Beg, Steal or Borrow

Let's see. Where to start? Busy weekend, a two-year-old with a stomach virus, a ninth anniversary...

I won't go into detail about my weekend, but it was crazy, hectic, fun and stressful. I relied often on the kindness of others, particularly in deference to my children. I got to see a ton of great friends, had my best night this summer around the campfire and witnessed an amazing 30-plus degree change in the weather. This is September in Ohio!

I give the weekend an A. Today? Maybe a B. In spite of a sick toddler and a cranky, teething baby, I rolled with the punches. I remembered both in my gut and in my head that my place is here at home, raising my little people to be good people. I consoled, cleaned and comforted. I'm content.

I spent some time reflecting on my marriage. Today is the ninth anniversary of the day I said "I do," and it has been just like any other day. I specifically instructed Shrek not to send me flowers. We had dinner here, in between four kids needing a million things. He's tired and off to bed, no shared wine or Scrabble tonight, like I thought we might. But it's okay. It's marriage. It ebbs and flows, and, sometimes, you get what you put in. And we had a couple of sweet looks in there that said, "Happy Anniversary, baby.. can you believe the kids we made.... I know you're still the hottie I married..."


When I think about my relationship with my husband and how far we have come, I'm really just amazed at the perspective I've gained in nine short years. I really have grown in the way I think about things, the way I regard my husband, the way I perceive our everyday push and pull. I can't even imagine the perspective changes that occur in people who manage to stay married twenty, thirty, fifty, seventy-five years! God willing, we'll be one of those couples, with enough wisdom to write a book, or at least guide the young people in our lives to see marriage for the gift it is, the burden it can be and the many shades in between.

My advice after nine years? It's worth it. Shop well, marry the best you find, work through the problems, be selfless. It's like life: it isn't always fair, but it's worth it. Beg for forgiveness if you have to, steal kisses whenever possible and borrow the time it takes to make it work.

Everyday Magic

Last week was rough. Really rough. The four walls of my house were exerting such internal pressure that I nearly lost my mind. The weather was terrible. The kids were kids. It was maddening.

And, somehow, we made it through. My Lily is so smart and active. She constantly needs an ear, a project, a place to go. This is really hard for a mom of four-year-old, nearly two-year-old and six-week-old boys to handle because it takes so much energy to constantly be "on" for a curious, demanding seven-year-old girl. By Thursday of last week, the tensions between the two of us were intense. In the hour and a half between her getting home after school and her daddy getting home from work, I promised her we'd either go somewhere or... or... or conduct the Roberts Family Olympics!

Somehow, my tired mind came up with a plan. There would be games, medals, point values and even a medal ceremony! I was, in fact, so convincing that it would be fun that she threw out Plan A and decided, definitely, that we'd do Plan B.

And so it was. It only took about two hours and major hot-potato-like finagling of two baby boys, but the elder four family members competed valiantly in Yahtzee, Hi-Ho Cherry-O and Memory. We had a blast and crowned a gold medalist in Lily. No surprise there. She is as good at games as her daddy. Somehow, I at least managed to beat him and won silver. Daddy and Max duked it out for bronze, which ended up going to daddy, while Max was awarded a "platinum" medal. (Is that good? I came up with it in the heat of the moment...)

If Colby were a better photographer, I would be sharing with you the four of us arranged on levels around the armchair, pledging our allegiance to the flag while listening to the first rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" that Google could blare from my laptop. It was classic.

Did I mention I also completed four recipes with my little man Max last week? A dear friend, knowing his love of all things kitchen, brought him Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual, which comes complete with a four-piece colorful measuring spoon set. Talk about the perfect gift! So I, his "assistant," aided him in making the green cake with the blue icing (his own recipe), the Berry Banana Smoothie, the Homemade (green, per Max) Lemonade and, finally, the Homemade Applesauce. Max tells us when he grows up he will be a chef. ... and a motorcycle driver. Look out, Cake Boss.


And Colby grew a bit. He has accepted the fact that binkies are now only for sleeping times. Seemingly overnight, his pants turned into capris. And he has expanded his vocabulary, with Daddy's help, enough to churn out his very first sentence and phrase: "Wow. Look at that!" (Wo, loo dat!)


Luke is filling out too. He had his first bottle of Mommy's milk Monday night and thanked us for filling his belly by sleeping six hours straight that night! I'm waiting patiently on that first real smile, which I believe I'll see any day now. This is the closest he has come so far....


So, all in all, maybe it wasn't a bad week. In fact, it sounds pretty fantastic now. These are the days that we remember, I hope. The ones that pushed us to craft entire contests out of thin air to keep the peace. The ones that remind us that life happens all the time, not just when it's the weekend, or when the laundry and dishes are done or when we're on vacation. There is magic in every day. Sometimes it just might be hard to see.

Tonight, dear friends mourn the loss of a son, who was also a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin, a friend. I pray for their peace. I continue to create my own.

Because you never know when you might be making a memory you'll cherish for a lifetime.