Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Bugs on a Rug

For the past few weeks Larabee has been working nights. It has really thrown off everyone’s schedule and it is just plain strange. Larabee is not built to work nights; he is a morning person to the core. Sleeping in until 11 or 12 is so against his nature that he almost does not know what to do. Kyle does not like saying goodbye to Daddy at the time of day we are usually saying hello to Daddy. My entire schedule is shifted since I am now cooking Larabee’s dinner when I should be doing the dishes, am doing the dishes when I should be making dinner, am eating my big meal at lunch, leaving me starving at 10 PM because I am not hungry when I should be eating dinner. Kaleb, well, he is just Kaleb. He is cool with anything.

One bright spot amidst all the chaos is the fact that I get real quality time with the boys in the evening. Since I am not obligated to make a big dinner and I already have the dishes done, I have ‘free time’. This evening I sat on the floor and read books to the boys Librarian Style- both boys sat in front of me and I held the book over my shoulder and read. I tried to hold it on my lap and read it upside down but Kaleb was too drawn to the pages and could not sit still for want of touching them. So over the shoulder it was. It was so heartwarming to see both of our boys sitting side by side on the floor, eagerly listening to the story and looking at the book with interest and awe. It was one of those moments that makes all the dirty diapers and timeouts and sleepless nights completely and utterly worth it.

After our story time Kyle and I played dog-pile on the floor, with a bit of tickling and laughter involved. Kaleb, who had happily been playing in the toy box- standing against it and pulling toys out left and right to be exact- decided that we were having so much fun that he needed to join us. Over he came, and on me he climbed. It was so much fun to just play with the boys. I love that Kaleb is big enough now to be involved and I am excited for all the fun times that are still to come.

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Sunday, August 8, 2010

Great-Grandma’s House

  DSCN2935I remember going to Grandma’s house when I was little. For me, Grandma’s house was home. Since we traveled all of the time with my Dad’s job, Grandma’s house became my grounding place. It was where I came from, it was where I always knew I would go back to. I could always count on the fact that Grandma’s house would be a constant in my world of change. Grandma’s house is to me what “Grandma’s House” should be.

 

A place where you are always accepted for who you are.

A place where you are loved without any strings attached.

A place where you are comfortable, no matter the situation.

A place where you are safe from the world.

A place where you hope your own children will experience the same acceptance, love, comfort, and safety.

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I am very happy that our children have been able to know not only all of their Grandparents, but that they have also been blessed to be around MY Grandparents. These particular Great-Grandparents are young enough to be involved with their Great-Grandchildren yet old enough to know that feeding them chocolate for breakfast is not the end of the world. They spoil with little gifts, but most importantly, with endless and effortless love. They take great joy in the little things that the boys do and are able to simply relish in their company. 

They worked hard to raise their own children, had a hand in raising me, and now are able to stand free of any and all parental-type duties and just enjoy.

No worries about the cost of diapers or baby food.

No late nights full of crying and sick babies.

No interrupted sleep.

No holding a child while the nurse administers shots.

No fretting over the billions of ways you can screw up a child, promising a future full of sarcasm and therapy.

No crying over the fact that, well, everyone else is crying so you might as well join in.

No counting to 10 simply to keep your cool because your toddler just spilled milk on the floor again. For the second time in an hour. The whole cup.

No worries over the ‘right’ form of discipline. Face it. By the time you are Great-Grandparents the child could burn the house down and you would just thrill in how much fun it looked like they were having in the process. “How cute!” “Isn’t that clever!?!”

NO POOPY DIAPERS!

 

Basically, they have been there and done that more times than I ever will and darn it they deserve a break.

 

They are more than happy to allow me all of the aforementioned worries and stresses. They know that I, like my parents before me and they before my parents, have to pay my dues.

 

I am fairly accepting of the ‘no rules’ rule at Grandma’s house.

 

Actually, I take that back.

I do have ONE rule at Grandma’s house.

 

Calories do not exist………DSCN2936