1m2aSandbox

So we were sitting around eating some ice
cream Saturday night, each family member spooning in contented
silence. From out of nowhere, Brian piped up with a joke.

Today is Maddie’s last day of ballet
camp, and what a difference five days makes.


She wakes up every morning excited and ready for camp – well,
as excited as she can be when she’s tired and crabby. But
she’s not complained about it at all, or begged not to go,
since Sunday night. I’m so proud of her, and her relative
ease in conquering this latest hill.


Maddie's camp is studying the Sleeping Beauty ballet, and we've
spent several nights this week going over what Maddie has learned.
We put on Tchaikovsky's music and dance around the room, Maddie
explaining the plotline to Cora and shouting out stage directions
to everyone. The class gets to watch a bit of the ballet each day
on DVD, and Maddie can't wait for the grand finale today. They've
also been doing crafts each day, coloring pictures of costumes and
making fairy wands, and she's quite impressed with herself and her
creations.


In the interest of full disclosure, Maddie does ask me every day if
I would stay the whole time rather than going home with Cora for a
couple of hours. Every morning she tells me that she doesn’t
like it when I leave, and I know this is dim foreshadowing of the
trouble we’re going to have at preschool drop-off this fall.
But right now, I’m just proud of how well she’s done
this week. This has been a big step for her.


As for Cora, she’s getting a glimpse of the fall as well
– a glimpse of long, luxurious stretches of time when she
gets Mommy all to herself. So I think I can safely say that both
girls have enjoyed the week, and wish it would last longer.

We spend many mornings poolside –
and when I say mornings, I mean 10 a.m. to 1:30 or so. We take
snack breaks and consume lots of fruit and water, but by the time
we head home for naptime the girls are parched and drooping. And
that’s when I whip out my secret weapon.


I’ve got a special dessert – “Mango Sorbet”
– that I use when I need to keep the girls cooled off and
hydrated. Made purely from fruit and full of liquid and vitamins,
it is a great answer to a hot day. Maddie and Cora are in love with
my “Mango Sorbet”, thinking it’s this awesome
dessert they get to eat in the middle of the day. In reality, it
couldn’t be healthier. Here’s how you make it:

Cora has discovered that she can say
whatever she wants, whether she has any true authority over the
matter or not. And Madeleine, bless her heart, doesn’t yet
fully realize that she doesn’t have to listen to Cora. You
can imagine the results.


Cora’s current favorite game is to order Maddie not to smile.
They’ll be sitting, peaceably eating their breakfasts, when
Cora will look up out of the blue and say calmly, “You
can’t smile, Maddie.” Notice she doesn’t give
Maddie an order – “Don’t smile” – she
simply issues a decree – “You can’t smile”.
And Maddie, bless her obedient little heart, nearly crumples to
tears every time, whimpering, “Why not? Why can’t I
smile?” followed by the omnipresent –


“Mooooooooooooooom! Cora says I can’t smile!”

Maddie woke up Monday morning without a
single argument on her lips about going to ballet camp.


Praise God for His miracles and mercies!

First, the good news -


Maddie is no longer afraid to go under water! In what is now
becoming typical fashion for her, something simply switched on
inside Maddie’s head last week and she decided she
wasn’t afraid to put her face in the water. Thursday morning
at swim class, no face in the water. Thursday night at the pool,
face in the water over and over and over. And ever since then,
Maddie begs for pool time, plunging in with goggles strapped
securely on and wriggling to me or Daddy.


But just as I wipe my brow and say, Whew, another fear conquered,
something else comes up and we start all over again.

Maddie and Cora had their well-baby visits
yesterday, and received clean bills of health all around, for which
I am profoundly grateful.


As is my habit, I had a chat with the doctor about a couple of
things going on in their lives that are on my radar right now, and
we’ve got some good news and some bad news for the girls in
terms of their near futures.


First, the good news. Both girls were tested for strep to see if
they’re carriers, and neither one of them are. Which means
that all the times they’ve been sick this year, it’s
been because they’ve actually caught strep from someone else.
Which I guess if I think about it is actually bad news, because I
can’t think of a way to protect us more.


Now for the bad news, mostly for Cora. It’s time for the
pacifier to go.