My big girl

Tonight Sierra had gymnastics, and we realized after we got there that it was parent watching day. Brian was home with Luke and Autry, but I watched from the track that circles above the gym floor. Having a solid hour alone just to watch that girl was such a treat. She is suddenly so beautiful and grown up. I loved watching her little mannerisms, hand movements and hops that I am so familiar with. She kept shyly looking up at me the whole time to make sure I was watching. I was. After gymnastics she was really excited and chattered away. It was so much fun, it is usually hard to have a conversation because she is ALWAYS reading. ALWAYS. She gets really antsy if she doesn't have a book with her, like an addict worried about where they will get their next fix. Any time she chooses to take a break from reading and interact is exciting. Now that she has her own bedroom (after sharing with Luke and then both kids for the last three years) I see even less of her. She shuts the door and listens to music, keeps everything extremely tidy, puts away her own laundry basket, gets up in the morning on her own. She has also been much more helpful and cheerful in general lately. She is so funny and clever and geeky in such a terrific way. I think a lot about her as an adult, it's not to hard to imagine, Brian calls her and her friend Mia the little old ladies. They love that. But it's true, she has been an old soul from the moment she was born. Much more intense and serious than either of her siblings. Although she definitely can get worked up, her affection is much more subdued. She will not throw herself at you, like Autry, or talk your ear off, like Luke. So those moments when I have her all to myself are just golden.

In the last couple of months Autry has:

1. Fallen flat on her face in the living room and knocked her two front teeth out of place. At least they are baby teeth, but they are now grey and will remain that way until they fall out, which, if she's anything like the rest of us will probably happen when she is 16.

2. Fallen off the playhouse ladder. Thank God she didn't break anything, but she did manage some pretty good scrapes.

3. Caught her right index finger in a falling hammock, resulting in a rush to the ER, four stitches, and a month of really dramatic and annoying bandage changes. The "dissolvable" stitches she supposedly has are not "dissolving" so the tip of her finger looks likes someone tied it on, even though the wound has healed. Her fingernail is also a lovely shade of black.

4. Fallen flat on her face off of Sierra's bed during prayers and busted her bottom lip wide open.

Also, did you know that it has been proven that red heads have a lower pain tolerance than the general population? Really, there are studies. They require more anesthesia during surgery and react very strongly to pain. If anyone doubts this, please, spend a day with Autry. She WILL hurt herself in some way, and she WILL FREAK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She fell off her trike and refused to straighten her arm for hours. I was really starting to worry until Nikki and I made her reach for a piece of chocolate. As soon as she realized she had to stretch for the candy she was healed!

Who are you again?

We ran into an old friend of Brian's at dinner tonight. After we had been catching up for a few minutes, Autry felt like it was time for a formal introduction. "My mom's name is.... What's your name again?" Jubilee. "My mom's name is Jubilee, and my dad's name is... Uncle Brian?"

Imagination Evolution

It all started with Critter. We think the idea for Critter came from a t-shirt that Luke had with a beaver on it and the words, "Wood you be mine." I truly loved Critter. He was the typical imaginary friend. Both a playmate and a scapegoat, he was always around. He went on trips to the arctic, could fly, lived up in a cloud when he wasn't hanging out with Luke, and had a HUGE family. He slept with Luke and often required some attention at bedtime. He fit in Luke's palm, and loved to be pet. Critter was a big part of our lives for a few years. Once Luke saw Star Wars, however, Critter left for his cloud almost overnight. I miss him.



Star Wars blew Luke's mind. For several months, our gentle, bug loving boy went from snuggling Critter to only wanting to play games with battles, watch movies with battles, and talk about... battles. But the most important effect Star Wars had on his young psyche was the idea of an alternate universe. He quickly adopted his own universe, which closely mirrored Star Wars, with names and places slightly tweaked. He placed himself as the central figure, and began escaping for hours into his own mind.

The Star Wars craze was followed by Harry Potter, which has now been replaced by the Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology. As each obsession is replaced by the next, his immersion into the world of his imagination has become deeper and deeper. At this point Luke will lay on his back for HOURS, feet up in the air, narrating the goings on of his universe. When he doesn't have enough down time during the day, he has to check in with his world before he can go to bed. He updates us on the happenings of his universe constantly, funny things someone has said or done, great battles that have been won, the weather. "Tell you somethin'" is what he says when he's about to let you know what's going on in his world.



So that's Luke - he's a dreamy, obsessive, sensitive, stubborn, independent kid. A kid who's imagination is just as important to him as breathing. His family, with the exception of his amazingly practical and fact-driven sister, finds his universe fascinating. Autry is always willing to play "Luke's universe." His preschool teacher was moved to tears last year talking about how much she loved his imagination, and him. Here's my worry (because there always has to be a worry). He starts public school kindergarten in exactly one month. There will be no time for hours of laying around with his feet up in the air. He will be in a classroom with 18 other kids who are not a part of his universe. He has a hard time not talking about it, he will tell complete strangers if they'll listen. Most kids will probably think he's weird when he waxes poetic about his love for Aphrodite. I really don't know how he's going to do. I know and like his teacher, she is a loving and enthusiastic woman, however she will not have the time to constantly let him "tell her somethin'." I know I'm being dramatic, but the thought of his universe going the way of Critter just breaks my heart.

11 years ago...

I met the love of my life.

He swept me off my feet. Much of what has happened since then is a blur of sleepless nights and diapers, and I wouldn't trade a moment of it, because I have spent all those moments with my very best friend. And, plus, he's cute.

You know you are raising literary children when...

Your daughter's first love interest is Almonzo Wilder, and your son's Aphrodite. Autry is still stuck on the idea of marrying her dad, so we'll just have to see with that one.

Oh, and today Sierra picked out her outfit to match the cover of the book she was reading. Seriously.

Why 3 is my favorite age, part 2

When you are 3, naughtiness is still cute... I honestly don't know what we are in for when she gets older, but right now she is the funniest thing I have ever seen.