Writing Inspiration

I know I normally don't write anything except on Sundays just for the weekly wrap-up.  I'm also working on trying to reign in my "social media" addiction and "need" for attention in this way...so why am I writing again?  I want to share the heart of my daughter...one who is so filled with love that she wrote a book.  Her 5-year-old understanding of what Love means...and she wrote it for her best friend at Kindergarten.  I know the little boy won't care, and she doesn't like him like a "boyfriend" or a "crush"...but they're just best buddies.  And she really wants him to know that she enjoys spending time with him.  I want to be more like her.  So first, let me share her book.  I'll translate a bit under each page to ensure you understand exactly what she is saying.  This book began the day after Gabriel came over to play at our house with his mom.  Tay asked me to staple some papers together for her so she could make a book.  She has asked me this before, and she usually draws some pictures in it or uses it like a "doctor's notebook" and she'll scribble all over it like she's taking notes.  Anyhow, I made it for her and she took it upstairs to her "study room."  After that, I forgot all about it...until today, when she showed it to me to ask me if I could understand what it said.  Here goes:

["Welcome to the book of Love"]

[Written by Shingil]

[The Starting]

 [Love is not about going to get flowers]

 [Love is showing your friends that you care]

 [Oh, and even if you make art, it still isn't Love]

 [Oh, and here is a picture]

 [Oh, and Gabriel, I hope that you can come again. Oh, and the other page will have just a picture.]

This little girl wrote this all on her own...over the course of about five days.

I know that to the rest of the world, this may seem like a "crush" or something, but I've seen this girl have a major crush on a couple boys already, and this is not the same.  She would have written this for her best friend in Korea (Shiri) or her first friend ever (Aiden) if she could write at the time.  She genuinely enjoys playing with this little boy and has such a sweet friendship with him.  I admire the friendship she has with other children and the heart she has to so bravely share her feelings without worry or concern that they might not like her back.  

I know I've mentioned before that I would eventually write a post on my own experience with "friendships"...and my difficulties with making and maintaining them.  I don't know if my brain is just wired strangely, but I have always lived a very "lonely" and "anti-social" life.  The only times I really ever made "friends" was when I was participating in a group (like choir or band) or some other activity.  My nature is to "avoid conflict" so there rarely was a person I didn't get along with...but it was always hard to become very close friends with anyone.  I've always had people as I was growing up that I considered my "best" friends, but I know for certain that these friends all had other "best" friends that were not me.  That bothered me a little, but I knew I could never be the kind of "best" friend that person needed all the time.  Also, as I grew up a bit, I realized that there were certain people that I was really drawn to...really felt a need to get to know them.  It was as if I instantly liked them from the moment I met them...or even before I actually met them (in this world of internet introductions).

So I got interrupted due to a waking baby, so I had to leave off for the night and now I've lost my train of thought, so I guess I'll have to get back to explaining my anti-social behavior later.

I do want to say before ending this segment, I am very proud of my daughter and her ability to express herself with the written word now (and drawings).  I love that she so genuinely wants to express herself and her feelings - I hope I can encourage that instead of squashing it as she grows into the moody teenage years (and keep the communication lines open between her and me). I hope the friends that I do have (and hold very dear to my heart) understand when I am absent in so many ways...that I do think of them often and although I show so little "action," I think of them often and am trying to be more "active" in "showing my friends that I care."

A Slow Week that Ended with a Derby and Some Snowy Fun

This week was pretty lazy for the most part.  We did our usual routine and I didn't take too many photos.  We made our usual walk to school.  This week was particularly damp with lots of fog and drizzle.  It didn't seem to get the girls' spirits down at all. 

She looks so very grown up here.

Tay asked to make some BLTs for lunch one day, so I let her.  I just fried up the bacon for her.  She toasted the bread, spread the mayo, and she even sliced the tomatoes (using this handy little device).

Washed and dried the lettuce.

Her finished sandwich.

Little one played with blocks quite a bit this week.  She had the most fun pulling the blocks out of the bin (or dumping it out) and then putting them back in the bin.

The girls tried teaching new tricks to the baby.  Here they are teaching here "Mahn-seh! (Hooray!)"

She got it...later.  

I found some interesting photos on my phone this week.  And it gave me a little glimpse into what my 3-year-old sees as she walks around the house.  You don't realize how short kids are until you see the photos that they took...

And of course...selfies...lol...

Speaking of selfies...we took some, too.

I love baby kisses.  They're getting a little less lick-y now...just a little.

I love these "group" selfies we take...the girls find it so funny...I love the series of giggly faces I end up with...don't you?

Here's what I got when I sat them together and told them to "smile."  See, it doesn't work as well as the "selfie"...

Aww...cuddly sisters.

Here's what I got when I said, "Strike a pose!"  I got "Superman" and the peace sign.

Oh, the little one is standing much better on her own, now, but I still haven't gotten a good photo of her standing all alone.  She's still a little scared, so she keeps crouching down when I let go of her hands.  She's mastering the "squat," though.  I'll get a pic of that for next week.  

Here's what the baby does, usually, when I'm folding laundry in the bedroom.  She loves to go and have a chat with her buddy...in the mirror.

This is what she did when I asked her what she was doing.  She stopped mid-lick and smiled at me.

Then she resumed licking and yelling.

When I told her to stop it, she got sad.

Blinded by the flash.

She has a funny thing she does whenever she has something that wraps around her.  She likes to grab both sides and...

...boop!  Put them together.  It doesn't matter if it's a blanket or a belt or a toy that can reach all the way around her...but it must be around her and come around the sides where she can grab it and bring them together.  Is this a thing?  I've never seen either of my other babies do this...

I continue to get notes from my 5-year-old girl...strange, the things she writes:  "I love you, Mom, and I always will.  Even when you are dead."  Hm...

This week, I re-did the girls' bedroom and moved them all into one room for sleeping.  Why, you ask?  Because they were all ending up in the baby's room anyway on the full-size mat on the floor...and crowding the baby and me and waking up every hour...ugh.  So, I just did this:

This made for easier story time at night while I read a book for each of the girls...the other girls browsed their books.

Then they all slept...in their respective beds...for the most part.  In weird positions...

Did I mention, my husband became Amish for a day?

Oh, and this husband of mine also volunteers some of his time to help out with the Cub Scout pack here because they don't have enough volunteers.  So this Saturday was the Pine Wood Derby!  We tagged along to go watch the races.

The girls were really cute and actually enjoyed watching the cars whiz by!

See Jeff at the table?  He's working the heats and the computer as the recorder.  Can you see the blur of cars going by on the track?

I just love the motion in Ri's hair in this photo below as she watches the cars zip by.

Oh, and we ran into her little buddy who was there to watch his big brother race his car "Tank." I think he won!

Tay really wanted to have a "camp out" outside.  We told her it was too cold and we didn't have the right gear to sleep outside, so Jeff and Tay "camped" in the living room.  They lit the fireplace...

...and slept in their "tent."

We FINALLY had a big snow day!  

We told the girls we'd take them to a near-by slope to go sledding!  See the excitement in her face?

Then we got a message from our friends we were meeting there and they said that the snow on the slope was not good for sledding...so we literally turned around the block and came right back home.  The disappointed faces...

So we told them we'd just play in our yard...and boy, was that a good call.

The girls just dug around in the snow for a bit...

Then we did some dragging around of the baby in the baby sled...which she LOVED!  Yay!

Both big sisters helped pull her around...

Then our friends came over and since we had a "little" slope on our side yard, they ran up and down that hill sledding the 10 feet...perfect for the kiddos!

I was surprised at how much fun this little one was having.  She giggled and smiled and made silly faces the whole time.  Even with her little nose turning red.

The girls played in the back yard, too...

 They made some snow angels...

So much fun!

By now, the little one was getting a bit chilly...

The girls had a blast playing in the snow.

Jeff and Tay built "Olaf."

Hot cocoa and warm chili to end the snowy fun!  :)  Hope everyone has a great week!