It's been a while since I updated about my darling daughters. They continue to be awesome. I feel pretty amazed we somehow lucked into being their parents even though they
consistently foil my attempts at any normal photos. Case in point, the first day of school photo from a few days ago above. The taller looking one giving me the piercing squinch eye is actually the youngest, and she is in fact still half in inch shorter than her older sister but it's a weird perspective thing I guess. Or her personality magically makes her look bigger in images. Anyway. Thing 1 (R) is a sophomore this year and Thing 2 (L) is in 8th grade. I need to look into how this happened so quickly. Clearly there is some kind of teen space wormhole to blame.
^ Last year's school portraits, evidence they can smile on cue for other people. We continue to homeschool and love it. They both attend a few classes a week with a private academy. I feel this is the best of both schooling worlds for us and such a great fit for our family. (So happy to live in a state that supports homeschooling and a country where this is a free choice! Never take that for granted, y'all.)
So Thing 2's birthday comes round in May at exactly the most manic time possible with end of the school year craziness, standardized testing, our anniversary, Mother's Day and this year, as a special bonus, kidney surgery for my husband
and moving to another house. Bless her heart. So I probably didn't observe the occasion as well as I might have normally, being up to my ears in boxes. But by golly she got her mixtape!
THING 2 TURNS 13
I usually choose a few songs I just think they'll like but some have greater significance. Turning officially into a teenager inspired the Big Girls Don't Cry choice. By tradition on the morning of their birthday I crank the stereo as loud as possible with this mixtape before they are awake, so the first song should preferably have a nerve jangling beginning. The drums and Frankie's abrupt falsetto on this one does the job pretty nicely!
Gangnam Style...if you guys only knew how much grief my youngest gives me over watching Korean dramas. This song was a deliberate jab, although she actually digs it a lot.
Pressure... this is my child who sweats any decision like it will result in nuclear annihilation if she chooses wrongly. Like which taco to have. Bless her. She's always struggled with anxiety so this seemed appropriate.
I Know...what a triumph to have a great song titled with the same phrase I hear at least 20 times a day from my youngest. Another jab that she took good humoredly. I really wanted to print a Tshirt with that phrase but she said she wouldn't wear it. ha.
And of course the seagulls song. If you haven't watched Bad Lip Reading's rendition of Star Wars scenes you are missing out on some pretty good laughs. Both daughters routinely break into a duet of this song and it's a little scary how accurately they can sing it, down to the voice of R2D2.
Thing 1's birthday was in August so we were fairly settled into the new house by then. I used the occasion to make them both a cake (understandable cake fail on the youngest one's birthday) and have a party. Banana cake with cream cheese frosting for T1 and T2 chose Bob Andy pie, a strange name for a custard pie that tastes like a cinnamon bun.
THING 1 TURNS 15
I have to say
Drive My Car was pretty awesome at full volume on her birthday morning. Because now she can. Drive my car I mean. As soon as she passes her test. Which she hasn't. We've been a little relaxed about the whole driver's education thing. She's driven the van around a deserted parking lot, but we really must delve into that.
I'm Alright because we live in a neighborhood that has a very golfy theme. It's just an awesome song too, long time love of mine. Have you noticed the weird glitch in the middle that sounds like they made a mistake in the recording studio and didn't bother to fix it?
Mother Knows Best is not only hilarious it is probably the running theme of my interaction with her these days on any subject. Me insisting I know things. She insisting I don't really actually know things. It's precious. I'll get smarter as she gets older maybe.
In the House of Tom Bombadil because this kid is all about anything JRR Tolkien.
Born to Run because she debuted on the Cross Country team this year.
Spaceman because of her intense new love for the X-Files.
And no one can see the classic Sea Bear episode of Spongebob (one of my favorites) without singing the infectious
Campfire Song Song, which both girls do regularly, one singing as Spongebob and the other spluttering through it as Patrick.
They both keep us laughing.
Love these girls! Here's a link to
all mixtape posts if you are curious.
Aaaand, I feel I cannot close this Holland update post without mentioning the tallest member of our family, he who occupies the driver's seat on our Family Road Trip Of Life, who wields the Remote of Power with a firm hand and makes all the other zany, schooly, crafty everyday stuff in our lives possible because he works so hard every single day:
My sweet Schmoopie, from whom the girls genetically get their Calvin-like talent to sabotage family photos. (That last photo: me saying smile, he rolling the car window up and down to keep me from getting the shot while wearing his best The Shining expression.) Love you, Cuppy Cake.
