Amelia has never been a great sleeper but at two, her inconsolable acid hours gravitated from evenings to mornings. You just never know whether she will wake all smiles, thoroughly rested and ready for the day or refuse breakfast with wails and sobs that defy consolation. Some mornings she just wakes up on the wrong …
Angels Unaware
Thomas turns three today but he doesn’t live in town so we celebrated his birthday early at the zoo. We saw some animals, rode the carousel, and hiked a mile uphill to hit the splash pad before lunch. It was hot, mighty hot, so we lingered over lunch and walked through the aquarium before heading …
More Than Curious
I’ve enjoyed a small herb garden on my kitchen table several times over the past few years, but in my current season when staying over with new grand babies takes precedence, the herbs, with the exception of a lone basil plant, have gone by the wayside. I had hoped that placing them out front where …
Stubborn Refusal
“I’m sorry. I completely forgot.” My daughter waited for me to return to the room where she was nursing the baby. I walked across the house to put away a few stray items and became distracted by several things at once. Half an hour later, she emerged, baby in her arms, searching for me and …
Worked Together For Good
Amelia wanted “eggy cheese” for breakfast and she wanted to help. Her only experience cracking eggs has been with her plastic color matching half dozen in her toy bin. She chose her egg from the carton on the kitchen counter and I gently wrapped my hand around hers, guiding her to tap, tap, tap on …
Who’s Leading?
“Amelia,” I voiced in my most animated Lolly accent. “Let’s go take Jake outside and check the mail. You need your shoes.” She plopped down on the welcome mat, waiting for help with her slip-ons, then she ran out the door ahead of me, alternately dancing and running every step of the way. My granddaughter …
Casting Cares
I asked Thomas to help me get the mail from the mailbox. Our box is exactly his height at present because of an incident the week we moved into our home. The postal carrier back over our box, taking the entire post down. My dad and my husband repaired it but as a result, the …
A Huge Mistake?
Our baby boy will be twenty-six when his son is born. He has been blessed with a wife and daughter who adore him, and now God has chosen to give him a baby boy of his own. He has no idea what adventures await. We surely didn’t! One thing my husband and I have always …
Moves and Countermoves
Two has arrived in full force for my daughter and her husband. Their son has discovered his voice and along with it, his autonomy. My husband looked across the table in the restaurant, saying, “Please don’t stand up in your chair. I don’t want you to fall.” His reply? In his sternest voice, “Poppy, don’t …
Seasoned With Salt
Salt is a funny thing. It preserves in large quantities but only a small bit seasons an entire meal. A mouth full of seawater is much worse than lake water, yet warm salt water makes the perfect rinse for a sore throat. Consuming too much salt can quickly create a health crisis but so can …
A Fitting Reply 