The thing that this photo does to my heart?
I wish I could bottle it and carry it with me always.
High five
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Category Archives: Sibling Revelry
Excellent question
“Mom, where do the thoughts go after you think them?”
~Doodlebug, age 8
A + B = See I told you so
The brother-sister dynamic is so…what’s the word I’m looking for?
Perplexing? Hmm. Fascinating? Maybe. Predictable? Yes! That’s it!
Because every single time this happens…
Something akin to this follows…
Frozen
As if you haven’t already guessed, we Austinites get a little light-headed and giddy when actual winter weather arrives. It’s all so exciting and rare.
“Look Mom! The thermometer dipped below 70! And it’s FEBRUARY!”
So naturally, last week’s icy and snowy conditions were especially thrilling. The day off from school was great and all, but what really got my kids amped up was a little undertaking Rascal called Freezing Everyone and Their Aunt Rita in Carbonite Just Like in The Star Wars Movie That Mom Always Calls Number 2, But Really is Number 5.
It. Was. Awesome.
When I look back at these photos, I am tempted to put a philosophical spin to the whole endeavor…to compare it to the flood of feelings and memories I have been desperate to freeze in my mind. To wax on about the exit of winter and the onset of spring. To recall the inevitable thawing that follows any intense experience. To consider the beauty and harshness of something so lively and fluid being altered overnight by a force larger than ourselves.
But I’m not going there. It’s too much for me right now. And maybe that’s ok. Instead, I’m going to remember this little project as nothing more than a couple Star Wars fans parading in and out the back door, spilling drops of water along the way, scheming, laughing…all so they could relive the power of an unforgettable scene in a favorite movie.
Come to think of it, maybe they were trying to freeze memories as well.
Rhetorical questions? (vol. 2)
Wait, don’t answer that.
Whose crazy idea was this?
Have they become Those Kids?
Is it uncool to dress like your toddler?
Do I ever make it out of the house alone?
Do our kids get their rhythm from Hubs or me?
Should I tell them that this toy doesn’t really have a leak?
* * *
Did you miss the first set of rhetorical questions?
Confession
So, Mom. We did something to the fence that you might not like.
Are you mad?
* * *
Just shoot me
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.
* * *
“Ok, boys…”
When you are the big sister The Big Sister, it doesn’t take long to perfect the hands-on-your-cocked-hip move. Not that I can relate or anything.
* * *
Breathing room
There are days when the smallness of our house and the vastness of our Together Time collide, reaching a painful and often noisy breaking point. These moments command that we drop everything and take the kids out. Not just outside, but somewhere beyond our yard…somewhere big and open and full of ample space and varied terrain for each and every personality. Some place with lots of breathing room.
And sometimes, on those days when I most expect the kids to race far away from each other, head-first toward an unencumbered void, toward the rocks or the hills or the favorite grassy patch, they instead go forth slowly and carefully holding hands….
But then they throw…
And sometimes carry…
And usually jump…
And always, always return home happy, renewed and ready to live together once again.
* * *
All My Favorites
Tucking in Doodlebug last night, I cooed. . .
“Even if I don’t say it every single night at dinnertime, I am thankful for you.
I am so so thankful for you, for Rascal, for Smiley, for Daddy, for the dogs.
I am crazy-thankful for our little family.”
She smiled. “But who are you the MOST thankful for?”
“I am thankful for all of you, sweetie. I love you all. Now, good night. Sweet dreams.”
“But wait. You always say that, but really, who are you the most thankful for, because I know that I am thankful for a lot of people but I still have my favorites.”
“Baby, I’m tired. We’ve talked about this a million times before.”
“And you never answer me.”
“Remember that book we all like so much, You’re All My Favorites? It’s just like that–no matter who is biggly or littley, girl or boy, with or without patches. All that stuff.”
“Yes, but really. You can tell me.”
I sighed, feeling more weary than charmed. “Doodle, a Mom’s heart doesn’t work that way. It stretches and grows in infinite ways with each child. I love all of you–differently but the same.”
“Ok, differently but the same.” She paused. “But who do you love the MOST?”
Exasperated, I raised my voice. “Doodlebug!”
“I KNEW it! Good night, mama!”
* * *
