The Breckenridges

When Josh and I picked up Bella from her trip to see her Emmy and Tee Lee in Kenedy last weekend, we, of course, left her entire bag of clothes on the floor in the kitchen. Mom got the phone call the next morning, after we woke up, went to get Bella's clothes for school and realized that we had left her clothes 4 1/2 hours away. Bummer. You see, Bella is rough on clothing, as I think most kids are. She wears most of her food (her daddy says that is genetic, too, because I never fail to wear at least part of my dinner. He's not funny.) and she always finds dirt I didn't know was in my house, or the one marker that doesn't have a top, or she grows more and then everything is too short. I have lots of clothes for her, but with the stains and ill-fit, they are not the clothes I let her go into public with, not to mention she is...particular about her clothing and all the clothes she loved had been forgotten (for the first time ever) far, far away. So, while we waited for the box from Kenedy with her bag o' clothes in it, I got very creative while finding Bella her daily outfit. We managed just fine, she always looked cute, but it was a lot harder than if I just had her familiar, favorite clothes that fit.

The box was supposed to be in Livingston no later than Saturday, but just our luck, it didn't arrive until Monday. Well, it was just the slip that they put in your mail box, saying the box wouldn't fit and we would have to pick it up at the post office, before 5 PM. Try explaining that to a 3 year-old! What is even more frustrating is that the mail runs late in the day, so it wasn't in there when I left to go pick Bella up from school, believe me, I checked. But it was when we returned, and, of course, it was after 5 PM. Not only did I have to explain why we had a peach-colored card instead of her box, but also that we couldn't get it until the next day, after school. Let's just say after a million questions, rewording responses to answer the reworded questions, and her father telling her the exact same things I did, she was ready to let it pass. I asked her to put the package slip on the fridge with one of her magnets so that it wouldn't get lost, and many times throughout the evening I found her at the fridge just looking at it. Another thing about Bella, she NEVER forgets. Sure, you can change the subject for a while or distract her with other things, but before the day is done she'll talk to you about it again, never fails. So I wasn't surprised, as we read our stories before lights out, that the box and the post office kept sneaking in to our conversation. After reassurances and simple explanations, she drifted off to sleep to dream of her very own package in the mail.

The next morning, reminding her that we would go pick up her box from the post office after I picked her up from school was great stimulus to get her out of bed. She was at the door waiting on me so we could get to school, with her package slip in hand to put in the car for safe-keeping. The promise of the box also assisted in allowing me to take my leave with very little sniffling as I dropped her off, because she was so excited to tell her teacher about the package she was was going to acquire after school.

So, I picked her up a bit early to ensure we had plenty of time to go to the post office. She was so excited! Constant chatter as we waited in line, full of questions and pointing out all the things and happenings in the post office lobby. With slip in hand, she approached the counter, and then turned to me with arms raised so I could lift her up to speak with the postwoman. Everyone in there knew from our five minute wait in line exactly what we were there for and that this was her first big girl trip to visit the USPS. The nice lady behind the counter played her part in assisting Bella, spoke directly to her, took the slip from her hand and then went to retrieve the box from the back. The look on Bella's face was priceless!! A huge grin of expectation, with eyes and arms open wide as she reached for the box, but in the end turned to daddy to pick it up for her and carry it to the car. She couldn't believe how big it was and the smile never left her face. Her hand laid on top of it the whole way home, and it was like her birthday, she said, after daddy opened it and she saw her things. There was a new Kindermat for her nap times, all her clothes, her swimsuit (she thought is was forever lost), and a pumice stone for Bella to do her feet in the shower. Her Emmy told her that women never have rough feet and this is how we keep them soft, so, of course, Bella has to have one. At last, the box arrived and my daughter was content, finally!!!

Until next time...

What a wonderful day for yard work! Josh, Bella, and I just finished a late morning working in the yard. Bella has this little yellow rake that she uses like she is six-feet-tall. She also thinks she can push the wheelbarrow by herself. Too funny to watch. While I weeded the growth on the sand, she was playing mailman in her princess playhouse on the porch. She told me she received a letter from Emmy stating, "Hi, this is Emmy. I miss you and can't wait to see you. You can come visit The 505 again soon. See you later. Love you. Bye." The all important playhouse mailbag. It kept her occupied for quite some time. We sat on the edge of the lake on our breaks and watched the cormorants dive in and out of the lake. It became a game, guessing when and where they would appear on the surface.

Every evening on the neighbor's rope pole on his boat deck sits a Brandt's cormorant, making his evening fishing rounds. It is a special magic, all the waterbirds here at the lake. We see Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, cormorants, kingfishers, mallard ducks, even Canadian geese every once and a while. Their croaks and squawks echo across the water in the late evening. I often wonder where the nest grounds of these birds are around here. Herons are very private birds and it is a treat to see where they build their nests. We have had the pleasure of watching a baby mourning dove take cover at our wood pile for a few weeks. Bella would check on it every morning before we left for school. In the dirt under the carport, wrens frequently make it their dust bath. It is neat to see them only a few feet away, lost in a cloud of dust as the roll and splash in the dirt. The most comical of bird sightings is watching the mockingbirds chase the black squirrels out of tree and across the yard, yelling at them the whole time. I think we have inadvertently become avid bird-watchers. As soon as I can I will post pictures of the animals we see.

Until next time...

Another week gone by here at the lake. It has been peaceful and quiet, with nothing but an occasional heron or egret squawk. We have the best view of sunsets in the whole neighborhood, and when the sun hits just right, it is like you walked into heaven. So beautiful.

Bella has been a busy bee when she comes home from school. Emmy (my mom) got her a mirror and a little exercise trampoline that she makes good use of in her room. She just watches herself jump, play, sing, and anything else. She likes watching VHS in her room too because they don't mess up like the DVDs do (we have a DVD connection issue with her TV and it gets blurry sometimes), but we are having to learn the concept of rewinding the tape so we can watch it again. The convenience of the modern world!! She is so used to just pushing a button and going with DVDs that she get so frustrated with the VHS tapes. It is funny, but she is learning.

As for her school, she loves it and has made good friends. She still hates getting up in the morning, like her daddy, but once she gets going she rushes me out the door. However the closer we get to school, the quieter she gets, and when we walk inside she cries for me not to leave. The ladies at the school are great with her and allow me to put her in their arms and walk out the door, leaving my sniffling girl behind. They tell me she is fine two seconds after I walk out the door so that gives me comfort. Should she still be crying though after almost two months? Well, when I reflect upon her personality and the life we as father, mother, and daughter have created, I see that she is a well-attached child who loves being with us. This is also her first school, first time being around many other kids, so it will be a period of adjustment in which I am willing to wait out. The books say one to have one major change at a time happen with children. Bella has had a move, a new school, and leaving her 505 family all in one swoop. Also, I suspect the attachment issue is possibly genetic as well. Alice, Josh's mom, told me that Josh was just like Bella when it came to leaving, or being left, by the mother until he was in second grade or so. Like Josh says, "I love my momma!" Too funny...I guess it is genetic.

We are enjoying our summer vacation, full of books and sunsets. Until next time...

So I have heard a lot about blogging, and finally decided to try it. Please bear with me as I learn this new online realm of communication. There have been a lot of new changes in my life recently. The end of school, leaving of my home for the past three years, a move to a town I didn't know, a quickly growing child, a new profession. Most importantly, I think, is my new status as a Registered Nurse. My education is no where near complete, but I have made the first step on the life-long road of being a nurse. This is my true calling, other than being a mother, of course. Anyone who knows me will tell you that. It took me long enough to figure it out, but here I am. Initially, my goal was to work in OB, with new mommies and babies, but a wise instructor directed me out of my comfort zone and into the ICU. I loved my rotations there during school and just received notice that I have been accepted into an ICU internship. I will write more on that later.

Isabella is learning what it is like to be a big girl. I am so proud of her. She has recently been enrolled in a local Montessori school, her first school ever. We still cry a bit during morning drop-off (both of us), but we are adjusting. Leaving her Emmy, Tee Lee, her birds, and The 505 was a bit of a shock for her. She crawled on those floors before there was carpet laid, a part of her spirit will always be there, I think. She lives a full life here at the lake, though. She just enjoyed a week long parent-free vacation in Kenedy with Mom and she returned to me 10 feet taller, refreshed and bright.

My book is calling me. Until next time...