Yesterday all I ate was candy cookies and coffee and I felt AWFUL, so today I remembered No Sugar. Gracie and I went grocery shopping while the girls were at Liberty Belles. We snacked on apples and cheesesticks.
We went to the park with Mom and Violet yesterday. The last two days have been so beautiful out. Violet and Gracie play with each other now and Gracie even bosses around Violet now - it used to be the other way around. I think the power will continue to shift. They kept going down the slide together, climb back up the jungle gym, fun to the top of the slide, sit down and yell arms up, then slide down together and laugh and laugh. Violet sat on Gracie's side of the slide once and Gracie yelled at her to get out of her spot. It's fun to see them change from playing alone, next to each other, to playing together.
I'm feeling better about Margaret being in Nigeria. I can talk to her pretty easily now. She has an internet card now, but she couldn't get back to me this morning because the power went out, which happens regularly. Seems so backward to have wireless internet but unreliable basic electricity. When she first leaves, I prepare myself mentally for her to die. I guess I get over that fear after about a week.
I'm reading the girls the Tao of Pooh. I realize it's not a kids' book. It's my viewpoint and I'm sharing it. My job as a parent is to nurture, expose, and assist. We are also reading some My America books. We read all of Sophia's Immigrant Diary yesterday. I wish we had read that before we visited Boston this summer. If we go back, it will be all about graveyards!
Eleanor and I got our haircut together Saturday morning then met Grandma for tea and chandelier browsing. On Friday, she did five loads of laundry, and all the dishes. She cleaned the bathroom and did more laundry and dishes over the weekend. She is exerting her independence and I LOVE it. She actually asks permission to do these things. Like I'd say no to anyone who wanted to do these two most hated chores? I am so proud of her. She's acting so grown up.
We worked on the farm Sunday. The girls had a blast. I can still picture Charlotte jump-roping between rows of strawberries. The time went so fast. I have to work up to weeding all day. I kept picturing the little old Japanese ladies on our block who were completely and permanently folded over. I couldn't stand up at first after a few hours. I really want to do this. I ripped my own garden out today. The girls played in the sandbox - all three in the little turtle, and then the big girls played on their swing and they made a roly-poly farm. (Just this morning Charlotte cried over an hour at discovering her toad of two days had escaped - Eleanor had released her fresh-from-the-farm frog the day before at the river. also tears. so now, roly-polys.) Gracie is so cute, how she plays so long, alone. She speaks for dolls, now. Like, the dolls have out-loud conversations. That's fun. She can say the Pledge of Allegiance now, but won't recite on request, so I don't think anyone believes me.
Chris and Bob stopped by tonight to drop off 25# of organic carrots they got on sale. We had pizza and Bob had the girls laughing and laughing. Some of us pee when we laugh. They love him. Them. They are really good to the girls. They've already bought and showed me the girls' Christmas presents.
It's dawning on me that I'm not a college kid playing house anymore. This is our life and it's really great. I keep thinking, when we have enough money, then we'll be a valid family. I used to think when we bought a house we'd be valid, but that would never happen, but it seems to be working out. My anxieties are breaking away and I can see that our world is a beautiful place. I love my kids and I love my husband.
I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with 25# of carrots that won't last much longer.
No comments:
Post a Comment