Music to my ears

Little girls come with a lot of drama. They screech, squeal, fight and pretend in a way that little boys just don't. Things that haven't ever phased either of the boys are a HUGE deal for both Lorelei and Caitlyn, and there are days when I'm shocked that both of the girls make it through the day without a serious sister-induced injury.

Some days they fight like cats and dogs over everything from who got the "better" bowl of cheerios (and I have no idea what makes one bowl more desirable!) to who looked at whom and who was playing with a piece of paper first.

But then there are days like today, and I am reminded that they love just as fiercely as they fight.

Lorelei woke up from her nap in a grumpy mood. She could only be consoled by laying her duck pillow in my lap and rocking with me. Caitlyn came over, and started to rub Lorelei's back gently. Then, she started singing a sweet song to Lorelei, one she just made up as she went along. I'd give anything to recall all of the words, but part of it went like this:

"You are my sister, sweetheart, and I love you under the twinkling stars. Our whole family is wonderful, and I'll always take care of you when you say you are blue."

It just melted my Mama heart to see them together. I know they are going to have days where they will drive each other crazy. But, I also know they really will always take care of each other, too.

Raising sisters is amazing so far, and I'd be willing to bet it only gets better.

Pierced Ears

When Caitlyn was little, Jason adamantly opposed piercing her ears. I knew I didn't want them done as a baby, but I had no strong feelings about it otherwise.

Of course, neither of us was counting on Caitlyn's ability to so easily communicate what she wanted, and just a couple months shy of 2 years old, she began begging for "earwings." Specifically, she wanted monkey and frog earrings. I finally gave in to her insistence, and she and I went to get them done. As childhood rituals go, it was not particularly traumatic, but she did cry. I expected that, but what I did not expect was the nightly battle when it was time to clean her ears.

I swore that there would be no rush to have Lorelei's ears done because I was not in any hurry to repeat that experience!

Nonetheless, kids (at least mine) seem to have their own agenda and timeline for these sorts of things, and the other day when we were out shopping, Lorelei began asking for "earwings." The big difference is that this time around there was a sibling there to coax her along.

"Mama! Lorelei wants earrings like me and you! See--Lorelei, do you want earrings?"

"Yesh. Earwings."

"Seeeeee! She wants them!!!"

Not in any hurry to go through with the actual piercing, I figured I could buy some time if I was straightforward with my little redhead.

"Lorelei, it hurts a bit when you get earrings."

"Hurts?"

"Yes, just a bit. Do you still want them?"

She thought for a moment, rubbing her cute little ears. Then, to my surprise, she screeched, "Yeeaaaah!"

So, with Caitlyn's encouragement, Lorelei got her ears pierced. Caitlyn stood next to her, and reassured her that it would only hurt for a minute, though Lorelei was unconcerned about the advice. She picked out little pink earrings, though Caitlyn lobbied hard for tiny purple flowers. She played with the earring gun when the kind girl showed her how it worked, and she sat still while her ears were marked. She never even squirmed when the girl got the gun in position, and then . . . .

"WAAAHHHHHHHHH!" She flipped her tiny body over, and buried her face in my neck. I told the girl I'd walk around and calm Lorelei down before we did the other ear. As soon as I slid out of the chair, Lorelei picked her face up, and said, "More earwing?" as she patted the unpierced ear.

And just like that, she was ok, and allowed us to do the other ear. She cried again, but only for a moment before wanting to get down to pick out some new earrings with Caitlyn. I let each girl pick out earrings for later, and that was that.

Lorelei is so proud of her earrings, and she shows them off to everyone. She likes to look at them in the mirror, and she declared them to be very pretty.

And the cleaning? The epic battle scenes I was afraid of repeating?

Not an issue. In fact, Lorelei runs to get the cleaning solution when she wakes up in the morning and before bed at night--all that worry for nothing!

So, without further ado, Lorelei's pierced ears:

*Please note the baby, the paci and the duck that MUST be present at all times!

Still Sad

I pride myself on being a strong, independent, take charge kind of woman. I like to do things for myself, and I relish accomplishing a big job that others might need help with. One of my constant refrains is, "I've got it." Whether "it" is 10 bags of groceries, tiling a floor, organizing a trip, cleaning up a mess or lifting something twice the size of me . . . I've got it, I don't need help, just back off! I don't even like for other people to make me a sandwich or fix me a drink.

My mom is exactly the same way, so I'm sure some of my quirks are either genetic or learned. (By the way, her favorite phrase is also, "I've got it!" AND just recently, she hung an entire kitchen's worth of cabinets by herself AND she also doesn't like for other people to make her a sandwich or fix her a drink--although she will let me on occasion.)

And I think this attitude of strength is precisely why I am having such a hard time since Steve passed away. I cannot stand to feel down about things, and even at the hardest times in my life, my attitude has been that I just need to get up and keep going. It is who I am.

But this loss still hits me right in the gut. I am so, so sad about all of the things my girls will miss out on. Yesterday, Lorelei learned how to really throw a ball. For such a little thing, she has a pretty decent arm--Steve would be so proud of her, with her little red pony tail and purple golf ball that she learned to fling across the room. If he could see her, he'd stop what he was doing to play "pitch" for as long as she wanted to.

And Caitlyn, oh Caitlyn. Not a day goes by that she doesn't talk about her PawPaw. We were in the car today, and all of a sudden she asked me if I remembered riding in the boat last summer with PawPaw. "Uncle Joey was surfing, and he was so silly! And PawPaw let me push the button that made a beep, and I loved that, " she practically squealed from the back seat. "I wish PawPaw could be there at the lake this summer. I'm so sad I can't see him anymore."

And me. I prize logic and reason above many other things in this world, and Steve pretty much epitomized the meanings of those words. Which is why, anytime I bought a car, took a job or faced a frustrating circumstance, I sought his advice. I deal with a fair bit of crazy that stems from Jason's ex-wife and her family, and for the past couple of summers, I've been in Houston when some situation arises that sends Nutty up to a whole new level. And every time, when I was irritated over the utter lack of both logic and reason, Steve was there to talk to. I miss that. And frankly, with a new ridiculous issue cropping up, I'm a little pissed that life must constantly prove over and over again that it isn't fair. I've lost a steady, strong source of calm and fairness, but the never-ending babble of illogical fallacies and hubris continues?? Thanks, universe.

I guess I really thought by this point in the game, I'd be able to go a day without being reminded of this empty spot in my heart. I never thought I'd still be tearing up when I hear a song that reminds me of Steve. I sure didn't think I'd be in a spot where my 3 year old would feel the need to tell me that it's ok because PawPaw will always love me.

I just never thought I'd still be so sad. I guess maybe I just never thought about how easy it is to be strong when you have such amazing people standing beside you in your life. I can't imagine how much more terrible I'd be at this whole process without my mom, my girlies and Jason!

Singing Songs

Both of our girls love to sing, but, unfortunately for us, they also both inherited our rather uninspiring vocal genes. If you saw my performance as Nanette in "No, No Nanette," then you know what I'm talking about!

Caitlyn's current favorite song is "Beauty and the Beast." She amazes me with her memory for song lyrics, and I'm pretty sure she has just about every Disney song memorized. But, don't pigeonhole her yet--she also loves everything by Michael Jackson, "All the Single Ladies," Jason Mraz and the Twilight soundtrack.

We taught her the traditional kid songs, too, but she likes to put her own little,odd twist on them. For example, "Rock-a-by, Baby" quickly became "Rock-a-by, Rat" in which she sings the word "rat" with croaking emphasis.

Lorelei likes to stretch her vocal cords, too. When she is not screeching or demanding something, she likes to twirl in a circle and sing, "Right here . . . now," which for the unindoctrinated, is a close version of a High School Musical Song.

Last week, we were out shopping, and it was getting perilously close to nap time. Lorelei started to get fussy, so I was trying to distract her by singing little songs (very, very quietly so no one else could hear me!). When I got to the lullaby section of my concert, I quietly crooned, "Rock-a-by . . . " at which point Lorelei interrupted me.

"RAT!" She then collapsed in a heap of giggles.

So, its official. I'm raising two odd little ducks. But, I wouldn't trade them!

And, just so you can see that I'm not exaggerating the musical "gift" the girls have, here's a little taste of their singing:

Disney With Chris

Shock and awe---it's another Disney post! :)

Of course, this trip was special (as all of them are!) because it was the first time Chris has ever been to Disney World. He did go to DisneyLAND several times before he was 2, but 1.) he doesn't remember it, and 2.)Disney WORLD is much, much better.

It was an amazing trip with lots of fun meals, priceless memories and exciting days. Here are a few pics: