Happy 6th birthday, Everly!

The evening before Cortlan turned 5, he cried.  He loved being five, didn't want to grow up, wanted to stay five forever, and, in fact, refused to acknowledge being six for a while.

Yesterday morning, Everly greeted me with a happy "Good morning!" and "Tomorrow is my birthday!  That makes today my birthday EVE!!"

Forever wanting to be bigger and more grown up, perhaps due to having an older brother, Everly has left the minor leagues - the 0-5 year old stage - never to return.  She is thrilled.  I am a bit emotional.  But I am following her lead.

Everly has only recently reached the advised weight for switching from a five-point harness car seat to a booster, but she has been waiting for this moment for years.  Last night, after she was in bed, we took the car seat that she has used for years out of the car and replaced it with a brand new booster.  This morning, when she saw it, it was suddenly like she finally made it to the big leagues.

The year of being five was a big one...getting her ears pierced, starting Kindergarten, learning to read.  And also of us figuring each other out a bit more.  I feel like I learned a lot about what makes Everly tick and how to work with her this year, resulting in more peace and more fun.  She is growing up and figuring things out, as well.

Everly makes us laugh all of the time.  She surprises us with her quick wit and timing.  Over the past year, she has wanted to be a doctor, a teacher, an actor, an artist, and a scientist.  I am loving watching her grow.

Happy birthday to our dynamo, Everly!

Bedtime

Snuggled up and warm

The birthday weekend ends here

Happily reading

Can hardly believe he is 8!

The Birthday Boy picks

Breakfast for dinner, fro-yo.

SO much love for him.

Happy 5th, Ev!

There is something about turning a whole hand full of fingers that makes things seem so different.  My baby girl is now five years old.  And she's not much of a baby anymore.

Less than a week ago, I took off of work so that I could take Everly for Kindergarten registration.  We walked into the school, checked in, and headed to the room where she would be evaluated.  She was quiet, but answered questions and said "thank you" when complimented on her shoes.  She walked surely to the first station with the woman escorting her, and I heard her answer confidently when asked her name, some rhyming words, letter sounds.  She moved easily to the next station with a sly grin on her face as she passed me, and then proceeded to catch bean bags, hop on one foot, and cut with scissors.  She moved from station to station, ready to show what she knows.  Ready to start.  Ready to do what it takes to get to go to school with her big brother.

We headed home and prepared for the next part of our day - the part for which Everly has waited years and that we promised would happen for her 5th birthday.  Grandma H. arrived at our house and we headed over to Grandma V.'s house to pick her up and travel to the mall, where Everly got her ears pierced.  She was tough.  She didn't flinch when the first ear was pierced.  She didn't move until about 10 seconds after the second ear was pierced, when she curled into me with a few silent tears.  She pulled herself together quickly, though, and was ready for a picture.

Fast forward a few days, and it is time for her to officially wake as a five year old.  It is hard to believe.

These five years have gone fast, but I have loved the adventure, the waiting to see what comes next.  And you just never know with Everly.  There is no doubt that she is a strong-willed, independent-minded girl who loves to get dirty as much as pretty, though.  We butt heads occasionally, but she is my kind of girl.  She is funny and smart and she seems to be learning to use her powers for good, as we have encouraged her to do - gaining attention in more positive ways than negatives lately, as she has learned that she can make us laugh as easily as she can make us scream.

My baby girl woke with a smile on her face on March 9th, ready to face the world as a 5 year old.  And me, ready to face the world with her.

Happy birthday, Everly-Beverly-Boo.  I love you.

My Birthday Boy

There is a little boy I know who turns seven years old today.

And he is one-of-a-kind.

He has grown so much over this past year...he can now do a cartwheel, ride his bike without training wheels, jump into the deep end, and read me a book.
He is a big first grader - an expert at making turkey and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and riding the bus.
He loves science and learning (but doesn't really like homework). He loves Phineas and Ferb.  He loves to laugh and make me laugh.  He has perfected the art of sarcasm and thinks it is funny to take everything literally.  Don't dare say you are thirsty without expecting a "Hi, Thirsty! Nice to meet you!"  And when you say "What?", you have "The Curse" (whatever that is).  He notices everything and remembers everything.  He is gentle; he is smart.  And he is good at antagonizing his sister.
He won't volunteer to go on stage when given the opportunity, but he is brave enough to try the roller coaster, even if it isn't his favorite.
He lost three teeth this year and has two very loose ones at the moment - one that we have tried to pull out every night for the past week or so that we call his snaggle tooth.
He doesn't have a favorite food, but he does like chicken divan and hummus and pizza and dessert and he asked for spaghetti and meatballs and "a little salad" for his birthday dinner.
He used a real drill for the first time on Tuesday.

This little boy still sleeps with Mr. Giraffe.  And he still needs me to tuck him in at night.  And he still holds my hand.  And he still tells me he loves me.

But this little boy is getting bigger.  And I don't just mean in the height and weight sense of the word, though that is true, too.
He is getting bigger problems and bigger abilities.  He is getting bigger ideas and bigger dreams and a bigger sense of himself.
I can see that who he is shapes his decisions more than I do these days.  And though that isn't always easy for me, that is the way it should be.

This little boy turns seven today.  He is one of a kind.  And I love him so.

Cortlan's birthday gift to me

He ran out of bed in the morning, and the first thing he did was tell me happy birthday and hand me this gift.

He had made it, found a box in which to place it, decorated the box, and wrapped it himself...with no help and no encouragement needed. He was dying to have me open it.

I will treasure it always.

Happy Birthday, Everly

On March 13, 2009, I sat in disbelief, looking at my newborn, wondering how the previous four days had passed in such a blur.  I have a four-day-old baby.  And a two-year-old.

Now, I sit here on March 13, 2013 and wonder, first, how the previous four days have passed in such a blur that I haven't had even ten minutes to sit and write Everly's birthday post.  And second, how the past four years have passed so quickly.  I have a four-year-old.  And a six-year-old.

There is nothing quite the milestones of children to bring you face to face with the reality of passing time.  I am not sure that I am ever going to get used to that.  As trite as it is to say, they grow so quickly.

In my twenties, time seemed to not matter so much for some reason.  The days bled into each other, and so did the months.  Years came and went without much fanfare.  I attended weddings, including my own, saw my friends buy houses, and then us, too.  Life was beginning and it was all ahead of us.  But days were days and months were months and years were years.

Time just seems so different now.  Days can bring tons of new words, new stories.  Or the ability to fix her own hair.  Or the desire to shower herself.  Days can mean more independence, crossing the street by herself, or buckling herself in the car.  Days can bring saying that a once beloved shirt is now "too sparkly."

Weeks bring the ability to do a flip on the bar at gymnastics.  Desire for a new haircut.  Wanting to read me a book.  Weeks can bring an attitude change about school.  New friends.  New interests.

And years.  Years bring me a four-year-old that loves to sing, that loves to draw, and learn, and write, and play with her baby dolls.  A four-year-old that still has just as much attitude as she did when she was months old.  One that still wants new shoes at every turn.  Years have brought me a strong-willed, intelligent little girl full of promise and a desire to please.  (Right, Mommy?)  A girl that strives for independence...until she wants help.  Years have brought me a four-year-old that loves to laugh and to make us laugh, too.  Years have brought me many good night hugs and kisses and "Mommy, will you sleep on me?"'s and "What do you want to dream about?"'s.

It is hard to imagine what the years ahead will bring me.  It is hard to imagine that someday I will have a teenage girl.  And then a girl in her twenties, maybe getting married.  Maybe buying a house.  Maybe having children of her own.

I think I am going to focus on the days.  The days are sweet.

Happy birthday, my baby girl.  Happy birthday, Everly.

A message from Cortlan, made with zero assistance presented to Everly when she woke on Saturday.  "Dear Everly, From Cortlan.  I love you Everly.  Happy Birthday."

Happy Birthday, Cortlan!

Last night, as I tucked Cortlan into bed, I could tell that he was fighting tears.  We said our goodnights and I love yous and then the tears began to fall.  "What's wrong, buddy?" I asked him.  He cried harder as he tried to get out the words.

"I am sad that this is my last day to be five!"  

It was hard to know what to say.  To be honest, I was a little sad, too.  But, to be clear, I didn't let on to that fact at all.  Instead, I gushed about how cool it is that he is going to be six and all of the great things that are going to happen.  I asked him what he thought was going to be good about being six.  "The tooth fairy."  What else?  "I will be able to play Beyblades with Cayden."  Yes!

Yet, the tears still fell.  "Buddy, I love you tons.  What is wrong?"

"I wish I would have made a list of all of the things I did!" he sobbed.

"A list of all of the things you did?  You can still do that!"

"No! It would have to be today because I am five today.  I won't be tomorrow."

"You will still remember things about being five tomorrow...we can still write the list tomorrow if you would like.  But remember, we have lots of pictures that we took and things you did at school that we kept, right?"

"Yes."

"And if you want to keep a journal when you are six, you can."

He responded with an "okay" and gave me a big, teary hug.  He was trying to calm down as I left the room, but I had to go back into his room once more before he stopped crying.

This morning, when he woke up, the first thing that Cortlan said to me was, "I stayed up a really long time last night so that I could be five a little longer."

I may have one of the most nostalgic kids in the world.  He wants to keep every memento and scrap of paper, every picture and every piece of schoolwork.  He loves memories and wants to stay little forever.  He writes me love notes:

It is hard to believe that he is six.  I am going to miss these days, too, but I am happy to see him growing up. He is becoming more independent.  He is learning to read.  He is getting better at math.  He is gaining confidence.  He loves building Legos.  He wants to play the violin (but will settle for the piano for now).

Cortlan is such a tenderhearted, sweet boy.  He is so loving.  He is a great big brother.  He is a great son.  I will miss the five-year-old, but I am confident these things aren't going away in my new six-year-old.  

I will help him write down the things he did this year, if he still wants me to.  I will help him keep a journal if he is interested.  But what I am really looking forward to is making more memories with my six-year-old.

Happy Birthday, buddy!

Another year older

Some random thoughts and things related to my birthday...

• I turned 35 last week, and was surprisingly emotional about turning another year older.  But I am looking forward to the unfolding of a new year full of growth and possibility, and I can't help but to reflect on how blessed I am.
• I have fantastic and thoughtful friends and family, and thanks to them, I will be running safely and in good style in the months to come, I will have plenty to read about running with a two-year subscription to Runner's World, and my toes will soon get some much needed attention.  I will have tomatoes to eat while sitting on my back deck, listening to my wind chimes, admiring my flowers, with a cool drink in hand.  Oh, and I currently have a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on my desk and a new candle on my counter.   I have so much to be thankful for, and I am not even referring to the gifts.
• John got me an early birthday present and gave it to me in April - a new camera, which I love and have used almost daily.  This is why I was surprised to see a present for me on the counter when I got home from work on my birthday.  I was so touched by the gift - my new Willow Tree figurines of "The Spirited Child" and "The Caring Child" are perfect and look perfect on my entryway shelf.  And the gardening shovel that the kids picked out is much needed, as I used Everly's mini shovel to do much of my planting this year.
• I got to eat my current favorite ice cream - Graham Central Station - on my birthday, and it was delicious.  (This year, I called ahead to make sure they had it before we made the trip.)  And speaking of trips, the evening was made extra special by Everly going head over heals, ice cream flying through the air, knee bleeding, elbow bleeding.  But at least the ice cream landed bowl side down.  At least, that is, until she started to eat it and then sent it flying onto the ground, covering the top of her strawberry ice cream in gravel sprinkles.  Fortunately, the girls at the counter shed pity on us and were willing to give us another bowl for free.  And ice cream does wonders in making the tears go away.
• This year, I feel like my birthday lasted for days.  Friends who we don't see nearly enough came to stay with us for the weekend.  I got to sing with the neighbors on their porch, guitar accompaniment and all. (I wish I had been given the gift of a great voice, but at least I have been given kind and tolerant friends.)  I got to hang by my parent's pool on Monday for a cookout with my family.
• I feel that at 35 I am still finding myself.  My guess is that won't really end for me.  But when I look around, I am so happy to find myself where I am and with whom I am.  Life is good.

Happy Birthday, Cortlan!

I am now the mother of a five-year-old.  Crazy.

This birthday will be remembered for a number of reasons:

1. This was the birthday without heat.  We realized that our furnace was not working last night as the temperature began to fall rapidly.  Sure enough, the ignitor needs to be replaced.  We got ready for work this morning in a 60 degree house (it could have been much worse) warmed by two space heaters.  The breaker went off when I tried to blow dry my hair, but all in all, not too bad of a morning, considering.  We kept a heater going for Elly (the dog) and Dora (the fish) in our bedroom throughout the day.  They were fine when we got home; the temp was 58 degrees.  Hopefully by tomorrow afternoon, all will be back to normal.
2. We listen to Sirius XM Kids Place Live all the time on the way to and from school.  On our way home, Absolutely Mindy is usually giving her birthday missions: she announces ten kids' names and gives them missions that they have to complete so they can become another year older.  I may have been the most excited of all when they announced Cortlan's name, where he is from, and that he was turning five today.  The funny thing is that one of the missions was to do a Freeze Dance in the living room.  Honestly, it was too cold to do a freeze dance in our living room.  We are postponing the birthday missions until it is warmer in our house.  That may be a later post.
3. Another result of the cold house was that we didn't spend much time here.  Instead, we went out for pizza - Cort's requested birthday meal - and frozen yogurt at Yum.  We had never been there before, but Yum is a place where you get to serve yourself from eight or so flavors of frozen yogurt and then choose from about a million toppings.  Then you pay by how much your cup of yogurt + toppings weighs.  Fortunately, Cortlan's was free for his birthday.  He chose an interesting three-flavor combination of gingerbread, vanilla, and very berry with toppings such as chocolate rocks, rainbow sprinkles, and snow caps.  Needless to say, his weighed more than the rest of ours combined.  Everly got a miniature version of his.  She simply adores him and is so proud that he is five now.  She told everyone, "My brudder is FIVE!"

4. The day ended with a few gifts and on a very high note.  Between the crown he wore at school and passing out his cupcakes to his friends, to recieving birthday phone calls (we have got to give him some more practice at talking on the phone), to the fun we had the rest of the day, Cortlan assured me he had a great day.  This was reassuring after last night when as I tucked him in, I excitedly said to him, "This is the last time you are going to sleep as a four-year-old!  I can hardly believe it!  When you wake up tomorrow, you will be a five-year-old!"  I had forgotten that this might not be the most exciting thing for Cortlan.  Whereas most kids are thrilled at the thought of growing up (I know Everly is), Cortlan instead came to near tears.  He more or less told me that he didn't want to move out when he was nine.  (Apparently, that is the age when parents kick their kids to the curb; that is when kids become grown ups.)  I explained to him that he doesn't have to move out at age nine and that he can stay with us for a long, long time.  His concern at that point:  There can't be two Daddys living at the same house.  (Apparantly, when you are a grown up boy, you are also a Daddy and that there is some unspoken rule that having a Daddy and then his Daddy living in the same house is a no-no.)  In my head, I was thinking, "You are darn right you won't be living here when you are a Daddy."  But I told him what he wanted to hear, and what is most likely the absolute truth:  "You can live with us as long as you want to."  As I left the room, he double checked: "Forever?"  I love him.

Happy Birthday, my sweet boy.