Like a weed

With her 3rd birthday coming up next week, L'il Sis had a check-up today. Since her last exam in early Feb., this child has grown 1-1/4 inches! Good grief! She's just over 3'3" now. I really am going to be the shrimp of the family and it's going to happen a lot sooner than I'll be ready.

Hero

Last week, the girls and I drove to Virginia to visit old friends during Spring Break. When we got tired of the radio, we switched to CDs. One of our favorites lately has been the Shrek 2 soundtrack. As we listened to Jennifer Saunders' version of "Holding Out for a Hero," my 6 year old suddenly said, "They're singing about Daddy." She went on to add, "The song. They're describing Daddy. He's strong." A little later, "He's fast, too." And he's definitely our hero.


Here are the lyrics:

• Where have all the good men gone/And where are all the gods?
• Where's the street-wise Hercules/To fight the rising odds?
• Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
• Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need
• (Chorus)I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night/He's gotta be strong/And he's gotta be fast/And he's gotta be fresh from the fight/I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light/He's gotta be sure/And it's gotta be soon/And he's gotta be larger than life(larger than life)
• Somewhere after midnight/In my wildest fantasy
• Somewhere just beyond my reach/There's someone reaching back for me
• Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat/It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
• Up where the mountains meet the heavens above/Out where the lightning splits the sea
• I could swear that there's someone somewhere/Watching me
• Through the wind and the chill and the rain/And the storm and the flood
• I can feel his approach/Like the fire in my blood(like a fire in my blood x4)
• hero
• I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light/and he's gotta be sure
• And it's gotta be soon/And he's gotta be larger than life
• hero/oh I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
• He's gotta be strong/And he's gotta be fast/And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
• I need a hero

[Thanks to www.stlyrics.com for the lyrics!]

Easter

L'il Sis missed out on Easter egg decorating when she fell asleep coming home from dinner on Saturday night. But her sister and cousins made enough mess for themselves and her. (Check out Big Sis's hands) My sister had provided an egg coloring kit that billed itself as "less mess." Au contraire, mon frere! We might have been better off just dipping the kids in vats of dye and getting it over with.

Enjoying Easter morning with the cousins.

So, what's in your basket/bucket/whatever?

It was so cold that the kids originally had their egg hunt in the living room. Later in the afternoon, the older kids hid eggs for the younger ones in the front yard. Here, Big Sis is "helping" L'il Sis find eggs. Since she hid them, she knew just where L'il Sis should look! Actually, she was really sweet and it was one of those moments when you look at them and think, "Now why can't you be this nice to each other ALL the time?" Yes, I know, major wishful thinking on my part. Hey, a mom can dream!

What a difference a few months make

The girls with our neighbor's dog: The amazing thing about this picture is that neither child would have been this close to a dog (willingly) before we left Korea just a few months ago. Our older daughter has taken her new-found comfort level with dogs to frightening new heights. She managed to trap a stray dog in a neighbor's garage last weekend. It was skittish and eventually would only follow her. We had several lectures afterward, including one by email from Dad, about not approaching or touching strange dogs. Every word seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Maybe if I keep lecturing, she will absorb the message eventually? While we don't want her to be afraid of dogs, we also don't want her approaching every dog she sees as not all dogs are friendly. Fortunately, her little sister (usually, the daredevil in the family) still has a healthy dose of caution in this area. Which is so ironic considering their personalities.