Middlest is 8

Facebook notifies me almost daily of my 'memories' - posts that I've made years ago on this day.  Today I received a notification that on this day last year I finally got around to blogging about Middlest's birthday.  I guess I should get at this year's now before the month is over.

On March 7, Middlest turned 8.  I know it's cliche, but time really does fly.  She wanted to have her party at the gymnastic club that she had it at last year and also the same place Littlest had her party last month.  Simple enough.  As you recall, we almost had to cancel Littlest's party because of sickness.  Well, we did have to cancel/postpone this one for real.  The morning of the party, Middlest woke up early with a stomach ache.  Being the understanding guy that I am at 4 in the morning, I told her to go back to sleep.  Shortly thereafter, the puking started.  (Note to self:  pay attention when they say their stomachs are upset.)  We were able to get a hold of everyone and postpone the party for one week.  We didn't even lose our deposit.

Here she is on her actual birthday with the carrot cake and cream cheese icing that didn't make it to the party.

Here we are, one week later than planned, but still having fun.  There was an extra foam pit that recently opened.  The kids had a blast jumping into it.

Walk like a crab.

Littlest attempting to crawl out of the foam blocks.

I chatted with the guy in charge and found out the pit was six feet deep and made for all sizes.  That was all the encouragement I needed.  I got in line with the kids and had my turn.  Julie later told me that when I was getting ready to go that the gymnast in charge started piling up the blocks where I would land 'to make it soft for the big guy.'  He did a good job, because it was a soft landing.

My expression may say otherwise, but it really was soft.

Victory!  

It was quite hard to get out of though.  The kids seemed to have a much easier time with that part of things.

So instead of two days early, we celebrated our middle child 5 days late.  But I would say it was worth the wait.  

Middlest is still as much of a bookworm as she was a year ago.  She is playing piano and busy getting ready for the festival next month.  She is nearing the end of grade 2 and excelling at everything.  She marches to the beat of her own drum and definitely has her own sense of self.  Her fashion sense is loud and animal printed.  The more patterns worn together, the better.  She loves unicorns and often tells stories of how they live on the moon with their friends, the fire dragons.  Did I mention her imagination is fairly healthy?  She is crafty and creative.  She's a good sister and looks out for her little sister when we're not around.  When we are around, there is some normal sibling bickering and her displeasure is easily heard from anywhere in the house.  She continues to love and follow Jesus and enjoys church on Sunday and doing her 'God time' sheet that she brings home from Sunday school.  She received a bible for her birthday and has been reading it.  

There are many times when the girls make we want to pull out what little hair I have left.  But there are more many more times that they fill me with pride or that they just make me laugh.  They are all pretty great kiddos.  Later.

I don't like balls...and other stories

I'm not sure how I still get surprised by some of the questions or comments that come out of the girls' mouths, but occasionally I do.  It just so happens that over the past week or so, each girl has caught me pretty much speechless.  Let's go in order:

Littlest received a mermaid doll to play with in the bathtub for her birthday.  She was busy playing away in there one night before bed when the usual call came: 'Daaaaaddd!'  You would swear it was a life threatening problem judging by her persistence.  'DDDAAAADDD!!'  Okay, okay, I'm coming.  When I got to the door, she asked me, 'How do mermaids pee?' Hmm.  That's something I don't think I had ever pondered before.  I said that I guessed they just went in the water the way fish do.  'No, how do they pee?  Where does it come out?'  Now I have definitely never pondered the exact anatomical make-up of a mermaid.  She was holding up her Barbie-sized doll, slowly turning it and looking for some sort of clue.  Finally I said that they must have holes in there somewhere, you just can't see them on the doll.  She seemed satisfied with that.  I call that a win for dad.

Middlest is going to go to camp for the first time this summer.  It usually fills up, so we had her registered already and she received her letter in the mail this week saying she was accepted and what to bring.  I was making supper and she was reading me the list.  Swim suit, towels, shoes, flashlight, Bible, sleeping bag...etc...personal hygiene items.  She stopped, looked up and asked, 'Dad, what are personal hygiene products?'  I told her they were things like a tooth brush, hair brush, deodorant.  She got a relieved look on her face and then started to giggle uncontrollably.  She said, 'That's good.  I thought that meant tampons!'  Then we both started to laugh.  'That's what the box says!' she said.  Julie later pointed out that the box says feminine hygiene products.  She was close.

Biggest brought home a note from school about an after school baseball camp they were offering.  Knowing she had no interest in this, I told her that I signed her up.  That's when she said, 'Dad, you know I don't like balls!'  I almost blew my mouthful of milk right out my nose.  Balls.  She had to say more than one.  Couldn't have said, 'I don't like ball.'  I then asked her if she didn't like any balls.  She replied, 'Nope.  Soccer balls, basket balls, dodge balls, baseballs.  I hate them all!'  All right then.  Later on that evening, she was talking about a friend of hers who is in figure skating and was previously in gymnastics.  I asked her if she felt her life was lacking because she wasn't in any organised sports.  Then she said, 'Dad, you know I hate sports!'

So there you have it.  Know where your mermaids pee.  I mean really know where they pee.  Leave your hygiene products at home (for now).  And just say no to balls and sports. Later.