A day with the kidlets

I tell you what.
These kidlets are about the most fun I can imagine. In the morning, Phoebe usually wakes up first (before Jake, that is). I pick her up and as soon as she spots Jake in bed she puts her arms out and lunges towards him. I put her down on the bed and, with great glee and laughs, she throws herself on him! Rolls all over him, laughs... it's really one of the funniest things I've seen.

And Jake is cute too--he usually smiles and laughs and tickles her. Or he pulls the blanket over his head and she pulls it off, laughing all the while! It's such a joy to hear happy sounds in the morning.

At daycare dropoff, we usually take Phoebe to her room first. Jake gives her 2 hugs and 2 kisses goodbye--such a good big brother! She waves to us, and we head to Jake's class. Jake gives me 2 hugs and 2 kisses, tells me he loves me, then I'm gone. It's such a fun ritual!

At night it's not as cute, as everyone is tired, but Jake is doing so well playing with Phoebe. She has this loud squawk she emits, and we all come running (to her delight). Then we play with her and she loves it.

Phoebe goes to bed at 8, Jake at 9 so we have some one-on-one time... and the house is at rest.

Until tomorrow!

Winter blahs

Boy I hate winter. Especially January, followed closely by February. Nasty, brutish and short, to borrow liberally from Thomas Hobbs. I always feel like there's NOTHING to look forward to, that I'm stuck in some sort of stasis where all I do is get fat. Seriously, it's like this every year.

DH wants to go on vacation, which would be great except for the fact that then I'd have to move. And pack. Then unpack, and frankly, it just seems like too much trouble. Sad, huh?

The kidlets and I have a day off together, tomorrow. And I have NO IDEA what to do. Museum? Sure, along with every other kid in the state. Playdate? Then I have to make calls. Bleah.

In happier news, Jake started soccer! Indoor, and our babysitter takes him because the only league happens Saturday mornings when I'm at work. I'm glad he's getting some time to blow off steam! He also starts basketball Monday night, so that will be cool too. Work off that excess energy...

If only I could figure out how to transfer HIS energy to ME.

Puppies and Preschoolers

It wasn't until a few days ago that I realized how much alike they are. First off, both are cute beyond belief. The happy smiley face, the hair that goes every which way, the speed of movement that occasionally ends with falling, rolling, laughing.

How about the desire to please? Yep, puppies want to make you happy, even as they pee on the carpet for the 14th time. The preschooler honestly wants to make you happy, despite the crayon on the wall and the bath water all over the floor.

The toys are similar too. They have to be durable to stand up to pulling, tossing, running and jumping. It also helps if they are strong enough to remain whole even after Mommy or Daddy steps on them.

It all comes back to one word, though--love. If you sit on the floor, both the puppy and the preschooler will climb all over you, bestow wet kisses on your face then maybe... maybe... if you are lucky... both will curl up, exhausted with the day's play... and fall asleep. Dreaming, most likely, of another day's play to come.

And you will sit there and wonder how you ever got so lucky.

On A Snowy Morning

It started snowing last night, quietly. I almost didn't notice the blanket that slowly sprinkled, like powdered sugar, on our house. But by morning, an inch had fallen. An inch of new snow, an inch of possibilities.

Jake woke and glanced out the window. "Mommy! Snow!" That's right baby, snow. The first order of business was to get dressed and get right out in it. But he had to wait. For Mommy to dress Phoebe, for Daddy to get dressed, for Regen the dog to get hooked to a leash. But finally! Ready to go outside!

Daddy went to the shed to grab the sleds. With only an inch, not much room for sledding, but if you are just 40 pounds--it works. Daddy pulled and released him down the hill--again and again. Regen following, tumbling, blond hair and blond dog rolling in the sunshine and snow. Phoebe watching, laughing with delight.

Then we head for the woods. 11 acres of trails and fun. Daddy pulling the sled, puppy running, tangling, falling. Phoebe insisting on facing forward--forget Mommy's face, she wants to see what's going on!

Laughter, yelling, running, falling. Could a snowy day be any more fun? Back to the house, to get warm, to talk about the fun we had, to laugh... to love.

How could I ever be so lucky?

The End of Summer

Sunday, August 31, 2008
Huh? What? Where did it go? Summer, I mean. The lazy days where I was going to read books and watch my beautiful blond child run around in the sun. Where my baby would sleep peacefully beside me as I sat in a chair and drank iced tea. And read books.
Apparently, those days disappeared under mountains of laundry, a doctoral dissertation gnawing at my brain, and endless grocery shopping and cleaning. Oh, plus 2 children who didn't seem to want to play their appointed roles in my little summer plans. The beautiful blond child is tanned and blond from 3 months in the pool--but I watched him the whole time. And the peaceful baby? Well, she has opinions and needs, and they don't include Mommy reading.
But still... this was one of the best summers of my life. Watching Jake go from early June and barely putting his face in the water to late August and seeing him swim the whole way across the pool with his snorkeling gear on. Seeing Phoebe grow and develop a personality that is so like me and yet so uniquely her own. Seeing the two of them develop a bond, a sibling relationship that is growing stronger with each laugh, each hug, each kiss, each hair pull. Watching in wonderment at these two beings I actually conceived and birthed.
Yes, the best summer of my life. Except for the laundry.