Jen Russum

Talitha’s Frozen Birthday(s)

Talitha’s Frozen Birthday(s)

For her fourth birthday, Talitha had not one, but two, Frozen-themed parties. For the second year in a row, my amazing sister threw Talitha a birthday party while we were visiting Texas in June. There were decorations, there were homemade cupcakes, there were costumes, and there was even fake snow to play in on my parents' back porch in the 90-degree Texas heat. Katie also made a huge cardboard Olaf for pin-the-carrot-nose-on-the-snowman, and she did it so well (free-hand) that I think Disney should hire her in their animation department. I took tons of pictures because it was very cute, and I was NOT IN CHARGE. After dinner and treats, we all sat down to watch Frozen. But here's the funny part... it was Talitha's first time seeing the movie. And that, my friends, is the power of Disney. A little three-year-old can see all the toys and hear the other children talk and sing the soundtrack in the car and before you know it she is requesting a themed birthday party for her favorite movie... one she has never even seen. Talitha saw the movie for the second time back at our house in California a few weeks later. She really wanted a birthday party with friends at home, and since I skipped one for her last year, I thought I should oblige. However, I was exhausted from Eisley's puppy party and the end of the school year and traveling to Texas. Also, Talitha's birthday falls on a tricky week, because it happens to be the last week of school in California, as well as every little ballerina's final recital weekend, so I never know when to plan a party to accommodate people's schedules. After pondering for a few weeks, I came up with the perfect non-party party idea that I plan to use many times in the future. Instead of planning our movie for Saturday, we chose a Friday night. Often, people are more likely to be free on a Friday than on the actual weekend. While little girls watched Frozen on the projector inside and snacked on "reindeer food" (M&Ms, carrots, and popcorn), a group of moms sat on the patio outside and munched on appetizers and chatted the evening away. There were no dads around. Micah wasn't even home! We took a movie intermission for "snowballs" (vanilla ice cream with marshmallows sprinkled on top), and the girls spent the night alternating between watching the movie and running around the house in their Frozen costumes. The only kid who watched the move the whole time was Talitha, but it was only her second time seeing it after all... ... Read more

Dear Zianne (Six Years)

Dear Zianne (Six Years)

Dear Zianne, I look across the room, and I see a big girl. None of your babyhood lingers. You have long legs and a tall, slender frame. Your mouth is missing all your front teeth as you laugh at sarcasm and jokes you wouldn't have understood just a year ago. It's been a year of learning. Learning to read. Learning to write. Learning to swing your body across the monkey bars. Learning to dive in the pool. Learning to unload the dishwasher. Learning to hang up your own clothes. The transition from baby to child is not always an easy one. You haven't napped in nearly two years, but every once in a while (often on a Friday at 4pm) you collapse onto your bed, filled with frustration and exhaustion. Sometimes I have to poke and prod you to wake up for dinner. You have been learning to read for the past year or so. Sometimes you sound out your words eagerly and amaze me as you fluently read an entire book, and other times you grow frustrated with vowels and consonants and refuse to finish even a page. Just like you, I am in transition too. I am learning how to be a big kid mom. I am learning how to grant freedom in the right measure while trying to discern how to create boundaries to keep you safe. I am learning to take a deep breath and show you how to fold your laundry or help in the kitchen instead of doing everything for everyone, as I did when babies were crawling and toddling around my house. You are not a baby any longer. You are a child with long, running legs and funny stories and hopes and dreams and interests emerging every day. It's a joy to watch you grow. Each year with you has been beautiful and, yet, each year is better than the last. Love, Mama ... Read more

Dear Talitha (Four Years)

Dear Talitha (Four Years)

Dear Talitha, You are four years old. Sometimes it seems like you can't be four yet, mainly because you are my most petite child and such a gentle little soul. But then I hear you explain an event of your day in a long, descriptive paragraph with quite a large vocabulary, and I blink and think, "She's really four!" You are the most tender of my children. The one I snuggle with every night. I delight in hearing your soft voice tell me the lows and highs of your day. You are the child I picture taking care of me when I am old. You are the most likely to run off and play by yourself, and you are sensitive to the actions of your peers. When other kids are loud or obnoxious or aggressive, you withdraw a bit and later report to me how so-and-so was chasing people on the playground at school. But you are not always shy. You and Zianne have become great playmates over the past year or so, and you interact with confidence when her older friends come over to play. You love church and Awana and your new school and generally find one or two close friends in any social setting. You are simply the most likely to want a day off every once in a while. Your dream day is a "mom day" where "all the sissies go to school" and you get to stay home with me all day. That sounds like a dream to me too, so we need to make it happen soon. I love you, my little bean. Mama ... Read more