You have got to be kidding!

WOW! Just got an email with this info and had to share! If I had a daughter I would buy all this gear! :)

Happy New Year!

Pizza + Patio = Picnic

Who says you need a special basket filled with delectable dishes for a picnic? We got pizza, went out on the patio and had ourselves a picnic! Today was sunny and 70 degrees here in MA! It was Aliya's idea for the picnic and she narrated the directions for what we needed. She was very helpful and got most of it. :) Matthew just wanted to be outside and take his shoes off!

Tonight we had a movie night, play date, and slumber party all wrapped up in one. I had the children tonight while Peter and Annie went to the Red Sox game. We had Robbie over (the neighbor boy who Aliya plans on marrying) watched Velveteen Rabbit, and then I let them both fall asleep in my bed. They argued about the middle, so I declared it! And I'm not sure they quite understood they were only falling asleep in my bed, not spending the whole night. But you can bet once I was sure they were asleep, I scooped their limp little bodies up and placed them gently in their own beds. Not that I minded their excitement about the slumber party, but I had an elbow in my rib cage, sweaty legs kicking me, and NO room. Matthew told me twice he didn't have enough room, that I needed to push over and move my computer. Remember, I was in the middle and he had six inches on the other side of him, he just wanted to be thisclose to me! :)

Tomorrow is Aliya's birthday brunch at American Girl in Natick. Then Allison and Damon are coming down from Maine, Tracy and Ben are coming from Beverly and we are all going to the Amazing gRACE event I helped plan with my small group. It should be a grand time!

Look who can...

Tie his shoes!

(notice the cute haircut)

This is a huge success for both Matthew and I. I told him that when he learned to tie his shoes, we would go get sporty new sneakers that tie. I have been teaching/having him practice about every other day. He has to tie it 5 times, usually taking him about 10 minutes. I got a Melissa and Doug shoe back in October for the children to learn on. It has bounced around and been used for other things, until lately. I went online to learn 'the best way to teach children to tie shoes' and didn't find anything to be that helpful. I got some advice from a friend and Matt and I tried a couple different ways. His little fingers seem huge when he is trying to get the lace through the opening, but he was patient. I think he was also eager to do something before his big sister! Princess Aliya said she has tried, and that she can't, tie shoes. Why should a princess have to tie shoes anyway? I mean isn't there someone to do it for them? Actually don't princesses wear shoes with straps and buckles? Yeah, never mind! So, on Thursday he was really fast at tying them. I also noticed that he did better when I wasn't watching. On Friday he did it all by himself and brought it to me. It was tight and neat. That's when it hit me; he can do this, he tied his own shoe and I taught him! :) We celebrated momentarily before going to walk at the mall and planned to do some shopping after for sporty new sneakers that tie!

And look who is getting a school uniform! Is this not so cute? I went to order Aliya's school uniforms (for next year) and saw a doll sized version of it. I asked the clerk where to get them and she steered me to a website.I checked it out when I got home and just had to purchase one for Samantha. After all, Aliya will be turning 7 years old on April 6 and this will make a great birthday gift! I think it will be great for them to have matching uniforms and she will have it forever to remember her elementary school uniform!

Here is Princess Aliya in her uniform.

We went to the library for a special activity about money. The first activity was to match the presidents to the coin they are on. Aliya knew most of them and learned the rest. The second activity was to fill in a Needs/Wants paper (seen above) with pictures they could cut from flyers and magazines. We talked about needs verses wants and she went to town cutting and pasting. Note that there is a cat and dog under 'Needs'. According to Aliya, no matter which way I explained it, she insisted "Me-maw and Pop-Pop cannot live without Jazzy!" The third activity was to make a piggy pank with construction paper. They earned 'library dollars' to purchase toys once each activity was completed.

I helped Aliya cut some pictures out, but my hands were otherwise unavailable. You see, a certain cranky pants needed a nap, and it simply couldn't wait any longer. I decided against waking him when we got to the library, due to said crankiness of the pants, and so I just held him. While my arms were heavy, my heart was full. Something about the innocence and peacefulness of a sleeping child!

Aliya and the Chipmunks

Aliya got a new CD for selling a Reader's Digest in the school magazine sales drive. It is the Alvin and the Chipmunks CD. I have heard the entire CD 4,256 times through, (that's estimating) and a few select songs more than that.
In a way, Alvin's character and the CD are appropriate representations of our little life here. Instead of the well known "AAAAAALLLLVIIIIIIINN!!!!!!" that Dave yells to get Alvin's attention when he goes off on a tangent, I often find myself saying (not yelling so much as being obnoxious to actually get her attention) AAAAALLLLLIIIIIIIIYYYYAAAAAA when she goes off on a tangent. These tangents are usually after a task has been discussed (clean up time) and involve escaping to her bedroom, making a new mess, and/or hiding toys as a way of 'taking care of them'. Much like Alvin, Aliya has always got an agenda, her enthusiasm is boundless and despair bottomless. She always has off-the-cuff play ideas, which she narrates to her brother, (so he'll know what to do) and can come up with an injury that is probably the worst anyone has ever had. She often forgets to limp or baby her injuries and then forgets about them before too long, or until next time. Never and always are well used words in her vocabulary! "I never get to play what I want" and "he always gets to pick first" are some examples. Also, like Alvin, Aliya is the leader of the group she is in. She'll take the lead and start playing, dancing, singing, marching, etc.
After 2,225 times of Alvin and the Chipmunks playing through, I asked Aliya what she knew about the Chipmunks.
Aliya: "Alvin is aways getting in trouble, Simon is smart, but Theodore is the smartest and nicest. He is always reading a book. "
Me: "Oh I like him the best then. We want husbands like that someday, dont we?! A smart and nice man who reads a lot."
Aliya: "Well, um, Eric is like that Tarsha. He's smart and nice. He can dance and sing..."

She lost me after that. I am so glad her Eric is everything she wants him to be. I hope she finds this in a real man someday and is not disappointed! :)

I rented the Kit Kittredge movie from redbox for $1 a night! I had the kids later last night, so after dinner we watched it. Kit lived during the Great Depression and her parents took in borders to make ends meet. One of the borders -a lady- was always introducing herself to men, mentioning she was Miss not Mrs., and inquiring about if these men had wives. Kids don't notice these things, but after several obvious gestures, I giggled and said, "She is looking for a husband!" Matthew didn't miss a beat and said, "Just like you!" Yup, just like me... but I hope I don't act like this lady did, she was truly obnoxious!

The boy is feeling better. He missed soccer yesterday but cried when I said skiing would be a lot of work for him. He chirpped up after getting his sister at school and so I got him ready for skiing lessons. I figured the worst that could happen was he would need to stop lessons early. Oh no, he got through lessons like a champ and did great. I caught some on camera and will upload later.

A new start - 2009

Miss Aliya lost her first tooth! She is pretty proud, as she announced when I saw her on Sunday "It happened last year Tarsha! It was still December!" Apparently it happened at 8:30pm on Dec. 31st, so technically she's right! I was on my computer when she came into my room and crawled right in with me. So, I turned on my web cam to capture her full cuddle and the space where the tooth use to be! :)

Today was day 2 of the normal schedule after such a long vacation. Matt and Aliya were right back to there old routine like they hadn't missed a beat. However, Aliya has found some great new listening ears and a longer attention span! Imagine that?! I couldn't be happier! Samantha (and her constant needs) remain a top priority and topic of conversation. Believe it or not, Samantha needs a winter coat and ski suit. Who would have thought?! The kids start ski lessons on Thursday and Aliya is insisting Samantha join her. I tried to talk to her about needing to have some Aliya time to focus on Aliya skiing, to no avail. I'll have to defer to Mom and Dad on this one.

Matthew is so excited to ski. He went with his Dad on Sunday and was disappointed he couldn't go on the jumps with the snowboarders. Have I mentioned this was his first time on skis? He is now the proud owner of all the gear, so I expect in no time, based on his athletic ability, he will be on the jumps with the snowboarders! :)

I made American Chop Suey for dinner. I haven't been mixing it up and adding new things lately, so I decided to try again. Matt asked me "have I tried it before?" I told him he had eaten all of the things in it, and liked them, so he should like it. He said "OK Tarsha, I'll eat it ALL!" And he did! That's my little man!

I brought Matthew to a Dermatologist appointment yesterday. He has eczema and has been itching/scratching/digging at night a lot. He looked so cute in the johnny. I meant to take a picture, but it started and was over so fast, I didn't get a chance. He was anxious about going and kept telling me (as if telling me over and over would make it true) "Tarsha they aren't going to give me a shot, just some special lotion to stop the itching and make me feel better." I made sure to clarify with the nurse and the Dermatologist, as soon as they came into the room, that there were indeed NO SHOTS, just special lotion to stop the itching and help Matthew feel better.

Meet Samantha

Aliya, Samantha, and Coconut the dog

To: Tosha

Wode you plese brash Samtas hare tks

I came home to this note, and Samantha, sitting on my bed. I love reading her notes and trying to decipher the words. They've got a certain sweetness and innocence about them that I find heartwarming. :)

Aliya has been attached at the hip with Samantha since Christmas. She changes her into her nightgown each night, sleeps with her, feeds her, plays with her, and has introduced her to everyone she sees. Her dad says he hasn't ever seen her like this with a doll.

I came back on Sunday and she was eager to start discussing our date to the AG store. I figured why wait, so I asked if she wanted to go that afternoon. She smiled from ear to ear and said, "Hmmmm, let me think about that. YES!"

Let me back track quickly, and make a confession. :) I, too, was the lucky recipient of an American Girl doll for Christmas. I got Kit, the girl representing the 1930s. (The American Girl historical characters inhabit stories set during important times in America’s past. http://www.americangirl.com/) Kit grew up during the Great Depression and her stories are fascinating, with great lessons for children. I got a stand for my Kit doll and someday my daughter will appreciate her to the full extent! Now, since I have outed myself as the proud owner of Kit Kitteridge and maybe some of her accessories, you'll appreciate Aliya and my date to the AG store. Aliya was so excited that I got Kit and she wanted me to bring her on our date. I opted to bring her in the car, but not into the store. I had to explain that my Kit is just for looks, not for me to play with. (I know, I know. How boring for a 6 year old who doesn't consider her Samantha a doll, but a new best friend?!)

We went to the store with somewhat of an agenda. Samantha needed a wire hair brush. Her hair was tangled- frizzy-a mess and she is hardly a week old people! Again, I saved parents money by convincing Aliya that I could do Samantha's hair, she didn't really need the store to do it. She graciously accepted and we moved on to bigger and better things, like Samantha's winter coat or the back to school set. However, she had conferenced with her mom before we left and her mom said she could get one thing besides the brush. She kept going back and forth between the two. Once at the store, she found out they no longer had Samantha coats, so she opted to get Coconut the dog. Yes, the dog, not the much talked about back to school set! I tried to reason with her, but once she decided on it, there was no changing her mind.

On the way home we stopped to get a bite to eat. Aliya said, "Tarsha this is more like a date too, because we went somewhere AND got something to eat!" I'm glad I filled all the criteria for a date! :)

I had a wonderful Christmas spent with all the little ones I love. After all, when your a single adult, Christmas is ALL about the little ones! It started VERY early, at 4:50am at Tanya's house. Hannah and Drew were first to open their gifts and it was exciting to watch. By 6am, I had showered and was on my way to Tricia's house to watch Isaac and Liam open theirs. Again, it was very fun to watch the process and excitement! I needed a nap, so I slept a couple of hours before going to see the other special little man in my life, Damon! He wasn't as impressed with opening gifts, but I did get him to fall asleep in my arms!

Dear God,

Thank you for sending your son to Earth to live among us. How selfless you were to make your entrance in a manger, to a poor unwed mother. Thank you for revealing yourself in such a manner, so helpless and unobtrusive. Please help the little people in my life to know Christmas for the true meaning, your birthday. Help me to be a significant part of that Lord, as I want them to know its not about a man in a red suit giving toy gifts, but a baby born to give us everlasting gifts.

Thank you for an adventurous 2008 and all the opportunities I capitalized on. Thank you for my family and their health. Thank you for my friends and my job. Thank you for the obstacles I overcame this year and the lessons I learned. Please lead me into 2009 and keep me centered. You know my heart Lord, and I long to please you.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Just shaking my head...

There's only two types of people in the world

The ones that entertain, and the ones that observe.

Well baby, I'm a put-on-a-show kind of girl...

These are the opening lyrics to Britney Spears new song Circus. We listen to music in the car, (either the kids singing, 'kid music' or the radio.) Today, on the way home from school, we were listening to the radio. This song came on and the following conversation ensued between Aliya and I.

"There ARE NOT only two types of people in the world!" It took me a second to realize she had indeed just heard Britney's lyrics and they weren't suiting her.

"Aliya did you hear what she sang after that? She said ones that entertain and ones that observe."

"What does beserve mean, Tarsha?"

"OBserve means to watch. This means some people are the actors and some people watch them."

"I want to be the actor and the watcher. I'm going to act for my kids and watch movies with them too. I'm going to be both."

"You can be both Aliya. I hope you will do a little of each."

She's certainly the one that entertains now!

The kids and I love the Shirley Temple song "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas' and we sing it ALOT. I printed the words so we didn't have to sing the only parts we knew a thousand times over. I am going to tape them singing it and I'll put it up here. Its so cute! We laugh and change the words too. There is a line that says"I don't want a doll, no dinky tinker toy..." and well, this just isn't true! We all know Aliya wants the Samantha doll and to be honest, I'd take the Kit doll (for my daughter someday!) If you want to listen to the song, it plays after Josh Groban's song at the bottom of the page.

It snowed last night, about 1/2 inch. The kids could hardly contain themselves and insisted they go out and slide down the hill after school. I tried to explain that the little bit of snow we got mixed with all the rain and cold temps that followed meant ice, but they didn't care. They were so excited that I couldn't refuse them. So, they went outside after school with all their gear (bike helmets included) to slide down the hill. And slide down the hill they did, right on their bellies. I heard lots of laughing and giggling, which is always a good thing! Then it was inside for hot cocoa with marsh mellows, eaten with chopsticks by Princess Aliya.

In 3 days, I leave for Guatemala. I have packed and I am looking forward to this much anticipated journey. Please pray for Mike and I as we travel and hopefully meet some of the children we are going for. I always learn something about myself when I take these kind of adventures, and I hope this one is no different.

Dear God,
I thank you for all of the blessings, opportunities and obstacles alike, that you have bestowed upon me. As I reflect on this past year and the new one that is fast approaching, I am in awe of how you knew before I was even born, it would (and will) go this way. I never would have guessed I would be unmarried and going to Guatemala this Christmas, but I couldn't happier. You know my heart Lord, and I know you have big plans for this girl. Thank you for my job, I am amazed everyday that this is my job and I am getting paid to do it. These children are beautiful, inside and out, and I love being such a big part of their lives. I feel blessed to be happy and content in this place. Now, I know you don't like us to be too comfortable, but please don't go shaking things up!
Thank you for the Bible Study group I am in. The people are great and the messages are always relevant. Thank you for my family and friends and the relationships I share with each of them. Please keep them safe this Christmas season as we celebrate your birth. Help us all to be thankful, appreciative, open and forgiving. Afterall, we will be with family and its good to be proactive.
Please be with Mike and I as we travel to Guatemala to serve your people there. Please keep us safe and out of harms way. I pray that you open our hearts and minds to experience all this place has to offer and freely give what we have to offer. I want to do your work there Lord, please reveal yourself to me.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen

"Let's talk about American Girl Dolls"

What have I started?! Aliya wants to talk about American Girl dolls ALL the time. If we are talking about something else, and she wants to discuss them, she doesn't do it nonchalantly. "Let's talk about American Girl dolls now Tarsha" or "I want to talk about American Girl dolls now." It is actually cute, and the little girl in me who loved playing with dolls (and still loves holding little babies) comes out! We have discussed every possible scenario of if/when/and after Samantha Larkin comes. She has already named her, well changed her name anyway, and declared this doll hers. Yesterday she told Matthew, "After Christmas Tarsha and I are having a play date that is just for girls. And, well, boys aren't really welcomed. This is a special time just for girls." She turns to me and continues, "When we go get Samantha new clothes and the back to school bag after Christmas..."
I may have fueled the fire when we stopped into the Natick American Girl store yesterday on the way home from the Children's Museum in Boston. (I'll post about that next.) She brought in paper and a marker to write down all the stuff she wanted. We have already discussed that we simply cannot buy anything this close to Christmas, because we don't know what Santa will bring and it will hurt his feelings if we buy it for ourselves. She ended up getting a catalog and circling all the things she wanted. She thinks Samantha needs glasses and the Feel-Better Kit, so I pretended to be buying something for my niece Hannah and bought them both for her from Santa. I figured her mom wouldn't mind, and she didn't! :) Aliya is always pretending that her leg, arm, finger(s) etc. are broken, and she makes a cast with tissues, paper towels or newspaper. (Sound familiar sisters?) This kit will help her out immensely, when/if Samantha falls, is dropped or gets hurt playing. I see A LOT of role playing and pretend hospital visits in my future!

All kinds of adventures...

Matthew would like a basketball hoop and hot wheels track.

Aliya REALLY wants a Samantha American Girl Doll.
Decorating 1 of the 4 Christmas trees.

Last week we decorated for Christmas, a lot. The house seems to be transformed more and more each day. The kids wrote letters to Santa and I delivered them to him myself last weekend when I went to the North Pole. Annie (Mom) thought that was the fastest and most efficient way to get the letter to Santa. I agreed and it was my pleasure to bring him their letters :)

Have I mentioned I love my job? I actually got a nap on Monday with Matthew! He was tired after his snack and said he wanted to rest. I got my crocheting and went to lay with him. After some squirming and chatting, he fell asleep. I was on the edge of the bed, because everytime I would move to get a little space, he would move closer. I decided I did not have adequate space to crochet any longer, so I stopped and cuddled a full cuddle. Well, I woke up over an hour later, in the same position -almost falling of the bed with the little man thisclose. He went on to sleep almost another hour.

During a conversation in the car last week, Aliya mentioned "Mommy said Jesus was God, and Daddy said God was Jesus. Its really confusing to me." I couldn't help but add my two cents. "Well actually He is three in one Aliya, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

Matthew piped in with his 4 year old knowledge to set us both straight. "God is Jesus' father and Jesus is God's son Aliya!" Out of the mouth of babes!

I was reading to the kids last night and Matt was sitting on my lap. He wanted to pretend I was the mom and he was the baby Grinch. This turned into the whole 'when are you going to get married and be a mom' conversation. I asked them if I could ask Santa for a husband and if they thought I could ask him for a baby as well?! Matthew said I could marry him, which is a new thing, because just last week they had me marrying Jack, the 12 year old boy who lives next door. Aliya says she is going to marry Robbie, Jack's 7 year old brother, and Matthew said he is going to marry Samantha, their 10 year old sister. Oh to be 6 or 4 again, their world is so small and simple!

So, the American Girl doll Samantha is sitting in my closet! She came earlier than expected and will indeed make one little girl VERY happy in 14 days. Aliya talks about when Santa brings her, not if he brings her. She asked me if we could go to the American Girl store after Christmas to get her some more clothes. Samantha will need more clothes than just the ones she comes in after all. Oh boy, I can hardly wait!

I took the kids Christmas shopping for their gifts. We had already discussed that I would bring them shopping, they would pick out things they liked, and I would buy it. However, I would bring the gift to Guatemala to give to a child that lives at the dump. I will take a picture of the child who gets it, if possible, so the kids can see their gift making someone else happy. I explained that God likes it when we give things to others and that we have a lot, while others don't have anything. It was so precious to see these kids picking out things they wanted, knowing they weren't actually going to be able to keep it. Aliya picked out Tinkerbell and Hannah Montana stuff and Matthew picked out balls and dinosaur stuff. I hope that this is only the beginning of their philanthropic side :)

I was woken up at 5am this morning by being sat on. Peter was away last night and Annie left at 4am to go to Texas for a conference, so I was the go to girl this morning. We talked about this for 2 days, so both kids would feel comfortable knowing mommy and daddy weren't going to be here, and they could come down to my room. Aliya jumped at the opportunity and climbed right on me bright and early. It took me a second to realize what was happening, then I just moved over, made space and we both went back to sleep. Again, I had a little face thisclose to mine and I got kicked a few times, but nothing to worry about.

I am headed to New York City this weekend to see it in all its Christmas glory! It has been something I have wanted to do for a long time. Tracy, Ben, my best friend Allison and my traveling companion Mike are all coming. I hope to get lots of pictures!

A Date, Dolls and a Death

What a weekend...

Friday night I had a date planned, but he stood me up?!? I don't have a horror story; I didn't end up at a restaurant by myself and I wasn't all dressed up with no where to go, he just never called. So, I have sworn off men for the entire month of November. I am happy to report it is going very well so far! :)

On Saturday, Aliya and I met Tanya, Tracy, Tricia, Trina and Hannah at the grand opening of the new Natick American Girl store!
"Look at that outfit, it is so cute!"
"I'm going to buy this one."
"Do you think she needs glasses? She doesn't have many accessories."
"She NEEDS jeans to go with her Chicago, New York and now Boston t-shirt!"
"What's your favorite? Mine is the cowgirl outfit with the horse."

These comments are all from the big girls of course! Imagine, 5 grown women (Downing sisters at that) in a doll store, far more excited than either little girl was! Aliya wanted a book and Hannah wanted one sweatshirt for her doll. If I were their ages again, I would have been way more impressed! Heck I was NOW at my age! Us big girls thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and Cornis (Hannah's American Girl doll) made out better than any sister did all day. She got a Boston shirt (to go with her Chicago and New York City shirts Tracy and I got her when we went to the American Girl stores in those cities), a sweatshirt, and an entire outfit including the must have jeans, a shirt, and shoes! There was the option of getting your American Girl doll's hair done, but I saved the day and $10 by doing it myself for Hannah and Cornis at Aunt Tracy's house. It was another successful sister shopping trip and we gave new meaning to shop until you drop! Here is Miss Hannah girl 2 minutes after sitting in the car...

On a lighter note, today has been a very long and sad day, and the hour we gained only had a small part in it. You see, Chance, my sister Tracy's much desired, much dreamed about and much begged for first puppy, went to Heaven today. She was 12 1/2 years old and her body was failing her. She couldn't walk, wasn't eating and had a hard time getting things out :( This is no way for a loved one to live, even when you don't want them to go. Tracy and my brother-in-law Ben had to make the decision of when. After a long night last night, they called the vet this morning and got a 10am appointment. Tanya sent pumkin bread, a personal favorite of Chance's since stealing a whole loaf as a puppy. She didn't care for the donut hole or doggy bone we gave her, but when the pumpkin bread arrived, she eagerly ate 2 muffins and wagged her tail. What a way to go out! We'll miss you Chance. Thanks for the memories and say hi to Grampa for us. I'm sure he was so very happy to see you!