Crafting her heart out

Mia Gianna spent a whole afternoon last week crafting Valentines for her friends and family.  

I helped her by cutting out hearts and writing her messages.  While she was crafting, I took pictures of her. I tried not to laugh as more and more marker got on her little hands, and on the end of her nose!  It was also so sweet to watch her use little mannerisms, like flipping her hair, or holding her chin in her hands and sighing as she thought about something. It was lovely watching this little girl put so much thought and attention into each card.

The design of each card, the colors picked, the sizes of the hearts, were all her ideas.  Each time that she started a new card, she would announce who the card was for, and then she would spend a long time coloring and crafting the card. After she finished all of her Valentines, I put them all out on the dining room table to dry.  We looked at them together, and I admired how she had made each one different. I told her that everyone is going to be so happy when they open the mail and find a Valentine from her.  She beamed, pleased with this news (and maybe, with herself).

Sadly, I have not put them in the mail. The snow we got this weekend kind of put a halt to my usual routines, like shopping and errands.  I am going to put them in the mail tomorrow.  Please know that Gianna made these Valentines with so much love, and I'm so sorry that I'm lazy and couldn't mail them on time!

Happy Tuesday.

xo

PS Bode made only one Valentine, for "the white-haired Grandma" (as he says). So Nana should feel extra special when she opens her mailbox and finds an envelope from Bode Wm! xo

First day of camp!

Yesterday was Gianna's first day of camp...ever!  Bode was also at camp with her (he went last year).

Last night, I tried to prep her, by talking to her about what to expect, what to do in xyz situation(s), who would be there, etc.  We also packed her camp bag, and I explained every item and what it was for so that she would know.  (Note: this is only day camp).  Finally, RWF whispered, "Knock it off."  He thought that I was talking it up too much, and possibly getting her a little too excited (nervous).  So I stopped, and put her to bed.  Well of course, she couldn't go to sleep.  I heard her later on, and went into her room to check on her. She was crying. She said that she wanted to be with me downstairs (stalling!).  So I brought her downstairs and talked to her, about everything but camp.  Finally, I told her that it was time to go to bed. She went without any resistance. But then, I couldn't sleep last night because I kept worrying about her and how she would do at camp.

Well! I wasted a LOT of time not sleeping last night, let me tell you.  

Yesterday morning, as soon as I went to her to get her out of bed, she asked, "Where's my bag?"  She was ready to go.  We went through breakfast, getting sunscreen applied, getting dressed, etc.  And on the drive over, she kept saying, "Bye, mommy, bye!"  I would murmur, "Mmm hmmm...but I haven't dropped you off yet."   

We got there, and after introductions and hanging her stuff up, she looked at me and said, "Bye, Mommy!"  And she didn't look at me again.  I walked downstairs with her and then she and Bode took off running.  They didn't look back.

They had a blast, and when I picked them up, they didn't want to leave.  Gianna kept screaming this high pitched shrieky scream whenever I asked her to do something in order to leave (put your sunscreen in your camp bag, put on your shoes, etc.).  It was hurting my (and everyone else's) ears.  I knew that she was over-tired. I asked Shawn, the camp instructor, "How did Gianna do?"  Shawn blinked, and then looked apologetic, "Do you mean Mia?  Am I supposed to be calling her Gianna?"  I laughed. She continued, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know. I was wondering why she was ignoring me and wouldn't even look at me!" Of course, my first thought was, as a nervous mother, thank goodness she wasn't yelling, "Mia, look out for that wild animal!" because Gianna would surely have perished at the hands of a....I don't know what...a gopher? a wild turkey? So I'm glad that we got her name sorted out!

But overall, success. Gianna loves camp. Bode loves camp.  I have a few hours in the morning to myself (and Nico).
Kumbaya, my lord, kumbaya....
xo

This morning

This morning, Nico napped. A miracle!  I guess I timed it just right because he went down without a hitch.  So that left me alone with Gianna (rare).  We colored for awhile.  And then I started feeling antsy, like maybe I should fold the mountain of  laundry piled on our dining room table.  So I asked Gianna to bring her coloring into the bedroom while I folded laundry.  (I went into the bedroom to minimize the noise level so that Nico would stay asleep.)

As I was folding laundry, I looked over at my little girl. She was intently scratching her blue crayon across the surface of the paper.  I noticed how her chubby little hand curled awkwardly around the crayon. I saw the look of concentration on her face, her pursed lips, and her body bent over her artwork while she colored.  It was such a peaceful moment. And I thought, "Is it ever going to be this simple again?" 

I've been thinking a lot about Gianna growing older. She's going to be 3 in a couple of months! It is crazy.  And, I've been thinking about her going to school next year.  I went to the school office and signed the contract this week, so it's on my mind.  The school director kept talking about Gianna, and I kept having an urge to correct her, "No, you mean Bode."  Because in my mind, Gianna is not a part of the school. 

So I had to pull out my camera and capture this moment. A snapshot of my still 2 year old baby girl, soon to be 3 year old school girl.

Happy Wednesday.

xo