Ellamennow?

As Aves sat on the couch today, Daddy's laptop perched atop the pillow on her lap (this is a rare treat,) she had decided to challenge herself by attempting to type the entire alphabet. She sang the letters quietly to herself as a reminder of what letter was to come next.
At one point, she looked stumped... Looked the keyboard up and down for a good few minutes and remained perplexed. Finally, she looked up at me.
T: Do you need help, love?
A: Yes momma. I got all the way to 'K' but I can't find the next letter.
T: Well, sing the alphabet song-- what letter should come next?
A: The ellamennow comes next, I'm just having a tough time finding it. Can you help me?

First snow of the season

Always so beautiful, so magical, so serene. Happy winter!

But Mommy, where was I?

Allowing a preschooler to look at your wedding album can, apparently, stir up some pretty intense conversation, as I found out today!

A: “Mommy, where was I at your wedding?”
T: “Well, you were still in heaven.”
A: “Oh, with God?”
T: “Yes, exactly. With God.”
A: “So…..when did I come down from heaven?”
T: “After mommy & daddy got married God decided that it was time for you to grow in my belly, so that is when you came down.”
A: “Oh okay. (a few seconds of silence)… “So how did God get me in there anyways?”
T: "It was magical. God is magical."
A: (takes a long sip of apple juice, and then): "But HOW did God put me in your belly? Like, how did I get in there?"
T: “Ummm…..”
A: (using massive, exasperated Italian hand gestures) "No mommy, just tell me, HOW did he put me INSIDE your BELLY??? Was it through your bellybutton?"
T: (taking a massive gulp of her apple juice and thinking for a second,): "Ask Daddy."

Smooth, peanunt-buttery Pride!!!!

Tonight Ava plainly told me,

"Mommy, I would like a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich for dinner, and I am cooking."

To be honest, the first thought that crossed my sleep-deprived, time-conscious, OCD/clean-freak mind was

"You will absolutely NOT be making a sticky, gooey mess of my very clean kitchen this close to bedtime!!!!"

But the less high-strung, calmer, go-with-the flow voice deep down inside me-- the one that often recalls the famous Last Lecture given by one of the most inspirational people I have ever heard, Randy Pausch, took a deep breath, put a smile on my face, and answered,

"What a great idea Aves! Go for it."

This should be very interesting, I thought to myself as she was already pushing the chair over to the cabinet to reach her "ingredients" for her "recipe." (She reminded me on atleast 9 occasions that she desired no help whatsoever, and that she could get the bread herself, the knife herself, the plate herself, and all other necessary ingredients for this venture, sans any sort of assistance from me.)

The hilarity that ensued over the next 25-- (that's right, TWENTY-FIVE)  long minutes of sandwich making, as she quickly learned life's little lessons like peanut butter is a b**ch to spread on bread, jam is difficult to retreive from a jar with a knife, etc... was best captured by the pictures that follow...
But in the end, my heart was overflowing with smooth, peanut-buttery pride (and my eyes with warm, salty tears!) as she beamed a huge, accomplished smile and proclaimed,

"Momma, LOOK!!! I DID IT!!!!!!"

So in conclusion, yes, I unequivocally could have made the same sandwich for her in 1/10th of the time, and with 1/10000th of the mess; but this highly spontaneous, totally defining moment in her childhood was entirely worth every ooey-gooey, sticky, crumbs-on-the-floor, jam in her hair, peanut butter handprints on the chair second.  :-)

Thankful Thoughts 2009

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and the unofficial kick-off to the holiday season, I began to think of what it is I'm most grateful for this year. The more I thought, the more I wrote. Here's what I came up with. Enjoy :)

~I’m thankful for fingerprints smeared on my walls,
For tripping on Barbie dolls left in my halls

I’m thankful for crumbs in the cracks of my chairs
And for big slinky races down steep basement stairs

For the never ending laundry- ‘Mt. Washmore’ we call it
(and for Tide’s massive dent in our family’s wallet!)

I’m thankful for stretch marks on a less-than firm belly
And for sticky breakfast hands that are covered in jelly

I’m thankful for giggles, for tickles, for hugs
For the bright play-dough specs hidden deep in my rugs

I’m thankful for dusting and vacuuming too
And for the ten thousand times I help re-tie a shoe

I’m thankful for splashing and sudsy-wet tubbies
And for the hours I spend disinfecting the bubbies

Thankful for the permanent spit-uppy-hues
That have all but discolored my shirts and my shoes!

I’m thankful for sippy-cups, binkies and cribs;
For onesies and burp cloths and colorful bibs

For the dark, tired circles that lay ‘neath my eyes
(Concealer, these days, is my favorite disguise!)

For long, sleepless nights that spill into the dawn
All worth it to witness one shy, peaceful yawn

I’m thankful for boo-boos that only insist on
A lollipop, a band-aid, and a mommy to kiss on

I’m thankful for chaos, for loudness, for noise
For the banging of drums and the crashing of toys

For splashes in puddles and piggyback races
For fruit-punch mustaches on hot summer faces

For finger-paint splatters on new hardwood floors
And for loud public tantrums in grocery stores

So perhaps you may wonder why some of these rank,
At the top of a list dedicated to “thanks”

And the answer is simple, yet really profound:
They’re the things I’ll miss most when no longer around;

These days are so fleeting, so I try to embrace
And slow down for a minute, because life’s not a race

And give thanks for the chaos that fills up my days
‘Cause it's beautiful chaos, in so many ways~

Gav gets in touch with his Latino roots...

Some forms of happiness are just timeless...

Worth every heart-pounding, nerve-wracking, "you're too close to the edge!" second.