The Little Miss is Seven

Holland loves her birthdays

she talks and plans and counts them down

I love her excitement.

I have loved every stage, every year, every moment with this sweet girl.

Truly, I am a lucky mama.

A blessed mama to be this sweet girl's mama.

A Sunday afternoon, about a month before the big day!

Holland presented me with a carefully laid out birthday plan.

'Mom', said she

'I am going to have a Rapunzel birthday.  This is what we are going to do:

First, ribbons in the trees (check)

Next, everyone will follow a long Rapunzel hair around the yard (check)

For games, we are doing a ring toss and a pie toss...you know like throw it in someones face (check)

and last, Mom, you are going to love this....a Rapunzel cake with her hair all wrapped around it'

Hmmm.  Wasn't sure how to do the cake thing and 

she said it would be 'totally ok if hair gets in the frosting'

With the help of 6 sticks of butter, we figured it out.

And the pie toss?  Turned into a pie fight.

When I kissed her sweet dreams, after a long bath

(who knew whip cream stuck like that?)

she said with a big sigh....'That was the best birthday ever Mom!

Next year can I have a Jasmine party?'

Let the planning begin!

Cougar

While the cousins were here...

We spent a day at the Farm at Thanksgiving Point

and since we were so close to BYU...

we went there too.

Izzy and Holland immediately spotted the

Baby Cougar print tracks on the bookstore floor

and followed them

around

and

around

(While I ate a bag of chocolate covered cinnamon bears)

and ended up downstairs

They were a little bit excited to make some purchases

Bags were not necessary for they immediately made a wardrobe change

and were happy 'Baby Cougars'

While we drove home, Holland said,

"Mom, when I grow up I want to be a BYU girl"

Fine with me.

First of Firsts

Today

I have a First Grader

who also lost her

First Tooth

just in the nick of time

for her First day of First Grade

This was important to her.

She has been equally excited for both.

As we drove down the little streets

the sidewalks were

swarming with kids

and parents

and strollers

and dogs

and bikes

and backpacks

Seriously

swarming

I have never lived somewhere

that the schools

almost

equal the churches

Almost.

I love the fall.

I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils.

and new school shoes

and sweaty hands from playing on the playground.

I love packing lunches each morning

and knowing that

the sun is setting a little earlier each night

I love that Holland goes to school

with kids that I went to school with's kids

I love that we have our own address

in a neighborhood

swarming

with those schools

and churches

I love that Holland is going to my

college roommate's house after school

to play until I can gather her up

and take her home to make dinner

and do homework together.

I love that I get to be this little girl's mom.

I love that the most of all.

p.s. i was doing really good

not crying

until i saw her name on her desk

good thing the bell rang!

Arts

This Little Girl

She seems

to love anything to do with art.

And she can't seem

to get enough of it.

The International Dance Festival came to town last weekend.

Thursday,

she went with Grandma

Friday,

she went with her cousins, her auntie, and me

Saturday,

she went with me

Every night, she made her way to the front

Just so she could be close enough to study the costumes

(because this was her favorite part she said)

And every night, when it came time to go home

She nearly cried

and begged

to come back the next night

And so we did.

But Saturday night,

when there wasn't a next night,

she really did cry and said,

"But Mom, the Aborigine said he won't come back for like 7 more years!

and you just have to see him Mom! Because in like 7 more years, he will be old!"

?

I guess that was a good enough reason to try to convince me.

Oh.

She also devoured a plate of chicken curry

2 out of 3 nights.

Who knew

this little girl would like curry?

From Jennifer

Make a digital slideshow

Handcart Days

I ran Garner and Holland over to Handcart Days

I had exactly 50 minutes to show these crazies how the Pioneers lived.

And for the bounce slides? Pioneer children had to have some fun too!

Swimmer

This little girl can swim!

It is so amazing to watch her little elbows pop out of the water

during freestyle....or her little bum pop out of the water during butterfly.

It is so fun to pick her up from school and have her talk about

swim lessons and then for her to run way ahead of me to the dressing room.

We have a quick routine:

bathroom

dressing room

swim suit

pony tail

shower

goggles

"Hello Teacher!"

She loves it.

And I sit in the bleachers

and get choked up watching her

She waves up to me

and gives me a thumbs up

after she completes a stroke

All with a huge smile

(Her teacher says she is a natural and that if she is interested, she should try out for the developmental swim team....oh and she is interested!)

So glad

It occurred to me tonight

while giving Holland a bath

how she is really growing up

Her conversations lately have been

pretty inquisitive.

Last night she asked me if she will

ever have a step dad

and then she told me

that it wasn't her fault, or my fault, or her dad's fault

or her dog, or her cat, or her fish, or her other dog's fault

that we don't all live together.

It just happened Mom.

That is what she said.

And tonight while she was in the bath

she said

Gracie and Isabo wears bras

but they are just training bras

I don't wear one, but when will I Mom?

I am glad I get to answer her questions.

Annie

Grandma took the girls to Annie

Holland was more than excited

She sung all the songs

Sat on the edge of her seat

and told me how when she grows up she wants

to sing on a stage in front of lots of people

And in good star struck form

we waited in the lobby to meet

the dog

and Annie

Holland bravely waited to tell Annie,

"You did a really good job"

And it just so happens that Daddy Warbucks

is in our Ward

He talked with Holland for a bit and after he walked away,

"I just can't believe it! Daddy Warbucks goes to my church!"

Groupie.

Lately

Holland reminds me each day

when I take her to school

that all she does

is

work

work

work

I can relate.

So I thought I would document all of her

work

work

work

She presented a "Blender Color Wheel"

at her school Science Fair

And she did a magnificent job!

Hobbies and New Tricks

Holland has some new hobbies

Handstand

Tree Pose

Upward Dog

She asked that I photograph her and send them

to her Grandma and her Aunties

All while wearing her 'jeggings'

That was for Auntie Jen

Because she would think they are soooooo cute.

PS...Don't mind the messy house, it was the end of a long day!

Little Ballerina

Holland is a graceful little ballerina.

I am amazed at how this little girl in such a petite little body can

plie' and leap and skip

and move her arms and her feet into first, second, third, fourth and fifth

without hesitation.

She is giddy with delight to be dancing in a studio again.

I just love to see her little face as she watches her teacher

and focuses on learning something that she has chosen

to do.

Soccer, no.

Karate, no.

Softball, no.

Violin, no.

Ballet, yes.

Pixie Dust

The other night

I was washing Holland's curly locks

scrubbing away, I noticed sand, lots of sand

Hmmm

You have sand in your hair Holland.

I know Mom.  It's pixie dust.

Then last night

I crawled into bed to snuggle with Holland

because snuggling is of course what we love to do

and I noticed sand in the bed

Hmmm

There is sand in the bed Holland.

I know Mom.  It's pixie dust.

So we can fly in our dreams.

P.S.  Holland told me that every wish she has ever made is that she can fly.

P.S.S.  Last weekend we had a meltdown.  Why doesn't the pixie dust work?

It's my only wish to fly.

P.S.S.S  When Holland was treee (3) she was Tinker Bell for Halloween

in Disneyland.  She even had a little pixie dust pouch (aka:  glitter) and she

was very upset "it not working!"

All Good

First day of Holland's new school

By the looks of this, not so sure?

But really she loves it

and is doing

Spanish

Origami

Chinese Letters

PE

Music Class

Counting in 10s

And before school she is

the official carrot feeder to Flopsy

loves doing melty beads

and coloring more pictures than the fridge can hold

All is well

New beginnings are

All good

New

Tomorrow is a new leaf.

I have always longed for

and LOVED this leaf I am on

today

I wish in my deepest heart

to still be on this little leaf

tomorrow.

The leaf of being with Holland

every moment that is ours.

The leaf that lets us sleep and snuggle

for as long as we want, or can.

The leaf where we can eat ice cream

whenever we want,

even if we have just finished a helping.

The leaf we play dress up, or pet store,

or mermaid.

The one where we watch two hours of

Tom and Jerry

and spoon

and laugh.

Where we could go to the park or the bike path

or the movies or the mall or to lunch or on an adventure.

They are all ours.

But my favorites, the ones I will miss the most

(not that they will stop, but the quantity shortens

all because of this new leaf)

are the times we lay all over each other

and talk

talk about how a lemon grows

or what does my belly do?

or how is wood made?

or play tickle monster, or fairy, or bugs.

and we say,

we really should get to sleep, it is getting late

but instead

we keep talking and keep tickling

the times I am there to see every little expression

or discovery and to answer all the questions

as best I can.

the times when we really aren't doing

anything

but breathing together.

Holland,

you are brave

you are very very brave

and you are beautiful

as we always say

inside and out!

I love you so very very much.

This morning we were coloring and the big little girl said

Mom, are you ready to go work tomorrow?  Are you excited?

I said, well, yes, I guess, but not excited because I will miss being with you

She said, me too mom

Are you excited to go to your new school?

yes, but not ready to not be with you.

And then she said, 

Can you stay here and snuggle me a little while?

Forever.

Easter and Bunny

Easter Bunny?

I think this year Holland is clueing in

and putting it all together

Easter is about the Resurrection

Easter is about hiding and finding eggs with treats

Easter is about coloring eggs

But a human sized bunny that does all of this?

ummm no.

She figured it out.