Rose’s song

2014
01.21

Rose told me this morning at the breakfast table, “I was making a song about my life and one part was ‘when I was nine I got my ears pierced on January 21.’  And then I wanted to write a part about the Christmas puppy and how we got Ada on November 27.  Didn’t we have a party Wednesday night?”

“This Wednesday night?” I asked, confused.

“No.  The day before Thanksgiving.  The day you brought Ada home and then went to work and Dillon and I got to play with the new puppy.”

“Oh, that party!  The Flaming Archbishop.  Yes, we always go to a party the night before Thanksgiving,” I said.  “So what else is in the song of your life?”

“The popcorn party when I was three.  Also that I did racks and tubes when I was 7, 8, and 9.  That was so fun.  And the chalkboard.  I never got a lesson from Ms. Diana about the tone bars though and now I am at a different school and they don’t have tone bars.”

I can’t wait to hear this song.

 

Growing Up

2014
01.03

Two short stories:

Today each of the kids made a little stride forward in self- sufficiency.  As soon as I  in the door after work, Rose asked if she could call a friend to  up a play date.  I said sure, and helped her find the number but she did everything else herself; short of telling her the time they sorted out was ok.  Then I asked the kids to deliver new year’s cards to a few of the neighbors, and they did.  Rose sold a few girl scout cookies along the way, but Dillon used the opportunity to call on twin boys in his class that apparently live three houses down from us.  We ran into the mom last week and she introduced herself to me. (Nothing like a strange adult recognizing your kid at a movie theater.)  D had planned on delivering the card and asking for their phone number, but they asked him to stay and play. He  walked his sister home and asked permission to go back, then called later to report he was invited to stay for dinner.  So he leveled up a friendship with some boys in the new school without any parental help.

The second story I didn’t actually witness firsthand.  Charles and D were riding in the car and stopped at a freeway entrance when a man standing there motioned for Charles to roll down the window.  Charles did, and the man asked if they could spare some money.  Charles didn’t have any cash, but gave the man a granola bar or some food he had in the car.  And then he heard from the back seat, “Wait!  I have some money!”  And Dillon fished out of his pocket $5 that someone had given him for Christmas and gave it to the man.   It was completely unprompted, and I’m pretty proud of that.  He’s a good kid.  Someone told me that after teenagers are done being teenagers, they become adults similar to the personality they had at 12.  I think we could do worse.

Kittens

2013
01.07

Rose: Mom, when are you going to stop being allergic? (She doesn’t say to what, but this has been a recurring theme lately so I know she is thinking about cats.)
Me: Sweetie, I will never stop being allergic to cats, I have been allergic my whole life and you don’t usually grow out of that.
Rose: But what about kittens?
Me: You know those are just little cats, right?
Rose: Yes, but I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!
Me: Sorry, honey, I am never going to be able to live with a cat or a kitten. Maybe when you are a grown up you can get one.
Rose: But mom, I am going to still live with you. And grandma and grandpa and dad and the dogs.
Me: Ok, well, that sounds lovely.  But I can really never get a cat.
Rose: Oh, ok.  But I don’t want to get a job, I just want to live with you and take care of the dogs.
Me: Well, maybe you can take care of dogs for your job, like be a veterinarian or something.
Rose: Only if I can do it in our house.

I love these bedtime conversations.

Avengers

2013
01.05

I decided to celebrate Dillon’s recent height achievement (5’0″ at 11 years old) and the fact that I had nothing to do tonight by putting Rose to bed, letting Charles go visit his buddies, and keeping D up past his bedtime to watch the Avengers.

I got the movie for Christmas (the four disk set) from my Dad/Secret Santa and it was the perfect present for me.  As it was literally the only thing on my list and I really, really would have been sad if I hadn’t gotten it.  I saw the movie in the theatre and LOVED it.  And even though Dillon isn’t huge into movies, I knew he would adore it, too.

It was his first super hero movie, but he loves comic books (despite being more into DC than Marvel) and the Avengers really doesn’t disappoint.  He loved it as much as I do, and he was laughing so loud during the “Hulk. Smash.” sequence that I was worried he was going to wake his sister.  But it was a lovely evening, and it really made my week to spend the time with him.  Before bed, Rose made me promise to watch Grease again with her tomorrow morning.  (I fast-forward through the drive-in parts and try to avoid questions about what is happening between Rizzo and Kinickey, though.)  I have to admit, it is really nice that the kids are past Dora the Explorer and Thomas the Tank Engine and into things I enjoy watching with them…