Potty Break!

Kat: "Isabella, it's time for a potty break. If you can go pee and stinky, we can have a treat!"

Isabella goes in and sits on the toilet. After a minute or so, I go in to check on her. She is still sitting on the toilet.

Isabella: "Great news! I went pee!"

Kat: "Can you go stinky, too?"

Isabella: "No stinky now."

Kat: "Can you just wait a minute and see if you can go?"

Isabella: "I already asked my belly and he said, (she puts on a deep voice) 'Not now, kid!' "

The clubhouse decorated for the party

Birthday Girl 2

Birthday Girl 1

The Toast

The fairies sat down to a lovely tea party with crackers and flower-shaped cheeses, apples and caramel (you know how those fairies love their caramel), pumpkin and banana muffins. They chose between juices and lemonade and all ate daintily at their places. One sweet fairy decided to propose a toast to the birthday girl, so after making sure all fairies had full glasses, they had a toast to Maddie. Maddie the fairy was in her glory.

Birthday girl with her crown

The Birth Day Begins...

They've come a long way from that bathtub in Barberton!

The birthday morning began at school. John and I were invited in to watch Maddie's "Walk around the Sun." She carried a globe (representing the earth, of course) and walked around the circle with a candle in the middle (representing... anyone? That's right, the sun...) At the end of each walk around, we discussed what Maddie did when she was one, two, three, all the way to six. She beamed proudly and walked tall around the circle. We sang "Happy Birthday" to her and she passed out the snack we brought to her friends. It was lovely, and as usual, I was teary-eyed through the whole thing. What a nice beginning to her day.

Jella?

Everyone takes turns telling about their day at dinner. Today, Isabella was very eager for her turn, despite the fact that she didn't have school today.

Isabella: "At school, we have snacks at the carpet. We have muffins and pretzels. And we have jella!"(she slurps her tongue across her top lip)

Johnny: "You have Jell-O?"

Isabella: "No. Jell-LOVE. It's taste-tay!"

Isn't she a little young to know that song?

Grandpa Ken and Grandma Dot are in town for the weekend. They arrived today around 1 pm and we went to lunch. It was just Isabella - Liam and Maddie were at school. On the drive to the restaurant, Isabella began singing a song. Perhaps you'll recognize it.

Isabella: "Grandpa and Grandma, sittin' in a tree. K-M-F-S-Y-N-G. First comes marriage, then comes... marriage. And a baby in a ba-by carriage. Ummmm... I don't remember the rest of the words. I learned that from Katie." (the 10 year old neighbor two houses down.)

The Liam and Maddie Show

Liam had soccer practice last night. Johnny says he's looking better and better each time he plays. On the way home, he wanted to stop and get a "treat" because the first night he had practice, Johnny stopped and got him a Gatorade, so he thinks he should have a treat every time. Johnny didn't want to stop and his practice ends pretty late, so they just came home. Johnny told Liam that if he really wanted a treat, he could have a popcicle at home.

When they came in the house and Liam discovered that there weren't any popcicles, he had a major meltdown in the middle of the kitchen. Once I translated "I-I-I wanedtoged a-a-a treatbudaddywouldntget a-a-a treatantherrrsssnopopcicles..."sniff...sniff.... I tried to be helpful. I explained why Daddy was in a hurry to get home. I explained why he didn't need to have a treat right before bed every week after soccer. It didn't work.

He was being unreasonable and I was ready to put him in bed- he was obviously overtired. Maddie, always the peacemaker and doer of good, remembers the half of a broken popcicle left in the freezer. She offers it to him kindly and he growls at her. She goes to get it for him and sweetly says, "Here, Liam. You can have this treat." He scowls at her and sticks his tongue out. I look at him, amazed that he would do that to her when she was trying so hard to help. I get angry and send him to his room for disrespecting her and generally being an unresonable pain.

Maddie starts yelling at me. "Why did you send him to his room? Why won't you let him have the popcicle?"

Kat: "Maddie, I'm not going to let him be rude when you were trying to help."
Maddie: "But, Mom! Can't you give him another chance?"
Kat: "Mad, I already gave him two chances. He doesn't want the popcicle, anyway."
Maddie: "Can't you give him three chances? Because there's three of us kids?"
Kat: "Maddie, if he wants to say he's sorry and eat the popcicle, he can."

She storms upstairs and I go up a few minutes later to see if Liam's in the tub. He's arguing with John about the bathtub, his treat and anything else that ever pissed him off in the history of his existence. I go into Maddie's room and I am surprise to find her sitting on the bed, crying.

Kat: "Maddie, what's wrong?"
Maddie: "I just wanted to help Liam and he didn't want the popcicle and (sob, sob) I really wanted to make him happy and (sob, sob) you wouldn't let him have a treat and now he's yelling because he doesn't want to take a bath."
Kat: "Maddie. Liam is very tired. Sometimes people just want to be mad about anything and nothing you can do will make them happy. We can not please Liam right now. But it's very sweet that you tried."
Maddie cries softly. It's tough being an empath.

Be Calm, Everyone...

Yes. It's true. I did it. I got Maddie's hair trimmed. You see, ever since the Father's Day 2003 Fiasco, Maddie has been TERRIFIED to even go near hair shears of any type. We put the fear of who knows what in her. After she cut at least 10 inches off the front of her amazingly gorgeous hair that day, we forbid her to even be in the same room with any type of scissors. Some family members (you know who you are) have even whined at the idea of trimming her hair. Fret not, dear family. There was barely enough hair on the floor to be visible. But two-plus years of dead ends are gone and the hair is... good. Scroll down to see.




Maddie's first real shampoo

Maddie has to stand up to have the ends trimmed because her hair is so long

Maddie's first blow dry

The finished product

Isabella and the Unruly Bangs

Isabella got her hair trimmed today also. Once I heard her referred to as "that pretty girl whose hair is always in her face", I was determined to get to the bottom of this child's crazy hair pattern. The stylist and I decided that the left part will work well for Isabella, and we did trim those few long hairs that always migrate to the middle in front of her eyes. Since she's willing to wear a ponytail and barrettes now (ah, more beneficial school peer pressure), it's not such a big issue, but it will be nice to see her eyes at breakfast! :)



Isabella: "Me, too! Me, too!"

The Maddie Show

It seems like I'm telling a lot of stories about Maddie, but she's just in the news a lot right now. I just don't want to forget some of these things, so I put them down for the sake of posterity.

On Saturday, we were all just working around the house. Maddie was working on something intently. She had a shoe box that she was decorating and collecting things in. I saw my name written on the side of the box. A few minutes later, she brought me an empty notecard and envelope. She asked me to write something for her. This is what she dictated:

"Dear Kat, I got you this present because I am sad for you because your mom and everybody lives in Ohio." And then she took the pencil from me and signed it, "Maddie."

She then gave me the gift: a small green book and a wooden treasure chest with my name on it. One of her hair ribbons was carefully tied around the box with the notecard tucked underneath.

What We Look Like Normally

All these pictures have the kids looking their best: hair combed, smiling faces, dirt airbrushed out of their clothes. That, of course, is not how they really look. Here is how they really look.


Bella with belly hanging out

Maddie's first thing in the morning crazy hair

Liam wearing Maddie's pink robe at breakfast

The Hickeys have a reputation already...

Maddie: "Mom, I help the teachers."
Kat: "Really, Mad?" She pauses and looks around.
Maddie: "Can I talk to you in private?" She gestures toward the music room. We walk in there and sit down.
Maddie: "Today, when we were in line to go to the Grey House and the other teacher wasn't there, Miss Angie asked me to go from the middle of the line to the back of the line. One of the kids wasn't staying with the line and she needed my help."
Kat: "Wow, Maddie! It sounds like you are a big help to your teachers."
Maddie: "I also do the dishes. And sometimes, if my teacher is too busy, she says, 'Excuse me a moment (to the imaginary child the teacher is talking to).... (calls across room) Maddie? Could you please help Bhavani?'"

I am so proud at this moment, that I can hardly stand it. After being at this school for only two weeks, she has already made a name for herself. She is known as being kind, compassionate and helpful.

Since I was working until 12:30, we had arranged for Isabella to stay after 1/2 day dismissal (at 11:30) and eat lunch in Maddie's classroom with the kindergarteners. She loves it, so we're going to keep doing that through the next six weeks, even though I'm not working. The assistant in Isabella's class takes her to the kindergarten and assists with lunch in there. She was telling me how "motherly" Maddie is toward Isabella, to the point that she almost forgets to eat her own lunch, she's so busy caring for Isabella.

Liam was telling a story about being a little too loud in the hallway. The teacher asked him to sit in the chair and practice being quiet. After only a moment, she came back out and said, "Liam, you're being very quiet now. Would you like to come back in?" He has such nice things to say about this teacher. He says, "She always has really great ideas and I can always count on her." She, in turn, always has incredible things to say about him - how well he's focusing, how hard he works.

It feels good for my kids to have a positive identity at school. I know they're not really mine to be proud of - these achievements are truly their own - but I am proud nonetheless.





This is Isabella yesterday, eating her "laptop lunch." For those of you who've heard me rave about the infamous "laptop lunch," here it is in all its waste-free, reusable glory. Notice Isabella has already eaten all the fruit out of the two little containers. She will then go on to pick the salami out of the sandwich and leave the bread. Ah, the preschool Atkins diet.

Kat

I'll tell you when I'm ready to get up.

Monday, September 12, 6:50 AM

Johnny goes up to wake Liam. We've gotten in the habit of waking up Liam first - he tends to take the longest to warm up in the morning. It may be genetic. Liam comes wandering down, bleary eyed. He gets to the living room and looks at the kitchen table, disappointed.

Liam: "Where's everyone else?"

Kat: "Still sleeping. We woke you up first."

Liam: "But I thought breakfast would be on the table. Breakfast isn't on the table."

Kat: "The bowls are out. The spoons are out. The cereal and milk are out. The oatmeal's done. What do you want?"

Liam: "You're supposed to wait for me to wake up on my own. I'm going back to bed."

And he did. For 10 minutes. Until HE decided he was good and ready to get up.


Update:
Liam brought home some work from last week. They have a "work plan" for each week. It is a chart, listing the 5 days across the top and the 5 categories of work down the side. The idea is to give them a guideline for what needs to be done each day and a way to mark it off as it gets done. The second day they worked with the plan, Liam completed every task required of him. The teachers were THRILLED as this was really unusual for a first year student, especially one who has never attended a school with this philosophy. He is also doing four place math. He's doing problems such as 2431+5262. It's amazing to see him suddenly writing words and numbers and dating his work. Amazing.

Maddie is pretty stoic, so it's sometimes hard to get out of her what she really thinks about school. I know she loves having lunch with Isabella on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It seems like the afternoon kindergarten does some really neat things: playing soccer, going for nature hikes, baking their snack. Last week, they took care of the goats.

It was nice to have the day with just Isabella today. Every morning, once the kids are gone to school, Little Jeremy next door knocks on our door. Every morning. I open the door. "Can Miss Abella come out to play?" Isabella yells from the kitchen, where she is undoubtably eating, "Is that Little Jeremy?" (Ironic, because 'Little Jeremy' is older than her, but smaller) And she runs out to swing on the swingset with him.

That's all for today. Early night in for the babies - Monday night football starts an hour earlier, here in the Hoosier state. Did you see that brawl!?!

Kat

Blog This!

So... in an effort to update our "Quote of the Day" to a higher technological format, I will attempt to join the Blog world. Look for more quotes, random thoughts and ramblings. Maybe if this goes well, we will do that reality show my mom's co-worker suggested. But for now... baby steps.

I will, little by little, be adding the previous "Quotes" to the blog. Feel free to mark this page as a favorite so it's easy to return to and check. Also, feel free to share the link with others. You can also make comments on individual blogs that will be seen by anyone else who looks at our blog.

Happy viewing! (and commenting)

Maddie's First Soccer Game

Yes, it's true. Maddie is a "Bumblebee." (team name, compliments of Daddy - AKA 'assistant coach if the coach has a work emergency')

She played tough. She played hard. She played for four minutes at a time.

She drove the ball all the way down the field and almost scored the first time her foot touched the ball in the game. The ball bounced off someone and the smallest girl on the team (far left) toddled over and kicked it in. Maddie's first assist!

It's tough for Johnny and me since both games are at 11 A. We have no idea why the powers that be would schedule their games at the same time. So, we ran back and forth from one field to the other, trying to catch some of each game. Can't wait until the next two weeks when our cheering section will be bigger and take some of the pressure off us!

Click below to play the video of Maddie. Listen as she tells the other members of the team, "Go that way! Go that way!" Needless to say, their team did score for the other team at least once.

Liam's First Soccer Game

Liam's first game was today at 11 AM. He's in a U8 team, so everyone on the team is 6 or 7. His team had only 6 players (6 play at a time) at the first practice, but the coach said two more had been added since then. Unfortunately, only 5 showed up for the game today. So, they played 5 on 5 and Liam and his teammates all played the whole game with no break. In the beating down sun. It was hot.

Liam played defender for a while and even got a turn at goalie. (Liam: "It was fun, but I only stopped one ball!") He seemed to really like playing. He did his best to pay attention to the game. The other team had several previous seasons of playing together, so they were pretty unstoppable. And one kid had to be at least 9, from the looks of him!

He is eager to play again next week, especially because the grandparents are coming up the next two weekends.

Play below to see Liam kick off and then wait for the perfect moment to set up the perfect kick.

The world according to Liam...

I gave Liam a disposable camera for his birthday. I thought it would be fun to capture the world through his eyes. There were some shots of him on his birthday. There were several nice pictures that he took in our old house. One of Isabella, Maddie and I. One of his reflection in the mirror in Maddie's old bedroom. One in the kitchen of the old house.

After I picked them up, he and I sat down and went through the photos together. We oohhed and aahhed at the pictures. When we got to the ones in the old house, he got quiet. I asked if he like the pictures. He said, "Are these from our old house?" I said, "Yes! Isn't that great?" He looked at me with that look whether you're not sure if he's being a smart-aleck or being sincere. He was being sincere. He says, "Mom? I think I'm almost gonna cry."

When two act up, one has to take the high road...

We sit down to the table for supper - Dean Martin playing, candles burning. Suddenly, Liam and Maddie are whining in harmony about dinner. "I don't like this kind of chicken." "The potatoes are too salty." (which they were - oops) "The skin on the chicken is too crispy." "I don't want to eat this." "I only like one thing you made."

I look over at Isabella and she is happily eating amidst the chaos. Suddenly, all is quiet for a moment. Isabella looks up expectantly. "Sooooo....who made the carrots?" I look at her and say, "I did." She leans over and hugs me and makes that face where she squishes her face up. "Thanks, mama!"

We are carpooling with Daniel, a 2nd grader in Liam's class. The kids went over to his house to play after school. Johnny is reading Liam "The Hobbit" at bedtime and he loves it. We are all excited for the first soccer games on Saturday.

Finally, the girls can be girly

Johnny helped Liam get ready this morning, so I actually had a minute to do something cute with the girls' hair. I hope this doesn't set everyone's expectations too high...

Futbol - or is it Soccer?

Tonight was soccer practice. Maddie's first, Liam's second. Liam is in the middle of the age group, Maddie is the oldest on the team. Liam is fast and he has good instincts about where the ball is going. Maddie is the same. Both are still working on controlling the ball while dribbling. And passing. Well, more like even noticing that there's anyone else on the field. But that is more than typical at this age.

Maddie's coach has two kids who also go to the kids' school. The son, W, is on Maddie's team and in Isabella's class. The daughter, E, is in my toddler class. She's a doll. The dad works for the health department. He asked for a volunteer to help if he should have an emergency for work. No one raised their hand, so.... Johnny's the assistant coach!
Hooray, Johnny! Go Team 2 in the Munchkin League!

There is a boy on Liam's team who is a bit...aggressive, but not just while he's playing. Liam came home last week and said:

Liam: "Everyone was really nice, except this one boy. He kept kicking everybody's soccer ball far away and telling them to 'get used to it.' And he was cutting in line."

Today, Liam told me as he was getting dressed for practice: "I'm going to wear my 'crabby shirt' (that Johnny got for him in Baltimore that says, 'Don't bother me, I'm CRABBY') so maybe that boy won't mess with me then."

So, I took Liam to his practice today while Isabella and Johnny were Maddie's cheering section at hers. I watched for this kid and spotted him immediately. He was cutting in front of other kids during drills. He was hitting kids with his ball, and generally being a pain in the ass. At one point, he went up to Liam to cut in front of him (Liam was next in line to go for the drill) and Liam stood up to him, not saying anything, just standing strong. So, the kid left him alone and cut in behind him. Liam was proud.

The kicker: The punk is the coach's son. :) Ahhhh... Team sports.
Let the fun begin. We're ready...


First game: this Saturday 11 AM Central Time.

Furnishing the Clubhouse

The clubhouse is complete. While Johnny and I fixed supper, the kids moved the furniture from the garage all the way around the back into the clubhouse. They didn't think that they could carry it all, but with a little teamwork and Hickey ingenuity, they made it work.


Maddie comes in and says: "Is there anything we could use for a TV?"

Johnny and I look at each other silently, deciding which one of us would make a smart-ass comment.

Johnny: "You mean, something that's not actually a TV?"

I suddenly got what she meant and asked, "Do you mean, like a box cut out to be a TV?"

Maddie: "Yeah, so somebody can be on TV and say [insert serious voice] 'Today, in the news...'"


So, we get a box and cut out a square. Maddie draws buttons on the TV and takes it out to the clubhouse. They set it in the open window. The kids all take turns sticking their face in front of it, with Liam hogging the face time a little. Maddie runs back into the garage to get something she had seen in there earlier. She comes running back out to the clubhouse.

Maddie: "I got the remote so we can turn Liam off when we get sick of him!"

Leonardo DiCaprio's got nothing on Isabella

Isabella is helping me bring bags of mulch from the van to the backyard by pushing/pulling the wagon stacked full of mulch bags. She wants to pull it herself, despite the fact that it is physically impossible for her to do it completely by herself. We take the turn in the backyard and the top two bags fall off the stack onto the ground. I continue pulling the wagon, she stops pushing and stands on top of the two stacks.

Isabella: Look, Daddy: I'm the world of the king! I'm the world of the king!


Eddie Money is coming into Fort Wayne for a concert Thursday night. The radio station we listen to has been advertising all weekend, playing snippets of his tunes. I was working on the clubhouse with Maddie when she started singing along:

Maddie: I've got... Two tickets to Chuck-E-Cheese...

Kat: What?

Maddie: When we were at Grandma's, she had tickets to Chuck-E-Cheese so me and Liam sang, "I've got two tickets to Chuck-E-Cheese"!

Less talking, more drinking

(thanks for the caption, Dad)

Our neighbors, Karen and John are having a campfire tonight. They invited the neighborhood over at 8 pm. She told us they had stuff to make s'mores, beer and wine and to just come over. The kids looked up at the clock and saw the 8 and jumped up to go. Liam burst out the door, with Maddie not far behind. Maddie turns around at the sliding glass door and looks back.

Maddie: Are you guys coming?

Johnny: I gotta be honest, Maddie. I really don't feel like talking to anybody right now.

Maddie thinks a minute, but doesn't miss a beat.

Maddie: Beer?

Poor Dad gets blamed for everything

September 1, 7:50 pm:

Maddie: Daddy? Did you do the laundry today?

Johnny: Did I do the laundry? No. Why?

Maddie: Well, Liam's shirt is in my drawer and my shirt is in Isabella's drawer!

Johnny: You think that because everything is in the wrong place, that I did it?


Maddie loved her first day all day at school. Liam continues to not say too much about it, but seems to be having a great time and making friends. I'm noticing little differences in him: more respect for others and for "the rules". Isabella continues to be completely potty trained. She saw me at the fence between her playground and the toddler playground (where I was with my class) today.

Yesterday, that caused her to cry and scream at the fence. Today, I gave her a kiss and said, "Go play and I'll see you soon!" She said, "Okay!" and skipped away. What a difference a day makes. Loving it for her, but missing my baby.