Life through the eyes of a child

Kids are so funny -- the way they think and the things they say just have to make you smile. 6 months ago Tallie had no idea what a "happy meal" was, which made me feel proud as a mom. But there came a moment of weakness and I needed the convenience of fast food. That moment came again last week -- too many places to be and no bread in the house to pack sandwiches for the road. We stopped and got happy meals and I passed them back to the girls. Valencia had no idea what was going on and why I was handing her a bag. I didn't realize that she didn't understand her lunch was inside. About 10 minutes later while I'm driving she says (very excitedly in Creole) "mom - there's food in here!" "Can I eat it??"

Since Valencia's been home Tallie's really been noticing people that have black skin. Every time we're in public and she sees someone she'll point it out. The other day we were walking into the grocery store and passed 5 black men on their way out, and Tallie said (out loud but to herself) "wow, there's a lot of people from Haiti here."


It's amazing how many things are new to Valencia, and the longer she's home the less I think about it until we're in the moment. We took the kids for a walk the other day - the 2 girls in a double stroller and Beckett in a single, and she thought that was a riot. She was laughing and screaming the whole time. First time in a stroller. And the week Beckett was sick we all needed to get out of the house so I decided to go for a drive. To make the girls enjoy it I bought them an icecream cone. She giggled the whole time eating it.


My sisters sent us a welcome home package with a sugar cookie mix and everything to decorate them. We had a snow day and decided it was the perfect day to break open the cookie mix. The girls loved doing it - thanks Mindy and Lisa and family -- it was a great activity.

Beckett loved it too. Check out the frosting and sprinkles go-tee


Tomorrow is a big day for me as a mom -- my first child is going to school. Valencia's starting preschool to help with her English. After a few weeks we'll decide what to do. We had planned to start her in Kindergarten next year and just have her be old for her grade, but we're kind of questioning her age. She's HUGE for a 5 year old and she's loosing her teeth, so she could be older, who knows, but either way she'll be a giant kindergartener. So the plan now is to get her ready for first grade, which is what she should have done anyway. I'm feeling a little nervous tonight thinking about dropping her off at school tomorrow.

It's amazing that at 12 months Beckett knows how to rile up his sisters. Here's a clip of a typical dinner time at our house. Beckett likes to pretend to throw his food overboard and his sisters like to keep him in line, but I think he's the one in control of the situation.

Week 2

I don't have as many exciting things to report for our second week. Tallie and Beckett were both sick this week -- especially Beckett with a double ear infection, he has been completely miserable, so we stayed home most of the week. That proved to be pretty boring for the girls, and especially for Valencia who was feeling just fine. It was a hard week with the sick kids, but Valencia's doing a lot better and seems to be adjusting to her new life. We may be over the tantrums -- we've gone 2 whole days without a single one. I kid you not, it used to be 1 per hour, the littlest things would set her off, and they lasted quite awhile with kicking and screaming. But she's been learning that good behavior gets her what she wants and we try to exaggerate praise when she does the littlest things right, and that seems to be working. The tantrums became less frequent and less intense, and going 2 days without one is HUGE. I'm feeling okay about going into public now :)

She's also becoming more affectionate towards us, and she loves using the English words that she knows. I need to record her saying "a little bit" because it's the cutest thing ever. She says that every time she wants more food. And as she becomes more comfortable we're seeing more of her personality which is fun. She's a bit of a goof-ball, and she LOVES music -- she's always singing and dancing. She roams around the house singing "I like to move it move it" (from Madagascar). And she's all-girl, just like Tallie. The two of them LOVE pink, skirts, dresses, pretty headbands, makeup, etc.

Here's having fun with dad -- riding him like a horse was a huge hit:



I took Valencia to a salon today to get her hair done. What a trooper -- she had to hold still for 2 hours while they tugged and pulled on her hair. She looks so adorable! She LOVES the beads and can't leave them alone, and tonight as she brushed her teeth she just giggled in the mirror and said she looks "belle".