Life Lessons Month of February: Blog 4- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Ellie… this has been some winter so far!  Yes in the beginning it was beautiful and Christmas card perfect, but I am no longer ooooooooing and ahhhhhhing over the at-one-time lovely snowfall and freezing temperatures!  At the rate it has been snowing, we will be lucky to dig ourselves out by May! 

I would like to yell out “Enough already!”… But we still have March to contend with and I certainly don’t want to jinx the weather whereas another foot or two of snow may appear.   I think this cold spell has already validated the authenticity of the phrase ‘Going stir crazy’!!!!  Hmmmm… so what to do about it?  I know.  Write a blog entry!

Life Lesson Learned #53:  Bring fun and creativity into those uncooperative winter-blues months!

Ellie… I know of a great way to lighten everyone’s moods during these harsh winter months.   If you are not taking advantage of skiing, sledding or building snowmen, then it is best to find fun things to do inside that will take your mind off the bitter cold and also the shoveling schedule.  I believe if you create an event involving friends, you can help melt away the doldrums of winter and replace each spirit with the warmth of fun and laughter.  Yep El, my creativity during this teeth-chattering time of year led me to host another Murder Mystery Tea Party and this time my guests were all teachers!  

Some might think it is an awful lot of prep work, but I find the process delightful!  The best part is matching my guests’ personalities with the available fictitious characters as it can be a bit challenging, but on the day when the drama unfolds I am never disappointed!  Your Mommy and I were familiar with this particular Mystery Tea Party as we used it for play last year on Aunt Sammy’s birthday and boy oh boy was it ever a great time!  So this time we took on new roles and gave my teacher friends all the rest.  And you know what Ellie?  As fun as it was this time around, it was also amazing at how differently this group of people played out their characters.  So yes, the company was great, the tea and food were scrumptious and the flow of conversation was hilarious!  

Rachel and Poppy split their babysitting duties of you and Will in half, so I was grateful that Poppy didn’t bring you over to join us until the end when we were all just sitting around and catching up on each others ‘real life’ events (at almost 4 years of age, unfamiliar adults can still at times overwhelm you, so we try not to put you in those situations if we can).  Anyway, after everyone left Ellie, you had a brilliant brainstorm to have another tea party with Poppy, Mommy, and me only this time we used ‘your’ tea set.  I realized after I boiled the water, added the teabags and steeped the tea for a bit that the only reason why you were so interested in creating another mini tea time was that I had changed up my regular sugar bowl, which housed granulated sugar, and replaced it with a bowl full of sugar cubes.  Apparently you had been eyeing up those sugar cubes since the moment you walked into the dining room!  Your comment was, “Ohhhhhh… I LOVE this kind of sugar!” and then you quickly plunked about 8 sugar cubes into the tea making it very, very, very sweet!  

You then added some milk, gave it a quick stir and then allowed me to pour your tea concoction into your little pink teapot.  Once that was done, you again took over and poured the tea from your little pink and turquoise teapot into 4 little matching teacups.  

Then, with everyone’s pinkie extended outward, we all lifted our teacups and sipped your tasty tea!  When the flavorsome liquid was completely gone, (about 10 minutes tops) you were finished with the tea party and ready to head to another party (your friend Tucker’s first birthday).  El, when you are done, you are done!  But no matter, it was still a great way to have fun inside when all you want to do is get outside but can’t.  Supposedly another “polar vortex” (and before I continue on, where in the world did those 2 words come from???  Polar Vortex???  Are they kidding us???  Up until this year we always called it a “cold front”!  To me Polar Vortex sounds like a blast of cold air being forced into an extra small spandex container that is on the brink of exploding!  Actually, I think the weather people are just trying to ‘snowball’ us into thinking something new is happening within the climate patterns so we all stop whining about the excess of cold fronts!)  Sorry El, I really went off course.  OK, back on track.  What I began to write was that another ‘cold front’ is supposedly arriving (uninvited of course) at the end of the week.  So again, what to do, what to do???  Yep, you guessed it… another Murder Mystery Party but this time with a twist.  You see your Aunt Sammy’s sisters, mom, and aunts are coming to visit next weekend.  And since the weather isn’t going to be so great, I suggested that we have an evening wine/appetizer mystery party.  Of course Aunt Sammy loved the idea and added a few extra girlfriends to the list so Ellie, we will be hosting a Beauty Queen Murder Mystery Pageant!  Because her family is such a hoot, we are guaranteed to have the absolute best time ever!  Can you imagine the drama 15 beauty queen contestants will create under one roof?  Since the party won’t be taking place until after this blog entry goes to print, I will have to catch you up on the evening’s events at a later date.

So till then Ellie, I guess the lesson learned is to make the best of the winter doldrums by having fun, fun, fun!  Because before you know it, spring will arrive and with it will come freshness, color and rebirth.   And the cold months will soon be forgotten… well, that is until next year!

I love you my little sugar cube!

Mimi

Life Lessons Month of February: Blog 3- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Hi Ellie,

When I am quiet with no distractions, I can hear God and feel closer with Kyle.  I feel refreshed and have a new sense of purpose, self, and perspective. 

Life Lessoned Learned #52: Take the time to be still once in awhile.

Last week, your Dad and I went on a 4-day mini-vacation to Vermont, where your Aunt Ally lives.  

The purpose of the trip was not meditative at all; in fact it was the opposite.  It was to catch up with my best friend, reconnect with your Dad, get to know Ally’s husband, and relax (and by that I mean drinking wine, hot-tubbing, eating great food, and enjoying each other’s company).  Ally lives in a gorgeous ski town so of course your Dad wanted to take advantage of the powder (and also Ally and Jim’s expertise of the mountain slopes).  

But you know me, Ellie.  I am the least athletic and most uncoordinated person you will ever meet so skiing is not a sport I want to conquer.  So for the two mornings they all went out on the slopes, I sat in a very comfortable leather chair in a quiet lodge with a hot chocolate and a good book.  Although I did a lot of reading, I also put my book down and let my mind be calm. 

This kind of tranquility for me just about never happens anymore Ellie through circumstances and choices.  Between the busyness of having two children under the age of 4, I barely am alone anymore.  And if I am by myself, I am working or going to appointments.  Even at church, between keeping an eye on you and Will and trying to listen to the sermon keeps the morning hectic.  After you and Will go to sleep at night, I definitely have my own engaging routines- Downton Abbey and Big Bang Theory, my Kindle, and enjoying time with your Dad.   So at bedtime, I usually collapse pretty quickly. 

Now, I wouldn’t trade a minute of my crazy life.  But being reminded that having a still moment is bliss was significant, especially because of the timing.  You see, it’s Kyle’s 11 days right now.  Between February 18-March 1, he miraculously lived more days than anyone thought he could.  Of course, I didn’t need a quiet moment to remember that or him, I think of him everyday day.  But to have time to reflect back, given the 5-year time lapse was important.  5 years.  Realizing that while I was in the lodge by myself literally took my breath away.  5 years.  When I exhaled, I felt his finger in my clenched fist- it was as if we were back in the NICU and I was holding his hand.  He’s still with me Ellie, with all of us.  Kyle is happy and he wants us to be happy.  And just as your Mimi always said, Kyle is love and love is Kyle.  When you are old enough, quiet your mind and feel Kyle around you.  You will feel such a peaceful adoration, one that will energize you to keep you going.  That’s what it took for your Dad and I to continue on after losing our first-born baby.

Be happy, give love, and let yourself be loved- that’s what Kyle’s message was for me in that lodge.  It has been 5 years since I felt him in my arms, looked into his deep blue eyes, and let him go.  We never did say good-bye though because he never really left us.  He is in our hearts; we just have to listen.

I love you Ellie just as I love all of my children.

Mom   

 

Life Lessons Month of February: Blog 2- Letters from Mommy & Mimi

Happy Valentine’s Day Ellie-bean!

I think the best way to start this blog is to give you a little bit of information as to how Valentine’s Day came to be.  There are a few different legends Ellie, pretty much all having the same outcome. One story states that in the 3^rd century Emperor Claudius II banned marriage completely as he thought young men would become better soldiers if they did not have a wife and children.  Valentine, a priest who served in Rome at the time did not agree with Claudius II, so he continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.  It did not take long for such news to spread, and when Claudius II found out he ordered that Valentine be put to death.  Another story is that Valentine and Claudius II were friends, but when Valentine tried to convert him to Christianity, Claudius II had him beheaded.  And a 3^rd story has it that Valentine helped Christians escape from prisons and the harsh beatings they had to endure.  Valentine, a prisoner himself, supposedly fell in love with the jailer’s daughter who visited him daily and prayed with him during his confinement.  It is said that when he sent her a greeting, he signed it “From your Valentine” which is a term we still use today.  In the year 496 Pope Gelasius canonized Valentine as a saint and declared February 14^th as the day to celebrate his martyrdom.  Today St. Valentine is recognized as the patron saint of engaged couples, lovers, beekeepers (not sure why for this one), and epilepsy (possibly because he too suffered with this illness.)  Whether the legends are true or not, Valentine has been sensationalized over the years and has become one of our greatest heroes as well as romantic figures.  So Ellie, for me….

Life Lesson Learned #51:  Valentine’s Day should not be the only day that we send and receive notes of affection and gifts.  Any day or everyday would be the perfect day to perform random acts of kindness to those we know well and even those we don’t!  

Ellie, this week is Valentine’s Day and as much as it is celebrated as a romantic holiday, the reason I like it is because you will see many individuals (young and old) smiling with excitement and maybe even a tinge of secrecy!  Here is an example: in the school I work for, each of the staff has been given a ‘secret valentine buddy’ (another staff member) and each day leading up to Valentine’s Day we are to put little surprises in their mailbox.  It can be a favorite candy or snack of theirs; a note, a poem or an inspirational message; or even a promise that entails an act of kindness!  No matter what the gesture, as long as it is a positive one, it is sure to bring many a smile!  Here is another example:  Poppy knows the way to capturing my heart just as I do his.  On Valentine’s Day we will be viewing one of the greatest classic/romance movies of all time, Casablanca, at the old State Theatre.  And yes Ellie, popcorn comes with it!  Valentine’s Day for me can’t get any better than that!

Now I look forward to hearing about your Valentine’s Day Celebration at preschool!  I know you will have lots of fun, especially since I don’t think you know quite what to expect from it!  A planned party, lots of treats and a Valentine’s bag filled with sweet cards from your friends and teachers will make the festivities of the day very memorable for you!  And hopefully my dear little one, all the work that it took to get you to write your name on the Valentine cards that you planned to share at school will make you want to do it again next year!

Oh El-bean, if you only knew how much ingenuity it took this year in securing 15 signatures from you.  After three cards you stated, “Mimi this is boring.  I don’t like writing my name.  How about you do it?   This is too much work for me!”  (Looks like you are already a pro at excuses Ellie-bean!)  Sooooooo, with that being said, I conned you into sitting in Will’s highchair (which was formally yours) and yes you still fit in it.  We pretended that it was the teacher’s desk as well as her lunch table.  You readily agreed and while eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the name Ellie miraculously (well actually with a lot of coaxing that you could do it) appeared on all 15 cards!  We were then able to stuff each card, a fishbowl which stated the words “I’m so glad you are in my school”, into a clear plastic bag with 5 Swedish fish.   Alas the task was complete and you seemed quite satisfied with their originality.

Ok… to be honest, you were more satisfied that there were left over Swedish fish for you to nibble on (and now I know why your Mommy left that job, I mean craft, for me to do with you!).  Next year let’s try to come up with something that really catches your interest!

So I guess the lesson I have learned Ellie, and even though you are not fully aware of it yet, you too are learning that St. Valentine’s purpose was very real and very important.  His actions came from his faith, and his faith encouraged him to help, support and show kindness to others no matter how difficult and sometimes unbearable a situation could be.  Ellie, this past week you have shown signs that a bit of St. Valentine is very much in your heart.  You see, when it came to making a Valentine for a very special little girl, Kendall who is gravely ill, you created two homemade ones for her, as you thought that would make her happy.  And when her Mommy reads them to her, I believe she will be.  Yes, we recognize February 14^th as the designated day to show others an affection of kindness, but there is no reason why we cannot follow suit every other day of the year too.  After all, St. Valentine did.

I love you “sweetie”!

Mimi

Life Lessons Month of February: Blog 1- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Hi Ellie,

So your Mimi and Poppy have given your Dad and I several opportunities to have date nights.

Life Lessoned Learned #50: Always value your relationship with your spouse.  Regularly set aside time for just the 2 of you to connect.

That being said, I should warn your Mimi and Poppy of your latest antics.

“Careful is my middle name.” so says the world’s cutest and clumsiest almost-four-year-old (as you dance with your two left feet, jump on my bed, trip over large pieces of furniture, fall off the dining room chair, and hit your head on the bathroom counter)

At bedtime, your latest excuses are:

·      “My monkey’s tail is in a knot.” (which you tied, the poor stuffed animal)

·      “My thumb hurts, I need a Band-Aid.” (so I put one on your invisible booboo).  Then, half an hour later you called me up because you realized much later that I put the Band-Aid on the wrong thumb.

·      “I’m afraid of the dark.” (you had been upstairs in bed for 45 minutes talking to yourself prior to this).

·      “I need my flashlight.”  Two minutes later (after I am back downstairs), you call me back up because you needed two books to read with the use of your flashlight.  I’ve now learned to tell you to put the books on the bottom of your bed so you don’t call me later to put the books away.  Although, you still call me to get you new books after you finish the first and usually second round.

·      “I decided I want to wear different pj’s.”

·      “Can you read the tag and tell me what my unicorn’s name is?”  So I did as you asked and told you his name is Douglas (after the company who made it).  5 times you called me back upstairs to ask me to repeat his name.  And then you woke up at 3:30am asking me the same thing.  Note to self; come up with an easier name like Mary or Joe next time.

·      “I miss you.” (after 2 minutes of being upstairs in bed)  I have to say that this reason melted my heart.

You are truly the sweetest girl Ellie.  And despite my best attempts at resisting your pleas to stay up later, I always give in just to get that one extra hug and kiss.  And I know your Mimi and Poppy do the same… that’s why you are always so excited to have sleepovers with them.

I love you Bean,

Mommy

Life Lessons Month of January: Blog 5- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Hi Ellie!

I always wonder, and yes sometimes fret, as to where my blog week’s life lesson will come from.  In the past my ideas have appeared from time spent with special people, interesting conversations, long ago memories and also my own random thoughts.  Thankfully something always “pops” up at just the right time!  This week my blog idea came from a simple cardboard box.  Imagine that!  Here it is:

Life Lesson Learned #49:  As you age, you will never get bored of playing board games!

Ellie, Poppy and I had some friends over recently for a relaxing afternoon to play some board games.  I opted for a good ole fashioned game of Clue (which was invented in the 1940’s) while Poppy voted for a relatively “younger” game called Sequence (and by ‘younger’ I mean it was invented in the 1970’s.)  So to keep the two of us happy… after all it was our house… we played both!  And our friends brought some games as well, one in particular was called Word On The Street which was a lot of fun but a bit nerve-racking too!  The variety of choices added to a truly enjoyable afternoon along with laughter, silliness, good conversation, appetizers, wine and of course great company! 

El, I want you to know that as much as I enjoy this type of game day… there is another type that brings me great pleasure also… maybe even a smidgeon more.  And that would be playing board games with you! There is a vast difference though between the ages on how ‘the players’ interpret the rules.  Our adult friends are pretty good at following the game’s directions to the letter.  You on the other hand, infer to your own ideas of what the rules should be.  I will give you two examples: the first being from the game Candyland.  Ellie, the object of the game is to reach the Candy Castle first.  But you view this colorful board game differently.  In your eyes the object of winning is to accumulate all of the picture cards.  You could care less about the double-color cards which will help you get to the castle first but take greater delight in picking cards like the Duke of Swirl who hangs out in the ice-cream slopes, Grammy Nutt who lives in the Peanut Brittle House and even Jolly who is found in the Gumdrop Mountains!  And yes Ellie, when it is your turn sometimes you pick not one card, but rather three, four or even more cards till you get one of your liking!  The game is finished when you and you alone have visited all six specialty cards!   Within seconds of this amazing feat you will then state the words “I quit” with great satisfaction!  Another example of how you interpret game rules can be seen when playing Chutes and Ladders.  El, the object of this game is to overcome the obstacles (the ladders and chutes of course) by climbing from the number 1 to 100 and getting to the top first.  But again, you see this game board in a whole different light.  Instead of getting upset when a chute or ladder takes you down to a lower number, you try and purposely move your pawn to land on such spaces allowing you to slide all over the board.  And once you’ve completed traveling up as well as down on all the ladders and chutes (mind you it does not matter if you are on the number 5 or 95) you will deem the game ‘done’ and move on to playing restaurant or school!

I guess in time, and as you grow, the rules will fall into place Ellie.  You will also see that there is a whole new level to playing games… it is called ‘competition.’  It will certainly be interesting to see just how competitive you will become.  Games challenge us Ellie, not only our minds but also how we interact with others.  Remember it is ok to win, after all that is the point of playing, but more important is to show good sportsmanship.

And with that being said, I think the lesson I have learned Ellie is that playing board games is a wonderful way to spend unhurried time with good friends and/or family. Board games give us a chance to gather around a table, enjoy the surrounding company and strengthen friendships.   These moments will also bring you a treasured gift El, and that is the gift of a “forever memory.”  And you my darling grand daughter bring me a ‘new memory’ to cherish each and everyday as there is no “bored” in playing board games with you!

Love you Little Miss Rule Maker!

Mimi

Life Lessons Month of January: Blog 4- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Hi Ellie,

So this month was significant to our family because routine has prevailed.  The craziness of the holidays are long past, I am back to work part-time, and Will is sleeping 11 hours at night.  We are all on a schedule.  And anyone who knows me understands how much I love, need, and crave that!  But for me, routine means that I have time to read my books again (before this month, I haven’t touched my Kindle since the night before Will was born but I am happy to say that I have read two of my own books these past two weeks!).  I suppose that my lesson here could very well be to carve out time for yourself but I think what I learned recently is more than that.      

Life Lessoned Learned #47:  Share your passion with others.

Just because I didn’t touch one of my books in these past few months doesn’t mean I didn’t read at all.  It’s quite the opposite actually.  I read you and Will many books!  And you read Will lots of books (we’ve read some of your favorites so many times through that you have memorized them perfectly). 

Here were your top picks these past three months:

My Name is Not Isabella by Jennifer Fosberry (this one may just be one of my absolute favorites at the moment because of the strong feminist voice)

Paperdolls by Julia Donaldson (which we then made our own paper dolls so that we had more characters when we read the book aloud)

The HICCUPotamus by Aaron Zenz (which you chose often for Will because he gets the hic-ups a lot after he giggles… just as did you- hence how we acquired the book from Mimi who gave it to you when you were a hic-cupping baby).

The Great Big Enormous Turnip by Alexei Tolstoy (which your Mimi gave me when I was 17 weeks pregnant with you, when according to a website, you were the size of a turnip.  She sent it when we lived in Denver when I was so nervous waiting for the AFP results that went so badly with Kyle.  She sent me a care package to make me smile and appreciate you, my little growing vegetable!)

The Black & White Rainbow by John Trent (this one is a spiritual book given to you by your Great-Gram Bubbles which generated a discussion on forgiveness, a word that you have never heard before but actually understood very well.  You then demonstrated your new knowledge of what forgiveness means by telling me about how you forgave a boy at school for accidently kicking you).

Presss Here by Herve Tullet (I love that this book because it makes you think of your Denver friend Ben.  He gave this to you on your second birthday).

Declan Grows Up: It’s Just Not Fair by C. Austin Lee (our family friend Linda, who’s relative wrote this book, gave this one to you not too long ago but we’ve read it several times since.  It has allowed us to have conversations about our talents and focusing on what we are good at… you proudly told me you are really good at eating and playing with your Ferbie and hope to get better at soccer!)

Oh No! by Candace Fleming

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

Where Can They Be? by your Mimi, Mickey Russell

Three Billy Goats Fluff by Rachael Mortimer

Not All Princesses Dress in Pink by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple (your Poppy gave you this one when you were born… he could foresee the independent person you were going to become!)

The Jellybeans by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans

Bernstein Bears books (which Great-Gram Russell sends you.  Ellie, you particularly like the one about telling the truth.  You never heard the word lie before so that generated a long talk about always being honest)

Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

The Little Red Hen by John Escott

Dr. Seuss books- your favorite is I Wish I Had Duck Feet (we have quite the Seussical library as our cousin Taylor, who is now a senior in high school, passed on her collection to you as a gift for your baby shower)

Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire

Peter Rabbit by Frederick Warne

Goldilocks and the Three Bears (we have two different versions and you love to compare them)

I hope you share these with your children someday Ellie because they have brought so many smiles to our bedtime routine!

Love you Bean,

Mom

Life Lessons Month of January: Blog 3- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Hello Little Miss Princess of the Ice!

Ellie, I was worried that I was going to have writers block this week until… yep…  you, your Mommy, Aunt Sammy and I went ice-skating!  As always, you are my definite ‘go to girl’ when it comes to learning a life lesson.  So with that being said… here is what you taught me!

Life Lesson Learned #46:  Don’t be afraid to conquer your fears!

OK… our, or rather your, first ever ice-skating attempt was hands-down the funniest experience I have encountered with you so far Ellie.  Let me start from the beginning.  A few days ago your Mommy informed you that ‘we’ girls were going to go ice-skating while the boys went to the PSU men’s basketball game. (Will didn’t have the option of participating in either choice, so Rachel was called in to babysit).  Good thing too because if he would have went to the basketball game with the boys, his three month old frame and head would have been moving back and forth like a bobble-head doll following the team up and down the court with no knowledge of what was actually happening!  And if he would have went ice-skating with us… well I don’t think they rent skates tiny enough for Will’s feet that don’t even walk yet!  And that was fine because we had our hands full with you alone!  You see, your apprehension of our upcoming skating afternoon started a few days ago and slowly increased as our outing crept closer.  You stated that you were a bit scared.  So on the morning of the big event, your Mommy thought of a great way to put your fears at ease by YouTubing some ice-skating performances.  That way you could see what we four would actually be doing! …  But oh your silly Mommy, what was she thinking?  Those YouTube snips she chose on the computer were of Olympic Skating hopeful’s… aka, professionals!  We would be lucky if we didn’t fall and bruise our bums a half dozen times, but we were definitely not telling you that!  Anyway, fast-forward a few hours to when we were driving up to Penn State’s Pegula Ice Rink. Ellie, while sitting in your car seat you had that nervous/hi-low anticipation in your giggle, in your talk, and even in your sigh.  Upon entering the building we paid our fee and rented skates, which you have now learned are nothing like the soft, oversized, flexible shoes you wear on a daily basis.  No… these skates were made of rock hard leather that were to fit snugly and when laced, they were so stiff that you couldn’t even move your ankles.  And that led to your first mild meltdown; well maybe not quite… now that I think of it, that one was your second.  The first was when you were holding one of your ice-skates and accidentally dropped it on top of your foot.  Oooops… (“You” and “change” don’t fare well together!)  The next “change” came when you stepped onto the ice and realized that just standing on what looked to be a sheet of glass is nothing like standing on the sidewalk or your living room carpet or even a hardwood floor for that matter.  And that would also be the exact moment that you remembered your fear… ice-skating is scary!  So I quickly glided in behind you, bent down low and slid my arms underneath yours as I wrapped them securely around your chest.  Now that I had a firm grasp on you, we slowly fell into skating with the rotation.  And let me just tell you that was nooooooooooooo easy feat!  Your two legs were like wet noodles, bending and turning every which way but not moving at all in the direction they were suppose to… straight forward that is!  And on top of that you were crying of which totally confused me because you kept saying that you liked skating and did not want to quit!  

After fifteen minutes your Mommy took over and it wasn’t long before you both fell on your bottoms. 

We all tried to giggle it off as though it were no big deal Ellie, but not you.   I think it helped validate your decision to start crying again.  So your Mommy suggested that we stop skating.  And again you yelled out between your tears,  “Noooooooooo.  I like skating and I am having fun!”  Your Aunt Sammy, Mommy and I were completely perplexed, as well as amused with your feelings but continued skating to appease you.  Every once in awhile Aunt Sammy would hold on to one of your arms while your Mommy, or me, held on to the other (between the three of us El, someone had to capture this love/hate relationship you had with ice-skating on camera, as it was that comical!).  

Well, about thirty-five minutes into this fun, fun afternoon everyone skating had to clear the ice so the rink officials could sweep it.  The timing couldn’t have come at a better moment as it gave you a chance to walk (with your skates on) on solid ground for a bit and purchase a hot chocolate and a cookie with Aunt Sammy.  

Once you both returned to where your Mommy and I were waiting, they opened the gates for everyone to re-enter the ice rink.  Ellie, I don’t know if it was the chocolate fix that you had just ingested or if it was the solid ground under your footing but when you stepped back onto the ice you stated that you were not afraid anymore.  And when I hooked my arms underneath yours, this time around the rink your legs weren’t as wobbly and your feet actually faced the direction of forward (for the most part!).  

Two times around seemed to satisfy your conquest when you finally said that you had had enough.  Ellie, with a slight trace of the crying blotches that still dotted your face, you left that rink with a huge smile like you had just conquered the impossible.  Now us three adults were thinking “one and done” but not you our little Ice princess… no, you asked if we could go again next weekend!  Go figure!  I guess the answer to that will be yes as long as I can unbend myself from being hunched over for so long on this fun excursion.  Six days ought to do it!  Till then, I will be in a warm bathtub soaking every evening!

So the lesson I have learned my little Sonja Henie… (Ellie, in case you don’t know of her, she was an amazing ice-skater back in the 1930’s who not only won multiple Olympic medals, but also brought ballet to the ice.  She was dubbed Queen of the Ice and has held that honor since.)  Sorry, I got sidetracked.  Back to the lesson I have learned.  I guess it doesn’t matter your age or your size.  A real life fear is just that… real life.  And the only way to get past it is to face it.  You’ve given me ‘food for thought’ Ellie.  I need to take a good hard look at my own fears and figure out a way to overcome them.  You my precious little one did just that on the ice with an amazing amount of courage.  As much as I think you really wanted to get off that ice rink El, you chose to persevere and trust your three comrades to keep you safe.  I guess we must have succeeded because upon your request we will be repeating this day in the near future.

…………………………………………………………………..

OK Ellie, this is where I normally put a closure to my blog, but right now you need to eliminate the last 10 words in the previous sentence.  Before this goes to print, I must tell you about the conversation that took place between you and me after church today.  Yes, it had to do with ice-skating.  Here is our conversation… see for yourself why I need to retract those words!

Mimi: “So El, are we still planning to go ice-skating next Saturday?”

Ellie:  “No, I don’t think so.”

Mimi:  “ Oh?  How come?”

Ellie:  “ I have to get bigger.”

Mimi:  “But I thought you were already big.  You’re going to be 4 years old soon.”

Ellie:  “Yeah, but I need to get bigger than that.”

Mimi: “Oh.  Ok.  How big do you need to be before we go ice-skating again?

Ellie:  “Mmmmm… I think I have to be 15.”

Mimi:  “Wow… all right.  But you do know that is going to be awhile, right?  What do you think we should do till then?”

Ellie:  “I know, let’s go bowling.  I think I can push the bowling ball pretty good.  And that should be fun!”

Mimi:  “Ok then.  It’s a date!”

El-bean, even though another ice-skating adventure is no longer in our near future, I am still so very proud of you.  It is ok to try something new and find out that you are not fond of it after all.  What is important is that you faced a challenge and succeeded in seeing it through.  You continue to amaze me Ellie as well as all of your family because when we least expect it, you show us a glimpse of the strong and independent individual you are destined to become!

Love you future bowling buddy!

Mimi