Crazy For Her…

Last night Madi and I picked up Taylor to go shopping. He has three different camps he is going to this year and he needed new shoes. We made a deal that if I bought him shoes he would put together Madi’s swing set for her. I don’t have the swing set as of yet but I am working on it. So last night was mall night and we really did have a lot of fun~!

I love watching Taylor and Madi walk side by side. He is over 6 feet tall and all legs. She is this bouncy little 4 year old and barely hits him at his knees. Every store that we went to seemed to be playing loud dance music. Madi danced and Taylor looked at shoes. But the thing that impresses me about Taylor is he never stopped paying attention to Madi. He danced along with her while trying on shoes. When he found a pair that he thought he liked, he ran down the isle because Madi insisted that you HAD to do this before a shoe purchase. He complied with everything she asked of him and I really think he had a good time doing it. There are not many 16 year old boys that would think it was cool to hang out with their Aunt and 4 year old cousin at the mall. Of course I was buying him shoes….

Madi is in love with the photo booths at the mall. We have had our pictures taken in one almost every time we visit. Last night she asked Taylor if he would have his picture taken with her, he said “Sure!” and off they ran to the photo booth. He took one strip of pictures and I took the other. He told Madi that he was going to hang them in his bedroom on his dresser mirror and you should have seen the huge smile on her face. Madi never asked for a single thing at the mall. She was just happy to be walking next to the tower of skinny arms and legs. Ok, he really isn’t skinny anymore and it makes me sad to say that. He is growing into an adult faster than I would like but he is a great “kid”.

We drove him home to “insert far away place here” and it was late when we pulled in his driveway. Madi was so tired but still asked Taylor if he would play basketball with her. I know that Taylor was probably ready to go in and call his girlfriend but he shot baskets with Madi for 30 minutes before I finally pried her away from him. I couldn’t be more proud of Taylor right now – Straight A’s, Perfect Attendance, The Art Award and JV Basketball – All of this and he still has time to shoot baskets with a 4 year old. We don’t see him as much as we would like to but we will enjoy every minute that we get!

A few weeks ago the school sent home a letter asking for permission to check Madi’s eyes. Then another letter arrived telling me that I should take her to get a full eye exam. So today was her first eye appointment. I wasn’t sure how this was going to work. She can recognize all her letters, she knows left and right but come on; she is four years old.

It was really hard for her just to say the letter that she saw.  She was so nervous that she would give the wrong answer.  The eye doctor was great with her and helped her understand that there are no wrong answers.  The result of the test is that Madi needs reading glasses at some point.  The doctor assured me that this was not something that was required but something she may need when doing school work.

There will be no school work this summer so I am going to wait it out.  I am glad that I got her eyes checked early so that I can be looking for the signs of eye strain down the road.  The doctor gave me some things to look for that I would have never thought to be a sign.  One of the biggest with children seems to be that they cover one eye when reading.  This is a BIG sign that their eyes are strained.

And now I have to go make that first dentists appointment…sigh.

It has been almost a year and a half since I have managed this site. There are several reasons for this, the main reason being I haven’t had the time. Now that I have a new job, have settled in the new house and have a somewhat organized life, I feel it is time. I have missed this site no doubt and only now do I feel normal enough to be real about things. More about that later.

The reason for this first post is to celebrate a few things. Reading, Spring and Madi. My three favorite things right now. As I am writing this post I just finished listening to a book as Madi read to me. I feel like a princess in my big comfy bed, the dog at our feet and a ton of pillows propping us up. Madi just read her first book by herself with very little help from me. She had to take frequent breaks because she couldn’t be heard over my squealing as she finished a page without missing a word. And sometimes she couldn’t see the pages because I kept kissing her cheeks when she came to a word that was especially tough “Wait, let me think about this one for a second.” There is something very touching about watching your child read her first book. As I watch her eyes search the page for a hint of what that word may be, I am reminded again as to how quickly she is changing. Constantly learning, memorizing and searching for new things. New things to entertain and challenge her while I sit back and watch this little person of mine. She is such a big part of me as I am a part of her.

I couldn’t be more proud of Madi right now and it’s not only the reading that makes my heart swell with pride. She is growing into a wonderful person and I am not surprised by this. This is a result of so many wonderful people in her life. Her Dad, Nana G., Jordan, Kira, Maya and her stern but equally sweet, preschool teacher. Oh yeah and of course her Momma. And this is just to name a few. I see and hear so many of these voices coming from this little girl and it is a beautiful combination of personalities.

Now Spring is here, school is almost over and my garden is growing. This garden has been my saving grace. The place I go to be at peace and to my amazement, it is growing. My flowers, my vegetables and the many bird feeders – they are my Spring obsession. My life is a wonderful place to be right now and I can’t think of another time in my life where I have felt so in touch with myself and the things around me. I am proud of where I am right now. And it is a wonderful thing to be a Mother.