Scavenger

This is long overdue, but Maggie turned 12 at the end of November and had a scavenger hunt birthday party.  Huge hit, by the way.  While I'm thinking about it, I think I'll list Maggie's birthday parties over the years because they've been so spectacular I'm sure she'll want to know when she's older.  

1st Birthday - we were in Wisconsin, we took her to Old World Wisconsin and then back to my mom's where she had a cupcake.  She mostly just smashed it around on her high chair.

2nd birthday- in Brooklyn. we got a Carvel Mickey Mouse cake and it was just us and Lucy.  Lucy got so excited by all the wrapped gifts, she peed on the floor.

3rd birthday-Brooklyn again, party in the apartment, delightful chaos as all the kids played with the bus/tent my mom bought.

4th birthday-SilverLake, Power Puff Girl Party with Norah and Emma, we were moving back to NY the next week

5th birthday- in our rented house on Highland street, zip line and cotton candy machine

6th party-Tom Sawyer camp, horseback riding and facepainting

7th-Build a Bear Workshop

8th-Hike and swimming

9th-Swimming slumber party(?there was something else but I'm forgetting)

10th-Animal Spirit cards and sleepover

11th- Fort Building

12th-Scavenger hunt

Anyway, the scavenger hunt was super fun.  2 teams, each with a list of things they had to get/do/photograph.  examples- 1. get someone to make you a sandwich, 2. a coin from 1996(the year Maggie was born)3. find a house whose address adds up to the number 12, photograph the address, take a picture of yourselves in a human pyramid ... you get the idea.  They had an hour.  They took off down 2 separate blocks.  I waited at home, Tony went to pick up the Thai food that was the dinner part of the party.  They came back with everything and hilarious stories and pictures to boot.  

So proud

Today the girls progress reports from school arrived in the mail and they were both amazing and really highlighted the wonderful character of both girls.  Maggie's teacher wrote that Maggie's writing is so good and nuanced and surprising, she actually forgets that Maggie is only 12 and has to remind herself.  She then said that what makes Maggie so unique is that while she's incredibly smart, she's humble(unlike her mom) and a good friend to others in her class.  She is kind and fair and the one that everyone, boys and girls alike look to as the leader.  I'm paraphrasing and it was actually way better than I'm saying but I feel like if I actually wrote what Danica wrote you wouldn't believe me.  Tears came to my eyes.  Stephanie, Sally's teacher, was equally impressed with Sally.  She said that she is kind and sensitive and everyone's friend.  She follows rules well and is very motivated in her schoolwork.  She likes to do her work and do it well.  She said that Sally was shy at the beginning of the year but has really opened up and is speaking more in class.  Her music teacher even wrote a note saying that Sally has even volunteered to sing for the class.  Huge steps for my shy girl.  (Those of you who know chatty cathy may be saying to yourself, "Sally?  Shy?".  But she is still very quiet and reserved in new situations and around those she doesn't know.  Anyway, my bragging is now done.  Tonight I will sleep well, so proud of my girls.  

A girl I'm not so proud of is Holly.  She got into a fight with her arch enemy Penny(a barky border collie who lives down the street).  Anyway, Holly got the best of Penny who left here with a bleeding snout.  (Penny is fine, by the way, and her owners have been very nice about it because Penny is a menace herself).  So, sweet little Holly has become a street fighter, and that, coupled with her bad barking behavior toward the mailman has caused me to hire a trainer to curb some of the issues.  So tomorrow morning at 11 am we begin.  

2 men down

Sally has been coughing all week and has had a fever off and on, finally today I took her to the doctor - she has bronchitis.  So she's on antibiotics.  We picked up Maggie at school, she was feeling none to good herself but hopefully she's just overtired and suffering from TV-itis(Lost is back on and she and Tony watched it last night so she got to bed late) because we got home and we took Holly out to the back yard to run around and she suddenly yelped and started limping.  I took her to the vet and they xrayed her front right paw and found a chip fracture.  So she's supposed to rest it for a few weeks.  They gave me pain killers for her which I gave her before reading the directions and I accidentally gave her a double dose.  So she's all doped up.  So, here's a picture of the two sickies happily lounging around in the den.  

nature, nurture

We took a hike last week, one that was recommended by a few people.  It's nearby, in sierra madre and it's short, only 2 miles and it ends in a waterfall, sounded perfect.  But it was packed!  And the pathways were pristine, more like sidewalks than paths.  And with all of the people(it was a beautiful day, 80 and sunny) it felt like the times square of nature hikes.  We still had fun, Sally and Holly leading the way, and at the end there was ... pinkberry.  When we were eating our pinkberry, Sally, Tony and I(Maggie is a teenager and opted out of the hike)Sally suddenly said out of the blue, "I miss my other mother."  She's referring to her birthmother in China, who we have spoken about but not a lot.  It's the second time she's said something like that, the other time was in Park City over Christmas.  She and I were sharing a bed and we had a whole early morning routine, we'd wake up before Tony and Maggie, get dressed and go to the mountain early and have eggs and bacon before ski school.  Anyway, one morning we were lying there and she said she missed her Chinese mother and could she please call her.  I explained that we couldn't because we don't have her number, we don't know where she lives.  I said we could look for her one day.  I explained it all in very simple language.  It made me feel sad in a way, because I know that trying to make sense of her origins and the way she came into our family will be a lifelong struggle for Sally.  But it also made me aware of just how amazing Sally is.  She's strong and good hearted and emotional and full of love.  

ski bums

After spending Christmas in Cleveland, we left for a week of skiing in beautiful Park City, Utah with friends, Krista, Kevin and Coco and Mark, Darcy, Jack and Andy.  Maggie is a good skieer and this time she got brave and started doing small jumps.  She and I took off on runs that went through the woods and then met up with Tony who opted for the wide open slopes so as not to, you know, crash into a tree and have any more brain surgery.  Probably wise as Maggie and I crashed into several trees and she took one very large fall, landing face first in the snow.  I wish I had a picture but I don't.  Sally spent her days in ski school and quickly went from being a total beginner(she skiied last year in Whistler but it was mostly about the hot chocolate).  She's at an age now where she can really ski.  And she did, by the end, she was going all the way up the mountain and even did a blue run!  She has one speed - fast.  She kind of points her cute little snowplow downhill and she doesn't stop til she gets to the bottom.  We had a blast though and hope for many more ski adventures in our future.  

Molly and the big girls

Love affair

We had a great time in Cleveland for Christmas.  Everyone(except Tom who had to stay with Auggie the doggie) came and we spent a wonderful few days seeing cousins and spending time with Grandma and Grandpa.  The first day was the caroling party(pix to come), followed by a visit to cousin Elizabeth and then Christmas.  The girls loved all their gifts, but mostly they loved spending time at their grandparent's house.  Here's a picture of Molly and Sally on the stairs.  These two girls LOVE one another.  Molly calls Sally Sassy or Sashy and she calls Maggie Wobbie.  So cute.  

Christmas at home

This year we went to Cleveland for Christmas(I'll post on that later).  Before we went we had a little Christmas at home.  Here's a picture of Sally in her reindeer antlers that she made to 'trick' Maggie into believing Santa and his reindeer were here.

The Polar Express

Laurie and Gus came with us on a train ride that is supposed to be like the Polar Express.  You get on, kids in pj's, elves hand out hot chocolate and lead everyone in carols while the train goes about a mile and you pick up Santa.  It was a little cheesy but Sally and Gus liked it. And Maggie tolerated it.   I know this is a horrible photo but it's all we got.