Happy Birthday, Zane!!

Whiz-Kid

She's a whiz at eating, free choice, academics and extra-curricular activities. But by the world's standards, not with tidiness. She's a creative and original thinker.

In kindergarten Vanessa was told many times she shouldn't color something unrealistically, like purple hair on a person. It took everything in me to not flip out -- don't hamper my daughter's creativity!!! Such nonsensical direction! Instead I told Vanessa just to play the game but there was nothing wrong with her creativity, especially since I know her understanding of things. Why couldn't the little girl in the picture have purple hair?! Can I just add, though, that her 1st grade teacher was quite the opposite and embraced and highlighted these wonderful things about Vanessa? He would tell me "That girl will go far. She hits things out of the ballpark. If she keeps it up, she'll be able to do whatever she wants when she grows up." I hope we have more teachers like him in her school career.

Theodor Geisel's art teacher noted that he never drew realistically. His classmates voted him least likely to succeed. Instead he had an immeasurable impact on our culture and world. I want to read and learn more about the impact his mother had on him.

I should grab a photo of the contraption Vanessa made a couple of months ago using plastic bracelet cording. She tied it to the back of her door and across her room to a hook on the far wall. She added weights to it -- gel pens -- so it props her door open just enough. When I first discovered her work, I sighed. Then I thought of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, when he tied a the string/rope from his door to the mannequin. I can see how their personalities are similar. I left the cord attached, climbing over it to get to her closet many times. Since I've wondered when I should ask her to take it down, but just the other day, to relate to another idea, she explained why she made it. She is a whiz-kid.

Sometimes she uses her rainbow loom to make bracelets of many colors with no set pattern. Other times she's convinced her way of tying the bracelet bands in "ninja knots" is better.

I regret and feel bad for when I've tried to direct her to conform. Why do I care what others think? She's brilliant and when I push worldly standards away, she feels my love and best support.

John 15:18-19

No Holding Back

As much as I would like, there's no holding Zane back. He has a list of things he would like to accomplish. He's talked about riding with no training wheels for a while. We kept telling him he's not ready.

The cheap bike we gifted him to satisfy his desire to ride a year and half ago recently ended up with a stripped nut on one of the training wheels. He would go a short distance and it would start to wobble off, so I would bend down and tighten it by hand, only having to do it again and again.

Vanessa will ride her bike in our back yard. Zane follows. On Wednesday, September 24, the one troublesome training wheel fell off again. While I was cooking dinner, Vanessa ran in the house and asked if she could take the other one off so Zane could try to ride in the yard without. I told her it would have to wait until after dinner so we could talk with Dad. Here's what happened after dinner:

Who would have guessed in just under 4 years Zane would have gone from a tiny little baby, under the same tree in the background of the picture above, to a big boy determined to grow too fast?!

À La Carte

Zane is usually open to try new foods, as long as he's not irritable or too tired to try. He even likes his mom's meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Vanessa is a little more finicky, to the point she sometimes requires separate plates.

I didn't like seafood growing up. Not sure if I just never had an opportunity to try decent seafood or if I was freaked by consistency or the fact it was water life that often ate sludgy things like worms, chicken livers or leaches when caught.

Vanessa loves seafood like crab legs and lobster. She would eat it all the time if money allowed. We joke that she acquired her daddy's expensive taste in food. :-) They have figured out that they can order seafood á la carte to share. Zane would eat crab cakes at an early age and he likes seafood chowder.

Surprisingly, though, Zane won't eat a corn dog, yet Vanessa loves ones made of 100% beef!

Zane and I dislike Jello but Vanessa loves it. Go figure.

Who's your daddy?

Zane: "I wish Daddy could be a baby again. He would be so tiny and I could hold him and feed him a bottle and tell him I love him and he's so cute. I would sing Rock a Bye Baby to him. [Started singing in his first tenor voice.] Then I would be Baby Daddy's daddy."

Atypical Snack: peanuts, chunk of banana bread, and hot cocoa. :-)

Ring Around the Rosie

Flashlight Hide and Seek

Can you find Zane in this picture? It was dark outside (contrary to how well our camera can take nighttime shots to make it appear like there is still daylight) and three intelligent girls couldn't find Zane. He is clever.

Can you find Vanessa? She was also pretty clever with her hiding spot but Zane can't be outsmarted by his sister -- he knows her too well. He found all three girls in under a minute.

No cheating -- the answers are below.

Zane was trying to figure out how to climb onto the outside of the play fort -- see red circle. Eek! It was hard to see him in the dark. (Did Lily's cousin fool you? She's squatting beside a tree on the far right. She realized that her neon yellow hoodie made it hard for her to hide anywhere.

Vanessa used her skills to climb the rope and hang from a branch -- see red circle. She was really hard to see at night but Zane knew where to find her.

Proximity

Clockwise to center: Rachel, Seth, Joel, Vanessa (Don't let her fool you in this picture -- she was exhausted from the late night of partying, so she hated Mom asking her to pose for another pic.), Zane and Luke

Left to right: Vanessa, Tucker, Zane and Tollie

Back to front; left to right: Kayla (Ben's longtime gal), Ben, Andrew, Zach, Hannah, Zane and Vanessa

Left to right; top to bottom: Zane, Vanessa, Audrey, William and Jacob

Although we wish we could visit with all cousins more frequently, we're quite blessed by many in proximity. 

What's the score?

Zane: "One more point for Zane. I'm a winner because I make it. . . . He shoots . . . no score."

The above comment was just one made while Zane was playing on the back patio the other day. Over the last several months Zane moved into the independent stage where he gets lost in his own world and speaks his thoughts and play aloud while he assumes no one is listening. Just this morning I thought he was talking to me so I called up to his room. He made it clear that he wasn't talking to me. :-)

His narration is impressive. He impersonates animals and people extremely well.  (Or should it be something like "imanimates" for acting like animals? My over-analytical mind struggles with that.) That boy can neigh better than almost everyone I've heard try. He races through the house with his toy horses and other figurines and acts out amazing stories he's authored all by himself.

He scored a pair of black leather loafers this week from a consignment sale. He put them on with a pair of pants and said "I'm now a parent. I will go to work now, just like Daddy." It's interesting to me the situations and things little ones associate to growing up.

Just like Mommy he likes to impulsively explore and play in the woods. In a last minute decision the other day, after running errands and picking up crickets, we decided to go back to a park where he and Vanessa were basically traumatized by a golden retriever charging at them a year or two ago. He remembers it vividly and was extremely watchful of our surroundings as we ventured through the park. It was a good experience.

What I've come to realize recently is that I've scored just knowing Zane and Vanessa are learning that Mommy doesn't keep score -- they have my love and approval for just trying. It is my prayer and hope that they learn from my example that the score in worldly things doesn't matter. Instead, we just try to embrace people and moments as they present. 

Summer Past

I can tell this week the kids really miss summer. They miss going some place whenever we feel like it and changing back into pajamas in the middle of the day to lounge and eat popcorn. Although we still have monarch visitors we haven't seen hummingbirds in a month or so. 

Zane wishes we still had our play pool. (Time to look through clearance! Or do chores to earn money for buying the early bird pool pass in January. I think we're finally ready to where all of us can enjoy it.)

This summer we had lunches and read stories in our play tent.Vanessa still loves the story of Sergio and acted it out many times. At times I was the narrator. I enjoyed those moments too because it afforded me time to plop down on pillows, in the shade, to read and relax while the summer passed.

What Matters

 Grandma threw the mini pig in the blanket perfectly. And yes, your dad is just that good. :-)

How lucky is he?! Just trying to make it back to the van. Vanessa complained of her legs hurting and Zane passed out in minutes from this picture. :-)

Almost there but we had to check out how big this "flaming truck" is! "That's HUGE!" Vanessa could see the van. :-)

Happy Grandparents' Day

Zane was too zapped in the first video so he made a second a few hours later with his mouth full of peanut butter. 

15 Years

It's hard to believe 15 years have passed since we said I will. The photo above is one of my favorites from that day. Daddy's Grandpa Bill captured it. It gives a glimpse of how we sometimes are -- silly, awkward and just plain weird (as Vanessa would say.) I'm so very thankful for the blessing of love, commitment and friendship.

On Sunday we will have been together 21 years. That number is a little more scary in that we're getting that old. :-)

And a depressing fact our buddy Paul shared that shows how the times have changed in 15 years: Gas averaged $1.17 per gallon in 1999 (which is equivalent to about $1.53 in 2010.)

Song of Solomon 8:6

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

"Missy"

I was listening to Zane play with Batman and another toy figure a couple of months ago. I took note because this is part of what I heard:
"Hey, Miss. Come here, Miss. Missy! Be careful Missy!

I smiled and reflected for a moment. First, I very rarely use the name "Missy" but have been known to on a few occasions with Vanessa. My dad had a joke about calling me "Missy". And I would joke back that my name wasn't "Missy" -- I was extra adamant since I have two second cousins nicknamed "Missy" -- being the fourth kid in line growing up and one in a horde of Mollohans, I was extra determined to have my own identity. :-)

Zane: "I'll miss you while you're gone. Come give me a hug, girlie. I love you so much, Mom. I love you more than a platypus. I love you more than that window."

This little guy is so incredibly funny. I wish I had the ability to document all of his odd jokes. And he knows how to make anyone feel extra special.