Last week was a banner week at the Maison de Sara et Kelly.  First, Grandmommy came for a visit, which is always a cause for celebration.  The girls play themselves silly with Grandmommy and do a gargantuan list of things children will ONLY DO for their grandparents.  At one point in the week, Sara and Kelly were attaching Norman Rockwell stickers all over Grandmommy’s back while wearing Mardi Gras beads around their necks, and I’m just not sure I’ve ever seen such quiet contentment and concentration.  Grandmommy went all over town, proudly sporting a back covered in stickers.

Grandma teaches Sara her new favorite game: Newsreporter.  Sara now walks around all day with a pencil and a journal, asking me questions.

A Grandmommy visit always means hot showers for Mommy and the chance to unlock the handcuffs that keep me attached to my kitchen sink all day.  At one point on Thursday, I found myself all alone, sunk into a big chair at Starbucks, having a phone coffee date with my friend Amie.  It was a very surreal experience.

Nope, she’s not taking these off…ever.

Most importantly, Greg and I had not only one date, but THREE DATES.  THREE!  It was like we were….I don’t know…DATING.  We had a lunch date, a movie date, AND a dinner date.  On THREE different days!  What?  Did we win some kind of DATE YOUR SPOUSE game show?  WHAT IS THIS?  2003?!

Grandmommy beats Mommy at a good game of, “How many things can we make out of pipe cleaners”

And for some Sara news: Sara participated in her first science fair.  It was optional and our experiment was not so “science-y”, as it was more a mixture of food science and behavioral science, but it all counts.  It’s very much allowed for parents to help 3 year olds do their projects, as well…um…they can’t write.  Although, they can GLUE.  And “waminate” (laminate).  I did NOT take this opportunity to teach Sara powerpoint.  She has the rest of her life to be bored to death by presentations that should be half as long and twice as interesting.

We did, “Does Brown Sugar Make Vegetables Taste Better?”  We tested 4 recipes of sweet potatoes and butternut squash, all served at the All American Family Birthday Dinner.  Avery said the sweet potatoes with brown sugar were “the best potatoes I’ve ever eaten”.  Jenny and Jason said my study design was total crap as the two butternut squash recipes could never be compared fairly head to head, as one recipe contained apples, while the other did not.  To which I replied a bit too loudly, “SHE’S THREE.  THREE!  We asked a question, we sought an answer, we came to a conclusion.  THREE.”  Why was I so defensive?  Because they were right.  A girl can only cook so much in a day people.  5 vegetable dishes, a turkey, and 2 spinach lasagnas were apparently my breaking point.  Sara could easily claim she took no part in the design, as she was very clear with me from the beginning: Sara is in charge of the glitter and glue, Mommy is in charge of the food.  The entire presentation board was covered in gold glitter, to represent brown sugar.  She held up her end of the deal.

When Sara was queried about her conclusion, the only thing she could answer was her honest conclusion, slightly different from the standard, “more people preferred brown sugar than did not.”  Oh no, Sara, completely shocked that anyone would NOT WANT SUGAR answered time and time again, “Pa Pa Bill and Grandma Kathy DO NOT LIKE SUGAR.  THAT is my conquooshion. (conclusion).”

Never too young to learn the properties of surface tension: materials needed: water, pipette, a penny.

Sara got her first blue ribbon.  It wasn’t judged, everyone in lower and early school who participated got a blue ribbon, and as well they all deserved them.  The lower school projects were delightful and clearly done in an independent spirit of curiosity.  I didn’t see a heavy parental hand on any boards.  The whole night was a lot of fun.  I don’t think Sara knew what to expect, but she could tell we were all proud of her for participating.  When I told her I was proud of her, she answered, “I’m proud of me too Mommy.”  I honestly could have cried out of sheer joy.  I think those words sum up Sara’s first year of school.

When we got home, Sara kept saying, “I WIN!  I WIN!”

But, because all blue ribbons have an anxiety lining, we came home to celebrate with ice cream, and Sara broke out in an honest to goodness case of hives.  Truthfully, we’re all pretty sure it was nerves.  A certain Mommy used to break out in hives AFTER she took an exam.  Apparently we know where that apple fell.  A little benadryl and all night cuddle from Mommy, and all is well.  The ribbon is high on her dresser, to remind us that even the smallest children can participate.  Modified, with a little more help…but they are growing and wishing to be a part of it all, right before our very eyes. Hey little juicy people, won’t you join us in this amazing journey?

Daddy teaches Sara the essence of animation at Family Science Night at school.