“What is this?” Amelia asked, pointing to something at the bottom of a page full of items in the Christmas catalog. “I’m not sure, sweetheart,” I responded from the other side of the kitchen island. “It’s too small for me to see from here.” Then to her mom walking in from the other room she …
Heartitude
I was hooked from the first “Uh oh, Jonah! You should’ve gone to Nineveh!” to “That’s better Jonah! I’m glad you went to Nineveh!” Amelia loved reading bedtime stories from The Rhyming Bible shared with her by her cousin, Thomas. In fact, she almost entirely memorized this one story. Her mom shared the video made …
Going Backwards
Ezra, like his daddy before him, has exceptional balance and coordination. At barely two and a quarter, he has mastered every ride-on toy we own, including his older sister’s pedal bike with training wheels. Not only does he move forward effortlessly, he sits confidently looking ahead while coasting backwards from the edge of the front …
How You Love Me
“How do you know Lolly loves you?” I asked five year old Thomas. When he and Amelia see me writing, they sometimes ask if I am writing a story about them. Often I am so I stop and read aloud their part or I promise to when it’s finished. So when I told Thomas that …
Obscured
My husband and I headed across the street to walk through our son’s house which is under construction. He and his wife had just inspected the day’s work and returned beaming, full of descriptions of their favorite additions. “I have a hall tree!” Valentina exclaimed as she showed me the picture she had snapped with …
Reverting or Revering?
Two days before Amelia’s second birthday, Ezra Benjamin was born. Amelia mothered him from the beginning. From her younger brother to her youngest cousins, she adores a baby. When Ezra was old enough to demand more of their mom’s time and attention, Amelia often reverted to baby talk, seeking the attention that was once hers …
Parched or Quenched?
The door creaked as it swung opened then slammed. Timothy strode in from playing baseball in the backyard with Thomas and Dad. “I getting a Gatorade surprise,” he announced. His mom, who had been working on their dinner, wiped her hands, opened the garage door and followed two year old Timothy to the outside refrigerator. …
Wait For It
“But I wanted to eat it now!” Thomas exclaimed, palms upward, accenting each syllable. His fifth birthday ice cream cake sat on the table in front of him. He had finished his lunch, played all the games, beamed through the chorus of Happy Birthday and blown out his candles. He watched eagerly as his mom …
Built For Me
Amelia has already staked her claim on a bedroom in her new house. We watched as the foundation was poured and the walls went up. The doors and windows stand ready in the garage, waiting to be installed. Giant metallic limbs spiral down from the attic like an overgrown octopus held back by a net …
Who Is Your Yes?
“Daddy’s not here,” I told Jake on my way from the kitchen to the laundry room for the third time in half an hour. His head pops up anytime I walk near the garage door between eleven and two. His internal clock keeps trying to push dinner earlier and earlier. “You can wait until at …
