Ghetto Fab

So, I really don't have time to do this, but I did anyway. It was great though. She didn't like it at first, but then she loved it. I was trying to see if I could get her some more curls. Especially if I'm going to have to cut off her last little waves soon. So I went to work winding while her hair was wet. It was way cute while it was up, but then when we took it out that night to take her to a party, it was a real fro. I turned her around and let her look in the mirror. Her face dropped and she started to cry. It broke my heart. "This is not good, I do not like it. No, this isn't it." She was so disappointed. It wasn't a BAD bad attitude, it was just totally let-down, disappointed, and kind of sad. But I told her that there are several girls she knows who have hair curly like that. Ruth didn't work cuz she knew that Ruth doesn't have a fro. But the girl who dances the main part in Riverdance has that frizzy curly hair. She was ok then, as long as I pulled the front back like the Irish tap girl. I think I'm gonna do it again and just leave it in the springs. She calls them goat horns. (This is what she's saying in the third photo - she's mid "Goat.")

Then she thought she wanted to be sweet and do my hair, so she combed it for me while I was busy and still. She's gotten better at brushing without making more mess than she started with.

Reason to be Thankful

Here are a few of my thanks right now.

Analeasa playing dress-up with her windbreakers on and the neighbor cutie a year younger than she. Thank you Abi for handing down that big pile of princess attire.

Another reminder of how much He loves me.

And a reminder of how much I long to be back where I could see it everyday. Analeasa often prays that we will get land soon, so that we can get goats, and sheep and chickens and pretty cows (jerseys) and a horse and don't forget the pegasus. Or the unicorn. Sometimes the unicorn seems as likely to be ours as the land. Oh, but I dream as much as she does, and this picture gives me the homesickness for a place that isn't my home yet, and won't ever really measure up til my eternal Home.

More than Monster Turkeys

Thanksgiving Feast

2006 Menu

Butternut Bisque
Wine

Kamut Rolls & Niedlovs Bread w/european butter
Italian Sourdough Bread
Herb Roasted Turkey w/giblet gravy
Garlic Rosemary Smashed Potatoes
Ginger-Orange Cranberry Sauce
Apple & Cranberry Chutney
Green Beans w/shallots & mushrooms
Buttery Peas
Fennel and Sausage Focaccia Dressing
Maple-glazed Autumn Vegetables
Creamy Mashed Rutabagas

Spiced Cider
Coffee

Analeasa’s Gingerbread Cookies
Pumpkin Pie w/crème fraiche
Mincemeat Pie w/vanilla ice cream
Apple Crisp
Coconut Eggnog Gelato

What a great day to set aside to be thankful. The weather was unusually warm and still. Perfect. We had the windows open and the stove going all morning. Ian came over (Ruth was a bit under the weather :( ) to help with the prep. Ruth and her inner child and the Richmond's (Analeasa's favorite friends from church) joined us for the meal and although it was 2 hours later than originally planned, we all had a great time and no one went hungry. We had a couple nice fly-by visits from Ma & Pa at the beginning and end of the week. Several weeks ago, Analeasa got all excited when I mentioned that it was almost Thanksgiving. I asked her, "what is Thanksgiving?" hoping she'd remember some of what we talked about last year. "It means we get to have PIE!" Well, I think that's something to be thankful for too.

Too Fast

She's getting too "big" and yet she's still too small. Some of my favorite moments are way too few and far between. She says and does some of the cutest things, but most can't be caught on film or even retold. But for my own memory's sake I'm putting them here in hopes that later I'll remember more details.

Analeasa is extremely helpful. At least she wants to be. This summer in prep for the reunion we made tons of food. I often hear, "mother, what can I do to be helping?" And if I'm doing ANYTHING that isn't ON the stove, she's immediately there with the stool and her abron on (yes, I know how to spell and she knows how to talk, but it's one of the many words that we've forced on her after her first mispronounced attempt--in order to keep her young) asking me "can I PLEASE help you?" even if she doesn't know what I'm doing. I love it. This was one of the only times I got any of it on film. She's rolling out tortillas ("torteejzjzas" in case anyone may not know just how that's pronounced.) I guess she just wants to be doing what I'm doing.

Which brings me to the next thing. She has this basket of "frabrics" which are swatches of some fleece I aquired and she plays with them all the time. Well, one morning I turned around from the dishes and she had been narrating under her breath what she was doing, but I wasn't paying any attention. The whole kitchen had been adorned with little "towels" from the frabric box. Each one perfectly centered in the drawer handle and leveled from front and back. It was classic Analeasa and it made me smile all morning. She's trying to create order and beauty and imitating what I've done with the dish towel. And if one is good, why not have one on EVERY drawer?

She doesn't just love to help with mother's tasks either. Whenever Levi has anything going, she's right there at his elbows asking if she can help. She even has her own hardware box in her closet. It's not very often that he brings home the shelves from work, but when he does, she's jumping up and down. "Can I please help you put the big puzzles together?" Analeasa is destined to be on some sort of Smart Furniture marketing, because she's been helping put them together for over a year and it's just that simple. If a 3 year old can do it.... And of course when it's all put together we have to get inside of it and make sure that it can withstand some abuse as a jungle gym.

OK. Here's where I get all kinds of flack for pushing my kid before she's ready, but I assure you that she's the one doing the pushing. Analeasa loves school. I can't imagine if she had an older sibling or even just regular daytime contact with kids two years older. She'd never let me rest. She already says, "Mother, can we do school again? Please?" I figure that whatever she's that excited about, I'll use to expand her attention span and sharpen her skills in following directions, and then there's the opportunity to pratice follow through and clean up.

She's been writing for quite a while, but she's just now getting to where she can read a bit of what she has written. It's good for me to see just how inept I am in the whole teaching bit and to raise my respect for those who have the patience to do it well. I'm glad for yet another opportunity to attempt to be creative in finding things that work to accomplish those goals and that I can call school for her. We've done plenty of birthday cards and such, and recently she's written her memory verse for the Christmas play and is working on gift tags. Levi got a couple shots of her practicing o's a while back. She does have good form when she tries.

Ok. Enough of the Mother ga ga stuff.

Membership Dues

So, now that our little one isn't so little we decided that it'd be a good dollar spent to take her to the local aquarium again. She loved it before but it was a bit monotonous for a two year old and they've doubled the size and stuff with the new addition.

Problem. Admission costs way too much for us all to go and I'm not about to make one of us parents miss out, plus it takes longer than her attention span to go through it all and get as much of your money's worth out of it. Forget it.

Or maybe not. The Family pass for the year is actually less than what it would cost for us to go twice. Done. And we can take 7 children with us. This has been great, but I'd like to go more. I think we'll hit the Imax soon and see the polar express or something with her. I think they want us to buy stuff in the gift shop, but it's all touristy and she's got the only thing she'd want from there for her birthday.

They have a new shark/sting ray touch tank, real "Dori and Nemo" fish, and a live butterfly world. I still think the jelly fish are the coolest, or at least tied with those other similar things that have lights running down their sides like runs around the flashing marquees (sp?). Vegas can't even come close or even fireworks. God's creation is so matchless in wonder and awe-inspiring-ness.

One time Levi took Analeasa and her favorite friends (a wonderful family from church who are older than she, but don't seem to mind her antics) to see it all while I went out with their mother for a much needed break. That was great. I think it will be money well spent by the time the year is up.