VPK Graduation

Leading up to Ray's VPK graduation last week, I was hesitant and slightly negative about the whole thing. Graduating from VPK? Really? I only graduated from high school and college. VPK seemed a little like overkill. I looked at it like it was just a reason to pay $35 for the honor of hearing my baby sing songs I've been hearing her sing for six months.

I am happy to say that I take all those thoughts back. VPK graduation rocked.

Ray's teachers did a great job. They put on a beautiful, fun, and emotional ceremony. Ray's graduating class had 52 students and six teachers. Six absolutely fabulous teachers.

The entire class sang songs like Fifty Nifty United States, Macarena Months, My Florida Alphabet and Hip Hop Hokey Pokey. Ray headlined the school's theme song and loved being in the spotlight. Because of these songs, my baby can name all fifty states in alphabetical order, all of the U.S. presidents in order, and the days of the week and months in both English and Spanish. She is beyond brilliant (yes, I am biased.)

Ray stood proud after she received her diploma (not the real one to be sure, that was placed safely in a folder for us to take home later). Her teacher announced that she wanted to be a teacher when she grows up, and my baby grinned ear to ear.

The VPK teachers also put together a book called, "Recipes from Imagination Station." Ray's entry, verbatum:

My Dad's Great Waffles
2 Waffles that you buy from Publix
Put the waffles in the oven for 5 minutes. Take out and put them on a plate. Put lots of syrup on them. If you don't want syrup you can just eat it whole.

Classic.

They also showed a slide show containing pictures from all the years the kids were at the daycare. It brought tears my eyes and made me appreciate how well Ray's school took care of her. Ray started there when she was two years old, and it is truly more than a daycare and VPK school. They have taught and comforted and helped my baby grow. They help make her who she is today.

I also cried because I realized why I had not been the most positive towards the graduation, and its why I delayed writing about it. Because it means my baby is no longer my baby. She's going to Kindergarten next year. Kindergarten! I have never looked beyond this point. Its quite odd. And I like it.

She may be growing up, but she'll always be my baby. No matter how old she is.

The Funny Things They Say

Chay is starting to come out of his shell in a major way. He flirts with his teachers. He disagrees with Ray when she tells him to do something. And, man, does he grunt at me when he's not happy. My little Bull has developed his own sense of humor, and its a pretty good one.

He is also coming up with some doozy sayings.

Take this conversation, for instance:

Chay: I want watamewon. Pweese? Can I have watamewon?

Me: Let's work on this. It is WATER MELLON. You aren't Elmer Fudd.

Chay: I just want watamewon. Pwease.

E: You kinda look like Elmer Fudd, with that new hair cut and your ears.

Chay to me: That's messed up. (And you will need to picture his face, with his eyebrows all crooked and face scrunched up, the perfect facial).

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Chay has been wearing his sunglasses EVERYWHERE. And when he puts them on, he is a "rock star." And he will tell everyone he sees that he's a "rock and roll rock star."

As much as he loves his drums and guitar, I do see a future in music, despite the cheesy sunglasses.

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And then there's this sweet compliment he paid me last week after I ran six miles:

Chay: Mommy, you stink.

Me: Chay! I'm the stink monster. Give me a hug!

Chay: Oh, no. AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! Get away stink monster!

Me (after a shower): Chay, will you give me a hug now?

Chay (after smelling my arm): Mmmmm....mommy, you smell good now. Before you smelled like a trash can. Now you smell like a rose.

Me: Well, I aim to please.

Ray and Chay's Great Grandma

Ray and Chay have been lucky to have their Great Grandma in their lives, and they are her "Pride and Joy." She loves them with all her heart, even if she couldn't keep up with their energy the past few months.


Great Grandma and The Bull



Great Grandma swears that Chay is crazier than a bed bug. Her nickname for him is "The Little Shit." She knows crazy best...she's the oldest of 14 crazy Canadian brothers and sisters. Great Grandma is a hard working, hard headed, and absolutely beautiful woman.



Great Grandma and Ray at Easter

Ray is Great Grandma's love of her life. My grandpa is Ray's namesake, and therefore, a constant reminder of my Grandma's great love of her life. Ray and Great Grandma were so sweet together, always giving hugs, holding hands and blowing kisses to each other.

Great Grandma passed away yesterday morning. While we were sitting with her saying our final goodbyes, Nana wondered how I was going to explain Great Grandma's passing to Ray and Chay. My response, "I'm going to be honest."

I received the call from my mom at 6:30 Monday morning, so the kids weren't awake yet. I raced around getting dressed as quickly as possible, and Ray woke up and was curious why I was leaving and not getting ready for work. I explained that I was going to see Great Grandma and had to hurry. I didn't have time to sit down and tell her fully what had happened, and I planned to do it later in the evening when we could all sit down and have a serious talk.


Ray had a different plan. She is so perceptive, it throws me off sometimes. Later that afternoon, I went to pick Ray and Chay up from their school, and the first thing Ray asked after we pulled out of the parking lot, was this: "Mommy, what happened to Great Grandma?"


Luckily, I was at a red light, so I could glance into the rear view mirror. What I saw shook me. Beauty had tears in her eyes. How did my baby know?


I told them there and then that Great Grandma died and was now in heaven dancing with their Great Grandpa. Then I handed out presents that I told them Great Grandma had left them. I gave Chay a stuffed dog that Great Grandma's brother had given her that has USA stuff all over it, and I told Ray that Great Grandma gave her the PURPLE blanket she had been using to keep her legs warm.


Chay carries that stuffed dog with him everywhere, and Ray now sleeps with that blanket. They are sad, but not fully understanding the concept of death. Yet, Great Grandma will be with them forever, and I cannot think of a better way for them to remember her than through her many gifts that she has passed on to them, whether they be stuffed, metal or just memories.


Cheers, Grandma. You are already missed, but I know you are dancing with Grandpa in heaven. I love you.

Mother's Day on My Wrist

I received extra special Mother's Day presents from Ray and Chay; gorgeous and expensive bracelets with colorful jewels and meaningful charms that represent just how much they love me. I am a lucky woman.

OK, maybe not so fancy and expensive. And, not so gorgeous either. But truly made with love.

Ray walked me through every bead on her bracelet and explained to me what each one represents (her bracelet is the one closer to my hand). From right to left:

*A purple glass bead - She loves purple and it was the fanciest there was.

*A small silver rose - She's the baby rose.

*A gold bead - Because its GOLD, mommy, and really expensive!

*A big silver rose - I'm the mommy rose.

*A hot pink dolphin - Because its a dolphin and they are cute.

*A red heart - Because she loves me. Duh.

*A pink butterfly - They are pretty, just like us.

*A purple bow - Because she loves purple and hair bows. It just made sense.

*A silver flower - Flowers are pretty and I wear a lot of silver.

*A black bead - I also wear a lot of black and its one of my favorite colors (I do, in fact, wear a lot of black. But I never made a deal about it, so I'm impressed that she is working on her observation skills).

*A sparkly pink heart - Her teachers didn't have any diamonds, so this heart was the sparkliest thing she could find. And its pink.

I love the thought process that she went through as she put it together. I can just imagine her facial expressions and the conversation she had with CG while they made their bracelets.

I asked Chay to explain his bracelet to me kind of in the same way that Ray did. He said, "It has a dice on it," then walked away. So, I guess it represents that I like to gamble? Great! (I don't have a gambling issue. I swear.)

He came up to me last evening and told me he was happy I was wearing his bracelet. I said, "Of course, I'm wearing it. Its beautiful and its from you."

His response was, "Its beautiful just like you, Mommy," and gave me a kiss.

I truly am a lucky woman.

Mother's Day According to Ray and Chay

Yesterday, Ray and Chay wanted to do something special for me for Mother's Day. Ray's original idea was to go on roller coasters. That got nixed because we're going back to Disney in a couple weeks, so economically, E couldn't justify spending the money on yet another amusement park (a good decision on his part!). Then she wanted to go to Sun-n-Fun Lagoon for Mother's Day. That was nixed because, while fun, its not relaxing for me. Neither kid can swim yet, so I am a nervous nelly the entire time we're there.

After much hand wringing on E and Ray's part, and at my suggestion, of course, we ended up going up to Lindo Beach for the day. We swam, enjoyed the sun and relaxed. Then we headed to the Columbia Restaurant for tapas and Sangrias. My favorite. Ray and Chay knew that, of course, that's why they picked it. At least, that's how they will tell the story if you ask them.

I have so many favorite, and not so favorite, stories to tell from yesterday. But my first is a short little tale involving The Bull and a man with a dog.

Chay to a man walking a German Shepherd: "Hey, look, its a puppy dog!"

The man walking the German Shepherd (while puffing up his chest): "Yes, and he's a BIG DOG!"

Chay: (Shrugs.) "Huh. My dog's bigger."

Truth is, he's right.

Sampson, The Bull's Best Friend

Maybe Telemundo Really Is Teaching Them Something?

We went for a family dinner at an authentic Mexican restaurant this evening to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. No, not Iguana Mia or Casa Laredo, both of which we like, but not what we consider authentic. And, we know, Cinco de Mayo is essentially an American holiday. But, hey, I like to celebrate when Mexico resisted French occupation and won!

The restaurant was all dressed up in red, white and green balloons and streamers with "Fiesta" posters all over the walls. They had Mexican music playing and bull riding on the TV. Cheesetastic. The food was great - spicy, fresh and delicioso. My kind of food.

As we sat down to eat, Ray and Chay wanted to know why we were eating out on a school night. We explained to them that it was Cinco de Mayo, and we were really craving some good Mexican meals. Ray burst out with, "Cinco means five, and de May0 means May. So Cinco de Mayo must mean its May 5!"

Impressed, we praised Ray for translating Spanish to English. Then Chay had to get in on the action.

"I can speak Spanish! Bagalo balafo balago de mayo!" He yelled. "See, that was Spanish." Then the whole restaurant laughed. (He can't seem to say anything without the whole restaurant hearing him, regardless of where we are.) Of course, he couldn't tell us what "Bagalo balafo balago de mayo" meant.

Chay did count to ten in Spanish though, so I'll give him props. Not to be outdone, Ray proceeded to say "Hello" in three other languages - Spanish, French, and Chinese. The competition between these two never ceases to amaze me, but if it keeps each one challenged and learning, I am not going to complain.

Maybe watching Spanish soap operas on Telemundo really have taught them something?

Chay Knows the Ladies

Ray and Chay's Godparents are visiting this weekend along with Em!!!! We are so excited, and Ray is hopping like a frog in a frying pan.

E's birthday is today, but we are celebrating Friday with an adult evening for dinner and drinks (Thanks, Nana and Papa for babysitting!). Em's 8th birthday is Saturday (Egads! 8 already???)

Chay and I had a Mommy/Chay night tonight, getting his "Mo"* redone and going grocery shopping, while Ray and Daddy cleaned. Surprisingly, Ray did a good job cleaning her room. And E did a great job, as always, cleaning the rest of the house (yes, I asked him to clean the house on his birthday. We are pretending his birthday is tomorrow. It was his idea; I swear!).

While at Publix, Chay and I ordered Em's birthday cake. While flipping through the book, he saw a cake and screamed, "STOP!" Everyone in the deli line stopped and stared. Chay didn't care. He had found the perfect cake for Em.

And, he did. The Bull picked out a Barbie cake with purple icing and Hawaiian flowers. He yelled, loudly enough that I swear the seafood section heard him, "Em loves Barbie and flowers, and Ray loves purple. ITS PERFECT!!!"

And, it turns out, it is. Does Chay know his ladies or what?

Ray and Chay Marched for the Babies!

When Momslikeme posted that they were forming a team for the March of Dimes Walk in downtown Fort Myers, I signed up immediately. I thought it would be a good lesson in philanthropy for Ray and Chay, and it would teach them how good it feels to do something generous to help others. I recruited CG and Ms. Amy to walk with us, too. The more, the merrier!

Leading up to the walk, we explained to Ray and Chay who we were walking for and what the March of Dimes did to help children. We raised the money together (and by together, I mean I hit people up for money on Facebook and through emails), and we managed to raise $110 with a little effort. Ray was very excited for Saturday evening, and she told everyone that she was going to walk for "the sick babies!" Chay was excited too, but I don't think he really understood why. He knew we were walking, that Ray was excited, so he would be excited too.

Ms. Amy heard there was a competition for the best decorated buggy. She has a "thing" for crafty competitions, so I let her have complete control over the theme for our wagon. I think she did a pretty good job, but if we don't win the competition, I think her head will explode. (The voting is over, so I'm feeling confident that we won. Or not. I really have no clue).

The night of the walk could not have been prettier. I have no idea how many people walked but my guess would be about 1500 people? The atmosphere was inspirational, and everyone was in a festive mood. A dad and his son colored their hair purple, which, of course, Ray absolutely became obsessed with. Several others decorated their buggies, and people driving down the road were honking and cheering us walkers on. The only negative thing I have to say - at one point three gentleman walking ahead of us were smoking cigars. Really? On a walk for sick children? When children are all around you? But, like I said, that's the only negative thing I have to say about the whole experience. Oh, and Ray was being an absolute hard head and didn't listen to me all day, but what else is new?

CG, Riley (Pam's daughter), and Ray took control of the wagon from the get go. Chay was a good sport and walked most of the way. I was proud of all the kids, but especially Chay. He walked at least two of the three miles, which is a lot for his little legs.

The Diva's ride, while their man-servant follows behind

Ray was forced to shield her face from the Paparazzi

Mid-way through the walk, Riley volunteered to walk so that Chay could ride in the wagon. Which meant that all the girls had to get out. So, Chay got the wagon all to himself.

And I think that made him a little sad.

The conversations between the girls were hilarious. They sang songs, including "Fifty Nifty United States," in which they proceeded to sing all fifty states in alphabetical order. They quizzed each other on their addition tables (Who knows what 2 + 4 is?! Me!). And, they made up silly rhymes to entertain themselves. I just wish little Chay had a buddy with us too. I do think he felt a little left out.

The Divas were easily distracted by the flowers along the route

When it was all said and done, the evening was a fun family night. Ray and Chay walked their hearts out and were proud of themselves for helping those sick babies. We burned a few calories, laughed a lot, and managed to help some people while doing it. What a great way to spend a Saturday night, surrounded by family, friends and a great event!

Spanish TV

Ray and Chay are currently sitting outside on the lanai eating popsicles and watching Telemundo. They are laughing hysterically, commenting on what is being said, and clapping their hands. They are clearly loving whatever show they are watching.

Why do I find this odd?

They can't speak Spanish.

Stage Fright

Ray has an irrational fear of the stage. Two and a half years ago, I tried to take her to see the Nutcracker. As soon as she walked into the theater and saw the stage, she started screaming and ran out. She enjoyed watching the Nutcracker with Nana from the lobby on the LiveAction TV.

I took a risk, and Amy and I escorted Ray and CG to see Beauty and the Beast at the Barbara B. Mann Performance Hall last night. We had great seats, row K Center, aisle. Ray was fascinated with the man sitting next to us. His daughter was performing in the play, and he was clearly proud. Ray asked which character she was, and when the play started she told him his daughter was beautiful (she wasn't lying, either...the girl was gorgeous). She laughed, loudly, throughout the introduction number, and the people around us told us they loved her laugh. It was great! And fun.

Until, the second scene. (You knew this was coming, right?)

When the mood turned dark and the music became intense when the Beast became "The Beast," Ray covered her ears and screamed as she ran up the aisle towards the back of the theater, "Mommy, Get me out of here!!!!!!"

No one was laughing at that point, at least not me.

The ushers standing outside the doors to the theater in the lobby were extremely nice and understanding. They helped calm her down and let us sit towards the back corner where Ray would be able to enjoy the happy parts and hide against the wall.

Ray enjoying Beauty and the Beast in the "Safe Seat"

This worked well throughout the "Be Our Guest" portion of the ensemble. However, during the, as Ray describes it, "scary rawring Beast" scenes, she spent the time hiding behind a wall.

A Scary Loud Rawring Beast Scene

Regardless of the drama created by Ray, it was a fun night. Ray and CG acted like perfect little ladies in the lobby (well, as much as 5 year olds can)...

Ray and CG were very excited about their cookies at Intermission

It will be a long time before I try to take Ray to the theater again. She brings a whole new definition to "stage fright."

But, in the meantime, I want to send a big shoutout to the staff working at BB Mann on Saturday night. Without your patience, Ray and I wouldn't have been able to enjoy a fabulous production of "Beauty and the Beast." To you, we send a big Thank You!