Happy Halloween!

I missed the annual pumpkin carving because I had to work last night, but luckily Dan remembered the camera, so I got to see the girls hard at work. Erin is fascinated by this bizarre-looking orange creature sitting on the counter!

Daylight Saving

seems to me to be a cruel way of inflicting sleep deprivation onto parents of small children. Since we're not farmers desperately trying to salvage those precious daylight hours, we have come to dread this twice-a-year phenomenon. In those carefree days before we had children, I used to enjoy the Fall "turn-back-the-clocks" event. That extra hour of sleep was such a nice treat. We could sleep until what felt like 10am, lounge around in our pajamas for a bit, and still make it to the 10:15 Mass on Sunday morning.

Now it's a completely different story. It's impossible to convince a 3-year-old that it's really not 6:45am (a reasonable wake-up time in this house). At 5:45, when the older girls start chatting in their bedroom, and the baby wakes and wants breakfast, we crawl out of bed and tiptoe into the bedrooms. We cover them with blankets, whisper to them that "it's still the middle of the night", and stumble back into our room, desperately hoping for a few more moments of sleep. Within minutes we hear them jumping on the bed and calling for us. The bedroom door squeaks, and they run downstairs. So we drag ourselves out of bed and surrender ourselves to their internal clocks. By 10:30 they are begging for lunch, and by dinnertime they are desperately ready for bed. And so it goes, sometimes continuing for as long as three weeks, until finally they have adjusted to the time change.

I am told that Daylight Saving was the brainchild of Benjamin Franklin. A little internet research reveals some of his other thoughts regarding how to best utilize daylight hours. Here is one example:

"Every morning as soon as the sun shall rise, church bells and, if necessary, cannons shall inform the citizenry of the advent of light and "awaken the sluggards effectually and make them open their eyes to see their true interests ... All the difficulty will be in the first two or three days; after which the reformation will be as natural and easy as the present irregularity. ... Oblige a man to rise at four in the morning, and it is probable he will go willingly to bed at eight in the evening."

(See Daylight Saving Time Web Exhibits for more about Franklin's ingenious plan.)

So I suppose we should count our blessings. Awakening to the sounds of small children at 5:45am seems much more pleasant than being aroused by church bells and booming cannons at 4:00 in the morning. But still, I dread the next few days of early mornings and cranky kids. I think we'll take old Ben's advice and go to bed early tonight.

Picture Perfect

We're so proud of ourselves. Normally I don't even think about picking up the phone to call Sears and schedule a Christmas card photo shoot until mid-November. We usually find ourselves squeezed into an early December time slot, along with dozens of other screaming children whose parents procrastinated. By the time we actually pick up the finished cards it is mid-December, and then I have to rush to get them all addressed and into the mail by Christmas. This year we planned ahead. I won a raffle at Beth's school last year, and the prize was a gift certificate to a photo studio nearby. Back in early September I called and scheduled an afternoon of photographic fun for October 28th. Because the studio is located right next to a beautiful pond, I envisioned the happy family posing on a cool, crisp Fall day, with a background consisting of gorgeous foliage and sparkling water. I carefully planned the Autumn-themed outfits, and I have been eagerly awaiting the big day.

Enter October 28th, 2006. A Nor'easter is upon us, complete with lashing winds and downpouring rain. It's the kind of rainstorm that makes you pull your car over on the highway because it's just too dangerous to drive. The photographer phoned us early this morning.

"I'm assuming you want to re-schedule?", she asked.

Since I work most weekends, and Dan works during the week, much planning went into this particular day. Re-scheduling in time for the holidays would not be feasible, so we bundled the girls into their new raincoats and off we went.

The studio is in the basement of an antique shop, so we first had the tricky job of navigating through a room full of breakable and very expensive items while toting three dripping girls and a large diaper bag. Once downstairs we tried not to notice the fact that water was seeping into the room, because the pond outside the window was starting to overflow. But the girls didn't notice. They all behaved wonderfully (quite different from Amy's tantrums at the mall last year). Erin was not completely cooperative with our requests to sit still and pose, but I think the photographer may have grabbed a few good shots. We'll know in a couple of weeks when we go back to see the proofs.

I don't even care too much about having the pictures come out perfect. I'm just so thrilled that this whole project was completed before November even came upon us. Now I've just got my fingers crossed in hopes that the photographer puts the camera up on a high shelf when she closes up shop tonight. That pond was looking mighty full. And it's still raining. It's actually pouring. Really, really pouring.

Costumes and Candy

Here we go. The first round of trick-or-treating begins at 6pm tonight, at Dan's "hospital Halloween party". The girls have been talking about this event for weeks now, and I think they actually enjoy it more than the candy-fest that will be celebrated next week on the 31st. Who wouldn't love trotting around in a warm building, where people dump endless amounts of candy in your bucket, especially when it's followed by a celebration complete with pizza and cupcakes!

What the girls especially love about this event, though, is "going to Daddy's work". They delight in viewing where he spends his days, and seeing his office decorated with their photos and drawings. Whenever we visit there we have treats of some sort, so consequently they think that Daddy spends all his time at a wonderful place full of cakes, candy and good conversation. Beth can't wait to grow up and "go work at Daddy's great hospital", where she anticipates fun-filled days of "helping sick people" and "buying fun lunches at the cafeteria".

Obviously our ideas mature a bit as we grow and age, but I think that when I entered nursing school I had basically the same thoughts as Beth when I envisioned my future career in the medical field. But somehow the drudgery of the day-to-day responsibilities changed my perception of working in a hospital. It would be nice to bring back some of that child-like enthusiasm when I head off to work on the weekends. After all, I am helping sick people to feel better, and the food is pretty good. It's easy to focus on the negatives, when in actuality there are bright spots in most working days.

Hopefully all the children, decked out in their Halloween costumes and masks, can bring some joy to the staff and the patients at the hospital tonight. And let's also pray that Dan and I can survive the inevitable sugar-high that we are expecting this evening. Happy Halloween. Let the games begin.

No, I hadn't noticed...

...but I'm impressed that she did.

BETH (In the van on the way to the Y for a class): Mommy, the YMCA is really just Amy's name spelled backwards, with a "C" stuck in the middle.

Meet Mrs. Pumpkin

Don't be afraid. She does look a little odd, but she's friendly enough. Beth made her at school today at the annual pumpkin decorating festival. It was a very precarious ride home. At every bump in the road I heard screeches emanating from the back of the van... "Oh no! There go her eyes!" and "Stop the car, Mommy! Her hair is falling off! She's ruined. She'll never be the same! Please, stop!"

We managed to make it home with the majority of Mrs. Pumpkin's pieces intact, and a little Elmer's glue took care of the few problem areas. Her best feature? According to Beth, "If you lift up her hair, there are loads more stickers underneath! Isn't that the coolest thing about her?!"

I think maybe it's a face only a mother (in this case, Beth) can love. But feel free to make copies for your computer wallpaper if you are so inclined. I hope you enjoy meeting her as much as we did.

Librarian at Heart

I remember setting up the nursery when I was pregnant with Beth. We painted the walls, put up the crib and changing table, and folded all the adorable little clothes. I especially recall placing the books on the new bookshelf in Beth's room. Being a librarian, I sorted them into fiction and non-fiction, and then further sub-divided them by author. I loved browsing the many books that had been given to me at showers, especially the shower held by my colleagues at the library. Everything in the "baby" room was organized and perfect.

Things remained quite orderly for Beth's first nine months of life. But once she began to move around independently, everything changed. One of her favorite games was to pull each and every book off the bookshelf and throw them all on the floor in piles. I would crawl around after her, trying to keep the board books from mixing in with the larger sized picture books, and vainly attempting to keep the books in alphabetical order. When she moved on to another activity I would run to the bookshelf and try to reconstruct my mini-library. After a few months of this I finally surrendered. I shoved the books back onto the shelf any-which-way and simply focused on trying to keep her from chewing or ripping the books into pieces.

Today I watched Erin pulling book after book off the shelf in her room. I have to laugh a little bit when I remember my attempts at organization back in those early parenting days. I've since come to realize that life with little ones is never really routine anymore. They need room to grow, play and learn, and it's hard to do that when there's no flexibility. Luckily we learn as they grow, and so Erin is not subject to a crazy mother following her around in an attempt to maintain constant order in her room. Erin's clothes are hanging haphazardly in her closet, her pajamas are mixed in with her pants and shirts, and I can never find a pair of socks to fit her. But that's okay. In time the girls will grow and order will return to my bookshelves...and to our lives.

And I know that when that time comes, I'll be fondly remembering these days of chaos with my precious little ones. So tomorrow I'll try to focus on spending time reading the books to my daughters...instead of attempting to organize them.

Role Reversal

I apologize for the lack of postings this weekend, but I was just quite tired from a stressful weekend working at the nursing home. Since I now have a "site-meter" installed on this blog, I realize that hundreds of people are reading these entries each week. I do not think that I actually am acquainted with that many people, so a big "welcome!" to all of the strangers out there. I'll try not to skip an entire weekend again anytime soon!

When I arrive home from a long and often exhausting day at work, it's sometimes hard to find the energy to devote my full attention to the girls. They're bubbling over with excitement when I walk in the door, and they can't wait to tell me everything that happened while I was gone. (Especially if one of them got into trouble. Today I heard all about Amy spilling milk on the carpet. I heard the story in detail. Lots of detail). Even though I want to take a shower and just relax with a good book, I have to somehow manage to push my exhaustion aside and listen to their stories. I sit on the floor and play. I cuddle the baby. I read a book to Amy.

This is what Dan must feel every single day of the week. But each day, he comes home with a big smile, and listens to each girl's stories. While I clean up the kitchen after dinner, he gives the girls a bath and reads bedtime stories. He never complains about feeling tired, even though I'm sure there are times he would rather be sitting in front of the TV instead of chasing three wet and slippery girls around in an attempt to get each one dry and dressed in pajamas.

Sometimes it's eye-opening to walk in someone else's shoes. On weekends when I come home from work I have a better appreciation of what Dan does each and every day. And I think he realizes that staying at home with the girls can sometimes be overwhelming too. I'm glad that the girls get to spend time with their Dad on the weekends, because they love being with him. Their outfits may not quite match, but they are very, very happy. But I'm looking forward to "my time" with them now that the weekend is over. Bring back the matching outfits! Mommy is home from work!

Birthday Bliss

Let me give you a visual aid. As I sit here typing, I am wearing a "fun foam", hand-made birthday crown. It's decorated with princess stickers, lots of magic marker drawings, and the letters "S", "H" and "C", although I am still not fully aware of the significance of this acronym. Beside me sits an adorable birthday card, stating "I love you Mom. Love Beth". At my feet are three little strangers, playing quietly. They LOOK like my daughters, but they are acting very strangely. My day has been peppered with comments such as "Of course I'll clean up the crayons, Mom. It's your birthday!" and "Amy and I are not going to fight even ONCE today because it's your birthday". Every few minutes one of them bursts forth with "Happy Birthday, Mom!"

I believe they have been bribed. They did let loose a secret this morning, regarding the "surprise" ice cream sundae bar and pizza dinner to be held this evening...IF they are very good today. But that's okay. I don't care what is the root cause of this amazing behaviour and happy day. I'll just enjoy it. Even if it's only once a year.

Baby Talk

I was about 11 years old when my sister Mary (10 years younger than I) began to talk. With 6 older siblings, she had lots of new names to learn. Young children often have trouble pronouncing the letter "L", so I was used to my name sounding quite strange when spoken by beginner talkers. But Mary's version was the worst. She called me "Haddah"... or something like that. The most annoying thing about it was that this nickname stuck. More than twenty years later my brothers will still sometimes call me that dreaded name. It never seemed cute to me at the time... (although in hindsight it is pretty funny), and I was so relieved when Mary finally learned to pronounce it correctly.

So when Amy began talking two years ago, I could fully understand then-2-year-old Beth's frustration with her new name. "Da" was the best Amy could do, and Beth was furious.

"I'm not 'Da', and I'm never going to be 'Da'!" she would say to Amy. It didn't help matters when Dan and I would, without thinking, encourage Amy's baby talk.

"Go give this to Da", we'd say to Amy, infuriating Beth to no end. Beth was thrilled when Amy finally learned to say "Beth". We still joke about it sometimes, and even manage to get a chuckle out of Elizabeth once in a while.

Now Erin is entering the world of baby talk. She waves her little hand and says "Ba ba". She makes new and very interesting sounds every day, and we're busy trying to decipher the questionable noises coming from her mouth.

Tonight at the dinner table I decided to test her skills. "Can you say 'Amy'?" I asked Erin.

Blank stare.

"Erin, can you say 'Mama'?"

Another blank stare.

"Erin, can you say 'Beth'?"

Her little mouth started working, and she quickly turned to look at Beth. We sat watching as she proudly burst out with her new word.

"Da"! she yelled. "Da, Da, Da!"

I looked at Beth. Her face registered pure horror. "No", she whispered. "No, no, no! Say 'Beth'."

Erin laughed at this new game. "Da!" she called to her sister. "Da!!"

After dinner she followed her beloved big sister around for awhile, utilizing her new speaking skills. "Da!" echoed through the house during bathtime, reading time, and even during prayers. Beth seems resigned to it. I think she realizes that she can't win this one, no matter how hard she tries. It's too soon to know whether this was just Erin's word of the day, or whether this new name will be used for the next few months. Time will tell. Hopefully, twenty years from now, her siblings won't still be calling her "Da". But somehow, I think this nickname is going to stay with poor Beth for a long time.

Prayers

I just heard that a close family friend (my nursery school teacher) just passed away after a brief illness. Please, say some prayers for her and her family.

Let Them Eat Bread

Rainy Fall days are perfect for baking home-made bread! The whole house smells delicious. You'll have to take my word for it...or you can bake some yourself!!

Sick and Tired

Having sick children in the house can be exhausting, as any parent knows. Feverish, congested children do not sleep very well, so our house is full of cranky, tired kids. And if the kids aren't sleeping, then the adults are not either, so we also have tired, cranky adults in our home. This morning was a particularly trying one, as Amy cried about anything and everything, so when naptime arrived at 1:00 I felt so relieved to put her and Erin to bed. After Beth and I spent some time reading her Dick and Jane book, I started on some chores while Beth watched a new movie in the living room.

I had only folded half a basket of laundry when I heard the floor squeak behind me. I looked up and saw Amy, clad in her new yellow blanket sleeper, wiping her runny nose with a tissue. Her eyes were red, and her face was warm. "I'm sick", she said. "I can't sleep, but I'm so tired".

I wanted to put her back into her bed and try again. I so badly needed some time to finish things around the house, but I knew that she really needed some cuddling right then. So I put the laundry aside, and we climbed onto the couch in the play room. She lay down in the crook of my arm and promptly fell asleep. Exhausted as she was, I knew she needed a nap, and I was afraid to move a muscle and risk waking her up. My book was in the living room with Beth, and there is no TV in the playroom. And so, I sat. I held Amy, and just looked out the window at the cloudy, cold afternoon sky. For a full hour we sat there, until she woke up and looked up at me with those red, runny eyes. I accomplished nothing this afternoon...at least nothing tangible. But really, I think I accomplished a lot.

Happy Birthday, Dan!

In case you didn't already know, I am actually almost a full year older than Dan (and much more mature, of course). But for 4 days of each year, we are the same age. So for the next few days I must take advantage of the opportunity to poke fun at him for being "so old". When Friday arrives, he will take over as the "baby" for the next year. So Happy Birthday, old man. Hope you have a wonderful 35th birthday!

Fall Fun

I've been taking annual trips to the "Apple Farm" every Fall since I was a child. We would pack the station wagon with 8 kids, two parents and sometimes a friend or two squished in as well. Before the days of car seats and seat belt laws, three or four kids would be sitting on the floor of the "way back", while small children sat on the laps of the bigger ones in the back seat. When we arrived we would head straight for the bin full of free apples, and then we'd starting begging for do-nuts, penny candy, candy apples...anything sweet and forbidden. It was an Autumn celebration that we never missed.

Today, we took the girls to the same apple farm to spend some time with Nana and Grampy. It's fun to experience my memories again through their eyes. The girls started their "candy" bargaining before we even left the house. "If I'm really, really, good and don't fight with Amy at all can I get a candy apple? What about some popcorn, too? And maybe a do-nut?" After we arrived and made our purchases, we sat on the rock wall outside while we ate our treats. It's the same wall that we used to sit on 20 years ago. Amy took two bites of her candy apple and then decided that it wasn't so great after all. Grampy ran back in and bought her a box of popcorn. Then she decided that she was thirsty. Grampy ran in and bought her a cup of juice. Beth didn't want her popcorn anymore, and asked for a candy apple instead. Grampy went back in and got her a candy apple. Then Beth felt a little thirsty, and Grampy headed to the store to get more juice. Funny, I don't remember him being quite so accomodating when I was Beth's age, but maybe my memories are just fading...

We ended the afternoon with a "hay ride". As we bounced along through the apple orchards, up and down hills, I glanced over at Beth's face. Her smile was so genuine, and her eyes were so bright. No matter that there wasn't a single piece of hay in sight. She was making memories at the "Apple Farm". And I'm adding another memory too.

TWELVE for tea!

Certain people can always be counted upon to bring a camera to family events, and they're usually fairly talented at taking great photographs. We have come to rely upon them to capture our memories, because unfortunately photography is not a hobby of mine or Dan's. We always start out with great intentions. We make sure the camera has batteries, and we almost always remember to take a picture of the cake before the guests arrive. We usually manage to grap a snapshot of the child of honor. But after that the camera sits, forgotten and lonely, on the counter or on the top of the refrigerator. Sometimes, as we are lighting the candles, someone will whisper, "Maybe you want to get a picture of her blowing them out?", and then we'll run to find the camera. For the most part, however, our photo albums are filled with the work of Aunt Audrey and Grandma. Thankfully, Audrey was at the tea party today, and she took some wonderful pictures. When she sends me the photos from the event, I will post some for you all to see! For now, you can enjoy seeing Amy all dressed up and awaiting the arrival of her guests. And, of course, the teapot cake has been captured for your enjoyment as well.

Good thing we ran out last night and bought those new batteries...

Tune in tomorrow

to hear all about the birthday "tea party" to be held in the morning, with 15 prim and proper preschoolers. If I'm not too exhausted from the chaos, I'll fill you all in on the fun and excitement. Wish me luck...

And The Winner Is....

In honor of the upcoming Gymnastics World Championships, I've decided to award a few medals of my own around here. (What do you MEAN you didn't even know that Championships started in a few days?! Quick! Check www.insidegymnastics.com for updates!)

Category 1: Best Temper Tantrum

BRONZE: Beth. Thankfully, at almost 5 years old the crying fits are few and far between. However, if this were a lifetime achievement award, she would win hands-down. The memories are still crystal clear.

SILVER: Erin. Believe it or not, it has begun. The screams that accompany all of our meals are not to be believed. Dan and I have resorted to rumaging through cabinets every two minutes in an attempt to find the magic food. Peas? Crackers? Toast? Fruit? Please, just stop the tantrum!

GOLD: Amy. Whoever coined the term "terrible two's" must not have witnessed the drama of a three-year-old that is now able to "do it myself!" Luckily this stage is usually short-lived. I have a feeling that her younger sister may be the winner of this award next year.


Category 2: Best cuddler

BRONZE: Beth. This has never been Beth's strong suit. On a good day I can usually manage a quick hug or kiss as the tornado passes by.

SILVER: Erin. Now that she is on the move she rarely has time for hugs and kisses. But when she is drinking a warm bottle of milk she still likes to snuggle in close, and hopefully this will continue for a while more.

GOLD: Amy. Once again Amy comes out on top. There are times when the "I want to hold you" comes in the middle of meal-preparation or "getting ready for school" time, but I still try to stop and cuddle her when she requests it, since I don't know how much longer she will be asking for these hugs.


Category 3: Most improved at a new skill

BRONZE: Amy. Amy is learning to write her name, which is quite an accomplishment. However, she will not score full points for this until she is able to put the letters in the correct order. "MYA" doesn't look quite right, especially when the "A" looks suspiciously like a "T". With more practice I think she could go for the Gold next year.

SILVER: Beth. Beth is learning to read and is doing quite well, but refuses to try anything other than "Dick And Jane". If she can master the "Cat In The Hat" then I think she'll be a strong contender for this award next year.

GOLD: Erin. Over the last few days she has advanced from "step-step-fall" to real, true walking. Good thing we bought those new shoes.


Keep working, girls! You're all perfect tens!!

Anniversary

October 11, 1997 was a gorgeous day. The weather was sunny, crisp and cool, and the leaves on the trees were turning to amazing shades of orange and red. But the real reason that I remember this day so well was because on this date I married the most amazing man I've ever met. Since then we've been blessed with 3 wonderful little girls. And today, we remember the day that our family started. Happy Anniversary, Dan. I love you.

What's So Funny?

Laughter can be so contagious. Today we went to the supermarket to buy a few things for Amy's birthday "tea party". Beth and Amy headed straight for one of the shopping "cars". They love to sit together in the front of the car and pretend to drive with the little steering wheels, beeping the horns as we turn the corners. This seating arrangement can sometimes be a recipe for disaster, with cries of "Amy's sitting on MY half of the seat" or "Mommy, Beth's beeping MY horn! Tell her to stop it!" That behaviour results in both parties being immediately ejected from the car, so today they buckled themselves in with promises to be "really, really good".

And they were. There were no shouts and no temper tantrums. For some reason, they really got along well up there today. They sang songs and told stories. Then, as we headed toward the check-out lines, they started laughing.

I mean really, really laughing. I don't know what they were laughing at, but they were absolutely hysterical. Erin was sitting way up front with me, and she heard the boisterous giggles from below. She started laughing too. After a while, I couldn't help myself, and I started to chuckle as well. I noticed people all around us pointing at the girls and starting to laugh. While we stood in the check-out line the girls continued the hilarity. By this time Erin had started to bounce in her seat and clap her hands at the drama. The woman in front of us burst out laughing, as did the girl at the register.

Sometimes it's fun to laugh for no reason. I still don't know exactly what we were laughing at today. But it sure was funny.

Happy Birthday Amy

Three years ago today I held you in my arms for the very first time. You nestled in so close to me, and I looked into your beautiful eyes. Since then, Daddy and I have come to realize how much you love to be held. We call you our "cozy cuddler", and I cherish every moment that we've snuggled together over the last three years.

Three years of blond curls and blue eyes. Three years of "please, I want to hold you". Three years of adorable baby talk and funny giggles and binkies strewn all over the house. You make me smile every day, Amy, and I thank you so much for that. I love you, baby girl. Happy Third Birthday.

Special Things

Last month we finally broke down and bought a van. We spent a full year with the three car seats wedged together in the back seat of the Explorer. It was so crowded back there that the car doors didn't close properly. We had to shut the doors and then "hip check" them in order to make them click shut. Poor newborn Erin was precariously placed in the middle of two boisterous older children, which required constant monitoring, and frequent reminders to "leave the baby alone!"

So now that we've made this new investment, we have lots of room to spread out. Beth, in particular, is enjoying her new mode of travel. She is all alone in the back of the van, and loves climbing into her own private place. She is able to buckle and unbuckle her own seat belt, so Dan and I rarely need to venture into the back of the van. But yesterday, after we dropped Beth off at school, Amy asked if she could ride in Beth's seat on the way home. Amy still needs help to get into the car, so I had to climb in with her. I was amazed to see all the "junk" that had accumulated in that back seat. Here's what I discovered in that back bench:

3 pinecones
6 acorns
three coloring books
a box of crayons
2 little pink pocketbooks
a "Hello Kitty" purse
a plastic Thomas The Tank train
The plastic bag that held her witch costume
Lots and lots of colored leaves...scattered over the floor

When we arrived home, I decided to clean the van a bit. I got a trash bag for the acorns, pinecones and leaves. I put the toys into a separate bag and placed it on a shelf in the garage, to be sorted through at a later date.

We walked home from school yesterday, so Beth didn't notice my cleaning efforts until we climbed into the van to head for the library in the afternoon. She was the first one into the car, and the shrieks that erupted from the back of the van brought me running.

"My things! My things! Where did all my things go?", she wailed.

"I did a little cleaning", was my reply.

She cried and cried, until I relented a bit. I found the bag of toys, and I handed her a coloring book and crayons.

"There were THREE coloring books!" she cried.

I handed her two more books.

"And my Thomas the Tank engine! Where did he go?!"

I silently handed the train into the back of the car.

"And my Hello Kitty purse? And my pocketbooks?"

More toys headed into the depths of the van.

"And my acorns? My pinecones? My beautiful leaves?"

Before the engine had started on the van, all the cleaning that I had done that morning had been reversed. Beth sat happily in her little corner, surrounded by her special things. I suppose we all need a little place in the world... a place where we can keep things that mean so much to us. I may not understand the relevance of a pile of acorns and pinecones, but Beth sure does. So for now, they can stay there. I'll leave the cleaning for another day.

Appreciation

Tonight I had to work at the library, which meant that the girls had to get toted along for the half-hour drive. They don't mind this, because they get to play in the Children's Department while they wait for Dan to pick them up on his way home from work. As we crossed the parking lot on our way into the building tonight we saw one of my colleagues, Nancy, heading towards her car. She stopped to chat with the girls for a few minutes. They talked about Amy's 3rd birthday next week, and she spoke with each girl. They laughed for a bit over some little jokes, and then we said good-bye.

As we climbed the steps into the library Amy said, "Well, that was lucky". I wasn't sure what she meant by that, so I asked her what she was talking about.

"We almost missed your friend, Mommy. She was almost to her car. I like talking to her because she makes me happy. Doesn't she make you happy? Aren't we lucky that we saw her today?"

I never thought about it much before, but we interact with so many people throughout our day. Some we see in person, others we speak with on the telephone, and sometimes we even make contacts online. Some people make us angry or frustrated, but so often our interactions are positive ones. I rarely stop to think about these communications in the way that Amy did. But tonight, I thought a lot about Amy's comment. She's right. We were lucky to have shared some laughs with Nancy today. I'm glad I had a three-year-old with me to point out just how lucky we were.

Art Work

BETH: Mommy, I had the best day ever at school today. I made a garage!

ME: A garage? Did you put cars inside it?

BETH: (sighs) Mommy, it's not that kind of garage. A garage is when you pick lots of different things and then glue them onto paper to make a beautiful picture.

Oh, yes. A garage. I think it's also known as a collage.

So grown up

Amy loves to talk about what life will be like when she's a "grown-up". And I enjoy listening to her interesting views of what life will be like for her in the future. Today, as we ran errands around town, she launched into yet another discussion on this topic. So I decided to ask a few questions in order to find out more details about her future plans.

She often tells us that she will live in a "giant, yellow house", because yellow is her favorite color. The color I can understand...but giant? I wondered where this materialistic-sounding desire came from, so I asked her why the house needed to be so big.

"Well, Mommy", she said, "It has to be giant. Otherwise I'll hit my head on the ceiling. I'll be a grown-up then, remember".

Yes, of course. That makes perfect sense.

Then I questioned her about what she will do all day. Will she have to do much work around the house when she's a grown-up?

Her answer: "Yes, I'll have to work really hard when I'm the Mommy. If the napkin holder gets empty, I'll have to go to the closet and get new napkins. Then I'll put the new napkins into the napkin holder."

Ah. So glad to think that all my efforts around this house do not go unnoticed.

Then there's the matter of working outside the home. Will she go out to work, and if so, where?

Her answer: "I'm going to work at the hospital, and it will be the same hospital that Nana works at. She'll see me at work and say 'Oh, hi Amy'. Then she'll go home and tell Grampy, 'I saw Amy today at work! You won't believe this, but guess what-she turned into a grown-up!'"

She has endless ideas about how wonderful life will be when she's a grown-up. I realize that soon enough she will discover that adult life is not quite as perfect as she believes it will be. Or maybe it is. Maybe if I can try to look at things through her eyes I can have a better understanding of just how blessed we really are. I'll try to remember that next time I re-fill the napkin holder...with some bright, yellow napkins just for Amy.

Happiness is...

Enjoying some sunshine on a beautiful October day.

Sunday Prayers

Trying to keep three small children quiet while dining at a restaurant (see yesterday's post!) is quite easy when compared to the difficulty of maintaining silence during an hour-long church service with our little girls. Dan and I have, at times, resorted to attending separate Masses so that we can have some peaceful time to pray without children. However, we prefer to pray together as a family, so we usually all make the journey to church collectively.

We have enjoyed a relatively calm period for about a year now. Amy and Beth are usually quite happy to sit with their religious coloring books, creating masterpiece after masterpiece. Erin is a relatively passive baby who enjoys a full hour of cuddling in a grown-up's arms. Whenever a child nearby starts screaming or crying, I smile knowingly at the frazzled mother. Then Dan and I glance at each other, mentally patting each other on the back for the excellent behaviour of our children, conveniently forgetting the many Sundays when Amy and Beth were babies and misbehaved throughout the morning.

However, Erin has slowly but surely been rebelling against this hour long period of silence. There's so much to do and see in Church, and it's difficult to explore when Mommy is holding you captive in her arms. Today, Erin sat for about 5 minutes, and then started to struggle to be put down. She arched her back, kicked her legs, and then started to scream. I tried shifting positions. I attempted to give her a bottle. I stood up and bounced her up and down. Nothing worked, and the screams got louder.

So I headed for the back of the church, where I began pacing in an attempt to calm her down. She continued to fuss and yell, and I started to consider whether leaving church altogether would be the best option.

Then, suddenly and inexplicably, she stopped crying. Her face broke out in a big smile, and her little hand started frantically flapping up and down. She was waving at someone, and it was clearly someone that was making her very happy.

I turned around to see who this wonderful stranger might be. There, behind me, was a life-size statue of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Her hand was outstretched in what, to a baby anyway, appeared to be a friendly wave. Erin continued her greeting for a few more minutes before finally putting her head down on my shoulder and settling in for the rest of the Mass.

I reflected on this as we paced the back of the church for the next few minutes. I realized that this is why Dan and I battle with the crying, the occasional tantrums, and the stress of bringing small children to church. So that each of us can say "hello" to God in our own little ways. I'm fairly sure that even Erin's little greeting was recognized and appreciated this morning.