missing tooth

Sarah has finally lost a tooth from the top row! It fell out while she was eating her cereal - no blood this time, so I managed quite well. Although the way she moved it to a horizonatal position before it came out was sort of gross . . .

the two of them

They bicker. They irritate each other. They get angry and yell. They make each other cry. Sometimes, they would rather spend time with anyone else.

But they also make each other laugh hysterically. They play make believe. They defend each other. They tell stories and listen to each other. They draw pictures and make things for each other. They give compliments and enjoy each's other company. And, sometimes, they even hold hands, without a suggestion that it's the nice thing to do.

The Day After Christmas

Sarah's anticipation of our New Jersey trip and Christmas got the best of her. After waking up early many days in a row (at 5:40 on Christmas morning) and going to bed late many nights in a row, she slept until 8:30 the day after Christmas. (And she would've slept longer if Brian hadn't woken her up.) After (an extended period of) bouncing off the walls and driving us slightly insane, she lounged around for most of the day on December 26th. We had no complaints - she was much easier to deal with, as long as we avoided stepping on her when she was lying on the floor!

Sarah, on Christmas

Look at those eyes - she looks like a crazy person. I was looking through all of the Christmas photos, trying to decide which of those lovely holiday moments to share here, but I just couldn't help myself. I added lots of photos to this blog post and then deleted most of them - they just didn't fit. She's too funny in these - I can't get past her expression . . . as you might guess, she was really excited on Christmas morning.

Sarah at Seven

Here she is. Our ballet dancer, our Christmas fairy, our pilgrim, our Kitty Soft Paws, our princess, our most festive of the bunch. She packed her Santa hat this morning to wear in the car on the way up to New Jersey, to wear on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, and to wear any other time that suits her fancy. She packed Eric's hat too, and she told him that he should wear it, that it would be fun, but he refused. I'm sure she'll try to convince him several more times, and he won't have anything to do with it.

She won't care that she will be the only one wearing the Santa hat at the dinner table either. She won't notice that all of the other kids are more self-conscious, including her younger brother. Just like she didn't care when she was the only pilgrim at Thanksgiving or the only crazy person wearing face paint in public. (Actually, she convinced Eric that it would be okay and he went along with it at first, but he very quickly felt embarassed and made me wipe his face off as soon as we came home. We went out later, and Sarah wore her cat face with pride.)

I love this about her. I'm acutety aware that, at age seven, her early years are slipping away. It warms my heart to see that she takes no notice of this fact - she just keeps playing, dressing up, and creating magical worlds for herself (and anyone else willing to play along with her.)

Happy Birthday, sweet Sarah!

Sarah's Sewing Party

Sarah asked if we could celebrate her birthday "out" this year. And so, for the first time, we had a birthday party away from the house. We went to Bull City Craft, a new arts/craft store in Durham, and made felt monsters. It was nice not to have to think about what needed to be done beforehand, and instead, just show up. (Almost just show up - I couldn't help but play with the monster idea. Monster plates, monster napkins, and monster goody bags made me happy.)

When I chose the monsters, I was really excited about the idea and thought the kids would love it. The owner suggested against the craft, noting that our group might be too young for sewing. But I made it clear that we were a proficient bunch. (Hindsight -I had a few of Sarah's friends in mind, whom I knew could sew. I had blinders on for the rest of them.) I felt confident about my choice until the date grew closer, as I realized that even Sarah has limited patience with most sewing activities we've tried at home.

So - we showed up and we sewed. For an hour and twenty minutes - an hour longer than I've ever been able to get Sarah to focus on sewing. Parents who stayed for the party helped a lot, and despite my concerns about how the process might evolve, everyone was more than patient.

In the end, I think it worked out. Everyone was really happy with their monsters, and I think they were proud of what they had accomplished. (Or they were just really happy to be done with them. Not sure on that one.) Either way, I thought the monsters (and the kids and parents who made them) were great.

another treasure hunt

On the same day that I painted Sarah's face as Kitty Soft Paws (and Eric's as E-man), we went on a hike. (I feel the need to explain - as you can see, they decided not to take the face paint off for the hike.) For the kids, the goal was to find treasure. For Brian and me, the goal was to enjoy being in the woods with our kids. They found one of the two "treasures" we sought, and they barely complained about the hike, which was not a short one. (I was proud of them.) It was a beautiful day, and I spied lots of good and lovely things along the way. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend time with each other - treasure hunts bring out the best in all of us.

Kitty Softpaws

When we went to see Puss in Boots, I had no idea how much Sarah would identify with one of the characters. Every day, for over a week, she dressed up as Kitty Softpaws. Last weekend, she wore her cat face all day long, in and out of the house. (I am fascinated by her lack of self consciousness.) She stopped only when they learned about the first Thanksgiving at school. She then decided to dress up as a pilgrim instead. I'm curious to see if she starts dressing up like a cat again, or if something else will capture her imagination . . . Whatever she chooses, I'll shake my head and smile, admiring the little girl she still is.

self portraits

They were taking pictures with the camera the other day - nice, right? I think that Eric took both of these pictures. I'm guessing that he had the same expression while he was taking Sarah's picture as he did in the one of himself. Focused and goofy at the same time - who knew it was possible? As for Sarah, the fact that it was Halloween may have played into her lovely look, or it didn't.

Halloween

Yesterday, Eric and Sarah discussed whether they liked Halloween or Christmas better. They decided that they love both holidays the same amount. I think they're crazy (and I told them so) - Christmas wins, hands down - but I get it. I remember how exciting Halloween was, how fun it was to get dressed up, how delicious that usually-forbidden candy tasted. This year, they had the day off from school, and so they spent most of the day either in their pajamas or in their costumes. I let them watch too many Halloween cartoons in the morning and one more in the afternoon - not what we usually do, but so much fun. I get it, but I still think Christmas is way better.

New Hope Valley Railway

We had heard that it was worth doing, and so we drove down to a place called Bonsal and rode a train. I had thought it would be this lovely, relaxed experience, with the kids taking it in and quietly enjoying the ride. And that is how it started. However, the ride was long enough that ants crawled into their pants, and it wasn't quite the loveliness that I had imagined. I wasn't even sure they enjoyed themselves for awhile - they kept asking when the ride would be over. When the ride did end, 55 minutes after it started, they said that they had a great time, and I guess they probably did. It was Brian and me that didn't get exactly what we had signed up for - a nice, calm, quiet time. Instead, we got lots of goofy grins, constant chatter, and a game of musical chairs. Check out the last picture - at least the ride home was quiet.