Sunday night as I made dinner I could hear the girls reading Elephant and Piggie books together. I didn’t get a picture because I didn’t want to interrupt the moment. When they needed a new book they pretended to go to the library.
When Sarah came home from school Monday she went upstairs. A few minutes later I heard her ask me if I would help her get the iPad. I said yes and asked if she was upstairs. She said “no, I’m downstairs,” because by that point she was. I called playfully “Owl! Are you upstairs?” With great glee she scampered upstairs as we laughed together. I love that we can have what feels like an inside joke based on a shared love of Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel.
Monday’s piano lesson was filled with adorableness. For some of the time the girls were together on the bench, pausing for snuggles and sad-panda play. Sarah asked Amy to be a sad panda and Amy nuzzled her head into Sarah’s chest while making sad panda noises, just as Carl and I do. I love that this play now includes Amy.
When Sarah came home from school Monday she went upstairs. A few minutes later I heard her ask me if I would help her get the iPad. I said yes and asked if she was upstairs. She said “no, I’m downstairs,” because by that point she was. I called playfully “Owl! Are you upstairs?” With great glee she scampered upstairs as we laughed together. I love that we can have what feels like an inside joke based on a shared love of Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel.
Monday’s piano lesson was filled with adorableness. For some of the time the girls were together on the bench, pausing for snuggles and sad-panda play. Sarah asked Amy to be a sad panda and Amy nuzzled her head into Sarah’s chest while making sad panda noises, just as Carl and I do. I love that this play now includes Amy.
Often when I suggest practicing the piano I am met with resistance. This week I tried just playing the album that goes with the piano book. I didn’t say anything. Of their own volition they did practice some things and overall thoroughly enjoyed the music. Now they are able to play the album without my help and when Sarah came home from school one day she unexpectedly went immediately to the album and then sat at the piano. ???!!! That explains my socks flying past your window.
At bedtime on Tuesday night Amy tucked Sarah in with a panda stuffed animal and a kiss.
Amy had a questionnaire to fill out for school that included a question about whom she admired the most. Her answer? Sarah.
Melt my heart and call me Teary!
Yesterday I yelled (first spelled “yellied” which is somehow hilarious) at Sarah for touching the remote during Amy’s pick because then it messed up Amy’s show. I realized shortly thereafter that I could have lightly said “whoops!” instead because I don’t think Sarah messed it up on purpose. As Sarah and I snuggled, I apologized and explained my new thinking. I explained it to Amy too. A bit later, Amy told Sarah she was sorry for yelling at her and she gave her a kiss and said “I love you.” As I was about to berate myself for the yelling, I realized that with that too I could perhaps lightly say “whoops!” Whoops! I didn’t mean to yelly!
Friday morning I got stuck in the mud. Quite literally. I have never experienced that before and I hope not to experience it again. I had parked in our back yard the night before to charge the car but the ground was soft and the constant rain did not improve the situation. Still, I didn’t expect to get stuck. The girls were off at school and I thought Carl was on his way to work. I attempted to leave. Nope. Just as I was realizing my predicament and wondering what to do, I heard a gentle tapping on the window. There was Carl! He hadn’t left for work after all and happened notice my trouble. He worked diligently with bricks and rocks to help my wheels get traction and after many minutes I was free. Late that night when I returned home (and didn’t need to park in the back yard) I found him creating small brick roads in the tire tracks, filling in the ruts with dirt and bricks. This was in the dark, in the cold, in the sleet. Sometimes there is nothing better than a gentle tap on the window when you are stuck, literally or metaphorically, and someone who knows how to build a road for you. I really felt the wonderfulness of having a partner who came to my rescue even though it made him late for work. He didn’t yellie at me for getting stuck (of course not, it’s not how he does things). He helped me not yellie at myself. In essence it was a “whoops! Let’s fix this” moment. I so much want to continue learning from Carl about how to calmly deal with adversity.
If you are getting stuck in any metaphorical or real mud, remember to go slow. Don’t spin your wheels. And if a little tap on the window isn’t forthcoming, just reach out and ask for help. Sometimes window tappers need to be alerted to the situation, but then they are often more than willing to jump in to your mud with bricks and rocks.
Love, bricks, snuggles, and gentle “whoops!” when you need them.
No comments:
Post a Comment