Wednesday, April 25

A GREAT Start to the Day

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The first words my little Rachel spoke to me this morning were:

"You're the cutest Mommy EVER!"

I laughed out loud and knew this was going to be a VERY good day.

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Tuesday, April 24

Phases and Phrases

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Before having kids I heard all about the "Terrible Twos." This phase was something to be feared and dreaded. A time of new found willfulness combined with limited verbal skills, which, I was told, led to inevitable and unbridled temper tantrums the likes of which no childless person could imagine.

Well -- the twos came and went and no such calamity hit the Hart house.

I was told not to get too comfortable. If it doesn't come at two - you'll get hit when they turn three.

Well. My oldest breezed right through. No "Thunderous Threes" at the Hart House.

And then, just as I was starting to feel cocky and pat myself on the back for being such a 'great' mom, Alex turned 4! At the same time, Rachel stopped being a little lump of clay that Alex could mold or push any which way she chose.

So. Cocky no more.

It's not temper tantrums. It's a constant (meaning pretty much EVERY waking moment that the girls aren't eating, drinking or watching TV) need for interaction with ME. If I'm unavailable - dealing with 'adult stuff' (bills, etc.) I'll get maybe 5 minutes before a referee is required or someone is standing on the counter, banging a hammer on the entertainment center, 'feeding' the fish, 'walking' the dog (generally, gently, tormenting the animals), or making toothpaste and sunscreen soup. Anything that will get Mommy running and involved.

And since I limit their TV time to the time it takes me to shower and dress in the morning - you can see that they're A LOT of work these days!!

The mind-numbing part is having two people call your name literally every minute! Each one of them has recently developed the habit of starting every sentence with "Mommy....," or "Daddy....," And, because I'm home with them each day, it's usually "Mommy...."

"Mommy, why are you feeding the cat?"
"Mommy, can you play cards?"
"Mommy, why is Nadine on the phone?"
"Mommy, Rachel did...."
"Mommy, Alex...."
"Mommy, can I...?"
"Mommy, hmmmm...." This is what they say when they want my attention but really have nothing to say. It's also what they say that makes me feel like my head might actually explode!

And after the longest day of mothering - as we're sitting in a restaurant - a woman from the next table leans over and compliments Dave and I and our parenting. "Your children are so well behaved," she said. "They seem to know that a restaurant is not a playground. Its a pleasure to sit next to you and your kids."

OK - I admit it. I got a little teary eyed. It had been such a long day (OK, week) and I was bleary eyed and numb. She made my day & sometimes, many times, that's all it takes to make it all seem worthwhile. Just a simple "you're doing a good job" means so much.

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Monday, April 23

Serenity

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Dream little one. Dream.


And silence. Both my girls are sleeping. Hey! Now is my chance! I can complete a thought..., and maybe, just maybe, a few phone calls.

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Sunday, April 22

Yawn, Snuggle, Snooze

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When she's tired and needs someone to hold her...


Her favorite place is Daddy's shoulder.

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Friday, April 20

The Fountain of Knowledge?

"Mommy?" Alex asks from the backseat. "Why are we going this way?"

"Because we're going home, hun."

"No we're not. This isn't the way home."

"Yes it is."

"No."

"Yes, Alex. This is the way home."

"How do you know that? Because you're magic?" (A fact we established long ago.)

"No, because I know everything."

"No you don't. Aunt Julie does!"

Amazingly I didn't spit coke out of my nose as I choked on my soda and laughed so hard I almost missed the traffic light.

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Monday, April 9

Celebrate Beauty


(I took this yesterday at the Wild Animal Park's Butterfly exhibit)

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Sunday, April 8

Kidlets in Church

"Mommy," Rachel whispered as we sat in the last pew, "I...." The whisper trailed off, inaudible.

"What?" I ask.

"Mommy," Rachel whispered again, "I...." The whisper trailed off. Again inaudible.

"What sweetie?"

"MOMMY! I WANT TO TALK *L*O*U*D* !!"

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Just as the minister says his last "Amen."

"Is it over now?!?" Alex asked innocently - but loudly.

This was followed immediately by giggles from the next three rows.

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Friday, April 6

On The Road

I guess it's true. Some things never change. Like that inevitable question, in its many forms, that you hear while on a road trip with small children: "Are we there yet?" or "How much longer?" or "How far are we now?" or, my personal favorite, "Can we find a shorter way to get there?"

While on our seven hour drive to Tuscon this past week I heard these questions no less than 28 times!

Interspersed were a few more interesting questions, including...,

"Why are there cactus?"
"Is this where the camels live?"
"Hey! Where are the houses? MOM?" a little panicked in the middle of the desert. "WHERE ARE THE HOUSES!?!"
"Are we going to stay at Grandpa's until it snows?" (Did I mention we were driving to Tuscon?)

We stayed just two nights but thoroughly enjoyed ourselves...

playing in the pool,

blowing 'Easter' bubbles
(Rachel was SOOO excited about the bubbles!),

riding the Merri-Go-Round at the local pizza parlor,


and, of course, story time with Grandpa.

Mercifully, the ride home was peppered only twice with questions about 'how much longer.' Instead we sang and chatted and, again mercifully, the girls slept for the last 90 minutes of the ride. And although I was more than a little envious (I was soooo tired), the quiet and little bit of solitude was nice.

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Wednesday, April 4

That Smile

Sometimes you catch the sparkle and when you do -
it has to be shared.


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Sunday, April 1

Wonder and Awe

Seeing the world for the very first time...,


through the eyes of a child.

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