a rose by any other

It really irks Damon that Anne wants to change her name and that I'm supportive (she just has to wait until she's 18).

Today he said, "Anne took away about 15% of my happiness when she started calling herself Jessica."

Anne

~in the mud hole I dug for her when we had our early summer a few weeks ago.

~last fall at a nearby playground.

You might not know it because I mostly blog about Claire, but this is the Year of Anne. I am trying to make up for neglecting her while we dealt with Claire’s problems. In December I pulled her out of preschool because I didn't want to have to drive in Michigan ice and snow. Then we had the mildest winter ever, and I couldn't put Anne back in preschool because the class was full. Turns out it was all for the best--next year the district is implementing full day kindergarten. Or maybe it will be all for the worst and Anne won't be at all prepared for a full day of school. Regardless, I'm not happy about this. Kind of excited (I strive not to be a liar), but mostly sad that my little girl will have to go to school all day. Why don't I just homeschool, you ask. Because I don't homeschool. There are a lot of homeschoolers these days, and I take off my hat to those incredimoms, but I'm not one of them. Anyway, I'm trying to get in lots of me and Anne time before the State takes over caring for her most of her waking hours. Anne also gets in a lot of He-Man and She-Ra time, I'm ashamed to say.

She still draws and paints a lot. Here are some examples from her still-life phase:

Claire

~Got glasses a few weeks ago. They have a pretty weak prescription, but apparently they are necessary in helping her eyes work together while we do her eye-crossing exercises every day. Or maybe the optometrist is taking advantage of our ignorance. I can’t believe how expensive they were.

~Her vain streak has resurfaced. One day I saw her admiring herself in the
mirror saying, “Oh, look how adorable I am.”

~Takes pride in doing things by herself. I thought this day would never come.

~Is learning to ride a bike without training wheels.

Damon

~Was elected to Student Council in the fall. One of his campaign promises was to have a "Pot of Gold Chocolate Coins Hunt" for St. Patrick's Day. We fulfilled that for his class a couple of Fridays ago. He told me we didn't have to do it, because he didn't promise he would, but I told him it's never too soon to start campaigning for next year.

~With his gingerbread house from a kit at Christmas time
~Earned his purple belt in Tae Kwon Do. Last Saturday I watched him beat up a girl. Thank you, Women's Rights Movement, for making that possible. Master Chung kept urging her to "Fight back! Fight back!" Thwack, Damon kicks her again in the gut.

~Is an advocate of exceptionally clean language. Crap, crud, butt, stupid, jerk, are all forbidden. He accuses me of saying bad words because I called someone a jerk (oops) and referred to the bottom of his baseball bat as the butt (not even Webster's Dictionary could convince him that that was an appropriate way to use butt).

melancholy

Anne: I miss Grandma. [We hear "I miss Logan/Grandma/Bekah/our old house/Zannah at least once a day from her. I never thought a 4-yr-old could be so attached to people and things outside her immediate family.]

Claire: Me, too. She used to make us yummy food to eat. And Grandpa would take us on adventures.

Anne: Claire, I hope you live by me when we grow up.

Claire: I'm going to live wherever I want to live. But maybe my kids would want to live by their aunt.