File This One Under "Too Cute!"

My sweet Sabrina (age 6, but 7 next month!) has been boy crazy since birth. Her first love was Parker, a cutie-patootie on her big brother's soccer team:

Sadly, Sabrina soon realized that the age difference was just too much to overcome (that 2 years is huge!) and that Parker was her brother's friend, not hers.

All through kindergarten Sabrina was smitten with a boy named Davis (I don't have a picture, but trust me - he was cuter than bug's ears!). Every day she wanted to wear an orange shirt because she heard Davis say once that orange was his favorite color. She was just beside herself whenever the teacher lined them up alphabetically since they both have last names that start with C. And when she found out we were moving, she wrote him a long good-bye letter in a way that only a five year old can (i.e. lots of hearts and flowers) and included our forwarding address. For weeks after we got to Massachusetts she would ask me, "Did Davis send me anything?" Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. Nothing today.

After a while she forced herself into finding a new object of affection.

And his name is Mark.

But first, I guess she had to "cleanse" herself of her old flame (I found this in the art supplies closet).

It says: "People I Love (signified by a heart) Davis I liked but now I moved on"

Notice all the skulls and crossbones, along with the heart? I think that sums up her feelings perfectly.

Since Christmas, Sabrina's social life at school has revolved around Mark. I get to hear all about what Mark had for lunch (he really likes goldfish crackers), who he played with on the playground (mostly other boys, because, according to Sabrina, Mark still thinks girls are kind of icky), and how often he gets in trouble (alot).

The few times I have been to Sabrina's class to volunteer for this or that, I've kept my eye on this Mark boy to see if he is indeed worthy of my little girl's heart. Sadly, he seems pretty oblivious to her existence.

It seems Sabrina is determined to get her heart broken at least a dozen times before she turns 16. But I can't help admiring how she keeps picking herself up, deciding on what she wants, and then going for it with all her heart.

It says, "I think we are going to be best friends."

You GO, girl.

Blooming Whether I Want To or Not

The last few weeks have forced me to come to terms that I am not on an extended vacation here in New England - I actually live here now. I have had to put down some tentative roots. And, incredibly, it has been only slightly painful. Although some of my Texan friends and family might see this as an act of treason, I am actually kind of, just a little bit, excited about the whole thing.

It all started when I took the kids to the dentist. This forced me to call our old dentist in New Braunfels to get the records transferred. Then when the patient information forms came in the mail for me to fill out, I actually did it. (I guess it would help to know that about five months ago I called a pediatrician's office here it town to get the kids established somewhere, but when the paperwork came in the mail, I didn't even open the envelope. It went straight to the trash. Just thinking of committing to a new pediatrician when we have used the same one since the birth of our oldest just seemed so, I don't know, scary. It made this move seem so REAL. And I just wasn't ready for that little dose of reality so close to Christmas and all.) So, I filled out the dentist's paperwork (baby steps, guys). Then I actually kept the dentist appointment AND showed up on time (bigger baby steps!).



I have got to say - the dentist was AWESOME and he made me feel very welcome. He actually lived in the Dallas area for a few short years, so I felt we had a little connection going on. But then he gave me a stern talk about not having a pediatrician lined up - something about how a strong dose of Motrin won't fix everything - and he gave me a short list of some good docs. I tucked that list in my purse thinking "Please, I just can't handle another medical history form right now - my kids NEVER get sick anyway!"



Yeah. Well. Two days later I was frantically digging through my purse saying "Please, don't tell me I threw that list of doctors away! Both kids have 104.1 fevers AFTER having Motrin!"



So, yes. We now also have a pediatrician.



Then I got the same crud as the kids.



Whoo-hoo! A new doctor for Mom too!

THEN. Soccer season started. Last night both kids had soccer practice (of course almost at the same time and on fields a mile apart from each other). But that is okay because I think I made a friend.


Since we moved here, my best friend has been the school bus driver, Christine. I see her every school day and she always greets me with a smile and a sincere "Have a great day!". In the afternoons she is still smiling and I believe her when she says "See ya tomorrow!" Christine has seen me with no makeup and clothes that don't match and still, I have never seen any judgement in her eyes (well, except for that morning when the kids were all bundled up in the scarf, hat, and heavy coat ensemble and it was 41 degrees - way too warm for all that!). I can't tell you how many days Christine's happy face has made my day.



And now, there is a boy on Dalton's soccer team that he knows from school and his mom seems totally neat and funny and nice. And her husband is all nice and just chatted away with my hubby. These people have great friend potential. I just feel it. AND - get this - Christine the bus driver is really good friends with this family too! How cool is that? I almost feel like I have a friend network starting up. I actually now know somebody that knows somebody else that I know.


And to top it all off, there are these things growing all around my house and in the garden and I just know they are all going to bloom into something very pretty.