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!
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