First day of second grade

 

Kenzie started the second grade today. She dressed herself, took a shower by herself, scrambled her own eggs, but let me dry her hair. I decided to head into work a bit late and drive her to school. As we were entering the parking lot I said, “can I walk you to your class?” She said, “sure, but you don’t have to. I mean, you can if you want to, but you don’t have to.” I replied, “I’d like to. I was planning on it.” She said, “ok, but you really don’t have to.” I said, “see all those other parents [who were lining up], they’re walking their kids into their class.” I could hear the hesitation growing. She paused. Then said, “Mom, those are all kindergarten parents.” I said, “oh, would you prefer I not walk you in?” My little diplomat said, “well, I’d hate to cut into your work minutes.” She almost let the car come to a full and complete stop before hopping out.

Hard to believe she is entering her third year at Clark Elementary. She has DW again, her kindergarten teacher who just moved up. At “meet the teacher” day yesterday Kenzie gave DW a big hug and was very excited to have her another year. DW asked her to be the “Star of the Week” the very first week, which means that she does all the classroom jobs, such as leading the pledge of allegiance, being first in line, and moving the lunch tub. It’s a lot of privilege for one little second grader, and she is very happy to take it.

In her class this year she has some old friends, like Morgan, Cameron P, Cameron K, and Jasper. Olivia is in the other class, but they get to see each other at recess and lunch.

Mason’s new car

One more from the wedding

After the wedding I started to take a picture of Kenzie, sitting in the aisle looking so grown up. As I began to snap the picture Mason came flying across the back row. Here he is mid-air doing a karate chop.

Disruption all around

Everyone around here is a little frazzled. Things are changing, with school about to start for three of the four of us. Even Zeke the cat is trying to figure out what all the books are about.

Speaking of change...today we went to an adoption shower for Randy and Sary-Jo's boys that are coming to their new home from Ethiopia in a couple of weeks. It was fun to see the videos and we're all looking forward to meeting the new cousins.

Unfortunately, Kenzie couldn't go because she lost all privileges after a major fit. But she's excited nonetheless. And she thinks it's absolutely incredible that they get to pick their own birthdays.

Wedding Day

By Sunday morning I was suffering from a severe case of the nerves on two accounts: (1) Mason's wedding performance and (2) Kenzie's hair.

Late last week I realized that I'm a one-trick pony with Kenzie's hair and the double braids did not qualify me to do Wedding Hair. On Sunday, the morning of the wedding, Rebecca came to the rescue! With three curling irons, about a thousand bobby pins, 1 hour and 3 pounds of hairspray she coiffed a beautiful arrangement of princess locks. Kenzie felt so beautiful and was absolutely astounded that somebody could do that with her hair (and now she wonders why I can't upgrade my skills to do it too).

I took Kenzie to meet Mandy and the girls at The Fairmont downtown for pictures beforehand, and Cindy took Mason to the church. She acted very mature the entire day (Kenzie, not Cindy...who was bawling as soon as she saw them walk down the aisle, but I digress), and you could see that she really wanted to be one of the big girls!

and I just love this one of Kenz and Mandy:

 
Meanwhile, Cindy took Mason to meet the boys at the church. I'm not really sure what happened there, but they all looked very handsome...and by this time I was starting to get nervous about Mr. Squirmy's ability and willingness to walk down the aisle.

Let me back up. Saturday morning Mason and I went to coffee. When I got him alone I said, "okay, what's it gonna take?" He said, "what do you mean?" I expanded, "I need you to do three things: 1. walk up and down the aisle holding your sister's hand, 2. hand over the rings and stand still, and 3. smile for the pictures." He paused for a minute, and like any good negotiator said, "I don't know, what are you thinking?" I said, "I was thinking about a trip to Triple X Burgers for a root beer float." Without hesitating he said, "I was thinking a trip to Hawaii." Oh geez, who taught him this stuff? We finally settled on a trip to Pine Lake because it is more near-term, with ice cream after.

Cindy and I took him for a walk around the parking lot while we waited for the wedding to start, hoping to burn off the top layer of energy. (Kenzie was in the bride's room with the girls, doing girly stuff and being blissed out.) We then realized that we were going to have to be seated in the second row behind the family so that Mason could walk up the aisle, hand over the rings, and then sit with us during the ceremony. It all sounded good. Except that we had to go sit down and trust him to listen to whoever to coach him up the aisle. With a final prayer as we entered the sanctuary, we sat down and waited. Finally it was their turn. And there the come! Holding hands! Kenzie was 110% focused. Mason was too!! (Sniff, sniff from the proud mama to my left...but me, no way, there were too many yards between us and the goal line to be celebrating yet.)

Next he had to hand over the rings to the Best Man, then come sit with us, and we would have a needed breathing period. Cindy had her iPhone on silent, ready to pacify him through the ceremony.

He walked to the Best Man, handed over the rings, and...spun around and planted his feet in line with the groomsmen, then looked at me with a smirk, like "it wasn't one of the three requirements for me to come sit with you, and I'm gonna stay here!" He was across the aisle and out of reach. All we could do was watch it happen.

We had told Reid, Mandy's brother and groomsman, to do Whatever It Takes to control Mason should the need arise. Lucky for us, Mason stood right in front of Reid. After about 30 seconds Mason started squirming just a bit. Reid reached down, put his hands on Mason's shoulders and gently pulled him backward. Mason took it a bit further and reversed onto Reids shiny shoes. I could see Reid start to giggle a bit and feared that we were about to cause catastrophe, but Mason rediscovered the carpet and all was fine. A few minutes later Mason cranked his neck backward and whispered something up at Reid. Then later the same thing happened. A few corrections by Reid, but Mason made it! The bride and groom walked back down the aisle, Mason and Kenzie grabbed hands, and did it again!! We were so proud, so excited...and so dang relieved.

After high-fiving Reid, I asked him what Mason said. Two things: 1. "I can pick up my sister now" (a reference to his new-found ability to wrap his arms around Kenzie's thighs and levitate her) and 2. "I'm gonna have a birthday party soon."

Whatever. He did it.

Pictures came next. We had practiced in the mirror and little dude delivered! He later said, "I just thought about the ice cream. If I didn't smile I wasn't gonna get that ice cream." Who said bribing doesn't work!?!?! As Mandy was walking by in her dress for pictures, he stepped out of the pew to put his left foot on her train. She stopped in her tracks, gave him the look he was searching for, he grinned, and just reminded us that he hadn't sold his soul.

At the reception, both kids tore up the dance floor. Kenzie showed off her cartwheels in the dance circle, and Mason followed with a hand-stand. We danced the night away.

Wedding rehearsal

One of my earliest memories is standing in our front doorway in California with my mom and Mary, who was about to marry my brother Mike. Mary asked Mom if I would be a flower girl. Without hesitating, Mom said that she didn't think that I was old enough for it. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I did know it was something important and I was now missing out. Perhaps that's why when earlier this year RJ and Mandy asked if Kenzie and Mason could be in their wedding, I didn't hesitate to say "of course!" He is only four...almost five...but it'll be fine, right?

Is this a face you'd trust to be a ring bearer in your wedding? We had the rehearsal today. Mason was hungry and maybe tired, and definitely squirmy. The wedding is in two days. He looks very handsome in his tux. Standing up front today, though, he turned each of his pockets inside out, and rarely stood still. I'm brainstorming potential bribes, as well as ways to threaten his life from a distance (when I'm sitting down and he is out of reach). The good thing is that (1) we have two days to get creative and (2) both RJ and Mandy have good senses of humor.

Kenzie is so ready. She took not only her job, but also her brother's, very seriously. She was upset with him for not fully engaging. Everything about this adventure is thrilling for her - dressing up in a frilly dress, new earrings and a necklace, people sitting still and watching her move, being around a fun set of people that she loves, and getting told how beautiful she looks. If there was a way to make money at it, this would be her new job.

At the dinner she made herself a name tag. You can see that she was very proud of her title. Mine said, "Julie. Mom of FLOWER GIRL" (with no mention of ring bearer).

I guess we have no way of turning back the clock to know if my mom made a good choice in preventing me from being in the wedding. And, other than the chance to forever razz her about it, there was no permanent effect. However. For the Record. I do believe that I would have been much more Kenzie-like than Mason-like, even at a younger age! (Addendum: Mom informed me that I was 2-1/2 years old.)

ready for more changes

We *believe* we are close with the house permit for Bob and June. So close that we speced out the house and put money down. So, in less than four weeks it will be ready to go...will the city of Issaquah!?!?

Also, today, CINDY GOT A JOB! She is officially a second grade teacher at Grandridge Elementary. Hmmm...second grade teacher, second grade student...this should be fun with Kenzie!

Evolution

Yesterday Kenzie said to me, "Mom, if I were a spider I wouldn't build my web up and down. I would build it like a hammock." I asked her how she would catch flies breezing past to and fro and she said, "okay, I'd build two. And they'd be attached. One would be up and down to catch flies, the other would be just below it like a hammock. Then when the fly catcher gets a fly it would wiggle my hammock, I'd wake up and eat it."

Pacific Beach

Aunt Carol rented a house in Pacific Beach. We went down for a night, then walked and rode our bikes the next day on the beach. Mike, Crystal, Jaidyn, Grammy & Grampy were there too.

Mason took his job of collecting and carrying (even in his hood) sand dollars. They were very serious about it, even insisted on bringing them home. (Yet still haven't noticed that they "accidentally" got left at Grammy and Grampy's.) Aunt Carol took them to the special place where the birds were resting on the beach, which signalled the motherload of sand dollars.

And, of course, Kenzie found a critter...a dead jellyfish. She and I made big circles in the sand with our bikes that outlined a "snowman," then the jellyfish became the mouth with a couple of sand dollars as eyes.

Mason didn't have a bike, so I let him ride with me.



And, not to be outdone...

Dear God

In Sunday School the kids got to write letters to God. Then Pastor Dave replied.

Here's Kenzie's.



And the reply from Dave:



Mason's had a little bit of help interpreting his words:



Dave figured it out:

So Mason....

Cousins

After two months, it was finally time to say goodbye to Cheyenne and Lane, sending them back to Oklahoma to reunite with their parents. The time went fast, and we stayed very busy!! We had something going on almost every night, and certainly on the weekends. From hiking Tiger Mountain, to Northwest Trek, to evening concerts, to bike rides, to entering a parade, to making ice cream, and countless trips to the lake, we spent a lot of time together and had a great summer.

Most of all, though, the four kids grew as close as siblings. Lane and Kenzie, being only three years apart, sparred occasionally as they sorted out their place in the new dynamic, but found common ground when they could run free. Mason and Cheyenne continued their tight bond that started when he was only a few months old and we all went camping in Montana. He snuggles up in the crook of her neck and she just carries him around. Cheyenne and Kenzie did lots of things together, even though they're very different girls, they find common ground in art, stories, nail polish, and their late night talks in their shared bedroom. Mason and Lane are both dudes that love to play rough, ride bikes and fix their hair in Mohawks. The four of them together engaged in endless hours of fantasy play, setting up their own shops with special currencies and individualized roles. It was a world that nobody else entered, but they hated to leave.

Sharing

We are down in Portland this weekend for a music festival with several friends.  Rather than camping like everyone else, we opted for a Best Western.The kids were excited about the pool, but cautious about sharing a bed. 

Especially Kenzie. She said that she Did Not want her brother peeing on her in the middle of the night. Really what she wanted was the bed to herself. She tried every trick she could to orchestrate a queen sized solo night.

Fast forward to 3 AM. We wake to the subtle sounds of puking. It's Kenzie. Mason sits up and I noticed puke all down his chest. Then he started dry heaving.Thinking he had vomited then fell back asleep I grabbed him and ran for the bathroom while Cindy was rolling up the pile on the sheets. He was so asleep he couldn't speak until finally he said, "it's Sister's puke!!!" then  he added, "I don't like people puking on me. It's Rude!"

After we all settled in Kenzie, now alone in one queen and the three of us huddled in the other, seemed to be a tad reflective. She said, "Mom, I didn't puke just to get the bed to myself."

That gave me a tremendous case of the giggles. Mason was highly annoyed.

And they both went back to sleep.