Throwback Thursday: Broadway

Dear Em,
When I was 13 or 14, I went to my very first Broadway musical as part of an 8th grade field trip. We went to see Les Miserables in NYC, & the show gave me goosebumps. It gave me more than goosebumps. I full on sobbed at the ending (I'm pretty sure my friends pointed & laughed). As if that wasn't annoying enough to all the people around me, I was also one of those obnoxious people who sang along with every song (I had memorized them all when we had performed the songs in 7th grade choir & I had watched the PBS special more times than I can count). I didn't care.

I fell in love with Broadway that day. I fell for the costumes & detailed scenery, lights & bustle of people, singing & dramatic flair. I loved it all. I caught the Broadway Bug that day.

I've never quite lost the (on & off) Broadway Bug. Since then I've been fortunate to enjoy shows like Phantom of the Opera, Rent, a sweet rendition of Little Women (Daddy surprised me with tickets because he knew I reread the book every summer), The Producers, Wicked, & Million Dollar Quartet. I may have gone to see Les Miserables again too (It's still my very favorite).

A couple weekends ago, your Daddy took me to see Once in Boston. While it didn't have some of the dramatic scene & costumes changes some of the others have had, the music gave me chills. It was touching & passionate & fun (I mean, the set had a working bar, & you could actually go onstage during intermission to buy drinks). It was so amazing, I sat on the edge of my seat the entire show. I don't think I stopped smiling for hours after as I hummed the tunes, reliving some of my favorite melodies.

It made me think of you & taking you to your first musical. You love music. After watching Disney's latest movie, Frozen, you were obsessed. We listened to the music on YouTube so much, I finally downloaded the soundtrack (this was after poor Daddy had to listen to Let It Go on repeat all the way to school). You know every word of every song, & sing along with infinite cuteness.

As I watch you, I can't help but hope & pray it's a sign that you will someday catch the Broadway Bug too- that you will be my little Broadway buddy. I know, I KNOW you're too young to take to Broadway right now (although I may have been insane enough to consider it for a second or two). But, a girl can dream, right? It would be a win-win for Daddy & I both. I would have a buddy to share my love of musicals, he would no longer have to be the buddy I drag with me to musicals (although, he's enjoyed a bunch too).

I'm thinking about checking out the high school musicals scheduled in our area this spring & maybe getting the two of us tickets to one of them. I have dreams of smiles & excitement & a perfect Mommy-Daughter afternoon. Although, I will likely be kicking myself for dreaming a little too early, just like I did with The Nutcracker on Ice.

Sigh, won't you be my Broadway Buddy? And soon?

I love you so,
Mommy

Time & Four Year Olds

Dear Em,
We have talked to you about time for years. We've reminded you that you have five more minutes of TV time. We've told you that it's going to be bedtime in fifteen minutes. I have asked you to give me five minutes of privacy. We've told you all that, fully knowing that you had no idea what we were talking about.

You're just now starting contemplate time- trying to piece together how long it will take until you get to do what you really want to do. As your curiosity of time grows, so does our explanations of how it works.


Em: Mom, how many more minutes until we are there?
Me: About five minutes.
Em: OK. One...two...three...four...five. That's five minutes! Are we there now?
Me: No, sweety, that's five seconds. A minute is sixty seconds. So, you have to count to sixty.
Em: OK. One, two, three...sixteen. Ok, are we there?
Me: No, sweety, you counted to sixteen. You need to count to SIX-TY.
Em: But I can't count that high.
Me: Sure you can. I'll help you.
<You begin counting & need help knowing that after 29 comes 30 & after 39 comes 40, after 49 comes 50 & after 59 comes...>
Em: SIXTY! Ok, are we're there now?!
Me: Nope, sixty seconds is one minute. It takes five minutes to get there. You'll have to count to sixty five times.
Em: <Gives me a look like I'm crazy..> No! I'm NOT doing that.
Me: OK, maybe you can just play for a little while & I'll tell you when we're there.
Em: Sigh.

Perhaps a better understanding of time will bring a better understanding of patience? I know, probably not.

I love you so,
Mommy

Ballet & Best Friends

Dear Em,
A couple weeks ago, you started ballet/tap classes. You couldn't be more thrilled to be a real life ballerina. You've wanted to be a ballerina- a princess ballerina to be exact- for as long as you can remember, & probably for as long as I can remember. You were bubbling with excitement as I helped you get dressed. Your eyes were wide & a huge smile spread across your face as we put on your ballerina tights, leotard, tutu, & ballet shoes.

You were so excited, you dressed your American Girl dolls in their own ballerina outfits.

The best part of ballet/tap? Your best friend takes a hip hop class at the same studio at the same time- which means after dance-hugs every week.

It also means ice cream at McDonalds after dance. Ice cream & little cuties, what could be more perfect?

I love you so,
Mommy

ketchup falling from the sky

Dear Em,
One of my favorite things these days are the silly, little things that come out of your mouth. You have such a wonderful, vivid imagination. I love how you see the world. For instance...


Me: Em, what's on the bottom of your shirt? It looks like ketchup or paint. Did you paint with red today?
Em: <thinking> No. I think it was probably ketchup.
Me: <thinking back to what you ate that day> Ketchup? Did you even eat ketchup today?
Em: No, I think I was just walking along one day & the ketchup just fell on me. 

I love seeing the world through your beautiful eyes- a world where ketchup just falls from the sky. Thank you for giving me so much to smile about every day.

I love you so,
Mommy

Throwback Thursday: Sledding 2005

Dear Em,
Lately, there have been so many Throwback Thursday photos on Facebook, & I can't believe how freaking fun it is to see some of the old photos. Every Thursday is literally a blast from the past. It makes me smile to look back at what was, & it's fun to see how people are using modern technology to highlight the days before we even had computers (or digital photos).

I decided I was going to bring the throwback fun to this blog in 2014. It's great to talk about where we are or where we're going, but sometimes I don't realize how much we've accomplished until I look at where we came from. But then the first (& the second) Thursday of 2014 came, & I totally forgot about Throwback Thursday. Sigh. So here I am starting Throwback Thursday on the third Thursday of 2014. Ha!

These throwback Thursday photos are brought to you circa 2005. It was a cold day, & snow covered the ground. Your Daddy & I were dating. I was in grad school & your Daddy was in college at URI.

Earlier this week I posted your first real sledding adventure. The massive hill that we sledded down together, giving you squeals of joy, is located in the town I grew up in Connecticut. While I remember sledding there a couple times as a kid, mostly we just went down the hill that my house stood on top of. There was probably something about having 3-5 kids, with at least one child being between the ages of 0 & 4 that didn't make bundling up the kids & packing up the car all that appealing for my parents (especially since my mom was on her own with us much of the time while my dad was away for work).

But that one day in 2005, I really wanted to go sledding. I didn't want the kind of sledding that involved dining hall trays (it's a college thing) & the small hills on the URI campus. I wanted to go for real sledding, & the only hill I could think of was in the town I grew up in. So Daddy & I bundled up, packed up the car, & headed to my hometown (well, the hometown I lived in the longest as a NAVY Brat who lived all over the country).

I think we were the only adult-aged people there without children, but we had a blast. Afterwards, Daddy & I drove through my old town, & I showed him the places I grew up- my old house, my old schools, the playgrounds I played on, the fairgrounds I enjoyed. It was such a rush of fond memories.

At the time, I don't think I thought about the possibility that Daddy & I would get married & someday take our little love with us to squeal down the very same sledding hill. But I'm so glad that that's how our story went.

I love you so,
Mommy

Purple Minion Mornings

Dear Em,
I've figured it out. After years of you screaming & crying & fighting & stomping your feet, I figured it out. Sometime between the time when I tuck in my sweet little girl at night, covering your angelic face with kisses, & when it's time to get dressed the next morning, something happens. Somehow you turn into...gasp...a purple minion. It's bad, really bad.

From here.

The other day I woke you up with snuggles & soothing words. You smiled & told me you loved me. Then you looked at the clothes I had laid out for you for the day. "Aughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," you cried. It was mass chaos. 

"What?! What's wrong?!" I frantically asked. I looked at the clothes quizzically. The shirt was pink, your favorite color. The sleeves were puffy, & a pink flower was printed on the front of the shirt. You love all of those things. What could be the problem? Then I figured it out. I had chosen jeans for your bottoms, but you've decided you hate jeans. 

"But Fancy Nancy wears jeans. Remember? Jeans can be fancy too." Like an idiot, I tried to use logic & reason with a four year old before dawn. You looked at me with fierce defiance. "Fancy Nancy is NOT a princess. I'm a princess, & princesses don't wear jeans!"

So, it was going to be another morning of wrestling you into your clothes.

Sigh, I love you so but the purple minion is really tough to take. 

I love you so,
Mommy

Winter Weather

Dear Em,
I try not to complain about the weather. I figure that I chose to live in Rhode Island. I know that means the months of January-March (November & December aren't so bad with the Christmas lights & spirit) will be bitterly cold & grey. I try not to complain, & I try to accept it.

But when it's so cold that our front door is frozen shut, it is hard not to miss the beautiful & bright winter days we had in North Carolina.

But I guess there aren't many perfect, snowy, sledding days like this in North Carolina.

You asked if you could go down the hill on your own. I swear my heart stopped the whole time you sledded down the sleep hill. Daddy laughed at me, & you squealed with delight.

So, for as long as we live in Rhode Island, I guess I can take the frozen-shut-door days because they also bring us wicked fun sledding days. Any weather that brings such a smiles & squeals of delight from you, is the best weather ever.

I love you so,

Mommy

Sweet Little Mommy

Dear Em,
And because your dolls were good, little girls who ate all their pickles (they only like to eat pickles), their sweet, little mommy gave them ice cream for dessert.

You are pure cuteness.

I love you so,

Mommy

Love Letters

Dear Em,

"Thank heaven for little girls

For little girls get bigger every day!

Thank heaven for little girls

They grow up in the most delightful way!"

- Perry Como's Thank Heaven for Little Girls

During our two week break, we celebrated another big milestone. You turned four! You're four, & I can't quite believe how quickly that happened. On the morning of your birthday, Daddy & I were laying in bed thinking about you & the past four years. "Right about now, four years ago, we were heading to the hospital," Daddy pointed out. It was kind of surreal to think about it that way- to think about how at that moment four years earlier we only had dreams & anticipation of who you were going to be.

Now you're a bouncy, giggly, smart, twirling, headstrong, creative, energized, bubbly, dancing, glittery, bounding, loving, imaginative, sweet, amazing little four year old. I say the word little loosely. We recently went to your pediatrician. You're in the 94th percentile for height. I swear soon enough you're going to be off the charts. It blows my mind that at the beginning of this school year, your new jeans were so long we had to roll them up, but, already, they fit perfectly. 

Your pediatrician said something at your visit that really hit me hard. He said that the sometimes unfortunate thing for tall kids at your age, is that you look older than you are. Because of that, people will expect more from you. I thought about it. It was true. I've seen it from some of your teachers, from some of our friends & family, & I know I'm guilty of it too. It broke my heart for you a little bit.

I'm going to try to be better about reminding myself that you're just four. I'm going to try to be better about reminding myself that every behavioral challenge is not a sign that I'm a failure as a mother. It's just you being four. I'm going to try to be better about telling myself that almost never sitting still, occasional tantrums, yelling "No," some attitude, & struggling through dinner is typical four year old behavior. I'm going to try to remind myself to be better about enjoying this stage without looking back with longing or looking ahead with hope (although, we really do hope that you lose the 13-year old attitude you've already started to develop). Right now you're just four. You'll never be just four ever again.

So, here's a little bit about you in this very four year old moment...

Favorite food: Olives

Favorite thing to do: Make Crafts

Favorite thing to play: American Girl Dolls

Outside or inside: Outside

Favorite thing to do outside: Play in the Snow

What do you want to be when you grow up? A Ballerina Princess

Favorite book: Anything Fancy Nancy

Favorite song: Cups Song

Favorite color: Pink & Purple

Favorite TV show: Charlie & Lola

Favorite movies: Sofia the First

You've really started to read & write these past six months. Sometimes you get frustrated when you can't do things perfectly the first time, but you're amazing even yourself at the bigger & bigger words you're sounding out. You have such a love for learning right now, & that makes my heart so happy. You teach us something new every day & amaze us with some of the things that you say.

You love your friends & family with your whole heart, & nothing makes me you happier than time spent with them. To you, sitting down to play a game or read a book or taking a trip to the park is the greatest gift. It breaks your heart when the people you love are sad, & you'll do anything to help put a smile back on someone's face (gasp, even if sometimes that means sharing your favorite things).

You tried organized activities for the first time over these past few months. While soccer wasn't your very favorite, you learned a lot & had so much fun. You bounced your way through gymnastics, & we watched your body grow stronger & surer as you learned new things.

We had so much fun celebrating four year old you this year. First we celebrated with my family & a Hello Kitty cake (which you requested) in North Carolina.

We came home in time for your actual birthday. Daddy & I (well mostly I) couldn't wait to surprise you with a visit to the American Girl store in Boston. We planned to let you pick out one item from the store before sitting down for lunch with your doll at their cafe. Unfortunately I didn't make a reservation, & the place was PACKED. There was an hour & a half wait for lunch, & you were already starving. Whoops.

You were still thrilled to pick out one thing from the store. You walked us through every aisle of the huge, double floor store twice, intently scanning each item before making your choice. You picked out a dog for your doll (which you wanted to name Hello Kitty, but then decided that was a funny name for a dog & named her Dora, after Dora the Explorer) & a dog carrier. Would it have been my choice? Nope, for sure not. You have a million stuffed animals, & I didn't real feel like we needed another. But I think part of the appeal of being four is being able to make some of your own choices, & you were thrilled with your choice.

Then we headed across the street for lunch at Panera Bread & dessert at Orange Leaf. I have to say, you were just as happy as you would have been eating at the American Girl Cafe (probably happier, because I wasn't sure there was something on the American Girl menu that you would eat).

A couple days after your birthday, we got to celebrate again with Grandma & Papa. They gifted you real ballerina leotards & skirts for the ballet/tap class that you've started. You couldn't wait to put them on & perform for us. You are so thrilled to be a "real ballerina."

You went back to school the next day & were excited to celebrate being four with your teachers & classmates. We brought an owl donut cake for you to share with all your little friends. On the way to school that day you had told me, "well, you know mom, I'm not just a princess, & I'm not just a ballerina. I'm a princess-ballerina." When we got to school you were beyond surprised & thrilled to find a sign on the door with pictures of you as a princess & a ballerina. "How did they know?!" you bubbled with excitement, the biggest smile spread wide across your face.

I love you so, my four year old princess-ballerina. Thank you for the very best (& most challenging) four years of my life. I truly think that you make me a better person. I love you at four years old so much I feel as though my heart might burst. Can we just take our time & be four for a little while.?I know all too soon you'll be telling me you're four & a half, & then we'll be celebrating five. I would love to just slow down & enjoy four for a good, long while. What do you think?

I love you so,

Mommy

Christmas PJs 2013

Dear Em,
There was a funny family YouTube video that came out this holiday season. My family watched it & then hoped I hadn't seen it & wouldn't know anything about it. "Don't give Julie any ideas," may have been said.

I saw it, laughed, & thought it was fabulous, but no ideas were put in my head. I love my family, & I'm so very thankful that they've come to love accept the family Christmas Jammies that they will be gifted & wear from me every year (2012, 2012 gone wrong, 2011, & all the years before). I also know that there is no chance of getting them to perform a choreographed song in their Christmas Jammies. I would be locked outside by myself in my Christmas Jammies.

We may not have had a song or dance, but I thought our Christmas Jammies were so freaking fun this year. For the three of us, you picked out owl PJs from a catalogue. You were excited because you had studied owls in school, & it was fun how they went along with our owl ornaments.

We went with t-shirts & sweatpants for our family Christmas in North Carolina this year. Long sleeved PJs are just too warm down there (last year my parents had to turn the air conditioning on). I was super excited to share our Boston pride down in NC. I purchased the RedSox World Series Champion edition Boston Strong tshirts. Proceeds went to the Stay Strong Boston Foundation. I loved the idea of supporting a cause so near & dear to our hearts while also celebrating the RedSox World Series victory. I loved how comfy I was as we celebrated Christmas with my family, & I'm looking forward to wearing the shirt for years to come.

I may have thought I rocked it in the Christmas Jammie department this year, but it turns out neither of my choices were your Christmas Jammie favorite. You were gifted a pair of Hello Kitty PJs to match your very best friend. I think they are your favorite PJs in the whole world, the Hello Kitty print being made only sweeter by the fact that you get to share them with your best friend.

I'm hoping that Hello Kitty PJs don't come in adult sizes, otherwise my family may be seeing some Hello Kitty Christmas Jammies in their futures...just kidding...kinda.

I love you so,

Mommy