From Fall 2006:
Separation Anxiety

No, I am not talking about a baby and their mom--although I always found that more complimentary than annoying--I am referencing "sister separation anxiety". This fall we held our breath to see how their first real "separation" would go. Tori started kindergarten, and as I have observed, school just makes kids older. I really thought Isabelle would be left behind as Tori burst into the kindergarten scene, but so far so good. Isabelle walks to the bus stop every morning. Tori is sure to give her a hug every day before she gets on the bus (I don't always even get one), and when Tori comes home they embrace again. The separation has not really affected them yet, because as is classic Tori she is thrilled to come home and fill Isabelle in on everything about her new adventure. They look at the website to check out pictures of Tori in her class and they sit and do homework together. Once again, Tori is introducing her to the world. Honestly, Isabelle has probably aged more than Tori.

I don't take for granted the friendship my girls have and I am sure someday Tori won't find it cool to be with her sister and then Isabelle will be left behind--devastated by the blow of losing her hero. Or maybe not...and maybe Jamie and I are the ones that suffer from separation anxiety as our girls take one giant step together in their growing up process.


P.S. back to 2008- ronsi is getting her Kindergarten shots as I type :(

Well, there are now 2 short-haired girls in the family (well, 3 if you count Mace). Ronsi donated her hair to Locks of Love this past Friday. I am really proud of her and I think she has learned a lot these past weeks about caring for others--mainly through this and following the story of baby Gwyneth, who we have never met, but who Isabelle now calls "our baby". (If you haven't heard of this baby you should check her and her parents out--you will be moved by our amazing God and His amazing children)

Anyway, As far as her hair goes, it is quite a bit shorter than I anticipated and we did have a miscommunication (hairdresser gone mad) bang cutting incident, which was slightly traumatic, but we now have a tupperware full of clips (Isabelle was really pumped about that) and so it works. For those lucky ones who knew me as a child it is pretty much my haircut that I had from 1st to 3rd grade (Thank you Dad, Mom and Dorothy Hamill for that) and I don't think I did that on purpose, but my counselor friend, Chuck, said I may have some deep seeded issues. Who knew?

I think they are trying to take over. I know they have nice little stitched smiles on their faces, but I really believe stuffed animals are trying to take over my house. It is as if they know that I do not like them. It is bad enough that they multiply like rabbits, but now they have started taunting me. Last night I was sleeping in Ronsi's bed (don't ask--the girls took over my bed)...Anyway, I am in sweet sleep la-la land and I hear a voice. It just keeps saying the same thing in a high pitched annoying voice over and over again. It was haunting me: "This is Cheer Bear. How about a hug?", and again "This is Cheer Bear. I want to play with you". Well, Cheer Bear, I DO NOT want to give you a hug and I DO NOT want to play with you--I want to sleep and I want you to leave me alone. And just so you know if I have to use force and rip out your battery or rip off your head--I will. Don't fall for their tricks--Beware of the Bear!

Here are some of their latest enlistments just since Christmas...

I now have two kiddos in school... I would take a picture, but he would kill me. Jamie started his classical guitar class at Normandale Community College today and he is practicing as I type. Quite a fellow I am married to...

Skateville in Burnsville--That is where I dropped my little Tori off for a birthday party today. Wow! When I dropped her off amidst the chaos of tons of kids, video games and those same old brown skates with orange stoppers I had some thoughts. My first thoughts were flashbacks to a roller rink in East Des Moines somewhere where I played the giant dice game, the limbo, skated to "Downtown" and dreamed of the moonlight skate. My second thought was that Tori was way too young to be there. There must be some sort of age restriction for entering that world. They just let her walk in- no i.d. or nothing. Apparently our society does not care about such things and they think it is just fine that Tori be involved in such activities. What is this world coming to? I am not so sure I like it.

Call me a nerd if you like, but I love getting my new calendar for the year. Most years my Dad gets all us girls one for Christmas, but some years I get the job myself. This year Ronsi, Macie and I headed to the calendar store after Christmas (they are 50% off then, ya know) to find my 2008 calendar. There were a lot of nice ones left and I had 2 or 3 that I thought would do, but then my eye landed on my choice. It is called "The Road Home". You are probably thinking that calendars do not normally have titles, but they do and this one I just loved. My road home leads me lots of places. I can take 35 South to my home in Iowa where my wonderful family is or I can take 494, 94, 39, 270 (I am pretty sure those are not correct- Jamie will be apalled) or something close to that and go to my home in Ohio where more family and great friends live, I can drive around my newest home state, Minnesota, visiting my "might as well be family" and at the end of the day come home to be with my precious little family of Jamie, Tori, Isabelle and the Mace. I am a rich woman and I am thankful for my new calendar and its reminder to me of how thankful I am for all my roads home.

New Year, New Post, New Hair Cut, New OSU Jersey....so many new things, where to start. First of all, happy belated New Year. I have been "away" for a few weeks and took this past week to get organized. Pictures will be posted from the holidays, but I thought I would get the haircut up first. I donated my hair to Locks of Love a week or so ago. I have talked about it for awhile and finally actually did it. It is such a great cause--I am sad I did not do it sooner. So, I have short hair, which I have not had for oh, 12 years or so. Everyone in the family seems to be adjusting okay to "short-haired Gretchen" as some people have been calling me. I don't think I am a different person, but maybe carrying around all that extra hair and wearing a pony tail most days did have an effect on my personality. Anyway, Jamie likes it, I like it, Ronsi likes it, Macie is unaffected, Tori has come to like it although she sobbed when she first saw me. Not kidding--sobbed. And then told me the next day that she still hated it. But now I think she likes it.

Anyway, there is the first picture...my stylist did it in a sleek bob, but let's be honest, I will not be taking the time to do that very frequently. So, this is my usual do. Suggestions welcome.

And finally for now, in the picture I am sporting my new Ohio State jersey--a James Laurinaitis Jersey--courtesy of my in-laws. And although I DO NOT have a crush on him I did get my picture taken with him while we were in Seattle and I will be wearing it proudly and cheering for him and the rest of the Buckeyes in the National Championship game tommorrow.

GO BUCKS!