Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

Every night before bed we say prayers with all our girls.  We usually go in a circle and each person thanks God for something and says their prayer.  D usually thanks God for the day and prays for some school assignment or test.  E thanks God for the day and then usually prays for some relationship in her life.  I love seeing how each of the girls prays.  It gives an insight into their world that we don't usually get to see. 

Several weeks ago Zoe was the show-and-tell person at preschool.  She took her bear Coco.  Ever since that day, her prayer at night as been:

Thank you for Coco.  I love her so much and cuddle with her.  Amen.

It always brings a smile because she's so sincere in her prayer for Coco. 

Lately she's been going impromptu with her prayers.  If you want to see the heart of a preschooler, get them to pray.  Last night, this was her prayer:

Thank you God for D and E.  And D and E, I love them so much.  Thank you for my mommy, my daddy and my Zoe.  Amen.

Thank you indeed. 

Remembering

N and I were driving home from church last weekend and we passed a cemetery.  I told N that, with Memorial Day coming up, I wanted to make time to go to the cemetery.  His immediate response was, "I'll keep Zoe home with me." 

I looked at him like he told me he doesn't believe in Santa.  Thus began the discussion.

Going to the cemetery wasn't something he did or even does now.  Granted I don't believe the going to the cemetery means I'm visiting the souls of my loved ones.  I truly believe I'll see some of them again.  Going there is just part of my family's tradition.  It's an annual trip that was always something I did as a child.  It's actually one of the most vivid memories I have of my grandma. 

All of my mother's side of the family is at one cemetery.  Each Memorial Day my grandma would cut down half-gallon milk containers, cover them with foil, fill them with water and some flowers from her garden.  My grandma (who never learned to drive), my mom and I would go to the cemetery and place those milk-carton vases on the headstones of my great-grandparents and an aunt that my grandma lost right after childbirth.

I can remember being in the car, driving to the cemetery and when we hit a certain point prior to entering, the stereo would be turned down and all conversation in the car would get quieter.  I'm not entirely sure why we had to be quiet in the car at the cemetery, but I do remember my grandma becoming very somber as if the grief of their loss hit her again.  Even today I can tell you where each of the headstones are, even the ones that are a plastic marker that's been covered by decades of grass. 

There's a history at the cemetery.  Each vase that we placed brought with it a story of the person it remembered.  My great-grandpa H was my favorite.  He died years before I was born, but the year of his birth and the year of my birth are exactly 100 years.  For some reason that bonded me to my unknown relative.

Cemeteries aren't a place of loss for me, even though I'm sure to cry as I remember fond memories of my family.  They are a place of remembrance.  N still thinks I'm crazy for having fond family memories that take place at a cemetery. 

It's the remembering that I love.  As I take Zoe to place flowers on my grandparent's grave, I'll tell her about the time that I played doctor with her great-grandpa.  Playing doctor is one of her FAVORITE things.  As I left the room to get something, he filled the bed pan with water.  Upon returning, he told me it needed to be emptied.  He got a lecture from a 4 year old me about pretending and not peeing in the PRETEND bed pan. 

I can still remember his uncontrollable laughter from doing that to me. 

It's one of the greatest gifts my grandma ever gave me.  She taught me, even briefly, to take time to enjoy the memory.

On The Defensive

One of my favorite types of movies is action movies.  I like the rom-coms (romantic comedies), but they're not my favorite.  They'll do if I mindlessly want to watch TV or it's a girl's night out, but I tend to be a bit cynical to truly enjoy them. 

Not to say that action movies are realistic, but there's enough action that it doesn't drag, a bad guy and a "how are we going to catch 'em" problem/solution.  Sometimes this is really well done and sometimes it's not, but they are one of my favorite types of movies.  Which makes N extremely happy.

Lately I've felt like we're in our own action movie.  Granted there's not a villian per se, but there are problems, many moving parts, suspense and solutions that will eventually be revealed.  We're dealing with people who have different value systems than we have, different communication styles and quite frankly just frustrate me. 

In exactly 24 days N will be starting his new job.  He'll be relocating to another town and commuting home on the weekends.  That really doesn't change much to my schedule, but it does require us to buy things to get him set-up there.  We're not talking little things.  Which is needed, but terrifies me at the same time.  I have extreme peace that this is where God wants us, I'm just in the middle of the whole action-moving plot.  I'm trying to see the next step and get solutions to some of our concerns.  I'm trying to see around these people on this path, but they aren't the silent spectator on the sidelines.  They're are in our face and beating us down.

I know this will all work out, it always does in the movies.  I'm just half-way through this plot and have no idea how we'll succeed.  Yet I know this is a path chosen by someone much greater.  Even thought I don't know the end, He does. 

My New BFF

Last night as I was getting Zoe ready for bed she looked at me and says, "mommy, will you be my best friend?"

Of course I will!

Do you think daddy will be my best friend too?

I think he will.  Why don't you ask him.

DAAAAADDDDDYYYYY!

What baby?

Will you be my best friend too?
Of course I will.  I can't think of anything better than being your best friend.

Mommy, I have two best friends!

We have no idea where she got the idea of best friends.  At church yesterday there were some older kids in the nursery that may have given her the thought.  It could've been Tigger & Pooh.  I have no idea.  I'm so glad that her two best friends are her daddy and me.  I couldn't think of two better people to be my best friends either.

It Only Took 2 Months

In February Zoe got a big girl bed.  I got the bright idea to handcraft some artwork for her walls.  I had some cut-outs that matched her bedding and thought I would create scenes like her bedspread on fabric and then wrap that fabric on canvas. 

I'm pleased to say, 2 months after starting this little project it's done.  I was in need of a staple gun.  I totally didn't think to ask my mom about one until yesterday.  Of course she had three for me to choose from.  She LOVES tools. She had a semi-automatic type staple gun that worked great.

Here's the fabric and the canvas that I used:

I put some fusable web on the back of the fabric and cut out shapes to match Zoe's bedspread.  Then laid out the design on the yellow background fabric that I had laid over a canvas.  You don't want to make bigger art than you have canvas.

Once I liked the layout, I ironed on the pieces to the yellow fabric.   Then I sewed around the edges of the design with my sewing machine to 1) ensure the design wouldn't peel off and 2) to give it a cute, handcrafted feel.  My sewing machine has a blanket stitch that I used.

Then came the assembling part, 2 months later because I'm efficient if anything.  I pulled the edges to the back of the canvas, folded the fabric once so it was a nice edge in the back (and it strengthens the fabric too) and got my semi-automatic staple gun ready for action.

Once opposited edges were in place, I worked on folding the other edges into place.  It took a few before I knew how to not make it so bunchy.

Then I folded the fabric edged again, like I was wrapping a present and to reinforce the fabric.

Because I like secure and semi-automatic tools, I stapled and stapled and stapled until nothing moved.

Because some of the staples were sticking out a bit, I hammered down the ones that didn't get in far enough.

Viola!  Art!

I have to say I'm pleased with how they look in Zoe's room.  She even helped hang them up. 

Now if I could just hang some pictures on the other wall, we'd be golden.  I'm pacing myself.  I hope by Labor Day!

The Tourney

On Saturday D & E participated in a soccer tournament.  For May 15th it was 80 degrees.  For the soccer tournament, with no shade and very little wind, it was more like 90 degrees. 

The girls did awesome.  They hustled, they cheered and they let me take a crazy amount of pictures to document the event.  Considering this is E's final season of the game, I needed pictures to document this event ever happened in her life.

In her first game she got close to making 2 goals, as you can see below:

and one assist.  The girl was on fire. 

Then it was time for D to play.  This is her like 15th year.  She's playing a full field now.  Her team has been together for most of the 15 years.  They're awesome.  I mean, look at that defense?  Would you want to be on the receiving end of that kick?

Because she wants to be exactly like her sisters and do everythign they do, she had to get in on the action.

I see volleyball in her future though.

Thank you D & E for having a tournament.  We loved watching you play.  I didn't so much enjoy the Honey Buckets though.

Even Thought It Was the Same Temperature As The Sun, the River is Still Cold

For May 15th, it was hot.  For a Saturday it was busy.  N had to work overtime on Friday night, so I got to spend time with all three of our girls.  We talked about boys, mean girls, homework and how ice cream fixes everything.  I may have used that last one as my solution for the former topics.

We had to get up early Saturday morning for an all-day soccer fest that turned into more of a sun overload.  N got some extra sleep, while I ushered the older girls to the largest soccer field known to man.  I'll have more pictures tomorrow.  I took about 175 pictures from the soccer games.  I'm still doing some editing.

N and Zoe showed up later in the day to cheer on D & E.  It was also a trade-off.  N stayed with the older girls while I took Zoe to a party for some friends birthdays.  G & M are dear twins that turned 4.  They are some of Zoe's best friends and she will pray for them by name at night. 

What made their party even cooler was that it included a river.  We came dressed to play in the water.  Not so much me since it's only May 15th and it's been hot for exactly 1 day this year and I'm pretty sure the river isn't warm yet.  Not to mention G's & M's mom always has a camera.  I'm not too keen on wearing a swimsuit around people who bring their camera everywhere.

That doesn't stop the 3-foot and under crowd from getting in, throwing rocks and splashing around. 

Zoe with the birthday girl, M.  Before we left, Zoe gave her a big hug and said, "I love you so much!"  M was totally unphased, but two mothers got a little verklempt.

This is Zoe with the birthday boy, G.  It's also about 5 seconds before Zoe's first encounter with how cold the river really is on May 15th.

Zoe loves G.  She calls him her "silly boy."  If you know G, that's a good description of him.  He's 100% boy.  He loves to throw stuff, climb stuff, wrestle you and all things the opposite of Zoe. 

He also has amazing strength.  He's one of the strongest kids I've ever met.  He's so strong in fact that during that sweet hug, Zoe lost her balance and went booty first into about 1/2 inch of water.  Okay 1/2 inch of freezing water.  That water on your toe isn't a big deal.  That water higher up than your ankle is too much water.

As Zoe's crying and G's wondering what she's crying for, he said, "I'm so sorry."  To which my girl replies, "that's okay, (sniff, sniff, gasp for breath) G.  I'm (sniff, gasp, gasp) okay!" 

Again, two mothers were verklepmt at how sweet their children are.

Thank you G & M for being born.  Thank you for being such great friends to my Zoe.  Silly or sweet, you bring a fun balance to our lives.

We can't wait to join you at the river again soon.  Maybe after we've had more than 1 hot day of weather.