Just for Laughs

Allison's version of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.'

Mary had a little man

little man, little man.

Mary had a little man

And it's wife as snow - ho.

I'm not sure what the last line means but I love how Mary had a little man!

Katie is getting braces the beginning of February. The spacers go in on the 24 th of this month. I hope she's cooperative about taking care of them. She really has no idea what she's in for, which is probably a good thing. Unlike me, she won't need any teeth pulled in preparation for the braces to go on. And she won't need to wear a headgear of any other 'appliances' during her 22 (or so) months of metal. Rubber bands are likely, but that's nothing. Sounds pretty cut and dry. I have to admit I feel a little bad for her. Braces are no fun. Hopefully I can remain sympathetic when she's really uncomfortable those first couple of days and then after every appointment where they tighten things up. OOOH - just thinking about it brings back memories - OUCH!

It's almost 60 degrees here today! WOW! It smells like April. It's raining too, so it LOOKS like April. No snow in the forecast either. Yesterday after school the girls played outside with kids from the neighborhood, without coats, until it was dark (around 5). Unheard of in January! No complaints though, it was nice to be out. I even took the Christmas lights off the bushes. Usually they're frozen in place and they get all broken when they are removed, not this year. Poor Allison keeps asking when she can 'roll up Frosty the Snowman'. Maybe in April...

Allie's Song

Allison taught us a song yesterday. She learned it at school. It's the first time SHE has taught a song to her sisters, not the other way around! I just got so tickled when she sang it to me. It goes to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" The words are:

I'm a little penguin, black and white.

Soft and furry, an adorable sight.

I can't fly at all, but I love to swim.

So I waddle to the ocean,

and I dive right in.

So cute! Sometimes I'm so amazed by what she can do. Don't you ever wish you could just freeze your children at the age they are? I do.

If you're not doing anything Saturday night and are in Maine you should go to the Matthew West concert and Portland Pirates game! We love Matthew West. Concert starts at 4:15. Tickets, if they're still available, were $12 for both the concert and game. Check it out!

Reflecting on 2006

Okay, so I may not make New Year's Resolutions but I was thinking that reflecting on the passed year is important. Looking at where we've been, what we've accomplished, that sort of thing. For us 2006 was FULL of changes! This time last year Ed left Maine to start his new job and I had to get used to him being gone all week. He would drive home from Mass. on Friday after work and then head back to Mass. on Sunday afternoon. I was looking at my '06 calendar and January was BUSY with house showings, school play rehearsals, basketball, gymnastics - all that stuff. We sold our house something like 10 days after it hit the Multiple Listing realtor guide and our buyers wanted a FAST closing. They originally wanted to close the end of January - however, we did not have a house to move into in Mass. and ideally we wanted the girls to go to their school until February vacation. A 30 day closing seemed realistic to us so that's what we agreed to. February came in with a flurry of activity! Ed still being gone during the week, Katie's birthday party to prepare for, going through closets and the basement to get rid of stuff we just didn't need. Then the actual move... It was more than moving all of our belongings from one place to another - we were moving our LIVES. Everything that was HOME and familiar became a picture in the rearview mirror as the girls and I drove down to Mass to be with Ed and start our new lives there. SCARY! I read a quote on a bumper sticker today: Change is inevitable. Growth is a choice. It's true, isn't it. So after reading that I thought, "Have I grown, have I seen growth in my kids since this move?" Of course! I think it's harder to resist the change and be bitter about it than it is to accept it and make the best of it. 2006 has been full of growth for all of us. I've had to step outside of my comfort zone so many times and God has blessed each time. My girls have had their world completely rearranged and yet they are thriving and happy and adjusted to our new home and hometown. I'm so proud of them especially. It's so much to ask a child to leave behind familiar things and start over but yet they are so resilient and able to accept change I think easier than adults. There have been times when it's been very difficult and I've felt sad and sorry for myself. Thank God I'm not a wallower. I don't let myself wallow in self pity - it's just not productive! I'm sure all of us have felt that way at different times since the move but I think we're all doing just fine. The adjustment seems to be over now we are really settled and feeling like our lives are here and this is our new home. I remember the very first time we went to a store after we moved down. I thought, "We know NO ONE here! We won't see anyone we know because all of these people are STRANGERS to us - ALL of them. None of them are even the slightest bit familiar!" It's not like that anymore. Between Ed and I and the girls we see familiar faces often when we are out. I like that. So 2006 was a year of change and adjustment for us. It was also a year of growth for all of us as well. My hope and prayer is that 2007, whatever it brings, will see us all healthy and happy.

Happy New Year

I'm not much of a New Year's Resolution type. I have tried before to make some resolutions for the year ahead and by January 2 they were all but forgotten. I don't even try now. If you make New Year's resolutions, good for you. I hope you succeed. I tend to look at time in a seasonal format; you know, winter, spring, summer, fall, as opposed to the year as a whole. That's how life operates, don't you think? We plan things according to the time of year, not neccessarily the year itself. Maybe that's mostly true of people with school aged children - because then the school year sort of dictates our time and planning a bit more than folks without school aged kids. So while I don't make resolutions for the year ahead, I might have a goal for the summer - walk the dog every day; or the winter - bake more with the kids. I'm not sure if those are resolutions or not. My resolution for TODAY is to take down the Christmas decorations. Maybe that's how I'll do it - DAILY! Hmmm...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!