To Be-auty or Not

Thank you God for the children of mine,

who teach me things that blow my mind.

This is the beginning phrase of a parent's prayer written by Althea Anker. I came across the prayer some time ago and it catches your attention right from the start.

So, what does this have to do with anything? Well, this is my March installment of "ah-ha" items (or moments) to share with our blog readers. Something taught to me by our innocent little Bethanie earlier this month.

While on the computer to get Emmalie's school math page up for her to practice on, Em clicked MSN homepage. On the page was the ticker of "hot news" items for the day. Immediately, Bethanie says "Oh, Mommy! She's pretty!". Bethanie stood their pointing at the computer image of Cate Blanchett with a link to the article about her un-Photo Shopped magazine cover photo. Out of all of the images of perfection on the computer screen, Bethanie migrated to only the one truly natural appearing photo. It was so enlightening to be reminded that true appearances really can be more beautiful than all of the altered ones. I really wish more female celebrity role models would follow Cate Blanchett's lead. Then young girls would not have such an unrealistic idea of what they should look like. Just saying...

Thank you Bethanie for the teaching me about you and reminding me about true beauty.

Another "Rite of Passage" Down

So... At six and a half years old, the time has come for Emmalie to take one more step towards growing up. It has been so beautiful the past few days and, with a little princess-esque prodding (and begging, and crying, and a bit of a tantrum really), we decided to take the training wheels off of Emmalie's bicycle and let her go. She caught on better than either of her big brothers did. And, in less than an hour of practice and overcoming her fear of falling and breaking a bone, Emmalie has learned to ride her bike without training wheels. Today she wouldn't even let anyone help her get started. She has such a sense of accomplishment... and it's so cute to see the determination on her face!

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Shelia

It's All in the Details

John Wooden said, "It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." What a fitting statement for what our family is experiencing right now!

Dalton: For those that haven't heard via Facebook, Dalton made the MHS Baseball team. The team has put forth some very impressive stats over the years (including 108 collegiate signees and 7 major league draftees... oh, and last year's National High School Coach of the Year). Dalton is learning first-hand about how vital the little details are. He'll be playing catcher... yes, you can hear the "cha-ching" echoing (it's the most expensive position on the field).

Emmalie: Little Miss has her 1st grade music concert later this week. Because of her great ability to talk, I mean speak (hee! hee!), Em has been given one of the few speaking parts in the program. She has had no problem memorizing her entire part, doing so in less than two days. However, she has had to work on the detail of slowing down her talking... which seems like a little thing to her, but will made a big difference to those of us listening to her talk of spring flowers!

Devin: He is fast learning that a major detail to consider when having two jobs (yes, he thinks he needs two for some odd reason)... is having a calendar to assure you aren't scheduled to be at both jobs at the same time. It all worked out, but I'm sure he won't forget that detail again anytime soon!

Bethanie: Little Boo has started learning the basics of tap dance and ballet. It is so very cute to see. She has caught on very well, is making new friends and having a great time practicing her "plie". But one detail she hasn't quite accepted yet... the fact that tap shoes are an annoyance to mom and dad when worn constantly at home ;-o

We have so much coming up and going on right now, but really don't want to bore you all. So I'll leave you with a couple of cutesy pictures from the girls' Saturday classes.

Bethanie making a new friend

Emmalie looking to see if her teacher
saw her stick her back flip

A Dr. Seuss Kind of Day

"Unless someone like you cares a whole aweful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It's not."
-Dr. Seuss's The Lorax

Dr. Seuss once said that his favorite book of all he authored was The Lorax. I have to admit, it was also my favorite of his books. It has such a great message hidden into all of the rhyming phrases. And I was thrilled to hear that they were making it into a movie. The girls have been reading the book over and over for the past three weeks in anticipation of the movie today.

SO... I promised to take them to see the moving on opening night. Imagine my surprise when I woke up in the wee hours of the morning with a migraine so bad I was sick to my stomach. Thankfully, three hours curled up in bed with some medication and I started to feel like myself. Good thing too! Em and Bethie were NOT going to let me forget my promise.

The movie is all we had hoped and expected it to be... and in 3D! (Which wasn't terribly wise on my part while still having a bit of headache.. trust me :-/). Two little girls enjoyed themselves though and that's what matters most. It was so rewarding to hear the girls talk about the movie compared to their original book version. So I must say... Happy Birthday and Thank You Dr. Seuss!

"The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
-Dr. Seuss

It was Dr. Seuss Week in 1st Grade.
Emmalie shows the HORTON she made!

Can you see the excitement in their faces?!