Sixth Sense

Here's my girl at six. She's still the same sunny, funny, chock full o' ideas kid that she's been for however long I can remember... oh, that's right, I remember it all because I have been there nearly every concoction brewed, costume worn, elaborate scene set up, new height jumped from, glitter and sparkles glued, and monkey bad crossed. Her energy remains unflagging, her stubborness continues to assert itself in new and "exciting" ways, and her independence grows and grows. She loves to do math and workbooks, likes to color, does lots of dancing (still wears tutus and leotards most days), has questionable taste in clothing matches, will wade happily out in snow, has a sneaky sweet tooth but likes all food more than most normal people, could organize a national conference on fairness and justice (for herself and ever changing rules), and could be a professional arts and crafter if that was actually a thing. Girlfriend loves her glue and sequins and paper products. She is doing really well in school with good reports from her kindergarten teacher and has realized the social upside as well as the academic advancement that "real" school offers. She retains many of her "first child" attributes -- you know the bossy, alpha, rule following, bossy, mother hen knows best, bossy ones --  but they are tempered with her sweetness and caring for others. Sometimes the alpha qualities are helpful and sometimes it's just. so. interesting. how the rules change to fit the needs of the moment... and very rarely to Jack's benefit. She is, most of all, just... her. She is undeniably, unequivocally Molly. I wouldn't have her any other way.

Molly: 6
Weight: 45 lbs
Height: 46 inches

1. What is your favorite color? All of them (Red, orange, green, blue, violet, brown, and black)
2. What is your favorite toy? Lego Friends (Playmobil)
3. What is your favorite fruit? Mango (Watermelon)
4. What is your favorite TV show? Cat In the Hat (Wild Kratts) ed note: I still think it's Wild Kratts. Or the Sound of Music. I guess that isn't really a tv show though unless you watched poor Carrie Underwood embarrass herself. 
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Tuna (Yogurt) 
6. What is your favorite outfit? My patching PJs with my doll (My bow dress). ed note: Though she likes her jammies a lot, girlfriend is all about tutus and leotards as her comfort-wear these days. 
7. What is your favorite game?  Candy Land (Garden game) ed note: Also known as the most boring game in the universe. 
8. What is your favorite snack?  Goldfish (Goldfish)
9. What is your favorite animal?  Bunny (Koala bear)
10. What is your favorite song? Mr. Grinch (Any Lori Berkner song) ed note: Please see her love for Sound of Music above. 
11. What is your favorite book?  Little House books (Ramona books) 
12. Who is your best friend? Marin (Sophie and Kingston) ed note: Who?
13. What is your favorite cereal? Strawberry Os (Granola)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Monkey bars (Make a snowman) ed note: This is the truest answer in this entire list.
15. What is your favorite drink?  Shirley Temple (Gatorade) ed note: Who's isn't? Yum.
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas (Christmas and Valentine's day) 
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Dolly (Rapunzel and Dolly and Pillow) ed note: Some things never change.
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Toast (Oatmeal)  
19. What would you like to have for a special birthday dinner? Lemon shrimp pasta (Grammy's Macaroni and Cheese)
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?  A doctor or a famous figure skater or a rock star scientist (A teacher)  ed note: Rock star scientist seems to really be pulling ahead. It's what she told the doctor today, too. 
BONUS QUESTION: What is one wish you have for the year? That I could take tap (I wish it was sunny because tomorrow is rainy. would like to learn all about Spanish.)

Hoodwinked on Halloween

I would love this to be a story about how I started asking my children what they wanted to be for Halloween in March and though they went through several iterations of "best2013Halloweencostumeeverwhoowhoo!", they finally landed on their final visions in mid-September, in time for me to order and construct in a leisurely way before the big night arrived. I would love to tell that story. And for one half my dynamic duo, this is true. One decided to be Batman (after I nixed some amazingly complicated other costumes, though that stuff never bends him out of shape anyway) and stuck to Batman. And I ordered and constructed what I needed and finished in a leisurely way. Okay, I actually finished his the day of Halloween but it never felt THAT rushed. The other one started with a koala bear, migrated through most of the animal kingdom, and ended up at Tinkerbell. Totally fine. I ordered and constructed this costume with oodles of time to spare. This was my inspiration:

and my final product ended up pretty close to this, if I do say so myself. It was somewhat labor intensive but totally worth it. We added some wings and shoes and other cute accouterments and Tinkerbell was in the house. Why do I not have a picture of the actual dress I made. Well, it doesn't look quite as nice on a hanger as this one does. Molly had a Halloween parade at school the day of Halloween and I suggested maybe her Tinkerbell costume wasn't the best to wear to school since it required some tying and shifting and I was pretty sure her lovely Kindergarten teacher was not going to have time to adjust 24 costumes. This didn't go over particularly well but it went over. Eventually. So, off to school Molly went with her ballerina costume instead and the parade was super duper cute. 

Fast forward to the evening when the time arrived to put on costumes. And guess who didn't want to be Tinkerbell anymore? Sure as hell wasn't me, I'll tell you that much. Someone loved her ballerina costume so much she decided that it was actually her costume of choice for the evening. I committed a big parenting fail and argued about it until I realized a) it was all my fault for not letting her be Tinkerbell earlier in the day and b) I wasn't going to change anyone's mind and c) it was HALLOWEEN COSTUME for the love of pete -- not a decision to start smoking crack on a whim. I'd love to say I just accepted defeat gracefully and let it go, but in reality, I gritted my teeth a few times, faked (badly) a smile, probably muttered some incredibly immature thing like "see if I care" and let her get dressed up in her ballerina costume. 

And it really didn't matter. We joined our friends, got a sugar high, melted down at the end of the night and have continued to eat Halloween candy for over a month. All things considered, I'd say it went about as close to plan as you can expect. 

Our streets were safe from crime that night with these two on the prowl.

The parade that started it all...