Zara's Birthday and Day of Pampering

Zara turned SIX! (Two months ago.) Six brought some exciting new things like her first lost tooth (gross) and her first chance to chew gum. (She kept begging and I finally told her she could chew gum at age six. Yay for arbitary made-up rules.) Here's a rundown of Zara's likes.

FAVORITE FOOD: pizza, tacos, pork katsu, orange chicken and potstickers

FAVORITE ANIMAL: cats and tigers

FAVORITE CANDY: sugary stuff, sour gummi things, lollipops

FAVORITE BOOK:  Mix It Up and Let's Play

FAVORITE COLOR: pink, purple

FAVORITE SHOW: Puffin Rock

FAVORITE MOVIE: Frozen, The Lego Movie
FAVORITE SONG: songs from One Direction and Justin Bieber that I don't even want to admit here

FAVORITE TOY: Legos, kitty piano

FAVORITE THING TO DO: annoy her parents, color, gymnastics

FAVORITE PLACE: friends and cousins' houses

For her birthday, we gave Zara just a few small things like some new clothes. But I also promised her a day of pampering. Zara is, if anything, 100% girl and she loves having her hair done, her nails painted, and wearing make-up. I promised her that we'd go out and have a little girl's day together. So in September, I took her to the mall to get her hair cut and styled at the Toni and Guy salon. 

She was a tad nervous, but I think she loved getting her to look so curly and pretty. 

After her hair, we went to a nail place near our house to get pedicures and manicures. The nail salon even had a little girl's chair and a special teddy bear for Zara to hold while they did her nails. She pinked blue sparkles for her toes and pink for her fingernails. I just got a pedicure. 

This was pretty much her face the entire time. 

She wanted to use the money she'd received from grandparents to pick out her own gift. I took her to Toys 'R Us to browse the aisles and pick something. Children always have such questionable tastes. She was gravitating toward a play cash register or some dolls when I suggested we look at the scooters. We had discussed buying her a new bicycle for her birthday but she's still a little too small to move up to the next size and we decided we'd wait until she was ready for the next size and her current bicycle--albeit a hand-me-down--is still in reasonably good working order and should last a bit longer. 

After showing her the Razors and explaining how they worked, Zara decided that she wanted a pink one. But doing a quick search showed that they were about $7 cheaper on Amazon so I negotiated that we'd order her scooter online and I'd buy her some elbow and knee pads to go along with it and she could keep the rest of her money. So the scooter and protective gear was ordered and two days later we were in business. She seems to really enjoy her scooter and takes it out for frequent rides. If I walk to pick her up from school, I'll bring the scooter with me so she can ride home on it. I think it was an excellent purchase. Much better than another toy she probably wouldn't have played with for very long. 

Zara's 2016 Dance Recital

This past Saturday, Zara had her dance recital. She attended a kindergarten jazz class at a large dance studio in Marietta and they have a huge multi-night dance recital for all their students. They typically pick a theme which several of their dances revolve around and this year's theme was Aladdin. Zara's class were birds after Iago. 

All done up and heading to the performing arts center. Zara LOVES getting to wear make-up and can't wait until she's old enough to wear it all the time.

The costume is pretty silly but Zara thinks it's fun. But those feathers keep falling off. I'm finding them everywhere. 

Zara absolutely loves performing and being on stage. I was worried that she'd have stage fright or anxiety but none whatsoever. She eats it up.

Zara has done dance for two years now and really loved it, but I've decided to not sign her up for next year. The dance studio is a good 20 minute drive away and it is a challenge corralling three kids there and back for 45 minutes every week. And while the recital is a lot of fun it is also a big expense on top of her monthly tuition. I'd love to sign her up for dance again but maybe in another year or so. There's a performing arts studio closer to our house that does theater and dance combined and I think that might be a better fit for her. In the meantime, she's doing gymnastics and swim lessons this summer and I'm going to look into piano lessons too.

 Zara insisted on taking a photograph of me and David too.

Zara's Fifth Birthday

Zara celebrated her fifth birthday on August 31st. She's such a sweet girl who loves to sing, dance, and move. She's got a sweet and innocent heart and wants to please everyone. She's such a good big sister, always trying to help her younger siblings and her beleaguered mother. 

For her birthday dinner, Zara requested one of her favorite meals: pork katsu.

Adelaide's cranky face cracked me up.

After dinner, we moved into the living room to open gifts. I never intend to buy a lot of presents, but I never can seem to control myself.

She got several new clothes, some books, doll clothes (to go with the doll that my mother bought her for her birthday), and a dance bag.

I bought Zara and Adelaide matching dresses which they both wanted to try on right away. 

After presents, we went back to the kitchen to eat birthday cake--lemon cake with vanilla frosting. I bought these small My Little Pony characters to put on the cake. (I had originally planned to make cupcakes and use one pony on each cupcake but Zara didn't want cupcakes.) The girls have loved playing with their ponies since we cleaned them up. We like to figure who would be which pony. I think Zara is Pinkie Pie (although she claims she's Fluttershy), Adelaide is Rainbow Dash (although she could be Applejack too), David is Rarity, and I'm Twilight Sparkle. No word on who Benjamin might be.

Zara had a great birthday and is so excited to finally be five! Now let's check in with Zara and her favorites.

FAVORITE FOOD: won tons

FAVORITE ANIMAL: cat

FAVORITE CANDY: all of them

FAVORITE BOOK: The Pigeon Needs a Bath 

FAVORITE COLOR: Pink 

FAVORITE SHOW: My Little Pony

FAVORITE MOVIE: Frozen and Star Wars
FAVORITE SONG: I am Like a Star Shining Brightly, Let It Go

FAVORITE TOY: Elsa
FAVORITE THING TO DO: play with my while family
FAVORITE PLACE: the beach

Zara's Dance Recital

I'm about 5 months behind in posting these pictures from Zara's dance recital last may at the Ferst Auditorium at Georgia Tech. Zara was enrolled in Fairytale Ballet for 3-5 year olds at Rhythm Dance Center. She loved her class and her teacher, Miss Anna. Their end of the year dance was (shockingly) based on Frozen. Zara loved performing and was incredibly excited for us to come see her. 

My sister-in-law watched Adelaide so David and I could enjoy Zara's dance recital together. I bought Zara some roses for after her performance which she loved.

This year, I enrolled Zara in a jazz class because they didn't have a kindergarten ballet class and I didn't want her to repeat the same ballet class again. She loves to dance and enjoys it so much. I'm so glad we were able to find a good dance studio which a variety of classes for all ages. I think she'll want to return to ballet next year, but I did want her to experience some other forms of dance.

Student of the Month

Last week, Zara was selected as her class' Student of the Month. She got to attend a special ceremony in the library (during school hours) where she was given cookies and juice and a few little surprises like pencils.

She took home this certificate which says (on the back): "Zara is honest and trustworthy. She uses self-control. She is kind and fair to others. She is a peacemaker in our classroom and tries to always 

do the right thing."

We're very proud of this little girl.

Three Babies Part III

Everyone warned me that three kids was the hardest number and they weren't lying. There were certainly a few moments in those first few weeks where I thought I was going to have a mental breakdown. But for the most part, I think I've been handling the jump to three kids pretty well. I definitely have to be more regimented and stick to a routine as much as possible in order to not have our house devolve into utter chaos. It definitely helps that Zara is in kindergarten now so her school schedule forces us to have some semblance of structure. There are days that I'm able to be productive and on top of things, and there are some days when the house is in shambles and I never get out of my pajamas. But we're working towards a new normal and I'm pretty proud of myself for juggling all these babies. 

The other day, as I was walking with Adelaide and Benjamin to pick up Zara from school, I kept thinking how incredibly lucky we have been to be blessed with three such beautiful and healthy children. How did I get so lucky when I know so many people who have not been able to have children of their own or who have endured multiple miscarriages? Or who have had children but deal with health and behavioral issues on a wide spectrum ranging from learning disabilities to food allergies to autism or cancer. (And who work tirelessly to provide the absolute best for their children no matter their circumstances. I am in awe of these parents.) And yes, my children are still young and there may yet be some devastating diagnoses in our future, but for now, we're luckier than we really deserve to be. 

But amid this good fortune lurks the ever-present fear that something may happen to these children of mine, whether an illness, accident or something more serious. The hardest part of loving someone is living with the knowledge that you could loose it all. It keeps me up at night and knocks the breath out of my lungs when I least expect it. It can be debilitating sometimes, this constant fear, but the rational side of me insists I still move forward, tells me I need to let my children experience the world for themselves no matter how hard it is and how difficult the consequences may be. 

To give my heart to these three babies is the hardest thing I've ever done....because it also means I have to be open to the possibility of someday having to live without them again too. I just hope in this thing as well we continue to be far luckier than we deserve to be. I can't do without this family of mine. 

High Museum of Art

September 26th was the Smithsonian's free museum day. Being the museophile that I am (totally just made up that word), I insisted that we visit one of the participating museums in our area. I picked the High Museum of Art for several reasons. David and I had visited the museum pre-kids, but we had never taken the kids there and haven't really visited any art museums with them. We've tended to favor natural history/history museums that are a little more interesting for kids. The High is an excellent art museum but it also has a hefty admission price so I definitely wanted to take advantage of a free visit. Plus they currently have an exhibition of Mo Williem's artwork and I thought the girls would be interested in that since they love the Pigeon books. 

Our first stop, of course, was the Mo Williems' exhibit. He's the author/illustrator of several children's books including "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" and "Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs." His pigeon series are some of the girls' favorites. Adelaide has been reading "The Pigeon Needs a Bath" to herself every night for the last two weeks. 

They had several tables and chairs set up in the exhibit with lots of his books and David laughed to realize that we've pretty much read all of his works. His style is very fun and whimsical, much in the style of Dr. Seuss. 

After the Mo Willems' exhibit, we stopped at the outdoor patio to eat some snacks and enjoyed a very large exhibit of apples and pears. 

We then hit the Family Learning Center which had a cardboard bus (with a pigeon at the wheel!) which the girls loved dashing in and out of. They also had some puppets and blocks. 

They also had an exhibit about the design of the Coke bottle being that this is Atlanta (home of Coke) and Coke's 100th anniversary. It was a fascinating exhibit. But I love anything that has to do with design and American culture. 

We then toured the permanent collection of European and American art. The design of the museum is really interesting. The four floors are assessed through a series of ramps that line the interior of the museum space and culminate in a huge open sky light. 

At the bottom floor of the main wing is an art installation called Utah Sky by Michael Lin. Adelaide thought it was wonderful to dance across the flowers....

...and then plopped herself right down to make flower angels or something. She was having a grand ole time. 

It rained all weekend and was still drizzling pretty steadily as we left the museum but the girls wanted to play on the spinning tops, an interactive art installation in the museum's courtyard. 

They are made from a variety of ropes and pipes of various designs and colors and spin like the Tea Cups at Disneyland. 

The girls and I (with Benjamin strapped to my chest) got inside while David pushed us around and around. I used to love the Tea Cups but I may be getting too old. I felt quite sick getting off but the girls loved it. And although we emerged with wet butts, we all enjoyed our day at the museum. 

Three Babies

I love that each of my kids was born in a different place--Zara in Seoul, Korea, Adelaide in Provo, Utah (sorry, Adelaide), and Benjamin in Atlanta, Georgia. Aside from the fact that it shows how frequently we move, it's also another reminder of their differences and unique personalities.

I also find it interesting how I've come to know my children. With Zara, I had very distinct impressions of who she was before she was even born. I knew she would be stubborn. I knew she would be very active. (She canNOT sit still. And she's such a little dancer.) And I also knew that she would bring a lot of joy to the world. She has such a kind heart and a lot of empathy. She seems to be intuitively attuned to the feelings and moods of others.

I knew absolutely nothing about Adelaide before she born, not even her name. (With both Zara and Benjamin, I was 99% sure of their names in the week before their birth.) She was a complete mystery to me but within two or three days of her birth, I was struck with the sudden and inexplicable knowledge that Adelaide and I would have a very close bond. Adelaide is my little mini-me in looks and temperament and despite her attitude (which she got from me) I find that she rarely pushes my buttons the way Zara does.

Like Adelaide, Benjamin was a largely unknown entity to me. I had the impression before his birth that he was scared to be born and that's why he delayed his arrival. (And yes, he was only 4 days late but those 4 days felt like an eternity.) And yet, three weeks since his birth, Benjamin is still something of an unknown entity to me still but I fall in love with him a little bit more everyday. And as I get to spend more time with him, hopefully I'll come to know him better. I think he may surprise me.

The Snowy Day

Zara's class read "The Snowy Day" and then drew pictures about what they'd do if it snowed (not a regular occurrence here). While every other kid had a one or two sentence answer, Zara's was, of course, a whole paragraph. Typical Zara. 

In case you can't read it, Zara said this about her drawing: "It's my sister, me, and my Daddy, and my Mommy. We don't want to go outside because my mom said it was going to be chilly outside and your sister needs mittens and a hat. She said I need a scarf and a jacket and mittens and a hat. My Mommy said when my Daddy comes home, my Daddy will play with me in the snow so I will be safe."

Zara's First Field Trip

Last month, Zara's preschool class went on their first field trip and Adelaide and I tagged along. We went to Petit Creek Farm out in Cartersville, Georgia. It's only about a 30-45 minute drive north from Marietta, but it definitely feels more rural. We drove through historic downtown Cartersville on our way out to the farm and it had all the charm of a small historic town that I love. They have several museums there too which I'd love to go back and check out. 

Our first stop at the farm was to feed the goats and sheep. Adelaide has absolutely no fear of any living creature and walked right up to them.

Zara, on the other hand, kept a respectful distance. 

After feeding the animals, the kids moved onto stuffing scarecrows full of hair.

Zara and her classmate Leticia were paired up and tried to get to work.

Their final scarecrow. He could have used a bit more in the middle.

Next we went on a hay ride through the farm's grounds to see the other animals they had.

There were horses, cows, sheep, pigs, and all of that, but strangely, also zebra, camels, and kangaroos.

Next, we went to the pig races. Here's all of Zara's class lined up waiting for the pigs to be released.

And they're off!

Our next stops included a bouncy house, a corn maze and then a picnic lunch. It was fun to be able to go with Zara on her field trip. Next month, they're going to see the Nutcracker and I'm hoping that I may get to go with them again.