Happy 11th Birthday, Alma!

 

Happy birthday, Alma, our delight.  This year, you can be summarized by the events and your actions on your birthday, including:

* Walking down the stairs slowly in the morning in order to marvel at the decorating Dad and I did (complete with a doughnut banner) in an attempt to match all the decorating you do for everyone else's special days;

* Going to school with joy and delighting in the secret treats given by your teachers, who know that being the "teacher's kid" comes with its own delights and challenges;

* During your birthday circle at school, your friends commented on how fair and kind you are to all;

* Eating burritos (rice, beans, and cheese) for your birthday dinner; 

* Making your own cake, which was a masterpiece of planning, persistence, and a willingness to try new things.  The three-layer lemon cake with buttercream frosting and a dripped white chocolate ganache was both beautiful and delicious;

* When Dad and I realized that we forgot to get candles for the cake, you helped to problem solve, suggesting that 11 tea lights could act as the substitute;

* Your most desired gift was a bow and arrow, which we were excited to give;

* Being aware that your little brother will feel sensitive/jealous of your birthday but asking in your thoughtful way if the day could remain focused on you instead of having to share the spotlight as you have done so many times in the past (that mature asking is one of your finest qualities);

* Opening James's gift of squirrel-themed earrings and immediately jumping up to give him a hug because you loved them so much.

We love you so much, sweet girl.  

James's Special Day

Nana and Grandpa came to the concert and luncheon in James's classroom.  James was excited to sing, dance, and speak in both French and Spanish for the presentation.  He was such a natural in the languages, I think it surprised all of us.  He really felt special to have Nana and Grandpa visit for the event.

6.5!

Just some of the reasons we love Momma

I love playing robot turtle with her
I love her hugs and kisses
I love going on walks with her, just the two of us
I love her belly button
I love going to the grocery store and getting a donut
I love it when she comes to my Open House at school
I love her dresses
I love riding in the car with her

Love, Alma and James

 

Jester Hat at the Library

While Joshua and Alma were enjoying some programming at the library today, a photographer from the local paper, the Express-Times, snapped their photo.  How cute!

 

Caption: Alma Chisholm, 2, tries on the jester-style hat she made with her father Joshua Chisholm, both of Bethlehem, at Bethlehem Area Public Library Friday during Crafts Day activity -- the 3rd of "4 Days of Fun." Saturday will be Window Decorating Day inside the library at 11 West Church Street. Express-Times Photo | LISA MASSEY

Caption: Alma Chisholm, 2, tries on the jester-style hat after a few alterations made with her father Joshua Chisholm, both of Bethlehem, at Bethlehem Area Public Library Friday during Crafts Day activity -- the 3rd of "4 Days of Fun." Saturday will be Window Decorating Day inside the library at 11 West Church Street. Express-Times Photo | LISA MASSEY

Funny recent Alma happenings/quotes:

* Alma's face was covered in peanut butter because she likes to eat her peanut butter sandwiches without the crusts cut off, but still avoiding the crusts.  I tried to wipe the peanut butter off her face with my finger to no avail. So I licked my finger and rubbed again and this time the peanut butter came off.  Alma -- ever Miss Manners -- exclaims, "Thanks for using mouth wash!"

* We have been going to as many sporting events at Moravian College as we can.  They are close, free and a really great environment.  This afternoon at a field hockey game, Alma and I had this conversation:
A: Why do they have such beautiful hair?
L: Their hair ribbons, you mean?
A: No, just the beautiful hair.
L: Oh, yes, many of the girls have their hair in braids or other styles to keep it out of their faces.
A: Yes, and out of the grass.
L: The grass?
A: Their hair is so long that they need to tie it to their heads or it would be in the grass.  They need a haircut.

* Alma has an imaginary friend, Foxy Loxy from the old story Henny Penny.  Sure, Foxy Loxy is the villain in the story -- he eats Henny Penny and all of her friends -- but Alma adores her female version who loves to dance like a fox (it looks like scratching and running in a small circle), lives in a castle (an academic building at Moravian) and spends most of her free time watching tv at our house.  We often have to call to her to come to bed with Alma for nap time and set up a chair at the table for her to sit on (to eat her "fox food and spaghetti") while we have our afternoon snack. The sweetest thing is when Alma puts her in her carrier to go on a walk. 

Happy Birthday, Godmother Christine!

Ice Cream Truck

First Day of Preschool

Happy half birthday, Alma!

Library Love

Can I brag for a second (wait, have I ever stopped bragging on this website?!) and tell you how much Alma loves the library and books?  After I went to a meeting at the library over the weekend and brought home some books, we didn't see her for the longest time as she carefully looked through each of the book's pictures.  I love how the above photo is such a common sight in our house. 

Most of our life is spent reading with her or with her following us around with as many books as she can carry and asking for us to read them to her.

Happy Easter!

Alma may be the only two year old who is excited to look at Everyday Food.  She loved all the asparagus in this month's issue.  Another fun magazine game we play is "Where's Martha?" with the Martha Steward Living Magazines because you can always find her in there a few times.

Would it shock you if I told you that she dresses herself?

Alma's Love

Other current loves include:
* Angelia Ballerina
* Princesses (and crowns, wands, spinning in circles, etc.)
* Lions or more specifically, girl lions (lionesses)
* Dimbo (aka Dumbo) and the Fox and the Hound as these are the only records we have that have the accompanying book
* Birthdays (and birthday cakes, the birthday song and blowing out candles)
* Hearing the story about the time when I was in Malaysia and a wild monkey jumped on a bag of potato chips my friend was carrying as we hiked.  The monkey ate the bag of chips and my friend cried while saying, "I didn't think they would like barbeque favor!"  Alma is fascinated by this story and Joshua cannot stop laughing every time I tell it ... so maybe it is all our current loves.
* Watering the seeds we planted last week
* Sleeping with her "friends" which consist of stuffed animals: Blue Nose the Bunny, Snow Bear the Polar Bear, Pancake Bear (a yellow flat bear from the Yoders), Penguin (an Emporor Penguin puppet from Grandma Chisholm) and a very small horse. She sleeps under her Alma Kateri blanket from Uncle Brian and Aunt Bridgette

27 Months

Parenting Two Little Ones

"Laugh at Your Brother"

Alma can make James smile and laugh better than the rest of us.  She does this by laughing in his face.  So Joshua and I end up requesting that Alma laugh at him often.   We will stop before they are tenderly-emotioned teenagers, we promise.

Kateri Tekawitha to Become a Saint

Sainthood nearer for Kateri Tekakwitha: Credited with miracle, Lily of the Mohawks to be canonized
[source: Montreal Gazette]

KAHNAWAKE - A Mohawk woman whose remains are entombed inside a Kahnawake church has moved one step closer to becoming a saint.

On Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI cleared the way for the canonization of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, known as Lily of the Mohawks, and six others.

Kateri died in 1680 at age 24.

“The bells have been ringing here all morning to let the village know,” said Rev. Ron Boyer, deacon at the St. Francis Xavier Church in Kahnawake.

The decision was made on Tuesday after the pope signed a decree approving a miracle attributed to Kateri. She is credited with interceding to save Jake Finkbonner, a child in Washington State who developed necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease, after cutting his lip while playing basketball.

With Jake gravely ill in hospital, his parish priest asked his family and other church members to ask Kateri for intercession. Soon after, the bacteria stopped spreading and Jake recovered, his family says.

“It was a first-class miracle,” Boyer said on Tuesday.

Boyer said he will attend the canonization at the Vatican, probably next year.

In 1980, Kateri was beatified by Pope John Paul II, the final stage before sainthood. To be declared a saint, a miracle must be attributed to the candidate after he or she has been beatified.

The Vatican has been receiving requests to canonize Kateri for more than 100 years. The first recorded instance came in the 1880s, when Jesuit missionaries delivered a petition on behalf of Mohawks.

Kateri’s mother was an Algonquin married to a Mohawk chief, according to historian Darren Bonaparte, who recently published a book on Kateri’s life.

Her mother, father and younger brother died during the smallpox epidemic of 1661-62. She survived the disease, but it damaged her eyesight and left her face scarred.

She remained weak throughout her life, shunning sunlight, emerging only covered with a shawl or a blanket, said Bonaparte, a Mohawk who lives in Akwesasne.

She was baptized Catholic in 1676 and, after facing pressure from her uncle to give up Catholicism, was spirited away with the help of her brother-in-law and the Jesuits to the mission of St. François Xavier du Sault, in an area along the St. Lawrence River around what is now Kahnawake and Ste. Catherine.

When she died, it was reported that her scarred face became beautiful, and that priests and friends saw her in visions, while miracles were attributed to her intercession.

Super Bowl 2012

Until James is a bit older, Joshua is still essentially in a girl-dominated house.  Therefore, the Super Bowl party in our house was primarily toenail painting and watching the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet.