On Sunday, we had a lovely time visiting my friend Holly at her house, which is amazing because you can sit outside and hear concerts from nearby venue Wolf Trap perfectly clearly. We enjoyed B.B. King while we relaxed on her screened-in deck out back after dinner. As we were leaving, Gabe screamed, "A frog! Check it out -- a frog!" So I got closer and then got enthusiastic and busted out the camera. As I leaned in close to take his photo, the toad hopped toward me and I gave a quick squeal and stepped backward because I didn't love the thought of the toad landing on my sandalled feet. The squeal apparently sent Sofia over the edge. She ran screaming toward the car with her arms flailing in the air. Tim was faster than I was at running after her to console her, probably because Gabe and I got to laughing and could not stop. (I know -- not very nice of us, but she was such a funny sight - screaming and galloping with her arms flapping every which way and ultimately hiding behind the car in the driveway.) We coaxed her into checking out a second toad that Gabe spotted nearby, and by the time we got home, she was saying, "I really like toads, Mom."
Lately it seems the kids fight non-stop. So on a particularly annoying stretch in the car, I heard these words come out of my mouth: "Guys, guys -- if you don't have anything nice to say, please don't say anything at all." And I thought, "Oh my G-d, I just channeled my mother." After a brief pause in fighting, Sofia said quietly, "I love you Gabe." And Gabe replied, "I love you too Sofia, and I know karate, so I can protect you if anyone ever tries to hurt you." I thought, "Holy cow. It worked." The kids sometimes surprise me even more than I surprise myself!
I have also been having a tough time getting them to wake up in the mornings, so I tried setting an alarm clock in their room. Yeah right. It literally goes off for 15 minutes straight before I can't take it anymore, so I waltz in to turn it off. They're still sleeping soundly. This morning, I was completely ready to go before I bothered with waking them up. I nudged them both, said "Rise and shine" (just to channel my mother some more) and Sofia opened her eyes, looked me up and down and said matter-of-factly, "I don't like those shoes Mom." I looked down to examine my sneakers, which admittedly were paired with a dress, laughed and said, "Don't worry, Sofia; I'll change into a cute pair of sandals after I get to the office." Seriously? I'm ALREADY embarrassing my 4-year-old daughter? Wow. The kid has more fashion sense at 4 than I ever will. And she doesn't forget anything. When I arrived home in my gym clothes and the same shoes, she said, "I thought you said you were going to change those shoes. And: what happened to your dress?!"
I am really not anxious to know what our children will be like as teenagers! :)
My friend Holly introduced me to this blog, Hyperbole and a Half, which is a new favorite for me: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/ Check it out if you have time. The illustrations are priceless.
1 comment:
K - I LOVE your kids. :)
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