if you have a preschool girl, chances are you're well-versed in Fancy Nancy. for those of you who aren't familiar, fancy nancy is a children's literature series of more than thirty books, all centered around a little girl named nancy and her quest to make her ordinary life extraordinary. ("extraordinary" would be a fancy nancy word, along with others like "wardrobe" and "iridiscent" and "fiasco".) nancy is not only adorable teetering around in her boas and high heels and posh sunglasses, but along the way she actually teaches her readers some quite advanced (and fancy) vocabulary.
so we were, as nancy would say, ecstatic to learn that the illustator of the fancy nancy series, robin preiss glasser, was going to visit our favorite independent bookstore in october. i was told that ms. glasser was always a huge hit on her national book signing tours and was quite the entertainer. susanna was encouraged to dress up in her fancy nancy finest and to arrive early for a good seat.
we had it on the calendar and were counting down the days ... but i wasn't sure what to do with liam. i knew that chances were slim that any boy would be in the audience, and i felt like i could easily arrange a playdate for him while i took susanna. i literally had my hand on my phone, ready to dial a friend to ask if he could come over, when i changed my mind.
susanna has attended probably 99% of liam's sports events ever since he started playing. i'm talking individual sports, like swim lessons, golf outings, tennis clinics; and then the hundreds of practices and games for his t-ball, indoor soccer, outdoor soccer, and basketball teams. (not until i just typed that sentence did i realize how insanely involved in sports our son is. whew.) she tagged along with me twice a week for two years for his speech therapy sessions, she stayed in big church with us for every choir performance last year, and clapped along during his preschool singalongs and graduation.
and for his part, liam has been the involved older brother as well. she's only played one organized sport, soccer (and i use the term "played" quite loosely; most of the time, she insisted on sitting on the sideline and playing with the water cooler) but he was there at her games whenever he didn't have a game of his own. he helped transport her to ballet all last year and was the proudest sibling in the auditorium for her end-of-year recital. when she aged into church choir this year, he couldn't wait to sit next to her during rehearsals and show her the ropes.
and this is how chris and i want it. our children are polar opposites when it comes to interests and talents, and they will likely excel in vastly different areas as they grow and figure out where they want to focus their time. liam is, obviously, extremely athletic, while susanna is already shining in art and music. so it would be fairly easy for us to split up our time, carting one off in one direction and the other somewhere else, and not give them opportunities to share in their sibling's endeavors. but for us, if we were to do that, i'm afraid we'd start to feel more like four individuals instead of a family. i want liam to be there when susanna nails her first memorized piano performance piece, just as i want susanna to be there when liam hits his first home run. i want them to celebrate each other's successes because they were there at the time and lived the moment -- and not later as we meet up at home and retell the story.
which is a ridiculously long backstory (sorry) of why i decided against dropping off liam at a friend's house while i took susanna to the fancy nancy book signing. instead, we all three went -- susanna in her pink princess dress, with a flower headband in her hair, plastic high heels on her feet, and wand in her hand; liam, clutching the latest golf digest issue; and me. susanna sashayed into the store and took a seat with her similarly-dressed friends in the front row, and hung on every word the illustrator said (who was, incidentally, decked out in a turquoise sequined gown and rhinestone tiara.) liam sat next to me towards the back, trying to focus on his magazine but actually quite interested in what was going on.
it wasn't until the end of the event that i knew i'd made the right decision. after ms. glasser read the latest book in the series (fancy nancy and the fabulous fashion boutique), she showed the starstruck crowd how fancy nancy mastered the art of carrying herself like royalty. she took a banana, perched it atop of her crowned head, and paraded up and down the aisles as she kept her back and neck perfectly still. and as soon as she concluded her talk, dozens of bananas were passed around so the little girls could give it a whirl themselves.
every little girl in that room immediately jumped at the chance -- except one. susanna sat resolutely on the floor, uninterested in participating. i have no idea why; our daughter has a stubborn streak in her that rears its ugly head from time to time, and i've given up trying to figure it out. i knew not to press the issue, and instead began to gather our belongings so we could leave.
but all was not lost. for when i turned around to tell liam we were ready to go, this is what i saw:
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