Last Pool Visit

 Yesterday was Rosemary Pool's last day of its abbreviated summer season, and we Rowes had claimed a time slot to get one last visit in:

  We were all sad to have the season come to a close, but no one moreso than Madeleine.  The weather was beautiful for sitting outside, but a bit chilly for swimming.  Julia, Ethan and I bailed after about 20 minutes and sat on the edge, warming up in the sun, while Madeleine kept at it for an hour.  Gleefully doing somersaults, swimming around under the water, and sprinting around the pool to catch the goggles Julia threw for her, Madeleine was a happy little dolphin.  When she finally got too cold to continue on in the water, she got out and we all sat in the bleachers to dry off in the sun.

ME: Should we warm up for about 10 more minutes and then head home?
MADELEINE: (sighing) I just wanna stay here FOREVER.
ME: I know.  I love Rosemary Pool too.
MADELEINE: Mommy? I think Rosemary Pool is my favorite place.
ME: Oh yeah?
MADELEINE: Yeah.  It's just so MAGICAL.  Like, the sparkling water...and I remember how after Sharks meets we would sometimes have pizza, and we'd go into the pool just for fun.
ME: I know.
MADELEINE: Mommy?  The one BAD thing about my plan to live in Nice when I'm a grown-up is that I'd miss Rosemary Pool.
ME: I know, you'd be really far away.
MADELEINE: Hey, wait a minute, I have an idea.  Maybe I could visit your house for the whole SUMMER.
ME: Yeah, you could.
MADELEINE: Yeah, and I could, like, work from HOME...well, it really WOULD be working from home, because it IS my house.
ME: Right.

So it's a plan.  Rosemary Pool for life, even when Madeleine is grown-up and living on the Mediterranean.  

'Til next season, Rosemary Pool!

Side Yard Port-a-Potty

 We had our front steps re-done last week, and the masons set up a port-a-potty on our property.  Although the steps were finished by Friday, the port-a-potty has sat in our side yard throughout this week.  At long last, a truck arrived today to pick it up and take it away.

ME: (looking out the window) Oh, they're finally taking the port-a-potty away.
MADELEINE: (eagerly running to the window to see) Oh, PHEW!  (wistfully) Aww.  I'm kinda gonna miss our old friend. (blowing a kiss out the window)
ME: Did you just blow a kiss to the port-a-potty?!?
MADELEINE: Yeah.  Actually, I'm gonna watch. (returning to the window and staring out in rapt attention.)
ME: Okay.
MADELEINE: I'm not stalking.  I'm only watching in a CURIOUS manner.
ME: Okay.
MADELEINE: (narrating the proceedings of the truck loading the port-a-potty and driving away) 
ME: (half listening)
MADELEINE: Okay, it's going now. (full of nostalgia) Good-bye, old friend!

I guess the social isolation of this pandemic has really gotten to us, if Madeleine is feeling plaintive about the removal of a port-a-potty.

Revising and Editing Woes

 Madeleine is in the midst of revising and editing her novel, "Founder of the Timeline Barrier," and is finding it tedious.

MADELEINE: Writing a book is so FUN, but revising and editing is so boring. 
ME: Yeah?
MADELEINE: Wait, I think I have an idea.  Maybe I can get lots of people to read it and post COMMENTS on things I should revise and edit.
ME: That's a good idea.
MADELEINE: Yeah, like I could have Julia read it, and Shannon and Caitlyn, and Nana, and Daddy, and...Mommy?  Are you good at CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM?
ME: Yes, I am.
MADELEINE: (relieved) Okay.  'Cause, you're, like, the NICEST person I know, so I wasn't sure.

Mkay.  Does she realize I'm a teacher?  Constructive criticism is kind of our thing.

Exciting Weekend

 Madeleine was beyond thrilled this weekend to finally get her very own cell phone!  Although she feels like she was unfairly the only one in the household without a phone, the truth of the matter is that she got a cell phone a year earlier than Julia did.  Since we no longer have a land line, we figured it was best to get Madeleine her own phone so she could get in touch with us if need be when we were out.

EVERYTHING about this phone has delighted her.  Whether it's the screen protector, the phone case, the camera options, or the apps she downloaded, she is out of her mind with joy over her new gadget.  I sent her an email to the new address Ethan set up for her, and she responded from her phone with the gleeful: "Thanks!  I am having so much fun!"  I've been shown countless panorama photos of things like Julia's bedroom, Madeleine's bedroom, the backyard, and more.  Today Madeleine set up her own modeling photo shoot using the timer app on the phone.  This is the BIG LEAGUES, guys.

At first, Madeleine was asking permission before downloading any apps, to which Ethan replied, "It's your phone, honey.  You can download whatever you want."

Shortly thereafter, Ethan had to eat his words.  After the umpteenth parent notification of something Madeleine had downloaded, Ethan remarked, "Okay, I'm gonna have to tell Madeleine that's enough downloading stupid stuff."  I don't know if it was the Disney app or the Gymnastics Star that put him over the edge, but enough was enough.

The other exciting piece of news this weekend is that the girls have a new baby cousin!  Auntie Caitlyn went into labor yesterday and my new niece Ellie was born, much to the delight of everyone in the Rowe household.

As I drove Madeleine home from her swim clinic this morning, she reflected upon the excitement of the weekend.

MADELEINE: Mommy?  This has been, like, a GROUND-BREAKINGLY good weekend.
ME: Because of your phone?
MADELEINE: And because of Owenia.*
ME: I know!
MADELEINE: (sighing in adoration) That little bundle of SWEETNESS.

*Owenia is the default name we were giving to Caitlyn's baby-in-the-womb, knowing she was the female sibling-to-be of cousin Owen

We all can't WAIT to meet the bundle of sweetness in person, but for now we have to satisfy ourselves with the COVID-friendly fawning over photos of baby Ellie!

More Timeline Barrier

 Madeleine has continued writing up a storm, moving on to Book 2 of "The Timeline Barrier" series.  Sometimes her head gets so jumbled with words and ideas that she loses her grasp of simple English.

MADELEINE: (looking up from typing) Why can't I remember what that thing is called?  The thing on the DOOR that makes it go "ding-dong?"
JULIA AND I: Uh, a doorbell?
MADELEINE: Oh, yeah!

Even though this book series is still in early stages, Madeleine is assured of its future domination in pop culture.

MADELEINE: Julia, you know what makes me sad?
JULIA: What?
MADELEINE: When "Founder of the Timeline Barrier" gets made into a movie, all the people are gonna  think the characters look like the ACTORS that play them, not like how *I* picture them.

That's right, folks.  It's not an "if," it's a "WHEN," and if that's not the way to confidently take the world by storm, I don't know what is!

Health Survey

 Yesterday, I was filling out an online National Survey on Children's Health as part of the US Census.  I had to answer basic health questions about one of my children, namely, Madeleine.  I could answer most questions off the top of my head, but when it came to height and weight, I realized I knew how tall she is but not how much she weighs.

ME: Hey, Madeleine, can you go downstairs to the bathroom scale and tell me how much you weigh?
MADELEINE: Okay!  (trotting downstairs and then shouting up to me) Nine hundred and two!
ME: Um...90.2?
MADELEINE: I dunno, it just said nine zero two.

And common sense told her that 902 was a realistic weight for a 10-year-old scrawny swimmer?!?  Needless to say, I entered 90 on the form.

Book Party

Madeleine had BIG NEWS yesterday: SHE FINISHED WRITING THE FIRST BOOK OF "FOUNDERS OF THE TIMELINE BARRIER!!!!!"

She's now going to review and edit it six times, so there is still work to be done, but the bulk of the creative work is complete!

Madeleine decided we were having a party in the evening to celebrate.  She put together a play-list of music and we had a dance party.  Ethan and I started out strong, but both of our respective 40-something knees began to give out.  Julia claimed to not know how to dance and refused to partake, although she did humor us with a "Cotton-Eyed Joe" contest against Madeleine.  I declared Julia the winner, much to Madeleine's outrage, but to be fair, Madeleine crashed into the wall TWICE during the dance, and you've got to take gracefulness into account as a judge.

By the final song, we lamers were all pooped, but Madeleine still had a fiery energy to her and carried dancing with her bad self:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeDmBo3SaRc&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR34kl4vCaUJugzYMDWxQRPbEpFuxPZjKkwRnX6ZIr_1g4bsJ1Jwr1cGfgY

We finished the evening with a family game of Drawasaurus, per Madeleine's request to do one other family activity as part of the celebration.  

I can't wait to see what kind of party we have when Madeleine becomes a famous published author!!

Drawasaurus

Hairstylist

Madeleine styled my hair this weekend and man, it's a shame that all gatherings are on hold, because here I was, all dressed up and nowhere to go:

I was ready for the gala, but instead I read my book on the couch, cause corona. At least we have the photos to show off my elegance!