Summary of Scenes from a {Very HOT} Summer

We broke a heat record in Kansas this summer.  We had 52 days of temperatures in excess of 100 degrees.  Many of those days approached, and even exceeded, 110 degrees.  There was a day in July where Wichita, KS was the hottest place in the entire country!


To say that the Summer of 2011 was very HOT is an understatement!


While our summer started off with a bang, it ended with a whimper (and a whine!).  The awful, debilitating heat combined with my pregnancy induced nausea, fatigue, and overall malaise didn't allow me to take on much of the summer fun I had originally planned.  Fortunately for me though, kids forget things very easily!  


After months of sweltering heat, the cooler temperatures Mother Nature brought us this week have given me visions of pumpkins and mums dancing in my head!  So before the long awaited days of Fall settle in, I thought I'd wrap up this {very miserable and very hot} summer by showcasing a few scenes of the fun we did manage to have (the few things I managed to remember to take pictures of)!  And hopefully these will be the things my children remember from the {very HOT} summer of 2011!

{The girls wore matching swimsuits and adorable hand made sun hats}

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{My friend and I took our girls to the live production of The Little Mermaid at Wichita Music Theatre}

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{$4 worth of cool fun on a very hot summer day...}

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{Noah became a fish in the water and eagerly slid down water slides and jumped off diving boards!}

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{Noah attended the first annual Vacation Bible School at Saint Catherine of Siena AND the CatChat VBS at SEAS}

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{Emily started wearing pigtails}

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{The kids participated in a wedding as flower girl and ring bearer}

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{Emily attended a Princess Dance Camp with her friend, Mary.  They even got to dress up like a Princess on one of the days... Emily was Belle}

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{Noah and Molly became best buddies}

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{Emily started a new dance class at Wichita Children's Theatre where she both danced and acted}

{We spent a day at a Fountain Park with friends, Mary & Zachary.  Noah was such a good big brother to Molly}

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{Uncle Brycie's girlfriend made the kids homemade play doh!  It entertained them for days and hours on end!}

{Noah caught his first fish all by himself}

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{And Emily got her first fishing pole... a pink sparkled Dora one!}

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{Noah played baseball in extreme temperatures.  Molly and Emily watched, cheered, played in the dirt, and got hot!}

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{My talented friend made the girls some matching summer outfits}

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{We attended the Kuhn family reunion in Hays}

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And last but not least...

{Molly discovered sunglasses!}

And yes, she still sucks her fingers constantly :)

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Farewell {Very Hot} Summer...

Now bring on the pumpkins!

Little, Short, Small

9/8/2011

Quotes from Noah Robert:

"Mom!  Look at my legs.  Do you think they are bigger?"

"I really think I'm growing because I've eaten so much food today."

While standing on my bed... "Look mom!  Do you think I'm taller?"

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I'm 5 feet tall.  


This is me on my first day of 1st grade.  I was so short and small that my mom had to buy the uniform fabric and have my uniforms hand made because none of the standard sizes offered at the uniform store fit me.  

This is my high school graduation.  From the time I was in 1st grade to the day I graduated high school, I was always the shortest person in my class.  I was always front and center in every class picture because that was the only way you could see me.

I am obviously short.  


And it has never really bothered me.  Of course, I've always dreamed about having an extra few inches of height, but the main reasons for those desires were 1) not having to alter every pair of pants I purchased, and 2) having more length for which to disperse my weight!


But for the most part, I've never minded being short.  


Until now.


I hate that I am so short because I have passed those "little genes" on to my children.


All of my kids are small.  


Very little.


Noah's growth had to be monitored by a specialist for about a year.  I heard the words "growth hormone deficiency" mentioned in reference to him when he was not even two years old.  He is barely on the official growth charts.


He is smart, charming, polite, kind, and funny.


And he is also little, short, small.


My girls are also tiny.  


Emily is 3 1/2 years old and weighs 27 pounds.  Molly is 17 months old and weighs 18 pounds.  They, too, are barely on the very bottom of the growth charts.  In fact, at a recent doctor's appointment, I heard those same words; "growth hormone deficiency", in reference to Molly.


They are both healthy, precious, ornery, and sweet girls.


And they, too, are little, short, small.


I don't worry about this fact for the girls.  From my own experience being short, there doesn't seem to be much of a negative association with a girl being small.  Unless, of course, the girl wants to be a supermodel or a professional ballerina (which I once did... the ballerina, not the supermodel :)).  But for the most part, being small allowed me to be on the top of the pyramids and made it easier to flip.  Nothing negative.  Possibly even all positive.


But it's completely different with boys.


For some reason, boys associate size with strength, athletic ability, and overall "coolness".  So being the "short boy" doesn't translate the same way being the "tiny girl" does.  

I've always known that Noah's height would potentially be a "cross" he would have to bear.  I just never thought he would feel its weight so early in his life.

But he has.

In the first few precious weeks of 1st grade, my happy-go-lucky, innocent boy learned that he is different from the other kids in his class.  He learned, for the first time, that he is little, short, small.  

And he learned it in a way that literally tore my Mama heart into a thousand pieces.

I had a utopian view about how his 1st grade year would go.  We are going to our brand new church school.  There are only 65 kids in the entire school; 20 in his class.  It was supposed to be the ideal situation.  Noah knew over half of his classmates before school even began.  Some he knew from church.  Some he knew from our neighborhood.  And others he knew from playing on a Basketball team with them last year.  They were all supposed to be friends; sharing the same Christian inspired values and happy to be sharing the same schoolroom.

But during those first few days and weeks, my utopian view of 1st grade was shattered.  

Noah was told by several classmates that he could not play on the Basketball team again this year because he is too short.  Despite his insistence that he was, in fact, going to be on the team, they persisted in telling him that it doesn't matter how old you are, only how big you are.  And by their estimation, he was too little.  

It continued...

He couldn't play tag at recess because he was too slow.
He was told his silverware was "baby silverware."
He was called "shorty pants"... by a girl!
His own best friend taunted him for being littlest in the line.

And now my Noah is painfully aware that he is different.

Despite my best efforts to explain to him that size simply does not matter to God, he still longs to be taller.  Despite his teacher talking to the kids about the different way God makes each person, he still feels criticized for his lack of height.  He talks about it very often.  It seems to be at the forefront of his mind.

Seeing his sad and confused face has caused this pregnant, hormonal Mama to cry a thousand tears.  It is the first time I have felt this kind of hurt as a parent.  It makes me mad.  It confuses me.  But more than anything, it makes me sad.  

And it is an awful sadness because there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.

I tried.  

I wanted to stop it myself.  Instead, I talked to the teacher.  She tried to stop it.  But in truth, my attempts to protect my child's self-confidence blew up into a big mountain of a mess.    

The reality is that this is reality.  Life is not utopia.  And as much as I have tried to shelter Noah these past 6 years, I simply cannot do it forever.  He is now in a position of having to put to use the skills and character that I have hopefully taught him.  And as much as I want to shelter him from having to do so, I simply can't.  There is nothing that I can do to stop kids from being kids.    

Nothing except give it to God and pray...

Pray that he finds confidence in knowing that despite his size, he has been blessed with many gifts and many talents.  Pray that Vance and I will be able to instill within him a true sense of self... one that is not dependent on physical features or athletic abilities.  Pray that this "cross" will allow him to grow in character and virtue.  Pray that he will find his place among his peers.  Pray that he will rise above this "bumpy start" and that his confidence will not be jilted.  Pray that my own sensitivities on the issue will not translate to him.  And most importantly, pray that God will fill him up with the innate knowledge that he is good, perfect, and very much loved.  

Even if he is little, short, small.

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9/6/11

Quote by Noah Robert:

In response to being called "shorty pants"...

"I told her that I am just the size my Mom & Dad want!"

He couldn't be more correct.  And as I told him...

He is just the size that God wants too!





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Side Note:  I realize that in the grand scheme of life, this "cross" is one of very little weight.  My children are healthy and that is the ultimate blessing... one for which I am so incredibly grateful.  I know parents whose children are suffering from great illness and parents who have lost children.  I know parents whose children bear the "cross" of physical and/or mental disability.  Those are "crosses" of unbearable weights.  And my heart simply cannot imagine the hurt their hearts feel as they carry those burdens.  In truth, I am grateful for this little "cross"; for I know and realize my blessings far outweigh this burden.  It is  just the first time I have experienced the pain of knowing my child has been hurt.  And it hit me hard.  

On the First Day...

On the first day of first grade,
Noah woke up bright and early; excited to take on the day!

On the first day of first grade,
I made a "1" shaped pancake and scrambled eggs for breakfast.

On the first day of first grade,
Noah and I prepared a sweet little gift to take to his teacher.

On the first day of first grade,
Noah dressed in his new uniform and new (self chosen) tennis shoes.

On the first day of first grade,
I couldn't believe how grown up my firstborn "baby" looked!


On the first day of first grade,
Noah attended a brand new school.

On the first day of first grade,
Noah was all smiles as walked into his first grade classroom.

On the first day of first grade,
Noah was in Ms. Fuerborn's class and already knew about half of his classmates.

On the first day of first grade,
Noah took his seat at his little table and was ready to start the school year.

On the first day of first grade,
I didn't cry when I left!


On the first day of first grade,
Noah ate a "hot lunch" for the first time (and the last!).


On the first day of first grade,
There was an empty seat at our lunch table at home.


On the first day of first grade,
The girls happily got into Noah's toys!

On the first day of first grade,
Emily gave me a lotion massage while Molly napped.


On the first day of first grade,
The girls sweetly played dress up together and didn't seem to notice that their brother was "missing".

On the first day of first grade,
Emily performed a "dance show" for me... in dress up regalia!

On the first day of first grade,
The time passed faster than I anticipated... 3:20 pm came quickly!


On the first day of first grade,
Noah ended the day with another smile, a good report, and a shirt still tucked in!

On the first day of first grade,
Noah nearly fell asleep as we drove across town.


On the first day of first grade,
Emily and Molly took their first trip to YaYa's house... without Mommy or Daddy!

AND...


On the second day of first grade,
Mommy spent her first day at home without any kids!

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On the first day of preschool,
Emily woke cheering about starting school at Little Lambs.


On the first day of preschool,
Emily told me we needed to "get a uniform" for her and "pack a lunch"... just like her brother!


On the first day of preschool,
We used the hot curlers for Emily's hair.

On the first day of preschool,
Emily was as happy (and as cute) as could be!

On the first day of preschool,
Emily's new backpack was nearly as big as her!

On the first day of preschool, 
Emily was in Miss Brenda's class.

On the first day of preschool, 
Mommy failed to get a teacher gift prepared :(


On the first day of preschool,
We were 5 minutes late.


On the first day of preschool,
Emily happily and bravely took a seat next to her friend Mary.

On the first day of preschool,
It was just Mommy and Molly for a short while.


On the first day of preschool,
Emily asked if she could go back to Little Lambs the next day!

On the first day of preschool,
Emily cried for an hour when she got home... pure exhaustion!


AND...

On the second day of preschool, 
Molly wore pigtails (just like Sissy) for the first time!