Happy Birthday Grandma and Tom!

Daddy's Little Girl

Selby is so funny. Really, she makes us laugh every day. For Father's Day, I bought this make-your-own mug from Michael's. Selby colored in "I Love You Dad!" and then we inserted it in the mug and covered it with a plastic shell. She called Tom into her room the night before Father's Day to tell him that she made him a mug but it was a surprise and he couldn't see it, as she held it up to him. She then slept with it to protect it. The next day we made him a card and she had me spell out what she wanted to say "You're the Greatest! I Love You! Happy Father's Day" Well, that's not really funny but it's really adorable.

The day before Father's Day we went to the Highland's Street Fair where she played with our friend's two-year-old daughter for most of the afternoon before hitting the kids play area. I was very surprised that she wanted to do the trampoline/bungee thing. We waited in line for about an hour (or what seemed like an hour) while we watched kids jump and somersault. She was completely entertained watching and had no fear about jumping herself. Of course as soon as it was her turn, she realized she had to go potty. But after a bathroom visit, she got strapped in and not only bounced but continually somersaulted! Well worth the $6 and hour wait, pretty much.

Sisters from a Different Mister

Talya and Selby look so much alike, I kept getting them confused. Granted Tayla is smaller, but she's also wearing Selby's old dress. Having fun at Sheri's 50th this weekend.

The Graduate

Strangely enough, I didn't tear up at Selby's pre-k graduation. I smiled a lot and felt immense joy, but was not vaklempt. It did make me think, though, that I vaguely remember my pre-k, or nursery school (at is it was called back in the day) graduation. I remember sitting in a tiny chair with a little cap on. Johnny Biener was there. Jill Katz, too. It's really just a fleeting snippet of a memory, but it might have been my earliest one. So that means that the events in Selby's life going forward from now on might serve as her earliest memories. I guess Tom and I better not screw up from here on.

I just looked at my Hooks Lane Nursery School photo that someone posted on Facebook and remember most of those kids. Although I don't keep in touch with any of them, I do keep up with some of them via their parents or other mutual friends.

Who of the children in Selby's class will she still keep in touch with in grade school, high school and beyond? Here are some photos from her graduation and last day of school, and a group shot of my nursery school class. Try to find me.

Encore, Encore!

The International Bash encore performance.

International Bash

Selby and her class performed a ballet number at her school's annual International Bash. You know you're a parent when you get such great joy at watching your child lamely perform a choreographed dance number. After the performance, Selby and some of her friends did an encore. Of course she wore that tutu all day and then later that night at a Crawfish Party. I had to pry the filthy thing from her smelly body.

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

Friday night, tired and not in the mood to go out, Selby and I had a girls night in. We watched one of my all time favorite movies, The Wizard of Oz. I pretty much never watch movies with Selby at home because her movie time is my free time, but on Friday I asked her "Do you know why I'm going to watch this movie with you?" Selby: "Because you're so tired?" Me: "No, because it's one of my favorite movies!" But Tom was working that night and she wasn't that far off. It was really a pleasure to share this cinema moment with her. The next morning when I went in her room, she pretended to be asleep, but was muttering "There's no place like home," with smirk on her face. It made me smile. I can't explain the feeling it brought me to watch this classic with her. It was very similar to the first time we listed to the CD Free to Be You and Me. Can't wait to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with her (the original, of course)!

The Little Giver

First I want to talk about how much fun I'm having doing arts and craft projects with Selby. It's this whole new side of me that I never knew existed. I've always been a lover of books and theater, but now Selby is bringing out my inner creative artist. Probably the fact that she loves painting and crafting makes me like it more, but it does feel good to create things. We've made mobiles, magnetic picture frames, rings, necklaces, etc. I actually get excited about going to Michael's Craft Store.

Secondly, I want to talk about how amazingly generous Selby is. I don't know where she gets this from but she always (ALWAYS) wants to give her friends and others presents. When she makes something, her first thought is who to give it to. We were making a treasure box out of popsicle sticks the other day and after spending quite a bit of time on it, she immediately wanted to give it to her teachers. Then she started drawing and putting stickers and sparkles on extra sticks and wanted to give them to all the girls in her class. Well, actually she wanted to give a few sticks to her favorite friends but I explained that if we gave it to one or two girls we'd have to give it to all of them. How would she feel if she didn't get a present from Lily but Bela did? She understood immediately and decorated more sticks. I decided they were bookmarks (a better present, I think, than just fancy sticks) and she happily wrote her name and each girl in her class's name on them and we gave them out the next day.

Unrelated to the above, here she is in her beautiful flower dress in our beautiful garden this weekend and one of us at a BBQ.

Makes me smile.