BOY ... we had a big day!
Alexis wanted to go to Schlitterbahn Water Park in New Braunfels, Texas - voted the worlds best water park - for her 7th Birthday.
So ... we went! And ... it was FABULOUS! The park covers 65 acres and a lot of the pools are spring fed water from the Comal River and it is so cold and refreshing. Billy and the kids having cocktails - no, not really.
Like I said - We ALL had a lot of fun on Alexis' Birthday and Schlitterbahn was a great idea!
Alexis, was my husband and my 17th wedding anniversary gift to one another. I remember a friend saying to me at the time I announced this news (that I was pregnant again) to him, "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" jokingly referring to my age.
I say it was my husband's fault, he says it was mine - this unplanned conception. He tells people that he, on the night in question, was like a fighter pilot ... coming in for a landing. He says he could see the landing deck, he could see the lights and he could see me ... waving him in.
I don't recall it exactly the same way. After seventeen years of marriage, I may have looked up to the sky and I am sure I saw the aircraft coming at me ... but, I'm not so sure I was waving him in.
But ... OH, what a gift Alexis has been! While she was nine years younger than our oldest daughters when she was born and ... my husband and I were ancient when we had her, she was the greatest surprise - the greatest gift!
I just love her to death! She tells me, "I love you as many as there are grasses in the world, as many as there are bees in the world, as many as there are leaves in the world, as many as there are cherries in the world and as many as there are eyelashes in the world."
I love her as much as all of these things, as well!
Happy Birthday, My Sweet Girl!
You are a glorious ray of sunshine!
You have brought tremendous JOY into our lives!
I can not imagine my life without you!!
I love you to pieces!
Sometimes ... I have days all to myself.
More often than not ... all the kids are around, and I can't get a moments peace.
And then some days ... I have only one kid or two kids ...
On this one day - it was just Alexis and I. The boy was with his father at work and the twins were at basketball practice.
Alexis strolled into the kitchen, climbed up on a bar stool and said, "Can we go out to eat tonight?" and gave a big smile.
"Oh, I don't know," I answered - truly believing the answer to this question was NO, but not wanting to (hear the SCREAMING just yet - HA!) discourage her hopes too quickly. "Daddy is not going to be home for a while and the girls are at practice," I continued washing the dishes in the sink.
Alexis whined a bit and then said, "Can you take just us?" she paused, "Your ... littlest daughter and Mom," she giggled sweetly.
How would I resist such a proposition? I said, "Maybe we will."
She got all excited and I guess she felt the need to offer something that she was sure might seal the deal and so she said, "I'll let you use my make-up."
On the upside ... Oh - I have been known to use bribery many, many times throughout the years of raising these children. I think this one was definitely trying to turn the tables.
We went - the littlest daughter and her mom - to Wendys. The mom wore a t-shirt, shorts and sandals and ... Strawberry Shortcake Shimmery Pink Lip Gloss on her happy lips. The back of her t-shirt read ... SUCKER!
I have mentioned what a planner Alexis is.
She might be a tad obsessive.
She might just be a bit controlling.
She very well could begin writing to-do lists any ... day now.
She is ...
After all ...
Her mother's child.
She might be only 6 years old, but ...
She is a planner!
She says, "How long 'till my Birthday?"
Me - standing in the kitchen, cooking dinner. "It's less than a month away."
"How many days is that?" she is sitting on the bar stool watching me cook.
"I don't know, Hon - 25," I guess this answer.
She is thinking.
She says, "I want to go to Splash Town for my birthday," she smiles big.
I smile.
"Maybe Pump It Up - Yep, I want to go to Pump It Up," she smiles big.
I smile.
"Next year I'll go to Fiesta Texas," she picks up a carrot and sticks it in her mouth and she ... smiles big.
I smile.
"Then ... the next year," she gags on the carrot and spits it out on the counter, "I want to go to Schlitterbaun Water Park," she smiles big.
I smile.
"Could I go to Schlitterbaun?" she waits for me to answer.
"I don't see why not," I continue to cook.
She jumps down from the bar stool and heads off to the living room . I hear her saying, "Okay ... when I get to be 10 - I want to go to Schlitterbaun," she sits down on the couch, "Or ... maybe Sea World ...."
Me ---
I am no longer smiling.
On the upside ... Honestly ... I don't have a CLUE where she wants to go for her birthday! I can't keep up with that girl and her ideas - her plans - her schedule!! I can only imagine when she has something REALLY important to plan - *sigh* - like a WEDDING! I guess it could be worse. She could be begging to be taken to that filthy GERM HOLE with the gigantic happy RAT - Chuck E. Cheeses!
Alexis comes into my room.
She has a sad look on her face.
She sits on the floor - crosses her legs - crosses her arms - bows her head.
"What's up - what's the matter?" I ask.
"Victoria doesn't want to swim with me," she whines.
"Why not?"
"She just doesn't want to," she throws herself on her back and looks up at the ceiling. "She says ... she wants her hair to stay dark," she offered this odd statement.
I looked down at my sweet girl in her red and white, Betty Boop swimsuit. I said, "What? What do you mean?"
"You know," she looks up at me. "My hair is getting lighter - cuz I've been swimming so much. I WANT my hair to get blonde," she sits up and smiles. "Victoria wants her hair to stay dark."
"Victoria doesn't have dark hair," I say. "She's got blonde hair," I am confused. "Why do you want your hair to turn blonde," I wonder.
She looks at me strangely.
She says ...
"Dad says ...
Blondes are more fun."
On the upside ... I need to have me a talk with this child's daddy. Find out 'zactly what he's been tellin' Alexis. Blondes HAVE more fun or ... blondes ARE more fun! Remind him - once again - just how fun us BRUNETTES CAN BE!
Alexis often has a favorite word that she uses over and over. For a while it was the word apparentely.
Lately, it's not just a word, but a phrase - she uses it many times throughout the day.
Her favorite phrase lately is - I'm guessing ...
"I'm guessing ... it's time for lunch," she will say.
We were together recently, out by the pool. We were taking a break and sitting at the table - just talking.
She got to talking about God.
"I believe in God ... and Jesus - both," she says.
"Good - I do too."
"Do you believe in the devil?" she asks.
"Yes, I do," I answer and take a sip of my iced tea.
"Why?" she is curious.
"Because ... it's in the Bible and I just believe there is a God and I also believe there is a devil," I say, looking across the table at my sweet girl.
She gets thoughtful and says," I don't want to believe in the devil."
I say, "God tells us there is a devil," and leave it at that.
She then decides ... okay ... she believes in the devil.
"What about Heaven?" she asks.
"Yes, I believe in Heaven."
She does too.
"Will you go to Heaven?" she wants to know.
"I think I will," I tell her.
She pauses a minute, looks directly into my eyes and then she says, "I'm guessing ... I will go to Heaven too."
On the upside ... I am guessing ... little girl ... you are definitely going to Heaven ... as you have GOT TO BE one of God's favorite little children!
The Fourth Of July boat parade ... begins!
WOO HOO!
"MOM - come watch me swim!" Alexis screams across the yard.
"Okay," I say and stroll over and sit at the poolside table.
"MOM ... watch me do a dive!" she screams and then dives into the pool.
"Sure - I'm watching," I say, looking right at her.
"MOM ... count how fast I can swim across the pool!" she hollers and then takes off across the pool.
"One Mississippi
Two Mississippi
Three Mississippi ..."
"MOM ... count how long I can stay under the water!" she yells and then holds her breath and under the water she goes.
"One Mississippi
Two Mississippi
Three Mississippi ..."
"MOM ... count how many underwater somersaults I can do," and she tucks herself into a ball and begins to twirl beneath the water.
"One ....
Two .....
Three ....
Four ....."
"MOM ... I'm going to walk on my hands. Count how many steps I can take," she squeals and then dives to the bottom of the pool and begins to walk on her hands.
"One ....
Two ....
Three ....
Four .....
Five ....."
"MOM - throw me some rocks and I'll go dive for 'em," she bellows and then stands on the side of the pool with her eyes closed waiting for the rocks to be thrown.
*Plunk*
*Plunk*
*Plunk*
*Plunk*
"MOM ... Now it's your turn! What tricks do you know?" she asks, pulling herself up on the side of the pool waiting for my tricks.
I lift my iced tea glass to my lips and take a sip ...
I adjust my sunglasses on my nose ...
I cross my legs ...
I throw another rock into the pool ...
*plunk*
I stare across the pool into the eyes of my darling seven year old daughter and say ...
"You're looking at 'em."
On the upside ... "What tricks do I know?" ACK!! *Lazy mom throws her head back and laughs hysterically until iced tea spews out of her nose.*
-
Alexis and I were spending the afternoon out by the pool.
It got to be around lunch time and so Alexis asked me if I'd go make her some lunch - bring it out by the pool and we'd have a picnic.
As I am walking inside, she yells, happily, "Make me anything - I don't care what you make me - I'll eat anything!" she was so excited.
So ... I made lunch.
I brought it outside on a tray - my tuna sandwich and her plate full of food - some drinks.
"Whatcha make me?" she asked, pulling her dripping body out of the pool - big ol' smile on her face.
"A peanut butter sandwich, chips and a fruit cup," I placed the tray on the pool side table.
She became quiet.
Her face got all wrinkled and puckered.
She whined - really loudly ...
"Awwwwwwwwwww ----- I don't want peanut butter! ---*whimper - pout - scowl - slumps the shoulders - flings wet 6 year old body dramatically into a nearby chair*.
Me - I placed my paper towel on my lap - picked up my tuna fish sandwich and took a bite.
On the upside ... LET THE PICNIC BEGIN - WOO HOO! (*Mom's face gets all wrinkled and puckered - sighs loudly ... like a mom that seldom does anything right*)
Alexis comes in the back door.
She stands near me in the kitchen.
She says ...
"There's 10 parts of the body that have 3 letters in them," she smiles and waits for me to respond with excitement.
"Is that right?" I look in her direction.
"Yes," she is waiting for the game to begin.
"Okay," I stop what I am doing and walk over to where she is. I pull out a chair at the kitchen table. I sit down.
"There is ... Eye," I say, and she smiles.
"There is ... Ear," I say, and she smiles bigger.
"There is ... Leg," I say, and she begins to giggle like crazy.
I stop.
I think.
I repeat -
"There is ... Eye."
"There is ... Ear."
"There is ... Leg."
I look at her.
I say, "What else?"
The smile on Alexis' face fades quickly and she says, "I dunno," she has a blank look. "I just know there are 10 of them - I dunno what they are," she looks disappointed.
Me - I look at her ... disappointed.
She says, "You'll have to look that up. Like ... Google it," and she is smiling again.
Me - I am thinking - Surly I can do this without Googling it! Surly I can name 10 body parts that are 3 letters long. If they were each 10 letters long, then I'd definitely have to Google it, but ... 3? Surly ...
On the upside ... Okay! I didn't actually have to Google it, but I did ask for help from Little Billy. We came up with all 10 - after much thought and much smoke coming from the mom's ears.
Can you name all 10?
Hosted by Cecily and Mama Geek
It doesn't take all that much to make Alexis happy.
She finds joy in the simplest of things.
Her love for life and fun and laughter and song and dance are ...
INFECTIONS!
OBVIOUS!
CONSTANT!
She's only 7 years old - and to her - every moment is a moment of ... POSSIBILITY.
A moment of ... FASCINATION!
A moment for ... ENJOYING THE WORLD!
Recently ... she and I were at the lake together.
We decided to take a ride in the golf cart.
We grabbed our water bottles, our sunglasses and Remis - our puppy - and took off for a little ride.
It was a gloriously sunny, Texas summer afternoon.
We headed out down the road - to nowhere in particular - with no destination in mind - just driving - she and I and Remis ...
Driving along ...
Enjoying the sun and the breeze.
The view of the lake.
The ducks.
The people.
She looks at me at one point.
She says ...
Referring to Remis, who was sitting between her and I on the seat ...
"Inside ... he's jumping for joy!" She's grinning from ear to ear.
I smile.
"How do you know this?" I ask into the face of my smiling daughter.
She hesitates for a moment.
She smiles sweetly.
She says ...
"Because, I know ... I am."
On the upside ... And there you go. Finding joy in life is as simple as that!
-
I'm not a great mother.
I'm NOT!
I swore - SWORE - that when school let out, I would be getting to bed at a reasonable hour every night and therefore that would insure the rising in the mornings at a reasonable time.
NOT HAPPENING!
I swore - SWORE - that I was going to make sure my children would get to bed at a reasonable hour every night and therefore that would insure the rising in the morning at a reasonable time.
NOT HAPPENING!
I swore - these children would not wander around with messed up hair, dirty teeth and clothes they wore from the day before.
ALL OF THE ABOVE - IS HAPPENING!
I swore - I would make breakfast and lunch and dinner - in a timely manner - keep everyone on a meal schedule to avoid all the ridiculous GRAZING in the refrigerator and pantry.
NOT HAPPENING!
A few days ago ...
Sweet Alexis made herself a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal.
I saw her in the kitchen - standing on a stool to reach the bowls in the upper cabinet and then watched as she then wandered over to the refrigerator to retrieve the milk.
I left the room before she ate that bowl of cereal, but ... I know she ate it.
About 15 minutes later ... she came to my room.
She looked at the clock ...
She said, "Is it morning or afternoon?"
I looked at the clock, "It's lunch time - it's almost noon," I smiled into her dirty little face.
"It's time for lunch?" she questioned.
"Yes," I answered and then went back to what I was doing, not worried for her, as she had just eaten Captain Crunch. As she was walking out of my room, I asked, "Where are you going?"
She looked over her shoulder ...
She rolled her eyes ...
She said ...
"I'm going to make me some lunch."
(*loser mom hangs head in shame*)
On the upside ... I went down and made her some fish sticks and french fries - that way if we missed dinner (odds were good) - she would have already of had ... that ... meal ... (*sigh*)
Look up to the sky.
Search and search into the darkness of the night.
Reach back into the recesses of your foggy mind.
Try your hardest to answer this question ...
"Hey Mom - Is Pluto a planet?"
Oh, great - here we go again ...
"Uh - sort of," the mom with the lack of planet-and-astrological-knowledge answers pathetically. "I think it's like a mini-planet or a sub-planet or something like that," the mom scrambles to sound smart.
"It's a dark, cold planet," the small daughter offers.
"Yes," the mom agrees.
"If you ever go there," the little daughter steps closer to the mom, "You shouldn't take off your helmet or your head will freeze - like a big giant ice cube."
"Yes," the mom agrees.
"You can see all the stars very well from Pluto," the small daughter whispers, as if what she tells is a secret.
"Yes," the mom shakes her head.
"So ..." the small daughter looks into the eyes of her mother, "Is Pluto a planet?"
"I'm going to say - Yes," the mom answers very firmly. "It was a planet. It is a planet. It is also ........... a dog," the mom hears the strange words come out of her mouth.
"A dog?" the tiny girl's ears perk up.
The mom smiles.
She might not know her astrological facts about planets and such ...
But ...
She most certainly ...
Most definitely ...
Ab-so-lut-ley ...
Knows ...
Her Disney characters!
On the upside ... Pluto was a planet. It is a planet. I don't know. I don't know what makes a rock a plant and what makes it not a planet - all I know is that there were 9 planets in the solar system I grew up learning about. I don't know what happened. I don't know about these things and I am not qualified to be teaching any 6 year old child about planets or solar systems or stars and crap!! I really only know about dinosaurs and Disney characters ... I know a bunch about those (*smiles at the thought of Pluto the dog ... smiles at the thought of her head turning into a big giant ice cube - chuckle *).
Alexis: Hey, mom, how many laps do you think you could swim across the pool?
Me: Uh ... I could probably get across the pool.
Alexis: Could you swim like ... 30 laps?
Me: *throws head back and laughs so hard she nearly chokes herself to death*
-
When I was a kid ... we went to church all the time.
We went on Sunday mornings.
We went on Sunday afternoons.
We went on Sunday evenings.
We went on Wednesday evenings.
Billy and I have not been as diligent about taking our children to church.
But, we do go.
Just not every time the doors are open.
It's not easy getting the mom in the family up and going on Sunday mornings.
It's not easy getting 2 teenage girls up and going on Sunday mornings.
It's not easy getting a 10 year old boy, up and going and easily convinced to wear nice slacks and dress shoes - on Sunday mornings.
Alexis .... on the other hand.
She is up.
She has picked out her pretty dress and has it on, before the sun rises in the sky.
She has her ruffled socks and patent leather shoes and hair bow to match her dress and purse - ON!
She often wanders into her parent's bedroom - at the crack of Sunday-dawn ... stands beside her sleeping mother's bed - taps her mother on the shoulder - pushes her mother on the shoulder -- SCREAMS, "ARE WE GOING TO CHURCH - IT'S TIME TO GO TO CHURCH," like the loudest church bell you have ever heard!
On the upside ... I get up - we go! I often tell people that Alexis is our family's moral compass - these days, as she seriously loves going to church. I'm not sure if it's for the Sunday school lessons or ... because she just likes wearing all the going-to-church clothes. I also think she has a bit of a crush on her Sunday school teacher - as he always Oohs and Aahs over her when she walks in the classroom. It could also be those snacks. Whatever the motivation - I have to believe while she's there - she might just be learning a thing or two about God - that's good. It's okay if she likes to look pretty doing it.
Me ... I'm sooooooooo over the patent leather shoes. I do appreciate a nice little snack, though.
Alexis is a planner.
She is always planning stuff - you know ...
She came home from school a couple of weeks ago and said, "My teacher says that I will celebrate my Birthday at school on the 27th of May," she has a great big smile on her face.
"That's good," I say and smile back - knowing how important this is to her - her Birthday (not really until July)!
"I want Sonic," she informs me.
"You want me to bring you lunch?" I ask.
"Yes," she looks at me like I should have known this.
"Well, I guess I could do that," I giggle.
"I'd like popcorn chicken, chili-cheese fries and a root beer float," she begins to ramble off her order.
She walks over to my desk and returns to my side with a pad of paper and a pen and she hands it to me.
"What's this for?" I ask.
"To write down my order," she says and begins to repeat, "Popcorn chicken ......"
That child.
On the upside ... She OBVIOUSLY has no clue how busy my life is!
I wrote down her order and stuck the piece of paper in my pocket. She turned and went on her way. Sometimes, I need her to believe that I take her seriously - you know - even if what she is asking me to do is RIDICULOUSLY! Generally ... I would wait to take her order - oh - just before I was actually going to go to get the food - ya know? Not ........... THREE WEEKS AND FOUR DAYS OUT!
She's a planner - that one.
At the bookstore.
Alexis reading.
Using her whole personality to convey the story.
Makes her mom so happy.
Makes her mommy proud.
She is a fabulous storyteller.
She is her mama's girl.
Alexis believes most anything I tell her.
She depends on me to ... teach her.
She depends on me to ... guide her.
She depends on me to ...
Tell her the truth.
And ...
Most of the time ...
I do.
Tell her the truth.
But ...
Sometimes ...
I can't help myself.
Like the other day ...
When ...
Little Billy came home from one of his out-exploring-the-world afternoons and brought home this ...
"Well ... it's a unicorn horn - of course," I tell Alexis, in response to her question whilst standing in our kitchen.
"But ... are they supposed to be all scaly like that," she reaches over and touches the scaly horn.
I shake my head most confidently, "Why yes - that is how they look when they fall off. And when they fall off ... all the unicorn glitter falls off too - leaving them looking like this," I am smiling a big smile, all the while looking into my darling girl's adorable face.
She is a little excited now.
Excited by the fact that we - she and I - are in possession of a REAL LIVE UNICORN HORN - right in the middle of our kitchen - sitting right there on the kitchen table. She can't stop smiling.
But then ... she does stop smiling for just a moment and says, "Is there really such a thing as unicorns?" I don't know what took her so long to ask.
So ... what do I say?
Do I wiggle my way out of this fantasy discussion?
Do I confess to my ridiculous lies and tell the sweet child the truth?
Or ...
Do I continue with the pretense?
Continue to try to make Alexis believe there are in fact unicorns and they live right in our neighborhood - right near our house?
Yes ...
I lie!
I say ...
"Well ... here's it's horn - isn't it?"
On the upside ... While Alexis and I were happily discussing our unicorn theories in the kitchen ... in the living room - was Little Billy - SCREAMING, "IT'S AN ARMADILLO TAIL! IT'S AN ARMADILLO TAIL AND ...WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER YOU TOUCH IT, BECAUSE DAD SAYS IT CAN HAVE A DISEASE THAT WILL MESS UP YOUR FACE!"
Poor Alexis .......... I'm pretty sure she was better off believing it was a unicorn's horn - yep!
Alexis and my niece are the same age - their birthday's are 4 months apart.
They are like sisters.
They spend a lot of time together.
I babysit my niece every afternoon after school and this is time that Alexis gets to spend with her cousin.
They sleep over at each other's houses.
Because my niece lives next door (with the rest of her family - my brother's family) - Alexis and my niece see LOTS of one another.
In the summer - they swim together and play in the sprinklers.
Even though they spend so much time together, most of the time they do get along.
Sometimes they fight.
Sometimes they console each other.
Sometimes they are funny.
The other day - when the two were swimming in our pool, they were competing as to who could do the best - the biggest - canon ball - you know, where they run and grab their knees to their chest and then jump in the water in the shape of a ball - creating a big splash.
Alexis - being the larger of the two - usually makes the biggest splash ... but, my niece continues to try to keep up.
After a while of trying and not succeeding at making the size splash her cousin makes - my niece whines and whimpers a bit, "How do you do it? How do you make it so BIG?" tears rolling down her sun kissed cheeks.
Alexis - being the sweet girl that she is - not wanting her cousin to feel bad, says, "I make a bigger splash just cuz ... I have more... JUNK IN MY TRUNK!"
Her cousin cracked a big smile.
So did the mommy!
On the upside ... Canon balls - definitely one of those times when having MORE JUNK IN YOUR TRUNK might just come in handy!
So ... on the way out the door to church Sunday morning, I reach down and pat Alexis on the bottom, realize pretty darn quickly she is not wearing panties under her pretty church dress ... !!
Of course, I sent her back up the stairs to GET ... some!
I am seriously trying to figure out which lesson I neglected to teach that child - or ... which lesson she has taken upon herself to ignore ???
OMG!!
-
+of+IMG_3237.JPG)
