I am an oldest child as is my husband. I am constantly reminding Amelia and Thomas that we have this in common by sharing stories from my own childhood. As their younger siblings have come into their own and want only to be with the big kids doing exactly what they’re doing, I’ve tried to …
Surrendered
Ezra went down for his nap like clockwork and I’ll be honest, I was amazed. The long anticipated move is underway. After only two weeks on the market, the offer came and with it, a ten day closing. No one is ever truly prepared for a move. Packing up your entire household, even after only …
Clingy
Sick babies want to be held even after they are on the mend. The comfort of their mother’s arms soothes much of what they cannot control, making the effects of the germ at least bearable. Ezra introduced the stomach bug to his family last week on Thursday. By Sunday night, his dad succumbed and Amelia …
It’s All There
“Forty-three, forty four, forty-five, oh no! Two are missing! We need to go on a zoo animal hunt. Our turtle and our lion are missing.” Amelia was climbing all over the bed where her mom was trying to change Ezra. I was doing the daily zoo animal headcount as the kids prepared to head home. …
Butting Heads
I wedged Timothy and Ezra, dressed in warm layers and puffy jackets into blue car, the two seater push car we have used for zoo trips since the grands outgrew strollers. Trekking across the parking lot and moving quickly from place to place sometimes means the younger ones need a lift but hoisting these solid …
Care and Keeping
Thomas added his weight to Timothy’s against the glass door of the restaurant where we were standing watching the birds outside while their mom gathered her things. The look that danced behind his eyes just before Thomas pressed the palms of both hands against the glass let me know this was sort of an experiment, …
Standing on Tiptoe
Near the edge of the woods where my husband puts out deer corn in winter, he mounted a motion sensor light high up on a tree. When the deer show up to polish off their nightly feast, the sensor triggers the light and for about thirty seconds, silhouettes are visible along with the occasional flash …
Guard The Deposit
Amelia attended her first wedding as flower girl for my nephew and his bride. Thomas was ring bearer and Timothy and Ezra dressed to the nines were just bonus cuteness. In the wake of Christmas fun and festivities, each of our grands wracked up a pretty significant sleep deficit. Combine that with overstimulation, overindulgence, and unexpected …
Serve Well
My daughter’s weekly grocery routine includes allowing four year old Thomas to scan items in the self checkout line. He has been practicing since he was two so he is now fairly efficient. They have adopted or rather have been adopted by one employee in true grandmother fashion at their local Aldi and are well …
Wonderful Joy Ahead
“This traffic is terrible!” my husband stated flatly. “I think we can turn right and bypass Main Street.” “There’s a detour ahead,” I replied. “I’ve seen the signs the last few times I’ve driven up to visit.” The traffic wasn’t surprising really. It was half past five and we were headed into the mountains, a …
A Fitting Reply 