To the moon and back...

September 10, 2009....Emma Shae Daniels steps foot into her first year of many in the public school system. And folks, she loves it. What about it does she love, you ask? Not all that sure. We only got a few details out of her. But when I threatened her with not returning if she didn't listen and behave, her eyes got all big and she begged me "NO!". Anyhow, here are the few details we did get out of her.

Nana: Did you have recess?

Emma: Yes....I mean no.

Dad: Did you read books

Emma: Yes. I dunno.

Mom: Did you make friends

Emma: One girl told me she liked my locket. She's five, when I told her I was five too she gave me a high five. She was wearing purple.

Mom: What was her name?

Emma: I dunno.

Neighbor (Bev): What's your name?

Emma: I dunno.

The day started with her crawling into bed with me at about 4:30 am. We both fell back asleep...my arms draped around my once wee babe turned 40 lb girl. I drifted back into that last hour of slumber praying for this first day of school to bring a smile to her face. I got up to shower, and midway into my morning routine heard her footsteps approach the bathroom....then her smiling face appear. "It's gonna be a good day", I said. She dressed in the outfit that had been picked out for days, then looked at me, clad in stretch cotton capri's and an Oregon hoodie and says, "You going to wear that to walk me to school?" "Yes...", I said. "How about we look at your work clothes, " she says as she opens my closet. She presents me with one of my newer work shirts and instructs me to put it on. Mind you, SHE IS FIVE. And she already cares about my appearance. I am just thankful she did not order me to also wear my peep toe heels as I escorted her the three blocks to her new school.

We spend the walk holding hands, and getting a shout out from her dance teacher that lives nearby as she yells over the sound of school buses and such..."EMMA DANIELS....HAVE A GREAT FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL SISTER!". With each step, the realization is hitting me. My baby made it to another milestone. A milestone her big sister never reached. All parents are proud of their kids...I know that. But with each moment of pride, I also have a bittersweet moment. As we are walking she looks at all the cars and buses and says, "What are they doing?" I tell her they are bringing kids to her school. "No," she says, "Only me. My school." I laugh...."Do you want friends sister?!"

We get to the building and I am strategizing photo opportunities to distract me from the importance of this moment. I figure we will get a shot of her leaning up against the school sign, in front of the classroom, hanging up her backpack, etc. Suddenly her teacher, Mrs. Hunter (a familiar face - as she is the grandma of one of Emma's daycare friends) sees us, walks up and takes Emma by the hand. In a moment of weakness, and supreme trust....I let go. "C'mon Emma...lets go get in line", says Mrs. Hunter. And off she goes. I get no goodbye kiss. No hug. Emma has a somewhat confused look, but I think I am the one more stunned with the sudden goodbye. "Goodbye Em, I LOVE YOU," I yell amidst the buzz of elementary kids. And I walk away. Alone. One hand holding a camera, the other my cell phone, a heart holding pride...and eyes holding back tears. I call Rich to give him the play by play and distract myself from the events. "Did you cry?" he asks. "No," I say with a lump in my throat.

Three hours later I go to pick her up and she sees me and runs. "Mama!". At first I think she is crying, but upon getting her stunning freckled face directly in front of mine I see that it's pure joy. Not necessarily because she sees me, but because she appears to have just had an amazing time. At least I think so. I'm not so sure why. She gets a battalion of questions about her day from me, Rich, grandparents, neighbors. She claims to not know what she did today, but she loves it. And she wants to go back. And my dear girl, you will get to. And I hope I am as proud of you every September as I was this September.

I end the day with tucking her into bed and saying these words, "I love you to the moon and back Miss E." She smiles and says,"No you love me more." Yes, yes I do.

It's a girl thing....

I got a whim last week..... I was busy at work, Rich was back into the insanity of coaching football and it was the week of Daily Doubles and yet I decided I was going to make it happen. Me + Emma + a trip to Eugene. A girls weekend to shop for clothes, shoes, etc in preparation for her first year of MANY in the public school system. I coordinated three sitters for Sara in our absence (since Rich was pretty much stuck doing football all day Friday and Saturday). My grandma was more than happy to be our food and lodging Friday night, and I was able to steal Saturday night from an old friend I hadn't been able to sit and just be girls with for over 10 years. I managed planning all of this on Wednesday afternoon at about 3:21 pm.

So, Friday Em and I set off at about 4:30pm. We were on the road, gas tank full, snacks and beverages in tow, Emma's movie player belting out "Barbie and The Pauper". Now, I continually make fun of my in-laws family tradition of stopping at all landmarks, reading the historical markers, etc....but as we neared Sahalie Falls I had this nostalgia set in of remembering stopping there when I was a kid, and how magical the waterfall seemed. So, in the span of about 4.2 minutes I pulled in, walked Emma up to the viewpoint (while I was wearing work trousers and wedge heels) snapped a picture, let her take it in (for maybe one whole minute), and then we were off again!

We got to Grandma's, had my favorite childhood dinner that she makes (chicken and dumplin's) and had a great time visiting and letting Emma explore the treasures in "Nanu's" home. The next morning we took off for a day of shopping and adventures around mom's home town. I took Em to CHS to see where I made my high school memories. I was not so kindly greeted with a giant wall of windows now blocking access to the courtyard and the infamous "Rock" that I had told Emma all about. I'm currently in the process of writing a letter to...well, someone....about how rude Emma thought it was that we could not go in and look. We hit up Goodwill and got some great finds, as well as assisted a flamboyantly gay man find a sequined belt. It made me laugh, made me miss Eugene, and made Emma's eyes about as big as saucers. We drove through Saturday market, went to campus and visited some of Rich's ex students (complete with an apartment warming gift of a bag full of Top Ramen, Mac & Cheese, Capri Sun and Microwave Popcorn...they were totally excited), and then made our way to Autzen to take part in Fan Day where we ran into two more ex-Prinevillians along with Jerry Allen. Emma was amazed by the size of it all....as well as the realization that the Oregon Duck was "real". She did comment that she didn't think he could actually swim though.

We then shopped for the next 5 hours. Emma was the recipient of all $130 made at a garage sale the prior weekend. It managed to help her acquire....one dress, three tops, 5 pair of pants, one jacket, one sweater, one coat, 7 pair of panties, 2 headbands and a stunning pair of bronze leather mary janes purchased from, where else, Burch's - which just happens to be where my parents took me to purchase school shoes. We did lunch at Baja Fresh, we did dinner at the Food Court in Gateway Mall, where she was so excited to choose which table we would sit at. I spotted a photo booth in the distance where I tried to get her to engage in silliness. All I got out of her was "MOM! I don't like that last picture...you made my face look silly and I DON'T LIKE THAT." Get over it dear, welcome to life with me as your mother.

We ended the weekend by heading over to the home of an old girlfriend of mine I hadn't been able to just sit and "girl" talk with in years. Emma played with toys, watched movies and was totally content while the older girls caught up. At midnight, I realized not only was I still awake, but so was Emma. We crawled into bed, and both passed out within minutes. Early the next afternoon we pulled into Prineville with Emma's bounty. A crazy, busy whirlwind of a weekend. As I tucked Emma in last night she left me with these words...."Mom, can we do that every year." Yes, Yes...and YES. Here's to tradition my girl. I loved it as much as you did.

Following up, Sara had a restless night a few days after I swore I stepped on a snake in her room. The next day I said, "Why couldn't you sleep, Boo?" I got this reply, "Well mom, I have to tell you something. The red snake, all red, was tip toeing through my room and he kept saying 'Sssssssss....Sssssssss' and that was why I couldn't sleep." Remember, this is the same child that said she couldn't go to sleep because her goldfish were splashing in the tank.

To end this saga, I searched the room for No Feet, and found nothing. I'm hoping he found his way out. At least that's what I told Sara. "He missed his mama so he tip toed back outside and he's not coming back."

No Feet talks, Mom...

So, this weekend as I walked into Sara's room to put her to bed, I stepped down and felt something slither under my foot. YES...SLITHER. I jumped about 4 feet (that's high for me) and looked down to see nothing. Keep looking, while freaking out....still, nothing. Sara even laughed at me "Mama - why you jump and be all scared?". Because I am a good mom, I tucked her in and left the room. I figured whatever "it" was found a good home under her bed and we would tackle the job of finding "it" in the morning.

Next morning, I move the bed, look under toys, etc. and there is no snake to be found. I tell Sara I am looking for a snake and she says, "There's a snake sleeping under my bed?" with the excitement and enthusiasm of the Crocodile Hunter. She thought maybe it was the caterpillar she squished and then lost in the carpet over a week ago, who I am sure has been vacuumed up a time or two since she loved him to death. Then suddenly she tells me "Maybe it's No Feet?" For those not in the know, No Feet is the snake on her favorite cartoon Little Bear. She immediately scrunches up her face and says, "No....it can't be No Feet. No Feet talks, Mom. He would have said "ow" if you step on him." And that, my followers, is one of the many reasons why I love her so.



I will leave you with this, our nightly ritual as I tuck her in:
Sar Bear: "Mama, I love you sooooo much. I gonna love you forever."
Mama: "I love you too Sar Bear - I gonna love you forever. And do you promise to be my Sar Bear forever?"
Sar Bear: "Yes...but I am gonna get growed up. And Sar Bear is gonna love you forever."

3, Tres, Three, III!

Happy Birthday Monkey!

Likes: Being called Princess (and this was not encouraged by your parents, rather it is something you demand you be called); coloring with just one color....and it's usually red; snacks, at all hours of the day including sneaking them into to bed at night and grabbing one when you wake up; swinging, watching movies, playing on the computer....for hours on end all by yourself; Dora; riding horses and the four wheeler at Papa and Nana's; playing dress up; dancing; coming up with excuses not to go to bed (like the night you told me your goldfish were splashing in the tank and keeping you up); wearing only dresses; hanging out with the cheerleaders - specifically Stevie Musil (who you named your goldfish after). We cannot keep you from standing with her on the sidelines at the games and copying their every move.

Dislikes: Calling you something other than Princess; anything that is not your idea; someone helping you; at times, Emma; going to bed;

What we love most about our three year old: You are always the first one to tell us "I love you" and do it at the most random times, which is usually when we need to hear it most. Your neverending facial expressions. You are our "Sara of a million faces". Your silly spirit and ability to make us laugh at the drop of a hat. Your ability to do what you love for hours on end....watching movies, swinging, etc. It shows your passion for what you love, but also gives us a break from your never ending energy. Always going to bed or leaving for daycare by asking for a "huggie and kissy". We love you Sar-Bear! Happy Birthday!

The best gift of the day...

According to Emma, and of course me, this was her birthday present from Selah. It appeared for just a few minutes on her birthday, and it just happened to be at a time when we were outside or we would have totally missed it. As soon as I took the photo it faded away....

Cinco, 5, Five, V!

Happy Birthday my girl!

Likes: Mama & Dada; cuddling; Barbies; Hannah Montana; coloring with Dad; her doll..."Excellent" (amazing name she came up with - I know); The Food Network (specifically Guy Fieri and Ace of Cakes...she actually told me as I was making her birthday cake, "Mom, make it bigger, make it badder, make it awesome"); dancing; girls nights (which end in her sharing my bed with me) and slumber parties at Kathy's; cooking with mom; flip flops.



Dislikes: Being left alone; baggy clothes; raisins in cookies (yuck!); cold baths; going to bed.

What we love most about our five year old:
Your tender heart and willingness to help others (even your little sister) and make them feel special. Your beauty - on the outside and the inside, and the fact that you also know you are beautiful. Your attention to detail, which means that it may take you three times as long to finish projects as others, but you are always proud of the result. Your willingness to give hugs and kisses just as much as mom and dad want to receive them.

We love you Miss E! Happy Birthday!