some new art

Coraline

9/26/2012

Mae-
You are 5, almost 6 now. It's been awhile since we've written on this, but reading your baby journal inspired me to start up again. It was really fun to flip through those pages and read silly and sweet stories about you. You and I sat on the couch, giggling and snuggling up. 5 years is not that much, but it feels like you've been with us forever.

We are currently living in Mesa, Arizona, right next door to the house my grandmother grew up in. The house we are renting is 115 years old. It's very charming, and you love the skeleton key we use to lock the bathroom door.
The owner of my grandmothers house is also the owner of the house we are renting, and she has become a great friend. Her name is Janice, and I'm sure when you read this later in life you will remember her because she will be in our lives forever. She is like family. You adore her, and you guys have play dates. She picks you up from school every Thursday and takes you to Dairy Queen. You guys play hopscotch and watch Mr. Rogers.

You are going to a very small charter school called New Horizon. It's a performing Arts School, which is what sold mommy on it right away. I wish I had that kind of school when I was your age.
You skipped kindergarten cause you're so dang smart, and you are loving 1st grade. We are having so much fun watching you learn so much! You are a fast learner.

You are an amazing big sister to Sawyer. He absolutely adores you and you adore him. It's beautiful watching you two together. You have nothing but his best interest at heart and show him love and kindess.

Right now you are into Monster High, Justin Beiber, singing, dancing, and art. You are an incredible artist!

You have lost 5 teeth already! We are afraid you will need braces.
Today we cut your hair off. About 10 1/2 inches. I looked over into the bathroom where I had left the scissors from trimming my bangs earlier. You were snipping away at the front of your hair. I was so upset, and when I told you we would have to cut your hair you started sobbing. You didn't want to cut your hair off, I think you just thought it would be fun to cut some parts of it and thought it would look pretty. But once I said we could finally donate your hair to Locks of Love, AND your hair would look like your best friends McKaylas hair, you lit right up and were on board. Now you have a little a-line and you look so grown-up! My beautiful girl :)

Dear Mae,
Last night I was at work late. When I came home, daddy told me how you guys were watching Dr. Who, and it was a very complicated story line. You actually figured it out, and thought it was so crazy that you started laughing hysterically, which got daddy laughing hysterically. You guys just kept laughing harder, so hard that daddy actually. threw. up.
That is a crazy story, and although I'm glad you guys had so much fun, I'm very happy I was not there to witness the barfing.

Dear Mae,
You are five now. Stop. Growing. Up.

The other night I was in the bathroom and you were walking around yelling my name looking for me. I kept yelling back, but you couldn't hear me, for whatever strange reason.
When you finally heard me you came running in, panicked. With your hands on your hips and a look on your face between angry and on the verge of tears you said,"MOM! I couldn't find you! You scared me out of the crap!"

Also, a couple of weeks ago, Aunt Aubs and I put the seats down in the back of my car in hopes to get a piece of furniture in there. The entire back of the car was flat and open. You and Caitlyn came outside, and you went running over to the car, bent down, looked inside with your eyes wide and your mouth hanging open. With that, you exclaimed,"What the HELL!? Caitlyn, LOOK! What the HELL!?" and in response to your potty mouth, Caitlyn nervously laughed and said,"Oh my god...!" A double whammy, and neither of you knew you had said a bad word. It was hilarious.

You are soooo great with Sawyer. You guys sure adore each other. When he sees you his whole body wiggles and squirms and he squeals so loudly. He literally cannot handle his excitement.
You take such good care of him and act like his second mother sometimes. I know he will always be safe with you around. He is so very lucky to have you.
Today you built him a "babysitting house", which was basically a little play area underneath my art table with a chairs and books propped up as a "fence". You sat in there with him for a good couple of hours and played with him, as well as organizing his toys into categories for him. You also laid him down with his blanky for a nap, which he didn't take, but whined in protest because he wanted to play with you. I love watching you two together. Nothing makes me happier.
The other day I was working on an illustration based on Jareth from "Labyrinth". You have seen the movie before and loved it. You wanted to watch it again, but soon after starting to watch it you got really upset and made me turn it off. You told me that you were scared the Goblin King would come and take Sawyer away, too. The thought was upsetting you so much you couldn't stand watching it any longer. Looks like you got your moms inability to separate movies from reality. It's hard, isn't it? Ever since I had you and Sawyer, I can't watch movies that have anything to do with kids being hurt or sad or anything like that in any way.

You just started ballet class on Monday. Daddy took you. I was so tired from my new job at Ikea that I had to take a nap. I can't wait to watch you. Grandma Jenny was a ballet dancer for 19 years, and she was amazing. I think you got her genes. She has said several times how graceful you are and how natural dancing comes to you, and I agree.

You are such a smart girl. You and I do school online at ABCmouse.com. You love it and you are learning so much. You are a really giving little girl. You absolutely love to share and give things to people.

You are also quite the business woman. When we first moved here, you went around the yard and gathered twigs. You taped paper to them and had me write prices on them ($5) and then you went around and left them on peoples doors. This was in reality, giving people twigs with price tags on them, but you hoped that by putting them on the porch, people would bring the money over to you. You are so awesome :)

Tonight Mae was going poop and she was grunting and straining and then she yelled out,"Mom!" in this pained voice. I went in there and I guess I had come in right when she'd gotten it out, cause she sighed a huge sigh of relief and said,"I thought I would never get that out of me! I thought I would have to push super hard until I was a grandma!" She was totally serious! Ha!

The other day Mae and I were watching one of the many Winnie The Pooh movies, and the gang was falling down a huge ravine and Mae narrates in a dramatic voice," And they fell to their DOOM!" It was so random!

This morning Mae informed me she wanted to shrink down really small, hike up my arm, and have a picnic lunch on my boob.

 

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I told her soon enough Sawyer would be having constant picnics on my boob and her time had already passed.