Before and After the Hair Cut

I wish I had taken good 'before' pictures of Delainey's hair. She had her locks loped off last Friday night. I didn't go with her; Scott and Max went along to get their hairs cut as well. Scott called me when she was getting her hair cut, and I thought I was going to cry just hearing about it. I don't know whether I could have handled watching it. I know that is silly, and I didn't even know I felt that way until Scott called me.

Anyway, when I saw it I couldn't believe how much different she looked! She donated her hair to Locks of Love, and one of the ladies at the salon said there should be enough for two wigs from her hair. Wow! I don't know about that, but I do know she had a whole bunch of hair chopped!

Her haircut is so cute. And, it really looks great on her. It makes me think maybe I want a hairstyle like hers. But she begged me not to get mother-daughter 'do's, so I guess I'll wait at least till hers grows out a bit.

Here is the link to her Christmas photo. That is the best one I have of her long hair. She seems to always have it in a ponytail or something in all the other photos I have... so here is a pic of her with a ponytail at a recent family gathering.

How do you keep your Daughter safe?

So, I got a Facebook account so I could check it out before I decided whether Delainey could get one or not. I just don't get it. What is the point? It seems like a bit of a waste of time to me. Can someone help me understand?

I can't let her go anywhere alone. Not because I don't trust her, but because I can't trust some other people. Last night we went to a mall to check out a store my husband heard about. While we were there, Delainey had to use the facilities, hmm, hmm, you know. So Scott explained how to get to the nearest one and off she went only to return in short order accompanied by a strange fellow.

Some guy had started to follow her, weaving to the other side of the walkway when she weaved, stopping to show interest in some store front suddenly, when she stopped. Delainey wisely and quickly found the first store with more than one person in it and hung a left inside.

She approached the two men behind the counter and announced that she believed she was being followed. One of the gents asked if she would like him to call security. She said no, but could he please walk her back to the store in which her parents were shopping... and he did. Thank you to that store employee and to everyone else who helps out in a situation like that!

This man asked Delainey to point out the perpetrator, and when she did, he said security had already been called on that guy for picking a fight that night.

Now, one might say she could just be paranoid... but I have actually watched this happen twice before in other stores. Once, in Price Chopper, I followed a man because I thought he was following Delainey (who was, once again, going to the bathroom). And she knew he was back there, because she would back-track and stop and go and all that stuff you would do to see whether someone was following you.

So, I watched for a bit, then I made myself more visible so she could see me and head back to me. He went to the front of the store and sat there.

It causes Delainey to feel quite shook up, and it takes me a minute or two to let the anger settle after these situations. Anger at these men who have no regard for anyone other than themselves. I don't understand how someone could be this way. I don't understand how a grown, and sometimes married, man can't keep his eyes off my young daughter's backside when she walks by. She doesn't wear "hey, look at me clothes." But then I try to remember to pray for them... at a safe distance, though.

Delainey is a beautiful girl. She is friendly and not afraid to interact with people. She doesn't walk with her head down or with the countenance of a victim. Does this sort of thing happen to all girls? Or is it just her? And, you know, so many times she has one or both of the little kids with her. Although, in both of the above instances she did not have any kids with her.

Maybe it is the part of town in which we live (and visit when we go the mall). I don't know. I just need to keep training my daughter to be cautious and wise. And continue to cover her in prayer. I thank God continually for allowing me to take care of His precious daughter. I want to do the job well.

Maybe it's time to get a cell phone...

So much wonder in a four-year-old

Kynzie turned four years old! We spent the evening at Chuck E Cheese. She was so excited. And as a last minute treat, Papa Dan and Grandma Pam and Aunt Kelsie met us there. We didn't tell Kynzie, so she was quite surprised. I forgot to take my camera. Not that it would have worked if I had remembered it anyway... but that is a different story for a different blog post.

Kynzie is so much fun to watch in situations like this. She is so genuinely happy, and she lights up with such delight at each new event. It is refreshing. I love to experience things through my daughter's eyes, and all her senses really. She expresses such wonder, and her curiosity takes her on great learning adventures.

Papa and Grandma gave her a super cool bicycle complete with training wheels and pink tassels on the handlebars after Chuck E Cheese. She still gets these huge eyes and matching grin when she asks if she can go ride her new bike. It is so cute!

Her most recent learning adventures have been about what happens to our pee pee when we flush it, why God made the trees for us (as opposed to the trees just being for birds to build nests), and the life cycle of a butterfly. Growing a garden is always on her mind. She asked me today why I haven't put anything in our garden to grow yet. She said "we (her and Delainey and Max) have been taking care of it for you," as though to say we are waiting on you to plant something.

The best is hearing her say "now we are going to be able to drink my pee pee" after she flushes the toilet every time now. And this is somehow exciting to her! Not the refreshment of drinking water necessarily, but the knowledge she has gained about the water treatment plant process.