Special Days

Julia's first grade class has children who celebrate a variety of holidays this time of year, from Diwali to Hanukkah to Christmas.  Therefore, there are no specific holiday-themed projects done by the class, but instead, the kids in class are invited to share special family traditions that are part of their particular holidays. 

Part of this sharing occurred in the making of individual "Special Days" books.  Each member of the class got to answer questions about special days celebrated in December with his or her family.  Julia brought hers home a few days ago.

"Lots of families celebrate special days in December.  My family celebrates: Christmas."

"Some of the things we do during this holiday are: I get a wreeth and go to Kinadikit."

It's an interesting choice of things she decided to share.  We generally get our wreeth early in December, and we're typically in Kinadikit for Boxing Day.  There's a wide range of time in between the two events, in which we do a lot of things that are more celebratory and more Christmassy.  I'm a little surprised that things like, say, performing in the church Christmas pageant, or decorating our tree, or, I don't know, OPENING PRESENTS, didn't take precedence.  But, hey, as I posted yesterday, the girls sure enjoy getting (and decorating) our wreeth!

"Some of the foods we eat are: terky stufing bred gingerbred men and eat cookies."

I think she might be getting Christmas mixed up with Thanksgiving in the beginning of her food list here.  But, yes, cookies are definitely a big part of our Christmas celebration.  Even though I don't actually make gingerbread men.  But sometimes an auntie does.

"This holiday is important because: it's about God and Jesis."

Well, Julia certainly has a better sense of what Christmas is about than Madeleine does.  Madeleine doesn't seem to actually understand that Christmas is a holiday, and appears to believe "Christmas" is synonymous with winter.  Here are just a few of the discussions we've had on the topic lately.

MADELEINE: Mama?  When, oh when is it going to be CHRISTMAS?
ME: On December 25.  Why?  What do you love so much about Christmas?
MADELEINE: Um...playing in the SNOW!  And going SLEDDING!


Or:

ME: Madeleine, do you know what Christmas is?
MADELEINE: Yes.  Christmas is a SEASON!


Or:

ME: So, Madeleine, can you tell me what we celebrate on Christmas?
MADELEINE: Um...we celebrate PRESENTS!


Anyway...Julia apparently does not find the celebrating presents part to be the most exciting aspect of Christmas, as you will see here:

"The thing I like best about this holiday is: staring at the Christmas tree."

Um.  Okay.  I like her zombie-like expression and her spiky hands that look like they're shooting magic lights out of them.  But really??  Staring at the Christmas tree??  I do admit, however, that Julia certainly DOES spend a lot of time staring at the Christmas tree.  She will literally notice ANY new ornament that gets hung, and will notice anytime an ornament has changed branches.  This makes it particularly inconvenient for me to "re-decorate" after the kids have gotten a chance to clump a bunch of non-special ornaments all in the front lower branches of the tree.  But even with all the staring she does, I NEVER would have guessed that staring at the tree is the thing Julia likes best about Christmas.

See, even *I*  learned something new about our holiday traditions from reading Julia's "Special Days" book!

Artistic Creativity of All Sorts

I bought the girls some much-needed new markers yesterday, and ever since, they have been coloring even MORE than usual.

Madeleine made this lovely piece of free art.  It's not creepy at all:

OMG, that ghoul creature with the red eyes is seriously going to haunt my dreams tonight.  I think she'll give me even worse chills than the lexsi of hower did.


Madeleine got a chance to express her creativity in a different way this morning; both in her choice of outfit & accessories, as well as in her decorative choices.  We Rowes attended the Wreath Fundraiser at Madeleine's preschool, and Madeleine got to choose the decorations we ultimately bought in order to adorn our wreath.  Take a look at the finished product:

And let's just take a moment to admire Madeleine's outfit and hairstyle of choice.  In fact, she glammed herself up even more later in the day:

Yes, despite the fact that I have *always* dressed the girls in cheery red, seasonal attire for the wreath fundraiser, I have learned through outfit drama with Madeleine that sometimes I just have to choose my battles.  Hence me being the ONLY one in the family photo wearing red, and hence the, um, extremely creative ensembles of my children.

As Madeleine explained, while prancing around in the above outfit/accessories: "So, Julia is training to be a SCIENTIST, and I'm training to be a ROCK STAR!"

It currently appears as if BOTH girls are training to be rock stars.  Here they are in action:




I think they have a real career in the making!

The Lexse of Howere

Julia started a wild and crazy new book the other day, experimenting with a mystery thriller:

Suger Plum Corner and the Lexse of Howere
by Julia Rowe



Pg. 1:

"It all begins with the goust that never ends,' said Lila."

Oh my goodness.  I'm scared already!  The goust that never ends??  So, like, it takes up infinite space with its ghostly mist, or, like, it can never, ever go away?  I can't wait to find out!


Pg. 2:

"He sturk at Suger Plum Corner with the Lexsi of Hower,' Ginny added.  It was silint." 

Yikes.  The goust that never ends AND the Lexsi of Hower, whatever that may be, were BOTH at Suger Plum Corner?  And speaking of, I'll TELL you what never ends: Ginny's legs.  Holy Cow, the girl is a giant despite her disproportionately small torso.  Those legs, man.  They last for miles!


Pg. 3:

"And this is how it begins...do not be scar'd of this story becous it migt give you the chills and now I shall begin owr story."

Okay, okay, I'll try not to be scar'd, but it's kind of hard to suppress my chills, what with the goust that never ends and the lexsi of hower and what not.  Not to mention that creepy goust narrator on this page.  STOP STARING AT ME!


Pg. 4:

Chapter 1: "Amanda walk up.  Her face was hot.  She had a misterist dream.  She thot it men't somthing.  She was showr."

But...is she REALLY showr?  I mean, maybe the misterist dream WAS just a dream.  Even though she thot it men't somthing, it could just be her mind doing whatever minds do when they produce dreams.  But given the spooky introduction to this chapter, I guess I should believe that she's showr her dream men't somthing, right?


Pg. 5:

"Lindsy wolk up.  She was completly shaking."

Wait.  Did Lindsy have the SAME MISTIRIST DREAM that Amanda had??  I bet she did!  In fact, I'm SHOWR she did!  I think their minds are being telepathically messed with by the goust that never ends!  (Or by the Lexsi of Hower.  I still want to know what that is.)


Pg. 6:

Chapter 2: "Amanda told Lindsy, 'I had a dream about the ghoust that never ends but it's not hear in Englind,' she said."

Where is it?  Is it in the Lexsi of Hower?  WHAT IS THE LEXSI OF HOWER?  THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!!!


Pg. 7:

"Ok, let's get some shous on and look for it, but frist let me look more like my age."

What IS her age?  Why doesn't she look like her age as is?  And why are her legs suddenly so long?  Did she grow??  Is it the ghoust's doing??


Pg. 8:

Chapter 3: "Whean they got thar something amazing hapin'd."

WHAT?  What amazing thing hapin'd?  WE DON'T GET TO FIND OUT?!?!?  And what is the Lexsi of Hower?  OMG, I can't believe she's leaving us hanging!  I'm showr I won't be able to sleep tonight because I'll be wondering and wondering about the goust that never ends!


Boy, oh boy.  Talk about leaving me hanging.

Meanwhile, Madeleine is involved in a whole different sort of imaginary world.  She is not Madeleine at the moment; she is Emilia, and she's a fashionista who is getting ready for Christmas day.  Look how fancy she is:

Ooh la la!  Christmas pajamas paired with a pink frilly headband, a Rainbow Loom bracelet, and butterfly necklace?  Not to mention the red-painted nails.  This fashion combo has never been done before!  She's a ground-breaker!  Emilia, you are TRES CHIC!


Okay, anyway, now I've got to go hide under a blanket because I'm scar'd of the Lexsi of Hower and I'm starting to get chills.  HEEEEELP!!!!!!

Madeleine's Rankings

Madeleine is nothing if not fickle, attaching herself to one favorite outfit one week, only to abandon it for a new favorite the next.  Similarly, she goes through phases with people in our family, during which she wants exclusive rites to whichever person is her current beloved.  During a brief overlap in which Aunties Caitlyn and Shannon were both here, Madeleine blatantly eschewed Auntie Shannon in favor of her other auntie, and last week, Madeleine got tired of her usual favorite parent (me) and only wanted Daddy for EVERYTHING, because, in her words: "I just REALLY LOVE goofin' around with Daddy!"

Tonight, she had an ultimate sobbing fest over the fact that Julia had chosen Auntie Shannon to put her to bed. 

MADELEINE: But Julia ALWAYS gets Auntie Shaaaaaaannnon!  Julia doesn't LOOOOOVE me!  Julia wants to THROW me in the TRAAAAAASH!

So poor Auntie Shannon had to pull double duty, reading Madeleine an unprecedented FOUR bedtime books, then handing Madeleine over to me for her prayer and lullaby so that Shannon could then go read to Julia.

Was Madeleine grateful?  Nope!  Instead, she told it like it is.  Get ready for the harsh truth (of the current moment), folks:

MADELEINE: (bursting into tears at the sight of me in her bedroom) No Mama!  I only want Auntie Shannon!  Only Auntie Shannon!
ME: Honey, you got Auntie Shannon for four books.  Aren't you lucky?  What a great auntie!
MADELEINE: But Julia is just ALWAYS attached to Auntie Shannon and she gets Auntie Shannon for EEEEEEVERYTHIIIIIING!
ME: Well, you got Auntie Shannon for your bedtime stories tonight.  You lucky girl.  Do you love that Auntie Shannon so much?

And here's where s*&t gets REAL.

MADELEINE: (offhanded) Well, now that Auntie Caitlyn's not here, I love BOTH.
ME: You love both what?
MADELEINE: Uh, both AUNTIES.

As in, when Auntie Caitlyn *is* here, Madeleine has no use for Auntie Shannon?

ME: Well, honey, you need to love both aunties even when Auntie Caitlyn IS here.  It's not okay for you to reject Auntie Shannon and be mean to her when Auntie Caitlyn is here.  Do you understand?
MADELEINE: (solemn silence.)

Then I turned to the subject of Daddy, who was thoroughly spurned by Madeleine tonight, as he wasn't even an OPTION on her plate for bedtime at all.

ME: And don't you love that Daddy?
MADELEINE: Well, only when he's GOOFING around.
ME: But you love Daddy always, not only when he's goofing around.  Don't you love Daddy when he's taking care of you, or reading you a story, or carrying you when you get tired?
MADELEINE: Well, I really just only love GOOFING AROUND with Daddy. 

Okay.  That was going nowhere.  Clearly she loves Daddy for his goofy side.  So then I got curious to know what it is she loves doing with ME.

ME: And what do you love doing with Mommy?
MADELEINE: Well, when NOBODY else is here, and it's just YOU, then I like having you do stuff with me.
ME: Oh.  But not when other people are here?
MADELEINE: Well, I just get REALLY EXCITED to see people that I haven't seen in YEARS.
ME: Like who?
MADELEINE: Well, like Chad and Auntie Caitlyn, and, well, I still SEE Auntie Shannon a LOT, and like Yiayia because I haven't seen Yiayia for YEARS.  And I love Nana, and I love my little cousin EMILY because she really is SO cute and not like those OTHER pretend little girls.  And...oh, yes, and I love Gramps, because he likes to be really GOOFY like he was the LAST time he was here.  And Mama?  WHEN oh WHEN am I gonna have another play-date?
ME: A play-date with who?
MADELEINE: With all our FRIENDS that we LOVE!
ME: Well, which friends do you love?
MADELEINE: (brightly) EVERYONE!
ME: Okay.  Which friend do you want to have a play-date with?
MADELEINE: (thoughtful) Um...I think...Yiayia.  Because...I haven't seen her for YEARS.  And...she really is SO beautiful.

So let's see.  Caitlyn's boyfriend Chad gets top billing, even over the aunties.  Auntie Shannon is fine so long as Auntie Caitlyn's not here, otherwise she's old news.  A play-date with Yiayia is deeply coveted, and Nana, Emily and Gramps are near and dear to Madeleine's heart, especially because Emily is real and not pretend like the other little girls.  Daddy is great so long as he's goofing around, and Mommy is great so long as Madeleine has exhausted EVERY SINGLE OTHER OPTION for company.  Sounds about right.

Or, to sum it up with pictures:

Madeleine's reaction to time spent with extended family members and/or goofy Daddy:

Madeleine's reaction to time spent with boring old Mom and non-goofy Dad:

Ahhh!  Feelin' the love! 

Christmas Art

Christmas artwork and songs are abundant in the Rowe household!  Of their own accord, the girls decided to drawn holiday-themed free art together.  Julia's is full of jolly seasonal cheer:

While Madeleine's combines Christmas tradition with her own creepy little hieroglyphics and scrawlings:

Madeleine also created a second Christmas picture, complete with ghoul-faced gingerbread and much, much more:

In addition to the gingerbread demon man, Madeleine has drawn, up top, from right to left: a flower, a mermaid who lost part of her Christmas tail, and: "I...um...I was trying to draw...a...a...a...a...a...a...Christmas...um...um...um...um... um...um...a Christmas thing that is RED AND WHITE."

ME: A candy cane?
MADELEINE: Um, yes.  I was trying to draw a candy cane, but...(face drooping) but it didn't come OUT.

This is literally the face she had on while she told me her sob story.  As in: I took her picture while she talked to me:

Madeleine made one final piece of Christmas artwork at school today: or, I should say, she made one more piece that she can TELL ME ABOUT.  The other artwork is top secret.

MADELEINE: Mama!  I made a wreath:

MADELEINE: But Mama?  I don't want to TELL you about the other thing...because...the teachers told us NOT to. 

I wonder what it could be. Is it possible she could have made me the thing that she made me last year at preschool, and that Julia also made me while at preschool??:

I know.  No way, right?  Her own hand-drawn hand-wreath isn't a dead give-away or anything.  Neither is the green paint all over her dress.


At any rate, both kids have also been singing carol after carol around the house, although Madeleine is still a bit lacking in the lyrics department. 

Here is her rendition of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town":



A+ for effort!  Especially with the addition of spasmodic dancing along with the vocals.  No doubt Santa Claus is coming to town, after a performance like that one!

Bedtime Delays

Last night, instead of falling prey to the exhaustion of a busy long weekend, the girls instead were totally manic.  I started to worry that neither kid would ever fall asleep.  Thankfully, they proved me wrong, but it took a long time for them to both unwind for some reason.  I was on Madeleine bedtime duty, and by the time I left her room I had given up hope on her getting to sleep any time soon.

For one thing, Madeleine decided it was an appropriate time to start making up her own sign language.  It all started with hands being clasped over her heart.

ME: Good night, Madeleine, I love you.
MADELEINE: Mama?  I...(clasping her hands over her heart.)  Uh, Mama, THIS means "love."  So.  I (clasping her hands again) YOU!
ME: Oh, that's so sweet.
MADELEINE: Yeah.  So.  Here Mama.  Let me do it again.  I (clasping hands over heart, then pointing two fingers at me.)  So.  THIS means "you" (pointing two fingers again.)
ME: Oh.  I love you too!
MADELEINE: Wait.  Mama.  THIS means "I" (putting two hands on her head.)  So.  Mama.  (putting two hands on her head, then clasping her hands over her heart, and finally pointing two fingers at me.)
ME: I love YOU!
MADELEINE: Yeah.  Because Mama.  I was saying "I love you" with NO talking!
ME: Thanks, honey.  I love you too.
MADELEINE: But...you can't tell ANYONE about what that means with no words.  EPSEPT you can tell only your sisters, and your yia...uh...your...your...
ME: My mommy?
MADELEINE: Yes.  So you can tell Yiayia and you can tell your sisters.
ME: What about my husband?
MADELEINE: (brightly) Oh, yes!  You can tell your husband!  But...Mama?  You CAN'T tell your dad or your grandpa that DIED.  Because...you can't talk to them because they're DEAD.

Thanks for reminding me.  Here I thought I could go tell my dad about Madeleine's secret sign language, but thankfully, Madeleine reminded me that I can't.

Little did I know, the sign language was going to get more and more elaborate.  As she picked at a hangnail on her toe, Madeleine suddenly announced to me: "Mama?  And...(putting two hands on her head, then clasping her hands over her heart, and then putting her fingers on her shoulders.)  So Mama.  This (putting her fingers on her shoulders again) means NAIL-CLIPPERS."

I assured her that we could clip her hangnail, but that it was time to stop picking at it and go to sleep.

Madeleine still had many things about which to clasp her hands over her heart before the night was through.

MADELEINE: Mama?  (Hands on head, then over her heart) snuggles!
ME: You do?  What do you love so much about snuggles?
MADELEINE: They're so WARM and cuddly.  And besides, Mama.  Am I snuggling you or WHAT?

She was.  So I guess her sign language love was for real.

Then there was this one:

MADELEINE: Mama?  (Hands on head, then over her heart) THANKSGIVING!

And then this:

MADELEINE: So Mama?  I don't (hands over heart, then fingers waving around in the air.)  So... THIS (waving fingers around) means... "little froggies that jump all around in the air."

It was at that point that I gave up on getting her settled and left.  Luckily, her own sign language efforts had apparently tired her out, because the next time I went up to check on her, she was out like a light.

This morning, the sign language bank had grown even greater.

MADELEINE: Mama?  I...uh...I mean (putting her hands on her head, then clasping her heart)...uh...Mama?  So: THIS (putting her hands on her hips) means "MILK!"  So.  (hands on head, then over heart, then on hips.)
ME: Okay.  So would you like me to get you some milk?
MADELEINE: (delighted) YES!

I'm not sure if she understands that the effort of explaining all of her made-up signs takes longer than just saying the thing she wants in the first place.

Meanwhile, Julia's head is full of other thoughts.  As I was doing her hairstyle this morning, pulling the top hair into a little ponytail and then the rest of the hair into a larger ponytail, I inadvertently prompted the following conversation:

JULIA: So, Mom?  When I was in kindergarten, I used to think about a girl in kindergarten who wore her hair in this EXACT same hairstyle.
ME: Oh.  Like, a real girl in kindergarten at your school?  Or you imagined up a kindergarten girl?
JULIA: I imagined her.  But Mom?  Even though I imagined her, for some reason, she LOOKS like a real person.

All I have to say is, what...the...heck goes on in the heads of my children?!?

Choir Rehearsal With the Kiddies

After church today, I had a choir rehearsal to practice for our upcoming Christmas concert.  I had planned ahead and brought markers and blank paper along with me so that the girls could stay quietly entertained while I was singing.  Before the rehearsal had officially begun, Julia and Madeleine were already taking marker to paper and starting in on their artwork.

Madeleine's first picture was all in brown, kind of like Anja's birthday card.

"Look, Mama!  I'm making FLOWERS!" she announced:

Oh.  Okay.  Flowers.  NOT a penis and hairy testicles, as I would have assumed.


Once the choir rehearsal began, the girls continued their drawings, and didn't pay any mind to the music going on, feeling perfectly comfortable interrupting me to announce what it was they were drawing.

Or to ask permission for things like this:
MADELEINE: Um, Mama?  Is it okay if I draw a TOILET?

Then, once she was happily drawing her toilet, Madeleine began loudly talking about her drawing, so that our beautiful carols about the innocent Christ child were punctuated with exclamations from behind me.

CHOIR: Soft and sweet, doth entreat, sweetest angel voices...
MADELEINE: I made a toilet.  With POOP! 
CHOIR: Christ is born, the choirs are singing...
MADELEINE: I drew POOP in my TOILET!
CHOIR: Till the air everywhere now with joy is ringing... 
MADELEINE: It's POOP!  I made a POOP MAN!
CHOIR: Here let all, great and small, kneel in awe and wonder...
MADELEINE: Poop!
CHOIR: Love Him who with love is yearning...
MADELEINE: POOOOOP!

It was not distracting at all.


Nor was it distracting when Julia and Madeleine got into an argument over the brown marker.  This is big time problems, folks.  Two kids, and only one brown marker.  Madeleine had sole use of the brown marker, presumably to draw her poop, and Julia needed it to color in the stem of the pumpkin she was making for me.  Madeleine wouldn't budge on her all-brown decorations and couldn't relinquish the marker.  Julia found this unacceptable.  So while my fellow choir members and I sang about peace and joy and spreading love, the girls fought bitterly over the right to the brown marker while I made frantic hand gestures at them.  In the end, Madeleine allowed her sister the two seconds necessary to color the pumpkin stem, and all was right with the world.

Madeleine eventually branched out and opted for some other colors, creating pictures such as this lively drawing of "a lifeguard, sitting in her chair, that is GINNY!"  (By which she means that the lifeguard, not the chair, is Ginny.  And by Ginny she would mean Ginny Weasley from "Harry Potter.")

Madeleine has, of late, abandoned her Emily Binx kick and has instead embraced Ginny Weasley.  So much so, in fact, that in the latter half of my choir rehearsal, Madeleine was Ginny locked in the Chamber of Secrets, hiding behind the furthest choir row, calling for someone to come and free her.  Needless to say, we left shortly afterwards, not making it to the end of the rehearsal.  (Fortunately, the choir director is well aware that my attendance at rehearsals is limited to the length of time that the kids can actually sit still.)

Julia had no tolerance for Madeleine's inane Harry Potter fascination on the car ride home.  (Ironic, no??)

MADELEINE: Okay, I'm still Ginny!  (turning to Julia) Um, Hermione?
JULIA: (cranky) I'm not PLAYING, Madeleine.

WHAT?  Julia passed up an opportunity to be Hermione?  Now that's something I never thought I'd see.  Could it be she's branching out from her own Harry Potter obsession?  Just in time for Madeleine to enter one??  Can't we just be in the same obsession at the same time here, girls?

Luckily, now that we are home, the girls are both engaged in their own fantasy play.  For Julia, it's Gallop Time, during which "anything can happen!"  And Madeleine is busy setting up shop at her brand new restaurant.

MADELEINE: So, do you want to come to "Cafe Sol Azteca Christmas?"  It's a little thingy...that has...LOTS of things!  And I do have LOTS of drinks.  This is the coffee maker, and...and...(looking around) and...the ORANGE does make lots of juice!

Cafe Sol Azteca Christmas


Anything can happen!