Stress Freak, Cool Cumber & the Pin Cushion!

School is back in session, and it amazes me how each child handles it so different.  Haley started middle school yesterday, and let me just say, the girl is one big ball of stress.  This child does not handle change very well, so, this moves something like starting middle school into the same category as a natural disaster.  One where I sit back, buckle up, keep my hands and feet inside the vehicle and wait for the ride to come to a complete stop.  After a shopping trip to her new favorite store, Tilly's, to get all the "right" kind of clothes, she was off.  By the time she walked in the door at the end of the day she was the happiest I have seen her in awhile.  Apparently, Haley and middle school agree with each other.  The whole rest of the evening was a retelling of the events of her day.  A good sign, seeing how most of these kiddos hit the mute button at this age.  

Hannah started 2nd grade yesterday as well.  Now she is the complete opposite of her older sister.  She was cool, clam and collected.  Second grade, no big deal.  This kid is so easy going, which I am grateful for.  It would be hard to deal with two tornados at the same time.  Hannah's teacher's name is Mrs. Fararra and so far she looks like a gem!  I am so excited for all that Hannah is going to learn this year.  It's so fun to see your children enjoy learning.

And the most fabulous news of all this year is that Emily was chosen to be a peer model for the preschool at the same school that Hannah attends.  This has been quite a process to get her into this program, so I was jumping for joy when we received the call on Friday.  This program is for children with minor disabilities and they also add a couple of peer models into the group to help the children.  Studies have shown that when you mix children who are developing at a normal rate with children who are developmentally delayed it helps them in many ways.   

The bummer was that Emily had to miss the first day so that she could have all of her shots updated.  The poor kid turned into a pin cushion.  Five shots, two in each arm and one in her leg.  After that she wasn't so sure if starting school was worth all the trouble.  The whole time we were waiting she keep saying that she just wanted to stay at home and forget about going to school.  The next day she had changed her tune.  She said, "my shots are really painful, but I'm ready to go!"  And sure enough she ran right up to where her class lines up, sat down with a really cute little girl and struck up a conversation like they had been best friends for years.  Boy, if I could just bottle that girl's energy and confidence I would be rich!

Hannah (Banana) Montana is SeVEN!

Seven years ago yesterday, I was at home in our cute little townhouse in Littleton, Colorado, anxiously awaiting the arrival of our second child.  At this point we had no idea if the little one was going to be a boy or a girl.  Mike was completely sure that it was going to be a boy, he could just tell.  

At that time in our area in the suburbs of Denver we were experiencing bear problems, and for some reason one of them decided to move into our lovely neighborhood.  As nice as it was, it really was not set-up for the bear population, you know small children and all.   That night as we were finally in bed trying to calm the nerves of the impending birth of a child along with major surgery, the helicopters start circling.  The noise alone could wake the dead, but they were also shining the search light into everyone's yards and windows.  I couldn't believe it!  There was no way I was going to get any sleep, we had to be at the hospital at 5:00 am as it was.  Needless to say it was a long night,  and I don't think they ever found the bear.

The next morning we headed to Littleton Hospital, ready for our scheduled c-section.   Having scheduled c-sections is rather anticlimactic when it comes to childbirth, but hey, whatever gets the job done.  I remember being really nervous as to how Mike would handle the surgery part, so when we finally got down to business I was rather surprised how well he handled all the blood and guts.  I can't say I could be that cool!  When the doctor delivered the baby and said it was a girl, we were both shocked!  Mike had me totally convinced that it was going to be a boy, so we hadn't even really finalized any girl names.  We had talked about two, Hannah and Emily, but hadn't made a decision on either.  The doctor asked what we were going to name her, and Mike turned and looked at me and said very decisively, "Hannah."  And that was that, she was our beautiful little Hannah.  

Hannah is one of those children that, the more I get to know her, the more I wonder as to how I was so blessed to be her Mother.  From day one, she has been so easy going.  A blissfully easy baby who brought so much joy into our home.   She was blessed to be a healing spirit in our home and I see that gift everyday of her life.  She is kind and loving.  Always the first to give up something that she wants in order for the other person to be happy.  When she was a baby my Dad nicknamed her "The Judge" a name that was passed down from his childhood.  She always had a very stern look on her face, and didn't give up smiles very easily.  I at times, kind of worried what is this child going to be like.  It wasn't very long before I realized that I had nothing to worry about.  Hannah has been blessed with a great sense of discernment that even as a baby shined though.  I hope it is one of those gifts that she holds to for the rest of her life. Hannah has been blessed with great faith.  I have never known a child with such a deep relationship with her Heavenly Father.  It is something I envy at times.  

She has also been blessed with a deep compassion for others.  On her first day of kindergarten I noticed a little girl on the playground who looked rather rough.  Most of her hair had fallen out with a few little clumps of long hair left.  We later found out that she had leukemia and was going through chemotherapy.  I pointed her out to Hannah and said that she may have a hard day because some of the children may not be very nice to her because of her different appearance.  I told Hannah that she should go out of her way to make her feel loved that day.  Well, the kid blew my mind.  Not only did she make sure she had a good first day of school, she made sure that she was always by her side.  They became the best of friends.  It was a short lived friendship, the little girls family moved a few months after school started, and Hannah was heart broken.  

Hannah also has a fun, giggly, silly kind of side as well.  She loves to play outside and ride her scooter and bike.  She loves to dance and sing, and at this time in her life she is totally convinced that her and Hannah Montana are sisters separated and birth.  I haven't had the heart to break the bad news yet.  She is getting ready to start the second grade and loves to learn.  This summer has been fun watching the reading bug catch hold.  Last week when I was fully engrossed in the new Stephanie Meyer book, she decided to race me with her Judy Moody book.  It was so fun to lay in bed together and read.  She was constantly letting out little giggles and fun belly laughs.  All I can say is, it's magical to watch your child fall in love with a book. Let it be known, she beat me!  But, in all fairness she only had 140 pages to my 750.  

Hannah is one of those old souls that has brought much joy into our family.  I can't wait to see what this life has in store for her!  Happy Birthday, sweetie!!

Just One of those Great Days!

Today started out like many other days in my life, one with a long to-do list.  Many errands to run all over town.  Normally when I set off on my errands I am all business, with a let's just get this done as fast as we can, and try to stay in relatively decent moods.   Generally a major feat for a six (almost seven) year old, a four year old and a moody Mommy.  Seven hours later when we had accomplished all of our goals, while we were driving home I realized that today was a day full of good people who really went out of their way to make my day better.  Explain more you say, here is the list of all the wonderful things that happened to me today;

1. This one is a little odd, because it started as kind of a bummer.  My little Emily LOVES soup.  I don't know if I stated that strong enough.  It doesn't matter if it is 105 degrees out with 50% humidity, she doesn't care.  After we had run a few errands for work she started to let me know that she was hungry and that she really wanted some soup from Cafe Rio.  Now being a girl after my own heart, I thought that sounded rather nice as well.  So off to Cafe Rio we went.  Now anyone who knows Cafe Rio knows that it usually involves a long line of some kind.  So we waited, I finally ordered our two soups and waited some more.  Finally, when I am at the cashier, they tell me that they are out of soup!  Emily nearly burst into tears.  The guy across the counter nearly dies when he sees her face, so he give's me a card, good for a free meal!  Yea, little I know, but score one for the home team.
2. I went to work to tie up some loose ends after we had lunch.  Luckily, my chiropracter (whom I love and would marry just so that I could have a chiropracter at my beck and call at any time of day, I obviously have back issues) just happened to be walking into the building right as I was.  I have been having some weirdness with my neck, so I asked him about it.  He said I needed an adjustment, and to come right in.  His office wasn't open today, he was just stopping by to take care of some paperwork, but he would be happy to see me (see I love the guy!)  When he was done I offered to pay him cash because I knew that his office staff wasn't there, and he said "No, this one's on me."  Gotta love the guy!  
3. The next little happy moment in my life came after I had walked the entire Mall searching for dresses for my girls for my Brother-in-Laws wedding later this month.  I love his fiancée choice of wedding colors, however they are not in season right now, and impossible to find any type of dress in those colors for my girls.  I went to every single store in the mall that could possible have girls dresses and was almost ready to give up.  The last store I was going to hit was going to be a long shot, but I decided to try anyway.  I first went to the clearance rack, and eureka, I found the perfect dress!  The only problem, it was way to big and the only one they had left.  The gal working at the store, bless her soul, called everywhere looking for the sizes I needed, with no luck.  Then she decided to call the company headquarters to see if they had any left.  Believe it or not, they did and they had the sizes I needed!  YEA me!  I was so happy that she didn't take the attitude of, "nope that's the last one,"  and just left it at that.  Talk about customer service.
4. The next little miracle was at the store where I bought outfits for Haley and I.  The cute little sales lady felt sorry for me because the only dress that I could find for Haley was pretty pricey, so she gave me her employee discount!  That's 35% off.  Thanks kind, cute little russian lady, you made my day.
5. And last, but not least.  The girls and I after a long day of running around decided to go to Olive Garden for dinner.  Once again, Emily loves the soup there.  We had this cute little waiter named George, who was just a delight.  I ordered the Soup, Salad and  Breadsticks dinner and when I ordered Emily's soup he told me he would just bring her a bowl of soup without charging me, because he knew she was going to eat like a bird.  But wait, it doesn't stop there.  When he came to see if I wanted a refill on my soup, I told him I was full and I just needed the check.  He looked at me like, "that's seriously all you are going to eat?"  When he came to bring us the check, he also brought a bag with a to-go container of soup.  He said,"take this home, I know you are going to get hungry later."  How cute is that.  I have never had a server do that.  George, the next time I see ya, I going to give you a big kiss!

These, I know, were all so little and insignificant, but they made a huge difference in my day.  And the fact that they were one right after the other, it was bizarre.  So, as I was driving home and thinking about how the day went, I started to piece together all my little miracles.  It made me realize that there are still good people out there, and customer service is not dead.  It made me remember that every time I come in contact with another person, that I have the opportunity to add a little miracle into there life.  Even if that's just a smile, or something nice to say.  You never know how that may help them!

We Now Pause For a Brief Station Break

I like many have you have gone underground this week, neglecting all responsibilities, the family can survive on cereal alone for a few days right? My house looks like a tornado hit it, and guess what, I don't care!  This is the week of Breaking Dawn. 

I'm a little slower than some, so I will resurface soon and add my two cents.