Doggie Drama Postscript or Our Compromise

So in my last post I detailed the great lengths that Annie went to to try and get a dog for Christmas.  Eric and I held a pretty hard line with a "Beg all you want but the answer is still 'No'" position.  Until... I opened the letter Annie had written to Santa and shared it with Eric.  This is how it went:
Dear Santa,
    All I want for Christmas is one thing.  That thing is an adorable puppy.  If you could get me this I would be the happiest girl in the world.  All we have to do is convince my parents that I AM responsible enough to have one.  I definitely know I am and I hope you to do.  Please just make my parents not so strict.  I really know I am responsible enough and if you could make my parents feel that way I would be SO happy.  PLEASE I will do anything just let me get a puppy for Christmas!!!!!

What surprised me about this letter is that it is evident that Annie still has a strong belief in Santa.  She is 11 1/2 and I thought her faith might be wavering a bit, but this letter leads me to believe otherwise.  Although I did overhear her questioning Finn, "Tell me the truth- is there really a Santa?" recently so she must be catching one some.  But for Eric this letter did more than confirm Annie's staunch belief in Santa, it struck that "daddy's girl" chord pretty hard because soon after reading this letter he started talking about letting the kids have some sort of animal.  I know I have mentioned this before but I will say it again.  Eric puts up a hard exterior at times, but he is just really a big softie inside, especially when it comes to his kids and more especially his girls. 
At first he talked about having chickens so they could be useful.  But the kids weren't too over-excited about that idea.  Then he said something about rabbits and the kids seemed happy about that prospect.  Of course we still had to downplay the idea of really getting bunnies for Christmas because we wanted it to be a surprise.  But about 4 days before Christmas- which is when Eric usually starts his Christmas shopping- Eric called me and told me about some Lionhead bunnies he found for sale on KSL.  His exact words were, "Oh Kari they are the cutest little things."  My first thought was, "Wow!  That was one powerful letter! I've never heard Eric say 'cutest little things' like ever."
So Christmas morning and day my kids were busy with these:

Cloudy and Katie

 

Oreo and Annie

 

They really are cute little things and one of the best things about them is they have to stay outside. They can come in for a few minutes but they get uncomfortable above 45 degrees.  So for now we are keeping them in our shed.  Then come spring we can move them outisde in a hutch in the shade.  they will shed by then so they won't be so uncomfortable in the heat. 
As I have been watching my kids with "Oreo" and "Cloudy", I can see the significance of having a pet as a child.  They have been very cute with them and taking good care of them.  Although this is only the first week and the novelty may wear off soon.  But I overheard Katie tell Annie, "Now when I am in the school and they ask who has a pet, I can FINALLY raise my hand!"
Then on Christmas Day Suzie came inside after being in the shed looking at them and she exclaimed, "Well I made sure the bunnies were alive, that they got some exercise and that they were feed."  I replied, "That is kind of like what I do for you.  I  make sure you stay alive, exercise and eat."  She responds, "Well I never exercise and I didn't have lunch today."  Interpretation: Just in case you were thinking you were a good mother for letting us have a pet, you may want to think again!

How the Public School System has served Annie a little too well.

It seems these days that many people complain or comment on the sad state of our public school system as a whole.  So I am writing this blog to show how well our local public school has served Annie in her quest to get what she wants. 
Over the years our kids have asked for a dog.  Neither Eric nor I are big dog lovers.  We personally would rather raise, clean up after, pay for, feed and care for children rather than dogs.  But every few years our kids start a "Can we please have a dog?" campaign.  We have historically been able to appease these requests by agreeing to a lower maintenance animal like a fish or hamster- which we have managed to kill all of.  For good evidence of this, read here.  Or by convincing our kids that the allowance, birthday and Christmas money they saved for over a year for a dog would be put to better use invested in an IPAD.  (True story- the last "Can we please have a dog?" campaign was about 2 years ago and Eric and I were able to talk Finn and Annie into using their money to buy their very own IPAD.  Much less poop to clean up after an IPAD.)
Well with the holiday season approaching, the latest "Can we please have a dog?" campaign is reaching a fevered pitch.  Last Wednesday Katie and Annie were doing something on the computer and every time Eric or I walked by they would get all nervous and cover up the computer screen while saying, "You can't see this."  When Eric got home from work on Thursday night it was revealed what the girls had been working on... A "Why We Should get a Dog" powerpoint.  After showing it to us, Annie asked, "Well what do you think?"  Eric answered, "Impressive presentation but the answer is still no."  And it really was impressive.  If I could figure out a way to display it on my blog I would. (Incidentally if anyone knows how to do that- please let me know!)  And  not only do I have no idea how to put a powerpoint on my blog, I also have no idea how to create a powerpoint at all.  My girls' knowledge of this skill can only be attributed to our awesome school computer-lab teacher, Mrs. Gritton.  In second grade Katie was making her own powerpoints!
Not to be deterred but Eric's no, Annie immediately excused herself from the room saying she needed to go write a letter.  The next morning I found an envelope addressed to "Mother and Father" on my nightstand containing the following letter: (Please note the letter was written in her best cursive)
"Dear Mother and Father,
My one and only desire for the holidays is a desirable little puppy.  I know you think it's ridiculous.  But if you actually take it seriously, it's actually a resonable plan.  I know you think he (meaning the dog) won't be happy but if we train him right he won't even have to stay in the laundry room (We had said the dog wouldn't be very happy with us because he would have to stay in the laundry room all day cause we wouldn't be home most of the day.  Two notes- In my and apparently Annie's mind all dogs are "he" and I know many working people have dogs that they leave all day but we are grasping at straws here as to why they can't have a dog.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.) Plus you could get us a dog over Christmas break so we would have time to train it.  You really should consider it and take it seriously.  I have worked really hard and I don't like it at all when you tease me about it.  All I ever hear is 'No we're not getting a dog!' It really makes me mad.  So I was just wondering if you would just actually think about it.  It would make me very happy ! (smiley face)
Love,
Annie (Smiley face, heart)"
Well the first thing I thought when I read this letter was "The public school's renewed emphasis on persuasive writing has really made a difference in Annie's writing."  At least in my kids' school district there has been a big push for writing, especially persuasive writing over the past few years.  I remember Finn getting so upset because he had to write a persuasive essay in P.E. and he couldn't for the life of him understand what in the world writing had to do with P.E.  But I think this letter demonstrates how well Annie has learned some persuasive writing techniques.  (For another example of Annie's former parent-guilt ridden literature please read here.  You will see how much she has progressed.)  But this writing includes some great parent-guilt inducing strategies.  She begins with the absolute of "my one and only..." to appeal to our emotional side. Then she moves into using "reason" to appeal to our intellectual side.  Then she plays the "I'm such a good kid" card (which she is by the way) to appeal to our responsible side.  Then she whams us with the teasing/"it makes me so mad" rationale to appeal to our parent guilt side.  Then she drives it home with the ubiquitous "It would make me very happy." to appeal to our "a dog is cheaper than therapy later on" side. 
All I can say is "Brava my little dog lobbyist, brava!"  Unfortunately the answer is still no.  And I think Annie sensed this because she is launching an all out media blitz.  Yesterday she performed her "All I Want for Christmas is a Puppy." piano piece written and composed by her and then today she handed me a sealed letter for Santa.  She must be appealing to a higher power!
So for anyone who might be worried that the public school system is failing their child, just say no to their "one and only desire" and see how many different ways they can come up with to convince you otherwise.
P.S.- If you happen to see Annie in the next little while, please don't say anything about this letter.  She thinks I am teasing her when I put things about her on my blog and though it may seem that way, I really am not.  I just think they are so cute I have to record them and I'm hoping she will be glad one day that I did.  Or else I will be paying for therapy or that "desirable little puppy"!

Summer of...

In an effort to recap the past three months, I'm recording some of the events that highlighted the summer of 2012.
*All-Star Softball- Annie made the all-star softball team and Eric coached her team.  They were in three tournaments and they got to be in the local parade.  They didn't win many games but it was a good experience for her and dad.  Although I'm not sure about my kids competing in competitive leagues.  It is really intense and we only had a month and a half of it.  I'm not saying kids shouldn't do it.  I just don't know if it is for our family.  It is a lot of time spent on one activity.  That being said, Annie enjoyed it.

*Parades- I mentioned that Annie was in the local parade but so was Finn.  He participated in a summer marching band where he got to carry a suzaphone in two local parades.  He's not so sure he wants to do this again, but if he does he is considering switching to a much lighter instrument like a flute!

*"Call Me Maybe" car dance- Yes, this does refer to the song by Carly Rae Jeppsen.  Eric showed my girls the Youtube video of the Harvard baseball team lip syncing and doing a car dance to this song and my girls loved it.  So whenever the song came on in the car, they would sing at the top of their lungs and try to recreate the dance.  There is even a rumor of Eric doing it as well with the girls one day on the way home from a softball game but he has yet to do it for me.  I guess he is shy!
*20 year reunions- Both Eric and I had our 20 year reunions this summer.  We both attended them- Eric's was here in town and mine was back in Georgia. It was so fun reconnecting with old friends.  We have both kept in contact with several friends over the years, but there were some we hadn't seen since high school.  I was especially sad when we left Georgia because there were some people that were a big part of my growing up that I will probably never see again- because I don't really plan on going back to anymore reunions.  But it was funny because when we were getting ready to go to Eric's reunion, which was after mine, Finn said, "Why do we have all these reunions? Don't we do this every year?"  Uh-no!  Pretty sure a 20 year high school reunion only happens once!  Here are some pictures from Eric's reunion. 

 

 

And here are some from my reunion.  And in case you are wondering, yes I did wait until after my 20 year reunion to chop all my hair off.  I am that vain!

 

 

 

This is my favorite one of my friend Lara and I dancing.  Eric did video me bustin' a move but until he learns how to upload video onto my blog, those will remain private.  I'm not embarrassed when I am out on the dance floor but after I watch the videos I realize I really should be!

 



Funny side story from our trip back to Atlanta.  On the way back to the airport we stopped at a gas station in downtown to fill our rental car up before we returned it.  It was a part of Atlanta that I would not want to be in at night but I felt okay because Eric was with me.  When Eric got out of the car to fill up the tank, this big, black, toothless man came up to him.  He was real friendly and chatty with Eric.  In the course of the conversation the man mentioned that he had size 15 feet.  This remark of course caused Eric to look down at his feet and when he did he saw one black toe sticking out of a worn out flap that should have been the top of a shoe.  When eric looked back up the man smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeah- I could use a new pair of shoes.  You think you could help me out with that?"  So Eric gave the tooth and nearly toe-less man a few bucks.  When he got back in the car I asked him why he gave him money- since he usually doesn't give money to people on the street.  He replied, "Are you kidding me?  That show was worth a couple of bucks!"
*After a year and a half of pretending like I was going to have to go back to work- I actually got a job.  At the end of the June I was offered a job teaching part-time kindergarten at a school about 10 minutes away. When the principal called she asked, "So would you be interested in this position?"  I'm pretty sure I answered, "Yes?" because I was secretly hoping I couldn't find a job and then I could say,"Well I tried but the field is just too saturated so I guess I will just be a stay-at-home mom for another year."  Or something like that.  But the universe had other plans for me because I'm pretty sure this is what I am suppose to be doing and where I am suppose to be- much to my chagrin!  So I spent the summer trying to prepare and buying things I thought I would need for kindergarten and came to find out that about 75% of what I had bought was already stocked in my classroom.  Some of it I can take back and some I can't because I bought it from a lady who was quitting teaching kindergarten to stay home.  So my new mantra isn't "Be Prepared" like the Boy Scouts, but rather "Being prepared is for suckers.  Live in the moment!"  Although I say that a little tongue in cheek because I think kindergarteners would eat me alive if I wasn't somewhat prepared!
*Making money!  Both Finn and Annie started some summer time money making ventures.  Finn and a neighbor kid mowed a few neighbor's lawns and Annie and some friends started a weekly babysitting club for kids under 8.  Both were fairly successful although Finn isn't quite sure if he wants to mow lawns next year because spending 2-3 hours a week mowing lawns seriously cut into his watching every episode of "Survivor man" and "Myth Busters" time.  But I'm hoping the lure of the almighty dollar might persuade him again next year.  He was able to buy some golf clubs with his hard-earned cash.

And Annie learned some great lessons about babysitting and I think she definitely wants to babysit again next summer because she already understands the lure of money.  That girl loves to buy things!  She has had to start over saving for contacts many times because she keeps finding things she just can't live without.
*Pass of all Passes- Yes we were like many thousands of other people and bought the Pass of all Passes.  I thought it would be a nightmare trying to use it and that we would be at the same places everyone else in the Salt Lake Valley were.  But it was surprisingly not too bad and we were definitely able to make them worth my parents' money- cause they were actually the ones who bought them for us.  We went to the Tracy Aviary once and to Seven Peaks about 7 times.  Of course we had grand plans to use them at least once a week but 8 times isn't too bad.  And I feel bad because I only took pictures at the Aviary.  I forgot to do it everytime we went to Seven Peaks.  Oh well- "Live in the Moment"- right?!?

*Olympics- Not only did we love watching the Olympics on TV this summer but the kids participated in their own Olympics up in Park City with cousins where they won medals for things like treading water in a hot tub, synchronized diving and hiking with a good attitude.  These Olympics weren't sponsored by McDonalds but rather by Grandpa and Grandma.

The medal stand with three proud recipients

 

All the participants!

 

Here is Annie, Katie and our cousin Jacob showing how they medaled in the pencil dive!

Well those are some highlights from our Summer of 2012.  It was a great summer and we are sad to see it end.  Here's to a new school year and new adventures for us all!

Warmth- Suzie style

The other night Suzie was laying in bed with me and said, "Mom, laying in bed next to you makes me warm."  I thought she meant that she was literally hot so I pulled the comforter off her and asked,"Is that better?"  She said, "No, what I mean is when I lay next to you I feel warm inside." Can you see why she pretty much gets whatever she wants?  Who can resist comments like that?!?

Accomplishing Goals and All the Wrinkled Ladies

About 3 years ago I created a 100 item bucket list and put it on my blog.  I have accomplished a few over the years but this month I can check two off the list,
#67- Break 100 in bowling.  I accomplished this one today!  I took my kids bowling this afternoon and I started off with my usually pathetic bowling skills.  I truly am an awful bowler.  I think I over analyze it and try really hard to keep my wrist straight and follow through but I end up always to one side or the other and quite often in the gutter.  For the first six frames I had a total score of 31-really!  Here is how my mind worked during those first frames.
First attempt thoughts-"I will just bowl whatever way cause I am with my kids at a nearly empty bowling alley." So then I would generally get about 6 pins down.
Second attempt thoughts- "That was pretty good.  I bet if I kept my wrist straight and aim for the few remaining ones I could get a spare."  So then I would get a gutter ball because I was so focused on doing well.  So for the first six frames my score went like this:
3-0
1-0
6-0
6-0
6-0
9-0
No joke.  So after the 6th frame I decided to just have fun with it and told my kids we should all do a granny bowl for the next frame and see who gets the highest score.  My kids loved it and I actually scored during both attempts.  So from then on out we came up with new ways to bowl and names to call the moves.  So a strike and a few spares later my score was 106!  Now I know this probably doesn't count as an official breaking 100 in bowling, but I'll take it because I don't think realistically that I will EVER get 100 in a serious game of bowling.  But in case your bowling skills resemble mine- here are a few of the moves we used and the names we created for them:
Granny shot- spreading your legs and swinging the ball between them and letting it go as your arms come forward
Granny with cataracts shots- Same as above but with your eyes closed
Drunk granny shot- Turned around backward, legs spread, bent over and rolling the ball between your legs
Drunk granny with cataracts shot- Same as above but with your eyes closed
My personal favorite and most successful shot was the drunk granny.
You're welcome for the pre-Pioneer Day gift!

The other bucket list item I accomplished this month was #21- Donate my hair to "Locks of Love."  I was planning on taking a picture of my hair and my hairdresser cutting it off but then I forgot.  So here are some recent pictures of me at our ward girls camp performing "All the Wrinkled Ladies" with the other YW leaders.

Note my bishop in his own tutu and purple hair.  He was a good sport.  Although he did get out of actually dancing cause here he is creating a strobe effect with two flashlights.

I love this one cause of the face of the leader behind me.



I love this one because I had told the leaders just to follow my lead during part of the song.  Here I was trying to "drop it drop it drop it low", thinking they wouldn't really be following me to the floor and low and behold they actually were.

So you are welcome for your second pre-Pioneer Day gift!

Nostalgic Katie

I must be in a reminiscing place because my last post was about stories of Annie when she was little and then this week I found a list of "Katie Sayings" that I think were things Katie said when she was about 3 or 4 years old.  I'm sure I wrote them down at one time with the intention of blogging about them, then they got lost in all my "piles."  I am constantly setting the goal of reducing the "piles" of stuff I have and maybe I am making a little bit of progress on that front because I found this list and I plan to throw away this piece of paper after I blog about the cute things Katie said 3 years ago!
So here they are:
"Turn on the cold heat." 
This is what Katie would say when she wanted you to turn on the air conditioning.
"I need some lily pads." 
Lily pads=knee pads in Katie language
"Can you come tell on them?" 
This is what Katie would say when she was actually telling on someone else.  I think it meant more of a "Can you come tell them to stop?" but somehow the whole tattling concept was a bit mixed up in her mind!
"Ice is good for you.  It makes your heart come true." 
I don't know if the passage of time has dimmed the meaning of this for me or if I never really knew what she meant when she said it originally, but at the time I guess I thought it was cute enough to write down.
And now to keep from finding another piece of paper in four years with random stories written on it, here are some cute things my other kids have said recently.
Suzie has this pair of high heeled shoes that a cute neighbor girl gave her a few months ago.  They have blue liquid that looks like water in the heel along with a few plastic fish.  So obviously any 5 year old girl would be drawn to them.  The problem is, like any high-heeled shoe, they are extremely uncomfortable.  But Suzie is learning early the decision that most women have to eventually face- Do I look cute with my fish high heel shoes and be in pain while I look so cute? or Do I let vanity go down the drain in exchange for comfort?  Well Suzie constantly tries to choose the former but after a few minutes of wearing her fish shoes, I trip over the remnants of the latter decision.  But recently she chose to wear her fish shoes again and as she was putting them on she said to me, "Mom I am wearing my fishie shoes because they don't complicate me anymore."  Not really sure what she meant by "complicate me"  I asked, "What do you mean?"  She said, "They don't complicate me anymore.  You know, when I put them on I don't want to take them off right away anymore."  I can see how if when you put your shoes on and then you immediately want to take them off it would definitely complicate your life!
Finn has a queen size bed.  It use to be Eric and I's bed until we got a new one when we remodeled our house.  But now Finn thoroughly enjoys his spacious sleeping quarters.  And unfortunately for him, sometimes his sisters like to share those spacious sleeping quarters too.  He is constantly kicking them out of his bed.  The other morning I went to wake him up and the lure of the bed called to me so I decided to crawl into bed next to him and tried to snuggle with him- I realize this is any 13 year old boy's nightmare- having his mother try to snuggle with him- but Finn is pretty tolerant of me.  But after a minute or two I smelled something stinky.  I asked him if he farted and he replied, "Yes, it is my defense mechanism whenever someone tries to get in my bed with me."  I guess all those hours of watching Discovery channel have taught him something!

Retro Annie

Last week was Annie's 11th birthday.  I alternate between friend parties and a family activity every other year.  This year was a family activity year and what that was originally suppose to mean is that we do something as a family for the birthday.  But what it has morphed into is each kid doing something with their same-aged cousins and somehow they talk me into inviting an extra friend or two.  This year Annie wanted to go to City Creek and walk around and have lunch at Blue Lemon downtown.  She invited her cousins- Tailyn and Grace, but Grace was out of town so she invited an extra friend.  So Annie, Tailyn, Maci and Hannah went downtown last Friday for a girls' afternoon of shopping and lunch. 

It really was fun and probably the most I have enjoyed myself at any of my kids' birthday events.  Which got me thinking about how Annie is growing up and becoming quite the young lady.  For anyone who knew Annie as a toddler and little girl, you know she was a hand full!  She was constantly going and I have many funny stories about her earlier antics.  For example once during sacrament meeting she chucked her shoes at a man's head.  Luckily he was watching her and was able to dodge the flying Mary Janes coming at his head. I even had someone ask me when she was little if she had ADHD!   But it is fun as a mother to watch her grow up and see how she channels all that frenetic energy into good, productive things like piano, school, softball or her newly emerging "Sweet as Cherry Pie" babysitting service.  Yet in all this reminiscing I decided I needed to get some of those early"Annie stories" recorded.  So for your reading pleasure, here are 3 authentic "Annie stories"!

One, Two, Twenty
When Annie was about 4 years old we were at a family reunion.  They had this huge balloon launcher that the kids loved.  There was a bucket of water balloons for the kids to grab from but the lady in charge told the kids they could only take one at a time.  Annie was so excited by the balloon launcher and could barely contain herself as she was reaching to get a water balloon. I kept telling her she could only get one as she kept trying to stuff her arms full.  She also kept trying to bargain with me to get more.  She would say, "I want one."  Then it would be, "I want two."  Then she finally yelled out her unbridled 4 year old request while shaking her hands in the air, "I WANT TWENTY!"  She just couldn't contain herself any longer.  So now when my family is trying to show some restraint -like around a yummy dessert- but we just can't do it anymore we yell out, "I want one, I want two, I WANT TWENTY!"

Lick It
Again when Annie was about 4, she was playing outside with her at the time BFF- Lauren.  They were playing in the dirt making mud.  She came in all muddy and after I cleaned her up, I told her "No more playing the mud." because I didn't want to clean her up again.  She went out to play with Lauren again and when I went out to check on her she was again covered in mud up to her elbows.  I went up to her and asked her what was on her hands.  She looked down at them innocently and said, "chocolate" without missing a beat.  I said, "Really- that's chocolate?"  And she just nodded confidently.  So I said, "If that's chocolate on your hands, lick your fingers."  She hesitated for a moment then gingerly brought her finger up to her mouth and licked the tiniest bit of mud off her fingertip.  I said, "Is it good?"  She again nodded her head, but not so confidently.  I proceeded to take her inside and tell her that I knew it was mud and that she should never lie to her mother because I will always know when she's lying!

Shaky Inside
When Annie was 7 I was making French Dip sandwiches that called for beer.  Since we don't drink alcohol, I was a little nervous using this ingredient.  So I researched it on the internet and found out that when you cook something with alcohol for over 2 hours then all the alcohol cooks out and you are just left with the taste.  Well the facts that the meat cooks in the beer for over 3 hours and everything on the internet you read is true assured me that we would be just fine, so I went ahead and bought the beer.  I put it in my downstairs fridge so I didn't have to answer a lot of questions from enquiring minds.  But then I forgot this and sent Finn downstairs to get a gallon of milk from the same fridge I had put the beer.  Finn came upstairs with the milk and a worried look on his face. "How come we had beer in our fridge?"  Eric quickly and jokingly replied. "Because Mom drinks beer now."  I immediately interjected, "No, I don't!" and proceeded to tell them about how all the alcohol cooks out after 2 hours and you are just left with the taste- as if they understood and couldn't totally see through all my justification!  Eric could apparently see right through me because when I was done with my little explanation he said, "And mom likes the taste of beer."  At this point Annie pipes in with a "And I do too!"  Taken aback I asked, "Annie!  Have you tried beer?"  Annie said, "No, but I want to."  Then she says aside to Finn, "It makes you all shaky inside!"  Needless to say I haven't cooked with beer since!