Our weekend schedule was shifted a bit as Glen returned to Southern California on Thursday and headed back up on Saturday. This, of course, was so that he could be back in the San Francisco area to run in the 100th Bay to Breakers run with his brother, John.
Sunday was also the day of Harvey Mudd College's 53rd Commencement, and so the kids had the treat of hanging out with their very favorite babysitter (and teenager), the lovely Bailey. When I returned home at around 3:30 on Sunday, Bailey and the kids were wrapping up yet another showing of "Finding Nemo." All was well, and it appeared that duct tape had not been used. This is always a good sign.
I retired to our home office, where I spent the better part of an hour tinkering on the computer, doing mindless internet browsing and playing on Facebook. David was nose-deep in book #2 of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. When I pulled myself away from my laptop and re-entered the real world, David was still buried in his book. And I noticed that my bedroom door was closed.
I figured that, yes, the other child of the house must be in my room.
So, I instinctively knocked on the door. Yes, I know. It's sort of silly given that it's my bedroom, but politeness is hard-wired in me.
No response. So, I quietly opened the door.
There, nestled among the seven (or so) decorative pillows on our bed was Elizabeth, contentedly playing with her Leapster hand-held video game. She seemed happy as a clam, and oblivious to the outside world.
I just had to stop and stare at her for a few moments, and take it all in. Why I found it profoundly amazing (and almost breathtaking) to see this little person so independently find a quiet place in which to just be alone with her thoughts (and her video game), I'm not quite sure. But, there she lounged, happy to be just with herself. And that she chose mommy and daddy's bed as a soft, quiet, and safe place in which to burrow touched me to no end.
So, maybe Glen and I are doing something right ... making sure our kids are confident in the knowledge that home is a safe, secure, warm, and cozy place ... in any corner, and on any bed. In a world where so many kids' nightmares are lived in broad daylight, at home, each and every day, I can only count among my many blessings our ability to provide a safe haven to two amazing little people.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
A Perfect Mother's Day
There are two days out of the year in which I get to be unabashedly lazy. I don't really have to lift a finger (at least around the house), and I can pull rank if I want to curl up for a nap. Those days are: Mother's Day and my birthday.
So, today being Mother's Day and all, it was no different. And I am a lucky, lucky girl.
Glen woke up at about 6:00 this morning and headed out to get donuts. The kids were fast asleep, and I was still wafting between consciousness and unconsciousness. The second he left the room, I conked out again. The next thing I knew, he was home and asking whether 1) I wanted a donut and 2) whether I was ready for breakfast. I nodded a groggy "yes" to the first question, and a "no" to the second. Soon, three donut hols appeared out of nowhere. I nibbled, and dozed. Somewhere around that I time I muttered an approximate time that might be good for breakfast. I think I said something like, "um ... 9 ..." before nodding off.
My sleep was happily interrupted here and there by my sweeties. Elizabeth padded into the room at around 7 (or was it 8?) and crawled into bed. I would not let her steal my spot on the mattress, much less my pillows and blanket. I sleepily implored her to scoot over, and she happily complied, saying, "I'll take Daddy's side of the bed!" We cuddled for a few minutes before she became quickly bored with the whole ordeal, and ran off to watch Sunday morning cartoons on Nickelodeon. Back to dream land I went.
And then, the festivities began. At around 9 (or so), David and Elizabeth cracked open the bedroom door, and David shouted "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY" with great gusto. Behind them was Glen, carrying a tray of bacon, sourdough toast, and diet Coke on ice. Oh, and a donut. Oh, and a small bag from Tiffany & Co.
I munched away and opened my sweet cards. The ubiquitous little blue box with the little white bow held a small charm to add to my charm bracelet. Because the kids and I are regular customers at the Baskin Robbins in Claremont, the charm was a sweet ice cream cone. Perfect! I wolfed down my yummy breakfast, and then asked for more sleep. The trio complied.
But, by 10, it was time to get moving, as we had a date with my mom and sister, and Julie's little girl, Jacqueline. We'd made plans to meet them for lunch at Julie's house; we were to bring the pizza, fresh fruit, and bicycles so that Jacqueline could bike around the block with her cousins. Despite one minor technical glitch with the bike rack (discovered while driving on Hwy 57), the bicycle transport was a success. Well, it did require a temporary pull to the side of the road for minor adjustments.
The cousins, as always, were so happy to see each other! Elizabeth and Jacqueline made quick work of getting down to the serious business of art work:
And then, it was time to consume pizza:
And, finally, getting to the real task at hand: bike riding! Behold the cycling cousins:
And, the rare group shot:
My pink Townie bike and I strolled along side the three muskateers for a good portion of their riding.
I even let my sister take the bike for a whirl.
And the surprise of the day was hearing my MOM take a look at my bike and say, "I've gotta try that." Alas, she did, but I didn't get any photos. Nuts. But I did get a great photo of her with both Jacqueline and David:
But, as all good things, this too came to an end, and the four of us hit the road at around 2:30 to run the ever-exciting errand of getting David and Elizabeth a hair cut. Who knew that Cool Cuts 4 Kids would be absolutely empty on Mother's Day? We were in and out in less than 30 minutes.
Now, I will selfishly confess that one thing I anticipated receiving for Mother's Day was a nice note from Glen, stating that he did not, in fact, have to go back to the Bay area tonight. Rather, he was home for the duration of Mother's Day and - surprise surprise! - would be sticking around until Monday.
No note appeared. I looked at him. "You're really going back up tonight?"
"Yeah, really," he said, sheepishly.
"No, come on. Where's the punch line?"
"Uh ..."
The kids and I dropped him off at Ontario Airport at 7:30 this evening. He was sadder about it than I was, the sweetie!
But the evening did not end without one last bit of entertainment from the kids. Driving home from the airport, they happily amused themselves by playing their own re-created version of a television game show for kids called "Brain Surge," which is on Nickelodeon. To the uninitiated, Brain Surge contestants are quizzed on stories and pictures that are either read or shown during the game, and by process of elimination, the final winner is treated to a good old fashioned Nickelodeon "sliming." David and Elizabeth clearly remembers a whole lot of details from the most recent episode we watched this week, because they were quizzing each other on the stories, pictures, and other brain teasers the entire drive back. They cracked themselves up!
Their giggles and happiness capped off a perfect Mother's Day.
Now, I gotta think of what to do for a perfect Father's Day for Glen ... which, if I remember correctly, falls on a weekend in which he is pretty much booked. Time to get creative!
So, today being Mother's Day and all, it was no different. And I am a lucky, lucky girl.
Glen woke up at about 6:00 this morning and headed out to get donuts. The kids were fast asleep, and I was still wafting between consciousness and unconsciousness. The second he left the room, I conked out again. The next thing I knew, he was home and asking whether 1) I wanted a donut and 2) whether I was ready for breakfast. I nodded a groggy "yes" to the first question, and a "no" to the second. Soon, three donut hols appeared out of nowhere. I nibbled, and dozed. Somewhere around that I time I muttered an approximate time that might be good for breakfast. I think I said something like, "um ... 9 ..." before nodding off.
My sleep was happily interrupted here and there by my sweeties. Elizabeth padded into the room at around 7 (or was it 8?) and crawled into bed. I would not let her steal my spot on the mattress, much less my pillows and blanket. I sleepily implored her to scoot over, and she happily complied, saying, "I'll take Daddy's side of the bed!" We cuddled for a few minutes before she became quickly bored with the whole ordeal, and ran off to watch Sunday morning cartoons on Nickelodeon. Back to dream land I went.
And then, the festivities began. At around 9 (or so), David and Elizabeth cracked open the bedroom door, and David shouted "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY" with great gusto. Behind them was Glen, carrying a tray of bacon, sourdough toast, and diet Coke on ice. Oh, and a donut. Oh, and a small bag from Tiffany & Co.
I munched away and opened my sweet cards. The ubiquitous little blue box with the little white bow held a small charm to add to my charm bracelet. Because the kids and I are regular customers at the Baskin Robbins in Claremont, the charm was a sweet ice cream cone. Perfect! I wolfed down my yummy breakfast, and then asked for more sleep. The trio complied.
But, by 10, it was time to get moving, as we had a date with my mom and sister, and Julie's little girl, Jacqueline. We'd made plans to meet them for lunch at Julie's house; we were to bring the pizza, fresh fruit, and bicycles so that Jacqueline could bike around the block with her cousins. Despite one minor technical glitch with the bike rack (discovered while driving on Hwy 57), the bicycle transport was a success. Well, it did require a temporary pull to the side of the road for minor adjustments.
The cousins, as always, were so happy to see each other! Elizabeth and Jacqueline made quick work of getting down to the serious business of art work:
 |
| At the easle |
And then, it was time to consume pizza:
 |
| 'Nom ... 'nom ... 'nom |
And, finally, getting to the real task at hand: bike riding! Behold the cycling cousins:
 |
| Side by side |
 |
| Total confidence! |
 |
| Total sweetness! |
 |
| Totally owns the sidewalk! |
And, the rare group shot:
 |
| The riders conclude their victory lap! |
My pink Townie bike and I strolled along side the three muskateers for a good portion of their riding.
 |
| Hot on David's heels! |
I even let my sister take the bike for a whirl.
 |
| Auntie Julie, hot on Elizabeth's heels! |
And the surprise of the day was hearing my MOM take a look at my bike and say, "I've gotta try that." Alas, she did, but I didn't get any photos. Nuts. But I did get a great photo of her with both Jacqueline and David:
 |
| A girl and her Grandma Josie |
 |
| A grandma and her boy! |
But, as all good things, this too came to an end, and the four of us hit the road at around 2:30 to run the ever-exciting errand of getting David and Elizabeth a hair cut. Who knew that Cool Cuts 4 Kids would be absolutely empty on Mother's Day? We were in and out in less than 30 minutes.
Now, I will selfishly confess that one thing I anticipated receiving for Mother's Day was a nice note from Glen, stating that he did not, in fact, have to go back to the Bay area tonight. Rather, he was home for the duration of Mother's Day and - surprise surprise! - would be sticking around until Monday.
No note appeared. I looked at him. "You're really going back up tonight?"
"Yeah, really," he said, sheepishly.
"No, come on. Where's the punch line?"
"Uh ..."
The kids and I dropped him off at Ontario Airport at 7:30 this evening. He was sadder about it than I was, the sweetie!
But the evening did not end without one last bit of entertainment from the kids. Driving home from the airport, they happily amused themselves by playing their own re-created version of a television game show for kids called "Brain Surge," which is on Nickelodeon. To the uninitiated, Brain Surge contestants are quizzed on stories and pictures that are either read or shown during the game, and by process of elimination, the final winner is treated to a good old fashioned Nickelodeon "sliming." David and Elizabeth clearly remembers a whole lot of details from the most recent episode we watched this week, because they were quizzing each other on the stories, pictures, and other brain teasers the entire drive back. They cracked themselves up!
Their giggles and happiness capped off a perfect Mother's Day.
Now, I gotta think of what to do for a perfect Father's Day for Glen ... which, if I remember correctly, falls on a weekend in which he is pretty much booked. Time to get creative!
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