So, Hubs has been traveling a lot with work, which is really super fantastic because it gives me all kinds of fodder for blog posts but little time to actually put it in writing.
But who am I to complain? After all, it’s not total fun and games for Hubs either. He’s working nonstop, sleeping in a quiet kid-free room alone, and missing the warmth and chaos comfort of home.
Yet somehow, we persevere…and I think it has something to do with a family tradition that, though started quite accidentally, keeps us connected while apart. It all began years ago, back when we were a family of four, not five. One early morning Hubs was trying to navigate his way out the door, shuffling through kids and dogs with his briefcase, tiny suitcase and even tinier shampoo bottles when Rascal bolted after him. Pushing a vintage Star Wars guy into his palm, he implored, “Take Droid with you and think of me!”
Naturally, this sent Doodlebug into complete hysterics because obviously “Daddy is not going to think of me! Quick, what can I give him??” Deaf to words like rush-hour traffic and freaking ridiculous security lines, she raced through the house in search of something, anything. She returned with a small plastic Hippo. Phew! Now he would, as the kids carefully repeated, remember to remember us.
And who would have guessed, but it actually worked! And we are still getting the postcards to prove it….
That the new year will be filled with more magic, but only if nobody pokes an eye out.
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That our next whoopie cushion will last just barely longer than 24 hours.
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That the obnoxious “whee-hoo-whee-hoo-whee-hoo” guns from Grandma will accidentally get thrown out with the gift wrapping trash.
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That, if kept in the right hands, the portable megaphone will prove to be the most practical Christmas gift ever.
Happy New Year!
To be filed under: This is how boys communicate.
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Of the thousands of reasons I love this man, one of them is that he still knows how to play hard. (And that he’s in charge of his own bathing habits.)
Happy Anniversary, my love!
Family, what are you thankful for today?
Highlights from this week:
3D movies
Blueberry muffins
Leaf blowers
Air conditioning (me too! me too! me too!)
Nice swim break with Smiley
Paper towel hats
Record-breaking easy trip to shoe store
Colorful dinner
Funny videos
My ridiculous brother, Smiley
Peach season
Golden full moon
Dryer is fixed
Evening swims
A productive day
Agua fresca
Pizza
Haircuts
“What??” imitations
Got to see Pop today
Yes, Pop! Pop! Pop!
Balloon rockets
Creamed corn
Swimming pools
Wonderful Dads!
Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there!
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Sunday Grace, our family gratitude journal, is updated weekly.
Read the entire series here.
My camera, not pictured above, is on the fritz. This is good and bad news. Bad because I don’t have time to write 1,000 words every time I want to capture a moment. Good because maybe just maybe I can justify buying an upgrade once I figure out what’s going on with my ailing Rebel.
In the meantime, I’ve been documenting the everyday with my iPhone.
Some recent highlights from our world:
Rascal’s DS got out of timeout. We are all overjoyed.
I got a pedicure to match my favorite chair.
Doodlebug got a new coat that’s as sassy as she is.
Hubby found someone to appreciate his pumpkin stacking talents.
Smiley perfected his bell-ringing skills, much to the delight of neighbors.
We all survived last week, which was busting at the seams with class projects, cake decorating contests, school carnival and, of course, Halloween.
Our costumes? Well, the kids had been all set until an hour before trick-or-treating. Then Hubby and I pulled out the costume box to figure out what we were going to wear…and suddenly the living room was a pile of wigs, beads, pleather jackets, capes, tails and hats. And what emerged: a Jonas brother, a skunk, a cowboy who refused to wear a single piece of his costume, a punk witch and “Rascal’s embarrassing Dad.” I’ll let you figure out that last one on your own.
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Did you hear that Hubby and I spent last weekend away? It was wonderful!
We actually returned to the kids, though, and even brought back some souvenir photos.
See if you can guess what’s missing from each shot…
A child strapped to Hubby’s back, poking sticky fingers into his ears.
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A child teetering on top of this rock. Or asking if he could jump off. Or asking if this rock is higher than the one her brother sat on five minutes ago.
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Children begging for a harp of their very own. Swearing that of course there’s room in the house. Or promising to give away three stuffed animals each if we will just buy a harp pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease.
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A child shouting just as the music quiets,
“Mama! Is that guy from the real Mexico or the Disney one??”
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The short temper that comes from sleeping only 5 hours a night.
The darting eyes that must look in three different directions at all times.
The weariness from not finishing a husband-wife conversation in days.
The spinning thoughts that run nonstop on my mind’s treadmill.
The tasty drink in my hand that I haven’t shared with a single germy child.
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It’s a wonder we came home at all.
By the time you read this, Hubby and I will be 24 hours into our first Kid-Free weekend in years. Can I get a woo-hoo!?!
As I write this (and marvel at the ability to schedule a post in advance) I’m assuming I will actually make it out of the house in one piece. My obsessive packing is about to do me in. Seriously, it boils down to these basics: Party clothes? Check. Kick-ass boots? Check. Way more books than I can possibly read in 4 days? Check. Why am I making this so hard?
Speaking of OCD…don’t get me started on the 12-page handbook I am leaving with my loving and capable in-laws. I swear I told them they could skip piano, ballet and soccer, but they are adventurous folks so they are making sure the kids don’t miss a bit of the usual insanity. Bless them.
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See that young bride up there? The one smiling so big it looks like she has a coat hanger in her mouth? She was crazy-happy that day! And confident and optimistic and absolutely bubbling. She and her love were setting out to build a dream together.
Today, I hardly recognize her.
This is not because I lack joy or confidence or optimism in our marriage, but because I’m 13 years wiser and living a completely different life.
That girl in the photo, she has no idea what marriage requires. She thinks she does. She thinks she knows something about stick-to-it-ness. She has heard the rumors of the hard work of marriage and only half believes them.
But today, on the Lucky 13 Anniversary, the former bride reflects on all the leaps of faith, the laughter, the listening, the patience, the growth.
Today, she knows the rumors were true. And she knows that of all the reasons her marriage is strong, luck is not one of them.
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Photo © 1997 Larkin Photography
