Reesie Girl is 6!

I feel like Reese should have just celebrated her 8th or 9th birthday, not her 6th. She is a very mature newly 6 year old and a very bright little girl. Over this past year Reese has done extremely well adjusting to kindergarten. She never once cried going to school, she was ready and eager to start school. It helped that one of the only people she knew happened to be in the same class. It also helped tremendously that she happened to get an amazing teacher. It's been the best all around transition to real school we could have asked for.

What we didn't expect to learn this past year is that Reese is a tad boy crazy. After the first week of school she declared having a boyfriend and even went as far as to tell me the "hardest part about school is having a boyfriend but having parents who don't believe me". Yikes...wasn't ready for that. That "boyfriend" slowly faded, then she developed a huge crush on a 2nd or 3rd grade boy (not even sure). His name is Drew, and she coined the phrase "Drew love", like true love...get it? Yep, boy crazy. Recently she told me she now understands Drew is just her friend, but now Charlie has admitted he has a crush on her...so now it's all about Charlie. I really didn't see this coming in kindergarten. We of course have downplayed it as much as possible...trying to not buy into the idea or make it a thing that gains attention. Hopefully she grows out of this a bit. Shouldn't boys have coodies at this point?!

On a positive note, Reese is really coming out of her shell. She is doing very well in school, reading up a storm, excelling in all aspects. This past year she started gymnastics, piano lessons, Zumba, Marin treks, and even agreed to play softball even though she has insisted that she doesn't like sports. The best part is she is really enjoying softball! It's so fun to see and it's been such a fun thing for daddy and Reese. Great bonding time for the two of them. 

I think her favorite part of softball is getting a treat either from the snack shack or Baskin Robins after the game! 

Reese is really into kids baking/cooking shows. So for her birthday she came up with the idea to have a cake wars party. Rather than fully baking the cakes, we decided to decorate cupcakes. It seemed more appropriate for a group of mainly 5 and 6 year olds. The party was such a blast. We started with decorating aprons, then each girl decorated 4 cupcakes and each one had a theme to follow. Of course their was a lot of free for all, but some kids really took each one seriously. It was such a fun party.

We love you Reesie girl!

7 years

Time is a funny thing. In some ways 7 years feels like an eternity, and on the other hand 7 years feels like it has passed by in the blink of an eye. 

So much has happened in 7 years. At times it truly feels like a blur.  Roughly 6.5 years ago, I remember having a conversation with my mom. I was pregnant with Reese and we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl yet.  Well, I knew in my heart she was a girl, but we didn't KNOW yet.  My mom asked if I would be ready to have a boy, if I wanted another baby boy.  Of course I wanted a baby boy, more importantly I wanted to have a child in my arms  again.  I wanted to be a mom to a child on Earth.  I told my mom that day, I know this baby is a girl.  I think God knows that's what I can handle right now.  Down the road I can see us having one more girl, and maybe just maybe if we have one more, we will be ready for another boy.  Perhaps God was listening to me, or speaking to me that day. 

7 years ago I wasn't sure if we would ever have the family we dreamed of, but today as I take the time to really think about Blake I now know we would never have the family we have today if it wasn't for Blake.  Not only has Blake shaped our family, but he has shaped our whole life.  Our friends, our path, our jobs...we wouldn't be where we are if it wasn't for him. 

I'd give anything to wrap my arms around Blake, feel his sweaty little head against my cheek, see his eyes light up with each smile, and I wish so badly that I could see him with his siblings.  This is the first year that Reese seems to get it.  This morning we watched a video of Blake, one that was put together for his memorial.  I explained that Blake went to Heaven 7 years ago today, today's the day he became an angel.  She was quiet, snuggled next to me and while watching the video I heard her sniffle and then sniffle again.  She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, "I miss him mom. At least I still have a baby brother."  Heartbreaking...yet heartwarming that she has a connection with Blake despite never meeting him.

Over the weekend I found an envelope marked 'Blake's Pictures'.  On the disks I found a few pictures of Blake I had never seen. Truly a gift...I am always wanting more pictures, more memories.

 Blake playing at the Children's Museum in San Luis Obispo

In Disneyland...his smile says it all!

Getting ready to watch Aladdin

~I especially love his hand on top of mine~ 

Somewhere along this journey someone told me not to think of each day as being one more day without him, rather think of every day as being one day closer.

Yes, time is a funny thing.

Are you smarter than a preschooler?

As I was tucking Reese into bed tonight, she taught me a little lesson about penguins and polar bears...emperor penguins to be exact. It went like this...

Reese: Mom, you see this really big penguin on my pajamas?  It's an emperor penguin.  They live where it's REALLY cold!
Me: In the Arctic?
Reese:  No, the Antarctic.  They live at the bottom of the world in the Antarctic.  They live there so the Polar Bears don't eat them!  Polar Bears EAT penguins.
Me: Wow, so where do Polar Bears live?
Reese: In the Arctic.  That's the top of the world.

Seriously...word for word.  
 

Bilingual?

Over the past week, Reese has been picking up a few spanish words here and there.  I know some of it is coming from her preschool, and some is probably from Dora.  Out of no where she started counting in spanish, not accurately, but trying.  She actually has a pretty good little accent. The other day as we were driving home she asked, "which way is our house? this way or that way?"  I said, neither.  We go straight.  She replied, "Es bonita or uno?"  I had to laugh...no Reese it's not pretty or one, but I love your enthusiasm!

Breath Holding Spell

Yesterday when I picked up Camryn from daycare, Angela told me Camryn had a scare. I immediately looked at her face, assuming she took another fall.  She looked completely fine and was her normal self, happy to see me. Angela couldn't even get 3 words out before she started to tear up.  Cam is still learning to walk, and was walking back and forth between Angela and her daughter. Camryn ended up falling backwards.  Angela caught her right before she hit the ground, but her head still hit the floor ever so slightly.  As kids do, Camryn went to scream, but it was a silent cry.  Angela kept thinking, oh man...this is going to be a big scream when it comes out.  She waited, and waited, but Cam never screamed.  Instead she passed out.  Angela screamed trying to get her to wake up, ran to the bathroom and started splashing water on her face.  After a few seconds, Camryn woke up.  A few seconds later, Camryn was completely fine and wanted to play and acted as if nothing had just happened.

Just to be safe, we took her to the doctor.  She hit her head pretty bad the week before and it made me nervous that she could have a concussion or something could have been jolted from this little fall. Come to find out she had a breath holding spell.  I had never heard of such a thing, but I'm told they are very common and even more common in strong willed or "spirited" kids.  The doctor assured us these spells, while scary, are completely harmless.  It's the body's natural way to force itself to take a breath. Typically it's brought on by anger, frustration, fear, or pain.  In this case, I think it was fear from falling backwards.

After all we have been through.  I'm not sure if I could handle seeing Camryn pass out, it might make me pass out too.  Now that I know she might be prone to this behavior, I need to mentally prepare for it to happen on my watch.  Just the thought of it makes my heart start racing.

What are we going to do with our strong willed little girls?  We have one that cries so hard she makes herself throw up (knock on wood that hasn't happened in awhile). And another little girl who cries so hard she makes herself pass out!  Everyone says their strong nature will pay off in the long run...I sure hope it does or we are in for it!