Fearless

Letting your daughter play on wobbly scaffolding?  That seems like good parenting.

Letting your husband play on wobbly scaffolding?  That seems like a good way to collect on your dismemberment and disability insurance.

Mums for Moms

Eva’s preschool had their Mother’s Day celebration last week and I enjoyed being at school with her.  She was so excited when I walked in the door and immediately wanted to take me to get my present.  When Eva is happy to see me, my little heart blossoms with glee. 

I plopped my wide load onto a tiny chair and shoved myself under the miniature table so we could make a craft.  Eva carefully outlined my hand and I had blue marker around the perimeter of my fingers for the rest of the day.  I smiled every time I looked at it.

Finally it was time for presents!  Eva gave me a card and a flower pot that she had painted.  We sat and ate powdered sugar donut holes while I giggled at the answers on the card.  (When it says, “IDK” it means I don’t know.  It took me a minute to decipher that, but she was answering the questions with a teenager.  It would seem strange if there wasn’t texting shorthand involved.)

And a portrait of me.  I’m a fox!

On Saturday night Eva kept reciting that tomorrow would be Mother's Day.  She was looking forward to it more than I was.  She said over and over, “I have a surprise for you but you can't have it until Mother’s Day.  I made some art but I’m not going to tell you what it is because it’s a surprise.”  I heard that at least 10 times on Saturday.

Sunday morning I was in the shower when Eva came in and carefully laid out my gifts on the floor.

They are the best gifts I have every received!  At church the kids all got up to sing for Mother’s Day and Eva proudly marched up to the front of the chapel and gave me a big smile.  She looked only at me the entire time she was singing and smiled throughout the song.  I sat there and cried through the whole performance.  It’s a shame I didn’t have any Kleenex.  It’s also a shame that I wasn’t wearing waterproof mascara.  What an idiot!

I feel sad and overwhelmed sometimes that she is growing so quickly, yet I simultaneously love watching her grow and develop new quirks.  Eva is thoughtful, kind, intelligent, obedient, funny, and beautiful.  I’m a grateful Mom.

And clearly a good Mom too.  Look at all her enviable qualities.

Nasty Habit

Fancy a smoke?

What’s in a Name?

I was drawing on the sidewalk with Eva and I spelled out her name for her.  She immediately came over, drew a line through it and said, “I crossed out Eva because that’s not my name.”

She then asked me to write her real name and I obliged.

She reminded me about sixteen more times that her name is in fact Dexter and not Eva.  When will I get that through my thick skull?

I wonder how hard it is to get a new birth certificate…

Birthday Boy

My favorite husband turned 41 on Sunday.  Gasp!  The ol’boy still melts my heart though.  I suppose I’ll keep him around a few more years.

I was sick with a head cold on his birthday so it wasn’t the exciting bash that I had initially planned but it turned out to be a nice day anyway.  I bought him a couple of presents:

A replacement CD of his favorite Marc Cohn album after I accidentally sent his other one to live with my sissy in Idaho.

And a nerd toy…some robot ball called a Sphero.  Look at his excitement!  It’s like he’s turning 12 and not 41.

Let’s not forget that it’s not Michael’s birthday unless there’s chocolate cream pie.

He opted to light a fire in the backyard and have tin foil dinners for his birthday meal.  The fire was fun for approximately two minutes.  The wind kept shifting direction and blowing smoke in our faces regardless of where we sat.  We roasted a couple of mallows and waited patiently for the dinners to be done, then we bolted back inside to escape the billowing assaults on our eyes.  Two days later and my hair still smells like a campfire.  (Maybe I should try washing it.) 

The idea was romantic, the reality was tortuous.  But it was still a nice day.

Happy Birthday, Mykey!