July (Part 2)

After raving to my parents about how perfect July was last year, my parents timed their visit here for mid July. They were escaping a cold winter on NSW's south coast, and it was to be their first time in Seattle. It was my mum's second only trip ever to the US (she visited us once in L.A.), and my dad's first time ever overseas. Exciting stuff, right?

It took a lot to get them here. In the almost-five years that J and I lived in England, my parents never visited - but to be fair, I had much younger siblings then and it would have been far more expensive. I'm not completely delusional though. Having their two eldest grandchildren now living the US is a huge drawcard... but whatever the reason, I'm glad they came.

After me talking up Seattle at this time of year, the city decided to make a liar out of me. For a good chunk of my parents' first week with us, it was grey and mostly rained. Temperatures were not that much warmer than the part of Australia they'd just come from. They'd also had a two-day stopover in Hawaii, which didn't help matters, so I don't think their first impressions of Seattle were particularly favourable.

A couple of days after their jet lag hd worn off, we had a sunny afternoon so I took them to a nearby state park for a walk. They've both seen little but eucalyptus trees over the last fifty-odd years, so it was great for them to experience some classic Pacific Northwestern forest. This park is full of cedars and firs - incredibly majestic, and I still remember how those tall trees took my breath away the first time I encountered them in Vancouver more than fourteen years ago.

Later that week, after giving up on the wait for blue skies, we drove out to Snoqualmie. It's a town that J and I have taken the girls to several times, and we love it there. It's only a forty-five minute drive so it's an easy, short road trip to do but gives a sense of being well away from the city. It's also where much of Twin Peaks was filmed, so - geeks that J and I are - we always get a little kick out of seeing Snoqualmie Falls. In Snoqualmie, there's also a historical old railway museum, which the girls love, so we thought my dad might also enjoy seeing some of those old rattling trains because, let's face it, there's far less of that sort of thing in Australia.

Thankfully, the weather gods decided to smile upon us and make that the last grey, drizzly day for the remainder of my parents' visit. The next day we went on a lake cruise, where the sun gently eased out from behind the clouds, then gradually turned up the dial for heat and brightness over the next eight days. We spent much of it sightseeing: the city skyline and Lake Union from Gas Works Park, had dinner at the same seafood restaurant where J and I had celebrated our anniversary in May, checked out a classic car show that happened to be in our neighbourhood (because what fifty-something-Australians who love older American cars but have seen very few in real life wouldn't pass up the chance?), visited a fabulous hipster coffee joint downtown, took in Pike Place Market, and enjoyed sunsets at our local beach at Lake Washington.

A couple of days before my parents were due to leave, we celebrated the Faery's eighth birthday. EIGHT! Having two doting grandparents in town to help with the spoiling, she was in her element. We let her pick somewhere fun to go and - because we hadn't been on it yet - she chose the Seattle Great Wheel, down by Seattle's waterfront. The weather was amazing, the views were amazing, and I'd recommend it to anyone who might be considering it. The pier also had an arcade with old games, so a birthday carousel ride, along with air hockey, was a must. The day was topped off with dinner of her choice (pizza within walking distance of home) and chocolate cake. I felt bad because this was her first birthday that I hadn't baked her a special cake myself, but the days leading up had been a busy blur. Hopefully next year I can make it up to her... but I think she had a lovely day regardless. She is a darling, and I love the age she is. I have clear memories of my own eighth birthday, so it feels easy to get into her headspace and remember what it was like to be an eight-year-old girl. We promised her a low-key bowling party too, but that had to wait until August, when her best friend from L.A. was due to visit. Stay tuned...

Day camping birthday girl

Before living in the US, I used to hear the words 'summer camp' and then instantly associate it with teenagers spending weeks on end in rustic cabins by picturesque lakes, far away from home. I suppose I'd watched one too many movies as a kid, where this was the case. Does anyone remember Poison Ivy, with Michael J Fox? Or the original The Parent Trap? I'd always assumed that 'camps' were simply the American version of British boarding schools - but for summer time instead.

It wasn't until last summer, when the Faery had finished Kindergarten and was waiting to start Grade One, that I learned of summer day camps, and how entirely different they were. Not boarding school, but essentially a version of child care for older kids. Many of the Faery's school friends were enrolled in various day camp programmes over the summer - mostly out of necessity with two working parents, or sometimes to give their mothers a break. I didn't really feel the need to sign the Faery up because I wasn't working and couldn't justify the cost.

A factor that I didn't consider at the time, though, was the duration of American summer holidays.

In Australia, the school year tends to finish around mid-December, and begin by the end of January - a total of six weeks of summer freedom. In Los Angeles, school finished in early June and will resume in mid August. In Seattle, the summer break is from mid-June until early September.

That's around two and a half months of no school. In the Faery's case, her summer break is three months long, due to the move between different states and school districts. THREE MONTHS!

The first three weeks were a dizzy social blur for her, as I tried to ensure she saw as much of her buddies as possible before the big move... and then we moved.

This move has been harder on her than any of us. There have been tears galore, and pining for her friends. Despite me throwing a two-month-early birthday party for her in L.A. (knowing we'd be in Seattle and she wouldn't know anyone on her actual birthday), the past week has seen her express the most heart-wrenching statements - designed for maximum guilt - such as "What I REALLY want for my birthday is friends."

I've done my best to try and make the transition to Seattle fun, and between unpacking and the usual just-moved-to-a-new-city errands, most days have involved trips to explore different parks, playgrounds, and lakeside beaches. We even did our first bus ride into downtown Seattle last week.

It hasn't been enough to fill the social hole, though. We've been here just over a month, and there is still another whole month to fill before school starts... so J and I decided to enrol her at a nearby day camp for this week, in the hope that she'll enjoy hanging out with other kids her age. The local community runs a Monday-Friday programme, from 8.45 - 5, and makes use of the park that it's located in, and the nearby pool, with field trips to roller skating rinks, beaches, interspersed with arty/crafty activiti es. Every time we've walked through the park and past the community centre these last few weeks, we've seen the day camp kids hanging out and they seemed to be really enjoying themselves.

I was keen to sign her up sooner than later, but it turned out - availability aside - they were pretty strict about her being seven years old (the camp is for 7-11 year olds), so I had to wait for the week she turned seven.

That day came yesterday. The sweetest kid I know had her seventh birthday, and what did I do? I packed her off to summer day camp on her actual birthday. It sounds awful, I know. She'd spent the last week insisting she didn't want to go to camp. We did our best to make the lead up to her birthday fun - she got a new scooter, plus a bike without training wheels a week early (J has spent every evening teaching her to ride the bike, and she's pretty much got the hang of it now). We promised her a yummy dinner out at a place of her choice, and - of course - birthday cake.

Oddly enough, there was a shift in her attitude about the camp, and when it was time to go - her backpack crammed with her swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, lunch and snacks - she was genuinely excited. I had a knot in my stomach all day, hoping she was enjoying herself. When it was time to collect her, I arrived fifteen minutes early... and she was so intent on the beading activity she was doing, that it took those same fifteen minutes to wait until she'd decided to pack up. The drive to her birthday dinner was peppered with small stories about things that happened that day, and I knew she was okay.

This morning, she practically ran from the car to the community centre, and I had to catch her for goodbye kisses. At this rate, I'm going to be praying that there's a spot for her in another week's programme... and I'm thankful that she's happy.

6 years and 361 days old.

Birthday dinner of burgers and shakes, along with pinball, Galaga and Pacman.
Exhausted from day camp.

Playing Galaga with J.

Cake time. Happy Birthday, my sweetness.

Offspring Day

At this point of the calendar each year, it's good to be me. There's a three-week period where I have my birthday, my anniversary with J, and Mother's Day. I get to feel the love, and lots of it.

This year, it's been a little sadder, but that can't be helped. J was in Seattle for all three of those calendar dates, so they were mostly a day just like any other.

We tend to be a bit anti-establishment in this house, and that means when it comes to Mother's Day, I don't want (or expect) bought gifts. No perfume, no must-have expensive appliance fad-of-the-moment. As long as I don't have to lift a finger for the day, it's all good. That's not too much to ask for, right?

Yesterday wasn't going to be a day of breakfast in bed and pampering. No siree, there are kids to be attended to - ones that aren't about to entertain themselves all day. Especially the three-year-old, who certainly doesn't give a damn about Hallmark occasions.

Lucky for me, they took my hints from the night before and put a DVD on to watch when they woke up. It was 8am before anyone came into my room - hallelujah! The Faery also got my hint (based on previous - very sweet - efforts of hers to make me breakfast) that if you're going to spread something super thickly across toast for another person, peanut butter is a much choice than Vegemite (oh, but I sound ungrateful, don't I?). My hint paid off though, because this was waiting for me when I came downstairs.

I have to admit, I was feeling the love.

Resigned to the fact that the day wasn't really going to revolve around me, I decided to make the best of it and take the girls to Kidspace Children's Museum in Pasadena - something that's been on my to-do list for far too long. The day was forecast to be 38ºC in the shade, but dammit, I was going to be 'fun mum' if it killed me.

For the most part, we did have a fun time. There's something about hands-on, interactive learning that feels quite rewarding. The museum has a large outdoor area, complete with water play, so that's where we finished up. Perfect on a stinking hot day. 

If you've been reading here for long enough, you'll know that I'm not an overly sentimental type - not when it comes to expression, anyway. Of course I feel it, but I don't gush easily, and I don't throw around words such as 'blessed' like food that's fast approaching its expiry date.

However, I had one of those moments as I watched the Faery and Miss Pie playing together in the water play area. I watched how they stuck together, the Faery protectively watching over Miss Pie. I watched how - when one of the Faery's shoes came off and floated away down the gentle mini-creek - Miss Pie took off in earnest pursuit, grabbed it, and handed it to her sister.

Watching them, I did feel blessed. I felt lucky that these two little girls are mine. These last few months haven't been easy, but I suspect that they may have been a whole lot more difficult if the Faery and Miss Pie weren't who they are. Their yin-yang essence, I wouldn't change for the world.

Anyhow, that's as treacly as I get. They know how I feel, and that's what counts.

Pure

This little girl right here has the biggest heart and sweetest personality 

of any kid I've ever known. No lie. I adore her more than words can convey.

At six and a half, she still has so much innocence. 

Fairies, Santa, the Easter Bunny...

I'm dreading the day she stops believing, and I worry that it's not far off.

If I had to sum her up in just a single word, it would be this: Pure.

Her essence - if it could be bottled and sold - would be priceless.

Catching up with the Faery

We've been back in L.A. about four weeks now. In some ways, it feels much longer but when I close my eyes, I can smell Sydney. Enough about me, though.

Kids amaze me with their resilience. For the Faery, leaving Australia wasn't easy. The goodbyes had her crying for hours. Not the quiet kind of tears, but full gut-wrenching sobs. She's so much older this time, and understands the distance, the geography, the time apart. I think this is the hardest part about our decision to live overseas for a few years.

The new school year began a couple of weeks before we returned, and we decided to get her back into the swing of things sooner than later. Our flight landed on a Tuesday morning, and rather than wait until the following week (and for jet lag to completely disappear) we sent her to school that Thursday. She needed to see her buddies and have some structure to her days again.

I was expecting battles with homework, but it hasn't been too bad. For the most part, she's enjoying being able to show what she knows now with her improved literacy skills. There have been birthday parties, park playdates and Korean (Thanksgiving) performances. She's had some sad moments missing Australia, but she's not letting it get her down too much.

The highlight, though, has been her first visit to an L.A. Dodgers game at the Dodger Stadium. She went with J last Friday evening, and came home many hours past her usual bed time - her face flushed with the excitement of it all. Hotdogs, cotton candy, fireworks... she'd loved it all, and I think we have a new baseball fan on our hands.

I can't believe the wise little lady she's turning into at the age of six. She does me proud, every single day.