Through the eyes of a 5-year-old

Last Christmas Brookie got a kids’ camera. You know, the kind you can throw down the stairs and run over with the car. She took pictures all through the holidays and into the new year. She asked us a few times if we could put the pictures on the computer but I couldn’t find the cable and I seemed to always get distracted with the monotony of the daily grind. So, long story short, we finally found the cable and actually took the time to download her photographs. Brookie sat beside me and we edited them together. The above are some of my favourites . . . especially the last one. It is a mirror. Is it just me or does this child have a good eye for line and light?

When we finally cleared all the pictures off the camera, Brookie had a renewed interest in capturing that perfect shot. I suggested that we could go out together for a photo shoot. Brookie took her camera and I took mine. Together, we wandered the neighbourhood and snapped away at anything that interested us. The following are some of those photographs.

     

There are two things that I absolutely love about Brookie, the budding photographer. Mostly, I think it is amazing that she gives me a glimpse of life from her perspective through every shot. Incredible. She sees beauty in things that I would just pass by. This is truly fantastic. The other thing about it is that Brookie literally squeals with excitement after every flash. She takes a picture, looks at it and then calls excitedly for me to come and see. She loves to take pictures. That is also truly fantastic. Nothing in this world could be better than seeing your child fill up with awe, confidence and joy as she discovers her talents and interests. Fantastic.

~Mandy

The First Day of Skating Lessons

October 30th was the first day of the girls’ skating lessons. They were so excited. I have been putting this off for a few years but because there are no dance lessons being offered this year, we decided it was a good time to skate. They had a fantastic time and they both did much better than I had expected! Here is Rosie on the ice with some skating helpers. She managed to move forward and backwards as well as doing the classic “Head and Shoulders” song all while staying upright.I call that a success.

I couldn’t get any pictures of Brookie this week because of where she was skating but I will try again next week. She did really well too. She learned how to glide forward and backward.

After all that exercise, the two little skaters happily enjoyed a snack while watching some of the other classes practise. I think it is going to be a very fun year.

~Mandy

Halloween

This Halloween we did things a bit differently. It was a full afternoon and evening affair. After getting the “pretty fairy” and Minnie Mouse all ready at home, we headed out to the Town n’ Country Mall in bustling downtown Moose Jaw where all the stores were participating in passing out candy. It was a lot of fun. The kids got a really good start on filling their candy bags and they actually got to show off their costumes without the usual winter layers.

We stopped to have some dinner and let the sun go down a bit. Then it was time to take it to the streets! We visited some beautiful, old homes in Moose Jaw for even more Halloween fun. Sean and I admired the architecture and the kids tricked and treated their way up and down the Avenues. We did some coaching beforehand about how the girls needed to actually say “trick or treat” at the doors. Nice and loudly. Then follow the candy donation with a big “thank you.” Well, you don’t need to tell Rosie twice to say it loudly – she was literally screaming at the poor people. She made at least a handful of them actually jump. Needless to say, the two girls brought many a smile to the neighbourhood. And although it was a bit chilly, the weather was quite perfect for the occasion; there was even a beautiful, big moon lighting our way.

After the fairy and Minnie tired of hoofing it up and down the street, we headed back to Caronport for a Halloween Party, complete with games, deliciously spooky snacks and friends to share it with. All in all, it was one of our best Halloweens yet!

In the morning, Sean and I awoke to the sound of candy sorting. Brookie and Rosie were in the living room, going through their bags and every few seconds we could hear Rosie squeal with excitement as she yelled, “Brookie! Look at this!”

So now begins the daily “post Halloween” rationing of the treats. And the girls are already talking about what they want to dress up as next year.

~Mandy

Our Grade One Ground Squirrel

 

Brookie’s grade 1-2 class performed their autumn production just yesterday. She was a ground squirrel. And of course, Sean, Rosie and I were there to watch one of the shows.

Brookie was excellent. Firstly, she actually dressed in brown (apparently her fellow ground squirrels missed that memo), and she had even practiced her lines ahead of time with some parental coaching on the concept of “projecting” your voice for optimal effect. She even added some squirrelly hand actions and inflection in her voice to make things a bit more interesting. We were very proud, in a biased parent kinda way.

But as a whole, this had to have been one of the lamest class plays I have ever seen. I mean boring with a capital BORING! The kids all stood, leaning against the wall, chalkboard, whatever and they never moved. Never changed position. They delivered their lines with no emotion or enthusiasm of any kind. Half of them mumbled so we couldn’t even hear them. It was painful. Finally at the end, they didn’t even get to take a bow! I mean seriously if the goal was to suck all the fun out of it, the teacher succeeded. A+. Fun had left the building.

Which just begs the question, why? Why can’t we have fun in school generally and while putting on a play specifically? Why can’t we teach the kids the basics of public speaking and of making things interesting for their audience while at the same time encouraging them to have fun acting, imagining, pretending? I don’t know. But it made me crazy. It made me scared. It made me sad.

At the end of the production, Sean and I cheered like lunatics – lots of woo hoos and clapping and whistling – mostly to wake everyone up. And I encouraged the students to bow, even overtop of the teacher’s instructions about where they all needed to put their ears. Later, when Brook got home, I let her take as many bows as she wanted.

~Mandy

Here Comes the Sun . . .

  This morning, the girls crept into our room while it was still dark and asked if they could go outside to watch the sun rise. Of course, I said. Just make sure you stay warm while you wait. When I came out to see them moments later, I found them huddled together on the deck, facing the sky and reading “Leo the Lop” as they patiently waited for the sun to make its first appearance of the day.

There are times as a mom when you feel overwhelmed with thanks that you have little people in your life to remind you of the truly important things; to creep quietly up to you while you sleep through life and whisper, “Look! Stop and look! Do you see that? Isn’t that incredible? You don’t want to miss it! Come see your gift.” And this morning was one of those times. The sun came up, we watched and then came in for some Rice Krispies. But I have to say that it really is amazing that the sun comes up every morning in all its brilliant splendour. And I am really glad I saw it. Thank you, Brookie and Rosie, for helping me see the gift. 

~Mandy

The Bunk Bed

I think this speaks for itself. The girls are finally in the same room with a bunk bed. They LOVE it. Really. I, on the other hand, think of it as a form of torture every morning when I attempt to make that top bunk while balancing precariously on the lower one, the whole time feeling as though I have been locked in a prison made of wooden slats. But the girls are blissfully unaware of that stuff.

As a side note, Sean and I pulled the classic, who-needs-to-actually-read-the-instructions? move when we were putting this contraption together. I mean it is just two exact replicas of the same bed and then we just put one on top of the other. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, as Rosie would say. We started in using our joint intuition and we were flying through, moving so smoothly like a fine tuned machine, a vision of perfect teamwork . . . until we realised that in fact the one bed was distinctly different than the other – it had railing on the sides which required pre-drilled holes. Oh . . . I see. This is why they include the instructions. Then we had lots of time to make our new plan of attack while we took the whole thing apart again.

Two English majors plus over-confidence minus instructions plus four beer plus 3 hours longer than estimated equals one awesome bunk bed and two extremely tired but excited little girls. 

~Mandy

Rosie’s First Day of Preschool (for the second time)

Our little Rosie started her second year of preschool on October 5th. She is a seasoned student now, who knows all the subtle intricacies of the preschool scene.

When I picked her up after her first day, I asked her about the new friends she had made. She informed me that one of her classmates is “aggravating”. When I asked why, she explained that this person, “talks too much.” Too funny. So let that be a lesson to you, with Rosie, get to your point and do it quickly.

~Mandy