Hay Happens and Hay's Happen

6am: Tatum: Mommy!!! Wake up, Mommy! I’m hungry!

Me: I’ll give you whatever you want; just let me sleep!

Ha..that is how I felt this morning since I probably fell asleep about 5:55am from a restless night sleep. But, Tatum had remembered I had promised her we were going out to breakfast! I got a coupon in the mail for Scramble which is a bit down the street from us; so what the hey! We decided to walk that way!

Now usually this would have been a great idea, but today was to be a record heat wave. At 8am, it was already almost 90, but I figured it would be fun to walk. She held my hand tight and enjoyed watching all the cars zoom by. We even ran through the sprinklers! That brought back memories of AZ summers, and it definitely helped the cooling factor.

We finally arrived and took our seats. It was a place where you order and sit, so that’s what we did!

After a few dollar pancakes, eggs, bacon, and lots of coffee for me, we headed back. OK, so the heat index had grown about 10 degrees in one hour. What!!!?? So we headed to the pool for a swim.

Being only 9am, we had the place to ourselves. All except a little bird stuck in the drain. This took most of the morning (one hour or so) to retrieve the stuck birdie. I finally got him out with the pool scooper, and laid him on the grass. His wing was hurt and he just shook. Tatum and I (well, actually I) were struggling to enjoy the pool watching this poor creature struggle so much. Later, my mom took out some food and water to him and we prayed for his healing. It just killed me to see him in so much pain. Gosh….

Anyway, it was a day to try out a new place called Sport ball. We arrived at 3pm for her “multi sport” lesson. This way she has an introduction into all 8 of their sports. They only did 3 today, and she LOVED basketball (just like my dad!) 

After this, we signed her up and she got a jersey. The coaches fell in love with the little Tot. We’ll see if she likes any of these sports the most. I’m kinda praying she likes and picks up golf. Deep down I want to play that with her since I need a partner to hack around with.

What a fun day. I am wiped, but spending all that time with the little gal just made being wiped not so terrible.

 

Hmmmmm…. I just wonder what the future holds for her. All I can do is introduce her to opportunities! Love this gal!

Tatum’s brain amazes me. If she’s not telling me (or her animals) a story, she’s creating something beyond my imagination. The stories she weaves together take bits from her memory, a conversation she overheard me having, and perhaps an experience she just had. I sit in awe and just listen to her tales. Maybe she gets it from me? As we drive in the car, I’m always telling her a crazy off the beaten path tale with made up characters like George the giraffe and Olivia the octopus. I cannot top her creativity however!

This brings me to the point. SAVORING. Sure, I am in a hurry at times and honestly, I just don’t have patience. Like when we needed to leave and she hopped in my seat to be the driver. “Tatum I need to get you in your carseat; we’re going to be late!”

She was just so darn funny, so I had to just enjoy the moment.

I’m learning to STOP and savor. One day, she won’t need me and I’ll miss our little moments together.

So…I learn to savor. This is my new goal with her (and with everything really!)

Just the other day, I came into her room and she had created a “swimming pool.” She had each of her dolls wait on the side as she gave them lessons. 

Or when I was leaving her room so she could read Samuel Whiskers to her baby.

She told it with such song in her voice and remembered so much of the story, she had it down! I savored this moment.

We have such fun together and it is all because we make the best of our time. We don’t need flashy places to go or tons of toys. With our stories, her imagination, and a lot of laughs, the moments are easily savored.

I love you, Tot.

Taking her to Preschool today was a bit hard. It was the last day she’d be with Miss Kristin. When we arrived, Miss Kristin had not arrived yet, so she had not the usual comforts. So I kept hearing her yell for “Mommy,” and it broke my heart. She is ALWAYS fine when I leave (she cries for only 30 seconds), but today, it was harder because she didn’t want me to leave. I called the school, and Miss Kristin finally showed up and sent me this pic:

She seemed happy and I could relax. However, it’s funny, when she is at school, I honestly miss her. I wonder what she is doing and how she is getting along. But I do know that the input that she is receiving is all positive and the people love her so much.

When I picked her up, I surprised her with her new shirt to celebrate the school: We also were greeted by a cool lizard outside our house: (GINORMOUS!)

I also had found one of my OLD phones, and I gave it to her. Garbage to me; treasure to her. She instantly called John and Becca . Now, I have no idea if these are real people but the conversation she was having was intriguing. “John, dude, what you doing?” Then she pauses for the answer and says, “Really? OH!” So funny! Then it was time to hold Bella and “Look something up.” It was very important, she told me. Apparently it had something to do with writing and “A” on the easel.  Because she did it just perfectly (Up, down, across!) 

This Tot of mine!!! Personality just OOOOOZES out of every pore, and I cannot stop laughing. XXOO

This time around, she was oozing confidence and charm. Just past Christmas she had her first presentation, and this was the Spring one.

Taina and Jen had been working with her for this past six months, and boy did she improve. Her improvement came in the form of poise and POWER! That kiddo is strong and a real ball of fire. Taina, of course, calls her “one of a kind” because she is such a mature little Tot.  The did the warm up (well, just Avery and Alton and coaches Jenn and Taina) and then waited their turn.

She began with her gymnast pose….

and ended with the same! 
Great job little Caterpillars! Next stop: Ladybugs! Thank you Taina and Jen!!!