Today my nine year old was with some neighbor kids and they started googling each other’s names. Marian came running home, friends in tow, to tell me that they found my blog. She seemed kind of excited and surprised. Mom, you made a website about me and Michael?! Not only did she find it, she left a comment on a random post: hi mom u have a website about me and michael omg this is marian
I still cannot grasp the fact that you are nine today. It seems like just yesterday we were holding you while you screamed…and screamed! I will tell you that I wouldn’t change a minute of that screaming because it had something to do with making you who you are today. You are such an amazing little girl and I’ll never stop feeling like I’ve won the lottery by having you as my daughter.
This last year has been an exciting and busy one but I wouldn’t change a thing. I don’t think you would either. Soccer continues to be your favorite sport and you love playing for the Force. You are quite the little soccer player and dad and I always look forward to watching you play. Your sense of adventure and willingness to try anything both amazed and terrified me this year. You played baseball for the first time on an all boys team. You were a little tentative the first practice but you played well and quickly became just one of the guys. You are always up for a visit to the skateboard park. This winter we went skiing for the first time and wow! Your first day you had gone up every chairlift and down every hill. You were hooked and your passion for skiing prompted us to take a ski trip up north, of which there will be many more. You’re a waterslide-aholic, you’ve tried boogie boarding and skim boarding. I think water skiing will be in your future this summer. I love that you have no fear and for the times you do, you put it behind you and forge ahead. This fearlessness of yours is also the thing that will give your parents ulcers and more gray hair than we already have.
Third grade has been a great year for you and one that I really think you’ll remember. You love your teacher and you love your friends. Third grade was also our first exposure to letter grades on report cards. The only letters you’ve brought home this year are A’s and again, your parents could not be more proud. You have a desire to succeed and to do well and you are so very bright. You are going to great things. Of this I am certain.
Did I mention that you are funny? Oh my, you are funny. You have developed quite a little sense of humor this past year. You have also mastered the art of sarcasm. I’m sure that anyone who knows your mom and dad aren’t at all surprised by that. While many think you are more mature than your age, and you are, you still have plenty of goofy moments. I love the silly moments.
You are kind. You are compassionate. You are funny. You are smart and you are beautiful. You have a smile that can shatter any foul mood. Your heart is bigger than you are. You definitely have a feisty streak in you and your will is strong so you keep us on our toes. Your father and I adore you and we wonder how we got so lucky to have you. Year eight was such great year to watch you grow. I can only imagine what this next year will bring. As always, we will be there to watch you every step of the way and we’ll love every minute of it. Happy Birthday Marian Sly!!!
Over the weekend I read this by Chris over at Alphamom. In this post she challenged us to write about the best part of being a mom. That’s quite a challenge. I didn’t think I could find just one thing. Especially now that the kids are getting older and they are developing some great personalities. They are VERY funny. There is a lot of laughter in this house and it’s just as I would want it to be. There are so many other things too I didn’t think I could possibly pick one. But then it came to me. It was something that happened last Thursday night. Let me set the scene:
We had no practices. No games. Just time. Mike brought out two twin bed mattresses, plopped them on the living room floor and sent the kids on a mission for blankets and pillows. They have never moved so fast. An unplanned movie night and snuggle fest to boot! We watched “Legend of the Guardians” (it’s this great owl movie and if you haven’t seen it run out and rent it immediately!). There was a part in the movie where two owl brothers are kidnapped. One brother chooses to leave his other brother in hopes of impressing the kidnappers. He effectively chose to be separated from his brother in the hope for bigger and better things. It was a hard moment. Michael looked over at Marian. Marian, if that was us, would you have left me? She quickly assured him that she would have stayed with him no matter what. His six-year-old self was relieved. I was touched.
There it is, my favorite part of being a mother is witnessing and relishing in the love my children have for each other. We are constantly telling them that they are each other’s best friend. That there isn’t another person in their childhood that they will have played with more or have shared more secrets, giggles and memories with. Friends will come and go but they will always need to be there for each other.
Don’t get me wrong, they bicker plenty too but I’m happy to say that they get along more than they fight. Maybe our oldest being a girl helps. She’s very compassionate with her little brother. That compassion is waning a bit as she’s nearing the age of nine, which seems to be the equivalent to being a teenager. Who knows what the future will bring but my hope for these two as they grow is that they continue to be goofy with and supportive of each other and that their bond strengthens with every year.
Below are links to a few of my favorite posts about this topic. I can’t believe how much they’ve changed in the last two years. I should go back and look through this blog more often!
This one has a great note from Marian (damn you auto-correct!)
This one snuck up on me. It really is the little things.
This one’s over a year old but was a great “together” moment.
This was my first post about their concern for each other. It was over two years ago. Michael was just about to turn four. Motorcycles are involved for those thrill-seekers out there!
Last month Marian set this note on my bedside table. She and Michael hadn’t been getting along lately and I had been expressing my distaste for this. It was a weekend morning so I had been laying in bed, not sleeping, because that apparently is something I’m not capable of. However, I’m very capable of being lazy and that’s precisely what I was doing. I rolled over, saw her note and read it. Then I burst out laughing. It struck me as so cute and so funny. The typos were one of my favorite parts. She clearly let the computer autocorrect some of the words for her which adds to the fun of the note.
Marian really does love her little brother. Yesterday was Sunday so we went to mass and the kids went to their religious education classes. Later in the afternoon he was going to go to his friend’s house. Michael had recently changed kindergarten classes so he and this friend weren’t in the same class anymore and they missed each other. When we got Michael from his religious education class the teacher said he hadn’t behaved and was disruptive. Our obvious punishment would have been to cancel the playdate, however that would have punished his friend just as much. We told him he would still go to play and that we would decide on a punishment later that day.
That night Mike had a hockey game at 7:15pm. Both of the kids LOVE going to his games because it’s a special treat. Most of his games are too late so it’s always exciting if he has one before their bedtime. Mike and I decided that Marian would get to go to her dad’s game and that Michael would not. We all knew that Michael would be devastated when he heard but he needed to learn a hard lesson. Marian cornered me in the kitchen with this plan:
Marian: Can you just tell Michael that when dad and I leave we are just going to run errands? Then, once we’re in the car you can tell him the truth.
Me: Why do you want me to do it that way?
Marian: Because I don’t want to see him cry.
She felt bad for him. Awww. That’s love. What’s even more loving is that as she was walking out the door with Mike she was crying too, because she felt bad for her brother. So even though they do fight, they are brother and “sitter” and they try to love “another”!
FYI, we weren’t being too harsh on the boy. He’s a hand-full and we’re working hard at home to teach him what is expected of him at home, at school, at church and with his sports teams. Taking away the wii or the TV can only do so much. This was probably the hardest punishment we’ve doled out to him and we can only hope that he’ll learn from it.
Last night I saw some friends that I haven’t seen in almost a year and one of them, ONE of them, asked me why I’m a slacker with the blog. He then went on to say that he checks it every day and is constantly disappointed by my lack of follow-through. My shallowness will allow me to believe him even though I know he isn’t checking it daily. I told him I only post when the kids do something funny or when the mood strikes. My kids are pretty funny and in fact, many a funny thing has happened since the first day of school post two months ago. So, the cat is out of the bag… I. Am. Lazy.
I have to admit, I’m thrilled to know that even one person checks this blog from time to time. I’m not feeling the funny right now so I’ll have to come back with another post when the mood strikes but in the meantime, KM, thank you for believing in me (cue motivational music). You send me an email when you read this post, I’m expecting it in about a month!
Today was the first day of school. Marian is starting third grade (one of my favorite grades growing up) and Mikey is hitting the big time in kindergarten. They were both eager yet anxious this morning. We took our obligatory pictures in front of the tree outside. Here are some comparisons from the years past. I’m missing a few pivotal pictures, like Marian’s first day of kindergarten, because of our old computer crashing. Still, you can see that I need to stop feeding these two to try to gain control over the growing and the aging.
Marian third grade, Mikey kindergarten
Marian second, Mikey young fives
Marian first grade, Mikey preschool (holding her lunchbox)
Marian 4yo preschool, Mikey just along for the ride
Six years ago today you, my only son, were born. Your birth was a fast one and fairly painless, all things considered. I should have known then that your speed in birth would only be rivaled by your speed in everything else. You, my love, are a mover and a shaker and you only slow down to sleep. I honestly can’t believe that it’s been six years. The first few years of your life involved special formulas, daily breathing treatments and lots of medicine. I almost forget about all of these things because now you are a rough and rugged boy who’s as healthy as can be and I thank God for that every day.
This seems like a lifetime ago
This past year of your life has been a fun one to watch. You’ve developed a love for skateboarding, scootering and video games. I took you to a skate park recently where you took classes and attended a camp. You were so proud when you mastered dropping in. If you can learn these things when you are five, I’m terrified yet excited to see what you’ll be able to do in the coming years.
Dropping in
You have always had a huge passion for sports. In fact, you’ll often ask to watch sports on TV instead of a kids show. Your father couldn’t be happier about that! You play soccer and hockey and you play them well. You’re looking forward to playing baseball for the first time this spring. Just days ago, after attending your first Lions game, you announced that you want to play football too. God help me! I love your sense of adventure and your fearless attitude for trying new things. That said, these traits of yours also scare me to death. I want to roll you in bubble-wrap before sending you out to play (see below, a softball accident).
You are starting kindergarten in a week! You’re eager to go to Marian’s school and I know you are also a little nervous. You come across as such a confident little boy but you are also very concerned with what other people think of you. This makes me sad. You are too young to care about such things, but you do. I vow to try to help you place more importance on what you think of you versus what others do. I see qualities in you that make me proud and break my heart at the same time. Like when you are hurt or get in trouble and you try not to cry. Each time this happens I realize that my little boy is starting to try to act like a man. You are growing up too fast. Please stop. Many people have said that you are such a “cool” five year old. You flash peace signs, your greeting to friends is typically ‘sup instead of hi and dude is a heavily used word in your vocabulary. You even insisted on getting a mohawk (but we got you a faux-hawk instead). You’ve been channeling your inner teenager!
You had your first girlfriend this past year and there were a few others that wanted to marry you. You are quick to make new friends. You are kind. You are funny. You are beyond adorable. I’m so proud to be your mother and I can’t wait to see what year six looks like for you. Happy Birthday Michael Sly!!
My darling daughter is a creative genius. This morning as I was working at the computer she slipped this onto the keyboard. I found myself laughing out loud.
She loves her Dunkin Donuts! She played up with her love for me which went straight to some much needed mom validation and finally finishing strong with the sympathy card. I think my favorite part is where she says, “speaking of that”, as though she was just writing me this lovely note which caused her to realize she might like a donut. She’s going places and yes, one of those places is Dunkin Donuts today.
Michael said something the other day that made me realize that while I want my children to speak proper English there are just some words I never corrected them on. They were too cute. Not only did I not correct them, I actually mourned the day when they came home and said the word correctly. I wanted someone to blame. Here’s a reenacted conversation of when Marian stopped saying pupcake. Pupcake…instead of cupcake! Seriously, can it get any cuter? That was my favorite one and I never once corrected her. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Me: How was the birthday party?
Her: Fun.
Me (thinking she already answers like a teenager): Well, what did you guys do?
Her: We bounced, had cupcakes and got a prize.
Me (taken aback): What? What did you say? You had cupcakes?
Her (confused): Yes, we had cupcakes.
Me: What happened to pupcakes? Who did this? WHO TOLD YOU?!? Go to your room young lady!!!
Maybe it didn’t play out exactly like that but I really did question her when she said cupcake for the first time. She just laughed it off and said that one of her friends asked her what she had just said and then told her the correct pronunciation. You know, something her mother should have done.
The good news is that just the other day I heard Michael say something about pupcakes so I secretly did a little dance. I also loved that the computer used to be called the MACputer. Oh, and for the record, my kids will be attending college at Michigan Steak instead of Michigan State.
I hope one day that Mikey realizes what a good big sister Marian is to him. She can still be a moody little creature and feisty at times but then she does these nice things that no one would notice. But those little things are huge! This morning I took the kids out to eat at our favorite little breakfast restaurant where they all know us. Usually the kids wolf down their food at this place. Today, however, Michael didn’t eat his breakfast. As we were leaving the owner of the place asked the kids if they were ready for their suckers. I told him we should probably pass on the suckers because “Trouble” (the man’s nickname for Michael) didn’t eat his breakfast. “Oh”, he said, “then they need two suckers!”. The kids picked out their suckers but in the car I told Michael he couldn’t have his yet because he hadn’t eaten. I may have also lectured him on the cost of food, why his parents both work and that there are children that go without food for days so isn’t he lucky. Yes, a bit heavy for a five-year old but I digress. After a brief stop at the house we then ran to the grocery store where both kids were very helpful. They didn’t ask for everything under the sun and while Michael did ask for Skittles, he fully accepted my answer of no without question or combat. When we left I said he could now have a sucker. He said he had left them at home. Marian piped up and said they could each have one of hers. She hadn’t had one yet because she hadn’t wanted Michael to feel bad. I never (NEVER) would have been so kind to my brother when I was her age. I didn’t even notice that she wasn’t having her sucker after we left breakfast. It was a kind little gesture, but it made my heart swell.
Sly and the family 