Signs of spring

I want to be like her

A discussion took place last night when sleeping should have been happening ( at least for the teary eyed five year old that beckoned me to her room ).  When I entered her room , I had no idea that I'd leave wishing I could be like my kindergartner.

It began a week or so ago. Mike and I found cute t-shirts that were made to look like scrub tops and had a stethoscope printed around the neckline-perfect for the children of an RN/Paramedic. We ordered a pink one for Mack and a white one for Mase. When the shirts arrived, Mack was excited to wear hers to school the next day and she did. At the end of the day, she reported that Erik had made her feel badly by continuously asking her why she was wearing a doctor's shirt. It didn't seem like a huge deal. We talked about telling Erik the next time that it really bothered her when he said these things and asking him to stop. Also, what to do if he didn't stop.

Back to last night- I ask a softly crying Mackenzie what's the matter. She tells me that it is still really bothering her that Erik had made her feel bad for wearing the shirt. When I asked her if she liked the shirt, she said she did like that shirt and it made her mad that Erik made her feel bad for wearing it. When I asked her if she wanted to wear the shirt again, she said " Yes. I want to wear that shirt tomorrow. And I want to tell Erik that it makes me feel bad when he says things about it. "  " Do you think you'll feel better after talking to him? " I asked. " Yes." she said, certainly. " Ok, Macky. I think you should talk to Erik tomorrow, then."

This was a tough moment for me. I was filled with pride at Mackenzie's way of handling the situation. It was beyond what I'd expect of most kids her age. Yet, I couldn't help not wanting her to wear it again. I wanted to spare her the hurt that could come from that but I also didn't want to rob her of this valuable experience and also, teach her to go against her intuition. We chatted a bit longer and the more I thought about the conversation, the more admiration I had for her. I went down stairs to find that said shirt was in the laundry, not yet washed, and the washer was being repaired by Mike ( that's another story for another time) . It wouldn't be possible for Mack to wear it.

Today, after school, I asked Mackenzie about Erik . She said " I told Erik how I felt sad when he said what he said and he just smiled at me and said 'I'm sorry.' " And that was that. The conversation moved onto something else.  But it got me thinking- how often do I make a bigger deal of things than they are simply because I want to guard my heart when , really, if I was more like Mackenzie,  I could spare myself a lot of worry. To be honest, it's more than it needs to be.

This little girl of ours is amazing. I don't know where life will take her , but whatever she does, I know with out a doubt that she will have a positive impact on those around her. Just like she does now.

Mackenzie's 6th birthday video

Well. Here it is. Another year passes. Mack is beyond excited to be six. She's one of the youngest kids in her class and when she's finally six, she'll be " as big as them".  While she's busy growing and chasing - wishing to be older, I meet this time of year with the same bitter sweet sentiments that I have every year before this.   And so it goes- a beautiful baby morphs into a sunshiney sweet girl in, what seems like,no time at all. I'm sure I'll feel this way next year and the year after. And yet, while I miss baby Mackenzie and toddler Mack and sassy preschooler Mack, I really am enjoying school age Mack. I  love hearing her thoughts and listening to her brain make sense of the world. I love having conversations with her and making plans with her. There are times , as always, when she struggles. Or when we struggle. But those times sift through and what's left are wonderful memories, more laughs than I could begin to count and a little girl with a heart of gold who makes Mike and me so proud . Here is a compilation of Mack's 6th year. in video form. Don't forget to turn on your volume !

Tooting his own horn

Being in music class at school has really sparked Mack's interest in learning more about music. After she chose to use her gift card from the dentist  to buy a ukelele , she asked Mike if he would bring out his saxophone, guitars and other miscellaneous instruments so she could try them.

Mack was so excited to see Mike's mini guitar used to take on back packing trips. She swiped that right up. Mason was interested in Mike's saxophone. That is, until he actually played it. Once Mike started playing the Michigan Fan Fare, both kids became shy and wouldn't look at him and Gunner began to bark incessantly until the noise stopped. I don't know what their issues were; I liked watching the cute Michigan marching band alum in his element.

More cellphone photography

Little Love Bug

Remember when Mack was a baby and she'd take every last book off her shelf, "reading " each one before tossing it to the side for another?  That's also Mason's favorite thing to do, too. In this photo, he's just getting started. After fifteen minutes, the place is covered in books. 

Gram's made this sweet little owl for Macky. Mack keeps it up and away from Mason with all her other treasures. The next visit, Grams had crafted another. Anticipating that this would continue, Mack has cleared a whole section for the owls she's awaiting.

A few days before Valentine's the kid and I went to Gram's and made chocolate covered strawberries. Yum!

Our neighbors have a new puppy and it's gathered the attention of these two.

Another pea dissector....This one doesn't eat the peas when he's done, although Ellie is happy to help.

Pondering.....

Mason can start, peel and separate his own clementines, now! That's a good thing because he loves them so much that he usually eats them faster than I can peel them. This way, I get a head start while he's working on the one in his hands.

This little lizard is Mack's new buddy. She takes him everywhere, even to her dreams.

No Cavity Club drawing

We got a call from the kids' favorite dental hygienist that Mackenzie had won the drawing for the No Cavity Club! ( Each time the kids visit the dentist and have no cavities, they get to write their name ( or their big sister does, as in Mason's case). Quarterly, they draw a name, this time it was Mack's!  She won a $25 dollar gift card to Toys R Us . She didn't make it past the plastic sea animal section , where she loaded up her little basket with whales and frogs, effectively spending her gift card. I urged her to look around a little more to make sure there wasn't something she'd like more ( she had most of the animals she'd picked out) When she happened upon this , she forgot about the sea animals and never looked back! 

A very cute Eukele . We watched YouTube videos so Mack could see how one was played and the types of sound it makes. She's had a log of fun plucking away on it!

Sweet Valentines

Last years crayon hearts were such a big hit, we repeated with the kindergartners. Mack was the only child who filled her valentines out all on her own with each childs' name.

Mack had Valentine's day off. They kids woke up to a sweet treat.

One of Mason's treats was this Tonka ambulance, like the one daddy works on. He was so excited, he hugged it, kissed it and fed it part of his breakfast.

Funny Valentine