Missy's World...

I really could fill a book with just quotes that come from this little girl's mouth--quotes that truly make me belly laugh. She is not trying to be funny in the least, but the things that come out of her, and the way she sees and interacts with the world are sometimes so humorous... Of the three, she is probably the most tender-hearted and sensitive... although, the very thin layer on her outside can be tough, contrary, an dramatic!

At prayer-time, this little angel has her eyes closed the tightest and her hands clasped most earnestly...her heart-felt blessings for those around her can bring me to tears. Her Grandma Frances passed away a few weeks ago, and she said that she and Papa (her grandpa who passed away three years ago) were "alive in heaven together now." She blessed her friend's mom who "is also in heaven now," and lists all the special people in her life (including our dog, cat and her stuffed bunny)...She recaps all her feelings throughout the day--who she's angry at, what made her sad, why she doesn't want her brothers touching her pillow, ALL in her bedtime prayers...Sometimes her conversations with God can be verrrrrrryyyy looooooong, but she means every word of it from deep in her special little soul...

And then to round out the day, we'll have a conversation such as the one we had today, when she told me how excited she was to be invited to her friend Isabella's birthday party. She listed all her friends that would be there, and said "AND Adam will be there too, Mama!", smiling and obviously very happy about it. So when I asked if Adam was her "special" friend, she replied very matter-of-factly, "No... Adam is the boy I punched in the stomach. But he's my friend now." And that's our little princess in a nutshell...

The Talent Show

A few months ago, Matthew and Missy decided they wanted to do a karate demonstration for the school's annual talent show, and their wonderful karate instructor/ babysitter Mr. Joe agreed to help them. Three weeks before the big night, Matthew had second thoughts and wanted to "change his mind." He felt anxious and nervous about being in front of all his schoolmates, and I told him that I was not going to force him to participate if he really didn't want to. It looked as though the show may go on with only Missy performing, which would have been fine...but Mr. Joe had a long talk with Matthew and asked him to reconsider---that once they practiced their routine, he would feel more comfortable, know what to expect, and he would be proud that he did it after it was over. Reluctantly, Matthew agreed to think it over...he rehearsed the performance willingly, and gradually he became more confident in what they would be doing...

Missy was pretty much along for the ride, oblivious to what it all meant at first, and depending on her mood she would either be really happy about practicing or in tears proclaiming the end of the world. On the first particularly difficult evening, in between crying episodes, I finally just told her, “Missy I’ll give you five bucks if you practice nicely and do your very best for this talent show.” Not one of my proudest motherly moments, but it got her through that evening thankfully. The rehearsals after that went pretty smoothly, and Mr. Joe was a trooper, keeping them focused and motivated…

The big night finally came, and the atmosphere in the big high school auditorium was exciting. Kids wearing their performance numbers around their necks, squealing with anticipation...families waiting anxiously for their little “stars” to perform… The “one” performance we were interested in (of the 69 total acts that would last 4.5 hours we were told) was THANKFULLY number 3 on the list…AND THEY WERE WONDERFUL. Missy looked like she was in her glory, grinning from ear to ear running, jumping, kicking and having the best time. Even Matthew looked as though he was enjoying himself and took the performance very seriously. They received enthusiastic applause from the audience, and Missy looked as though she wanted to stay on the stage just soaking in all the accolades. It was a fantastic finish to a journey that started off a little bumpy…It was a relief to be done, but everyone was happy about the outcome…

On the way home, reflecting on the experience, Matthew’s first comment was, “That was really fun!” and he was glad that he ended up deciding to go through with it…That so warmed my heart…and made me very proud….Our little princess Missy had her first comment the second she came gliding ever so happily off the stage and came to sit next to me in the audience. I was beaming with pride at her accomplishment and how she was like a little ray of sunshine up there. She leaned over to me, I leaned closer to her, thinking how beautifully my little kindergartener was blossoming…and she looked at me very seriously straight in my eyes and said, “Can I have my five bucks now?”