Claire's Belated 7th Birthday Post

Claire's 7th birthday was 2 1/2 months ago. I just realized that I never made a post about her because we celebrated her birthday and then went on our summer vacation. When we returned, we had one thing after another until school started . . .



Claire read the book Pinkalicious months before her birthday and decided she wanted a Pinkalicious party for her birthday. The book is about a girl who eats too many pink cupcakes and develops a case of pinkatitus and turns pink. For Claire's party, each of her friends got to decorate two cupcakes (pink of course). Then we gave each girl her own copy of Pinkalicious and my mom read it to the group. Afterwards, we had cake and ice cream. The giant cupcake was made by Connie Easterwood; I was so surprised and impressed because she made it look exactly like the cupcakes in the book!



What can I say about Claire? She is interesting because she is simultaneously introverted and very social. On the one hand, she keeps her thoughts and emotions to herself and it often takes a little work to get her to open up about how she truly feels about things. (The one exception to this is when Jack is annoying or bothering her; I WISH I could get her to keep those thoughts and emotions to herself!). Once I get her to open up, though, I am often so impressed with her insight and perception about people and the things happening in her life.



And in spite of being introverted, she is, as I said, very social. To say that Claire doesn't want to do anything unless someone is doing it with her is a pretty fair summation of her. She will sit for 45 minutes while I read to her, but finds no joy in reading the same book if she has to read it by herself. T.V. and movies aren't as fun unless she has someone to sit on the couch with her and laugh or cry with her. Church is fun -- if she can bring friends. Even chores are actually fun for her if she is doing them with someone else.




We call Claire our monkey because if something can be climbed, she will climb it. She really wants to get into rock climbing/repelling and has begged us to build her a climbing wall. Once she scaled the outside of the tall slide at Sonic and then jumped off of the top of it. (I am glad that I was helping Brookie with something at that exact moment because had I seen it, I might have died from a heart attack right there on the spot!)



Claire has a tender heart. Last year a little pre-kindergartener was crying on the bus. Prior to that point, Claire had only seen her. Claire invited the little girl to sit with her and then helped her stop crying by making her laugh. Claire is the same sort of tender comforter for Brookie when Brookie is upset (usually because she has been denied something that she wants to play with).



She is also the most generous little girl I know. She has a very tight budget ($2/week allowance=$1.80 after tithe). At the end of August, she had Jack figure up how much money she would have from then until December so that she could start planning to buy presents for Jack and me for our birthdays in November and December. Most of the time she spends her money on sweet treats that she shares with whoever is with her. Again, this is probably because even a sweet treat is a better experience for her if someone else is sharing it with her.



Here are her answers to the following questions:
Favorite Restaurant: IHOP
Favorite food: peanut butter and jelly sandwich (she only gets to eat this when she is at a friend's house or at school because of Jack's allergy and I think this has increased its value to Claire)
Favorite Color: light blue
Favorite song: The Climb by Hannah Montana
Favorite book: All about Sam
Favorite snack: butterfinger mix from Braum's
Favorite activity: cooking and climbing
Favorite game: mouse trap
What she wants to do when she grows up: hairdresser
One thing that makes her happy: ice cream



Happy Belated Birthday, Claire!

Our Little Lady Turned Three

Brooke celebrated her third birthday on May 28th. I want to take this opportunity to write down as many things about her and what she is like at three. Sorry for the randomness, but I have to do this quickly and things probably won't segue smoothly.



When Jack was her age, he would open up a sandwich take the meat off and just eat the bread. Claire would open up a sandwich, eat the meat, and leave the bread. I wondered which one Brookie would do, but in this area, like so many others, she is not like either one, but is her own little self. Brookie LOVES fruits and vegetables. She will leave the sandwich and instead eat 3-4 helpings of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. She likes salads, too. A salad where she can dip the individual components of the salad in salad dressing (usually ranch for her) is as good as dipping french fries in ketchup.



Her speech is a constant source of entertainment for all of us. She loves the "jooper jumper" at Kiddie Park. She likes to eat holly hops (lolly pops). She uses a unique sentence structure. Instead of saying, "Jack has a book," she will say, "Jacks have a book". She also has the cutest trouble when L's are in words. Elephant becomes Ephelant. Hobby Lobby is Hobbly Lobbly. "All of it" is "Ov-uh-lit". "Probably" is "Plob-aby". She often orders her sentences backwards getting cause and effect reversed. Once she said, "I'm sick because I want tylenol". She was trying to say, "I want tylenol because I am sick" but the reverse (the way she said it) was actually the real truth! She just wanted tylenol because she likes the chewable bubble gum flavored pills.

She likes to imitate phrases and things that she hears. One day, she was on her cell phone (toy) all day and she kept telling people, "I pri-she-ate-it [I appreciate it]". The older kids say, "Oh, snap!" when something goes wrong and one day, that was her phrase on her cell phone, "Oh snap, I have to go!" Sometimes when Jack or Claire are disobeying and I want to get their attention, I will say, "Jack Settle . . ." or "Claire Settle . . .". So when Brookie wants to get my attention, she will say, "Mommy Settle you need to listen!"



Her favorite Bible story for the past few months has been about Jacob and Esau. Last night at bed time she told me she was going to hold Jacob's hand so he would not be afraid about Esau wanting to kill him. Then she wanted me to "pray about that to God" (that God would protect Jacob). Then she told me she was someday going to have a rock for a pillow (like Jacob slept on when he dreamed his famous dream). (This is all from her little preschoolers Bible that we read together each morning).

Last night she also told me that when she grows up she is going to be the teacher and not Miss Nadine (her teacher at mother's day out). This is interesting because Miss Nadine says that Brookie is her "helper" at school -- giving directions like "listen to Miss Nadine", "Time to line up", "put your finger on the wall" (the way they help the little ones stay in line when they walk down the hall), "no, not that wall, the other wall". At home, she plays school and will often do circle time with imaginary friends, calling on them to answer questions and gently correcting someone who speaks out of turn.

She has been daytime potty trained for quite a while, meaning that she only needs a pull-up at bedtime (she does not even need one for naptime). She was the by far the easiest child to train out of all three and I am so proud of her and also thankful that she has been easy since we are so busy. I am still trying to figure out what to do for night time though. How can I not remember what I did with Jack and Claire to help them stay dry through the night?

Brookie is in the beginning phases of recognizing letters. One night she wanted to "read" Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? to David and me. She opened the book and paused on the title page and then pointed and said, "B!" Then she pointed to two b's and said, "Two B's!" She can almost count to 20 but for some reason she usually leaves out the number 15. Her favorite books right now are It's not easy being big", "Just me and my Dad", "Wait for me said Maggie MacGee" and "Good Night Moon". In Good Night Moon, she told me that someday that would be her room. As you can tell, she likes to talk about what will happen "someday".

In the car, she wants to listen to "Jesus Songs" -- what she calls a CD entitled, "Hide Them in Your Heart". She also seems to have an amazing spatial awareness. She is like a map. Once we went to the Red Cross to drop Jack off for Cub Scouts. The next day when we went past the turn to go there, she asked, "Are we going to the Wed Cwoss?"

She has decided that she likes our dog Murphy, but not our new, teething puppy Cherry because, "Cherrys bite" (again her cute little sentence structure).

I seem to be her favorite person, which is so special to me. One night, she put her arm around my neck and pulled me to her and said, "You're my mommy." She has never cried for me when I drop her off at school, but when I pick her up, she often says, "I missed you. Did you miss me?" One day while she was napping, Claire and I left to go around the neighborhood to gather signatures for a petition to protest the jail. When she woke up, David snuggled her for a bit, and then took her outside to play. At some point she went back inside and when she did not come out again for about 5 minutes David went in to check on her. He found her curled up under her desk crying, "I want my mommy". It was not a loud, temper tantrum sort of episode, he said, just a very sad cry like her heart was broken. When I arrived home she was happily playing again, but she gave me big hugs.

She is my sunshine -- Not a roller coaster of emotions, just a happy little girl almost all of the time. A joy . . .

Vote No on June 9th

There is no question that a new jail is a legitimate need for our community. However, the County’s current plans for the jail site involve meeting that legitimate need in an illegitimate way.

Imagine if the county decided to put the jail next to your church or your child’s school; you would not agree with that decision or vote for that site. Now imagine that the county decided to put the jail next to your home. You certainly would have a problem with that site and you would hope and pray that your fellow citizens would support your opposition to such an inappropriate and incompatible addition to your neighborhood.

If Washington County voters approve the new taxes for the jail on June 9th, they will also be approving a jail site that is in the middle of a neighborhood. One family on Oak will literally walk out of their front door, walk across the street, and be on the jail campus. When they sit on their front porch, they will be looking at a jail. May it never be!

If Washington County voters approve the new taxes for the jail on June 9th, what will history say about that decision? Will it be a flagrant example of maltreatment of the poor? Will it be viewed as a discriminatory act against the African-American community? Will it a brazen illustration of the powerful taking advantage of the weak?

I urge Washington County voters to exercise the Golden Rule when you step into the voting booth on June 9th; do to others what you would have them do to you.

Come Support the Neighbors Tomorrow Night

I want to invite Bartians who support Neighbors for Justice and/or who oppose the proposed jail site to come to the city council meeting tomorrow night and speak in favor of agenda item #17; if you can't come, please pray!! (401 S. Johnstone, 7pm)

17. Discuss and take possible action on obtaining a legal opinion from a contracted legal service on the City
Council’s August 25, 2008 action of rezoning the 5.4 acre tract of land located at the southeast corner of
Adams Boulevard and Oak Avenue for the location of a new jail facility

This legal opinion could provide an opportunity to have the vote in favor of rezoning to allow the jail to be OVERTURNED. If it is overturned the county would not be able to build a jail in the middle of a neighborhood.

Here I Come to Save the Day!

I have been going through every photo, every piece of paper --

Here is a note from my sweet Claire that I saved from last year:

FroM Claire To MoMmY

I LoVe you MOM
You SaveD Me FrOM
ThroiNg uP iN FruT
oF The PeePL iN
the DoCTrsoFis.

First of all, I was so touched by this note because she wrote this a few days after the incident (so it was quite important to her).

Second, it gave me some perspective into Claire's world. Sometimes from my own adult perspective I forget things that I knew as a kid. On that day when Claire told me that she thought she was going to be sick, I ushered her swiftly and urgently to the bathroom mainly to avoid making a mess. It never occurred to me that getting sick in front of all of those people would embarrass my sweet (then) kindergartner. My adult perspective: Children go to the doctor when they are sick and sick kids often throw up -- so not a big deal to see a kid throwing up in a doctor's office. But when I remember what I was like in kindergarten, I know that I too would have been mortified to throw up in front of a waiting room full of people. So glad that God used me to "save" her from a public humiliation!

Jack Rocks!

Jack has started a private blog and if you or your children would like to read it, please email me or leave a comment here and we will send you invitation.

This is what Jack did during the ice days in January when school was cancelled: compose his first songs!

Final Thoughts about 5934 Cornell Drive

I have not had the energy to post for a while because of the move. Now I feel like we are beginning to see a light at the end of the unpacking-and-organizing-endless-stuff tunnel. Don't get me wrong -- we have a long way to go, but I can see that little pinpoint of light and it is so encouraging!

We closed on our former house 2 days ago, and we drove by tonight to see if the new owners had moved in yet. It was so weird to see different cars parked in the driveway and unfamiliar furniture on the front porch. When he saw the cars, Jack said, "It looks like we have guests."

On Thursday, I did my final walk-through, and the children's rooms were the ones that struck an emotional chord.

Here is Claire's empty room -- it was the first room we painted when we moved in the house. I was pregnant with Claire and the color was called "Lauren's Lullaby"; it reminded me of pink frosting.

Here is Jack's room -- he selected the red; with all of his stuff it was a red, white and blue room because he loved the American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance when we decorated his room.

For the first 5-6 years of Jack's life, if he was awake, I was playing with him (and Claire, once she joined us). (I cleaned when they were napping and after they went to bed at night.) Therefore, we spent hours and hours in their bedrooms building with Legos and Lincoln logs, doing puzzles, playing board games, pretending to be in outer space (Jack had a space ship tent), pretending to be royalty (Claire had a castle tent), dancing, making music with a little Wal-Mart percussion set and kazoos and recorders, playing indoor hide-n-seek, having tea parties, cooking in the Little Tikes kitchen, reading wonderful books, singing, talking, and laughing. Those rooms were also where I taught both children to read and where I had the privilege to lead Jack and Claire through the ABC prayer (what some people call the "sinner's prayer). It's hard to think about never being able to go back there again and just peek in.

When I look back, I remember often feeling that those days would NEVER end (similar to the "Ground Hog Day" sort of phenomenon), and now I am sorry that they have . . . "how fleeting are the days of childhood, like sand slipping through an hour glass" (my paraphrase of a quote from Bert in Mary Poppins).

5934 Cornell Drive was a blessing from God that served us well.

Welcome to the neighborhood

This morning when we were getting ready for church, the doorbell rang and when David opened it, it was one of our new neighbors whom we had not personally met yet. She had a gift bag for us that held a pretty plant and a card that made me cry. Both David and I felt that God knew exactly what we were needing today -- encouragement. Here are the inspiring words from the card:

Welcome to our neighborhood!

What a wonderful thing you and your family have done in building such a beautiful home in our neighborhood. Although you may have received much criticism, I feel you must have a dream of developing this area back to the family neighborhood it once was.

I was raised in this neighborhood, and have fond memories of it being full of happy families and businesses. I was born during the time of segregation. Because of that situation, we had our own doctor, churches, school (now ARC), beauty shop, grocery stores, and even a hat maker! For family entertainment, we would go Window Shopping. My Dad would drive us down town and we would walk around, looking in the store windows at the window displays, and dream. :-)

As kids, we didn't have bowling alleys, skating rinks, etc that we were allowed to go to, so we would meet on the corners and sing, dance, and tell ghost stories. In fact, my aunt lived right across the street from your house. We use to visit the family that lived where your house now stands and tell stories, sing, and have fun!

You and your family have taken a big step and will receive positive and negative comments. If and when you receive negative ones, just look at this plant and remember your dreams; also, remember that you are fulfilling your neighbor's dreams that we will once again live in an area full of happy families. I hope and pray that I will live to see how your dreams for this area will develop.

Wow -- humbling, inspiring and exciting!

Visiting Wompville But Don't Wanna Live Here

Okay, if I can't boohoo on my blog, where can I do it? I have been really struggling with the detrimental effects that my last pregnancy had on my body. It has been almost three years now, and I just don't know how to deal with this body that I have been left with. My hip/pelvic girdle/SI joint are unstable and I have a host of problems because of this, including hip bursitis, periodic painful tingling down my leg, and sometimes sudden-drop-me-to-my-knees pain. After I had Jack, I ran, did personal training, and taught aerobics. Same with Claire.

Now, after Brooke, I am limited to mall walking with senior citizens; I was shocked to discover that just walking will also flare up the bursitis and make my SI joint slip out of place.

I think one of the saddest things is how it also limits me with the children. Tennis is out. Jumping rope is out. Playing tag/soccer/"Mother May I?" are out. Skiing in Colorado? Out. (the last time we went I was pregnant and so I did not get to ski and we made a plan to go back when Brooke is 4) Giving Brookie piggy back rides? Out. Okay sometimes I still do those, but I really shouldn't. Frankly, if I was doing what was good for me, I also would not pick Brooke up and hold her while I am standing.

Ever working in my field of study again? Out. As my sister Nat would say, "This womps".

Okay, now here comes the Holy Spirit to convict me. A: I have three wonderful children, and was Brookie worth the sacrifice? Absolutely! B: I can still walk without a walker or a cane and I am not confined to a wheelchair C: I should give thanks no matter the circumstance because God has a good and perfect plan for me.

That is good to remember.

New Phone Number

One of my resolutions is to try to limit my time online this year although I have had NO TIME to post anything anyway!

After 10+ hours on the phone with AT&T to move our service across town -- that is NOT an exaggeration! can you say exasperation? -- here is our new phone number:

918-336-0293