Emerson and Lisette were here....

My baby has turned 4. I am not quite sure how that happened. Sometimes it seems like I was pregnant with her just yesterday. Sometimes it feels like she was 3 forever. She is pretty fantastic that girl of mine. Her vocabulary blows me away sometimes - 2nd children are like that (or at least mine is). I feel like I am constantly surprised by how capable she is, especially given that she didn't receive the lazer beam focus that Emerson got since it was never just her.

To celebrate her 4th we took the girl out for dinner. Lisette asked for "squid and clams" and we decided we would go to Edo Squid for a family dinner on January 3rd (her birthday), which also happened to be a Saturday night. On Saturday I called to make a reservation and was accosted by an answering machine declaring that Edo Squid was on vacation. OH NO! Lisette is great but we all know she can be a touch dramatic and I was not looking forward to telling her that her birthday may not be just as she planned. Some quick internet searching and phone calling led to an old (but mostly forgotten) favorite, Bacchus. Kevin and I used to go to Bacchus frequently when we first moved to Richmond. Crisis averted.

But then Lisette found out it was only the four of us going to dinner. It went down like this:

Lisette: "Who is going to dinner with us Mama?"
Me: "The four of us!"
Lisette: "But who else?"
Me: "No one else. It is a family dinner with the four of us!!"
Lisette: "But who is coming to my birthday?"
Me: "Just us?!?"

Lisette: Cue tears, hysterics, and general drama.
Me: Cue quick thinking.

Me: "How about if Monika and Maria come"
Lisette: "OK" tears dried mid stream and general calm restored.
Me (in my head): Thank God for Monika and Maria!

After some serious primping, I am talking nails painted, hair braided, dress zipped up, shiny silver shoes slipped, and gobs of plastic necklaces adorned, we headed to Bacchus.

It was a lovely meal followed by an even lovelier dessert.

At the end of the meal a young man at the next table leaned over to me and asked me if it would be alright to give Lisette a flower (it seemed that he had brought a bouquet for his girlfriend who was also celebrating a birthday). I said of course. The young man asked Lisette if it was her birthday and how old she was and she answered him shyly. Then he presented her with a long stemmed pink rose. He and his tablemates proceeded to wish her a happy birthday and tell her how pretty she looked. As we walked out of the restaurant, with Lisette somehow in the lead, the whole restaurant wished her a happy birthday and showered her with compliments.

And my daughter... well she began to wave... like a queen to her subjects.

It is gonna be a trip raising this one.

Love that girl.

~klv

A moment to share and preserve...

The other night Kevin, the kids, and I were traveling back from our dear friend Monika's home after a night of swimming, eating, and playing Qwirkle. It was late and the kids were tired. Emerson had requested the Sex Pistols and was listening and singing in the backseat. One of the songs uses the word dammit (I know the songs have words much worse than that but Kevin turns the volume down for those). I heard this and my 6-year-old sing right along with it. I got a little snippy and a small argument occurred between me and my honey. In short it was a typical fight where Kevin accused me of scolding him and I accused him of not taking the situation seriously enough. We weren't yelling - more trading barbs in low voices.

Then the moment...

Emerson piped up in the back seat and being the voice of reason (obviously) and emphatically stated "I am not going to say dammit at school."

Kevin and I cracked up and told our boy how much we loved and adored him.

Needless to say that fight was over.

~klv