Up To's

Yesterday - I cut my little girls hair!! I can hardly believe it! Her first hair cut ever, sadness. It was time though, things were looking more straggly than cute. Here are some before and afters:

Before -

After - 

Bye bye little baby wisps! It does look better, like she's a proper little girl now. Where's my baby?!

And this morning I decided to do a little draft for Halloween. My boy wants to be "black Batman", so we pulled out his sweat pants, dad's black socks, and black duct tape and we created this masterpiece -

He's a natural Super Hero I tell you! The poses this boy comes up with!

Of course Evelyn got in on the action. She eventually found a party hat to wear and we dubbed her "party girl". Oh the silliness!

Dear Mom,

I wonder if you know how amazing you are? Sometimes I think you don't, and maybe that's my fault - I don't tell you often enough. I slip onto the well worn path of 'take-you-for-granted', knowing you will always be there for me somehow. In some conversations I hear you tell me how "old" you are. You point out some physical evidence but it doesn't sink in. To me you are always "Mom", young and beautiful. In my mind's eye I see you as that picture hanging next to your bedroom door. You know, the one that was supposed to be of your kids but they all got sick, so you dressed up and went yourself so as not to waist the appointment. I'm glad you did that.

Out of the six of us I am the most like you. I think I can safely say this because my younger sister and brother have more than once called me "mom" while growing up. I'm glad to be like you. Although I have a long way before I am perfected as beautifully as you. You are so generous and self-sacrificing, always willing to help, always striving to be better, always ready to teach.

Even with 6 kids to raise and keep you busy you tried to carve out some time for you. Whether it was exercise, learning stained glass, trying new recipes, or perfecting your bread making talent, you taught me that balance in life is important. As a new mother I know that time out for 'me' is important and even okay, because of you. You taught me about patience, about forgiveness and repentance, about love. You taught me about faith. You taught me to forgo immediate pleasures in order to obtain the prize at the end of the road. You taught me to clean and to not be afraid of do-it-yourself projects, or any other kind of work. You taught me to enjoy cooking, and how a simple treat can brighten a persons whole day. You taught me many things Mom. I'm so glad you're my teacher.

These days I really enjoy our phone calls. Just to tell each other what we are doing that day, to be updated on other family members, to swap information on "deals" we've found, or even to ask you how to make biscuits! You are always ready to share your time with me and it means allot. I'm glad you're my friend.

You ARE amazing Mom. Smart, witty, funny, beautiful and absolutely lovely! Just ask your kids or your husband. We all know the truth. You are our "super-star", the glue that holds us together. I am more than glad to be your daughter! And I love you!

Lessons from Supreheroes: 1

Honestly I don't know much of the "superhero" world (as my husband can tell you). But I know the basics and thought it would be fun to relate them to life lessons that I feel we all can learn from.

So the first "lesson" I have been pondering is how a superhero almost always has a secret identity, and feels it is imperative that that identity stay...secret. And they are absolutely right! How tiresome and even annoying it would be if, all the time, everyone knew you had special powers. They might expect you to be super all the time, they might think you don't ever need a break, down-time, or a few hours to veg in front of the TV, because that's just normal...not super.
But superheroes do need a break, they are normal that way. In fact they are normal enough to fall in love. It has happened many times, and can be a sticky situation for some of them. Sure, they might try to run away because that would be the "smart" thing, the "safe" thing, or the "right" thing, but that never works. Love is stronger than a superhero.
Or course, there is the fear that the one they love won't love the "secret identity" as well as the superness. The super and the secret cannot be separated. They twist together to form the whole personality of a hero, with one always overshadowing the other, depending on which identity is needed. Even superheroes can be insecure with matters of the heart, but the only way a relationship will work for them is if they reveal themselves completely. They must be comfortable sharing both sides of their 'twist'. Then they will know the comfort of having one person they can relax around, be totally un-super with, and feel the release of having no secrets between them.

I suppose the lesson here may be somewhat apparent. We all have different identities really, the one we show for work, the one for friends, the one for family, the one we reserve for ourselves when we are alone. We go through life, hardly noticing the twists in our facade as we expertly turn to show the appropriate identity. And then we fall in love. It can be scary as we put our "whole" selves out there, but it is required for an honest and fulfilling relationship.
I won't say much more on love and relationships. I can only speak from my own experience. And from that experience I can say that it is awesome to have a husband who loves me completely! Some days I'm "super", others days are not so great, but it is wonderful to know that he sees all of my "identities" and loves me no matter what. And I love him back! Happy Valentine's to my own personal Superhero!