On My Toes

My kids are doing their fair share of keeping me on my toes (as much as humanly possible). All four of my children are learning at warp speed right now. For Lily, it's first grade wonder. She's really into the solar system all the sudden, among other things. Above is a picture she drew during my last weeks of pregnancy. When I found it in her backpack, I laughed out loud, even though I was alone at the time.

Max, my preschooler, is really getting bookish. He's finally crafting, wanting to do his homework, coloring well and asking really cool, thoughtful questions. He even made me a potholder this week!

Colby is expanding his vocabulary. He can now say "baby" and "mine." I'm beginning to take his "binky" away at times so that he'll be more likely to learn to talk. Daddy reported tonight that he knows how to whistle a bit, which dismayed Lily, who is definitely a late bloomer on that skill.

Luke is starting to have long periods of wakefulness. His mind is taking in so much right now about the world in which he lives. He seems to be on the brink of smiling. In the past couple of days, I've seen what I call "pointy lips," where he seems to understand he can control them and just might break them into that magical shape we call a smile.

Thank goodness for all these kids. While they might be the source of my tiredness, my foggy mommy brain and my forgetfulness, they do keep me thinking, moving and improvising.

The other day, way too early in the morning, Lily had me spinning in her web of questions. "Mommy, did they have question marks when you were little?" "Did they have questions marks when you were a baby??" "Why don't question marks look old when you write them?" "Who wrote the first question mark?"

And, later that day, from Max: "Mommy, how do animals burp?"

Ah, the thoughts of childhood. Aren't they so much nicer than the questions we ask ourselves, like "How am I going to make ends meet this month?" or "Did I send the yearbook money to school yet?" or--seriously, for me lately--"Is it the weekend?"

I asked that very question this morning as my mom, sis, niece, Lily, Luke and I made our way to Parkersburg and Vienna for some much-needed girl time and shopping. (Sorry Luke... you're stuck with me for awhile.)

And, this time, the answer to that question was yes. It is the weekend. I'm striving to be more like my kids, to pay more attention to the wonders around me and less to the mundane things that drag me down.

And I'm aiming to stay on my toes.