Never Say Never...

***Lennon before school today with her little buddy.  These two know that they are super heroes. They're not pretending.  They really are super heroes.

I used to say “I’d never let my kid go out like that…”  That was of course before I had kids.  Now I let them go out

almost however they want.  There are times where I put my foot down and make them brush their hair or even more shocking (to them) match. 

Today Lennon came into our room all “ready” for school.  She was proud.  We didn’t even have to ask her to get dressed.

She was feeling all sorts of full of beauty.  Who wouldn’t feel full of beauty when you’re wearing your “power outfit”? 

As the morning wore on, I was growing a little anxious that she was really going to wear that.  (Note: I didn’t say that letting my kids make their own fashion decisions was easy. It’s not. Unless they are Piper, who usually has an innate sense of quirky, eclectic and very personalized fashion sense that I sometimes envy.)  I said to her “Lennon, I’m proud of you for getting dressed all by yourself today, without even being asked.”  She glowed.  And then she beamed.  I continued, “Do you know that I love that shirt/dress and that skirt?”  She glowed more.  “But, did you know though that they don’t match each other?  So maybe we could find something that matches your shirt/dress or your skirt and you could still wear your favorite part of what you are wearing today with something that matches it.”  I raised my eyebrows and half smiled as if I had just said something really exciting. She paused, looked at me and said “They don’t match?”

“Nope.” 

She simply shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Well…I’m okay with that.” 

I was resigning to the fact that I may have to be okay with her choice for the day.  Later on the way home from taking the older kids to school I said “Lennon, did you know that today is St. Patrick’s Day and we are all supposed to wear green so that we don’t get pinched?”  She was baffled.  What kind of a holiday is this?  Wearing green so that we don’t get pinched?  “Lame.”  I knew that this was my last chance to change her mind.  “When we get home we need to change your clothes so that you have some green on.  We don’t want you to get pinched today, right?”  

She wasn’t the least bit worried about being pinched.  “Mom, we’re not ‘tuposed to pinch.  I’m not wearing green and I’m okay with that.” 

In the end, I swallowed my pride and let her wear what she wanted to wear.  It’s a pretty important job I have, empowering my kids.  Sometimes it’s teaching them to stand up for what they believe in, sometimes it’s letting them feel the consequences of sad choices and sometimes it’s letting them feel beautiful in outfits like the one she picked out today. 

After school, she came in and told me that after she got green marker on her shirt/dress, she was wearing green.  It worked out perfectly.

Is It Too Late To Mention?

That we went to the black tie gala?  I found a dress that day at 2:00 p.m..  Crayton called it Telestial.  It wasn't as long as he would have liked.  Lennon mentioned that my bum is squishing (mash your face up and look pained and you might get a tiny taste of her expression) my legs.  She also mentioned that I had red spots ALL OVER (wave your hand over your face with a wide 5 fingered wave, big eyes) my face.  Not to worry though, she ended the statement with a shoulder-slumped "poor mommy."  Piper was silent and didn't approve of the length of my dress either.  So much so, that she didn't want to take a picture of us.  The g's were covered for pete's sake.  These kids act like I don't have knees.   There was more to the evening but i will write about it later.  It wasn't the highlight of my life and I'm quite confident that this will be my final black tie gala.  

Is it too late to mention that on March 2, 2009, I turned 31?

How about that my whole week was sprinkled with birthday delight?

Or that I am supposed to be on the road to Utah right this very minute but Lennon has the flu that Piper has had (and is now over) so I am waiting for vomit laundry to finish and then maybe I'll shower, clean,  pack and (maybe) leave soon...?

Is it too late to mention that any other significant thing that has happened to me since my last post has been wiped from my brain and replaced with visions of children puking. In.  My.  Hands. (why don't Ryan's hands instinctively fly up like cups to the faces of our babies when he hears the cough?)  I will give him some credit though.  When we were doing a middle of the night sniff out to see what all the stink was about (and then we found it ALL OVER LENNON and HER BED, and then we had to cut her unders off and throw her in the shower) he didn't even gag once.  I gagged enough for the both of us.  It was special.  This week has been special.  

Is it too late to mention that I'm sorry for leaving that picture of me pulling that face up way too long?  Well, I am {very, very}  sorry.