First Harvest!

Yesterday was an exciting day for little Libby Lu... as I've posted before, she worked very hard planning and planting our garden several weeks ago. It's amazing what a green thumb this child has! Well, with all the rain we've had, we had green beans ready to pick a little earlier than we anticipated. And yes, I'll admit it, the kids were picking beans in their PJs. Isn't everything better done in your PJs?

Libby, hard at work picking beans.

Roan, in his short-lived harvest mode. He quickly had enough...he doesn't share Libby's passion for gardening and hard work. (Typical man!)

To Libby's left are marigolds that she grew from seed. Libby is over 4' tall, and as you can see, the marigolds are nearly to her shoulder! I told you she's got a green thumb!

Libby and her first green bean harvest...along with one onion. The onions need a little more time.

We've got corn on the cob setting on; we're hoping the raccoons don't steal it all this year. We've also got tomatoes and peppers that should be ready to pick by the weekend. What a gardener I have!!

Camp Disney Rocks...

While Roan was dancing the Locomotion last week, Libby was attending Christian Youth Theatre's "Camp Disney Rocks". She was on a team called the "Lemon Squirts", complete with a bright yellow t-shirt. She attended camp each morning, learning dialogue and dance routines. She had an absolute blast!! They also had themes for each day, including 'summer day', 'Disney character day', etc. On Friday night, her group had a huge showcase with a couple hundred friends and family attending... it was amazing what those kids learned in 5 days! Libby had a long line of dialogue... she marched right up to that microphone and said her line like a pro, then danced her little heart out! She said she wasn't nervous at all. We were SO proud of her!

One of the neatest things about Libby attending camp was a new friend she made. Actually, I think she developed her first crush! It's the first time she's been so shy and giggly around a boy. One of the kids helping with her group was an awesome young guy named Noah. He was terrific with all the kids and taught them a lot. He was actually in the CYT production of 'Beauty & the Beast' we went to a few months ago, which Libby thought was "so cool"! He's a celebrity in her eyes!

Libby w/ her new friend, Noah.



Not a great picture, but trust me, she was cute!

Let's go to Funky Town...

Last week, Roan attended Christian Youth Theatre's "Veggie Tale Disco" drama camp. Now, anyone who knows Roan knows that this is right up his alley. He's destined for something dramatic, musical, theatrical...this was apparent from, oh I don't know, BIRTH! He went to this camp from 9am until noon each day last week, and on Friday, had a "showcase" for friends and family, showing off what they learned during the week. Each child had a line or two of dialogue; not sure what his first line was, but his second was "Let's go to FUNKY TOWN!". It was so darned cute, I cried. They danced to "The Locomotion" and "Funky Town". He was one proud little boy!

Roan with his theatre camp instructors.

Roan...on his way to Funky Town...as you can see, he takes the dancing very seriously!

I can't tell you how many people stopped me on Friday to comment on Roan and his personality. "Oh, he's so cute!", "He's sure to be an actor someday!", "He's such a charmer, he just melts me!". Mr. Popularity! If you're interested in Christian Youth Theatre and their amazing productions, go to: www.cytkc.org

The Tooth Fairy

After weeks of anxious waiting, and the adult tooth emerging, Libby finally lost her first baby tooth! She is thrilled! I can't believe it... it seems like just yesterday that she cut this tooth on Valentine's Day 2004 at 6 months old. Now she's almost 6 years old! Time flies!

Roan is almost as excited about this lost tooth as Libby! He vowed last night that he would stay up and wait for the Tooth Fairy... just in case she needed help finding Libby's room. I explained that, just like Santa, said Fairy will not come if anyone in the house is still awake. He finally relented and grudgingly went to sleep. He was the first one up this morning, wondering if the Tooth Fairy came.

It's funny how being a parent teaches you to lie on the fly. A little background: last year around this time, my parents' house was flooded. This forced us to unpack and sort through all the stuff from when I was a kid. Well, Libby found a box full of my baby teeth that my mom had saved, but I didn't know this. So yesterday, my mom was over and we were talking about the Tooth Fairy, and Libby asked why the Fairy had never come for my teeth when I was a kid. I told her that she did... I always got money under my pillow... well, Libby kept insisting that I was wrong. Luckily, my mom jumped in and told me about Libby finding all my teeth in a box... hence the lie: I told Libby that once the Tooth Fairy gathers each child's teeth, she returns them to the mommy to keep forever. She bought it! Whew!

She doesn't have a toothless grin because the adult tooth has already come through!

Libby with her tooth, getting ready to put it under her pillow.

A happy little sleepyhead with her tooth fairy dollar!

What Started As Happiness...

Quickly turned to crap...literally! Let's just say that Watson did not turn out to be the angel he appeared to be. The longer he lived with us, the worse he behaved. He was not at all fond of going potty outside, decided to start chewing Libby's antique bed, cried all night in his kennel. So, he went to another home yesterday... we're very sad it didn't work out, but honestly, we're all pretty relieved that he's gone. Maybe this is why I'm not a dog person?

A weekend alone?

Well, Libby and Roan are going to Jefferson City this weekend to visit Meme and Baba, the O'Donnell grandparents. We used to live in Jeff, less than 10 minutes from them, so they are crazy about visiting. It's like a second home to them. The best part about this visit? I'm not going!! It sounds horrible, but I'm so happy to have a weekend to myself. It has been a year since I've had more than an hour or two alone. I'm an only child who thrives on alone time, so having a son who clings is difficult for me. And when I say cling, I mean attached, glued, connected, velcroed... even during the night. Roan is making progress with this, but boy, he loves his mom. So, with my time, what shall I do? I have a list of a million things that need to be done, of course, but I think I'll go to dinner with friends, SLEEP past 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, study, watch a movie, read a book, cut the lawn and just be alone!!! I'm looking forward to these things, but by Saturday night, I'll be ready for the little people to come home!!

The Things We Do For Our Kids...

Ok, I have worn a swimsuit in public for my children... I have eaten outside for my children... I have watched Barney the Dinosaur over and over... just a couple of the things I have done for Libby and Roan because I love them and that's what moms do. The latest? On Friday, we brought home a dog! Those of you who know me are probably shocked. I'm not exactly a dog person. However, Roan and Libby have been begging for MONTHS to get one. So I've combed Craigslist almost daily for just the right one. Small, fluffy, cute...

So, meet Watson, our Shih Tzu - Lhasa Apso mix. He's about 8-10 months old and a total doll. (Am I really saying this about a dog? OMG, what is happening to me?)

He was a rescue dog, so he's a bit scruffy. Eventually, we'll have him groomed. Now, we're in the process of crate training and potty training him. (Just exactly what I have time to do right now...) If he had his way, he'd snuggle up in bed with Roan every night. He desperately wants to be friends with our cat, Stella, but so far, she's having none of it. He has a black moustache on just the left side of his mouth, so it looks like he's got a crooked little grin. He's so darned cute, even Nana and Papa (the ultimate non-dog people) like him!

Book recommendation...

I recently read a book that, as a parent, rocked my world. Crank, a New York Times bestseller, is loosely based on the author's daughter, Kristina's, story of addiction to crystal meth, or "the monster". This book came out in 2004; I guess I've been in a cave, because I only recently heard about it. She describes Kristina's decline in verse, which was very odd to me, at first; however, the more I read, the less I cared. Although my kids are only in preschool, this story haunted me. I finished this 300+ page book in less than 24 hours! I've put a hold on the sequel at the library, and can't wait until it comes in! I highly recommend this book to parents and teens alike... wow.

Dog Sitting...

A couple of weeks ago, some friends asked if the kids and I would dog-sit. Danny & Sclie brought Charlie and Sweet Pea, their pugs, and Vicki brought Silas, her chubby Cairn Terrier. In one day, we went from a no dogs to three! The kids had a BALL!! Roan fell in love with Sweet Pea; they laid in the recliner side by side, watching TV. The kids have wanted a dog for a long time...now they're desperate for one!

This is Roan and Silas on the bench on our front porch.

Btw, Roan picked out his own clothes that day!

The Deanna Rose Farmstead

The Deanna Rose Farm is one of Libby's all-time favorite places to go. We went this past Sunday and the kids had a ball! It's amazing that such a phenomenal place is free!

Roan & Libby playing in the Kaw tipi.

Roan and Nana milking the pretend cow. Libby's there in the background, too...

The baby goats competing for Roan's milk bottle.

Supreme cuteness...

Feeding the goat...

My Mini-Me...

Libby has looked like me from the day she was born. I've always loved it because I never really looked like anyone in my family. For the past few weeks, Libby has been coming to the clinic at my school and everyone who sees her comments on how much we look alike. People are constantly saying "She's your mini-me!" Of course Libby has never seen 'Austin Powers', so she has no idea what they're saying... so I explained it to her... now she loves telling everyone she meets that she's my mini-me. So funny, coming from a 5-year old!

Business Card Luncheon

At Cleveland Chiropractic College, when a student becomes an intern in the Student Clinic, the school hosts a "Business Card Luncheon". At this time, new interns receive their name tags and business cards. It's a day we've all worked really hard to reach! My parents came, along with Libby and my best friend, Suzie. I don't think Libby really understood what it was all about, but I still think it was important for her to see me reach a milestone. My parents, as well as Libby & Roan have sacrificed a lot for me to attend this program. Graduation gets closer every day!

Preschool Graduation

Each year, the kids' preschool hosts an End of Year Program and Graduation. Libby starts Kindergarten in August, so she was part of the Graduation program. Roan insists that he graduated too... to the "Big Kids' Room".

Our Garden

About a month ago, we planted Libby's garden. This is a family affair -- Papa tills, Nana hoes, Libby plants and Roan supervises. Libby works really hard planning this... she gets gardening books from the library, makes sketches and shops for the seeds and plants. She's really good at weeding and watering, too. The best part of our garden is her motivation for doing it. Her plan is to give away most of what we grow "to people who don't have money for food". She's

recruited Papa (former Engineer) to help her set up a table and make a sign for a vegetable stand. Libby is a very empathetic little person; she's always thinking about helping others. Pretty awesome for a 5-year old! We just replaced a bunch of boards on the fence...that's why it looks so patchy...

Libby's Piano Recital

Libby recently had her first piano recital. It was such a nice event; she was so grown up, I cried. She's been working from the "Little Mozarts" piano curriculum, but will soon move on to a more "mature" curriculum. She's great at reading music, but needs some work with rhythm. We laugh that she got my mom's sense of rhythm...we're working to get her past that! She played several duets with her teacher, Ms Ramona.

Update, part 3

So, here's the story with Roan... he has grown and changed so much! Probably the biggest change in Roan is his speech. He's been in speech therapy twice a week since August 2008. At that time, his intelligibility to an unfamiliar listener was just 5%. Today, his intelligibility is 93%! That's remarkable progress, and we're so proud of him! His therapist is astounded at how fast he is coming along. Huge thanks to Kelli Hawk, his therapist at Children's Mercy.

The other major change... he's finally over his dress phase. Thank GOD! He has given up the Snow White and Belle dresses, and just the other day, I threw away (secretly) the princess dress. This is so huge for us! He does prefer nightshirts to PJs, so my mom made some boy sleep shirts in boy-ish fabrics, and it works great. He's still very attached to me, but that gets better each day, too.

We recently got a new swingset. We already had what the kids call their "tree house" that is a multi-level structure with a swing, a rope and a slide. We added this new swingset to the "tree house"; it has 2 standard swings, a monkey bar and... A TIRE SWING! You'd think this tire swing was coated in gold. They love it!

There are a couple things on Roan's wish list right now... he desperately wants a dog and he really wants to take piano lessons. I'm keeping my eye out for the "perfect" dog. He's a big young for piano lessons right now... all in good time.

Update...part 2

My Libby Lu... she officially graduated from preschool a couple of weeks ago. The cap and gown, the tassel...the whole deal! Very exciting. She will go to her preschool's summer program until she starts Kindergarten at Peculiar Elementary in August.

Libby's in the process of losing a tooth. For a 5 year old, this is extremely exciting stuff. This tooth is hanging on, despite the adult tooth coming in behind it. At least she won't have the toothless grin this time around.

Her annual garden is in full swing. She planned it out (lists, pictures drawn out, etc.), and planted it about about a month ago. Anybody who knows Libby can only imagine this garden! It amazes me how she just seems to "know" things without being taught. We've always laughed and called her "Clara" after my grandmother...they're so much alike (in the good ways). It's almost like Clara is whispering in her ear... Anyway, the garden is growing like crazy. We've already picked some green onions. I'll post some pictures soon...

Libby has been in piano lessons for a year. Her piano teacher is Ms Ramona, and we love her! She recently had a recital, which was so awesome! She's quite a talented little gal...again, I'll post pictures soon.

Update...part one

Boy, it's been a long time since I've posted anything! Here's an update:

Sonia: Well, I'm in trimester 7 of 10; that means I'm now an Intern in the Student Clinic. Honestly, it's surreal to finally be here! It's been a long, hard road. Getting up at the crack of dawn every day and getting everyone where they need to be, and me to school by 7:30 a.m. is getting old. Honestly, it got old a long time ago!

Our pet situation has changed. We used to have quite a collection of cats... Sybil passed shortly before moving to KC in 2006. Raymond passed away on New Year's Eve 2007. These were two of the best cats ever. We miss them every day. Libby remembers Sybil (Libby remembers everything!), and the way Sybil would sleep by her bed every night when we still lived in Jefferson City. Fiona went to live with Ted...she does much better as an only cat. Last July, we adopted Stella. She has many extra toes (25 total)and she's a very special cat. We are really lucky to have her. Libby also has two degus named Stanley and Thomas.