The Adventures of Cecilia & Ruby

She's Not Ready for Wheel of Fortune

2012-02-07T06:18:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I took the girls to the local coffee shop after school, NOT because I was locked out of the house, nooooooooo way. ONLY because it seemed like a great place to hang for an hour while we waited for Adam. Cecilia toiled away on her homework (worksheets that gave me a headache just looking at them), and Rubes and I entertained ourselves with a rousing game of Hangman. I thought I could beat her pretty handily - she's 6 after all - but then she came up with a phrase that I just couldn't crack. When all my guesses were up, she filled in the missing blanks and clued me in:

MOMMY ROOLS

She was so pleased with herself.

News and Notes

2012-02-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

This morning the bed contained 1 mom, 2 daughters, 2 cats, and a lot of giggling. This is how days should start.

The other morning I called the girls to the table for a meal, and I happened to have a piece of paper in front of me at the time. Cecilia: "Is that our agenda?"

I've been meaning to mention that Ruby was selected (elected?) to Student Leadership, and she is seriously enjoying this outlet for her opinions and ideas. Last month this meant she worked on a service project to collect household items for the less fortunate, and this month she worked with her peers to come up with some school spirit ideas. On Friday it's pajama day at school, and as she told me several times yesterday "I helped make that."

Over breakfast this morning (oatmeal!) Cecilia asked if I wanted to know about the book she just completed, and about 10 minutes in I asked if perhaps she could just hit the highlights so she would still have time to eat and get to the bus on time. Not only was she describing all the major plot lines, she included information on subplots, dialogue, and the scenery. Roughly half of this was shared while she held a piece of toast about 3 inches from her mouth. The child likes to read.

Math Fail

2012-01-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

The scene: Cecilia is quizzing me on Guides for Power of Ten and I'm struggling mightily. For those who are equally rusty when it comes to 5th grade math, this the whole "ten to the power of x" thing that I was never particularly adept at understanding.

Cecilia: You're getting a lot of these wrong.
Melissa: Well, I'm not really enjoying this.
Ruby [yelling from the other room]: I'm enjoying listening to you get them wrong!

End scene.

Fergus Henderson Would Be Proud

2012-01-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

The girls are playing restaurant right now, and the specials for today are venison and roasted bone marrow. I'm not making this up, nor did I put them up to it.

And here I was thinking my favorite food moment was the time the girls were eating Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (n.b. I did NOT buy this product, it was a gift) and Cecilia put her fork down and said, "I don't think I actually like this. The cheese is so fake."

Air quotes?

2012-01-16T18:00:00.000-08:00

Dadam: That music's okay, it just doesn't really speak to me.
Ruby: It doesn't really speak to me either. It's just not my [does air quotes] "type" of music.

Culture & Traditions.

2012-01-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Ruby is working on a school project this month, the topic being "Culture & Traditions." Here's her essay about Christmas with the Martinez family, in her own words (with some helpful interview questions from Dadam).

For those with weak eyes, it reads:

my Grate Grandfather came form mexico
He spok spanish/manny peapol in are famliy speak some spanish/
I can count to ten in spanish.
for a tradition my famliy eats tamalase/
a tamalae is meat rapt up in a corn Husk/
in mexico peapol eat tamalase on cristmas
and we do too.

Shirt Shame

2012-01-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Ruby has a best bud named Emma, and they've known each other since they were toddlers (in fact, I remember when Emma was born). The girls have played together countless times, and a couple summers back we took a little vacation with Emma's family. It's a lovely friendship.

This year - for the first time - the girls are in the same school. And while they don't have the same homeroom teacher, they still manage to cross paths throughout the day and often sit together at lunch and find each other at recess. Good good good.

Yesterday I was talking to Ruby after school and realized she was not wearing the shirt that had been laid out for her, but rather the exact same shirt that she wore to school on Monday. When questioned about this she had a very simple explanation: She and Emma both had this shirt and decided on Monday that they should both wear it on the same day: Tuesday. So my daughter, who has more clothes than me and my closest friends combined (thank you, Auntie Jenny), went to school on Monday and Tuesday in the exact same outfit.

I told her this could not happen again, but then also asked if Emma did, in fact, wear her shirt on Tuesday. Ruby's face lit up like a firework and she responded with a resounding, "YES!"

So Much Sweetness

2012-01-09T06:20:00.000-08:00

I often admire my children for their sassiness, their independence, and their wicked senses of humor - qualities that make them a force to be reckoned with. But sometimes they are also big balls of sweetness, and I was reminded of this over the weekend as we ended Sunday night on a high note. Everyone listened, they behaved well and got along, we had nice conversation and we enjoyed our time together, which is just a lovely way to end the day. And then there was this:

[I am curled up in the chair and all three of us are watching a movie. Ruby comes over, puts her face in front of mine, and gives me a big old kiss.]

Me: Wow - that was nice! What did I do to deserve that?
Ruby: I just love you so much.

Kareem Abdul-Cecilia

2012-01-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

A big thanks to all the fans who came to watch Cici play today: Grandma & Grandpa One, Grandma Two, Landi & Bill, Uncle Shawn, Auntie Denise, Nick, Tyler, Ruby, and Mom (me!)! Eleven fans isn't too shabby when you're only 9, and it would've been twelve if Adam didn't have to be in Sturgeon Bay for a funeral (we filled him in afterward, of course). Thanks everyone for supporting our baller!

And for those who couldn't catch the action live and in person, here are a few clips of the Cici Monster in action.

Eventually It Fades

2012-01-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

Last night I took the girls ice skating, Cecilia only for the second time and Rubes for the first time ever. Thankfully Auntie Sarah and Mike came along, because I quickly discovered that I am NOT a skater. The girls, however, fell in love and Ruby literally was crying when I told her to take her last lap because it was time to head home.

There were plenty of spills and falls to go around, and Cecilia in particular suffered her fair share of wipe-outs. At one point I asked her if she was okay, and if a nasty fall was still bothering her. She told me it hurt when you fall, "But eventually it fades." Poignant, no?

But I think the night was best summed up by Ruby, who hit the nail on the head with her analysis: "In order to be good at ice skating, you kind of have to know how to ice skate."

We're Back, Baby.

2012-01-05T05:59:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, this fall has brought some big changes to our household, and this meant that the blog had to take a hiatus. I'm happy to report that one of my New Year's resolutions for 2012 was to post on the blog a couple times per week, complete with photos and videos and goofy quotes from the girls. I intend to do it.

It's tempting to try and remember all the good material that the girls have generated lately and post it immediately, but I'd rather consider this a fresh start and not look back for now (even though there was a pretty great fart/poop quote from Rubes just last night).

2012. Here we go!

Cause For Concern

2011-09-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Cecilia went to a birthday party on Saturday for twin boys, and once again she turned out to be the only girl in attendance. This is not a problem for our girl, of course, and she played hard and came home filthy and sweaty and happy.

AND...

With the phone number of a boy from the party that she just met. She asked him for his number because she thought he was nice and wanted to, AND I QUOTE, "Hang out some time." So he gave her his phone number.

Whaaaaa?!?!

Somebody hold me while I weep softly to myself.

A Bird Came Down The Walk

2011-09-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Last night Ruby threw a fit for reasons related to being the younger, smaller sister (who gets tired faster on a run with Dad than Cici does), and got herself pretty worked up. It became my job to get her back from the edge, and we spent some time talking in bed about how throwing fits doesn't often get you what you want. Once she was calm and we were talking quietly about other things, I grabbed a book of Emily Dickinson poems and started to read aloud. And without fail, this was the exchange after every poem:

Mom and/or Ruby: I don't get it.
Mom and/or Ruby: Yeah, me either.

And then the cat came in the room and I pretended that he was talking to us by doing a cat voice and saying funny things, and Ruby laughed until she was nearly crying.

We speak the same language.

The Gas Man Cometh

2011-09-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

Ruby is sitting alone at the dining room table, eating a bowl of cereal.

Ruby: There goes the gas!

Adam: What do you mean? What gas?

Ruby: You know. HUMAN gas?!

Back to School!

2011-09-08T18:02:00.001-07:00

The girls have been back in school for three days now, and I have to admit that I'm enjoying the quiet. The last few weeks of summer they bickered constantly, and I'm glad that they are with their peers again instead of at each others' throat. If I get to missing them, I just look at these photographs and think, "Oh, yeah." And I feel better.

Doctor Pepper

2011-09-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

Last night we attended a little gathering to celebrate my cousin's recent engagement (yay Kari!), and there was the usual spread of food that comes with a Martinez family gathering. This includes a bowl of sliced jalapenos, and at some point Cici and Adam agreed on a dare that Cici would eat a jalapeno slice for $5. She bravely ate the pepper, chased it with a large glass of milk, and happily collected her money.

And then Ruby got involved.

I didn't actually see it go down, but the next thing I know my baby is in the bathroom howling. It seems that the pepper never actually made it in her mouth, but she did manage to get it in her eye. It took several minutes of eye-flushing (and the clever idea of just giving her a bowl of water for her to dunk her eyeball into) before she settled down. With her eye submersed in water she was still able to ask if this effort qualified her for the $5 reward, and given the situation, Adam obliged.

Oh, Ruby. Only you.

Twins!

2011-08-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

I recently found this photograph of me circa 1982. It's my 1st grade school picture and I swiped it from my mom's house (don't worry, Judy, I'll bring it back), so that I could compare it to Ruby's school photo from this past school year. This is what I found:

Kinda fun.

Partners in School

2011-08-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

In about a week the girls will finally be in the same school together, and both are experiencing some anxiety about the new school year. Cecilia is a bit nervous because, this year, she moves upstairs where all the "big kids" are, and away from the familiar turf of the 1st-3rd grade classrooms which are all downstairs. Ruby has a little bit of the new-school jitters, but she takes great comfort in knowing that her big sister will be there to show her the ropes. In fact, the other day Ruby informed me that Cici promised to kiss her every day. When I asked her for clarification, she told me that Cecilia had said she would give her a hug and a kiss every day at her classroom before Cici goes upstairs to her own classroom. And even though Cici hollered from the other room, "ONLY for a few days until she gets used to school - NOT the whole year," it still warmed my heart to know that this arrangement had been made. This summer the bickering has reached new heights (or are they lows?), but at the end of the day they are best buds and have each others' backs.

This is how it should be.

Fountain

2011-08-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

No rhyme or reason to this one - I just found it on my computer and thought it was worth sharing because I think it captures their personalities pretty well. And Cecilia might also be choking Ruby, I'm not entirely sure...

More Than Just Cheese & Packers

2011-07-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Ruby: Does Green Bay have Halloween?

Me: Yes.

Ruby: Oh. We should go there sometime.

Birthday Tradition

2011-07-29T09:34:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure if this has ever been mentioned on the blog or not, but there is an interesting tradition between my grandmother and the girls on their birthdays. She knows that we don't buy them much junk food (rarely to never), so she has made it a tradition to buy them some less-healthy food items and gives them as birthday gifts. These presents are always wrapped in newspaper and they are always highly anticipated. This year was no exception, and here is the birthday girl with some of her birthday presents from Grandma 2:

The Cocoa Krispies are loooooooong gone, and we're down to 1 of 3 boxes of macaroni and cheese left. It's a fun and special treat.

Swimming and Diving

2011-07-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

After August 4th I promise to post something every day for a month, but until then I'm just hanging on for dear life (blame graduate school). I did want to share this, however, because swimming and diving lessons ended today and I feel like this nicely captures the way I feel about my oldest daughter:

Cici is an awesome girl to have in class. She is fearless when it comes to diving! When she smacked doing a pike dive she got right back up, setting a wonderful example for the class. She is well on her way to reaching her dream of being a professional diver and swimmer. -Laura

This was written by her diving coach for the past 2 weeks. I often say she is fearless - not just about diving but about living life in general - and it makes me smile to see that others recognize this trait, too. I hope she doesn't lose this quality, because it will take her far.

2011-07-11T05:25:00.000-07:00

[Ruby is fighting bedtime.]

Dadam: Ruby, that's enough noise in here.

Ruby: But Dad, I can't sleep!

Dadam: Well, you're not trying very hard.

Ruby: Well, what should I do?

Dadam: You need to lie there quietly and settle yourself down. You could try counting sheep in your head - imagine them jumping over a fence or something.

Ruby: Counting? But that's - like homework!

Maybe they've been watching too many British movies/musicals for grownups . . .

2011-06-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Overheard Ruby playing with friends yesterday and crying out in a rich British accent, "No you don't, you bawstard!" Had to laugh when I heard Cici whisper, "Um, Ruby, that's a bad word . . ."

Oooooops.

2011-06-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

Ruby turned 6. Last month. I don't know what to say other than we've been pretty busy...

Breakfast.

2011-06-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

One thing that always gives me a kick about the girls is their love of boring breakfast cereals. Cici's favorite is Cheerios, and Ruby's is Quaker Oatmeal Squares.

As a special treat for their birthdays, their great grandmother always gives them boxes of sugar cereals, which she knows they don't normally get at home. It's a cute and quite special tradition.

So, for Ruby's birthday in May she received a box of Froot Loops - but what Grandma Two doesn't know is that, by choice, Ruby only ate it after all her Quaker Oatmeal Squares were gone!

No Description Required.

2011-05-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

The Kids Have Their Differences . . .

2011-05-22T04:49:00.001-07:00

. . . but so do the cats. Cutie-Head, when she meows, sounds like a cat. Peanut, when he meows, sounds like a cat who's trying to speak in English.

Les Misérables

2011-05-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago PBS ran a concert version to mark the 25th anniversary of the musical Les Misérables. Dadam had been a fan for many years, but had not really engaged with the score since high school, and, Momlissa and Cici being out of the house, he settled down in front the TV to enjoy a blast from the past. Ruby settled down next to him.

Little did he know what would come of it. Ruby didn't make it through the whole three-hour-plus-long show - but she did make it through the first two hours without a break. She was full of questions about the characters and the action too - sometimes I had to sanitize plot points for her ("Well, she has to kiss boys she doesn't like, for money"), but overall she got it, even if she didn't get why her dad was tearing up from time to time. ("You'll understand when you're a grownup.")

Then, on a visit to Grandma and Grandpa K., I found an old tape I had made of the soundtrack (the first half of it, anyway). Since that time, we have probably listened to it, at the girls' request, upwards of fifty times while driving around in the van. The girls have characters, lyrics, music, and plot points all memorized (well, for the first half of it anyway).

If the video doesn't attest, consider this. The musical's opening scene contains these lines, sung by prisoners:

I know she'll wait
I know that she'll be true
Look down, look down
They've all forgotten you

Tonight I found a slip of paper on which Ruby had written:

I know shel wahte.
I know that shel be chroo
Look donw, Look donw
Shel never come bak to you.

When I asked her about the lyrics discrepancy, she said, "I thought it would be a better rhyme."

The girls don't know two thing. 1) For Ruby's birthday this month, she'll be receiving a CD set of the complete show, so she and Cici will finally be able to hear the whole thing in the car. And 2) the national touring company production of Les Mis is coming to our city in December. . . .

A Tale of Two Girls

2011-05-10T06:04:00.001-07:00

Ruby has been sick the past few days, her main symptoms being vomiting and general lethargy. This morning it's clear that she's pretty much back to herself and we're completely relieved. When Cici gets sick I think, "It's probably nothing," but when Ruby gets sick I think, "Maybe it's happening again..." Frankly, it can be terrifying. It doesn't help that when you look up symptoms on WebMD, renal failure comes up for just about anything. Including vomiting and general lethargy.

She's already dressed and ready for school and super excited because today is a field trip to the planetarium. All is well.

----

For the past week or so, Cecilia has been asking for a pedometer. My best guess is that this started with a fundraiser at school where the kids did a Walk for Diabetes and they wore pedometers. She doesn't ask for much, so when she made repeated requests for a rather practical item, we went ahead and got her the pedometer. Which she's been wearing. Every day. Like a middle-aged woman trying to lose weight.

Last night she and I walked to the library and had a lovely talk on the way there and back. She's an amazing kid and sometimes I have a hard time believing that I helped make something so spectacular. But then she burps or farts and I know she's all mine.

On the way back she checked her pedometer to discover that she had surpassed 10,000 steps, the number of daily steps recommended for adults. She was thrilled about this. And all was well.

Wine & Dine

2011-05-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday some good friends called us because their daughter has been accepted to the same school as Ruby, and they wondered if we wanted to go out for dinner to celebrate. They suggested one of our favorite places, so it didn't take much convincing before we were getting in the van and on our way.

Upon arriving, however, we discovered that it was a busy night at this restaurant, and a table for all 8 of us was going to be a trick. The wait-staff suggested breaking up into groups of 4 as it would mean getting seated a bit sooner. We were hungry and it was a school night, so we agreed. How did we split it up? Grown-ups at one table, kids at another.

The children were seated together at a booth. Their ages are: 9, 8, 6, and 5. The moms talked through the menus and the kids decided they would be able to order for themselves and then told us to be on our way. A short while later the grown-ups took their table, all the way on the other side of the restaurant.

Save for a couple of check-ins from the parents, the kids ordered, ate, and managed the dining experience all on their own. I should note here that the other children are terrific kids and exceptionally well-behaved, but it still felt like a risk to put all 4 of them at a table without any adult supervision. They handled it beautifully, and everyone enjoyed the meal.

As the grown-ups were finishing up their meal (the kids finished ahead of us and went to the courtyard area to play - don't worry Linda, they were in full view the whole time), a woman approached our table. She stopped and said, "I just want you to know, they did a great job. I heard lots of please and thank yous. You should be proud."

And we are. The end.

Off She Goes

2011-04-30T18:59:00.001-07:00

We finally heard from the school district today and we're thrilled to report that Ruby was accepted to the same school that Cecilia attends! We've been waiting on this news for some time, so it's a great relief to get the letter and know that from now until Cecilia heads off to high school (?!) they will be in the same school.

That school isn't gonna know what hit 'em...

Go Rubes!

New Stadium.

2011-04-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

We scored some pretty awesome seats to a Twins game earlier this month, and since it was the first time girls have been to the new stadium, we made sure to take plenty of pictures.

Fun, fun, fun! It was a game that went into extra innings so we even had BONUS game to watch! The girls made it on to the giant jumbo-tron and Ruby fixated on one of the vendors selling beer. A fun night for everyone!

Researcher

2011-04-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

I've discovered some things about my oldest daughter lately:

1. She can unload the dishwasher and put the clean dishes away (Ruby does the silverware). This is very nice.

2. If I need something printed - directions, a recipe, an article for class - I can tell Cecilia the key words or the website, and she goes up, locates the information, prints it off and brings it down. It helps that she's an outstanding speller, so it usually involves nothing more than telling her what I need and off she goes.

Now if I can get her to write policy briefs, develop PowerPoint presentations, and learn how to create references in APA-style, we'll be all set!

Baked Tortilla Chips

2011-04-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

Without getting into the gory details, I'll just say that this afternoon Cici had a total meltdown which began with me allowing the girls to have a handful of baked tortilla chips as a snack. What seemed to be a very minor spat between the girls quickly escalated into a full-blown freakout for Daughter #1 and resulted in her accusing me and the rest of the world - through sobs - of loving Ruby more than her. Luckily for the rest of the world, I was there to bear the brunt of it and talk her off the ledge. Ultimately she was able to calm down, return to her pleasant self, and enjoy a family dinner, but not before uttering some seriously memorable phrases which I will now share with the rest of you, such as:

"Fine! She can have all the chips and all the luxury!"

AND

"Ruby always gets all the luxury!"

AND

"They didn’t make any suggestments, and if nobody makes a suggestment…"

AND, perhaps seeing the horrified look on my face during this exchange:

"I don’t know what I’m saying right now!" before throwing herself dramatically down onto her bed. Wowzers.

I feel as though I caught a glimpse into the future today, a future where she's 14 and tells me she hates me because I won't buy her an over-priced, over-sexed outfit at Abercrombie & Fitch. And all I could think was, we're going to need more gin.

A Valid Question.

2011-04-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

This morning Ruby came downstairs and saw the same soul-crushing, heartbreaking, stomach-sinking sight most Minnesotans saw this morning: SNOW. My own reaction involved making angry faces and using swear words, Ruby summed it up much better than I did:

I don't want it to snow. [And very sadly]: Is winter starting all over again?

Amen, sister.

Counting the Seconds

2011-04-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

The girls went to bed tonight and it was quiet for a while, and then Cici hollered for Adam to come look at some work she had done. It turns out that Ruby wanted to know how many seconds until Easter, so Cecilia just went ahead and figured it out for her. She did all the math by hand (we saw the evidence), and she was exactly right: 604,800 seconds.

It's not just that I love how she was able to solve this problem on her own, but she did it to answer her little sister's question.

And not just that, but she did it for the same sister who told a room full of people today, "Sometimes Cici is a pig with popcorn."

Nerd Alert!

2011-04-07T06:09:00.000-07:00

I walked by the girls' room the other day and this is what I saw:

The glasses are fake, of course, but I really like the overall effect - especially the part where she chose to read all by herself.

Mittens!

2011-04-07T06:02:00.001-07:00

A big shout-out to Auntie Melissa who recently sent a surprise package for the girls. She made them the most lovely mittens for all our spring outings and the girls love love LOVE them.

Thank you!

Pneumonia

2011-04-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

Ruby: The child who can't get just a little bit sick. When it comes to illness, she likes to go big.

On Monday she was sent home from school with a terrible cough and on Tuesday morning she was diagnosed with pneumonia. On Wednesday she was sent home (after being cleared to go back to school) because the meds she's on caused her to act like a hyper maniac all morning and then crash with exhaustion in the afternoon, and then we spent the evening fighting with her about whether or not she could go outside to play.

The upside is that we spent some time watching a Top Chef marathon together, and her insights were fascinating. For instance: Why don't the contestants just make spaghetti? Everybody loves spaghetti.

So true, Rubes. So true. Now get better.

Big Head

2011-03-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

This might be the greatest video I've ever seen in my life. It is Cici's own creation and even though I've watched it about 50 times already, it still cracks me up.

And here is a bio she wrote for herself to accompany her animal research report for school. I find it beyond charming.

Cici K------ goes to --------- Magnet School. She has a mother, a father and a sister. Her favorite animals are her cats, Cutiehead and Peanut. Her favorite color is turquoise. She has written a poetry book. She lives in ----------, Minnesota. She likes ice cream. Her favorite flavor is lemon-lime. She has four aunts and five uncles on her mom’s side and one aunt and one uncle on her dad’s side. One group of her grandparents lives in Wisconsin, the others in Minnesota.

Routine.

2011-03-28T05:42:00.000-07:00

The girls are back and it's Monday morning! This means we're back to our regular routine - organizing backpacks and choosing snacks and coaxing Ruby out of bed and into her uniform. Yay!

The girls had a terrific time in Wisconsin but seemed pleased to get back to their home turf and the cats. In fact, just last night Ruby was snuggling with Peanut and, voice filled with love, said to me, "Mom, even if Peanut was dead I would still take care of him." Such a thoughtful girl, isn't she?

It was a lovely little break for us, too (we saw TWO movies!), but we're so happy to have our foursome back together again.

Empty Nest

2011-03-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

I have nothing to report because the girls haven't been home since last Friday morning. They're enjoying spring break with Grandma and Grandpa K, and we're stuck here at home, all alone.

[Sigh.]

Braggart.

2011-03-16T05:50:00.000-07:00

I know it's not polite to brag and such, but since this is our blog about our children, I figure this is the place where there's an exception.

We had Ruby's school conference on Tuesday, and her teacher started by saying, "This is probably the best report card I've ever written."

'Nuff said.

Well, one thing more. She said Ruby was a classroom leader without being bossy. While I find this hard to believe (the not bossy part), I'm very proud of my girl.

Nice job, Rubes!

Cookie Dough.

2011-03-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

Last fall Cici was part of a fundraiser for school and was asked to sell tubs of cookie dough. To fulfill the obligation, she and I sat down at the dining room table, I handed her my phone, and we just started calling our relatives and closest friends.

It turns out we have some very generous friends and relatives.

In particular, a college friend of Adam's who also lives in our city - we call him Pasty - purchased a lot of cookie dough. He wanted me to find out how much he needed to buy in order for her to "win" and I told him numerous times that I had no way of knowing how much other kids were selling. He ended up buying A LOT.

When all the cookie dough arrived and we picked it up for delivery, the fundraising coordinator pulled me aside and told me Cici had, in fact, sold more cookie dough than anyone else in the school. About $500 worth.

The grand prize was 2 tickets to Smucker's Stars on Ice, and we thought it only fitting that she go with Pasty since he probably put her right over the top. He called yesterday to tell us he also intends to take her to brunch at one of our city's finest and fanciest restaurants. She's excited to get dressed up and go claim her prize.

It's a fun little adventure for her today, but also an opportunity for me to thank all of you who supported her in this effort. Thank you for supporting her school, and her, and for being such a loving network for our family. And just think, if you buy the most cookie dough next year, you might just get to see the world's best skaters with my daughter!

Thanks, everyone!

Words of the Day

2011-03-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

Ruby recently made a necklace for her 100-days of school celebration. She was describing this necklace to us, and explained that it was made out of Cheerios. Having seen the necklace I added that it was actually made out of Fruit Loops and she had done a lovely job.

Cecilia: What's a fruit loop?

[Melissa smiles smugly to herself.]

-----------

Ruby takes a huge swig of ginger ale. Ruby [eyes watering]: What a spike!

-----------

During last night's dinner I ask Cecilia if she would like some barbecue sauce, and she tells me that she doesn't actually care for barbecue sauce.

Me: You don't? Why not?
Cecilia: It's too zangy.
Me: Zangy?
Cecilia: Er, tingy?
Me: Tingy?
Cecilia: Yeah.
Me: Uh, okay.

------------

Ruby telling me a story about one of her classmates: He was acting very ma-sti-tious!

Me: Mastitious?

Ruby: Yeah.

Me: Do you maybe mean mysterious or suspicious?

Ruby: Yeah.

Snuggle up.

2011-03-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

Both my girls are snugglers - always have been - but Cecilia in particular loves to snuggle up with me on the couch at night. We only had a moment of this last night because I had class, but I was trying to imagine what things will be like when she's older. When I asked Adam if he thought Cecilia would still snuggle with me when she was 15, he offered a resounding, "No." And because I didn't like his answer, I decided I would simply create a policy (this is what I'm in school for, after all) and make her adhere to this policy by having her sign a document agreeing to snuggle with me always and forever. Adam thinks this will not work, but I think he's wrong. So there.

(Please forgive my hideousness in the above photo. It was taken early in the morning.)

Chit chat.

2011-02-26T06:19:00.001-08:00

Most mornings Adam and Cecilia are the first ones awake, and then Ruby runs downstairs for her breakfast shortly after. I am NOT a morning person, so I'm a little slower to get up 'n at 'em. Around 7AM, when all three come back upstairs to start getting ready, Ruby crawls into my bed to snuggle up because she's not really a morning gal either. But what usually ends up happening is a few minutes of alone time for me and Rubes where we talk about all sorts of things, from her friends at school to what we should make for dinner tonight to the weird dreams she had last night. Some days it feels like we're really bonding, and other days I laugh until I have tears in my eyes.

Ruby. A great way to start your day.

Pajama Day.

2011-02-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Cecilia told us that Monday was "Pajama Day" as part of their Valentine's Day festivities. They sometimes do this for special days or as a class reward, so I didn't give it a second thought. At bedtime she was giggling about how she wouldn't need to get ready before school because all she needed to wear was her jammies, and went on to add that she could also bring a blanket and stuffed animal. Fine fine. Go to sleep.

And off she went in her pajamas. About 1/2 hour later the phone rang, and it was my darling daughter on the verge of tears telling me that it was NOT pajama day. I told her we'd run some clothes to school ASAP and tried to reassure her that was not a big deal and not to worry. I also sent a Valentine's cupcake and a note telling her how much I love her because I was so worried about her well-being.

And then I hung up the phone and started to cry like the baby I am.

You know that feeling when you show up somewhere and realize you've done something wrong? You brought the wrong thing or wore the wrong thing or went to the wrong place? I hate that feeling. And, while I acknowledge that I'm more than a little neurotic, I think everyone has had an experience like that where they felt foolish in front of people they didn't want to look foolish in front of. Like the time my sister was giving a fake eulogy for a speech class in high school and actually started to cry. Because she was sad. About our mother's FAKE death.

At any rate, Cecilia was able to get changed without anyone discovering her error (thank goodness for a t-shirt under her jammies and snowpants over the top to buy some time). Because she's stable and lovely and has plenty of self-esteem, she came home laughing about the whole thing and wasn't nearly as traumatized as I was. I think her middle school years are going to destroy me.

But from here on out, no jammies to school unless I have something in writing.

Word Play and Play Play

2011-02-13T16:07:00.001-08:00

We have a new game at our house called Bananagrams. It's similar to Scrabble in some ways, but you have the ability to continually rearrange your words. It's very fun and Cecilia and Dadam are regular players (and inevitably there is a "Mom! Can you come help me?!" so I get to play a lot, too).

But sometimes, because she's only 8, Cici has to check to see if she's spelling actual words, and sometimes the results are pretty hilarious. For example, yesterday I overheard her ask Adam if "tit" was a word. I chuckled listening to him explain what slang is, and Cecilia laughed at herself when she learned she was asking about a naughty word. Then, only moments later, she asked about another word that - frankly - is too vulgar for our gentle, regular blog readers (Hi, Linda!). In this instance he simply told her that, no, that was not a word and that was that. Yikes.

Ruby used a word the other day that I've been meaning to jot down here, and that word is "mastitious." Given the context I knew she was combining two words, mysterious and suspicious, but I think Ruby's word says it all. Also, totally adorable.

Finally, yesterday was Cici's last basketball game of the season and it was a NAIL-BITER! It actually game down the buzzer and the game ended in a tie. We are a little sorry to see the season end because she loved it so much and we had so much fun watching her, but we're already planning to put up a hoop on the garage once the warmer weather arrives for good.

Sporty Saturday

2011-02-06T11:26:00.001-08:00

Yesterday morning we went to the University of MN to watch my cousin Stephenie dive (she did a terrific job!), and the girls enjoyed watching the 1-meter competition. Things got more interesting for Ruby, however, once the diving was over and my cousin Kari decided to take Ruby on a field trip to the top of the diving tower. Some of you might remember that Kari has done this before with Cecilia (I think she was under 3 at the time), so it was only fair that Ruby got a turn up at the top. I took some video of this, but until I can figure out how to get the video off of my phone an onto the internet, you'll have to be satisfied with this:

It's hard to see her at first, but she's up there at the very top of the 10-meter being held up by Cousin Kari. They proceeded to walk out to the very end of the board, lay down on their tummies, and poke their heads over the edge to look down at the water below. If you're not sure what the 10-meter is, think back to the last summer Olympics you watched when they showed the diving from the tallest platform and it seems like the divers are falling for an eternity. That's the 10-meter. According to Ruby it wasn't the least bit scary, but according to me it was a near-death experience. My girls both aspire to be divers some day, but if they get on anything other than a 3-meter we're going to have problems.

After the diving meet we had to rush over to Cecilia's basketball game, and I'm sorry to report they suffered yet another loss. The upside is that Cici is improving by leaps and bounds and still loves every second of the game, even the ones that end in defeat. Here is a blurry shot of her making TWO OF TWO free throws after she was fouled while taking a shot.

The ear-to-ear grin she wore after making both free throws was the absolute highlight of the game.

And speaking of sports, we need to get things together so we can go to a Superbowl party and root for the Steelers...

G&T (Not the Drink.)

2011-02-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

Today we received a letter from the school district informing us that Ruby has been identified as "gifted and talented" just like her big sister. This means that she will have the opportunity to attend the G&T magnet school with Cecilia provided she makes it through the lottery system (they do not have sibling preference). We very much hope they can be at the same school next year.

We knew when the test was administered back in December, and I have to admit it's caused me some anxiety in the time between then and now. Because we see so much of ourselves in the children - Cecilia being a clone of her father and Ruby like me in so many ways - I was worried about Ruby's test score and what it said about her mother. Of course Cecilia was going to be a smarty-marty because she's just like her dad. But what about Rubes...?

Nothing to worry about, it seems. Smart as a whip! Too bad she had to ruin our excitement over the letter by getting sick and barfing a few times before bed.

The Year of the Rabbit

2011-01-30T06:45:00.000-08:00

The blog has been a little quiet lately, so for those of you interested in the goings-on of our girls, I apologize. The holidays were a blur of family gatherings, visits with friends, and a wedding of which we all played an integral role (best man, bridesmaid, and two flower girls if anyone is keeping score). It was a fun and crazy season which has segued into a cold and busy January. In fact, yesterday looked a little something like this:

8AM: Run around gathering items, clothing, etc. for the day's activities
9AM: Dadam starts running the Winter Carnival Half Marathon
9:30: Me and the girls head out to cheer him on
10AM: Dadam runs past and we cheer wildly
10:20: Quick run to the grocery store
11AM: Cecilia's basketball game
11:30 Dadam meets us at the game post-run
12:30: Run to pick up new contacts
1:30: Run to pick up items for birthday party
3PM: Drop girls off at birthday party
4PM: Shoe shopping
5PM: Make dessert for Chinese New Year party
6PM: Pick up girls from birthday party
6:45: Dadam leaves for piping gig
7PM: Me and girls leave for Chinese New Year party
9PM: Arrive back home, put girls to bed
10PM: Dadam arrives back home, stuffs face with dumplings lovingly brought home from party by his children
1o:30: Rehash the day together before falling into comas on the couch

And while yesterday was particularly crazy, I'm sorry to say it's not really an anomaly. So there will be occasions when the blog goes a little quiet and we promise to do our best to keep things updated.

Finally, a little item: Last night there were Chinese students (all girls) at the Chinese New Year party (imagine that), a party we've attended for the last few years at the home of some lovely friends. These students have been in the country less than a week and, for some reason, took an interest in the girls, going on and on about how cute they are. They had Cici and Ruby posing for photograph after photograph, and the girls played along like real diplomats. After the students had all posed with the girls in various combinations (the dog was also included), our friend and host David came up to me to explain that this was the students' first real interaction with American children. The students were just really excited to meet and interact with little American kids. I thought it was hysterical -- sometime in the future they will return to China and have all these pictures of my children to show off to their friends and family.

But really, who better to represent American youth than Cecilia and Ruby?

Just Because Photos

2011-01-17T19:47:00.001-08:00

You can't quite see it here, but Ruby is spazzing out because Cici gave her a rainbow assortment of dry erase markers for Christmas. She uses these markers to play school (note: If you walk in on this game you will be assigned the role of principal -- do not fight it.).

Cecilia hugging the crap out of her sister in appreciation of receiving Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

This is a picture of the girls on Christmas Eve in their new pajamas. I love this picture.

We had such a marvelous Christmas, I'm having a hard time believing it was already a few weeks ago...

Recent Rubyisms.

2011-01-13T16:46:00.000-08:00

1. "I would eat it but I don't like anacavo." [avocado]

2. "Today in Mr. Sam's class we learned about primary colors and secretary colors."

3. "Is that a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr.?" [upon seeing the Uncle Ben's rice logo on TV]

Flower Girls

2011-01-13T06:07:00.000-08:00

Cecilia hamming it up with her dad at the rehearsal dinner.

I just realized we didn't post any pictures of the wedding! The girls both loved their flower girl experience, and we're fairly certain that walking down the aisle as the center of attention in a fancy dress was the highlight of Ruby's life (so far). It was a terrific day and we all felt lucky to be involved in such a happy celebration for two people we love so much!

The Bride and Ruby on the morning of the wedding.

Posing flower girls.

Momlissa and Dadam, having a little fun of their own.

Congratulations Auntie Landi & Uncle Bill!

Tough Questions.

2011-01-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

I'm in charge of putting the girls to bed every night, and while they have become pretty self-sufficient in that area I do approach the task with the expectation that my knees will have gotten a good stretching by the end of it. ("Dad! Bring water!" "Dad! Come turn the light off!," etc.) The requests are usually of the same type and never too difficult to satisfy.

So I was completely prepared the other night to march up the stairs and fill the water cup when I heard the inevitable "Dad!" from Ruby. "What is it, honey?" I called, getting up.

There was a pause, and then she spoke again: "Is God real?"

Oh boy. Melissa reminds me that I posted about this same issue when Cecilia was littler, and out of respect for Ruby's privacy (and my own), I won't relate exactly what we discussed when I went up and sat down on her bed. Her question came from thinking about her Grandpa Martinez (Melissa's grandfather), who died before she was born, and wondering whether she'd ever meet him. Needless to say, although Ruby did not seem totally persuaded one way or the other after our talk, she did feel much better and was able to lie down and fall asleep pretty quickly.

We are not a religious family, as most of you who read this blog know. But as someone who was raised in one, I understand the value of religion, especially in its ability to put color and magic in the world - and to answer children's difficult questions about the universe. We went to church on Christmas Eve for the first time in a while, which was nice. And I think Ruby and I both agree that it's nice to think of a reunion with Grandpa Martinez and all our the other beloved relatives she never got to meet, in a beautiful place, someday.

Elementary. (No, Not School.)

2010-12-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

CECILIA [to Dadam]: Dad, if Sherlock Holmes met you, he would probably say, "Thirty-five years old, just bought new Yaktrax today!"

(Explanatory note: The girls and I have been watching the old Granada Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett. Yaktrax are basically snow chains for running shoes, and I did in fact buy a new pair yesterday.)

Rite of Passage

2010-12-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

Many, many years ago we (mostly Uncle Ramon) discovered that you could jump off Grandma's garage roof after a heavy snowfall. We would pile up snow under the overhang, and then climb up a ladder and jump off. We've been doing this for years and it might have happened for the first time following the Halloween blizzard of 1991 (note to cousins -- does this sound right to you?). At any rate, it's been a long time since we've had enough snow to safely jump off the garage ... until NOW!!

At some point on Christmas Day I noticed Uncle Ramon getting the girls into their snow pants and coats and was delighted that someone was taking my children out to play. After all, I was still delirious from getting up before 4AM. And then the children were up on the roof.

And then they were jumping.

And then they roared with laughter and squealed with delight.

Marine Biology

2010-12-26T17:06:00.000-08:00

It's only a matter of time before Cecilia surpasses me in intellect, and today was a good reminder of how quickly she's closing in. We took the girls to an aquarium because we had some coupons and it was a good excuse to get them out of the house (and away from the Wii), and this particular aquarium has several species of shark. It's a neat set-up where the sharks and other fish swim over you as you walk through a glass tunnel of sorts, and it provides some fun views of the animals.

As many of you know, Cecilia is an animal-lover and will watch nature programming (slack-jawed and totally mesmerized) no matter what animals happen to be featured. And she gets really into it. So as we walked along the aquarium today, family after family would pass us by because - whereas other kids are all, "Neat, seahorses," and move on - Cecilia must scrutinize the animals from every angle and ask all kinds of questions. She very much gets this from her father. (Ruby, on the other hand, wanted me to point out fish privates as they swam overhead. She very much gets this from her mother.)

So I should've known better than to question her authority on a certain species, but when she told me that one was a brown reef shark I had the nerve to say, "How do you know that?" So she walked over to the aquarium employee to get confirmation and the lady told her yes, that it was in fact a brown reef shark. Cecilia went on to identify several other kinds of sharks and fish for me while I tried to figure out how long before she's officially smarter than me. Weeks? Days? Mere seconds?!

3:58 a.m.

2010-12-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

That is the time that our children woke us up to let us know Santa had been to the house.

First Game EVER!

2010-12-20T19:09:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday was Cecilia's first ever basketball game (the previous week's game having been canceled due to 7,000 feet of snow). She was a little bit nervous but seemed to really enjoy herself once she got into things.

She also had her own cheering section: Mom, Dad, Ruby, Great-Grandma, and Great Auntie Dolores were all there to cheer her on. Her team lost and she was disappointed, but it was a good opportunity to learn about being a good sport and that winning isn't everything (though that's always been a hard pill for Momlissa to swallow...). The chocolate chip pancakes afterward helped her bounce back pretty quickly.

There probably won't be lots of basketball pictures because it's more fun to watch than it is to to try and catch her in action, but here she is in all her first-game glory. Go Mustangs!

Snow Day!

2010-12-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

For the first time since Cecilia started school 4 years ago, the public schools here are closed tomorrow due to weather. We are still up to our eyeballs in snow around here, and wind chills are going to be around -15 tomorrow, so it's probably best not to have kids waiting around for buses that can barely get around. It will be our third day of being snowed in (though Dadam did manage to get to a theater today for a double-feature with the girls).

I wonder if the girls will remember this storm the same way that I remember the Halloween blizzard of '91...?

Food and Drink.

2010-12-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

Chocolate milk drives me crazy. It’s everywhere, and for some reason many parents seem to believe that the only way their child will drink milk is if it’s flavored (most often with chocolate, but strawberry and banana are out there, too). Both the girls are given the choice at school between chocolate and white milk, and I know they often choose the chocolate. I’ve tried to encourage them to choose the white milk more often, simply because it contains fewer calories and fat than the flavored counterpart. I’m no dummy – I know that this is unlikely because who would turn down chocolate milk (it really can be yummy), but I feel when it comes to empty calories and unnecessary sugar it’s at least worth a shot.

Knowing that they’re drinking chocolate milk at school, when we occasionally go out to dinner I (attempt to) make them choose white milk or water. (I’m not a food Nazi or anything, but this is how Americans get/got fat: taking in too many empty calories and expending too few. There’s nothing wrong with desserts or treats now and then, but chocolate milk at every meal is simply not necessary.)

Last Friday we knew we were going to go out to eat because of our evening plans, and the girls were looking forward to this outing after our participation in the Holidazzle parade (see previous post). When I picked Ruby up from school she informed me that at lunch and snack SHE CHOSE WHITE MILK so that she could order the chocolate milk at the restaurant. Ruby is five. She made the healthy choice.

And just now the girls were watching Arthur on PBS where the topic was nutrition. The children on the show were asked to pick what one food item they would take with them if stranded on an island. I asked the girls what they would want in that situation, and here are their choices, with absolutely no prompting from me:

Cici: Mango.

Ruby: Brussels sprouts.

My kids RULE.

Reporting In.

2010-12-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

A quick mish-mash of things here on a freezing Friday morning in our fair city. In only slightly particular order:

1) A typical conversation:

Momlissa: Duuuuuude, your fart STINKS!
Cecilia: It's a gift.

2) Ruby, excited about the Holidazzle parade: "We get to see Handsome and Gretel!"

3) I couldn't take it anymore and Cecilia got a pretty major haircut on Sunday (she chose the length):

4)Tonight the four of us get to be in the Holidazzle parade as volunteers. If you do not know what this is you are either A) not from the Twin Cities or, B) you are a shut-in. Either way I feel bad for you. If you're curious, go here: http://www.holidazzle.com/ We're all rather excited!

5) Recently I pulled out some papers from Ruby's backpack and found a picture she made at school:

It stopped me in my tracks. When Ruby was hospitalized for Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in 2007, there was a period of time before the dialysis when they were still trying to diagnose her but it was clear she was losing kidney function. Because of this, she was not able to have any fluids, not even tiny sips of water because her body was not able to process the fluids. In a hellish nightmare that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, we had to deny our child water even though she cried and begged for it. Desperate, I snuck her the tiniest slivers of ice-no bigger than a pencil eraser-and she just wanted more. It was perhaps one of the worst moments I've ever known, and it culminated with my poor baby throwing herself down in frustration where she banged her forehead full force onto the bed rail. It. Was. Awful.

If there is a silver lining to that experience, it's that Ruby has no memory of any of it. She knows she was sick and can show you the scars, but she doesn't remember how scary it really was. We, however, remember all too well. So when my daughter brings home a picture stating she's thankful for water, I have to stop and give thanks, too. Thanks for long drinks of water, for working kidneys, and for a daughter who can't remember a time without those things.

All I Want for Christmas

2010-11-30T06:05:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving happened (along with some furnace drama, a fabulous visit from the K family, tamale-making, and a trip to the MN History Museum), but for now I'll leave you with this:

It's a good thing my 7-month old niece will be here in less than a month, because the babies in this house are dropping like flies.

Afterlife

2010-11-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while driving in a car with my sister, Ruby asked what makes someone die. I tried to explain the need for a heart to pump blood to all your organs and a brain that work so you can think and feel. This lead to a conversation about what it's like after you die, and it's pretty complex territory - especially for someone (like me) who is not religious. It's especially difficult when you have someone like Cecilia in the car who is not satisfied with answers that start with, "Some people believe that..." She will ALWAYS stop you and ask, "Is that what YOU believe?" Oy.

In an effort to explain what I believe, I talked about how little I know, and focused on what I hope. I hope I get to see my grandpa again someday because I'd give anything to have one more conversation with him. But until I find out, I have to keep him alive in my heart and with all the happy memories I have - and someone can never leave you for good if you keep them alive in your heart. And Ruby wanted to know if your heart can get all filled up so there is no room left, but I assured her that your heart has an endless capacity to love, so there is no danger of that.

It was a deep, serious conversation and I found myself getting a little choked up talking about my grandpa (my sister may have, too). And then, because children are perfect and wonderful, the girls each asked a question at the exact same time:

Ruby: Is being dead like The Corpse Bride?

Cecilia: How do you spell "through?"

Conferences

2010-11-15T16:11:00.000-08:00

Last week we attended conferences for both girls - Kindergarten for Rubes and 3rd grade for Cici. We knew going in that the feedback would be primarily good because A) we have good kids and B) if not, we would have heard about it by now. And that's exactly what happened -- we heard they are terrific students, hard workers, and eager learners, and we were (are) very proud.

Ruby's teacher showed us drawing after drawing noting Ruby's use of vibrant color (they really are quite pretty). And as she did this she talked about what a happy kid Ruby is -- that you have to be a happy kid to make such pretty pictures. "She's just such a happy kid..."

Cecilia's teacher talked about how well she was doing, particularly in math, so we quickly got up and left because surely this could not be about OUR daughter. As it turns out, two math-impaired individuals can indeed produce offspring that excel at math. Who knew?

But what warmed my heart the most -- and we heard this in both conferences -- is that the girls are both leaders in the classroom. And even when I asked if perhaps the teachers meant bossy, I was assured that it's not bossiness as much as it is leadership.

I love this.

And then later that day I took the girls grocery shopping and they turned into horrible little terrors from the underworld destroying everyone and everything in their path, namely my sanity.

So... [shrugging]

Victory

2010-11-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

Mornings around our house can be chaotic and harried in the way - I imagine - that they are for most busy families just trying to get through the week. There is a sequence of events that takes place so that everyone can get out the door at the right time, with the right things, and ready for the day. I'm sorry to say that our routine isn't perfect and sometimes there is a last minute scramble for shoes or homework or a snack, and there have even been times when yelling is involved. (GASP!)

I will say, however, that ever since Cecilia started going to school I've been committed to the idea that our children should not leave the house all stressed out or - even worse - in tears. I can't protect them from the daily trials and tribulations that happen to everyone, but at the very least I can make sure they walk out the front door feeling calm, safe, and loved. This can be a real challenge on days when everyone wakes up crabby and cereal gets spilled and homework is lost and clean socks are nowhere to be found and we're out of coffee. But in the 30 seconds before Cecilia walks out the door (she goes first), I muster all my strength and pull it together so that she knows - no matter what - things are okay. If it's been a particularly rough morning, I find that a well-timed fart joke turns things around pretty quickly.

Which brings me to today. Today was just one of those magical days when it all just worked. The girls had breakfast, got dressed, brushed teeth and hair, packed up their school things, and there was no yelling or crying in the process. Everyone remembered lunches and snacks. Everyone left on time. Everyone left with a hug and a kiss and a smile. Everyone was clean.

So today, along with being grateful for veterans, I'm going to be grateful for the small victory that is a peaceful morning. Sometimes it's the little things, right?

Halloween 2010

2010-11-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

Hey, does everyone else know it's November? And, how did that happen?! Nevertheless, here are some pics from a fun-filled Halloween weekend.

"Ruby ruby."

2010-11-09T08:32:00.001-08:00

Made a funny discovery last night. Was looking at our iTunes music library when I noticed a new playlist had been created. At first I thought Cici might have made it, but I should have known better, since it was titled "Ruby ruby" and contained exactly one song - a cover of "Ruby Tuesday" . . . .

Short Orderers.

2010-11-08T07:31:00.000-08:00

Dadam: What kind of cereal would you like for breakfast, Ruby?
Ruby: I would like Frosted Mini-Wheats, but since there's not enough left for a whole bowl I'll take a mix of Frosted Mini-Wheats and Cheerios.
Dadam: Okay. And you, Cecilia?
Cici: I would like exactly the same mix, but hold the Frosted Mini-Wheats.

Baldish?

2010-11-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

Ruby [to Dadam]: You and Mommy have a good marriage, because she has long hair, and you have baldish hair.

Fall Randoms.

2010-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Some things we did this fall:
Went apple picking!

Made applesauce!
Rode camels!

Went to Halloween parties!
Carved pumpkins from Grandma and Grandpa K's garden!

And some of us went here:

Trick-or-treating pictures to come...

Politics.

2010-10-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I was watching the local news and Ruby was playing on the floor next to me (pretending that two school buses were crashing into each other, if you must know) and the commercials on television are all related to the upcoming election. If this isn't happening where you live, please tell me so we can come hang out there until next Wednesday. At one point an ad caught Ruby's attention and she asked if that's who we were voting for and I told her, NO!, we're NOT voting for Tom Emmer (I might have even made some puking noises). And then she said the funniest thing:

"Oh, yeah. Cici told me."

I wanted to know more about this, so I asked for some details and she went on to explain that the other day they saw some political ads and that Cecilia had explained to her who Mom and Dad were voting for and what the ads were about (i.e., persuading people to vote for that particular candidate). I was shocked.

We've never been shy about sharing our political ideologies with the girls, but it strikes me as a little bit hilarious that they are now having their own conversations about politics and that Cecilia has this level of understanding about our current gubernatorial election.

I guess I should have had an inkling when, at Ruby's 4-year old check-up, our pediatrician asked if she was going to go to preschool. When she said yes, the doctor asked if she knew what school she was going to. And Ruby responded, "Yes. It's the place where we go to vote for Obama."

Namesake

2010-10-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

I'm currently sitting in the San Francisco airport and missing my children terribly, so here's a picture just for the fun of it (recently emailed to me by mom mom -- thanks!). Cecilia is named after my maternal grandfather -- her two middle names are Manuela and Martinez -- who, until the girls came along, was probably my favorite person of all time. I miss him but love that we could honor him through our daughter's name.

As for my grandma, she continues to be a part of the girls' lives in significant ways. In fact, it was just Friday that they had a sleepover at her house. Family is a beautiful thing, and I can't wait to get back home...

Movie Quotes.

2010-10-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

Responses to the movie Dinosaur.

Ruby: Dinosaurs used to be my favorite animal, but now they're extinct, so I don't see them anymore.

***

Ruby: I feel like I just saw this movie yesterday!
Cici: It was yesterday.

Dear Friends and Family.

2010-10-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

We appreciate those of you who keep giving Ruby bags of dead snakes, but we probably have enough now. Seriously.

Short List.

2010-10-17T05:50:00.000-07:00

Ruby [to Momlissa]: You know, Mom, you should really root for the Packers instead of the Vikings.
Momlissa: What? Never!
Ruby: No, you should, because Wisconsin is really great.
Momlissa: What's so great about it?
Ruby: Six things - I went on an airplane ride there, there's a good view, Grandma and Grandpa live there, there's deer there, it looks pretty, and I like it.
Momlissa [a little astonished]: Oh, really?
Ruby: Yep. Deer, airplane, good view, like it, Grandma and Grandpa, pretty.

The Reader

2010-10-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Not long ago my dad, Chris, told me that he and my mom were watching old home movies and had a good laugh at my expense. While my younger siblings were being filmed doing cute kid things, the camera would pan over to me, sitting in a corner immersed in a book. This was sort of my m.o. during those years. To be fair, if you were in 3rd grade and had siblings that were just babies or toddlers, what's the alternative? I loved to read as a kid, I love to read now, and I think it's a hobby that has served me well. Ahem.

Then you have Dadam. He reads at family functions while everyone else is watching football. He reads on the commute to work (he's not driving, of course). He reads while the girls are at swimming lessons or baseball practice. He reads next to me in bed while I do homework. It's just his way, and I think it's a habit that has served him very well.

So what do you get when two book nerds have children? Something like this:

Was this a long trip to visit family or perhaps a photo from our summer road trip to Chicago, you ask? Ah, no. It was an 8-minute car ride from our home to a nearby restaurant.

She might be a pretty little nerd, but she comes by it honestly. And it will serve her well.

B-Ball

2010-10-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

Cecilia is on a basketball team starting in December. She is thrilled about this.

This means we will spend Saturday mornings in rec. center gymnasiums instead of watching cooking shows on PBS and drinking coffee. I am not thrilled about this.

But I like to see my big girl so happy.

A Friday Morning List.

2010-10-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent goings-on, now in list form:

1. Cici is sick. She had the pukes during the night (fun!), but thankfully all of it made it in either the toilet or in a bucket. She doesn't feel well but managed to still be her terrific self this morning:

Cecilia [on the couch, whimpering]: Mom, Pluto is still trying to make it through the year.

Momlissa: Oh yeah? What does that mean exactly?

Cecilia: It takes 2,774 Earth years for Pluto to make 1 year. And did you know it takes Mercury only one and a half days to make a year? It rotates faster than it orbits the sun.

2. This morning on the way to school, Ruby and I passed the mother of one of her classmates, who was wearing a cute cap (the kind with a stunted brim that are fashionable for ladies these days). Ruby waved hi and then turned to me with this: "That's Aidan's mom. She's wearing a hate that looks like she's riding a horse." It took me a second or two to realize she is talking about this:

And she's right, of course, but how does she know what an equestrian's hat looks like? Where do they get these things?

3. Cici earned her first Cougar Paw this week at school (that's their mascot -- the whole cougar, not just the paws). It's an acknowledgment of going above-and-beyond, and she was pleased with herself for this, rightly so. She earned it for helping clean up a mess in the cafeteria that she did not make. I love her for that, but I would be even happier if she didn't then go on to -- later that same day -- completely freak out on me when I asked her to clean her own bedroom.

4. Last weekend we again took part in the Twin Cities marathon family events: me with my first 10K an the girls both running the 1-mile (Cici ran solo, Ruby ran with Dadam). It was a beautiful, brisk fall morning, and if my race wouldn't have started so darn early (7:30AM!), it would have been perfect.

How It Goes.

2010-09-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned in other posts how Cecilia doesn't think I'm nearly as funny as I think I am. Sometimes we have conversations that go like this:

Cecilia: Wow, it's hot today!
Momlissa: You know what else is hot? My butt in these jeans! [I turn around and show her my butt.] Don't you think so?!

And this is the face she makes:

This may or may not be a real-life example. I'll let you decide. (Hint: I'm wearing jeans today!)

She's In For A Big Surprise

2010-09-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Recently Cecilia discovered the agony of having a pimple in/on your nose. For two or three days she complained about how badly it hurt, and upon inspection it appeared to be the kind that just had to run its course. Eventually it did, but there were two moments in particular that I enjoyed during this time of pimples-in-the-nose:

1) The girls have been asked to help clean up, and Cecilia is stuck with a job that's normally reserved for Ruby. She protests, and I basically tell her "too bad, do it anyway," at which points she starts to cry and dramatically proclaims, "But I'm the one WITH A PIMPLE IN MY NOSE!"

She eventually completed the job.

2) Her nose has been bothering her and she has come to me looking for some kind of remedy, and I'm forced to tell her there's nothing much I can do about it. Cecilia becomes frustrated by this.

Cecilia [dramatically]: Isn't there something you can do? Isn't there pimple cream or something?

Momlissa: Well, there actually IS such a thing, but I'm not sure it'll do much good because I don't think I can get in your nose in the right spot.

Cecilia [with even more drama]: UGH!! When will these pimples ever STOP?!

I'll report back in about 6 years and let you all know how that's going.

An update/aside: Because people are so thoughtful and good, we received more than one offer to have Cici's stolen iPod replaced. This is incredibly kind and generous, and we are grateful to have people who care about the girls so much that they would want to do this. We were very fortunate to discover that Grandpa S (who works part-time at an Apple Store) had an extra (new!) iPod at home, and it was dropped off at our house earlier this week. Cecilia is overjoyed and all this generosity has gone a long way to remind us that most people are pretty darn awesome. Thank you!!

Party Girl

2010-09-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I received a phone call from the mother of another 3rd-grader at Cecilia's school to invite Cici to his upcoming birthday party. This call was amusing for a few reasons. They are:

The boy (Felix) has never been in class with Cici. They go to the same school - yes - but don't actually have classes together. They once encountered each other at a park, had fun running around and playing, but that's it. She's since been invited to his house to play, just the two of them.
The mother also wanted to let me know that Cici would be the only girl and to make sure that she would still feel comfortable if she was the only girl. Cici doesn't notice stuff like this (at least not yet).
This is not the first time I've gotten a call from a parent asking if it was okay that Cici was the only girl at a party. The first time it happened was Kindergarten.

Cecilia just is who she is and likes what she likes, and it's one reason that she's never had problem making friends: girls AND boys.

And I love love love love love that about her.

Breakfast Drama

2010-09-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Ruby's school offers free breakfast to all kids, and this year they have a new system where you go to the cafeteria, grab your breakfast, and return to your classroom to eat it there (research shows that kids are more likely to eat a school breakfast if they can eat it in their classroom/homeroom). I decided to wait for her and walk her to her classroom because she packed a lunch from home today and I wasn't sure where it should be kept (and to make sure Ruby remembered). She went into the cafeteria and came back a couple minutes later empty-handed. When asked about this, she said she had changed her mind. And I said, "No honey, you need to eat something." Normally she eats at home and this is actually her SECOND breakfast, but today she slept late and and we figured she could just eat FIRST breakfast at school - so I definitely wanted her to eat. At this point her lip started to quiver and I knew something was up, so I asked if she was confused or scared about anything. As it turns out, when she went into the cafeteria they handed her the breakfast bag for the items, she got confused thinking it was for lunch (which she didn't need because we packed one), and handed the bag back. After realizing her error, she was confused and embarrassed and didn't know what to do so she just left.

This is the point where I began fighting off tears of my own.

I told her it was no big deal - people make silly mistakes all the time - and we walked back into the lunchroom together for her breakfast.

When I left she was smiling and happily eating breakfast with her table-mates, and I waited until I was safely out of eyesight before crying about my sweet, sweet girl being confused and scared and surrounded by the great big giant other children.

Do you think anyone would notice if I disguised myself as a plant and followed her around all day long?

In Beautiful You-Know-Where.

2010-09-15T17:56:00.001-07:00

Last month the girls visiting their grandparents in Wisconsin. It's always a highlight of the summer for them (and for Grandma and Gramps too). And on a cold, windy, rainy September night like this, I think it's important for us all to look at them, and remember.

My Buddy and Me

2010-09-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

Today was Ruby's first day of Kindergarten. She was a rock star: all smiles, excitement, and enthusiasm. I was a disaster: blubbering, waterworks, and the kind of hugs that embarrass your children:

I was trying to explain my sadness about this to my best friend Lindsay, and here is what it really boils down to. I'm losing my buddy.

Ever since the girls were born they've gone to daycare. I've never really known what it's like to be a stay-at-home mom and, frankly, I was always okay with that. But last year I quit my job to go back to school and, as such, I had a lot of time with my Ruby Girl because she was only in half-time preschool. And even though it was tiring and challenging at times, it was also ... a little magical. She was 4 last year and she's a very bright girl, so it was less about me taking care of her needs (she knows how to get a drink of water or when to go potty on her own) and more about just, sort of, hanging out. We ran errands and had lunch and cooked dinner and read books and fetched Cici from the bus stop -- TOGETHER. Every day. Me and Rubes. And it was pretty terrific. If you know Ruby you know what I mean; she's fun and funny and silly and smart and sassy and is an AMAZING belcher. These are all qualities you want in a person that you spend A LOT of time with, ya know?

Saying good-bye to Ruby this morning was more than just sending my baby off to Kindergarten, it was losing my really awesome playmate. And that totally breaks my heart.

When I picked her up today she was so excited to share her day, but her teacher mentioned that at one point she seemed a little sad. I asked her why she got a little sad, and she said it was because she was thinking about me and started to miss me but then remembered all the fun things to do and was fine. I just have to think about all the things she's going to learn and love about school and, hopefully, I'll be fine, too.

iStolen

2010-09-10T05:34:00.001-07:00

Wednesday morning we discovered that someone had rummaged through our van looking for things to steal. The various compartments and little drawers in the dashboard had been opened and all their contents had been scattered. There wasn't much in there for them to take - about 75 cents in change - and then I remembered that I had seen Cecilia's iPod in the van just the day before. When I looked in the back where it had been, it was clear that it had been taken.

*A quick note about her iPod: Our children don't play video games, they don't have cell phones, or TVs in their room, and we don't have cable television. The iPod was a gift from Santa last Christmas and was really meant to be something special, not a just another way to add to their consumption of media.

As such, I was PISSED. (Please forgive my language, Linda.) It's my understanding that Santa pays Apple good money for those things. We filed a police report with the knowledge that pawn shops have some reporting requirement with the police department, and Santa had the good sense to engrave Cici's name onto the actual iPod.

Cecilia was understandably disappointed, but we're all trying to look at this as a lesson learned. In the grand scheme of things we have nothing to complain about, and Santa probably has the resources for a new iPod this year. But still - ARGH!!

Grade 3

2010-09-09T08:56:00.001-07:00

Cecilia went back to school this week. Grade 3. The only thing I can say is, "What?!" Not that I wasn't ready for her to go back (because I WAS), but I'd give my left arm to stop time for a little while and keep them from getting any bigger. There must be some technology for that, right? An app or something? Alas...

Ruby doesn't start until Monday (they give the big kids some time to settle in before the little kids show up), and that's when it's really going to get ugly. It's not fair to make mothers send their babies to school. I mean, honestly.

Shout-out.

2010-08-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

This summer I (Momlissa) had the opportunity to do some food policy work for the City of Minneapolis, and given my interest and academic focus on this kind of work, it was an opportunity that I could not pass up. This meant that - rather unexpectedly - we needed part-time child care starting ASAP. It was Grandma to the rescue!

Beginning in mid-July, Judy watched the girls Monday-Wednesday, driving through rush hour traffic in the morning to get to our house by 8:30. She took the girls to their swimming lessons, kept them busy with all manner of activities, and even found time to wash whatever dishes might have been left in the sink at our house. All this and more grandmotherly love than you could ever want for the incredible price tag of ZERO dollars. In a nutshell, she saved our butts with her generosity and general awesomeness.

I'm happy to report that we were able to get her some tickets to Wicked next week, a show we know she really wanted to see. But tickets to a show do not begin to convey our gratitude for all she did for us this summer, and how much fun the girls had spending so much time with Grandma.

Our families - all sides - are a gift, and we are so glad our girls are surrounded by SO MANY people who love them, even those who occasionally feed them chicken nuggets. Ahem.

Confidential to Judy: Thanks, Mom. We love you like crazy. Enjoy the show!

Maybe They Were, Rubes.

2010-08-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

[Ruby and Dadam are watching Masterpiece Mystery – one of Ruby’s favorite programs. A woman is crying after learning the identity of the murder victim.]

Dadam: Boy, she really seems upset. I wonder how she knew the guy.

Ruby: They must have been friends. Or maybe Facebook Friends?

Terminology.

2010-08-26T09:13:00.001-07:00

[The family is learning about desert rock formations, courtesy of David Attenborough.]

Ruby: Hee hee . . . that rock has boobs.

Momlissa [laughing]: Ruby, in this family we say "breasts."

Ruby: Don't worry, Mom. It's just a rock - he doesn't mind.

Jumbo Gumbo

2010-08-24T06:25:00.000-07:00

Recently I (Momlissa) turned 33, but please don't tell anyone. With the birthday came birthday presents from both my husband and my children, all of which were wonderful.

Any time there is a gift-buying occasion, Dadam takes the girls shopping and really lets them choose a gift without much interference. He'll take them to the kitchen store or Patina and guides them to areas where he knows they'll choose something I'll like.

This year Cecilia chose a little saucepan -red in color (my favorite), very tiny and very cute. The purpose of such a pot - at least as advertised - is to melt butter. It's called a JUMBO pot for melting butter. Cecilia, however, misread the tag and understood it to be a pot for GUMBO, and she thought I would love a pot specifically for making GUMBO.

Some time in the near future I'm actually going to make some gumbo and, when she's not paying attention, transfer a small amount to the new pot so I can serve my daughter the gumbo that she's hoping for.

Cecilia is such an earnest, thoughtful child that I will keep up this rouse as long as necessary, because I love the pot and her good intentions and the sweetness of it all SO MUCH.

Blame the Corn on the Cob

2010-08-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Recently this happened:

She was very cool about the whole thing (unlike her sister, who was always a touch dramatic about losing a tooth). She was eating some corn on the cob and then stopped to calmly say, "Something is happening." When Dadam took a look, he simply had to reach in a pluck the dangling tooth right out.

The best part of the story is the visit from the Tooth Fairy, because Ruby actually had a sleepover at Auntie Landi's house that night. We told Auntie Landi and Uncle Bill to make sure she was good and asleep before they went in to make the money/tooth swap, and we sent along the cash money, too.

As it turns out, Landi and Bill managed to lose the tooth in those 2 hours between leaving our house and bedtime, so they put a popcorn kernel in a baggie and waited until the lights were out to give it back to Ruby. Rubes was none-the-wiser and came home with dollar in hand, pleased as punch.

Last Night We Had Tofu.

2010-08-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

Cecilia sees the table set for dinner and notices a plate of burgers.

Cecilia: Mom, are those veggie burgers or real burgers?

Momlissa: They're turkey burgers, hon.

Cecilia: Yay! Real meat!

Chicago in 6 Days

2010-08-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Chicago, seeing many of the big sites and doing lots of touristy things in a relatively short amount of time. Here is the nutshell version:

Day 1: Arrive and swim in Auntie Jenny's pool:

Day 2: Museum of Science & Industry:

Day 3: Pizza, Sears Tower, Water Taxi, Millennium Park:

(looking in the jelly bean mirror)

Day 4: Water park. No camera but lots and lots of fun. Since the girls swam every single day, here's another pool shot:
Day 5: Field Museum:

Day 6: Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium:

Bladder Up!

2010-08-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that Ruby had surgery last week, though we thought we'd post this anyway for those that are interested.

Back in May Ruby was experiencing pain during urination, and there seemed to be a correlation between the fullness of her bladder and the level of discomfort she felt. Each time, when questioned about where it hurt, she pointed to both sides of her lower back (doctors call this "flank pain"). On Mother's Day night she went potty and actually cried out in pain, which prompted a call to the nurse line and then a trip to the ER (given her kidney history, the nurse felt it best not to take chances). The ER couldn't find anything wrong and told us to monitor her at home and go to the pediatrician if things persisted.

Things persisted and after an appointment with the doctor, a trip to the hospital for a bladder/kidney x-ray, Ruby was diagnosed with kidney reflux. This simply means that Ruby's urine was traveling back up the ureters (WRONG WAY!) into her kidneys, and the severity of Ruby's reflux meant she risked damage to the soft tissue of her kidneys if the problem wasn't corrected. Enter Doctor Shukla, pediatric urologist.

Doctor Shukla recommended surgery to correct the reflux, and that happened last Monday. Ruby was able to go home on Tuesday evening, though not without a Foley catheter because she was still having trouble completely emptying her bladder. I cannot overstate how much Ruby hated that catheter (can you blame her?) and she had to wait until Thursday to have it removed (shockingly, this was a job we had to perform at home). We told her we would take it out first thing on Thursday morning, so she woke us up promltly at 6AM, pee bag in hand, because she was ready to roll. And out it came.

She had a great day on Thursday, but by Thursday night she wasn't feeling well, and on Friday morning she had clearly had a setback. She had chills, was lethargic, whimpering, and couldn't get comfortable in any position. She wasn't running a fever and couldn't quite identify what was making her so uncomfortable, but her condition seemed to be worsening and while I was on the phone with Dr. Shukla's nurse, she started vomiting. I'm not sure I've ever driven down University Avenue so fast, but we made it to the ER in record time. After many tests and poking and prodding it appeared that she was simply dehydrated and a bag of IV fluids did wonders for her overall condition. We had the good fortune of being seen by Dr. Shukla who was at the hospital performing other surgeries, and he felt like she was going to be fine and we just really needed to push the fluids and peeing.

Since then Ruby's been great, continuing to improve by leaps and bounds. She lost some weight during the ordeal, and she didn't really have any extra weight to begin with, so that was visible on her tiny little body. She's eating well again and we've relaxed our food standards somewhat to get more calories/fat into her, something I think she's thoroughly enjoyed.

This experience has been a difficult one for us as parents and brought back some painful memories of her hospital experience of 2007. A child in the hospital - in pain - is frightening and awful and really makes a parent feel so helpless. And while I know the doctors and nurses are only doing their jobs, if putting a catheter in makes my daughter cry, my instinct as a parent is to leap over the bed and tackle you to the ground so that it stops her from hurting. Hospitals tend to frown on that sort of thing, so one has to suppress that urge and put on a brave face. Not easy.

I'm sure that in a few weeks much of this will seem like ancient history and Ruby will simply have another battle scar to show off to her friends when she's a teenager, but right now I still find myself hugging her hard, holding her tight, and marveling at her resilience and tenacity. Ruby is a bad-ass.

One final thought: If you have never stopped to give thanks for your healthy bladder, kidneys, and ureters, you might want to think about doing so. They really shouldn't be taken for granted.

Eight is Enough!

2010-07-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

Today is Cecilia's 8th birthday. If someone could explain how this happened - how our beautiful baby girl turned into this rambunctious, tan, lanky (still beautiful) child of 8 - I would appreciate it.

Tri Again

2010-07-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were in Door County for some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa K. We went cherry-picking, played miniature golf, and the girls both participated in the kid triathlon at the YMCA. As usual, we managed to squeeze in a lot of activity in a short amount of time, but it was (as usual) lots of fun!