The Big Haircut Hits our Home Again

Almost two years ago Sophie donated her hair to Locks of Love; this time, it was Lucy who decided to grow out her hair and then donate her newly-cut braid to an organization that makes wigs for people who have had cancer or other diseases where their hair doesn't grow. We actually sent Lucy's hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths instead of Locks of Love or Wigs for Kids because Lucy definitely had 8 inches, probably 9 to 10, but she didn't want her hair really short.

What a wonderful thing for a little one to do. We're proud of her... and here she is with her new look.

Goofy Glasses, Goofy Kids

First Day of School

"All was fine on Belmont Road until the kids went back to school..."

This reflects a semi-calm moment following our whirlwind summer.

We saw the tagging of a Cooper's hawk in the alley behind our house. The kids, and sometimes the adults, bounced on the new trampoline. John and I built a cardboard pirate ship while the girls went north to the cabin with their dad and Papa. Sophie accomplished a back walkover. Dave and our trusty handyman, Mike, completed a paving stone patio at 817. I co-facilitated a four day RRVWP workshop in July. Sophie and Lucy performed in The Velveteen Rabbit in Cando. The kids can swim. For part of the summer I had budding playwrights on my hands, as Sophie and her pal, Juliet, led the charge to write a play based on a Magic Tree House book. Dave grew grass next door! Lucy taught all her stuffed animals how to read. John attended hockey camp--a true North Dakotan--he is on the ice, even in July. The kids had a picnic lunch under the largest tree in North Dakota and they helped their cousins build a treehouse all in the same day. Dave was home most of the summer for the first time in seven years. I walked the dog and picked up poop by the bagful. Dave and I had front row seats at a Twins game as part of our bi-annual Suite Night Event. (Thanks St. Peter!) And for the first time in years, I was up at 6 am most days reading the newspaper and drinking my coffee on the back patio, enjoying that quiet time of the day.

Dog Days of July

Dakota has been such a treat for us. She keeps me laughing and has really found a friend in Lucy. Lucy loves to hold her and cuddle and in such a sweet eight-year-old voice say, "How ya doing baby?" She (as in Lucy) has been the surprise here - we just assumed Sophie would be the main caretaker since she's the one that led the drive to get a dog. But instead, we've seen Lucy shine with taking out Dakota, playing with her, and even picking up the poop without being asked. By the way - we can thank our friend Carmyn for all the pics.

Please Mr. Postman

Lucy got a letter from her friend in the mail on Friday and immediately found some paper and an envelope and began to respond. She thought for a second... how do you start a letter? Oh yeah... Dear... And then she proceeded to ask me how to spell what had to be EVERY word in the letter. It was fun to show her how to address the envelope and it really brought me back to the days before email when I was a kid and all my friends and I used to correspond by mail. Ahhh.... I love real mail. And I love that it's still in vogue. At least among the 2nd graders of the world.

Trapeze Girls

Two summers ago my friend Carmyn and I were pulling down overgrown vines on the side of the house. She hates this kind of stuff but I always seem to “rope” her into helping me with household tasks. The vines were so stuck, so steadfast, that we thought it best to go ahead and do some swinging on them just to see if they’d hold our weight. Imagine the sight, two thirty-somethings swinging from vines yelling Tarzanisms.




Later, we pulled out a Barbie and hid her amongst the vines. Let’s just say she was a bit more successful at vine swinging than we were.

Then, last summer, we headed to Cass Lake to be with our friend Lori, her daughter Rachel, and Rachel's grandparents. They took us out to an island and an old rope up on a sand hill. I was thrilled, yet somewhat dismayed, to see the ease at which five, six, seven and eight year olds could manage the whole swinging thing. They looked as graceful as Barbie, but much more joyful and strong – as little girls should be. They’re the true trapeze girls.

Happy Birthday Lucy!

At 5 pm this afternoon Lucy called out, “I’m exactly 7 – hey everyone, I’m exactly 7 now!” Her enthusiasm, and that shown by her sister and brother, have been so uplifting today. It started at 6:30 with Sophie waking up John and then both of them headed downstairs to whip up some chocolate chip muffins for Lu. They picked the two biggest muffins of all and placed them on her special birthday plate (made in AZ over Christmas) and popped in two candles. Orange juice was poured and then Sophie came back upstairs to get me and see if she could wake up Lucy. As we playfully argued back and forth over who should get to wake her up, me or Sophie, we heard giggles at the bottom of the stairs – there was Lucy lapping it up. After the appropriate hugging and kissing and birthday wishes we all headed back downstairs to eat some muffins. The party continued afterschool with homemade pizza and birthday cake. One party down, one to go as she’ll celebrate with her friends and a sledding party on Saturday – hope for some snow and moderate temps for us!

7 Things to Know About Lucy

1. Her dimple on her right cheek is always there to see.
2. Uncle Mark gave her the name “Pinball” after a trip to San Diego in December, 2005. Apparently she totally resembled a pinball caught in a machine.
3. Her first name for Sophie was “Opie.”
4. When she was two, we made up stories in the car as we drove home from daycare. They usually started with “Once there was a girl named _____. She lived in _______. and then Sophie and Lucy filled in all the blanks. Lucy has been a storyteller ever since; we used to lay in the bottom bunk of the bunk bed and she’d tell me story after story.
5. The first book Lucy “published” was called “My School.”
6. Most Saturday mornings you can find Lucy and John playing with the Playmobil pirates and knights. They then get into character by dressing up as pirates.
7. Her legs are so long that when she runs she looks like a gazelle.