Saturday, May 30, 2009

Little Bubbles



I hate looking at our blog and realizing I haven't written anything in weeks. It makes me feel guilty because this is somewhat like a family journal and the lack of writing suggests that I have no desire to document what is going on in our lives. I wait for events- birthdays, gerbil killings, etc. to offer our friends and family a peek into our lives. When family visits or we make the rare trips to their homes they always comment on how much the kids have changed. I guess for us it's like the frog it the pot- they change so gradually that we didn't even realize how we got to where we are.
Aaron outgrew his shoes at a record pace- before they had even worn out. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but this time I had to buy him a men's size 8, only three sizes smaller than his dad's. They are considerably bigger than my own.
It was disgusting.
I remember a woman in our ward in Hobbs telling me before Aaron was born that I should write down everything about the day he was born- the little looks, what I was thinking, his smell- and commit it all to memory. I didn't write it on paper, yet. I did commit it to memory though. Aaron had this perfectly shaped, velvety blond head. Every mother knows her baby's cry and smell. They've even done studies on it. I used to nuzzle his head and breathe in the smell of him. It was the first time in life I had felt that unconditional love of a child. I will never forget it.
The other day he came home from school with a pamphlet entitled, "Always Changing: You and Puberty". Gag. Are they serious? Little Aaron? Along with the pamphlet there were gifts! A toothbrush and deodorant. Laugh if you will, but they must be clairvoyant. How did they know his hair had gone from that velvety to greasy overnight? Not to mention there is this odd smell coming off of him like a junior high wrestling mat! Thank you pamphlet gods who have come in my time of need to rescue my baby from the throes of teenage weirdness!
This is how I document our lives. In the little bubbles that rise from the bottom of the boiling pot- little moments I take notice of the change in the water. I hope I can write something more interesting in my next blog post for once, I don't think I can stomach another gerbil incident though!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Isn't it normal?

The school year is drawing to a close. I am so excited to have the kids home with me again. I love to have a little bit of influence over their lives and steal them away from the so-called educational system for a few short months. I hate running here and there and being bound by some schedule. I always laugh when someone tells me that they can't stand summer and the fact that they don't have the school to babysit their kids for 7 hours a day.

I look at Aaron as he changes and is making that dreaded transition into teenage-hood. There are still little glimpses of the sweet little boy that I used to cradle and sing to, but not many. Now I am lucky if he doesn't glare at me over the course of the day. At least he still thinks I'm smart. I know that won't last long either.

I love that we got to sit through Josh's championship game last night, and hate that he had to lose. It broke my heart to see those boys cry on their dad's shoulders, but I was happy to hold Josh's head against my chest again and soak up his tears. I'm so grateful he still wants to. ( And the dance in the outfield is over till the fall).

I'm sure it makes for dry reading when I don't have any funny stories to tell, but I'm glad that life has been "normal" and "boring". And isn't it normal to sit down and kill zombies with the boys sometimes?

I am dreading Anna starting school this coming fall. She is so entertaining. The kids have been introduced to a lot of different music- I am a music addict. The journey song "Don't stop believing" has a line that goes "I smell wine and cheap perfume". Anna and Leah were singing it in the car the other day and I realized they were saying "Snow White and sheep perfume". Fantastic! You can't buy that kind of entertainment.

I'm such a dork. It sounds so cheesy to be gushing over my kids. I just love that this is my favorite place to be. Having family movie night in our family room, in our own theater, eating popcorn and everyone laying all over each other laughing and happy. Then sitting up late with my best friend in this world, laughing and talking, just being grateful for this life I've been blessed with. Isn't it normal?