Are You The Easter Bunny?

Yesterday after school, Avery and I were in my bedroom reading, when she turned to me and said that she had something important to ask me. I put down my book...

Avery: "If the Easter Bunny brings us candy and toys, then why do stores sell those things too?"

Me: "That's a good question. Why do you think stores sell those things?"

Avery: "I think it's because parents are really the Easter Bunny. Are you the Easter Bunny? Am I right?"

Me: "What do you think? Do you think you're right?"

Avery: "Yes, because I don't really think there can be such a thing as a big bunny who sneaks into your house at night. That just doesn't seem real to me. Am I right?"

Me: "Yes, Avery, you are right."

Avery: "I knew it! That is so funny! Why do parents do that?"

Me: "Because it's fun. And because we love seeing your face light up on Easter morning."

Avery: "I think those are great reasons. And I think it's so cool that it's really you that's been giving us all that stuff. That's so nice of you. So, if you're the Easter Bunny, is Daddy Santa Claus?"

*Sigh*

So, my 7-year-old daughter figured it out, all on her own. Avery, so it seems to me anyway, has always been in a hurry to figure things out and grow up much more quickly than I'd like for her to. She's always been inquisitive. Always asked questions. Always been able to connect the dots. Always thinking. Always asking. Always... I love that about her. But at times, I wish she'd slow down.

I was in 1st grade when a friend told me the truth about Santa Claus. I couldn't believe it. I didn't believe it. I continued to believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny until I was in 6th grade. 6th grade!!! That's when my 2 older sisters showed me the Easter candy and goodies that had been "hidden" in our laundry room by our mom. I remember my mom talking to me about it and telling me the truth. I wasn't upset. I remember thinking it was funny, kind of like Avery did.

I wanted to lie to Avery last night, because there is a huge part of me that wants her to stay little and innocent and naive. I don't want her to lose that wonderful child-like imagination that she has. But I realized very early on with Avery that she "gets" things much sooner than a lot of other kids her age. I realized that with Avery, when she starts asking questions, honesty is always the best policy. Because if I don't tell her the truth from the very beginning, she will just continue to ask questions until she does get the truth. And because 9 times out of 10, she already knows the truth before she ever asks the first question. And so I've created a very honest, very open relationship with her, and she knows that she can ask me anything. She asks, and even though at times I don't want to tell her the truth, I always do. And so she keeps coming back to me for answers, for which I have to remind myself at times, is really a good thing.

There's a fine line to be walked in all of this though. Even though Avery seeks these answers from me, sometimes I have to not tell her the WHOLE truth. Sometimes, she's just not ready to hear everything. It's kind of like the Easter story of Christ on the cross. You can't tell a 2 year old that Jesus was brutally killed on a wooden cross for our salvation. You focus on Jesus leaving the tomb and going to Heaven to prepare a place for us. But when chlidren are around 9 or 10, they start asking questions and wanting to know the full story, which interestingly enough, seems to be the age that a lot of children start to "get it" and come to know Christ as their Savior.

My hope in all of this is that later in Avery's life, when she really needs answers to the much more important questions, that she will know that she can come to me for those answers too. I hope and pray that will be the case.

And so this Easter, my prayer for my daughter as well as for my 2 sons, is that they will always seek the truth, and that they will always know exactly where they can find it. Happy Easter!

Christ has risen!

"He himself bore our sins on his body on the tree, so that we might die to our sin and live for righteousness; by his wounds, we are healed." 1 Peter 2:24

"For what I have received, I have passed on to you as of the most importance; that Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose again on the third day." 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." John 8:32

Reading Vocabulary

Reading Vocabulary... Uggggg! Where do I even begin?



Avery's in 2nd Grade. She's doing great in school. But things just don't always come as easily for Avery in school as they do for Samuel. And this is where my frustration begins for my poor daughter. She's so smart. She got her 3 week progress report sent home last week, and she's making straight As, except for a 74 average in Reading. Arg!



Ask anyone who's spent any amount of time really listening to and talking with Avery, and they will tell you that she has an amazing ability to remember the finest details of a situation. She can remember what someone was wearing on a specific day, how that person looked and what the mood was of their encounter. Her earliest memory is from when she was 18 months old. Hector accidentally caught a little bit of her tummy in the zipper of her flannel pajamas. Almost exactly a year later, we were in our new house, and Hector went to zip up a new pair of pajamas, and Avery started screaming about how she didn't want Hector to zip up her tummy like he had before in the other house. We both just stood there, shocked... She remembers names too, which is a gift that I wish I possessed. When Avery was 3, she broke her collar bone. In the ER, I couldn't go into the x-ray room with her because I was pregnant with Isaac, so I had to call Hector to come to the ER from work. Months later, our entire family was going to see my sonogram done for Isaac at the hospital, and Avery asked me if I thought Scott would be there. Who's Scott? She proceeded to tell me that he worked at the hospital and was wearing a white shirt, white pants and white tennis shoes that day. You know, Scott? And that's when Hector told me that in the midst of all of her own pain, Avery asked the lab technician what his name was, and whether or not he was scared. His name was Scott, and no, he wasn't scared. Scott, the lab technician who comforted my daughter in a time when she was scared and in pain. And she remembered his name and what he was wearing. But while Avery's ability to remember a name and a face and the mood of a situation is simply amazing in my opinion, it doesn't really help her all that much in school.




Some of you may remember that I blogged about the 2nd Grade Reading Vocabulary words last school year when Samuel was in 2nd Grade. This is a list of words that gets sent home on Friday. The student is supposed to memorize the list of 20 words over the weekend, and should be able to read them to the teacher on Tuesday at school, while also possessing a general knowledge of what the words mean. Samuel struggled with them a bit. But if he could read through them once with my help, by the 2nd time, he could read through them on his own.

Poor Avery... I suppose it doesn't help that her birthday falls during the last week of the school year, so she is one of the youngest children in the class. And she really doesn't like to read either. She loves to be read to, and she loves to talk about what the people in the book are wearing and feeling (sigh), but she doesn't like to do the reading herself. I read to her every night in bed. We are a reading family. So, 2 weeks ago on Friday the Reading Vocabulary list came home and I started going over them with her that same night. By Monday night, she was doing really well with the list. She only missed 2 words the next day when she read them aloud to her teacher. But this past Friday night, this is the list that came home from school:

These words have left both of us feeling defeated. She read through the words twice on Friday, 4 times on Saturday and 4 times yesterday, and she's still missing half of them. She can't remember the SH sound in machines. Europe completely throws her for a loop. And you can just forget about successful, canals (which she pronounces Can-Les), and earned (which she pronounces Ear-Ned).



I feel frustrated for her. It's not like she's not trying. She is! So here's my dilemma. You will notice that I have not signed the paper yet. Signing the paper "means you have gone over the words and your child can read them." Do I sign the paper tonight if she can't read all of the words to me? Do I sign it but also send an email to the teacher, so that at least she will know that Avery's trying? What do I do?



On a funny side note, last night at dinner Avery was reading through her list and when she came to the word earned, she stopped and said "Agh!" out of frustration. And Samuel said in a totally joking voice, "Wow, that's cool that agh is one of your reading vocabulary words." We all couldn't stop laughing...

Goodbye

That's all, folks! It's done. Adios, Verano. Goodbye, Summer...

Today is the first day of school for Samuel and Avery. And despite the fact that we did not take any vacations, we had a wonderful summer and were all a little sad to see it come to an end. And since I have not posted very many pictures on here of our summer, here's a run down for you of the things that kept us busy...

Avery Bridged in Girl Scouts. She is no longer a Daisy. She is now a Brownie!

Upon receiving her Brownie Sash, Avery said, "This is going to be great. I love brownies!" :-)

Samuel earned his patches and is no longer a Wolf in Cub Scouts. He is now a Bear Cub! Rock on, Big Guy!

Avery celebrated her 7th birthday.

I made a garden cake and birthday pancakes, all for the birthday princess...

And Samuel celebrated his 9th birthday, complete with a cake that looked like a pepperoni pizza, made by yours truly.

I think Samuel liked the game that Hector picked out for his birthday, but it's so hard to tell from his expression... :-)

Avery got her ears pierced, and they looked SO cute! But they got infected and closed up a few months later. :-( Boo!

Hector got a new job!!!!!!!!!!!!! A new job with lots of great perks... Go Colgate-Palmolive!

We celebrated the 4th of July with Hector's family. Look at all those kids!

We welcomed a new member into our family.

Did a little gardening...

Went to the free local water park, A LOT!

Went to the zoo with my sister and nephew. Fed a few giraffes. Rode a camel named Isaac.

Went to Six Flags. Met Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman and The Green Lantern. Played a few games. Rode a few rides. Picked the hottest day of the summer to go. Sweated like fools but still managed to have a blast.

My car said it was 109 degrees, and I was inclined to believe my car...

Did a Pringles taste test, then Avery and I made some Pringles Purses.

Celebrated my 16th wedding anniversary. Went to a resort/spa while Grandpa and Grandma watched the kids (Thanks G&G!). Sat on the balcony and enjoyed the view of the lake. Had a couple's massage. Ate some really good food. Enjoyed every single minute!

Celebrated Hector's 39th Birthday with my mom and step-father. I bought him a new car.

Paid all of 97 cents for it!

Went to the Meet the Teacher night last week. Got a good feeling this is going to be a really great school year! And today, Samuel and Avery started school!

Come on, guys! Loosen up just a bit. Act like you love each other...

That's better!

This morning, dropping the kids off at school went just about as good as I hoped it would. Avery was very excited but a little nervous too. She held my hand so tight on the walk to her classroom, my hand was all red and sweaty. But she held herself together, and really did seem happy about getting back to school. Before we left the house, we said a prayer that God would help us all to not cry, to stay calm, and to be happy. After I dropped Avery off in her classroom, I took Samuel to his classroom. He was fine until I saw on the clock that it was time for me to go. I very calmly told him that it was time for me to leave. And Samuel said, "I know we prayed that God would help me to not cry, but I don't think the prayer is working." And he started crying... I had SO hoped for no tears this morning. So I knelt down beside him and told him what could have only been words given to me straight from God. "You know, Samuel, sometimes we ask God to help us not be sad and to not cry. But sometimes, God allows us to cry so that we can get rid of the sadness in our hearts and make room for the happiness that He has waiting to give us. Let go of the sadness and grab on to happiness." And with that, I said goodbye to my big 3rd grader...

The many moods, the many shades, the many sides of Avery...

Avery loves to travel. And she loves to pack too. She gets so excited about it. But she tends to go about packing much in the same way as her Mama does... over-analyzing everything and therefore, over-packing as well.

So yesterday, Avery's ears perked up immediately when she heard me (from 3 rooms away) starting to pull out the suitcases, and she came barreling into the guest room and immediately went into "packing mode."

"Where's my suitcase? What do I need to pack? Is it going to be hot or cold there? How many days will we be there? Do I need tennie shoes? Flip flops? Church shoes? How many dresses should I bring? I want to bring my pink tights for my purple dress, my white tights for my red dress, and my peach tights for my blue dress. I should probably bring pony tail holders. You know it's always windy at Grandma's house. I should bring 2 jackets, just in case I get 1 dirty. Do I need shorts? Do I need lotion? Oh, I can't forget my ear plugs. What about food? Do I need to pack snacks? Do you think Grandma will make that brown meat (carne guisada) that I love so much, with all the gravy? I don't think 1 suitcase is going to be big enough. Where's my pink bag? You know, the bag that Aunt Amanda bought me? Maybe the princess suitcase should be for my clothes and the pink bag should be for my shoes, panties, socks and tights. Does that sound okay? Oh, I need to pack a bag with things to do in the car. You know how I always get bored in the car. Oh, can you wash my footy pajamas, the ones I'm wearing right now?"

She reminds me a little of George, from Seinfled...

.

Sorry for the poor sound and quality of that. But I think you get the point... We're leaving home for about a week, and the girl has packed half her closet, because you just never know what mood Avery will be in once we get to where we're going...

Whew, she's all packed and ready to go! Now maybe I can focus on getting the rest of the family packed!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas... The 5 Aces

My Daughter

My second born, middle child, only daughter... clever, witty, creative, inquisitive, detail-oriented, amazing memory, curious, tenacious, beautiful, loving, spirited, and truly empathetic to all living creatures. Oh, how I love her! But oh, how she challenges me! Avery can't simply be told to do something and then do it, without asking first why, when, where, what and who will be involved. She can not simply be told to go get ready for bed, without first asking why our body's need sleep, why is it time to go to bed, why do daddy and mommy get to sleep in the same bed together but she has to sleep in her own bed by herself, what can she do once she gets into bed (read a book, write her own book, etc.), who established this exact time as a good bed time anyway, and do we need to rethink her bedtime since she is, after all, getting older. I love it, but it exhausts me! :-) I now know why parents started saying, "Because I said so! That's why!"

Last night, Avery was acting inappropriately. I won't go into the full details here. But needless to say, Hector and I decided it was time to pull out "the big guns" and start punishing Avery for this specific behavior she's been exhibiting for several days now. After several warnings from Hector and I went unnoticed by Avery, we decided to tell her that the next time she did it, she would have to give away one of her toys. Not even 3 minutes later, she did it again! Agh! So, I sent her to her room to get a toy. She came back with this:

Me: "Nice try, Avery. But that's Samuel's toy... it goes to his view finder. You were supposed to get one of your toys."

Avery: "All you told me to do was to go get a toy from my room, and that toy was in my room. You didn't say it had to be one of my toys."

Do you all understand now a little better, when I said that it exhausts me, what I was truly talking about? Clever! Witty! But exhausting too!!! So, I sent her back to her room with more detailed, specific instructions, and she came back with this:

Me: "Again, Avery, while I realize that this sock does belong to you, I told you to get a toy and not an article of clothing."

Avery: "But I don't wear that sock. I use it as a dress-up toy for my baby dolls."

AGH!!! This was supposed to be a punishment for Avery. But somehow, I was the only one feeling punished... I sent her back to her room, with the understanding that if she did not come back with a REAL toy, that I was going to pick the toy out myself. I watched her shoulders slump as she walked down the long hallway to her bedroom. I could hear her crying in her room. Even though I try to act tough, because ultimately she really needs to learn this lesson, my heart was breaking for her. I don't like punishing my children, but I understand that it's something I have to do. Finally, with tears flooding her eyes and me trying to not let tears flood my own eyes, Avery handed me this:

I must admit, I was shocked to see her holding out this toy because she just got it, and she loves it. She sleeps with it at night, and during the day she puts in on a top shelf in her room so that it won't get lost or damaged by Isaac. I know, it's a silly tater tot from Sonic. But Avery loves this little guy! She handed it over, and asked me who I was going to give it to, was it someone she knows or doesn't know, if there was any way I'd reconsider not giving it away, and if there was anything specific that she could do to get it back. I told her that she needed to stop asking questions...

A few minutes later, I could hear her talking to Isaac. I peeked around the corner, and saw her sitting on the floor, holding Isaac, crying. And then she whispered to Isaac that she was sorry for what she'd done, and said, "If I try my best to never do that again, will you forgive me, Bubba?"

My already-soft heart got a bit softer. My daughter is just like me. If someone says no, she wants to know why not. If someone tells her to stop doing something, she wants to keep doing it until she's 100% sure they mean business. If someone tries to "control" her, she fights back. Exhausting? Yes! But clever and witty and tenacious and spirited and empathetic too! I know in my heart that these things will serve her well later in life. And so it's my challenge to teach her right from wrong, while trying to not squash these characteristics that are inherently a big part of who she is. My daughter... Oh, how she challenges me! But oh, how I love her!!!