Tuesday, August 24, 2010

treat her well

We lost internet halfway through the summer and thats why you haven't heard from me! I am home and Bailee went to kindergarten today! I will post more about Florida, but that is not on my mind right now. I read this excerpt of a song on my sister's friend's blog a few years ago.. (maybe only a couple, I don't remember) and I told myself I wanted to put it on my blog when Bailee went to kindergarten, but never thought it would come this fast! I had to change a couple things to make it fit Bailee a little more, but here it is. My little Bailee is in kindergarten right now and I have no clue what she is doing or feeling.

Dear World:
I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two {blue} eyes...and a happy laugh that ripples all day long.. and a flash of light {blonde} hair that bounces in the sun when she runs.I trust you'll treat her well.
She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning...and skipping off down the street to her first day of school. And never again will she be completely mine.Prim and proud she'll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say "Goodbye" and walk with little lady steps to the schoolhouse.
Now she'll learn to stand in lines...and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She'll learn to tune her ears for the sounds of school-bells...and deadlines...and she'll learn to giggle...and gossip...and look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy 'cross the aisle sticks out his tongue at her. And now she'll learn to be jealous. And now she'll learn how it is to feel hurt inside. And now she'll learn how not to cry.
No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in the sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn and kiss lilac blooms in the morning dew. No, now she'll worry about those important things...like grades and which dress to wear and whose best friends is whose. And the magic of books and learning will replace the magic of her blocks and dolls. And now she'll find new heroes.
For five full years now I've been her sage and Santa Claus and pal and playmate and mother and friend. Now she'll learn to share her worship with her teachers ...which is only right. But no longer will I be the smartest woman in the whole world. Today when that school bell rings for the first time...she'll learn what it means to be a member of the group...with all its privileges and its disadvantages too.
She'll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud...or kiss dogs...or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms...or even watch ants scurry across cracks in sidewalks in the summer.Today she'll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. And I'll stand on the front porch and watch her start out on the long, lonely journey to becoming a woman.So, world, I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two {blue} eyes...and a flash of light {blonde} hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.

I trust you'll treat her well.

I Trust You'll Treat Her Well
Author: Victor Buono






6 comments:

erica said...

wow janelle, your little girl is growing up! she is adorable, i would love to get together soon, it's been too long.

the cole family said...

Thanks for making me cry!! And I still have 3 more years before Kindergarten!! GEEEZ.

If it's alright with you, I'd like to copy this for my little girl's first day of school too. I'll be in your shoes before I know it. :)

MamaSue said...

That pretty much sums things up doesn't it. You are a great mom, you have done a great job! She is ready, and we are all very excited about the things she will do and learn. But, somehow I believe Bai will always take time to smell the roses, watch an ant, and love her dolls. She will rise above the hard times and shine through it!

Jolene said...

Wow! You've got me all misty-eyed! I can't believe Bai is off to kindergarten! They really do grow up so fast! Sam hit the 9 mo. mark yesterday and even though it feels like he just got here, we're not too far from that first birthday. I feel like I can't even blink without him growing up more! Good luck Bai! And good luck, mom!

Jolene said...

Thought you might like this:
From: http://saraellington.wordpress.com

When my daughter Anna started kindergarten, she walked into her classroom and shooed me (the helicopter parent) away with the statement, “You can go now, Mommy.” She didn’t bat an eye, much less shed a tear. I, however, barely made it to the car before I collapsed into a fit of sobs, pitifully hugging the steering wheel. I was handing her off to strangers — people I was sure would have a much greater impact on her life than I would now. As far as I was concerned, I might as well have been sending her off to college…”I’ve done all I could, I hope she turns out okay.” I soon realized, as I showed up almost daily at the school for Reading Renaissance, Thursday folders, Room Parent meetings, class parties and lunch visits, that I hadn’t exactly sent her off into the big, scary world all by herself. But that first day, it sure felt like it. Why couldn’t she stay little just a little longer, how was school going to change her? Where had all the time gone?

Just a few months later I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and my world was completely turned upside down. Suddenly I wasn’t worried about Anna growing up, I was worried about missing it. In a horrifying flash everything was brought into perspective: what if I didn’t see her get her driver’s license, her first date, her prom…what if I didn’t see her start second grade? I realized how lucky I was that I had been there to see her start kindergarten — something I had completely taken for granted. Watching our children grow up is a gift. Yes, it is bittersweet because nothing makes the swift passage of time more visible than when our children, who it seems were babies just yesterday, are letting go of our hands and walking off on their own.

Now that I am cancer-free and life has returned to the normal (read: chaotic) tempo, I find myself again getting caught up in the whirlwind that is life with kids. But more often than ever it hits me to stop. Stop and savor this moment. And I forget the To-Do List and I bury my face in their hair and relish just being here with them right now.

Sara Ellington is author of The Must-Have Mom Manual and The Mommy Chronicles, both with Stephanie Triplett.

meg said...

Wow - she looks so very old in those pictures. And so full of life. And so ready... and that is all SO because of you, Janelle. [And Dan, too, of course.] She knows she's loved and part of something, and she has an imagination to boot! Thanks for sharing her with us. We capital-A Adore her! Hooray for Bai!

My pretty little butterfly

My pretty little butterfly
sorry it is not at all centered...

cleaning out the closet

cleaning out the closet
It was so fun for her to find old things in our closet that had been "missing"

You've gotta love her!

You've gotta love her!

Bailee-isms

  • 12/20/08 We were at the annual Case Christmas party. Grandma Betty and Grandpa Dwayne were nice enough to buy us Sizzler lunch and then had a program at their home. Before I tell the story, I need to clarify that Grandma Betty is from England and still has her accent - which I love! Bailee wanted to ride in Grandma Betty and Grandpa Dwayne's car from Sizzler but we told her no since her car seat was already in ours. Bailee: "I just want to go with them because I love them so much." Grandma Sue : " I know, and they love you, too." Bailee: "But Grandma Betty says it weiood" (wierd without the "r" sound)
  • 11/10/08 We were "puppy sitting" for Dave and Sue overnight so they could spend a night in Midway. Part of Bailee's bedtime routine is that she gets to have "snuggle-wuggles" right before bed every night. Snuggle wuggles started as being a Backyardigans show but has evolved to being a choice between playing make believe with toys, a show, or something else she really wants to do before bed. Well this particular night I gave her the choice between Dragon Tales or going to the store with me and she chose the show. When it was over and I said it was time to brush teeth and go to bed, she started to cry and throw one of her tantrums. She said she wanted to go to the store with me, I then reminded her that she chose the show over going to the store. She replied very seriously that when she chose the show, she was just teasing me. Very smart response.. it didn't fly and she was not a happy girl going to bed that night
  • 11/12/08 We were driving home from Dave and Sue's and Bailee said "What does 'age' mean?" Dan and I weren't quite sure what she said, so we asked her to repeat it and she did. We still weren't sure if she said "H" or "age." Usually she can explain what she is saying by thinking of another word or saying it in a sentence. We asked her to say it in a sentence or tell us when and how she heard it. She stammered a little, then said "You know, like my feet are big." Dan and I tried very hard not to laugh and she finally said "Like I am a big girl." So then I said.. "Okay, you mean 'age'. That is like how old you are, so your age would be 3. When someone asks you what your age is, you would say 3." So Dan said "Yeah. It is like someone asking you how old you are. What are you going to say when someone asks you what your age is?" and Bailee said, "That I am a big girl!" Maybe you had to be there or it was pretty late, but it was very funny.
  • Grandma Sue bought a doctors kit for the grandkids. It came with a couple of cards that showed what to do with the "tools" - kind of like directions. When we were cleaning up all the parts to it, Bai couldn't find the cards and she was saying over and over.. "where are the indirections? " I think she was mixing up the words "instructions" and "directions." It is very cute that her vocabulary is growing so fast that she just has a ton of information to sort through. I am biased, but I definitely think she is a smartie!
  • Bailee was trying to get Dan to fill up her aqua-doodle pen with water so she could color on her mat, but apparently Dan wasn't jumping on the task. He continued to get ready for work and gather his things when Bailee said very demandingly "Dad, when you are all done with this world stuff, will you please fill this up with water?!" It definitely got his attention and he filled it up with water and she went on her way.
  • Bailee was talking with her cousin, Aliyah, and her grandma Packer about places they have been and things they have seen. My mom brought up that Aliyah was in a whale's mouth at Storybook land and Bai was in a shark's mouth in Disneyworld. They were laughing about that and my mom said, "Weren't you scared in the mouth?" and Bailee looked at my mom with her index finger pointed at her and said, " Remember grandma, those things are just PRETEND!" My mom thought it was very cute how Bailee was trying to comfort her on the scary pretend things that are out there.
  • Bailee is pretty much a vegetarian and refuses to eat meat - except for chicken nuggets and taco soup). In colorado, they took out a lunchable jr. and she wouldn't eat the meat. Well, someone told her that the meat would make her jump higher. She had a couple bites of the meat and walked away. Sue asked "Did you like it?" and Bai said "yeah, I am going to see if I can jump higher now, though." She jumped and everyone cheered - Maybe she will continue to eat meat and end up in the olympics!
  • Bailee was riding home from a dinner in the back seat of papa Dave and grandma Sue's car. Her uncle Andy was sitting next to her talking to her when the sun came shining into the car all of a sudden and her grandparents both burst into song "Here Comes the Sun, do do do do.." Uncle Andy then whispered to Bai "Grandma and Grandpa are getting old." and bailee replied, "Grandma's not old, but Papa is."
  • Being the great English buff that he is, Bailee's uncle Jason was trying to enhance Bailee's vocabulary by teaching her some new words. One of the words was "plump." He told her about having a nice, big, juicy, plump apple. Then he went on to explain that it meant "big." Bailee then was able to catch on and said, "Like you, uncle Jason?"
  • When Bailee says prayers, she really lets Heavenly Father into her heart. She has said things like, "please bless that I can watch a movie tomorrow. Please bless that I can get tinkerbell makeup at the store. Please bless I can sleep the whole night in my bed. Please bless we will grow up healthy and go to heaven."
  • Bai was helping grandma Sue wrap some baptism gifts and asked her what they were for. Sue said that they were for her primary kids who were going to be baptized and when Bailee turned 8, she would also be baptized. Bai looked at grandma like she was out in the night and said " Oh, no, grandma, I am going to be a doctor when I grow up!"
  • We were leaving grandma Sue and papa Dave's so Bai went and hugged grandma and said "I love you, grandma." Dan told her to go and tell grandpa the same thing so she went and hugged grandpa and said " Papa, I love grandma."
  • Bailee thought her pee would be pink after she drank her strawberry milk. After I told her it would still be yellow or clear, she still had her hopes up. When we got home, she ran to the bathroom to go potty and we heard her disappointed voice come from the bathroom saying "Yep, it's still yellow."

Sweet Afton

Sweet Afton
She was such a trooper during the trip- she really is such a good baby!

What happens when a 3 year old is holding up a 6 month old for pictures...

She's still doin okay...

wooops !!!

making the cake

making the cake
well I guess she is not quite in the process of making it here - more posing

making/eating the frosting

making/eating the frosting

and eating the cake

and eating the cake
I think they purposely smeared it on their faces - i dont see how else they could have gotten that messy