Dark Lashes

Frankie hasn't been feeling well for the last few days. She has been getting a cold. It seems that when Frankie gets sick, she turns into an Angel Child. Please, thank-you, yes mommy, no daddy, I love you SOO much are just about the only words out of her poor sick little mouth. It has been a LOONG time since Frankie has been sick, about a year, which is an eternity in kids standards. So the other night she asked me to lay with her until she fell asleep. How could I say no.
As she directed my hand to the 'correct' tickling spot (if you stay too long on one place or don't use your finger nails, she'll let you know) I watched her little face in the moments before pre-sleep. Her eyes were closed and flickering, her lips pursed and a look of concentrations was on her face. As we progressed her breath regulated and her lips relaxed, then parted ever so slightly. Her eyes stopped flickering and hand relaxed its grip on  mine. I looked at my daughter. My truly beautiful daughter. Her lashes, so dark and long against her pale skin, her full pink lips, her smooth porcelain skin. She has a little faint scar from when her fingernail scraped her skin on her nose. Her lower left lip is fuller then her right.

I began to think what will Frankie make of herself? Will she accomplish the things she sets out to do? I hope her father and I give her the confidence in herself to take no prisoners, to live her dreams and  to include others in her life. I want to give her everything she needs and the tools to work for everything she wants. Will we succeed? Will she?

My thoughts traveled to her beauty. Everyone is beautiful, in their own way. Frankie is no exception. Will she be a stunner, or the 'girl-next-door', will she be athletic or the dramatically pretty? As I lay with my sleeping daughter all I wanted for her in that time and that place was for someone, anyone in her life to lay with her and look at her like I am doing. If they marvel at the gentle slope of her nose, the puffy pout of her lips while she sleeps, the strand of hair tangled in her ear and the exotic darkness of her lashes like I am doing right now, then someone loves her like I love her. They love her for being Frankie, and that is all I can hope for.........

The Wizard of Oz

Oh my little Dorothy was so happy! As a gift Nana and Poppa bought us tickets to go see a theater production of the Wizard of Oz. Frankie donned her Dorthy dress and her Ruby red shoes. I put her hair in hot rollers and put a bit of mascara on her amazing long eyelashes and my little Frankie was transformed! The entire time in the car on the way to the theater she kept asking if we were there yet and although she didnt quite understand "theater" is different then "movie" she kept asking if the real actors would be on the screen. Once we arrived it was clear that Dorothy had arrived! She grabbed her dress skirt and skipped through the lobby as every person in the joint looked longingly at her Ruby Red slippers!
She was a little put off that the Slippers portrayed in the Program had Ruby Red 'Ribbings' (Bows on the toes-aka, ribbons) and hers didn't, but she didn't let that slow her down. Instead she said that SHE had the right shoes and they were wrong!
She sat in rapture for the entire show. She had to make a move from her own seat to sit on Quags lap because she couldn't see one little corner of the stage, but after that is was ALL GOOD! So good in fact that at intermission she paraded up and down the concourse skipping, dancing and twirling her way to entertaining the crowd. After the show, she asked her dad if she could go up and stage and bow with the cast!
All in all a wonderful first experience with Theater! She loved every minute of it. Lets hope that the Nutcracker Ballet is as warmly received next weekend!

Forever and a Day

Oh it has been so long since I have written anything. I often think about it, then get caught up in my vicious circle of guilt. You know the one, it is the same with my pictures. I wait too long to do anything with them then I feel bad, then I can't get caught up and so and so forth. Well here it goes. I guess I will just have to ump in to it.
Charley, at 13 months is practically running everywhere. She climbs on everything and rides her trike and anything that moves. Where Frankie was verbally driven Charley is very tactically driven. She loves to put things in a bag and take them out, play with screw drivers and hammers, press buttons and touch the touchy feel books. Frankie was and still is very into her books and pretend play. She is always 'someone' whether she be Dorothy, Willy Wonka, Rapunzel or another one of her favorites.
For Halloween Frankie dressed as Dorothy and Charley was a strawberry. We went trick or treating around Gran's house and Frankie had a great time. Charley was in the back pack and loved looking at all the lights and decorations. She did not, however, like the fireworks!

Frankie is taking swimming lessons and is becoming more comfortable with putting her head under the water and what not. She is, however, a little frustrated at the process. When asked how her lessons are going she replies "Well I can't swim yet!"
They had a joint birthday party this year and it worked out really well. Mom and dad were here, we made scary cupcakes and the weather was nice enough to do it all outside. The kids went on tractor rides, and played on a bouncy castle. It was really a lot of fun and of course the kids got spoiled. Charley was walking before her birthday, and her actual first steps were at 11 months.

I find myself getting sad that fall is over, it is such an amazing season especially where we live. The leave changing, the crispness in the air, the chill in the morning makes me feel like a new beginning is happening. I think that fall is my New Years, or even spring. When all over the place the vegetation is dying and becoming dormant, I always feel like a new rebirth is happening. It is probably ingrained in all of us from school, where it is a new year for school every September, but it seems to always be a rebirth for me in life too. I met and started dating Quag in October, I had both girls in October, the most beautiful season to me is autumn....just seems that it is 'my' time of year.
Now we find ourselves coming in to the Christmas Season. Don't get me wrong, I love Xmas but not as much as fall.
This year will mark a change for our family. Everyone on my side is driving out here. It will be interesting and fun, I am just starting to get excited as I start planning out gifts and what not. Frankie will be uncontrollable! It will be awesome! Anyway, enough for now, I have to upload some pictures before I get distracted again