Nikayla's Surprise!

WE ARE EXPECTING A NEW MEMBER TO OUR LIL' PATRICK FAMILY HOME!

MAY 2013

.............

and here is how we shared our news with the soon to be big sister

 

This was not rehearsed, but here is what the message read:

 

 

 

I Feed Them Lots of Ice Cream & Then I Send Them Home...

It was a very long track meet.  We had an hour before Nikayla's next heat.  So, I took the kids out to grab some ice cream.  It was a very "sticky" situation, but they LOVED it.  The fun part about watching other people's kids is that I can send them home all pumped up on sugar, right? HA!  That plan back fired because we still had a couple of hours left at the track meet and they were going NUTS.  Of course, after they got picked up- THEN they went to sleep when they got home. But you know what?  I did have a fun time with them.  I love these kids and sometimes, they love me... Yeah, jumping on my sofa and rolling each other in the dirt is a "no, no" at my house. Well, sometimes I let them roll around in the dirt, but only if I know mom and dad are on their way to get them :)

 These 2 Cousins = Best Friends

With Nikayla at the annual All Christian Schools Track Meet, her first year.  She had the first leg in the 4x100 relay.  Her and her friends took 1st in the 5th grade girls relay.  They were on FIRE!

 This is how T-ven pose

And... This is how Mai-Mai Pose

Finally! A Place I Can Throw A Little Touch Of Me On!

My husband thinks "Me + My Ideas + Hammer and Nails (in a Brand New House) = Disaster..." 

The Soon to be "The Beginning of a Never Ending!"

HGTV and Pinterest are the most "awesomness" things that I have discovered (okay... along with a million other things I think are so awesome)!  All these great and beautiful ideas get me so excited to be my own interior decorator. 

The problem here, for me, is ME...  I have too many ideas and I really am not that great at DIY things.  Envisioning what I want is the easy part.  Finding, deciding, and doing what I want - might be more complicating.  Most of my sleepless nights are spent on me sketching and searching the internet for that "perfect" room I have in mind.

The idea here is not to be in a hurry.  With my pockets a little light, that is no problem.  However, I am taking this project ONE ROOM AT A TIME for sure.  I plan to start in my daughter's room first.  Then move down to my office.  I have way too many ideas for what is suppose to be the "formal dining room," which, of course, will not be a used as a formal dining room (only because we already have a pretty good size eat-in kitchen). 

As for right now, the house remains my blank canvas.

In Loving Memory...



May 6, 2012

Kindra asked me one day, as we were looking at some pictures I had taken of some little girls with umbrellas, “why are those girls holding umbrellas? Was it raining?” I told her, “no, it wasn’t raining, but I thought it would look pretty for the pictures.” She smiles and says to me, “I want to take pictures with your umbrella…but when it rains.”

With that in mind, I went out the next day, shopping for rain boots and a rain coat to surprise her with…because this spring, I was going to wait for a day when it rained and wasn’t too cold outside, to take her out, and take some pictures of her splashing in the puddles…

Last Sunday night, after hearing what seemed like bad news- but also what seemed like a misunderstanding…just trying to make sense of it all- I went to bed thinking, “this is all a dream… I will wake up and it will all be a dream. We still had our rain pictures to do.”

On Monday morning, I woke up to the sound of rain and to the sad and heartbreaking news - what I had heard from the night before, had not been a dream after all…

　
As we sit here today, we are not only mourning the passing of our special little girl, but we are also here to celebrate and honor her and to remember her life.

Image Courtesy of SKAI Photography

Kindra Mylia Phengsavanh was born on the 23^rd of October, 2006. Kindra was quiet and shy, until she got to know you, then she would talk nonstop asking you questions and filling your mind with facts and everything she learned and everything she knew. For such a young girl, she knew it all. Why the sky was blue- because the blue birds fly in the sky…why the grass was green- because it makes the world colorful. If she didn’t get an answer for something, she already had an answer for you. Kindra was very observant and she learned quickly. You could never get anything by her without her catching you and then correcting you.

She had so much ambition, more than you would expect a 5 year old to have. She shared her excitement about starting kindergarten this coming year…and then the year after, she would be in first grade, and then from first grade- straight to college. While most little girls her age want to be princesses, Kindra wanted to be a pharmacist. Her dream was to make medicine to help those who were sick. Indeed, she was always thinking of helping others.

Kindra had a plan and a big goal to help those who were less fortunate than she was. She worked hard with the help of her mother and father collecting tons and tons of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other necessities to donate to different orphanages and to those who needed them most. She shared with me about the trip her family had planned for Laos this year and was excited to go and donate items and services to all the children there. For being so young, she knew what she wanted to do and was very determined to convince her parents that they had to do whatever possible to make “it” happen.

She didn’t hesitate to help her mom in the kitchen, help her dad with the grocery shopping, help her uncle do yard work, help with feeding and changing her baby cousin, or help her brother and sisters do their homework and chores around the house…She always wanted to help and do something for you whether you wanted or needed it or not. She had this thing where she wanted to give you things- things she had, thing she would find… her mom’s things. She just loved to give.

Though she had the ambition of a grown-up, she was your sweet, smiley little girl, who giggled as she sat there listening to you talk or when you would ask her questions. She loved playing games and make believe. She loved shopping and dressing up. She was always giving you hugs and kisses and telling you her latest joke- that she made up, which never made any sense- but oh boy, were they hilarious to her and you would laugh with her because her giggles were that contagious.

She was always a happy girl who you could just sit there and have long conversations with.

When I would visit Kindra at her home, it would be time for me to go home…she would ask me, “why are you going already?” And I would reply to her, “because I have things to do. But I will see you later…”
It is my turn now to ask her, “why are you going, already?”… and I know her reply to me would be the same…

Kindra’s time with us here on earth was short but look at the endless memories she has left with us: her smiles, her laughs, her mission and dreams… she will always be remembered.

Rain will now remind me of our precious Kindra… however, I will not be sadden by this, but I will smile because we shared so many fun times together that I will always remember and cherish.

Though we are here to say our last good-byes, as we lay her down to rest… remember in our hearts, we will never say good bye.

May you spread your wings and fly our precious angel… We love you.

KINDRA MYLIA PHENGSAVANH

October 23, 2006 - April 29, 2012 

Image Courtesy of SKAI Photography

Such a young sweet soul that God had sent to us for such a short time.  We are happy to have had her in our lives.  Not a day will go by that we won't miss your pretty face, but we know that you are now in a much safer place and a place you can now call home. 

Loved and Survived by:

Parents: My and Khounma Phengsavanh

Siblings: Kiana, Brandon, and Natalie

Grandparents: Souphaphone and Samphanh Ounesivixay

Uncle and Aunts: Phanthou and Khampouth Phonesavnh, Pani Phengsavanh, Tong Homehouane, Ovay and Chanh Phengsavanh, Phone and Siphaiphone Vorabouth, Vixay Phengsavanh, Othay Phengsavanh, Oubonrattana Ounesivixay and Tommy Cam, Henry and Sophea Ounesivixay

And by numerous family and close friends

Now in Heaven with her Grandparents, Vahndy and Chanh Phengsavanh

My Life With a Gymnast Daugter...

Some people may think 15-16 hours a week at the gym is way too much for any kid my daughter's age... My reply, "you should come and watch her at practice one day or come and see her at a meet. You would be impressed to see how dedicated these kids really are."

6:00 am, wakes up, gets ready, finishes up any homework that's left

7:55 am, school in session

2:45 pm, school dismissed

3:00 pm, arrives at gym, do a little homework

3:30 pm, warm-ups begin

7:30 pm, practice over

7:45 pm, gets home, showered, dinner, and video game/ TV (of, course)

9:00 pm, reading and mother/daughter time

9:30 pm, off to bed and ready for another day

This is what Nikayla's practice days looks like, not your average kids' schedule... but it works. 

Gymnastics is definitely not your typical "seasonal" sport.  These kids train all year round and compete from January through May (there are some teams that actually compete in the fall as well).  During spring and summer breaks, there is no sleeping in.  They practice first thing in the morning and then get the rest of the day to enjoy their breaks.  On Friday nights, there's no going to bed late because Saturday morning, they are at the gym conditioning bright and early. Do they ever get burned out by it? Maybe some...but not mine.  She says, "well, I am use to it.  Plus, I don't want to lose any of my skills."  This is coming from my child who whined and cried about going to practice the first two years of level 4.  It was too hard, it was too difficult, she hated conditioning... yet, when asked, "do you want to quit?  I am not going to pay for something you don't want to do."  She would always reply, "no."

Now, after just finishing up her first year as a level 5, she could not be more excited to be at practice all the time.  She just enjoys doing gymnastics.  She loves learning new skills, she loves being with her friends, and most of all, I think the coaches just make it fun enough that she really loves being there (yes, I used the word "loves" multiple times in one sentence).

Of course, there are days when she gets in the car with a "poopy" face, but you sometimes have to expect one or two now and then.  Gymnastics isn't easy and there will be times when the child gets frustrated because it is difficult to just "get" that one skill.  As a parent all you can do is listen... that's right, LISTEN!  Don't offer your "parental advice" because they are right when they tell you, "you don't know."  However, you can offer a few words of encouragment.  I always tell Nikayla, "it is okay, you just started learning it.  You will get it, if not now, eventually.  Just don't get discouraged." So this doesn't always work, because pre-teen girls sometimes don't listen to their mothers...so they just have to sleep it off.

I have really enjoyed watching Nikayla progress.  I use to secretly sit and think to myself, "omg... is she ever going to stop falling off that beam... what's with the low 8's?"  Okay, so sometimes I still do, now and then, but in the end, when the meet is over, you ask her, "what were you most excited about today?" She would always have something to tell you and say it with a smile.  There's always something she feels  she accomplished at that meet.  Then she would say, "when I get back to practice, I need to work on... (whatever it may be)."  And that just makes me so proud of her because I don't understand this sport as well as I think I do...but she does.

My kid is strong!  She sure doesn't get her athletic abilities from me... :)

 She doesn't care for pictures and she really dislikes that I take pictures of her during practice.



Core Workout

Goofing around for the camera, promise!  Coach works them hard, but keeps it fun.

Working on cast to handstand (pure muscle control, tight core, straight arms... this is quite a challenging skill to nail!)

Coach sent me this video while we were in AZ.  This was her first round off, back handspring, back tuck on floor without a spot.  Okay, "biggie wow," but this was my child who struggled for the longest time on a single back handspring and pulling a double was not part of her "A-game"... back tumbling has usually been her ultimate fear, period!  But this kid has some major "beast mode" power!

16 dead hang pull-ups and 16 leg lifts on bars without coming down... how many can you do?



Her friends!



Ha! Two Years Later...

WOW! I really should start updating my posts... almost 2 years!  Going from a full time student to a full time "sitting behind a desk," and still being a full time mom and wife... updating my Blogger, wasn't really on my schedule. Again, neither is facebooking, but I seem to do that all the time.  Now that I am working part time, life has sure slowed down 20 mph for me!

SO, I have a lot to "blog" about!

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My daughter is now 11 years old.  Yes, the fun "pre-teen" age.  I don't know what boys are like at this age, but let me tell you, sometimes I wish girls came with a manual.  The scary part is sometimes, I see a little of me in her and then I think, "how is this possible?! Nowhere in my biology class did I learn that throwing a fit about cleaning your room, worrying about your hair, or talking back to your mom was encrypted in our genetic coding."  Of course, these are learned behaviors, but you get where I am coming from.  We don't have to talk about where or who she learned it from (as I laugh to myself).

Pre-teen girls, they can become a challenge for any parent.  We just have to remember, we were warned.  The "one day you will have a daughter and she will be just like you," haunts me all the time (curse whoever said that to me. Haha!)!

Then again, there are more pros than cons about having a pre-teen daughter.  She's my wonderful and beautiful girl.  Smart, funny, athletic, and she never gives up on whatever it is she is trying to accomplish.  She's just my easy going girl.  Sometimes I feel I learn a lot more from her than I know it.

As a parent, we may try too hard to understand our kids.  It is frustrating because we just don't "get it."  I don't think we are suppose to "get it."  Kids will be kids.  They do things we don't like and they do things we may never know why they do it... and they WILL act the way they do because we don't like it.  Something I do know is, we should look at ourselves.  Don't look at what you are doing wrong because it will just drive you crazy.  We hardly see ourselves doing anything wrong.  Besides, you can't change what you just did, you have to figure out what you are going to do next.  As always, put yourself in the child's shoes.  Think about all your expectations you have put on your child and why it is expected of them.  Is it for you or is it for them?

Anna & Mia...Just a Peek!

Just a SNEAK PEEK, Mom... Vi has more to come for ya!