More Happy Halloween!

The kids had a blast on Halloween this year! We started the festivities off by tagging our Christmas Tree!! Yes, it seems like an odd thing to do on Halloween, but we've been told it's the only way to buy a Christmas tree, and getting to pick when it's 70 degrees certainly beats 30! After that we came home and changed into costume to tear up the town! Mommy didn't do the best scheduling job this year, so we missed most of our own neighborhood, but we did get to do some trick-o-treating with Adam, so Lexi was happy. Even better, the kids got to ride in their wagon right up to the steps of each house, and most times didn't even have to step out of the wagon!! That kind of service did not exist when I was a kid! It was a successful night and both kids went to bed happy. :)

Happy Halloween!

Lexi's Hair Cut

So, after chopping my hair off a few weeks ago (I just needed a change for awhile), I decided it was Lexi's turn. Her hair had gotten very long, and while it was adorable in piggy tails and braids, it often just looked messy. So, off we went to see Kelly on Saturday. She did great as always, and sat still and quietly while Kelly pulled her hair into a pony tail and chopped it off!! The resulting cut is very cut, and we'll keep it for awhile.

Here is a cute picture of Lexi washing the dishes (pre-hair cut). She LOVES this job, and begs to do it every night! Luckily, Ahren is patient enough to let her do it. :)

Zachary At 11 Months

Saturday Zachary turned 11 months old. It's so hard to believe he could be one month away from a one year old! He's growing up quickly and doing so many more things every day. He is trying hard to do some real talking now. One of the funniest ways that he babbles is when he goes, "dukadukadukadukaduka...hahahahaha" I really think he's trying to copy us when we are having conversations. Sounds like he's hearing us do a lot of laughing! :) The words that he's working on saying correctly are as follows:

Mama

Dada

Cat (at)

Hi (Hah!)

Uh-oh

I did it (I swear! Usually it's right after he does something and we go, "Hooray!" or "Tada!")

All done

Yah

Shakes his head no

Waves bye-bye

He is also pointing up a storm, although it still seems like he's pointing randomly at things. Either way, the communication is coming, and it's definitely getting exciting. The more we understand what he wants the more excited he gets. :)

He has not yet started to walk, but I really think he could if he just let go. He is very strong and steady on his feet, even standing by himself for a few seconds at a time, so he'll get there soon.

Zachary now has four teeth, and it seems like more are starting to bother him, but he still never gets very cranky. Even when he's sick he has a constant smile on his face. He's just the happiest boy alive.

Yesterday we went to the playground and he had such a blast! I let him go down the slide, through the tunnel, on the bouncy platform, on the swing, and just let him crawl around in the mulch. It was the first time he really got to enjoy the playground himself, and it was a blast watching him have so much fun there.

The last 11 months have flown by, and while I'm so excited to see my baby turn into a little boy, it's sad to see the baby go too...

And The Smokestacks Come Tumbling Down

Last week we had a very exciting adventure at work when right outside our door, two century old smokestacks were imploded. We knew about the event about a week ahead of time, and while I tried to convince Ahren to take the day off to watch (it was his birthday - cool celebration!) it had not occurred to me to take Lexi. Well, I guess it did occur to me, but I thought it would be a terrible idea. But I went with Janice, our assistant, and tried not to freak out when I looked up and saw my dad standing on top (and on the edge) of Building 9 - to get the best view, of course! My dad did get the best shots, but I took the little camera for the video feature, and was glad I did...although I have been having trouble posting videos to the blog lately.

When Lexi came home from school, I told her all about the implosion and showed her the videos (mine, and some for various news websites). She made me show them to her no less than 30 times and asked me why I didn't bring her. I told her that I would have kept her out of school for the morning if I had known how safe it would be, and that I was sorry I didn't. She made me drive her over there to see the remains, and had a million questions about why they took the smokestacks down, if any of the other buildings were hurt, etc. Then she said to me, "Mom, when they build new smokestacks, and then they get old so they have to come down, can you please tell my preschool teachers that I won't be at school that day because I'm going to watch?" I promised I would. :)

Here is a link to my dad's photos from the day.

And here is a link to one of the videos online...though I don't know how long this will remain available.

A Couple Of Cuties

My kids make me laugh everyday. They are my constant source of entertainment, and sometimes can even crack me up when I'm in the most foul of moods. Here are a couple of examples of their adorableness... :)

Lexi:
Lexi received a couple of hair clips in her birthday party goody bag this week. I promised she could wear them on Monday. So, yesterday we were on our way out to the store and she came running over begging me to put the clips in her hair. I did and when I was done she said, "Everyone at the store is going to think I'm SO beautiful! They're going to say, 'Oh, I wish I had a daughter that beautiful!'" Well, at least we know she has a good self esteem! :)

Zach:
Lexi's juice cup was sitting, empty on the coffee table. Zach had already been told earlier in the day not to touch the juice bottle, but of course he saw it sitting there and made a bee line to the table. He pulled himself up while I watched, not wanting to say "no" until I was sure he was going to grab it. He got this HUGE smile on his face and reached out to the bottle, one hand on each side, but not touching it and looked at me like, "See Mama? I'm not touching it!" and started shaking his head no. I smiled at him and shook my head no as well, and he started to put his hands closer to the bottle. I gave the warning, "Zaaach..." and he smiled again at me, shaking his head like, "What, Mama? I'm not doing anything!"...little innocent face smiling all along. We went back and forth like this many times until he did eventually grab it and try to take a sip. He seems to get great amusement from being told "no". It's very funny now that he really understands.

My cuties...

I could write about them all day but I'm late...again...it's just how we roll in the Lippman house.

Fadia

This is Fadia. Sometimes I just cut short my attempts to describe her and what she has meant to my family because I feel like I can't find the words to do her justice. But today I'm going to try.

When Lexi was five months old we (Ahren, my mom, aka daycare provider, and dad, aka boss) decided that we needed just one full day of "real" daycare a week. I, like most moms, was incredibly nervous about sending my baby, my little, tiny, perfect angel, to spend the day with someone I didn't know, along with other little booger nosed kids that I also didn't know. In fact, the idea terrified me. But my dad knew of a women who lived in town who ran a daycare out of her home. Her name was Fadia, and he assured me that she was wonderful and that I would love her as soon as I met her. It took me days to gather the nerve to call her, but when I finally did she invited Ahren and me to come and meet her and see the daycare. So, we made an appointment and went. Immediately upon meeting her, literally within seconds, I knew she would be wonderful. It wasn't that she had entirely re-designed the entire downstairs of her home to be the most perfect environment for kids, or that she had carpeted her yard so that the kids could play outside without her worrying about them putting grass and twigs in their mouths, or that she told me that every day the children had a classroom time where she taught them colors, letters, numbers and THREE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, and exercise time. It wasn't even that she told me that she cooked for the children, from scratch, and made sure that every day they ate healthy, balanced meals in her home. All of this stuff was more that I could have asked for, but none of it was why I knew Lexi would be better than okay there. Fadia has a light, an energy, that simply makes you feel at ease. Every single child in her care simply adores her, and she them. She loves each of those children as though they were her own and has dedicated her entire life to making them feel loved, cared for, and protected.

On that day, almost four years ago, Fadia became a very important part of our family, and I know we wouldn't be where we are today if not for her. There has not been one day in four years that I have worried about leaving either of my children in her care - not even when we brought Lexi to her just a few short days after her surgery. I've often joked with the other moms that our kids are better off when they're with Fadia then when they are with us. Picky eaters will clean their plates at her house. Kids who refuse naps will sleep peacefully for her. She just simply has a way with children that cannot be replicated.

Lexi's last day with Fadia (or Yaya, as she calls her) was yesterday. I know that Lexi will still see Fadia all the time, when she comes to pick up, or drop off Zachary with me, and I know that even after Zachary graduates, we will never lose touch with Fadia, but I was sad for them to have to say goodbye to each other. I've always felt as though Fadia and Lexi have a special bond, and I know that Lexi's days with Fadia were some of her happiest days. She loves preschool, and she's happy, bright and ready to move on, but there will always be a place in her heart for her Yaya.

For me, Fadia is part of my village - a very important part. She teaches me a lot about how to raise children, how to relax and sometimes let them take the lead, and at the same time how to guide them in the right direction. We agree and disagree on a lot of things, but we both agree that when my kids are with me I do it my way, and when they are with her she does it her way, and for us it works. We've laughed together and cried together, and I know that she loves my kids as much as I do. Fadia is my friend and without her I truly don't know where we'd be. We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

I've tried my best, but I simply cannot find the words to truly describe Fadia. All I can say is that we are so, so lucky that she is in our lives. For their last day together, I wrote a small poem for Fadia and Lexi decorated a beautiful frame for her. She told me in 18 years it was the best gift she had ever received because it came from our hearts. That, it did, and she deserved nothing less.

F is for the fun I have with you every single day.
A is for always giving me hugs and kisses and showing me how much you love me.
D is for the delicious food you make for me, from scratch, from your heart.
I is for inspiring me to learn and challenge myself.
A is for always – how long I will know you and love you and thank you.
“Fadia” is your name and how most people know you,
But “Yaya” is the name that I think really fits you.
You’ve helped me grow and learn and play
And I’ve felt safe and loved each day.
You’re more like family in my heart
So in my heart, we’ll never part.

Love, Lexi