Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Vignettes

  • Isaac hands me Barbie, and chooses the Ken doll for himself. Will we act out a primitive play date? Will they have a toddleresque conversation? No. Ken crashes into Barbie, as a bus crashes into a semi-trailer. Complete with sound effects. Ah, boys.
  • Anna, upon seeing Isaac spit out his food: "Isaac, don't do that. That's what babies do. I don't want to see that." Someone has been listening to her mommy!
  • Which songs shall we listen to? Wiggles? Veggie Tales? Rafi? None of the above. Isaac wants to hear Darth Vader's Theme while Anna pleads for the jazzy sounds of the Cantina. Alas, neither tune can be heard over the tantrum of the disappointed child. Nevertheless it is worth the noise just to see Isaac's slow-motion interpretative pantomime of a villain he has never seen, but somehow feels exists.
  • The baby gate at the foot of the stairs is gone, the dining room booster seat is gone, bibs are fazing out, and sippy cups' days are numbered. Mommy sniffs and smiles. 
  • Lots of rain outside the house: Very good! Grass grows! Flowers grow! Pond is no longer dry! Rain leaking into the house: Not good. Insurance agent who claims it's a freak accident and will never happen again: Very not good.
  • A nature walk. Sun. Happy children exploring. Pooh Sticks at the creek. A hidden path. Excitement at exploration. Off trail, a toddler trips. Into cacti. Needles, tears, tweezers, shrieks. New rule: long pants mandatory on nature walks. 
  • Preschool is suddenly over. And so sad that Anna missed her last day due to illness. There is some symmetry here, however, as she missed the first day due to illness. 
  • End-of-preschool positives: one less thing to rush to, no longer have to wake up Isaac from his nap to pick up Anna, a break from tuition payments. Negatives: Anna LOVES preschool, loss of a solid 2 hours of house-cleaning time, no more Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches on the sly.
  • What not to say to a stay-at-home parent who has been at home with sick kids all day during rainy weather: Why don't you play with the kids while I clean up dinner?

1 comment:

  1. Oh, your last one... I don't think that Rob quite understands that cooking dinner and cleaning up actually feels quiet and meditative to me after the chatty relational intensity of my days.

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