Ninja and I don’t disagree often. For the most part we are pretty similar.
You would think both of our daughters would be somewhat similar as well. I mean both of their parents have a ton in common so they must too… Right?
Wrong.
Like. Really. Wrong.
HBear is mild mannered, even tempered, logical, brave, slow, absent minded, willing to try anything as long as a trusted adult tells her it is OK, giving, motivational, inspiring, needy, graceful, creative, and willing to put just enough effort in to succeed but not to excel.
SBean is loud, hot tempered, emotional, a scaredy-cat, will try new things only if bribed, taking, focused, fast, athletic, independent, awkward, trendy, direct, honest, tenacious, determined, willing to work if there is a prize to work towards, confident, and competitive.
You really can’t get 2 more different young ladies! I thought we finally had a handle on this parenting thing but what works for one never works for the other 🤦🏻♀️.
This week we had 3 different events that reflected each of their personalities very well. First, the Girls started tennis lessons together, second, SBean got a new bike without training wheels and third, I got their professional dance pictures back 😳.
Tennis. HBear has been in tennis for the past 3 years. She loves it! It’s not something she practises at very often but she takes lessons throughout the spring and 1 or 2 weeks of tennis camp throughout the summer. It is very rare she will hit it over the net. It’s not because she can’t LOL it’s because she doesn’t follow through. She doesn’t want to look stupid hitting it hard and/or missing. When she does connect… She sometimes does a beautiful pirouette and other times a stunning arabesque 😳💃😂.
SBean held the racquet for the first time and her face changed. Her eyes narrowed and she became fully focused. I could see the think bubble bloop bloop bloop out of her head, “I’m going to smash this ball over the net.” The first few times she missed and I could see her getting frustrated. However, she did not give up. Then she realized she could hit the ball as the instructor dropped it LOL her hand/eye coordination is unreal! After she was reprimanded for not letting it bounce, she never hit it out of the air again but waited patiently for it to bounce and then SMACK! Over the net! Not every time but enough times that she was satisfied with her as she calls it “skills“ 😂. Needless to say she is very excited for her second lesson!
Bike riding. HBear didn’t enjoy her tricycle. She enjoyed the parent push trike instead. She hated to steer herself and liked to remain either attached to Daddy’s bike or in the chariot. It took us a year to get her on a bike with training wheels! In grade 2 the kids went to the Safety Village to learn about bike safety. She was the only one with training wheels and she wasn’t even embarrassed! When the kids laughed she just straightened her back, stood tall and said, “I’m just not ready yet.” At the end of that summer with the help of a helmet, elbow pads, and kneepads she finally took off the training wheels! It was the hardest thing Ninja and I have ever done LOL there were afternoons when there was so many tears and bubbles of snot I didn’t think all 3 of us would survive 😂.In the end my Dad took her and taught her. Last year she was a little bit more confident. She only wore the pads for the first month of summer 😂. She still doesn’t enjoy riding on the road, on trails near people, on rocks, or anywhere besides the high school track 😊.
SBean has been whipping by her on her balance bike since she was 3. She also loves her scooter! SBean loves being independent and loves going fast! Last year HBear’s training wheel bike got passed down to her. It didn’t go over well actually. She went much slower on training wheels than she did on her balance bike and she had less control and therefore… She hated it LOL. This year, she got her very own pink and purple big girl bike! She got it on Saturday! On Sunday we took them both to the track. Ninja held the back of her seat for the first lap. He let go a few times and she didn’t freak out! There were no tears, no snot bubbles, and there was no screaming 😳. I left them there and quickly went to Superstore, when I got back SBean and HBear were racing and I bet you know how that turned out 😜.
Dance pictures. I believe a picture can say 1000 words so I’m going to let the pictures do the talking…
Fundamentally they are the same. They were born into the same family, the same values have been and will continue to be instilled in both of them, and they are both kind and beautiful little girls. Where their paths will lead them I don’t know but I do know that whatever road each of them take they will always be each other‘s biggest fan and supporter 💕.
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Pie
8 medium flour tortillas
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
3 cups enchilada sauce
1 roasted chicken, cooked and shredded
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup Tex Mex cheese, shredded
Freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 10” springform pan with cooking spray. Arrange 5 tortillas in bottom of pan, pressing tortillas up sides of pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes.
Spoon an even layer of chicken on top of baked tortilla crust
Let cool in pan for at least 10 minutes, then garnish with cilantro.
1/2 bunch of cilantro
2 limes, juiced or 1/4 cup lime juice
2 cloves garlic
1/2 jalapeño, remove seeds
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup oil
In a food processor or blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, garlic, & vinegar. Blend well.
Add salt, mustard & olive oil. Blend.
Toss with mixed greens.
Swimming is over and we are into early summer activities! I thought May would be slower but due to getting used to a new schedule… It’s actually a little bit more work LOL
As I said above, this year both of the Girls chose to go into spring tennis lessons! I’m not sure if there’s anything more satisfying than seeing both of your daughters enjoying the same activity… Together… Not in different spots at different times 😂. I’m not sure HBear would agree though 🙄. Maybe due to her size or maybe because they thought SBean would be more comfortable, HBear got put in the young kids group. She was not happy to say the least LOL. It only took about 15 minutes and a couple of nice hits and they moved her to the older group. SBean did amazing! She has such a competitive spirit that anything she tries, she goes hard!
This week the school had class pictures! SBean got all dressed up, of course LOL but HBear had to miss hers because we went on her Gifted field trip instead! This year we went to the Southern Interior Flight School in Kelowna! We were welcomed by the flight school director and then talked with a helicopter pilot/operations manager at Okanagan Mountain Helicopter and a airplane pilot. We went out on the tarmac and we were given tours of both! It was pretty cool.
Friday was a pro-d day so we made and painted garden stones to give Grandpa for his birthday!
It was such a beautiful day we spent the whole time outside, reading and trying to control the static 😂.
We went out for dinner to Boston Pizza for my FIL’s 73rd Birthday! After dinner we went back to their house for cake and presents!
SBean had gymnastics and HBear and I went to Walmart to buy a new movie. 1 new movie 🤔😂.
This weekend the Girls went Horseback riding for PSBesty’s 10th Birthday Party! What a fabulous experience! All the girls had such a great time! SBean freaking loved it! I have a feeling she will be asking for a horse every birthday for the rest of her life 😂. Riding 4 Life was absolutely fantastic! The owners were super good with the kids and talked to them all about horses! I highly recommend it to anyone that wants a positive experience horseback riding or a super fun birthday party!
While we were at the party Ninja went to Canadian Tire to buy a new tube for SBean’s bike tire. He had tried patching it earlier but it didn’t work. All of a sudden I get a text and a picture of a brand new bike LOL when we got home he gave her a new beautiful pink and purple bicycle! She loved it!
The Girls begged Papa to put on their matching pyjamas and watch the new Jumanji movie and of course he could not resist the puppy dog eyes.
To end the week we took the bicycles to the track to test them out! SBean got the hang of it so quickly!
We went to Tickleberry’s with Grandma and Grandpa to celebrate our successful bike riding and then topped off the weekend with our first dinner outside on the back deck!
