more than that. She's my go-to gal with any kid related question, and I'm hers, for better or for worse. If one of our kids coughs, we pick up the phone to each other before calling the pediatrician. (You can read a story about how great she is here.) She's pretty much Wonder Woman.

A few months ago Angela and her husband welcomed baby number FOUR to their family. As in, in the time since Hailey and Sophia were born, she's had three more to my one.

So Angela and her husband Marc...They're pretty much crazy with the four kids and the always being pregnant and all. But oh goodness does she love her little kiddos, and I do to, and somewhere between the advice and the love and the poopy moments of mommyhood, she (and Marc, who I suspect had little say in the decision) decided it would be a good idea to ask me to be Ethan's godmother. I guess they ran out of family to ask? I already told you she's crazy. (She's not really. Just in that trust-me-for-advice kind of way.) (You know, because I have no idea what I'm doing over here.)

I was all, Me? Are you sure? Do you know who I am? Have you met me? You want ME to guide your kid in all the godmotherly ways? And what are those ways? And what's a godmother anyway?...and Yes, I think I can do that. And! Maybe I can buy him things! Because he's a HIM. (Followed by hanging up the phone and calling everyone I know to tell them how excited I was that I was going to be a godmother. Seriously. I was ex. cit. ed.) (And I still am.) (In fact, I am even more now.) (And by the way, he's seriously perfect.)

So on Sunday, he was baptized at a regular mass, which was all kinds of special. In case you are confused, Angela is holding Ethan here, and I am holding his big brother Isaac, who we attempted to have mark a cross on Baby's head.

Here we are, parents and godparents. Isn't his little suit snazzy? This was post-dunking...as in they submerged the poor dude three whole times in the holy water, and his little arms were shivering, and his little booty was shaking for the whole congregation. Not such-a-bloggy pictures though. Just imagine very cute tiny bottom, then, very cute tiny suit, as pictured.

Can you tell it was a good day? I was pretty happy. Oh. I could hold him for hours.

This means so much to me. I am so grateful for meeting such a wonderful friend that day almost five years ago, and for having the opportunity to play a special role in this little man's life.

swimmingly.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:47:00 +0000

So last week we started a couple of weeks of swimming lessons for both girls. Neither of my kids was blessed with the innate ability or desire to plunge under water repeatedly and organically navigate their way back up to the surface for hours on end as some kids do. Seriously. Where do those kids come from anyway?

Not mine. Nope. In fact, neither of them particularly enjoys having her hair washed. Or having wet ears. Even blowing bubbles in the water only happens in particularly secure circumstances. So that makes swimming lessons even more important for us...they need someone other than me to push their limits and show them what they can do. To give them the confidence necessary to learn what I feel is a necessary life skill. I've tried teaching them these things myself, as I am a decent swimmer, but they don't trust me as far as I can throw them under water. Ha.
So anyway, we started last week, and finished up today, and they both did great. They both are doing things now that they were scared to do when we started, and with much more grace and confidence. Mission accomplished.

Also. I am going to get a pass for the winter this year so that we don't start next summer back at square one like we did this year. We need to frequent the pool a bit. No lessons for a while though. I can't take any more of Keelyn's avoidance tactics in the morning. For the hour of getting ready each day, I heard, "Mommy, I don't wanna go under. I kick my feet but not splash. Mommy, I only blow bubbles on the steps. K, Mommy? Okay? OKAY???"

Okay, Keelyn. I feel ya. Mommy is a mean, mean lady who forces you to be miserable at the pool. See? Look how miserable she is. You can totally see it in her eyes. She hates swimming.

Now that we've taken the class together, we have specific skills to work on, and I know what she's capable of...so we can practice without the instructor and pressure of performance for a bit. She really did great. Despite her weary anticipation, each day she got in, went under, kicked like crazy, jumped off the wall to me, pushed around a kick board, floated on her back, and alas, she blew the stinkin' bubbles!
Hailey had a blast as well. She had pretty much the same skills to work on as Keelyn, but without a parent assisting, and much more independence from the instructor. She got much more comfortable with having her face wet, and really looked forward to each day. In fact, in the car each morning, she'd say, "Mommy, I think today maybe I'll try jumping into the pool with no teacher," or some other declaration of a goal. And then she'd do it.
She really needs a lot of encouragement to feel secure on her own in the water, and going regularly to the lessons and working on the same skills helped a lot with that.
This was a wonderful way to spend every morning for the past couple of weeks, and both kids are really looking forward to going to our neighborhood pool to "practice" in the coming days.

As a side note...In case you were wondering, it was Hailey who took the pictures of me and Keelyn. Their lessons were back to back, so one day we took the point-and-shoot camera along, and she took pictures of us during Keelyn's lesson. Given the fact that we were far away, it was dark with dim indoor lighting, she couldn't use the zoom, the camera got moved off of the auto setting somehow, AND we were moving targets, I'd say they turned out pretty darn snappy! What a sweet girl to appease me like that.

A little story.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:12:00 +0000

First of all, let me say that I have TONS of videos to post, and I have been either too lazy or too busy to edit them into tiny uploadable snippets, upload said tiny snippets, embed them, and post them here. It's a lot of work, people. Oh, but now I'm all stressy because I haven't been doing it and there are videos from way back in 2009 that still aren't up, and it's all the way past the halfway point of this here year we're in. So I'm going to TRY to get one up a week for a bit. My goal was to do this on Mondays, but as you can see, I've fallen short and disappointed myself already in week one. Anyway, here is the first of what will hopefully be many. And I'm loving this new "unlisted" option on YouTube...

It has been insanely difficult for me to get Keelyn on camera talking. The kid talks pretty much every second of the day. No really. It's to the point where I often need to interrupt her just to see what she wants for lunch.

But. If I turn the camera on, she either (a) gets shy and quiet, (b) acts like a goon, (c) insists on looking at the display on the back of the camera, which means she is not in front of it, or (d) tells me I'm just being silly and walks away, giving me a glimpse of my certain future as Dorky Mom With Camera Whose Kids Pretend She Doesn't Belong To Them.

So I was glad that I had my camera in my purse when she was telling a story getting into her car seat the other day. Granted, I really had to pull it out of her once I started recording, and she had way more details included before that, but you get the point.

Her story telling style is PRECIOUS. Her words run together. She goes from one idea to the next. It's so clear that the image is vividly running through her mind as it streams across her lips. And then she sees a bird, and it's over.

And that's how she is. One thought interrupted by another and another, until the whole day is filled with a long band of nonsense slurred together in a big breath of cute.

So. Enjoy.

The garden that we keep.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:13:00 +0000

Proud little gardeners who eat what they pick.
A day's pickings...

We are averaging about 5 tomatoes a day right now, a few cucumbers and Anaheim peppers a week, and about one squash and one bell pepper a week. It looks like we'll get some watermelons and cantaloupe too if the bunnies don't feast first. I'll keep you posted.

July 4th Weekend

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:14:00 +0000

We took a trip down to Atlanta for Papa John and Mama P's 25th Wedding Anniversary. We first stopped at Grammi's house for a visit and 4th of July cookout.
And singalong.

Everyone grab an instrument!

Then we arrived late that evening to surprise Mama P.

And had breakfast the next morning at our hotel. Here's Hailey holding in her excitement as more family came for the surprise. That expression doesn't really need an explanation.

This is the only group photo, taken by a server. I cropped about half of the picture out, because it was of the ceiling. I did not crop Keelyn out...the photographer did that. Lots of ceiling, not lots of Keelyn. And also, not that great of a group shot? Oh well. We were all there. You can see us. And the top of Keelyn's hair.

Walking in the yard to pick blueberries!

They weren't all ripe yet...

...but each of the girls managed to get a pretty big bag full. They are delicious. Meanwhile, we have picked a grand total of THREE blueberries from the bushes in our yard.

Tractor ride. Definite no-go for Keelyn, but Blake and Hailey loved it.

Visit to the park.

In the zone.

No words.

Then we made it all the way back for fireworks on Sunday. The amount of time it took to get this picture is similar to the amount of time Keelyn lasted once the noise began. She and I watched from the car. It was actually really cute having her there on my lap naming all the colors and pointing to the "spawkuhly faiwy dust" and shouting, "July! Colohs of July!, See dat, Mommy?," while we escaped some of the crackles and pops.

Hailey loved them as usual, this year, from the comfort of Nana's lap.

It was a really great July 4th weekend. Cheers to 25 years for the Mr. and Mrs. P of Georgia!!!

And just like that, June is gone.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:19:00 +0000

We're one month into the summer, and it's flying by. I have to confess not every day has been as easy and laid back as I had hoped, but we're finding our groove, and really having a lot of fun. Hailey actually slept until 8:30 this morning for the first time in her entire life, so I think she's catching on.

Anyway, just a few pictures I wanted to share of some fun moments with friends this summer. These are completely out of order, and if you happen to be a mutual friend of another blogger whose kids are featured below, you'll know I am WAY behind on this blogging business. But, alas, here they are in all their glory...

The girls with Samantha. She's the first baby I've held since Keelyn that made me want another one. Like really. I could have kept her. She's also the first baby Keelyn's ever held, and she was in her own little heaven. Pretty awesome.
As you can tell, Hailey also thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity. Below left to right...Samuel, Keelyn, Natalie, Nathan, Hailey, Samantha. In case you don't know already, my dear friend Tara has two sets of twins...the Nats and the Sams. As in all children in this picture that are not mine are hers...and she is amazingly graceful with them.

Here are the girls playing "princess and fairies" with Kate.

Keelyn and Hailey entertained Riley one afternoon when her mommy had to be somewhere. Here they are teaching her to dance. Don't you like how her fingers are pointing? She's gettin' down. Here are the kids with Ethan playing in the backyard. I take no credit for this technically perfect photo, it was all Sara.
Hailey got to hold this little chunk o' love on his first birthday. Really, I think she'd have ridden all the way to Charlotte just to get these couple of minutes with "baby Asher," who is of course, adorable, and also not so much a baby, as he could maybe eat her for breakfast.
And here are Keelyn and Ellie playing together in the early morning light, soaking up every moment of our quick visit.

We had fun times with other friends too, but never managed to break out the camera. Hailey even had Princess Camp with her good friend Megan at the dance studio. Now moving into July, we have swimming lessons for a couple of weeks to keep us busy. I can't believe how quickly August will be here. Maybe by then I'll have worked through this list of blog posts I'd like to put up. Or, maybe I'll just forget about it.

Pretty, Pretty Princess

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 02:17:00 +0000

My little one is having a rough go of it lately. She apparently has some kind of weird syndrome found among the Under Five's. It's uncommon enough to lack a name, common enough to be described by the doctor in vague yet certain terms, and un-fun enough to involve lots of poking and prodding to come to the unnamed conclusion.

Basically, she keeps getting a fever...week after week...and there is no explanation to go with it. Not in her blood. Not in her urine. Not in her ears. Just a fever, with expected lethargy and crankies from time to time. We're told it can last about 12 weeks, so we're nearly half-way there if that's true. And who knows, maybe in her case it lasts 5 weeks, and we're already done with it!

Anyway, I guess this is a shameless pity post on behalf of my Keeksie-pie. Doesn't she just look so darn cute in that picture? Taken with a 101 fever, no less. She takes it in stride. She's all, no biggie Ma, make me a blankie-dress. And I'm all, have you freakin' read what Google says about recurring low-grade fevers? A Mama could lose her mind.

So also, I needed a moment to reflect on how worried I actually was when we went for her appointment today, that something much more drastic was wrong, and how thankful I am that that is not the case. She is fine. It's all fine. I need to relax. She'll be fine.

Sometimes you just need some sun.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 01:52:00 +0000

At the last minute, we decided to take a quick trip to the beach for the weekend. Andrew and I both agree we do far too few things like this...and it was a much needed break away to be together.

The kids took right to the important task of emptying the ocean.
Keelyn was sure to keep her feet rinsed at all times.
Hailey ran around like a giddy little four-year-old. That's what she is.
I now have 30 toes to keep painted at all times. You can't tell here, but Hailey likes to have polka-dots, Keelyn likes to have glitter, my color is nearly always their choice. A lady can't go to the shore without her toes done, now can she.
And here's the rest of us.
This sweet picture was taken on our walk after dinner with two girls who just have so much fun together.
Keelyn wanted to ride that pony. Ooh did she ever. She called this ride the "carous," which is pronounced kaewuss, which is the first part of the word carousel, which apparently sounds a bit like "ferris wheel," because her sister rode the faewuss.
See? Hailey spotted this from the balcony in our hotel room...and she could hardly get there fast enough. This was her first ferris wheel ride, and my palms get sweaty just thinking that she'd want to ride one again at some point in her life.
And this is what happens when Hailey's the one behind the camera. At 10:00p.m.
Day Two involved a sand castle.
And a mote.
And some lounging.
And then a good nap for the ride home.
What a blessing it is to live so close to the beach!

Rock Solid: Building a Heart of Faith

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:36:00 +0000

Let me just start by saying I don't know where my head was when I thought summer time would offer more opportunities for writing and blogging the way I prefer. Vacation Bible School ended five days ago, and it occurred for the five days that preceded that, and I am just now looking at the pictures. Forgive me now, for my lack of words and posts over the next few months. I am quickly learning that two big kids at home exhausts me in ways I never anticipated based on my past experience, but lo! They are busy little bodies, and by the evening time when things get peaceful and cleaned up, I'm just ready for bed!

Anyway, the theme this year for VBS at our church was Rock Solid: Building a Heart of Faith. It was perfect because the church is going through a major renovation. The assistant teacher in Hailey's preschool class was actually one of the co-chairs, and she and the other woman in charge built the entire VBS program, as there was not a "boxed" one to be purchased. They did an amazing job, and the spirit of the church was just ringing through the halls filled with children all week.

Every hall and classroom was adorned with construction plans and gear, bright yellow and black tape lining the doors. Excited chatter and smiling faces everywhere. It was a truly happy and exciting place to be. A great place to learn.

The kids began each day with an assembly in the gym, with this as their backdrop. Together they sang fun-to-sing songs that were given to them on a CD a few weeks ago. We have been listening to ours non-stop, and there are such great messages in the music, that I don't even mind the fact that I can think of nothing else most moments in the day other than the catchy tune to one of those numbers.
Our minister, AKA "Hank the Hammer" got the kids all revved up each day in full costume.

And the kids each had a construction hat to wear and add a sticker to that represented the lesson of each day (and they also received a corresponding "faith"/silly band for each day, which Hailey of course loved). They learned about belief, love, prayer, forgiveness, and service. I don't know how they did it, but those lessons were so effective that Hailey is still talking about them and finding places where they apply in every day life.

By far, the most outstanding mission of the church was also most present during VBS, and that is service. All 170 kids packed food from their pantries. They made laundry packs and cutlery packs for local shelters, made cards for mission centers, and hygiene packs for disaster relief. The kids did all this themselves. Hailey felt so happy about her work each day, and it was just a great opportunity for her to learn how she can give. Keelyn and I hung out some too and helped out in the nursery, and we were so happy to be a part of the energy there. Really, I thought more than once that I wished every child I know could come be a part of it...it was that great. There was singing and clapping and friending and eating and mentoring and loving and laughing and learning and building and crafting. Hailey could not wait to go back each morning, and we're already looking forward to next year!

She of course wanted me to take pictures as she showed me all the things she made during the week to bring home. Here are a few of her favorites. Her favorite event was when each kid put a prayer inside a balloon, and they released them outside. A great way to show her she can always send her thoughts up...made it tangible for her in a very positive way.
Oh, and to add a little irony to the mix, Andrew recently joined the playground committee, as it is being renovated along with everything else...a crossover between church and preschool. Anyway, there is a huge, beautiful tree in the middle of the playground, and mission one for the committee is to find a way to make the area under it safer...nothing grows there, so it's just dusty dirt with rocks and roots. It's also shady, and of course the kids' favorite place to play. Well, Tuesday morning, my little construction worker was pushing a dump truck along under the tree, and tripped over a root, falling onto a rock. She had quite a gash on her knee, and a torn up leg below. We're talking lots of band-aids and oozing and changing and cleaning and all the things every kid loves, right? Well, not my kid. If I had time and it was not summer-leaving-me-too-tired-for-blogging, I'd write some funny tales of the trials of keeping that thing clean. The begging, the crying, the bargaining, the bribing, always followed, of course, by her admitting that it really wasn't all that bad...an hour later. Anyway, leave it to Hailey to make an example for her daddy...the one and only incident report written up for the entire week of 170 kids...sheesh. Luckily it was a day I was there, so we got some cuddle time in and she was fine to continue with the fun!

I will someday measure my success as a mother by my children's ability to chew and swallow as adults.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:20:00 +0000

Frequently, Keelyn forgets to finish chewing before putting more food in her mouth.
Frequently she gets tired of chewing the way too much food in her mouth, and cannot swallow. She also will not spit it out. She also will not talk. Or cannot. It's hilarious.

In this particular case, her cheeks were filled with the skins of 10 grapes, which I fished out of her mouth after 30 minutes of laughing at her make faces like this.

Because frequently my kids ask me to "take a picture for the blog"

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:54:00 +0000

Day at the Museum

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 01:08:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Life and Science Museum for a birthday party, and really had a good time. We couldn't do the whole museum because it was a back to back birthday party day, but the kids got their fill.

Here's Keelyn. Can you guess what she's up to? Keelyn is making the same face as the turtle skeleton in the background next to her. At least that's what she said when she told me to take her picture. I know that was your guess because it's so incredibly obvious. I didn't even need to say it. I'm just being redundant.
Here's Hailey catching rainbows. If we had one of these in our house, I would never have to do anything at all. My kids would catch rainbows all day long.

And they might also create music all day long, though that may not be as enjoyable for me.

The butterfly garden was by far their favorite part. They were in awe the entire time as we walked. At one point, Keelyn touched the wing of a butterfly like this one, and it opened its wings and flew away, the back of them an iridescent blue that sparkled like the back of the ocean under the sun. Her face lit up as it flew right by her, eyes as big as her mouth open wide. I of course had turned off the camera for a bit, but if I'd had it turned on, I might not have seen her with my own eyes so clearly, and that would have been a shame. Her expression was just as beautiful as one could ever be. Her whole body was happy. Anyway, some things are made for memories in our minds alone.

Wheeeerrrrrrre's Keelyn?!?!

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Each night when I put her to bed, we line up her babies all neat and tidy. We stack her books against the wall. There is room for her.

And each night when I check on her before turning in, this is what I find. She's a mess, that little one.

And another costume to hang in the closet.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:59:00 +0000

Hailey was a bit nervous this morning getting ready for her dance performance. But we muscled through with a lot of talking about staying calm, and not being able to see the audience when you're under all those lights. And then we talked through the make-up. And we talked through the car ride. And really I'd said all I could think of to say.
Little did I know, all it took was putting on her costume, and she was a changed girl. In fact, as soon as we got dressed, she ran right over to this tree and asked me to take her picture. She was so excited to dance. Let me just say here, that this is why dance is so amazing for some people. Even people who don't like crowds or big to-do's. Dance changes them. It makes them feel real and alive and happy. A little bit of this...in my four-year-old...knowing what she's made of.
I have no pictures of the show because you aren't supposed to take them. I'm talking to you, Mr. Man in front of me who not only brought his camera but tragically isn't good enough at using it to figure out how to turn off the flash. If you're gonna break the rules, do it with class, you know? I wish I had some though. Pictures, I mean. Don't worry. I've got TONS of class.

Anyway, last year there was a dress rehearsal to allow for the picture taking, and this year things were done a little differently. I did order a video though, so we can have a party at my house and everyone can watch. All you need to know is Hailey did an awesome job. She even held up the end of the line as they left the stage and got to blow a big kiss to the audience before she did her saute off. Brought a big holler out of me at the end. I'd give anything to see that proud smile on her face all day long.
Of course she wanted a trophy again. In fact, I hardly got a "hello" when I picked her up back stage. It was more like, That was really fun, Mommy. Where's my trophy?
And then when we got home, she realized she'd never let go of her trophy, so she didn't have a photo with her flowers. And every ballerina needs a photo with her flowers. So here's hers.
Next year, both girls will have classes back to back. Keelyn has been telling me she is going to dance with Ms. Sandra "next week" every day for a month now. Next week can't come soon enough. I just love that our family is a part of this with all the same people I was with growing up. No lie, I cried as much as I smiled today...happy stuff.

Oh, and in case you weren't reading last year, click here to see how much this little tutu wearing princess has grown!

And, there are LOTS more pictures of Hailey in her costume from this year here.

Happy Day

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:49:00 +0000

That's Bull. It's a Foxwolf.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:01:00 +0000

It was a scorching, humid 90 degrees, even at 5:00pm. We hopped in the car; sunscreen, happy children, and vouchers in tow. Vouchers, which were to be redeemed for tickets to a Bulls game. We parked in a far deck, and enjoyed the meandering waters and lights as we found our way to the ticket booth. The kids danced in the sunlight as it bounced off the waters. Sung to the music piping through the air. Marveled at the big glass windows in the buildings. It was a happy time.

Then we got to the ticket booth, and found that the game was sold out. As in our vouchers were no good. As in we could only trade them in for standing room. As in no way was this going to happen. We were pretty crushed as we turned and walked away from the crowd of people all learning the same news. We moved back down along the brick ways, explaining the why's and the but why's and the how come why's and the that's just the way it goes sometimes why's. We'd come back again another time.

Just then, a young couple got our attention by handing us two tickets. Apparently their friends were not coming, and they had decided to stand there on the corner and wait until they saw someone who seemed to really need them. Someone who would really appreciate them. Someone like us! I think the words "are you sure" came from my lips a half dozen times before I actually accepted the tickets. They gave them to us. Just handed them over with a smile. I mean that's just knock-your-socks-off, out-of-the-blue, unexpected, delightful, truly-warm-hearted, selfless KINDNESS.

We went to the box and bought one more standing room ticket just to get Hailey in the door, and we were in. The kids were only in our laps for the first half hour or so before it became obvious that some ticket holders knew it was hotter than hot, and decided not to come...so we spread out, and there we watched the game, ate our hot dogs, sang songs, and fulfilled every other dream the girls had about being there. It was awesome. I hope our chance to pay this one forward comes along soon. Those people made our night...especially for the kids. And, we still have our vouchers, so with better planning, we can go to another game!

Did I mention the lemonade?

The kids were pretty sure they were drinking heaven in a plastic cup.
They took in the views from every angle.

And were really just so happy.

Then came the end of the game, at which point the children are allowed to run the bases on the field, just like these normal, well adjusted, happy children pictured below. See?

We waited in line for about 15 minutes. We watched as the other children ran with smiles. We watched as other parents happily carried little ones across the bases. At no point whatsoever did either of our children express any concern about this venture at all. Whatsoever. None at all. At all. None.

Whatsoever.

(And let me stop here to remind you Andrew is only about 10 days out from his surgery, and still cannot lift heavy objects, such as two-year-olds, four-year-olds, or any other-year-olds that are not none-year-olds.)

So. We got down to the steps leading onto the field. I was carrying Keelyn. Hailey's feet suddenly began fumbling for the ground behind her. She was LOW. You know, like digging her feet and almost her tush, she was so sure she was not doing this. She was HEAVY. She was shouting NO in the way children do when their parents force them on Santa's lap. But we are not those kind of parents. In fact, we've never gotten within less than 20 feet of Santa. We only use force when it involves a visit with a certain Hispanic Girl with a Map. And a Backpack. I mean for goodness sake she brought Boots.

So. I put my Happy For The Moment Toddler down, picked up my Unhappy Right Now Big Kid, and pushed on. Big Kid was fine from the comfort of my hip. Until we saw this guy:

And then she was fine again until Toddler saw that guy. In which case, Toddler let out a scream that - I KID YOU NOT - echoed across the ENTIRE stadium. Like, the whole entire thing. Multiple times. You know, because her daddy was trying to negotiate with her out of control little body to remind her that she could not be picked up. Yeah. There's a reason we don't negotiate with ~~terrorists~~ toddlers. So he picked her up. And we carried both of our girls all the way around.

Now, we were certainly not the only ones carrying children, it's just that we hadn't exactly planned accordingly, and that left two kids very upset, and two parents in complete shock...and also laughing hysterically, because truly, what else can you do?

Obviously I did not get the picture of Hailey running by Dora that she so wanted (and spent the five minutes following the Home Run Freak Out crying about), but I did get this great one as we strolled on by. And Hailey did get to wave to her, and Keelyn now carries Emmit around the house "just like Dora" held Boots, and dances his head "just like Dora" danced Boots, and I'm pretty sure that despite the panic, it was a good experience on some level. Like the level Way Up In The Bleachers Where We Sat Because We Were Too Lame To Realize The Game Would Sell Out.

Anyway, we spent the rest of the evening frolicking in the beautiful dusk and being happy.

I can't say it enough. I love my life.

And. On the way home, we had the kind of entertainment I sometimes feel guilty for enjoying without sharing with others in the moment. Like I wish everyone I know could laugh with me. Prior to this game, the kids had seen a few mascots, but the one they know best of course is Mr. Wuf...we call him Wuffie. Anyway, at one point, the bull drove around the field in a little race car and the kids thought this was BY FAR the most hilarious thing they had EVER seen EVER. In the car on the way home, I asked what their favorite part was, and Keelyn said it was when the wolf drove around in the car. And then Hailey argued that it was a fox. And I was completely out of my mind to even think to suggest it was a bull. And so a completely nonsensical conversation ensued in the back seat for the entire 45 minute drive home, that involved a compromise on a Foxwolf. It reminded me of this, or this, only longer and funnier. They had us laughing so hard I nearly cried.

Obviously this was a good day thanks to those wonderful friends at the game. How about you? Ever had someone pass along a random act of kindness that blew your mind and made your day?

Look what we did.

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:16:00 +0000

Hailey's been asking for a haircut, and frankly, her length wasn't passing the "potty test" any more as it was. You know, like if she sits on the potty and looks up, things got a little too long. Anyway, it started something like I'm always hot and I want it short. And then it ended in I want it cut a little bit but still long Mommy. You have to be able to braid it.

So.

I have to say it made me sad throwing that hair away. She's had two other "cuts" in her life, and they didn't really count as cuts. Once right after she turned two, I trimmed the little rat tail thing she had growing in the back at a faster pace than the rest of her hair, and once right after she turned four, just to even things out a bit. I probably cut about four inches off that second time, but only in the very back, and she still had lots of natural layers around her face from how her baby hair grew in. This time around, the baby hair is all gone. The ends are all new. And I expect she'll be asking for a braid sometime soon, just to test the waters.

Let Summer Begin!

cassidyplunkett@gmail.com (Mama Cass) — Sun, 30 May 2010 18:49:00 +0000

Yeah, maybe we can let it begin after a leisurely morning on the couch with Elmo. These two soaked up their first day reunited at home with no place to be for all it could offer...starting with extra jammie time.
And then they filled the pool.

And sunbathed.

And came inside to "cool off," though I'm not sure dancing around the living room like a maniac exactly does the trick.

Keelyn kept busy building things.

Hailey took about two minutes to build a fort, and then she climbed inside for a rest. My kind of girl.

Then it was back outside for splashing.

And jumping.

And the oh-so-serious responsibility of pouring.

More splashing.

Pouring.

Oh...this could be fun. More pouring.

She handed off her skill to enjoy being the pour-ee for a change.

And then of course there was the washing up and drinking from our "fountain."

And I do not lie, Keelyn's exact words during this adorable pose were, "Mommy, I'm thinkin' what we can have fo dinna. Hmm. How 'bout mac n' cheese. Yeah. Dat be good, Mommy."

And her irresistible cuteness won her some mac 'n cheese for dinner, to end their perfect little first day of summer time fun. What joys, these two.