A Birthday, Glasses and Narnia

So much has happened since my last post. Firstly, my Samantha is now seven. I can hardly believe that seven years has gone by since she came in to our lives. Samantha continues to grow like a bean pole and she possesses a sense of humor that can only be described as silly. Her energy is still comparable to the Energizer Bunny and I see no sign that this will change. My birthday wish for her is that she will always remain young at heart, authentic, caring, inquisitive, strong and beautiful {inside and out}. Now that she's seven I do hope that she finds the strength to be patient. Wishful thinking on my part for sure. Sammy is eager to master everything she takes on expecting nothing but success at every turn. Patience my love. Patience.

We celebrated Sammy’s birthday at Sky High Sports in Bellevue. Have you been there? If you haven’t, you must. I can honestly say that both children and adults enjoyed the trampolines. The Dodgeball court was awesome. I thought I could hold my own until I got blasted in the shoulder by my friend Bill. I totally did not expect to go out like that but once I found myself on my backside, I knew it was time to hit the sidelines. I’m ready for a re-match.

Secondly, little Alejandra has had an amazing summer. Several weeks ago I told you that she would be undergoing a surgical procedure to correct the shape of her ears, well the surgery went amazingly well. The Otolaryngology surgeon was true to her word and did everything within her power to ensure a successful outcome. I’m sure any expert will tell you that it must have taken incredible skill and precision to master a surgery such as this one. I am eternally grateful, yet again, for Seattle’s Children’s Hospital. Alex’s ears are beautiful and her new glasses fit perfectly.

 

Thirdly, speaking of glasses, I learned last week that I’ll need to wear Bifocals. Trust me, like you, I was mortified just envisioning myself wearing the frames with the thin horizontal line across the bottoms. First the gray hair and now, bifocals . . . all I need now is a shawl and a bum hip to finish the transformation. My optometrist was quick to put my mind at ease. She explained that the new lenses will look exactly like the pair I’m currently wearing and that means, no lines. Hallelujah! I was prepared to live out the rest of my life squinting at blurry images just to avoid wearing hideous bifocals and now I don’t have to. What a relief.

Lastly, I’m reading The Chronicles of Narnia to Samantha and she loves it. She gobbles up every word and nothing seems to satisfy her quench for more so she pleads with me to read more. I’ll admit that I, too, am anxious to read more. . . the story is: magical, exhilarating, emotional, imaginative, surreal, thought provoking, poetic and offers life lessons that I’m sure will hold a place in Samantha’s heart and mind for years to come. I’m reading the books in the order in which they were published and as the author, C.S. Lewis intended. The newer publications have the stories rearranged so that they read chronologically, but I rather like the flash forwards/backs as I think it keeps the stories more interesting. More importantly, I can’t see delving into the series without first starting with, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at the front of the pack. Here are the two orders:

The publishing order is:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician’s Nephew
The Last Battle

And the chronological order is:
The Magician’s Nephew
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle

Autumn is near and what better time of year to curl up with a good book or two, or three. . .