She's Six!

I could write a book about my youngest daughter. More than one person has suggested it. I never know what a moment holds with her: whether she's going to chuck a shoe at someone's head out of some crazy (usually innocent) impulse, or if she's going to wrap her arms around my neck and declare her undying love for me.

She turned 6 years old today! She's been claiming to be "the birthday girl" all week, in numerous attempts to receive special treatment.

I love this shirt her Aunt Connie got her! She really does love sports and she's going to be playing tee ball this year. Perfect!



The girl loves chocolate. She gets offended if I come home from the grocery store with anything other than chocolate ice cream. So we decided on brownies for her party. I made brownie bites and put a letter on each "bite" to spell "Happy Birthday Allie!" Nothing too impressive, but it needed to be easy this year and Allie was happy!

We also found the perfect shirt for her party. It says, "Brownies Rule". Even better, the brownie on the shirt is scratch n sniff! Allie had everyone smelling her stomach :)


Seriously, there are many days when this girl has me on my knees in prayerful disbelief. I often have no idea what to do with her! But she is so full of life and she has hundreds of great qualities. I really think she's going to do something amazing for God someday! I can't imagine life without this ball of fire :)

Crack of Dawn

I know it's raining this week and that's a bummer. But it is still nice to not have to wait until 7:30 am to see a ray of light. Getting up for a run a little before 6 and have it already light outside is soooooo wonderful! However, NOT getting up for a run and have light streaming in everywhere and my five year-old daughter already up before 6 - not so wonderful. I can't get too upset at Allie for being up so early. After all, I'm awake, too! I can't sleep through sunlight. I know, I need to get room darkening curtains and do whatever else makes sense to get my room a bit darker. I've already done that for the girls' room and Allie is still waking up, though.

She's done this ever since I can remember. Every Spring I battle trying to keep her quiet in the morning so that her sister and dad can sleep. The kid doesn't know the meaning of "whisper". It's not physically possible for her. The girls share a room and I try to have her go in the playroom next door, but she gets the blocks out and bangs them around, sings a song, or plays the keyboard. It's always something!!!

So this morning it was 5:50 and I had already woken up around 5:15 and somehow managed to fall back asleep a bit, but she woke me up laying on the floor outside of my room. I was getting up for a run, so it was fine, but I had to figure out how to keep her quiet so the rest of the house can sleep. She lost the chance to watch tv first thing when she began arguing with me, so that option was off the table. I had her come downstairs and snuggle the dog (whose paws seem injured so he wasn't running with me). Evidently she feel asleep!

So all I'm saying is that this is a bit frustrating. I don't have a baby keeping me up all night. I have healthy, happy, secure children - one of which just likes to wake up early. Get over it, Erin!

What I want to do

A few days ago, after I had made time to play Memory and Disney Rumikub with Allie, and was in the middle of changing sheets and cleaning bathrooms, Allie exclaimed something in frustration. Before I share her statement, I'd like to point out what she was doing at the moment she said it: she was jumping on her cool indoor trampoline. So as she was jumping without a care in the world, Allie said to me, "Mom, you always do what you want to do!" Her sister was gone at school and I guess she was feeling a little bored. Of course my reply was, "Do you really think this is what I want to be doing right now?" I'm sure I probably felt the same way she does when I was her age. I'm glad my kids see me working hard. Avery often comments on how hard I work around the house and recognizes how much I need those foot rubs twice a year (Mother's Day and my birthday). And I guess I'm glad that it at least looked like I wanted to be doing what I was doing. Honestly, I was happy to be taking care of my home and family. I get a lot of joy out of providing a comfortable and clean home for the three most important people in my world. But let's face it: if I had been doing exactly what I wanted, I'd have been... hmmm... what would I have been doing??? reading a book? ...watching a good movie and eating pizza and drinking a milkshake? ...sitting on a cruise ship in the sunshine with some strawberry lemonade? ...at a spa resort in Greece getting some sort of exotic mud massage? Now that's something to think about.... :)

Avery's worst part of the day

There are so many things we have to do every day that are not a whole lot of fun. Of course my complaints are very different from Avery's. She six years old. I mean, really. What does she have to complain about? Wanna know what makes her break into tears almost every night and takes her 5 times as long as it should? Brushing her teeth. She whines and complains and takes FOREVER to brush her teeth. Many nights she stands in the bathroom crying at the mirror with the toothbrush just hanging out of her mouth. And my sympathy goes right out the window. I can't feel sorry for her at that moment.

So, she has grown in so many ways. Her prayer request on more than one occasion recently has been that she can brush her teeth without getting upset. At least she recognizes her struggles! Avery is far from perfect, but she is such a delight... just not at the moment I tell her every night to brush her teeth...

Memory Lane

We've settled into a great school year routine. Avery's doing really well in first grade and Allie and I are loving our time together. I have plenty to do with home, family, and church, but I'm not overwhelmed like I have been in the past. So I just decided to look back and enjoy a short stroll down memory lane.

I always loved this picture of the girls. Allie ADORES her big sister :) That was back when those happy moments were few and far between. They still fight, but have realized how much fun it is to have a sister around as your best friend.

I don't know why, but I just love this picture of Avery and her Crispix! Kids are so funny :)

Spring Soccer

First of all, I think we decided against spring soccer for the next few years. The weather is so unpredictable here in Oregon in the springtime. Plus, I think we're just busier in the spring. So it was harder to be committed this season. If it was bad weather, we just stayed home! We did have a wonderful day a couple of weeks ago, and I caught some shots of Avery in action.

Gotta love that face!

Here she is heading for a goal!

This is just to prove she's not all buttercups and sunshine. :) I'm not sure why, but this is definitely a sulk.

I absolutely love to watch her play soccer. We're going to try out gymnastics this summer, and I'm sure we'll pursue a few other sports along the way, but she's got the makings of great soccer girl!

Spider-swinging gals

I have a couple of really silly, fun-loving girls. And I'm so glad I have a swing set.

You know you're a mother of young kids when...

You know you're a mother of young kids when you are CONSTANTLY scrubbing food and who-knows-what-else off you kitchen table and chairs.

Avery's Prayer

Last night at bedtime prayers, I had to rush out as soon as Avery had prayed so I could scribble down her precious words...

"Dear God, thank You that we can have a fun time together. And thank You that you didn't lie and that You're the perfect One. And thank You that You didn't have any accidents when You made the world. And thank You that magic isn't real - like magic carpets and stuff. Amen."

Allie's prayer went something like this: "Dear God, help us to be good and thank You for the gooey geyser. [peels of laughter..] And thank You for the gooey geyser [more laughter...]. And thank You for the gooey geyser [still more laughter...] Amen." (the gooey geyser being something from a Dora movie) That kid thought she was SO funny!

My prayer: "Lord, thank You for the blessing of my husband and daughters. Thank You that they know You and grow their hearts to a better understanding of Your love and what You did when you sent Jesus to die on the cross for their sins. Let Rich and I love each other and You more every day. Amen!!!"

Something I overheard this morning...

When I heard my daughters up at 6:45 this morning, I thanked the Lord for an extra 45 minutes or so of sleep. Yep, Allie's had me up by at least 6 every morning lately. Poor girl has been really sick. Now that her fever is gone, she's just coughing and feeling miserable. So we were up A LOT last night. Anyway, Avery had gotten up and seen Allie laying on the floor and I guess some maternal instincts kicked in. This is as close a version as I can remember to their conversation:

Avery: "Are you OK?"

Allie: "Yes, I'm having a hard time cleaning my nose."

Avery: "Do you know what Mommy told me a lot and a long time ago? She said that you can pray to God in your heart and He will help you. Like you can ask Him to take away your bad dreams and give you good dreams or you can ask Him to help your nose feel better."

Allie: "I'm having a hard time cleaning my nose."

Avery: "I think you had a hard time sleeping because you were coughing a lot and it kept you awake."

Allie: "I'm just having a hard time cleaning my nose."

Avery: "You can go tell Mommy and she will help you."

Allie: "Yeah, I can go get in bed with Mommy and sleep with her if I have a hard time sleeping."

Avery: "Wait here and I will go talk to Mommy." (to me) "Mommy, Allie's having a hard time."

And as they went downstairs to watch Curious George on PBS, I heard them say:

Avery: "Allie, I'll let you pick whatever show you want." (which is moot since there's only one channel with kids' shows on at our house)

Allie: "And can I sit in the soft chair?" (obviously one source of contention in our home)

Avery: "Sure!"

Folks, kindness DOES occur in our home! Praise the Lord! You can imagine the beaming smiles Rich and I had on our faces as we listened in our bed...

See the Resemblance?

I thought it sounded fun to show the resemblances of our daughters to their parents. I will probably try this again when I find even better examples, but this is pretty close. This first picture is of me with my brother, Ryan.

The ages are not quite the same - I was a couple years older than Avery is here.

This is Rich's 2nd grade picture. He's SO CUTE!

Wish I had the perfect picture to show how much Allie looks like her daddy! Again, this is not quite the same age, but she's making a similar face.
I don't think I'll even go into how our girls resemble us in personality! That is better just witnessed in person. Oi!

Allie at the Pumpkin Patch

I got to go with Allie to the pumpkin patch last week with her preschool class. It was so fun to be with just her this time. This kid keeps me on my toes and is often a source of anxiety for me, but - boy, is she sweet!

Allie on the hayride.

This is Allie with her teacher, Mrs. Wood. Avery had her last year and we just love her! For several days before the pumpkin patch, Allie made sure I knew that she wanted to sit next to Mrs. Wood on the hayride. She got her wish!

This is the pumpkin she picked out and got to take home.


Everyone gets to pick an apple out of the orchard. Allie couldn't wait to take a bite!



Mama and her little "punkin"!

Super-Soccer-Saturdays!

Our whole family is having a great time this year with the soccer season. Allie is participating in the Soccer Starters program, but likes to be difficult with it, despite the fact that she likes to play soccer. We will not quit, though! It's paid for and she's just being a stinker!

Avery, however, is just old enough to really appreciate the sport. And, I have to admit, that girl is a pistol out on the field! She has fun and tries pretty hard in practice, but when she's in a game, a whole new Avery emerges. She's by far the smallest on the field and I think she took her coach by surprise. In the few games we've played, she's been referred to as "our secret weapon", the "next Mia Hamm", and "our defensive specialist". When the other team has the ball, I always hear her coach yelling, "get it Avery!" She has no thought of fear as she runs right into the pack and attacks that ball and whoever stands in her way.

Avery is the closest blonde in the white shirt and black pants. She got the smallest shirt available and she's still swimming in it.I like this picture - Avery was off the field at the time (they play three on three). She had stepped past the cones and was seriously considering kicking that ball.

This says it all. Avery is in the center.

Daddy and his soccer girls!
Avery had taken a picture of me, but I opted not to include it. It was a non-shower-throw-on-a-hat kind of soccer morning and I didn't think that was fair to my readers to be exposed to that kind of shock...

We love soccer! I do admit that we've had unusually sunny, dry weather for October and I'm not sure how much I'll love it in the cold rain. So far, though, I just really like the regular family activity on Saturdays and I really love watching Avery have so much fun on a team! Fun times!

Kindergarten is Finally Here!

Well, like every young parent, it's hard to imagine them growing up. You know you'll eventually get to the "school-age era" of family life, Lord willing, but you can't quite picture it actually happening. So today we got up with lots of aspirations of plans such as: no TV until you're dressed; breakfast must be begun to be eaten by 8:00; and to be out the door by 8:30. The first two happened, but we still weren't out the door on time! Of course Avery decided to take her shoes off right before we left and had no idea where she had acted out that genius idea. Then we dropped Allie off at preschool, even though normally Avery will be first to be dropped, since I wanted to be able to go in with her and help her get settled. So, we were tardy for our first day of real school!

Avery is looking down and pouting a little because she didn't want us going in with her!
This pose is reenacted! She kept telling us to move back and didn't want us to go in with her! I reminded Rich of how worried he used to be that she'd be dependent and shy forever. She had quite a struggle for a long time at church, not wanting to go into her class. Even the last two years of preschool usually consisted of her hiding behind the door or holding onto me, not wanting to go in - never mind how much she loved her teacher and friends there. This is one more bit of proof that maturity happens, even with the most stubborn of children! I'm so proud of her, that I didn't mind her pushing me away a little. And that is proof of my maturity as a mom! The fateful day came and I survived with only a few tears as I prayed for her safety and discernment.

She seemed to have had a great day. Again, she was pouting a little when I picked her up and I was a little worried something upsetting had happened. Nope! It was just the disappointment of not getting to ride the kindergarten bus the first day of school. I think we're going to have a good year!

Allie's First Day

At first, we wondered if we'd send Allie to preschool this year. After all, it's really not necessary and she might be my last baby, so I should keep her home, right? Then I said to myself, "it's only 5 hours a week!" We spend every other minute of every day together, minus our precious nap time. Plus, if Allie's in preschool twice a week, I'll have the perfect opportunity to volunteer in Avery's kindergarten room once a week. So, we decided to let Allie go and she's been so excited! She has been going with me every time I drop Avery off at preschool for the last 2 years, and today was her turn. I asked her what she thought she'd get to do at preschool and she said, "play with the toys!" Poor kid has stared at and touched those toys every morning we're in there, only to get dragged away by Mommy and never allowed to explore all the wonderful "school toys". They really are much better than the toys at home!

Seriously, so cute!!!

Well, Avery doesn't get to start kindergarten until next week. She can hardly stand it. Everyone else we know has started and all the big kids started yesterday, but kindergarten begins a week later. So we had a special mommy/daughter breakfast date while Allie enjoyed her first day. I took her to one special coffee shop (which I will not disclose the name here) and ended up leaving! There wasn't anything that looked good for breakfast and the only thing Avery wanted was a bunny cookie. When I asked how much it was, the barista said three dollars! I'm sorry, I can't pay three dollars for a normal-sized, ordinary sugar cookie. Avery was quite upset, but I wouldn't budge. We went to good old Starbucks instead and had a great time. She got her own hot chocolate and loved it! I thought she looked so cute sitting with me drinking from her own Starbucks cup! My big girl!!!

You know, when you're a mom, you've got to take advantage of mornings like this. Yes, there was plenty to do around my house, but there's only a few times like these. I'm well aware that this time with my girls is short - five and half years has flown by and I'm facing saying goodbye to my first daughter every day and leaving her in the hands of virtual strangers (not really, of course she is TOTALLY in God's hands - how else could I handle it?). My kids drive me absolutely crazy at times and I relish quiet moments alone, but Lord, thank you for my daughters!!!!!!!!!

*Oh - and update on Allie's morning: she went on a search for the gingerbread man, ate gingerbread cookies, and chewed through her backpack zipper - I know, she's weird!!! That's my quirky girl for ya!

Allie-gator!

I thought I'd inform those of you who don't know: my three year-old, Allie, is CRAZY! On top of that, she's fun, energetic, always trying to get a laugh out of you, extremely messy, daring, and incredibly sweet! She doesn't pronounce her "r's" or "l's" yet, so when I hear her little, somewhat raspy (because she's always on the verge of losing her voice, due to her frequently loud volume) voice saying, "Mommy, I wilwy, wilwy wuv you!" I just melt every time! Her regular nighttime prayer usually goes something like this: "Dear God, help us to be good...help Avery to be nice...help Allie to be nice..help God to be nice...help us to not be mush (she made Avery laugh once when she said that, so she keeps trying), Amen."

We've had to call poison control twice for her so far. The first time was a fairly typical consumption: she had decided to eat toothpaste. She was fine. The next time was when Daddy called Mommy in a panic while she was out with a friend and said that Allie had eaten dog medicine. We had no idea how much. First she said she had eaten 7 pills, then 2, then we surmised that she may have not eaten any of them. We'll never know - but she never got sick. Last night I thought I might have to call again. I was in the room with her and watched her pick up the empty container of Clorox wipes, take off the top, and lift it to her mouth to chug down the remaining liquid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Most of it spilled down her clothes, because, as I've stated, she's also extremely messy! Plus, I figure she didn't enjoy the first little taste she got. What can I say? She's a nut!

I can't imagine life without Allie. She keeps me on my toes every second and I have so much fun with her. She has a certain "naked dance" that gets me every time! I do believe that she's just like me! This kid is going to be well-loved by her teachers, but definitely not the teacher's pet - that'll be Avery. Allie will be a bit of a class clown, always making her friends smile and willing to do just about anything to cheer people up. I love her to pieces!