Recently, we went to Trader Joe’s and Emme took her “I Am Thankful for … _________” sticker that they handed out and put it right onto her nose and then walked around the rest of the morning smiling at her own ingenuity. She wore that thing for hours. And each time I looked at her, I knew exactly what I would put in the blank spot on the sticker.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Yesterday was our first snow of the year.
I had been longing for snow since last week. I usually don’t like snow because in these parts the whole city shuts down and goes a little nuts.
This year, however, I have been looking forward to the snow. For a lot of the reasons. And ALL of them selfsih. I have just been longing for a break from “real life” — a forced work haltage (is haltage a word??), hot chocolate, spiced wine, movie day, etc. I spent the weekend stocking the fridge just in case there was snow. I made a final trip to get Jade a winter coat and Lily snow boots. I have been ready for days for snow.
So when the flakes waited until 7:30am to start falling I have to admit I was a little disappointed — the snow was beautiful but it came to late to halt school and offer me the respite I so longed for, and so off the teens went all bundled up. I then spent the next part of the morning trying –unsuccessfully — to get Ty to wear snow boots to kindergarten. “But, Mommy, they feel weird!” That is because they are snow boots and you only wear them about 3 days each year. You will get used to them. No luck and on went the sneakers. The outside temperature read 26 degress and so I gritted my teeth as I walked out the door to take Lily and Ty to school (by the way, Lily did wear her snowboots…). The moment we walked outside I heard a GASP.
The gasp came from Emme. In all the bustle of the morning I had forgotten that this was her first snow ever. She stopped, looked up, smiled her big authentic, “I love life” smile, and pointed at all the flakes and rattled off her paragraph of gibberish that makes perfect sense only to her. But this time it was pretty clear what she was saying: Snow is awesome. Followed by: Why have you waited this long to show me this. Then: Isn’t life amazing, mom?
As the first flake got caught in her long lashes I thought about all that she has yet to discover. And how lucky we moms are to re-discover so much through the eyes of our children. We get to see so much for the first time all over again. Watch as our children’s eye light up at their first Halloween, or eat their first tast of ice cream, or pet their first puppy. Then we get to see them make their first goals in soccer, or play their first wobbly rendition of “Go Tell Aunt Rhodie” in elementary band. We get to see them have their first dates, fall in love, read Shakespeare.
And we get to sit in horror as they cry because their friends didn’t walk home with them. Or they didn’t make the goal. We watch as they come to terms with the fact that life isn’t fair. Or Just. And that many people don’t know the meaning of mercy or compassion. And I swear that if I could I would stand in the gap for all five of my kids and take all the crap for them. Just suck it in to my body and let it destroy me in order to spare them.
But I know that is not how it works. Even though I get to watch their journey, their road to discover is all their own.
So, TODAY I will decide instead to find the patience to let them struggle with the lumpy snowboots and to marvel at the snowflakes in their eyelashes as they discover the world for themselves — and for me, all over again.
My son is obsessed with Hot Chocolate. He has not had any since last winter and when he saw me come home with a box of Swiss Miss and a bag of marshmellows, he became focused on having that first yummy mug of cholately goodness.
It is a well known fact that Ty can negotiate just about anything. A friend and neighbor announced recently that he planned on having Ty — age five — negotiate the re-fi’s on his mortgage. I have to have nerves of steel and a heckofa line in the sand when Ty sets his sights on something. And recently he set his sights on that box of Swiss Miss and that bag of marshmellows.
For days now he has been asking me about the weather report. It took me a while to figure out why. His angle? Rainy, wet, or even snowy weather equals….Hot Chocolate. But I once I was onto him I could tell him, hey, it is not quite cold enough yet! He then turned to the “others” he figured would cave in or at least didn’t know the rules. He asked babysitters and friends for hot chocolate. Nope. No luck.
Driving home from school Monday afternoon he told me, Ah Mommy, I am soooooooooo cold.
I was distracted by a garbage truck and the rain. Ah honey, I am so sorry. What can we do to warm you up?
You see it coming, don’t you? Well, I didn’t. Moment of weakness, I guess.
I need Hot Chocolate. He says in his sweetest, I love you mommy, voice. So, I answered with the good ol’ mother standby. Let me think about it.
He smilled and then actually cackled. Because, basically, he knew he had me at “I’ll think about it.”
An hour later, out came the tea kettle. Out came the mashmellows. Out came the Swiss Miss. I even got out the whole milk.
Okay, bud, I said. You can have the hot chocolate on one condition. You have to let me take your picture while you drink it.
I am pretty sure that his internal dialoge goes something like this… “SUCKAAHHHH!”
I am doomed, aren’t I???
In our house we have an epidemic. As much as I love each and every one of my kids, they spill. Like, a lot. So much so that we have a title that we pass around almost nightly. The title? The Spiller.
It goes like this. Izzy knocks over her milk and it spills everywhere and someone announces, “Izzy is THE SPILLER tonight!!!” She smiles. Ah shucks. I get to be THE SPILLER ? Cool.
We spill so much around here that also have an expression that immediately follows any spill. The glass goes over, water goes everywhere and I shout, “Mobilize the Spill-Unit!!!” Upon this command, Jade runs for paper towels, Izzy grabs plates and other gear out of harms way, Lily grabs napkins and goes low — mopping up the drips that are already hitting the floor, and Ty… well, we are working on him. Usually he helps Jade. I coordinate. In this fashion we get spills cleaned up and everything back in order in less than 90 seconds and dinner continues. We are a well-oiled machine.
Except for the time that Lily overwhelmed the Spill-Unit with FOUR back to back spills. No sooner had everything been put right when.. bloooppp… over went another glass. She spilled Jade’s milk, Ty’s milk and her own milk…twice. It was epic. We still talk about it when the conversation lags. Hey, remember that ONE TIME when Lily was like the Spiller-Extraordinaire? Oh yeah, we all say, that was epic! Then we sort of chuckle. But the chuckling doesn’t last because another spill is iminent and we have to be ready, on our guard for possible spill-unit mobilization.
Usually the SPILLER is Izzy. That girl could enter the Olympics if they had a SPILLER event and bring home the gold.
Last night Ty was the spiller.
The night before it was me. Like I said. It is an epidemic.
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Click here to see Emme and me during a Me Ra Koh photo shoot (last November) for her upcoming book!!!
