Eleven

Anna had quite the eleventh birthday.  

She and Dave spent the weekend in Chicago.  

Then last weekend, 

she got to have her four closest friends over for a game night.

I love this kid.

A Tuesday

The kids had another day off of school due to weather on Tuesday.  

They'd already missed one for snow and two for cold.

Since Dave has Tuesdays off, we headed to Cascade Mountain to go skiing.

It was my third time going this year, and we went twice last year.  

For the first time, I had a little fun.  

Normally, the only good feelings I get are the little adrenaline rushes of, 

"I didn't die going down that hill."

But this time, instead of "this is so ridiculously scary," 

I actually had a little thought of "this is kind of fun."

Baby steps.

It's all fun and games...

Riley got spayed at the beginning of January.  Before that, Dave and I were dreading her recovery.  We remembered Mason and Finley so pathetic in their cones after their procedures.  To lighten the mood, I'd bought a coffee mug for Dave that said, "It's all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone."

The day I took Riley in, I brought along the "nice" soft cone we'd bought for Finley, which she'd seemed to hate a little less than the plastic one.  The receptionist told me that they didn't use cones anymore.  I guess cones are "so five years ago"... ?  

The receptionist explained they often don't use anything at all, but if Riley started to chew at it, we can use shorts.  I asked where I'd get those for her.  She looked at me like I was a little crazy and said, "I don't know.  Target?"  

"Okay," I said, "In the dog department?"  

She said, "No... the clothing department."  

"Oh!" I said, finally starting to understand, "like human shorts?"

Now she looked at me like I was completely insane, "Yes."

Well, she could have been clearer to start.

Anyway, when I went to pick Riley up, the vet tech said that shorts are better for male dogs, but with the spays being higher, shirts work better.  She told me just to tie a t-shirt at the back for her if she started to chew.  Surprisingly, Riley didn't mind her shirt at all.  Maybe it was because we made it a super hero costume?

Yesterday Riley and Finley were goofing around and Ally warned them, "It's all fun and games until someone ends up in a shirt."

My little proponents

My kids are so wonderfully supportive of me.  I'm so grateful for them.

Kate is so incredibly empathetic.  If I'm having a hard day, and I mention something that's bugging me, no matter how petty, she'll always reply something like, "Oh, Mommy, that sounds really frustrating."

In all the studying I do of how to better respond to kids (and any human being) when they're frustrated, I've learned that this is certainly the best response.  But, I'm still working on remembering and applying it.  Not Kate, though.  She's got it, just naturally.

Kate made these frosted rice krispie treat hearts for her friends at school.

Last night, Anna and I were talking about something I'd said at a meeting at her school.  We're holding lunchtime gatherings where we talk about how we can help everyone feel included to prevent social isolation.  

I asked her if she thought anyone really thought about something I said or if they just heard "blah, blah, blah..."  I was worried, with a group of adolescents, it might have been the later.  Anna said, "No, Mommy.  Don't think that.  You can touch people's hearts like no one else!"  She said it with such fervor and absolute belief that it made me tear up.  I'm still not sure I reached the other kids, but with a daughter who will back me like that, it doesn't matter as much.

Then this afternoon some flowers arrived, as a thank you from an organization for which I volunteer and put on an event last week.  

The kids ran in as I opened the flowers and asked, "Who are they from?"  

I hadn't opened the card yet, so I replied, "I don't know."  

Anna said, "Probably someone who appreciates your work."  

That made me giggle.  My "work."  How complimentary to even phrase it that way.  I don't generally feel I do all that much to be appreciated, but apparently Anna does.  So sweet!

Here's a picture of me and one of my biggest fans (Anna)
at an art exhibit after we did Yoga at the Museum

Last week I learned to play catchball (a sport like volleyball that's very popular in Israel that an Israeli-American partnership brought here).

Luke took a picture of me playing the game.  I'm just not sure I'm actually in the picture... eh, details.

Yesterday we had a tournament.  After watching a few games, Ally told me, "Mommy, you should jump up and throw it straight down by the net, so the other team can’t get it."  

Luke said, "I don’t think she could do that."  

Ally argued, "Yes she could. Mom is really tall... and she also has a monkey arms."

As if that comment wasn't funny enough, Luke said, "I know she does.  I just don't think that the rules allow that."

Apparently my monkey arms came in handy, because our team actually won the tournament.  

After we won the championship game, they played Queen's "We are the Champions."  

Ally and Luke were out on the court celebrating with my team, hugging me and cheering.  It was oddly touching.  

When the line "We are the champions...of the world" played, Ally said, "Of the world!?  Mommy, you're the champion of the world!?"  

I laughed and said, "Yes, of the world!"  

She said, "Of the whole world?" 

It didn't dawn on me then that she had actually taken the song lyrics as a serious commentary of the situation that just took place in a gym of the Milwaukee area Jewish Community Center.  In my mind, it's a song I've heard a couple hundred times.  I thought she was just being silly.  So, I said, "Yes!  Your mommy is the catchball champion of the world!!!"

Then we went on to celebrate and get our medals.  Later, Ally mentioned how she was so proud of me.  I thanked her.  She said, "I can't believe you're the champion of the world!"

I felt like such a jerk.

My medal.  Luke tells me it's not real gold. :(

My team and our Israeli coaches

I love my sweet spectators.