A Moment

Sometimes the prairie sky just will not be ignored. It glows in pinks and oranges, lighting up the bottoms of electric white clouds. God does some of his best work and simply asks that we stop and look.

The other night was one of those times. Brookie and Rosie were already in their pajamas, brushing their teeth before bed. I was trying to get stuff cleaned up and I caught I glimpse of this incredible sky. We grabbed our shoes and headed out the door, running to get to the end of the street for the best view. It was beautiful. Perfect.

Heading home, we basked in the glow of a setting sun and enjoyed just being together. These are the moments. I was so glad I hadn’t missed it.

This was taken after the real spectacle was over. Still quite pretty, though.

~Mandy

A Formal Tea Party

Recently Brooklyn and Rosie were invited next door for a very fancy tea party with their friends, Maia and Aden. The invitation read:

You are invited to a tea party tomorrow afternoon. Come dressed up and pretty to 209 Cedar Crescent. Act Polite!

They dined on the front lawn in all their finery. Talia served the table of four their tea (with as much sugar as they wanted) and cookies. After the tea and polite conversation, they even danced. Adorable doesn’t quite describe it.

~Mandy

Reigning Champion

These pictures capture just one of MANY times Rosie has beaten a member of her family at Memory. On this particular occasion, she crushed me. And I was trying.

Rosie really likes Memory. We had another version using the letters of the alphabet and pictures beginning with those letters but Rosie actually started to memorise the small nicks or water marks on the backs of the cards and so couldn’t help but cheat. Eventually we got a new game. We love this version because it is a great way to learn the names of different countries as the cards are all faces of children from around the world.

Now we all have our favourite faces. Rosie ranks hers every time we play, leaving the best for the top of the pile. And she will try to trade with her opponent if he or she gets her favourite face. India and Hawaii are two she really likes because they are girls and they are fancy.

When we are feeling like it, we put both the memory games together for an ultimate challenge. It is not for everyone. I like that it gives me more time with my sweet Rosie. I think Rosie likes the gigantic tower of matches she ends up with when she wins.

~Mandy

First Days of School

Brookie began grade 2 this year. She is in another split class with the same kids she has known since Kindergarten.

Here she is posing for the classic First Day of School Picture to humour her mother

When I asked Brookie if I could take some pictures of her at the school that first day, she replied, “That might be a little awkward. First days are hard enough.” So . . . no pictures at the school.

Rosie is now in Kindergarten. She has a tiny class of 12 but they have their own room, complete with little desks, little cubbies, a little bathroom and many little play stations.

Rosie posing for the classic shot

It was a rainy first day

Rosie let me take some pictures inside her classroom

When Rosie came home after her first day, I asked her how it went and she said, “Good. Mr. Mitchell didn’t teach me anything, though.” Of course I explained that the first day is a bit more about meeting each other and settling in. But I think Mr. Mitchell is going to have to work very hard to impress Rosie.

My favourite part about school this year is watching the girls leave together in the morning, come home together at lunch and hearing about their time together at recess. They walk side by side, chatting together about stuff. Brookie is being a fantastic big sister. She has even pushed Rosie on the swing a few times. The two of them really like each other. And while I miss them, I am just so proud of the beautiful little ladies they are becoming.

~Mandy

. . . and we're back

Yes, it has been a while since my last post. An embarassingly long while, actually. But sometimes the living needs to take priority over the writing about the living. So we have been doing some living and it has been fantastic. Lots of loving and laughing and exploring and learning and playing and growing and working. There is no way for me to catch you up completely so I am not even going to try. You will just have to trust me.

Enough about that. Let's get on with it, shall we?

Grid Road Adventures

Monday evening was a perfect time for a bike ride. Brookie and I set out to tour Caronport and stop by the school playground. Sean took Rosie with him in the car out on the grid roads so he could measure out his next run. Later that night, after the girls had been in bed for some time, Sean and I heard crying coming from their room. Sean went in and found Rosie crying and wide awake. After some probing, Rosie shared that she was sad because she had enjoyed her drive out on the grid roads with her dad so much and hadn’t wanted it to end. Sean asked her what it was she liked about it so much and she said, “the wind in my hair.” Sean comforted her by explaining that they would be able to do it again very soon and Rosie drifted off to sleep,most likely dreaming about open roads and the wind in her hair.

Tuesday morning, Sean woke Rosie up early and took her out again for another drive.

That evening after our dinner, we decided to all go for a drive. We left the dishes behind and all piled into the car. (As a side note: I always feel like I am doing the right thing when that thing requires me to leave the dishes behind.) The girls sat in the hatch back with pillows and blankets. I brought along some peanut butter cookies and we headed out. After a few wrong turns, we made out way up to Signal Hill. It is the only real hill for miles and it got its name from the signal tower that stands out on the horizon.

When we arrived at the summit, we all sat in the hatch together, listening to music and eating our cookies. We could see forever in all directions. The wind played in the long grass. It was so silent – the only sounds were the wind, our breathing, our heartbeats. We listened and laughed together. It was just us. No hurry or rush to something else. We were the main event. It was absolutely beautiful. The kind of beautiful that catches in your throat and makes you ache a little because you know it can’t last.

We stayed as long as we could,watching the shadows stretch out before us, the evening creeping up the hill to meet us. Then we packed up and drove home.

~Mandy

Final Performances

March was a month of endings. Rosie’s highland dancing lessons came to an end with a little dance recital. It was in our friends’ home on a Saturday morning. All the families came to watch the girls show their honed skills. And then after the dancing, we shared a delicious brunch together. It was another one of those positive small-town moments here in Caronport.

This is by far my favourite picture because it captures Rosie’s personality so well. She is there, dressed properly for the occasion and everything but still has her own casual approach, leaning on the kitchen stool, waiting for the photo shoot to be over.

This month also brought the end of the girls’ figure skating lessons. Of course the end of skating means another big performance. The girls were in the same group and performed a Caribbean number, complete with appropriately floral costumes.  They were the hit of the night. Both of them managed to stay on their skates while turning, jumping and skating backwards. They have learned so much in such a short time. My favourite moment of the night was during their number when Brookie fell and Rosie stopped to help her up. We were very proud of them.

 

Who knows whether the girls will continue with either of these activities but they had a great time. Next up, swimming lessons!

~Mandy

Surprised by Sadness

The other night, as the girls were still recovering from their crazy colds, we rented Where the Wild Things Are to watch together. Sean and I were a little unsure about how scary it would be but thought that as with all family movies we view, the constant conversation and explanation we encourage would compensate for any tense parts. and we had heard good things about it. So we settled in to enjoy the show.

Brookie and Rosie both engaged early on with Max and his sad little life. They are so thoughtful and observant. When Max travels to where the wild things are, Brookie made a wonderful connection between one of the girl “wild things” and Max’s older sister, explaining that the creature is what Max wishes his sister was like. Sean and I hadn’t even made that connection. And both girls gave lots of commentary as the story went along.

They were never really scared but were emotionally invested. They laughed out loud at some parts, quietly listened in other parts and got quite sad when Max was leaving for home, afraid that his good “wild thing” friend, Carol, wouldn’t make it back to say good-bye. It was even more sad when Carol doesn’t make it back in time to really say good bye but only to howl from the shore while watching Max’s boat sail away. This part was especially difficult for Rosie and without knowing why, she began to really cry  - not just a subtle tear drop or two but the full deal, complete with sobs. She cried from that point on until the movie ended, with a further crescendo to the crying at around the time Max’s mother gives him a big hug when he returns home.

She continued to cry right through the credits, with Sean and Brookie and I trying to offer her comfort in the form of understanding. We were all a little teary-eyed. But Rosie got quite defensive, claiming that she wasn’t crying because the movie made her cry. She explained through sobs that she was having this emotional meltdown because the movie was so boring. And I quote, “I am crying because I didn’t find this movie interesting. It was boring. That is why I am crying!”

After many failed attempts on my part to explain (without laughing) that the kind of emotional energy she was expending was not on par with feelings of boredom or lack of interest (the last attempt I made at such an explanation ended with a tiny smile breaking on my face, Rosie taking GREAT offense at said smile and marching down to the last stair in our basement, sitting there with her head in her hands, continuing to cry), Sean managed to break through to Rosie. He got her to stop crying for a time and they were able to process these surprising emotions that had apparently “snuck up to her”, unannounced and unwelcomed.

As part of Sean’s strategy, he shared a story about a time when he found himself crying over a movie and being surprised himself. As he retold the plot of this sad movie, Rosie interrupted and said, “Daddy, please stop telling me this. It is making me want to cry.”

Needless to say, Rosie slept really well that night. We all did. And I couldn’t help smile to myself as I thought of that little girl, sobbing with such genuine grief at the losing and the finding of friendship and love. Such empathy. It is a beautiful thing.

~Mandy

You know spring has sprung when . . .

• Brookie and Rosie begin their day looking out the window and reporting on the ratio of grass to snow.
• the yard that we have had for almost 5 years is yet again a new and wondrous place to explore
• the bikes are strewn all over the drive way
• our walkway and porch are covered with sidewalk chalk -original artwork, messages and tic tac toe games
• we have a rousing game of family soccer out on the front lawn at 7 pm and it is still light enough out to see the ball
• rubber boots are a permanent fixture on little feet
• rosy cheeks and runny noses are permanent fixtures on little faces
• people are smiling more
• you see your neighbours again
• You open the windows again, even if it means you need to put an extra sweater on
• it smells like mud and grass and promises of new life

~Mandy

The Sweetest Thing

Recently, Brookie came down with a more-serious-than-normal cold, complete with a fever and a very sore throat. She was home from school for two days, just laying on the couch, snuggling Piggy, watching lots of movies, looking very sick.

Being the good mom that I am, I continually forced liquids down her throat, checked her temperature more often than necessary and made sure she had anything she needed. These things included but were not limited to various stuffies, popsicles (not grape), extra ice for juice, extra ice for water, books, the remote, clean jammies, socks, slippers, lip balm . . . well, you get the idea. And as all good mothers, I began to anticipate her needs before she even voiced them. A certain look, an extra strong cough, a sigh and I could guess what request was sure to follow. It was exhausting.

On one trip to refill her water bottle and fluff her pillow, I leaned over and gave her a kiss on her hot little head. She looked up at me with her fevery eyes and said, “Mommy, I would give up Piggy for you.”

(Piggy is Brookie’s favourite stuffy in the whole world. She has had him since she was a teeny baby and he is the only toy Brookie cannot sleep without. Piggy has been with her through lots of good days and bad days, always ready to hug, to wipe tears, to listen. Whatever. Piggy is worn. He is barely pink anymore. His once-curly tail hangs embarrassingly straight from years of worrying it like a stone. So the fact that Brookie would give him up for me, well, that is quite something.)

I gave her a big hug and wiped the tears from my eyes on my way back to the kitchen. Being a mom is the hardest thing – just when you think you can’t do more, you are required to do ten times more. And then, one day your daughter offers to give up her favourite stuffed pig because she loves you that much. And then you can do anything.

~Mandy

An Early Spring Walk

   

Rosie and I had a lovely afternoon welcoming spring to Caronport. We brought our cameras and wandered the puddle-speckled streets, enjoying the warm sun. The spring day was such a treat but the time with Rosie was even sweeter. Welcome, Spring. Welcome.

~Mandy

PD Day Adventures in the Big City

The girls were free from any pesky school responsibilities yesterday and so we hit the big city (Regina is our idea of a big city) and some of our favourite things.

 

 

The biggest decision that Brookie and Rosie need to make anytime we leave for anywhere is which stuffie they will bring. Yesterday it was Lambie and Piggie.

Our first stop is almost always Chapters. It is even more fun now that I have two little avid readers to bring along with me. We all find our books to look at and settle in for some serious reading.

We then went to a matinee of The Princess and the Frog. It is always a treat to sit in the dark, munching on popcorn and Skittles, sipping lemonade and talking about what might happen next – will she kiss the frog? Will the bad guy win in the end? Will she choose love?

And then we hit the Science Centre. It was another great visit with so much to explore . . .

   

I know I have said it before but I seriously love PD days!!

~Mandy

Rockin' Rosie

Honesty, thy name is Rosie

So Sean has occasionally gone across the road to our elderly neighbour’s house and helped to shovel her snow. It is his pleasure and it doesn’t take too long, usually, but of course Shirley is always very thankful. She has taken to delivering little treats to us. We have received a delicious pie, chocolate chip cookies and most recently, Valentines Day sugar cookies with chocolate hearts and a little card. It was so sweet (literally) of her and so the girls and I talked about what we could do to say thank you back.

We decided that better than a sandwich (which was Rosie’s initial idea and which probably had something to do with the fact that we were making sandwiches at the time of our discussion) would be a thank you card. So we got out the markers, crayons and paper. Each of the girls made a special, colourful card and signed them.

Later that day, I sent the kids over to give Shirley the cards. Before they left we practised what they should say and how to behave. It seemed like they were ready so away they went.

Moments later, they returned and as they stripped off their coats, I asked them how it went. “Good,” Brookie said. “What did you say”, I asked. “I said we were there to give her these cards and Rosie said we were giving them to her because she is old.”

Yes – Rosie did. And I guess in a round about way, she is right. I tried to explain that old people know they are old. We don’t need to tell them. But I have a feeling Rosie will say what she wants when she wants to. I am just glad Shirley has a sense of humour.

~Mandy

The Importance of Manners

Not too long ago, our little family was having breakfast together. It was a lazy Saturday morning and I had become a short-order cook, letting everyone choose their favourite breakfast. Brookie wanted waffles but Rosie had decided on cheesy scrambled eggs. Sean and I settled on poached. While I worked the waffle iron, I asked Sean to handle the egg orders. In a whirl of chaos, we managed to pull all the breakfast orders together at relatively the same time, complete with sausages and fruit and juice.

When the girls sat down at the table, Brookie dove right in but Rosie paused after only one bite of her eggs. She screwed up her face and said, “Ummm . . . excuse me but I wanted cheese in these eggs.” I immediately felt like I had lost whatever tip I had been hoping for. After explaining that Daddy had in fact put cheese in the eggs, she quietly mumbled, “well, I can’t taste it.” Apparently the ratio was not to her satisfaction.

Brookie looked up from her near-empty plate and thanked us very politely for her breakfast. We encourage this kind of unforced show of manners and so I praised her for doing it. Not to be outdone, Rosie piped in with this little gem: “Daddy, even though I don’t like the eggs, I thank you for them.”

And what can you say to that?

~Mandy

Play Dough Creation

The girls and I made play dough the other day together during their winter break. It is so fun to sit together and make all sorts of play dough works of art. This past Wednesday after dinner, we pulled out the soft, pink blobs and passed the time creating this hot air balloon scene. I helped a bit with the basket but the girls imagined the rest. I love how they worked together, not once arguing about composition. Rosie did the bear in the basket and layered quite a collection of clouds to the right. Brookie added a lunch basket under the main one, complete with lunch inside, a fantastic spidery sun and another cloud. We sat and admired it for a while, each of us quietly sailing in a bright blue sky, before squishing it in a big ball and packing it away until next time.

~Mandy

A sister . . .

is both your mirror and your opposite. ~Elizabeth Fishel

Our Little Birdies

One night when the wind was howling outside, the girls decided to build “nests” for themselves while they watched a movie. After a bit of a struggle and a few arguments about who gets what blanket/pillow, the job was done. Two little nests to snuggle into. Moments after completing them, the birds fell fast asleep and dreamed of spring . . .

~Mandy

And a Couple More

Of course there were many moments of reading and snuggling – two of our family’s favourite things. There is nothing better.

~Mandy