I Voted

So Grace is obsessed with the President. She calls Barack Obama her President.

Sometimes asks to call him at the White House because he is her President and she wants to tell him something. Although when pressed, she will admit most of the time the call would be placed just to say hi.

She's slowly been making a presidential montage over the last year. This fine original acrylic is my favorite piece.

It is called "President Barack Obama Stands by the American Flag".
The bumper sticker is mine.

And today, much like most of America, she is excited. And nervous. And outraged that 5 year olds aren't allowed to vote.

Don't worry though baby, Daddy and I have you covered.

And no matter what CNN tells us tomorrow, he will always be your President.

Signage

While baking with Maga was a treat, it is not an unusual practice in our house.

The kitchen is the center of our home.

The girls jockey for position to help cook meals. Part of the reason why vegetables have made such a big resurgence on our dinner plates is that the girls can easily help prep them. Peeling corn, snapping beans, picking tomatoes and prepping salads are all proven and fulfilling toddler-preschooler activities.

But just in case anybody forgets the drill, Grace has taken it upon herself  to create some signage.

Oh, and as an afterthought.....

To bad the person they are directed at can't read yet.

The Waiting

They were waiting for me when I exited the train station.
'Stop being a pansy and take the stairs,' Matt texted to me while I waited a solid 5 minutes for the elevator to creep it way back up to me.  No way dude, these are BlogHer bags. They weigh a ton.

Grace refused to nap, despite the fact that Matt had taken them on a three hour tour of Fort McHenry. She focused on her American flag trinkets, counting the moments until I emerged again. I was greeted with 'I Love You's,' 'I Missed You's' and the inevitable, 'Why did you go on vacation without me Mama?'.

I whispered stories of my walks all over NYC. I saw her statue. I touched a bull. I sat on a motorcycle.
She whispered back with stories of feeding cows, singing our anthem and eating cupcakes with friends.
We both had grand weekends.

Then she remembered the empty suitcase I left with, and it's promise to be full upon return.

After emptying the suitcase, she looked at me and said, 'Mama, I like it when you go on vacation.'

Girls Night Out

So I told her we got a present* in the mail. Something just for her and me. Something special.

She was so excited, we went in the rain. Part of me wanted to cancel, but the allure of time alone with me, combined with the magic of baseball was too much for her. We have to go Mama, she told me, the Bird will be sooo sad not to see us.

And it was true.

The O's hosted a wonderful tour of the park, with behind the scenes perks that I had never dreamed of. Our tour guide showed us the playground, touting its child friendliness. But none of that mattered, because we were already fans. Already in love with the ballpark.

What we got that night that I will always keep with me is this.

Time alone with my girl, made possible by the love of baseball.

*Our tickets, tour and snacks were provided to us free of cost from the Baltimore Orioles, but my words and opinions are 100% my own.

History Revised

Grace often can't tell me what she liked about her day beyond the fact that she bullies her way into eating Nutella sandwiches for lunch everyday and gets to play outside with her friends. She is only 4.5 years old and it is like pulling teeth to get her to talk to me about school. Sixteen isn't going to be a pleasant age in our house.

When she does grasp onto a subject she likes though, look out. Want to talk about Star Wars Episodes IV-VI with a pre-schooler? She is all yours- (but you can only discuss 4-6 because my husband has banned 1-3 until "she is old enough to make up her own mind about the new movies". Whatever that means.)

Oh, and President's Day. How the girl LOVED President's Day and the two weeks of discussions about great American presidents that proceeded it at her Montessori school. We've made trips to Gettysburg so she can stand where Lincoln stood. We've gotten her into the White House to stand steps away from her president's Oval Office. (Yes, she totally claims ownership of Obama and the first dog Bo.)

This past week we took her to Mount Vernon, not to walk to halls of the mansion (which, for the record we did do), but to placate her obsession of seeing where George Washington chopped down the cherry tree. Forget the fact that George Washington probably didn't really chop down a cherry tree. Or the fact that he didn't grow up at Mount Vernon. Or the fact that this ISN'T EVEN A CHERRY TREE.

She was staunch in the notion of the cherry tree, and was convinced this is the cherry tree George Washington cut down. You got a problem with that? Because I think the may be willing to fight you over the provenance of this tree, and she's a kicker.

Tales and Old as Time

So despite our efforts to introduce sports and dinosaurs and the color blue into our house, we live in a land of ballet and pink and princesses. It really is a tale as old as time, and one of the reasons why I am so glad that Disney makes princesses that don't just swirl in pink dresses waiting for their prince to arrive anymore. The princesses of today are brave and smart and bold.

Enter Belle, one of the favorites in our house. So when we were given the opportunity to see Beauty and the Beast 3D this weekend, I jumped at the chance. And you know what, it was fantastic. Most 3D movies give me a headache, but the cartoon had a different perspective to to. The big dance scenes were wonderfully animated and 3D-a-fied.

Most tellingly though, is the fact that both girls sat through the movie. This is a first for our family. Sure, it might have been the novelty of seeing one of their favorites on a big screen, with popcorn and sporting funny glasses - but that doesn't explain the whispers of "Ooooo, fancy."

If your on the fence about wether is you should pay money to go see a movie that has already been watched 1000 times from DVD, go see it. It is worth it!

* The tickets to the screening were complementay (we still shelled out $25.00 for popcorn though), and the complements are all my own. Good job Disney!

3' 3"

I let Grace use my camera at her Thanksgiving program. My real camera with the nice lens that makes me cringe at the sight of grubby fingers wandering towards the magical moving toy.

Now, she fancies herself as a photographer. She wanted to use the real camera again. I compromised and showed her how to use the camera on my iPhone. I have almost 200 new pictures added to the collection from this weekend. So it seems a waste to let them go undocumented. (Because you can bet once this posts, I am hitting the delete button on the camera.)

The weekend from 3' 3":

Run Turkey Run

We went for a walk this morning. Some penitence for what would be coming later today.

Daddy, I like the hills!, she said. I think it would be a lot more fun for you if you ran down them. I will cheer.

So he ran.

Faster, faster daddy! Wheeeeeeeeee! Faster daddy, faster! I know you can go faster than that! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I am Thankful for a husband who loves his family more than he loves himself, and is willing to take a beating to prove it.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Almost Four

Sunday was Gracie's birthday party. It's been under discussion for the last 10 months. She was very specific in her wishes.

One, a princess cake:

These cakes are how you know I love my children. A weekend of test cake making and then a full Friday/Saturday combo of baking and decorating went into this beast.

Two, a pinata:

Carefully selected with the inspection given to dozens before this unicorn was chosen. On the way home from the store, she hugged it and whispered how it was beautiful, but she was going to whack it with a stick and it wasn't personal.

Three, the ability to dress up:

So do you see what Sugar and Spice in all their Princess Glory are holding in this picture? Yep, the head of the unicorn. There is a whole series of photos where they entertained themselves by pummeling the broken paper-mache carcass.

The irony of it though? Grace was REALLY upset when I through the bits into the dumpster.

The best part of the party for me? A concentrated mass of mom's from her new school telling me how sweet, well mannered and kind she is.

Childhood Dreams

Ten

Nine

Eight

Seven

Six

Five

Four- Manage and Start

Three

Two- Solid Rocket Ignition
One

------Space Shuttle Columbia has Taken Flight

Nature vs Nurture

A few weeks ago Matt was watching The Right Stuff. I could have cared less. It apparently was one of his favorite childhood movies when HBO would show the same 3 movies over and over and over again in the 80's.

(Although I wouldn't know that from experience. My family did have cable until the mid-90's. Not that I'm bitter or anything....)

Anyway - Matt was obsessed with the movie and space flight in general. His childhood dream? To be an astronaut. (I was much more realistic. I wanted to be a ballerina.) So in true Matt fashion, his obsession was full of books and studies on NASA and space craft and rockets.

As I've told you in the past, Grace also has an obsession with all things that move. This has only blossomed over the last year and has grown to include space shuttles now too. Watching the lift-off scenes of the movie was all it too.

Daddy, she begged over and over, again, again! I want to see it again!

And so he played the scenes over and over again for her. Then he pulled up shuttle launches on the internet, which fueled questions about what was happening and oh-my-goodness why parts were falling off??

So- this has become a regular scene at our dinner table. (Thankfully there is usually wine readily available.)

Did you know that NASA has had to cancel the space flight program? There are two more launches scheduled and then the flights will be part of history for the foreseeable future. So we have plans to do what must be done. To live out the childhood dreams of two of my loves.

We MUST go see a real space shuttle take off.

There will be picnics of hamburgers and juice boxes; dances of joy and sorrow; huddling for warmth and love on a beach in Florida this February.

And I can watch the sparkle in both their eyes.

Artistic Liberties

Yesterday, Gracie wanted to go outside for a walk.

Matt obliged.

She wanted to race him, which constitutes running between our driveway and the neighbors.

Matt obliged.

She got tired, and wanted Matt to carry her while they raced.

Matt obliged.

(And Grace somehow kept ‘winning’ the races.)

Matt got tired of running while carrying a 30lb child and Gracie wanted to draw on the driveway in chalk.

Matt obliged.

Grace wanted to be drawn on the ground.

Matt obliged.

She then wanted me to draw Matt, while she worked on the detail work.

Matt obliged.

And was very happy with the results.

Alternative Lyrics

Old McDonald as sung by Gracie on the way home today:

Old McDonald had a moo.
E-I-E-I-O
It's a moo moo there.
It's a moo moo there.
E-I-E-I-O. Moo.
On the farm there is a moo.
It's a moo moo there.

And .... ummm ... a PIG!

E-I-E-I-O
It's a moo moo, no oink oink there.
An oink oink there.

Old McDonald had an oink.
E-I-E-I-O

Yea!

Reflections

I know Gracie pays attention. That details don't really get past her. They just become absorbed until they are needed at a later date. The mundane of our lives that is part of the auto-pilot of the everyday.

At daycare this morning I was regaled with a story about such things.

Yesterday, Gracie was playing house (aka in the kitchen setup) with her two year old love J. The teachers said they were being good so they weren't really paying attention, until they started to notice the conversation they were having. Key words. Gracie's key word of 'honey'. That got their attention, so they started watching them play.

Gracie was bossing J around in the kitchen, telling him what to do and he allowing her to do so. After all her instructions were over, she picked up a purse, put it on her shoulder and declared, "Bye bye honey! I go work. You make me dinner!" and walked away from him.

The teachers erupted in laughter and started counting the minutes until they could pass the story onto me.

First of all: I have never demanded that Matt make me dinner. I have occasionally demanded that Matt be the one to order pizza or Chinese, but never a demand to cook.

Second of all: Do I have a bossy kid? I keep getting reports of this, but I just don't want to believe it.
I know I am bossy, but one of my most distinct childhood school memories is of my 2nd grade teacher making me stand in front of the class while she lectured me on the evils of tattletaling. My recollection of my tattletailing was because some boys in the class were calling me names. That episode drove me so far into a shell, I was afraid to raise my hand to even answer a question much less report on the cruelties inflicted by other kids now that they knew *I* would be the one in trouble if I told.
I don't want this for Gracie.

Finally: Where did she get the idea that I actually want to go to work? And leave Matt at home? Hell no kid, if I have to go to work, so does daddy.

This is me and Matt reflected though Gracie's eyes. Despite the 'of all's' of this, I embrace it. We are raising a strong little lady who knows her own mind.