I learned how to colorize a photo! I had had the capabilities all along and didn’t even know it. Here is my first shot:
Yes, I fully confess I upped the blue in her eyes. But the original color photo was taken under such yellow lighting (stained glass) that it really muted the blue in her eyes.
Sometimes it is a doozy of a day that can get you, sometimes it is a whole week. I have been extra busy mostly because of a week I had last week – it started of with a bang. Tessa came home from school with a fever the bloomed into full blown croup, and by the end of the day Max had it too.
On Wednesday the littles were still sick, nothing new there. But then James was hit by a car on his way to school! Talk about a heart stopping phone call. Thankfully, he was the one who called me – laying in the street, waiting for the paramedics, he called me. So I knew he couldn’t have been too hurt. Still, I rushed over there and saw my poor baby in a lot of pain, being loaded into an ambulance. After a short stay in the ER, we discovered that he is very bruised and has a hairline fracture in a lumbar vertebra. There isn’t a whole lot they could do for that, just tell him to get lots of rest and not jar his spine around.
Thursday began bright and beautiful with a visit from the vomit fairy. Three kids down with that one. It was a short virus though – only about ten hours. But still… little people who cannot understand that we puke in the toilet or a bowl can make a HECK of a mess.
It was interesting to discover that Max had some kind of vomit sensor for Lily. He would say, “Mom, Lily is going to throw up!” and 30 seconds later, I kid you not, Lily would fountain up her stomach contents. By the end of the day I learned to listen to him when he said that.
While it sounded like a horrible week, it was an easy week to focus on the good and to be thankful. James accident could have been so much worse in so many different ways. But he is fine (if sore) and the kids are all well again.
I cut Tessa’s hair. It was so dry on the ends, it had to be done. But I hoped that cutting it would remove some weight and the curls would perk up more.
I was wrong.
She just has (lovely) deep waves. The ringlets are GONE.
Before:
After:
A Sad Goodbye:
She is still my vivacious beautiful Tessa, she just has a little less hair to show for it. But she loves her hair and it is much easier for her to deal with now.
Tessa lost her first tooth a couple days ago. She was so excited, she actually pulled it out herself! We got it all ready in an envelope and put it under her pillow, but a few minutes later she came to me and said, “I want to take it to school for show and tell before I give it to the tooth fairy.” So I said okay, and told her to go put it in her backpack.
Then last night, she did put it under her pillow. I didn’t remember it was there and apparently my husband didn’t either, so when she woke up and checked, she was just destroyed. The tooth fairy hadn’t come.
So Jay went and got a couple of dollars and went to go help her look for it and see if maybe the Tooth Fairy had just left the tooth, since it was her first tooth and all, she might want to keep it. He reached behind her bed and pulled out the $2 and said, “Oh, here it is!”
Tessa replied, “No, that is just the money I took out of my piggy bank.”
So he had to leave her with the $2 and we have to try this ALL OVER AGAIN tonight. (Drat! Why do we never have any cash around here?)
That Tooth Fairy, she is a busy gal! Sometimes it can take a few days before she picks up your tooth!
Little stinker! She is going to get paid twice!
Today was a lovely day for a field trip. I dropped Max off with his Nina (Godmother) and Lily and I went to join Tessa’s kindergarten class at the science center.
But a simple trip is never nearly as easy as it sounds. Halfway there I realized that I had no cash and was going to have to park downtown. I called Jay, the Human Map of Phoenix and asked him where the nearest bank was. Money, check. On to the parking garage.
We drive a large vehicle. A very large vehicle. We drive a Ford 15 passenger van (with the back bench taken out to make room for multitudes of stuff) and it is very tall. I am not sure how tall, but I know that I have squeezed into parking garages that said 6 feet 10 inches and have hit the bar in ones that say 6 feet 6 inches. I have been to the Science Center many, many times. They have a nice parking garage that the van fits in and, when you get your ticket validated at the science center, it only cost $1 to park. Not too bad! But today when I pulled in to park in that garage, the bar said 6 feet 6 inches. WHY ON EARTH would they lower the allowed car height? I know my van can fit in there, but now it won’t fit under their stupid bar at the entrance.
This is the SECOND time this has happened to me this year. Just a few weeks ago I had to take Max to a specialist appointment at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. I have parked in their garage a dozen times at least but they had changed their allowed height and put a bar in the entrance that measured 6 feet 6 inches. In fact, that is where I learned that I couldn’t fit under it. Shh, don’t tell. At Phoenix Children’s Hospital though, there is NO OTHER PATIENT PARKING. None. Zip… well, except for handicapped. I looked and looked for a place to legally park and could not find anything that did not have either a handicapped sign or say “Reserved for Dr So-and-so”. So I parked in Dr So-and-so’s space and hoped that I didn’t get towed. What is a girl to do when there is NO OTHER PARKING?
Anyway, back to today. I couldn’t park in the Science center parking garage so I had to go across the street and park (for TEN dollars!) in the Civic Plaza garage. Whatever. We made it in on piece and got to take part in the field trip.
We used to be members of the Science Center, but now I remember why we are not any more. First they charge you either membership or entrance fee. No problem (except that it is super expensive!) but then they have taken up huge chunks of their floor and exhibit space for special features that you have to pay extra for. So even if you are a member you will have to fork over a whole ‘nother wad of cash to get access to the few exhibits that have not already been there for more than ten years. To me it sounds like a bit of a r-i-p o-f-f. Take floor space away from the membership paying public and put it all towards events that their membership doesn’t cover access to. I was actually thinking that we should renew our membership just the other day so that I could take Max there more often. We won’t be doing that. They took away the little children’s area to put in… you guessed it, a paid exhibit.
But the field trip itself was lovely. The kindergarteners had their sixth grade buddies with them (so Tessa really didn’t spend much time with me, but she wanted me there anyway) and they got to see an Imax movie as well. I kind of got to watch it, I saw the parts that I could see when Lily wasn’t grabbing the 3-D glasses off my face. Then we all went to the park for lunch. A bit of an adventure, but a lovely day nonetheless!
This morning we picked up a few groceries from Trader Joes. On the way out I noticed the real evergreen wreaths by the door and said, “Mmm… lets smell the wreaths!”
I took a deep breath and they smelled so lovely and fresh and evergreen-y.
Tessa smelled them, wrinkled up her nose and said incredulously, “They smell like TREES!”
I’m not sure what she was expecting!
Christmas Greetings from the Groft Zoo! Things are crazy around here as always, but here is a brief update about what we have been up to.
Paisley – A senior at Bourgade this year, she is looking forward to turning 18 in March and moving out to begin living the college life. She is working two jobs right now as well as keeping her grades up. She directs two children’s choirs and is working at a skateboarding shop. In her free time she shops and hangs out with her friends.
James – 15 now and itching to be 16 and drive! He is active in the youth group and continues to make trips a few times a year to help build houses for the poor in Mexico. He plays bass, guitar, and piano as much as he can, and has been performing monthly at an Art Walk downtown.
Posy – Nearly a teenager! She will be 13 in February. Posy loves to help people, she is always at her Nana’s helping her out, and she is invaluable around here. She works very hard in school to keep up her grades. She loves to read and hang out with her friends. She is involved in two choirs, one with her Grandpa and one at our parish.
Ben – 10 years old and always has his nose in a book! He has a wonderful imagination and way with words. He is always a joy to be around. He started band in school this year and is playing the trombone.
Tessa – started Kindergarten this year! She is so grown up and is definitely all Girl! She loves to play dolls and house and has discovered arts & crafts. Her favorite activity right now is coloring. She loves to give her creations to anyone she cares for. She recently began violin lessons.
Max – turns 3 on Christmas Eve. He loves to talk, although his lisp makes him hard to understand sometimes. He is very loving and very much a little homebody. He also began violin lessons with Tessa. We were blessed to find a lovely teacher who is working patiently with both kids.
Lily – the newest Groftling. Lily is now 3 months old, she was born on September 14, delivered by her daddy because the midwife hadn’t yet arrived! Thankfully the midwife arrived only a few moments later. She is a beautiful baby who loves to be swaddled and snuggled. Her siblings all adore her.
Jay & Jenni – Jay is working hard testing tanks and every spare moment Is taken up by singing. He is putting together a CD and hopes to have it out early in 2008! Jenni stays home with the kids and tries to keep the peace and keep the house from being condemned. She sews, scrapbooks, and reads when she can but those times come seldom with a tiny baby in the house.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! May you be blessed and safe in the coming months!
This past Sunday, while we were waiting for mass to begin, Max was watching the violinist warm up. So I let him go out into the aisle to watch her a little closer. She motioned to him to come and touch her violin.
He walked over, ever so tentatively, and touched it. Then she handed him the bow and showed him how to move it over the strings. While he did that she helped him play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. He was enchanted! Then she looked up to me and said, “I have started children as young as two and a half before.”
Well, I thought, we can’t just pass on an opportunity like this! This past summer I had started trying to find a Suzuki teacher for Max and Tessa but they were all too far away so I gave up. This nice lady may not be a Suzuki teacher, but I figured she had experience with very small children. So Jay and I talked and decided that we would do whatever it took to get the kids into lessons with her.
I called her last night. I am so amazed at how blessed we are.
AND… (drumroll please) she is certified in the Suzuki method.
I am totally doing the happy dance!
Tessa’s first year of t-ball was a big success. She started out the year not knowing anything about it at all. The first time she hit she immediately ran out after the ball along with the other team. And she asked me why some of the kids on her team (actually the other team) were wearing a different color. 🙂
But she enjoyed hanging out with her new friends and by the end of the season she was catching and fielding balls and knew which way to run when she hit it.
Scene – Jay is fixing the downstairs toilet.
Tessa: Why did Jesus create Toilets?
Jay: Actually God gave us the brains to invent toilets, the kind of toilet we use was invented by a man named John Crapper.
Tessa: Did he know his name was a bad word?