A May Day with Monroe

Musings from May

I seriously let things get so behind.  I'm not really sure why.  I'm not sure when my desire to document our moments slipped away into the black abyss known as my google drive.  Here I am seven months behind.  Not an original, insightful post in a long time, and letting the memories go unrecorded.  Zo here I sit, trying daily to do a little to catch up.  These yearly books are all that I have in a hard copy to show how we've spent our days.  I guess I got to the point where I know many memories are recorded on my heart, so I got lazy.  The good news is, I'm playing catch up.  And although I might not have a lot to say, I've got a smile lighting up my face of the days that have passed and how much beauty they've captured.

A new friend from school.

One of them liked the ride.  One of them didn't.

Hide n Seek

50's day at school

Pa helping to put together furniture.

Sisters

Tea time with the God Family.

School Days.

Party with the cousins.

Time with Tita

Kindergarten Cutie

Janessa, I never want to forget the way you flourished this year with your teacher, "Gorgeous, Brainy One."

 Your kind heart made so many friends!  Your amazing brain learned so much and you worked so hard!

There was so much to see and do each day.  You loved school. I love that you loved it so much!

 I can't wait for our field trip to the zoo!  We are going to have so much fun!

 Your clay frog was super cute. Your bee was pretty bee-autiful too!

 I have a thing for fireflies, and I'm excited you do too now.

The thank you bulletin board for the volunteers was the cutest I have ever seen!  I should be thanking you, your teacher, and the class!  My Tuesday mornings were the best days of the week!  I loved being in the lab with you, reading stories, and testing you for AR.  The pleasure has been all mine!

I guess it wouldn't shock anyone that I had to get a grip and hold it together because I really wanted to bawl my eyes out.  For years we have visited the kindergarten classrooms to see what was going on and to prepare for your first year in school.  Now here we are.  It's almost over and you thrived.  I never needed to worry about you in school.  It was me all along that had to come to terms with my baby growing up.  And you are, baby bird.  Yes, you are!

Morning Snuggles

I can't wait for the lazy days of summer; however, since we still have three weeks of school left, I'll take this morning snuggle and cherish it.

Nessa Bessa Ballerina

 We concluded our dance season with a recital.  They performed both ballet and tap.  Just to see the joy on their faces was enough for me. . .and the cute costumes.  Oh my goodness, I was so impressed by her teacher's choices. They were age appropriate and all the girls looked absolutely adorable!

 It was a circus theme, if you can't tell from the backdrop.  In this costume, they were supposed to be snow cones. So cute!

 Their finale and final bow was pretty impressive, considering the number of girls who were circling the stage:  again and again and again.

This was her tap costume.  She loved to shimmy and watch the fringe go!  Super cute but overall, she did not learn too much in the tap department.  She was always behind and watching the girl next to her, who was watching the girl next to her!  It was super funny to watch!

 Her biggest fans were there to cheer her on.

 Grandpa and grandma were impressed by all the sweetness.  I could tell!

Nino brought her flowers.

Another firsts in the book.  A real live dance recital that concluded her year of dance.  We are taking the summer off and will see how she feels in the fall.  Towards the end, she was over it completely.  The only thing that kept her going were the costumes, which she loved!

My Miracle

It's a beautiful thing when things go even better than you expect.  It doesn't surprise me; it just stops me in my tracks to praise Him.  Earlier this week Janessa's Nina and I headed out to UCLA for a check up on Janessa's hips. Baby bird was born breech, had little movement in the womb due to low amniotic fluid and was born with hip dysplacia.

Leg warmers were her BFF's back in the day to prevent chaffing.

I doubted she would ever catch up with babies her own age.  But she crawled when they did--it was an awesome army crawl she mastered.  She walked when they did, with legs wide apart but walking nonetheless.

The doctors were right, she would find a way and not fall behind.  She never did.  I'm so grateful for our Dr. at UCLA who said let's just let her develop. Let her run wild, plie in ballet slippers, shuffle ball chain in tap shoes, kick with no abandon. . .and see what happens this year.  So we did.

We prayed, of course. That was our first line of defense while we waited to see. But we let her be and put it in God's hands.  And Thursday's xrays were absolute perfection.  The discrepancy between her socket and hip were no more.  It's as if there was never even a problem. God is good and so faithful.  He shows up and still works His miracles in His time, for His glory.  For this I am very thankful.

In the scheme of things, this was such a small issue to contend with over the course of the last four years.   But it was something that was not the norm.  I was reminded as we drove the hour and a half away, stuck in traffic, how many people made this same trek with diagnosis' so much worse.  Lives were changed because children were ill and as parents we will do whatever we can to heal them.  So at the end of this, I became thankful for hip dysplacia.  Thankful for the extra time with my girl, thankful for Drs. with her best interest at heart, thankful for car drives with talks and movies and music playing-even the one that involved vomiting into a coffee cup with no change of clothes.  These small annoyances were gifts.  Her healing a gift.  Saying good-bye to the place that treated us so well but was a heck of a long ways away. . .a gift.

Every day. . .a gift.  Closed doors. . .a gift.  New beginnings. . .a gift.

Every little thing, good and bad, eventually becomes a gift.

Nessa Bessa Ballerina

Just had to document our ballerina's first recital.  She has enjoyed her dance class.  She will continue in the new year and I love our walks to and from.  She was surrounded by those who love her most, grandma, nina, and nino.  I appreciate their support and the smile on my girls' face as she danced her heart out.

Birthday Bouncing

Birthday Girl

And when the bouncing was done, I would say ALL the kids, young and old had fun!

And in the Blink of an Eye. . .

She turned five!!!!

Thanksgiving and her fifth birthday all rolled into one.

It seemed especially fitting because she is definitely one to be thankful for.

Like her mama, she seems to balance things out; ease people.

Her smile and easy going nature just brings about a quite comfortable peace.
And that is a gift I am thankful for.

Her and her Nino.

Love From Nina

Shenanigans with Little and Kendra

Probably the only shot I took that wasn't birthday related.

Her little buddy. Ten days apart.

She is front and center of mom and dad.

Thanksgiving 2014 looked very different from years past.  It was quiet.  It was small.  We weren't all together for the first time in a very long time.  There were some gaps.  There were some small moments of missing.
But there were even bigger moments of peace. Joy. Happiness.  
I am reminded how Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."--Matthew 19:14\

There were certain times throughout the evening, while kids played ball, ran in and out of doors, feasted on the patio, and licked ice cream off plates that I realized they were oblivious to the haunting hurts: dad's friend who passed away six years before, the neighbor who died this summer, but whose husband invited us over, Anthony being with his dad, hurt feelings or pain we adults carry burdened by our pasts. . .the kids missed it all.
They only enjoyed the present, lived it for every little thing it had to offer.
They were thankful in its fullest capacity.
To be five again. . .or at least to live like it.
Try it.
Or die trying.