the morning was abuzz with so much talking. there is always (always.) an incredible amount of talking around here but this morning it felt like too much. so much so that things almost felt muffled and hazy.
there was an incident involving two little boys that resulted in an all things star wars (humming theme songs included)/light saber/nerf gun ban for the foreseeable future. sweet relief.
some quick errands provided plenty of “teachable moments” to the point that by the time we got to the grocery store we were all getting tired of the fussing and correcting thus everyone was a bit on the mellow side. cue well-intentioned shopper who bestowed upon me the parental kiss of death, “oh my, i have never seen such well-behaved children at a grocery store ever!” i gripped the shopping cart with white knuckles and braced myself for the almost absolute certainty that a full-on meltdown was about to erupt from one of them as a result of such hyperbole. but then the boys actually looked right up at me and giggled. the boys and i shared a knowing laugh, i winked at them, and (thankfully) everything was fine.
we came home. and the talking continued and got louder and louder. and there was a girl who flirted with a tantrum because her mama refused to put the rio theme song on repeat, a boy who just couldn’t sit semi-still and eat, and another boy who was a bottomless pit and kept asking for me to get up and get him more food. and as i was about to hit that point where i just wanted to put my head down and sleep for a bit, he said, “it’s ok, mom, i’ll make my own sandwich.” and he did. things got quieter and less hazy, and he was beyond proud and looked quite a bit older over there smearing pb and jelly on his bread. i smiled and told him that i thought he should take over making dinners from now on. “sure!” he said happily.
thursday is cleaning day. thursday is the day motown music blares. winter thursdays are the days when all doors and windows are opened. thursday is the day i lose half my supply of paper towels to the little people before i wise up and switch them to rags. thursday is the day i realize that my pre-kid self would’ve thought three kids “cleaning” together would have been just shy of precious. this thursday is the day that i laugh at my pre-kid self and turn the music up a bit louder and am thankful that at least they’re eager. thursday is the day that nap time/quiet time is indeed quiet because of all the rambunctiousness of the morning. thursday is the day that the floors are clean, omar notices, and i kiss him.
i miss pre 9/11 airports. if you were still able to walk right up to the gate and stare out the windows, airports would make it onto our rotation of outing destinations. we went to pick omar up the other day and the boys were excited. i didn’t think they’d be able to see anything very interesting but then was happily surprised to see that omar’s concourse had a waiting area with a window overlooking the runway. i let them take pictures. they brought their pads of paper and pencils to document the event and shrieked every time an airplane came into view. they tackled their papi with hugs and kisses, were treated to hot chocolate and a cookie, and thought it was just about the best thing ever. i’ll miss these days when a quick trip to the airport and a cookie qualifies as an adventure.
ah, resolutions. truthfully, i don’t get too hung up about them. they usually come to me in a rush the night before the new year and i figure there’s no harm in trying them out, but i don’t beat myself up if they end up not happening. there’s always the next year.
christmas 2011 has come and gone. the boys are absent from almost all photos. once the star wars lunchboxes and nerf guns were opened, i lost them.
the littlest one had quite the party dress for christmas eve and christmas day. christmas morning she found a stroller for her baby.
and then promptly finished up santa’s crumbs.
there has been a lot of eating, a lot of family, a lot of gifts, and a lot of sweets. omar’s ipad dreams came true, and i loved keeping all the scheming under wraps.
this little project is the fruit of two things: my boys asking me how many days until christmas all. day. long. and my need to shrink this stack of christmas scrapbook paper i’ve had for a few years now. for the past few days asher seems beyond christmas and is now asking me how many days until his birthday. i see a really long paper chain and some stellar counting skills in his future.
oh, the clementines. they are here, and asher is in heaven. we all love them but that boy can’t get enough of them. he’s also the compost police. if you peel and throw into the trash he’s on you. “the compost pail, mama.” right, right.
and we need the compost police around here because the garden is doing quite well. swiss chard and tomatoes all over the place. corn growing high. herbs thriving. we planted a small variety of carrot, and while most didn’t do so well, there were a few that made it.
elisha and i got to spend the morning together yesterday. that boy can talk. we made a trip to the doctor where he described in detail his siblings’ current illness, a trip to the grocery store where he gave me lots of input and suggestions, and a trip to target where we got a little treat. he loves to sit at this bar and look out the window at all the traffic. i loved spending some one-on-one time with my oldest. while sipping our drinks he nonchalantly asked me when i was going to get a real job. that was soon followed up with a question about why racoons are always born on easter (??). we both agreed that whipped cream is the best part of hot chocolate.
my sewing itch hits at the oddest times. i have quite a few more pressing things to tend to right now, but then christine goes and shows us her 
