to remember

Blogging has many advantages. My original purpose was to have an opportunity for my family and friends who live far away to be able to keep up with how fast our daughter is growing. As I began blogging I found it to be convenient to keep track of our family events so that when I do find the time to scrapbook, it is well organized. Today, I wish to blog for myself. You may peak into my world, but there are times that I just want to capture the moment because I really have determined that it is the small things we do in life that are sometimes the most valuable and memorable. An insert in our Sunday bulletin talked about how a daughter treasured the ride to get donuts on her 10th birthday more than the surprise party her mother had planned. I, too, have fond memories of trips in the car. Creating nicknames for our family members (Sonny Boy or Papa Jones), playing the silly games, singing the songs, sharing a bag of M&Ms by doling them out 2 at a time... the small things are valuable!
Lucky for me, my family knows how to travel well. Miss A. just accepts the fact that Grandmas and Grandpas live 8 hours away. She is an amazing traveler. This summer she rode long distances with family members other than her parents and behaved. Mommy and Miss A. have completed multiple trips to IA or MN which would not be happening if she didn't travel well. This summer she started a new tradition (Thanks to Nana Dottie). Every time we see a bridge, she calls out "BRIDGE, BRIDGE." I then chant a variety of phrases including... "You better duck down, you better duck down" or "Better get ready, Better get ready" and finally "We're going under a bridge! We're going under a bridge." This still continues into the month of October! She becomes quite frustrated if we forget to duck! Today I was driving alone and I must admit I found myself almost ducking under the bridge! I know its quite silly- but its really quite fun. If you have youngins you should give it a try! What better way to break up a long or short trip than to duck under bridges!?

This morning I had to take Miss A. to daycare because Daddy was sick. This meant us getting out the door at 6:50am which wasn't a problem considering she was my alarm clock this morning at 5:50! Anyway, I was feeling rushed and said, "Hurry, Mommy needs to get to school." Lately she has been concerned about me going to school and seems to think the weekends are too short and that I should stay home more. "Why you go to school, Mom?"
I answered, "I need to teach the kids how to count" (This seems the most sensible way to explain that I teach HS math- do I really go into details about sine, cosine, tangents with a 3 year old?) After thinking about it for awhile, she pensively asked, "Why the kids not know how count yet?" I do not blame her- I have been talking about teaching kids how to count for a long time. She must be wondering what kind of teacher I am (or what kind of students I have) if they still haven't figured out how to count!

My girl is growing up. She is communicating more and more. We still struggle with typical 3 year old behaviors. She is always better behaved for other people than for me. She loves dancing (danced in the pews and on the side aisle during the praise songs Sunday) and today in the car we all sang the new praise song, "Sing, Sing Sing." Last week I showed her a video online of a duck hatching and then a chick hatching. She was fascinated. She loves helping in the kitchen, be it washing the dishes in her own way, or helping with the baking. Today I showed her what happens when you hard boil an egg! That was fun. Her mind is ready to be filled with all kinds of amazing things. How scary and exciting to be her mom! When I know some of the choices my high school students are making, I worry about what will happen when she is a teenager, but somehow I have to trust that no matter how difficult it will be, my love will be unconditional and I will help her sort through all those decisions- some will be good, and some she will learn from. May she always be able to come to me (even if she is 28!). I love you, A!