Scar-ism

Aunt Sally told Scarlett how fun Christmas dinner was at our house, and asked if she had fun too. 


 "Yea, except for my parents making me eat leftovers!"

Later, I asked if she enjoyed the dinner Aunt Sally made (because she reports that everything eaten at their house just tastes better than whatever food we make) 
"I don't even have a word to describe it, it was SO GOOD."

Christmas

Trees:We have two Christmas trees this year- the big one in the living room, and also a little one in Scarlett's room.  She calls the big one Big Agnes, or Big Ag, or Aggie.  She calls the little one Little Ag. She falls asleep with the Little Ag's lights turned on, then we unplug the tree after she falls asleep.  Some mornings she wakes up early and asks us to turn on Little Ag, "I like to wake up to her beautiful lights".

Lantern walk:
Last week, Scarlett and the other kindergartners at school took part in the lantern walk, a Harmony tradition.  They spent some time decorating the lanterns in the week leading up to it, and Scarlett gave us the play-by-play on how the lanterns were shaped and what colors each person picked.  Leo's has the brightest colors, and Jay's is the smallest, and Oakley used some black.  Then on Friday evening, they walked around in the dark and sang a little song, it was very sweet. 

The ankle:
Scar sprained her ankle yesterday and has been hobbling around.  I told her this meant Christmas was cancelled, which she thinks is hysterical.  Her favorite villain, Count Olaf, has some ankle stuff going on too.  We also have a new game where we tell her that she's not old enough to do certain things- she can't play Life because the box says 'ages 9+' or she can't read certain books because they are too advanced for 5-year olds.  She still says she is five but really, she's almost 6.  But let's not tell her, because I'm not ready for her to say that yet. 

Scar-ism

"Mama, Saint Nick and Santa are two different people that live together.  They're BEST friends."

We have a constant argument going on about whether Santa and Saint Nick are the same person, or not.  She doesn't believe me.

Scarlett & her Grandparents

Charlie, throwback

A sampling of items found in a box from Charlie's childhood:

• "Charlie and another classmate admitted to stealing jolly ranchers from a jar on my desk." -excerpt of a note from his 5th grade teacher
•  A story about a pumpkin who was mad that nobody remembered his birthday, that he turned other pumpkins into pie, and threw hay at a cow.
• An award that was signed by the CEO of Burger King.
• A scratch & sniff picture of a pickle from 1987. It still smells like a pickle.
• A letter of suspension for drinking at a party in high school.  
• Follow up conversation 
• "I didn't drink!" -Charlie
• Me: looks at the letter again, then reads "was admittedly present at a party where drinking occurred."
• Charlie- smirks.
• There were a lot of awards for math and whatnot too, if I fail to mention this, Charlie will probably delete this post.

Scarlett, in Kindergarten

Dear Scarlett,

Today your lost your third tooth, although lost isn't very accurate because you really really wanted it gone, and it was hanging down 'all wonky' and flipping around, so we tied a string to it and pulled.  It's your first upper tooth to go.  I wish I could post a picture of your quirky and beautiful smile, but you weren't ready for us to take a picture.  You need to get used to the tooth being gone for a few days first, you said.

You like to name things.  The tooth is "toothy" and a little chick you sewed at school is "cheepy" and the golf ball you found last weekend was "golfy". 

You were home sick from school today, so you and daddy finished reading The Hobbit.  You and I have been reading the Series of Unfortunate Events books and you love them, sometimes you're a little frightened but you like feeling that way.  So far we've ready four of them.  You'd sit on the couch all day reading with us, if that were an option.  You bring a book to the dinner table, and to the bathtub.

I slept on the floor of your room last night, because you were sick and needed mama close by.   It was uncomfortable but it reminded me of when you first moved into your crib in another room, and we slept on the floor next to you for a while.

You like to wear our kitchen colander on your head, tied with pipe cleaners.  Sometimes you tie wooden spoons to your legs and call it armor.  You love to play Life.  You love the spot near the bushes by our house that you call your hideout.  You love Legos and climbing up the side of our porch, in a move that makes my stomach drop.  You are my big girl and I love you tremendously. I am so proud to be your mama.

Emily

Thousand Chain

Scarlett's teachers sent this picture, of her finished a project called 'the thousand chain'.  It's a counting and math work where the student lays out beads by tens and then hundreds and does counting along the way.  Each yellow square is a collection of 100 beads.  The blue marks indicate 10.  She told me she spent most the day on it, and she was really excited after school that afternoon. 

Scar-ism

"Back in the war times, people didn't have cars"

Day of the Dead: Scarlett style

We had a long discussion about why her mouth and chin weren't painted.  You have a runny nose, I  said. It will not be pretty.  But, she countered, the kids in the pictures online all have their mouths painted. 

Happy Fall

Scar-ism

"What is the difference between smashed and smooshed?"

Strike a Pose

There are about 20 more pictures in this series that are equally funny-cute.

Happy Fall!

(except it's supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow which is NOT FALL WEATHER)

More moveable alphabet

From Scarlett, this week:

This is my favorite thing she's done at school so far.  I love this kid!

Home from Boston

I came home from a work trip and brought her this giant lollipop.  She was pretty happy to see me.... I think

Family pic

Rainbow Ghost

the ghost is saying "weeeoowwwww"


And on a separate note:
Scarlett, to Ramona: "Do you want to do falling body parts?"

Kindergarten!

This morning, Charlie dropped Scarlett off for her first day as a kindergartener. She's in the same classroom as she's been for 2 years- that's the Montessori three-year cycle- but this year she's one of the big kids, with more responsibility and classroom jobs.  I remember how, her first few months, they paired her with a kindergarten girl who showed her the ropes, and ate lunch with her, and was her classroom friend.  I'm excited for her to play that role for another kid. 

She's reading more, and together we're reading all kinds of books (we just finished Superfudge), and she likes her privacy- so we have to knock and be welcomed into her room when the door is closed.

Her lunch today was a sandwich with cream cheese, cucumber and salami (salami is her #1 new favorite food) and honeydew melon.  She wore her new green raincoat, which she likes because it's similar to daddy's coat. 

I remember dropping her off her very first day of school. How could it be two years since then?

Grimm conversation

A while back, we started checking out books on tape from the library, for car trips.  Scarlett loves stories and asks for them all the time.  The content has evolved, and lately her favorite are these Grimm Fairy Tales.  She asks to listen to them at home, and they've been a life saver during these past few weeks when Charlie needs to take brain naps, and I'm catching up on work.  She'll sit listening to them, then run into the room to tell me how Hansel went to hell and fought with a dragon, and Gretel cut off her own finger.  They are super gruesome- lots of toes and fingers cut off, bodies that come apart and are magically put back together, and that's not even the worst stuff. 

To her friend Leo, during a playdate: "let's make kids and their dads walk into the sewer."

At bathtime: "I'm going to have a bloody bath!" [puts red bath drop in the water]

Playing by herself with little miniature doll house-type toys "What kind of weapon do you have?"

Also, Charlie said that during a recent playdate, she was talking to Ramona about hell. 

Charlie, age 35

A belated happy birthday to my bestest guy!

It's been a hard few weeks so I hope I can be forgiven for posting this late. Charlie got a severe concussion.  Lauren is gone.  It's been confusing and complicated and busy, but I've been feeling so grateful for my loving and supportive family, for a husband who gives me all the hugs and sadness time that I need, and he is sad too.  Sometimes I feel okay, but there's this nagging feeling that I can't escape, and then I remember about Lauren and I feel so lost and sad all over again.  I think it is getting better, because that is happening less often.  Scarlett picked out a photo of she and Lauren to put on her wall in a frame, so we can look at her.  I'm not ready to hang it up yet, though.

We had a party for Charlie and it was nice, with fish tacos and lots of friends and kids.  Happy birthday to you baby, concussion and all.

Drawing

"Scarlett, is this a submarine?  Or the Titanic?"
"No Mama, it's an ALLIGATOR!"

Lauren, with love

Today, the world lost a beautiful and vibrant soul, and I will have a hole in my heart forever.  Lauren Elizabeth was my first friend in high school, when we were 15.  But years of diabetes and kidney issues, going on and off the transplant list, many false hopes and setbacks, left her body weak.  Her spirit has been so strong throughout, I just never thought I would have to say goodbye.  Lauren has always been like a sparkling light in this world.  It hasn't hit me fully yet, that her light it out.

Amidst all this heardbreak, I am very thankful.  I was able to see her and say goodbye, even though I'm told that her brain was already gone by that point.  I was able to hold her hand and cry with her family, who have treated me like family since I was a kid. 


Auntie Lauren always loved Scarlett, she always made people feel special, she always knew the right thing to say and to wear.  I will never forget you my friend.

Oaks Park

Wild West Party

Charlie and I have a history of showing up to theme parties...and Halloween... without costumes.  The idea of dressing up and putting together all the right duds is something that feels so complicated to me, I've always assumed I'm lacking the creative juice.  So this happened again with the Tombleson Wild Wild West party, but this was no big deal because they gave us mustaches and bandanas and sheriff badges.  Scarlett learned to play horseshoes, and I beat Charlie at darts.

The game of Life

Yesterday, Hope taught Scarlett, Esther and our little friend Leo how to play Life.  I was working at the kitchen table. They were in the living room.  Scarlett was yelling "I want to career!  I want to career!" and Esther, "Hope, when can I have a bayyybeee?".  Leo was watching, but mostly silent.

This morning, Scarlett and Charlie were playing Life.  "Mama!  Something bad has happened.  Daddy will not get children" (her voice was understandably sad at the end of that sentence.)  We all agreed that no children is indeed very sad for poor Charlie.

July

Tooth update

Scarlett's second loose tooth finnnnnnnnnnnnnallly came out this week, after a month of wiggling it and eating taffy and looking in the mirror, repeat repeat.  We finally had to tie a tiny string into it, to pop it out, because it was not coming out on its own and Scarlett didn't want to eat dinner because of it.  She was afraid of swallowing the tooth.  This is a valid fear, for sure.

Throwback, again

This game is fun.  5 years ago, this day, welcome to the world little Esther!

Throwback

5 years ago, this day

Father's Day (Scarlett has the Best Daddy)

We started Father's Day with huge plates of breakfast at this diner-type place that Charlie likes, where the food is huge and there's a lot of bacon and the waitresses are stern.  One brought me some questionable homemade seasoning to put on my salmon benedict- and at this place, you just do what you're told- so I used some, even though I was happy with the food as-is.  Scarlett and her cousins got their after-breakfast workout by running up & down the hill next to the restaurant. 

We went for a bike ride downtown, stopped at a fountain to get completely soaking wet, then we had afternoon drinks & dessert before riding home.  And then, steak for dinner, because that's the type of thing the father in this household likes best. 

Then I felt a little sad that I couldn't remember what we did on Scarlett's first father's day, because I didn't have a blog then, so I dug up some pictures.  Looks like a trip to the Edgefield - still a Dickerson family favorite.

Preschool is over

Tuesday was Scarlett's last day of preschool.  In two years, she's learned to sew and polish metal and write stories and so many other things I can't remember.  She followed the bigger kids around last year, and this year she helped the younger kids get down for their naps.  Next year will be her 3rd and final year in that classroom- I told her, you can tell people you're a kindergartener now.

She is the coolest human being I've ever met.

Vacation shots, part 1

The forests of Mt. Hood!  This is nature's see-saw.

There was a hot tub, woods to adventure in, and some weird homemade sword that our friend Daniel found in the creek.  CREEPY. 
I tried to take a lot more pictures, but they were blurry.  I blame the camera.

Family selfie

"Mama, let's take a selfie!"

Tooth victory

After wiggling it all week, and spending half a day talking with her teeth clenched together for no understandable reason, I decided to give Scarlett a carmel and told her to chew with her front teeth.  Four seconds later, voila, the tooth was out.  Then I had to buy her another carmel because she didn't want that first one anymore.

Before:

After:

My lovely girl Cathedral Park:

Baby's First Loose Tooth

Scarlett has two loose front bottom row teeth.  She is ecstatic.  She can't sleep, because she is too busy wiggling her teeth.  I told her that summertime is no fun without teeth to eat with, so she shouldn't hurry the teeth out, because she doesn't believe me.

Scar-ism

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at Scarlett's school. We love her teachers, we want to appreciate them hardcore, so we've brought coffee beans and chocolate and some beads for the classroom.  There were also some homemade activities set up for the kids to do, one was writing a wish for your teachers or class or school, and dropping it into a wishing well.  Scarlett wrote "I wish that everyone could have everything they want."  (I translated underneath, since her spelling and handwriting are still works in progress.)

I thought that was a lovely wish, and I asked, what would you wish for, for yourself?  She said "I would wish for a thousand Arnies!"

Scarism

"I have a good idea of what we can do with caramel.  We can make a sculpture of the Titanic!"

 This kid here always has the Titanic on her mind:

Our Happenings

About a month ago, Scarlett found a molar popping through, in the lower right of her mouth.  When she turned five, she told us that five is the year you lose teeth.  She's excited for that.  We said- 5 to 8 is when you'll lose teeth, dear, so it might not be this year.  But she's pretty insistent.

The molar is a good distraction, in the meantime.

She's started reading, and she's shy about it.  But it's pretty sweet, once she gets going. She likes to find words that appear several times on a page, then she points them out.  She likes words that end in 'ing' because mostly, she can sound those out.  She is planning a bbq of food and drink that she can spell.  It started with beef, beets and beer, but has graduated to including cupcakes and mushrooms. 

Run for the Arts

At the Run for the Arts fundraiser, at her school, Scarlett ran a mile & a half around the parking lot.  With some stops for water and fruit and to sit on curbs (like mother, like daughter).  But she kept going, maybe because she had to run 12 full laps to get a t-shirt. 

At one point, she and her buddies sat down on a curb.  But then, their teacher ran by, and dared them to follow, and they jumped up and went after her.  It was all kinds of adorable.

Easter (belated)

I wrote this and never posted it, what a waste.  So, here we are, but late:

We hit up an Easter party at the park- with bouncy houses, face painting, and a helicopter that dropped the eggs down in a circle, while all the kids watched.  They separated the egg hunts by age group, so Scarlett with with the 5 to 7 year olds, and I was a little worried that she wouldn't move quick enough or would get run over by more experienced egg-hunters.  I remember an early Easter, when she found one egg, then ran over to us smiling, focused on that egg, while all the others were gobbled up.  Or a time recently with a pinata, she was so entranced by the candy that she only picked up one piece.
But her competitive spirit showed up, and she filled up that basket then ran back over, smiling.