Tues. 2/7/12 :: Q & A with the Counselor

Kaylee had to interview a woman in her life about roles as part of a Girl Scout badge. She chose to interview Mrs. Dantzler, the school guidance counselor, who she knows pretty well from various programs she’s involved in. There was a lot of prep involved in the badge work. Kaylee had her questions all ready, and I videoed it for her so that she wouldn’t have to worry about trying to write answers down. Kaylee pretended they were on TV and did a great job, injecting a lot of her own personality. And I was very impressed with how patient and elaborative Mrs. Dantzler was. I think a counselor was a good choice for an interview subject. :)

Mon. 2/6/12 :: Magical Math

Kaylee asked me for help this afternoon with her math homework, which described dealing cards in a certain complex order, resulting in a specific sequence of the cards that were dealt. The problem was to determine what initial order the cards needed to be in to achieve that result. Mark overheard us and immediately chimed in with, “oh, that’s the Australian Shuffle!”, and told her it was used in magic a lot. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him so eager to jump in and help her with her homework. LOL I think they must have spent nearly an hour on that problem until she finally understood. I wonder if the homework was harder or easier for the kids who don’t have a magician for a parent. ;)

Sun. 2/5/12 :: Thank You Breakfast

As a thank you to Kaylee for loaning him one of her magic tricks to use at the David Blaine show, Matthew surprised her with donuts this morning. I wish I’d had my camera out to capture her hugging him like he’d just saved the world when she found out. LOL

Sat. 2/4/12 :: Post Performance

Matthew, after his band ensemble competition at one of the other area middle schools. It was his first competition outside of the full band ones. Only three out of the six members of his ensemble showed up, but they still nailed their performance and scored a “I” (one or first or whatever).  Way to go! :)

Fri. 2/3/12 :: Demanding Movie Watcher

Since we have TiVo units on the TVs in the family room and master bedroom, the TV in Mark’s office is the only one that has a fully functional cable box. So it’s the only one that is able to access the “on demand” programming. Kaylee often goes out there to catch episodes of her favorite shows. Tonight she curled up and watched the Disney movie “The Color of Friendship”. This area is pretty multi-cultural, and she really doesn’t think in terms of race, so I think she found the premise a bit odd, but she said it was a good movie.

Thur. 2/2/12 :: Day at the Dentist

Kaylee got this happy yellow balloon when she went to the dentist for a filling today. It’s the first filling she’s had in a very long time, and the first time at this particular dentist. She is a worrier, and she’d worked herself into quite a state by the time the appointment rolled around, even convincing herself that she couldn’t breathe with the “piggy nose” on that they use for the laughing gas. It got to the point that we were going to have to reschedule for another day when she could be given a sedative before the appointment. When she heard that, she was absolutely crushed. She didn’t want to have to go through more worrying; she just wanted it over with. So she decided to try the nitrous oxide again.

I braced myself for another round of anxious fidgeting and whining, but she handled it like a champ, was completely cooperative, and made no complaints at all (other than when the hygienist accidentally pulled her hair). After only a few minutes with the gas, she was happy as a clam, and by the end she even said she LOVED having cavities! LOL She was quite disappointed when they finally turned the gas off, and was a bit less enthused once the effect wore off, but hopefully, any future appointments will go much more smoothly!

Wed. 2/1/12 :: Beady Bracelets

Kaylee spent the evening in her room making bead bracelets, one for her and one for her best friend, which she plans to give her on Valentine’s Day. Shhhhh. It’s a surprise! :)