Christmas Program

Veronica was super excited about her Christmas program today.  I couldn't go but she was singing a super cute song and she's been practicing in the car for a while.  This was the third dress she chose this morning, and I think she came out looking great.

December

Did I say both girls want - I mean both older girls - iPod Touches for Christmas? They love taking pictures and making videos and texting us.  I think maybe they are young but maybe not Maria? And Veronica has to get what Maria gets.  I told them that maybe it would be a good to share one and they both said NO.  I said well it's probably going to be the only gift you get because it's expensive and they said okay! Anything not to share, and that's more from Veronica than Maria.  Not that she's not a good sharer, in fact, the opposite - she knows she would end up never having it.  Anyway, I think that's all we are getting them.  I forget what my point was.  She is finished with this round of gymnastics, she and Maria are doing yoga, and she is going to be in the talent show.  I asked her what she was doing in it and she said "dancing".  I'll keep you posted!

Pictures/Catchup

I don't have any favorites but I will tell you what, Veronica is so good and sweet she kills me.  She is doing so great in school, she never gets in trouble.  She has started gymnastics and it's challenging, she gets "tired of" doing things "over and over" but she's doing well.  To keep us from having favorites, she is HORRIBLE in the morning, hates to get up, cries at the drop of a hat, etc.  But most of all she is WONDERFUL.

Here's some pictures!

On Monday, Thursday and Friday, I work at my school and on Tuesdays I go to the girls' school.  I volunteer for recess and then later I volunteer in the library.  I know it won't be so many years before they are NOT thrilled at the thought of me working around them, so I am taking advantage.  Anyway, here's Veronica and some friends at recess.

I'm happy but I'm sweating, she told me, right before I took this picture.  She does really like gymnastics, but she doesn't love hard physical work.  She's getting there!

School picture, first grade.  I don't even know what to say about this.  It is the most Veronica picture I have ever seen, just perfect.

Tough guy.

At Bed Bath & Beyond a few weekends ago.  She was on clearance, so I'd take her home, I told her.

THE WORST

These kids are the worst.  THE WORST.  Or maybe I'm the worst.  Or maybe there are too many of them.  Or maybe I am too old?  I don't know but my LORD.  It can't be like this all the time, I'll never make it.  One is worst than the next.  Tonight I met Mike and the girls at Chik Fil A and we had dinner and then we went to Target to get Veronica a new backpack because they are FINALLY on clearance.  As an aside, all of September they would have a few backpacks on clearance but these were the tags - it would say CLEARANCE! - was $13.99 NOW $12.49!  UM, that is not a good deal, Target!  Anyway, we had a hard time at Target, they want this, they want that, they want toys, they want Halloween Candy, they want they want they want they want they want.  Maria and Veronica were climbing on the freezers, just general jerkitude.  Felicity was so bad when she realized that we were leaving without MORE for her that she started screaming and screaming and Mike had to roll her out as soon as I was finished unloading the cart.  Maria was crying and yelling when we got home because I wouldn't let her go play at the neighbor's house.  It was 7:00 and they go up to bed at 7:45, mind you, NOR was she invited, it wasn't even a thing!  Screaming and yelling, just constant noise, it's endless.

Veronica decided she wanted feetie pajamas, she started bugging me about it at Target.  I pointed out that it was actually still kind of warm and balmy out and her room got very stuffy and she went on and on and on (and on) about how cold she was at night!  I said Veronica, you never even sleep with covers, they are always kicked off!  She said I know!, those covers come off and I am fweezing!  FWEEZING!  Waaaaahhhhh more crying, so like a JERK I went out to the laundry room and got her two options out of the winter clothes, which I haven't switched out yet because today it was 80 degrees.

Then Felicity wants Mike's iPad.  I say we are going to bed in 14 minutes but Maria and Veronica are watching something, she is not interested in it, whatever, he gets it, she has it.  Finally it's time to go to bed so we go up, Veronica is screaming and crying so I carry her, which is TERRIBLE because I have a bum knee and she is just awkward and heavy - she's too old for it.  I just want the night to be over, I just want to sit on the couch with ice on my knee, and the only way to make that happen is to get them up to bed.  That was over an hour ago and Mike just went up AGAIN, so see?, we have to start it all early because they don't go to sleep for so long.  They are relentless demons and I am so, so sick of it.

Are they the only ones like this?  Is it me?  Do we spoil them?  I don't know and I don't want to know.  They're pretty good in school.  Other people seem to like them.  I don't know.  I DON'T KNOW and I hate not knowing, I hate being so bad at this stupid job for so long.  PS I quit.

First Grade

Veronica is doing really well, she is over her nervousness and fretfulness from which she suffered this summer.  She finally went off that diving board, I don't want to forget to mention!  Mike got in the habit of taking them to the pool on the weekends and the first week of my job when he was off from work and he reported that she went off it one day, and all the days after, so that's good.  That's one monkey off our back,  I told her, ha!

The morning of the first day of school I had been up for hours with (jerky) Felicity and Veronica was crying and crying at 5:45.  She was nervous and scared, of starting first grade, but her third year at this school!  She is crazy, sometimes it's just all too much for her.  I understand, I told her, I hate doing everything right up until the moment that I do it.

She is going to sign up for Chess this semester, as you have to be in first grade, so she and Maria will do it together.  She had a great summer and so far, so good, in first grade.  She has the same teacher Maria had, which is nice because we like her and also because we don't have to get to know anyone new.

She is in class with some old friends from last year and a few new kids.  She seems to be doing just great, thank God.

Here's a cute picture from the first day of school, you can tell she's nervous.

Diving and The Slide

Veronica is losing her damned mind this summer!  I don't know what is going on, she is a sensitive child and always has been, and I think she misses her teacher and her friends at school.  Maria is much better matched, age wise, to the girls in our neighborhood and to the girls that we meet at the pool and Veronica ends up tagging along or on her own a lot and maybe that's it, but it's hard.

We took a course of swim lessons and she did really, really well at them, but she ended up crying at the end of every lesson.  She and Maria were in together and I guess that was the problem, Maria is older and more advanced, she is not scared of the diving board or the slide and she would do both but Veronica wasn't ready to do either of them, so she'd end up feeling bad every day.  Then *I* would feel bad because she would end up crying/yelling/howling and throwing stuff at me.  So.  I have had to exercise some patience over the last few weeks and sometimes I have failed.  One time I told her Veronica, if you do not stop yelling at me I am going to smack your mouth and then she kept yelling and throwing stuff at me so I smacked her right in the kisser!  She hasn't yelled at me since, I am sorry it came to that because IN GENERAL I do not believe in corporal punishment but I am so, so tired of constant humiliation and shabby treatment that I did it and I don't regret it.  But I still wish it hadn't gotten to that.

She is so great, I mean, she really is.  There is no one sweeter or cuddlier than Veronica.  She is becoming a good swimmer and I feel 100% confident about her in the pool.  She is still so generous and nice with Felicity and in general.  She also has a beautiful tan and her haircut is still working for her and she is getting really blonde.  We have had a few low moments this summer but overall it's been good.  Here's a cute picture from yesterday at the pool, she was playing with Felicity:

July

This is probably a terrible time for me to update because everyone is being so bad but what can you do?  Veronica is taking swim lessons three mornings a week and she's doing great but I guess maybe she is putting a lot of pressure on herself because three mornings in a row we have left with her crying and howling and crying and HOWLING.  She is so loud, good lord, it is very embarrassing.  Her teacher always looks confused, because it seems like the lesson goes well and then she loses it at the end.  I have no patience left because that jerkstore Felicity refuses to swim or even go in the water so I am frustrated by that and completely annoyed by Veronica's yelling.

I think she misses school.  I think she should go to bed earlier.  I think she misses her teacher saying how great she is every two minutes, telling her that she loves her.  It's been raining for a week, rain and rain and more rain and I guess  that would depress anyone.  It certainly seems to be depressing her, and in turn, me.

She is really learning to swim though, so there's that.  And she has an adorable new haircut, let me see if I can find a picture.

Movement

I have got to find a way to get Veronica to move a little more.  I think she is Practically Perfect in Every Way, of course, but she has picked up a little weight and I'm afraid that she is going to have some trouble - well, I mean, I just want to nip this lazybones habit in the bud is all I'm saying.  I have no desire to limit what she eats or even think or indicate that she ISN'T perfect but she has really changed here, lately, I feel like, and I want to do something about it.

We went to an open gym the other day and she was having a high old time.  She was bouncing on trampolines and jumping off balance beams and just running every where but she was DYING, red faced, kept drinking water, etc.  She wants to do a lot of stuff, I feel like she could benefit from some guidance so I'm trying to think of something.  She rides a bike now without training wheels, so that's good, and yesterday we went creek stomping and spent three hours there, then today we walked to the library from Marta's house and back (probably about two miles) and she had had it by the end, ha!  She and I were at the back of the pack, I was with Felicity who I can't even talk about how slow she went, and Veronica was saying "ever and ever and ever ...".  I said what's that now?, and she said, mad, NOTHING!  Then I heard it again and again and I said Veronica, who are you talking to?  I keep feeling like you're putting a hex on me or something.  She said, super overemphasizing it, "this is taking FOREVER and EVER and EVER".  Ha! So she is reluctantly exercising, is what I'm saying.  Here's a cute picture of her after the gymnastics open gym the other day.

Happy Sixth Birthday!

I am taking a break (ha, ha) from my feeling sorry for myself and this stupid wrist to type about Veronica on her birthday.  She is upstairs sleeping right now, finally.  Felicity is such a pain! She takes forever to go to sleep and she bugs the heck out of Veronica.  Maria is safe(r) up in her top bunk and there's poor Veronica, on the bottom bunk, victim to Felicity's mean ways.  "Felicity hit me in the head with her water bottle!"  "Felicity took my pillow!".  Ugh, on and on and on! Tonight Marta gave her this sweet pillow for her birthday, and Felicity wasn't going to REST until she got it. Veronica sighed at one point and said, you can have it, and I said NO!  We have to draw the line somewhere.

But Veronica is so sweet, she is just the kind of person who would get a birthday gift at 5:45 and give it to her annoying sister at 7:30.  She is - I mean, I am not this nice but she is like me.  I would rather just give it away than have someone be so upset with me, and I think Veronica is like that too.  She just wants things to be happy and peaceful.  How can she be like that at just six years old?

She had her Cultural Arts Program tonight, the Kindergarten class sang a song with the Transitional Kindergarten and then they sang Yellow Submarine with the first grade.  It was super cute.

Someone commented today how fast six years has gone and um, I DISAGREE.  But I do find it hard to believe that she is going to be in first grade, that she is six.  She was such a grumpy baby and I swear I can remember the day that she stopped being grumpy and I just loved and liked her so much!  She used to kiss and kiss and kiss you, she was the best toddler baby.  And then I was so worried when she wasn't talking and look at her!  She is fine, just fine.  She is the best Veronica ever.

April 2015

Five more homework bags until the end of the school year, Veronica keeps reminding me.  That means five more weeks for her to be a Kindergarten student, which is crazy, right?  This fall she will be in first grade.  She can read and write and she has very nice handwriting.  One of her homework things every week is to make oral sentences of their words for the week and I can never get over how good and interesting her sentences are.  For tall, Miss Knoth (her teacher) is tall.  For want, My mother always wants me to clean my room.  I can never get over it. Miss Knoth IS tall!  I DO always want her to clean her room!  Anyway, she's impressive.  And she is also adorable.  

Day 25 of Lent

We are in Florida, I took Maria and Veronica to Disney yesterday.  Veronica is a noted non-walker, so I was a little worried about walking and being so busy all day but she was really good.  We got there around 9:00 and got started at 10:00 and stayed until after 6:00.  I did almost 7.5 miles according to my Fitbit which means that they did too and I am impressed that she idd that with almost no crying.  I had to hold her a little but still, pretty good!  Also we went on a roller coaster that I didn't really realize was a roller coaster and she did really great.  Maria loved it but Veronica and I were scared as hell but we got through it and I think she realized that she actually did like it.  She's is strong and brave.

Day 20 of Lent

Veronica wore a green shirt today to school and they were having Irish Step Dancers come but she was still a little jealous that Maria got to march in the parade.  Next year, I told her, she could go and march, because they only have first and second grade kids in the parade.  Next year will be the only year we have two kids, won't that be fun?

She is so cute and sweet and she is so, so sensitive.  I'm glad that I know Anthony and that I know about sensory issues because I feel like it helps me be more patient with Veronica.  She's so much better than she used to be.  She used to not be able to stand any noises at all, she couldn't go to the movies, she hated hand dryers, she wanted to be all the way out of the bathroom before you could flush the toilet.  Now she can really handle all of it.  She loves to be on me, and it can be a little crazy making, but then I think about how she used to weep before bed because she was just going to miss me so much during the night and I think, well, that's better than it was, ha!

She used to not be able to go to our neighbor's house to play with her daughters because they had a dog, even if my neighbor put the dog upstairs or outside and now she just charges all over everywhere, without barely pausing to think about it.

She has come a long way, baby, and I am excited to see where else she goes.

Day 16 of Lent

Veronica had to do sentences with her words of the week, she is so cute with them I wanted to write them down as a great thing about her.  The words are group, top, could, even and fly.

I am part of a cheerleading group.

I am on the top.

I could not do it when I was four, but I can do it now that I am five.

I have two crayons and that it an even number.

I can fly.

She is so cute, she kills me.

Day 14 of Lent

Veronica went to her little basketball/cheerleading camp at school last week.  It was the second week for the camp but the first week we went.  I thought it was in March but it actually started in February, but anyway we started last week.

The idea is that they can either play basketball or learn cheerleading and if they learn cheerleading then they cheer on the basketball players.  The older kids teach the younger kids, it's all super cute. Anyway, Veronica and Maria wanted to do cheerleading and at one point I saw Veronica running laps around the gym with another girl, Maria's friend Nora.  Running laps!, I thought, how impressive!  I've literally never seen her run, her hair was flying, she looked great.  Then I found out later that she was running two laps for punishment because she was LYING DOWN when she was supposed to be learning cheers.

Last night she told me she was excited for this Tuesday.  I said what are you looking forward to the most?  She said she loves when "the beep goes off" and they can go get water.  She is looking forward to her athletic event for the BREAK, ha!  At least she knows what she wants.

Day 10 of Lent

I wrote the following in an email to Veronica's kindergarten teacher today:

I just wanted to send a quick note to say that Veronica spent a lot of this weekend READING to both me and my husband and we are amazed at how well she is reading!  She is very quiet about it, we almost didn't realize she was doing it at first!  When Maria learned to read, she was much louder about it, ha!  Anyway, you are working wonders with her and we appreciate you for it!  Have a great day!

Veronica is so cute with the reading, and so quiet.  She sounds out everything, she'll try every word, just like she does with food, ha!  Mike thinks she is really smart, and I figure he ought to know!

Day 6 of Lent

Veronica is so, so sleepy in the mornings and she is also, if it's possible, EXTRA sensitive.  This morning I carried her into my room, where they get dressed because Felicity is (sometimes) still sleeping in their room, and laid her on my bed, where Maria was sitting.  Maria got her feelings hurt because Veronica "hit her with her knee right in the FACE!", which was just not true.  Veronica may have grazed Maria's face while she was sleepily rolling over but I was RIGHT THERE and that's it!  So I was kidding and I said oh yes, she hit me with her face and then she got a baseball bat and hit me in the head!  And then she laughed at my pain!  Mike and I were joking and even Maria got a little bit of a smile and then I looked at poor old Veevsy Voo and her bottom lip was quivering away. I had to apologize and hug her twelve times before we could move on.

She is sensitive but not to the point where it causes her problems.  When she was littler, I worried that it would, like, impede her progress in life, but now I really think she  is okay.  I hope I am not messing her up by recognizing that she is so sensitive, but I just can't tell her to toughen up, not yet.  She still seems really little, to me.

Another good thing about Veronica is that her hair is just getting ridiculously gorgeous.  It's getting thick, even!  It gives me great hope for Felicity, ha!

Day 2 of Lent

One of the things that I am doing for Lent in a not-giving-stuff-UP kind of way is to think and speak about my children in a nicer way.  Lord knows I can complain about them enough, so I am bringing back the What's So Great About InsertChildsNameHere for Lent.

What's So Great About Veronica?

• I love her name so much, and she is just a perfect little Veronica.  I love the way she says it and despite the fact that sometimes people call her Victoria, it's still exactly right.  Even Felicity, who calls Maria Ramira and Anthony Ankony says it exactly right.  
• She is doing really well in school!  She is learning to read and is so cute about it.  Does that say "Junie B. Jones is in the first grade"?, she'll ask, all slyly and adorably.  
• She gets what she wants even though she is not the loudest of our kids.  Maria has a friend who just likes to play with one friend at a time and Veronica loves this girl.  If Veronica even gets a WHIFF of Maria going to play with her, that old slow moving individual gets dressed in a FLASH, and hooks herself right to Maria, forcing her to take her.  
• She is so sweet and cuddly.  She is a real lover, and has been like that her whole little life.  
• Her hair, once so sparse and ... well, not there, has really come in nicely.  It gives me hope for Felicity's hair, ha!
• She's so funny.  Last night she and Felicity were playing pretend and she told me that Felicity was the webel (rebel), she nevah did what her parentses said to do, but Veronica was the wulah (ruler), she always did exactly what she was supposed to do. 
• This isn't great, but she is sick today, poor thing and she is an excellent patient.  She woke up throwing up, but the other five times she's thrown up, she's been super neat about it.  As the person who would have to clean it up otherwise, I think it's the best thing about her, today!

Back to School

Today I dropped off Maria and Veronica at school, where they haven't been since December 19 or some horrible thing.  They were glad to go back and I was glad to send them back, win win!  Veronica had a nice Christmas, she got a new bike and a new scooter, to replace the ones that she lost this year from car accidents.  She is definitely not the squeaky wheel in our house (only two guesses who is) so we tried to get her what she wanted.  Her favorite gift was something I bought late and put in her stocking, and that was fake glasses.  I gave them to all the girls but Veronica definitely liked them the most.  Here's a cute picture!