Let it snow...huh?

Image taken January 27, 2011 with Nikon D3000

Today in Maryland, we have a forecast of snow. It's October. We should be wearing sweaters and trapsing through pumpkin patches. But alas, we have our shovels at the ready, movies lined up by the TV, and hot chocolate ready to brew.

Isabelle is so excited for snow! She's ready to go sledding now. Fortunately for us, she won't get a chance to sled in the bounties of this first "snow fall". It's gonna melt on contact, if it happens at all. Not so fortunate for her.

Ed & I were just assessing her winter clothes the other day to figure out what we need to find or buy. A snow suit is on the list but that's one of those things you just hate spending money on because you know, what if it doesn't snow? Well, considering we have snow in the forecast in OCTOBER, I think it's safe to go purchase a snowsuit. Maybe it will ward off the evil white stuff for the bulk of the next 4 months. We'll start at the consignment shops and emailing friends, and go from there.

Let it snow!

You'll poke your eye out

When I picked Isabelle up from school today, the teacher pulled me into the hallway and closed the door. Uh oh...

Turns out Isabelle was reading a book today and another kid was counting pumpkins on the page at the same time and Iz didn't like that so much, so she poked the kid in the eye. This led to a stint in the time-out chair so she could think about it, then she had to talk about it with the teacher, and obviously she had to apologize to the poor kid she poked.

At home, she gets no dessert for two nights, and we're just hoping this was a one-time thing.

So Grown Up

A lot of you family-member out-of-towners are going to see Isabelle very soon. Mom-Mom Su-Su and Pop-Pop Bill are coming to Maryland this weekend. Uncle Don is coming to visit in November (Aunt Susan will hopefully be able to visit in December). And then for Thanksgiving, we're going to see Grandpa Siler, Abuela Carmen, Aunt Jessie, Uncle Luis, Aunt Tashi, and Cousin Nafet for a very nice long 12-day vacation!

Y'all in Maryland get to see Iz a little more often, but Ed & I had to sit back, take notice, and sigh in disbelief tonight at how old? mature? grown-up? all-of-the-above? our little Isabelle is becoming! Maybe it's the new big girl school? Maybe it's just the fact that she's turning four? Maybe it's because we've been watching baby videos of her lately which make my heart melt into puddles?

But you really do have to see her. And talk to her. She ain't the same kid you last interacted with. Call her sometime. She answers the house phone now (yea, really). And she's just all of a sudden a big kid. I can't put it into words and it's driving us crazy.

Anyway, sorry, I'm just being nostalgic. My little brother and my sister-in-law are about to have a baby next month and they will be embarking on a great journey. A scary journey. But so worth the trip.

Jesus Is Coming...Perhaps Today

Ed & I saw that message on a church sign once. It kind of creeped us out. And we never forgot it. We kind of laugh about it now, but it did make us take pause when we read it all those years ago.

Tonight, we were saying bedtime prayers with Isabelle. She does a "special prayer" sometimes if we have someone who really needs an extra prayer, or we want to ask God to help us with something special.

She told us she had a special prayer tonight, so we waited for her to belt it out.

She prayed, "Dear God, I really hope we see you in our house tomorrow."

Ha ha, uhhhhh, I kind of hope we don't, Iz!!!

PS: As an addendum, we explained to her that God is always with us even when we don't see him. We didn't leave the poor kid hanging.

Click, Clack, Clique

I chaperoned Isabelle's first Field Trip today, to the County Fair, and I felt like I woke up in a bad dream, back on the grade school playground for the first time, wondering who would be my friend in an uncertain world. Why did none of my girlfriends warn me of the Preschool Mom Cliques that I was going to encounter?

There are 12 kids in Izzi's class, and I think I counted 6 chaperones? I figured, naively, that all 12 kids, 2 teachers, and 6 chaperones would hang out together today, getting to know one another, comparing stories, and sharing a few laughs. I was mistaken. Boy, was I mistaken.

When the kids got off the bus, each chaperone was handed their own child, plus a random kid they've never met with enough tickets to get in the gate.

All the chaperones were off and running with their kids, as I stood at the gate looking very perplexed. Did I miss the memo? Did they hand out an itinerary and I didn't get one? Where are we supposed to meet up?

I found the teacher and asked her what the plan was and she simply said, "Have fun! This is kind of how our Field Trips go, all the chaperones just do whatever the kids want to do. We don’t try to stick together. Just meet back at the bus at 11:20.”

I looked at my phone and saw 9:02 on the display. Two. Hours. Eighteen. Minutes. To. Go.

So off I went, a solo adult with two 3-year-old girls, in a sea of amped up Preschoolers and dazed chaperones. We made our way up the hill through the vendors who were opening their booths for the day. Isabelle’s friend (let’s call her Betsy) asked me to buy her every toy and piece of sugar we passed. I had to kindly say no and try to divert the girls’ attention to something else…like the next vendor…offering sugar…and plastic garbage…only to say no again.

I ran into a pair of Moms who were chaperoning their own 2 girls plus a third. I thought it would be fun for the girls to hang out together so I introduced myself to one of the Moms who was closest to me when standing at the pigpen (literally, a pen full of 200-pound hogs).

I simply said, “Hi, I’m Jen, Isabelle’s Mom.” She literally looked at me, said “Hi”, and turned her back and walked away. No introduction. No joke. Thanks for playing, but your kind isn’t welcome here.

This was the same Mom who was at Back-to-School night last week and made a snide remark about how “working Moms” should not volunteer their time if they aren’t serious about helping out.

As I found out, these 3 girls from class knew each other (and had been friends) before they got to this school. Enter the Premiere Preschool Mom Clique. I think I’m on the other side of that Iron Curtain, at least until the Cold war ends.

I had to laugh as she walked away with a slurp of pig s#it on her cork wedge sandals. Watch out, Mom Clique #1. Just wait ‘til I recruit my posse.

Overheard in the WWOI

We were sitting down to our Friday Pizza night. Ed got our "Pastore's Seasoning" out of the pantry (Italian Spice Mix). We both sprinkled a generous amount on our slices with Isabelle curiously looking on.

She looked at Ed and very seriously asked, "Daddy, why are you putting that grass on your pizza?"

Nutrimentum spiritus

That means "food for the soul", an inscription on the Royal Library in Berlin.

We had a family outing to the Library tonight. Let me tell ya, us Silers know how to have a good time! We had a stash of books to return and while we were there, Isabelle got her very own Library Card and a sticker to prove it. She's so cool.

But let me back up a bit. We were pulling into the parking lot and I reminded Isabelle (because it's been a while since she's been to the library) that we have to be very quiet in the Library and use our whispery voices. She agreed, said she remembered, and then demonstrated her very best whispers.

Then she took on a very concerned tone and asked, "But, Mommy, I can still sneeze, right?"

"Yes, of course you can still sneeze"

"And, Mommy, what if I have to cough? Will I get in trouble for making noise?"

"No, a cough is OK, just make sure to cough into your elbow."

"Right, Mommy...And Mommy? Is it OK to burp in the Library?"

After Ed & I finished laughing....

"Yes, I think that would be OK, Iz, but let's try not to burp in the Library, OK?"

"OK, Mommy...and I won't fart either, OK?"