The Volume Wars

It doesn't take Bailey long to learn how to do something.  In a blink of an eye, she figured out the volume on the computer (which really isn't that easy considering the amounts of knobs on the speaker system).  Bailey prefers it loud.  With the awful cold I got for Christmas, I prefer it softly.  Bailey still prefers it louder.  I turn it down, she turns it back up.  And for a while, I thought it was just my ears, because they are doing some funky things, but no, it really is her.  I thought the loudness was on my part and the change of it was in my head too.  But no, Bailey is definitely responsible.

 

 

I'm not looking forward to the stereo wars in a few years.  But hopefully I won't have a cold then?

The Brainiac and her Body

Bailey's been playing a lot of computer games by herself lately.  Instead of using it with us by her side, she has figured out how to get herself to particular websites or programs by a simple click and then navigating around such sites and playing the games.  SesameWorkshop is a common destination.  Just a bit ago, she discovered a game she hadn't played before.  It questioned kids on the body parts outside their body by asking questions like, "which part do you use to smell a flower?"  She mastered that easily.  Then, they asked about parts inside using the same types of questions.  "Which body part pumps blood throughout the body?"  I thought these were a bit tougher, since a lot of moronic adults wouldn't know the answers.  I should never second guess Bailey though.  She mastered every question without my help and kept playing it over and over again.  She even asked me, "why didn't they ask about my kidneys?"

I told you.  She's a brainiac.  Oh, and she's playing the game AGAIN.

The Right to Party

Yesterday, I stopped to ask one of Bailey's teachers about a holiday party because it'd never been mentioned to me.  She was honest with me and said that with the two canceled days because of weather conditions and all their sick kids (between the two main teachers, they have a total of six children) they hadn't gotten around to it.  Completely understandable.  It really is.

I'd wanted to do some things anyway, but I had gotten sidetracked and I think I was waiting to hear about a party and then offer my own help.  Well, here was my opportunity and if you recall my teaching days, I LOVED holidays.  And if you know me as a mother, I LOVE holidays and parties.  I do have some mad party skills up my sleeve.  So with their permission, Bailey and I went on a trek for the perfect Christmas pinata.  Then we went on a mission to find essential pinata stuffing ingredients.  And somehow along the way, we also picked up punch, cups, napkins, plates, cupcakes, and treat bags to put the pinata goodies in afterwards.  We brought our very own pinata stick along, but it's only on loan.

Bailey's all about pinatas and parties.  And this morning it was especially important because her behavior yesterday was something out of the Exorcist.  I'm not sure what possessed her, but it wasn't pretty.  And the worst of it was her throwing the fit of all fits inside my place of employment, flailing about like demon-possessed crazy woman and screaming like a banshee.  Terrible, I tell you, terrible.  You would've thought she was two.  And her reasoning?  The one thing she kept screaming about?  The fact I was using a cart because I'm not creative enough to hold her and a bunch of items all simultaneously.

But that was yesterday.  And today is today.  And hopefully when I pick her up in about ten minutes, I'll have some pictures to view from the party.  Because I left them one condition: take pictures.  I also left my camera inorder for this condition to take place.  I even taught them how to work it.

I look forward most to Bailey telling me about the pinata, because she STILL talks about the pinata at her pirate party.  Maybe I'll actually tell you about it someday.

Giving Christmas to Heidi

"Heidi" is the little girl of the family we adopted for Christmas.  And on Saturday, we had the pleasure of delivering the family's presents to the fairgrounds in Lawrence.  And how appropriate, it was snowing.  Bailey was ecstatic about both.  She even commented that it was snowing which meant we could now take Heidi's presents to her.  According to Bailey, "Because snow means Christmas is coming!"  She was a bit disappointed she couldn't meet her, but she was a champ about the whole ordeal.

 

The building we had to take our gifts to also housed the Salvation Army Toy Shop and the Angel Tree headquarters.  People were constantly coming and going with gifts in tow, many people needing such things for their own families.  And by observing this, I can tell you, I feel really fortunate which is why I probably love doing this so much.  And after dropping everything off, I was glowing.  And I continued to glow the rest of the day and it made me feel so warm.  I was even more perky at work as I kept thinking about how wonderfully fulfilling it is.

 

And Bailey has taken just as much away from the experience, but in a different form.

Daddy Started His New Job

Last night, Daddy started his new job.  What is his new job might you ask?  He's now a librarian.  I guess he's following in his mother's footsteps after all and using that new MBA degree productively.

 

How did this job come to be?  Well, ask Bailey.  She's the one who landed him the new position.

 

She's also the one that has deemed our massive book collection a library.

 

She's also the one who told Daddy he was a librarian and proceeded to check out as many books as she could reach from our towering bookcases and have Daddy stamp each and every one before she could read them.

 

By the way, it's going to take a long time to put them all back on the shelves, back in alphabetical order.  Luckily, Daddy's the librarian.

If only we could get up this early on school mornings...

No more explanations needed.

You're not going to believe me

Last night, I was dropping something off at work for a supervisor.  I had Bailey in tow, mostly because she'd insure I'd get out of there in a timely fashion. (That, and the fact I had nowhere else to leave her.)  While waiting, a lady saw Bailey and commented, "Look at that red hair.  Maybe her hair will get that red too."  And by her, she meant her infant granddaughter.  Her daughter, the child's mother commented, "Oh God I hope not."  Her mother had an expression of horror, but the mother who said such a thing immediately saw my face and said, "I mean..." and watching her back track and eat crow was the best dessert.

 

She explained it was beautiful on Bailey, or something to that extent, and I will secretly agree with her that her interracial child probably wouldn't look quite the same with the same shade of red hair that my Bailey wears so beautifully.  The grandmother still seemed pretty shocked though.  And when I think about it, it does seem strange to hear someone not desire this head of hair, except me of course.  Because unlike most people, I know exactly how much work it requires.

 

But some things are worth working for.