A Motherly Jinx
My mother commented on my last post and said, “I think we can only blame the gumball if you fall ill really soon…”
Guess what? I’ve been throwing up all afternoon.
Will the good times never end?
Rebecca
The Kindness of Strangers
A couple of nights ago Dallas and I took the girls to a pet store to waste time before bed. Brooke happily wandered the store squealing in delight at the puppies and the fish and shrieking in disgust at the snakes and the lizards.
After her third lap around the store, she noticed the bubble gum dispenser near the check-out desk. Quickly, she got on all fours and started playing with the trap door opening and closing it in the hopes that this time a gumball would magically appear. When that didn’t work she said, “Mom! I want gumball. You have money?”
I thought back to everything Brooke had just touched: fish tanks, fish water, bird cages, pet food, dog toys, pet carriers, the floor, and finally, the bubble gum trap door. How many other kids had done just the same thing with their grimy hands?
The answer was easy; I said, “No Brooke. We don’t have any money for gumballs today,” but what I was really thinking was, “There is absolutely no way any child of mine will EVER eat a gumball that we’ve purchased from a pet store.” Involuntary shuddering occurred next.
Just as we were turning away, I heard a woman say, “Here. Here’s a quarter for her.”
“Oh, no, that’s okay…” I stammered.
“No really. Take it.”
I prompted Brooke to thank the woman, and I gave her a very sincere, “You shouldn’t have.” Brooke deposited the quarter in the machine and watched the gumball spiral down to the door. I swooped down to get the gumball before it had a chance to fall on the floor (did I mention there were mealworms in a box on the floor nearby?). As I held the gumball, I realized it was somewhat of a large choking device for my two-year old. With the stranger watching on, I swallowed, heaved a sigh, and bit into the gumball. I gave Brooke half of it and forced myself to chew the rest.
Brooke hummed her delight at the taste of the gum. The woman stood nearby beaming at her. And I tried not to think about all of the germs we were being exposed to at that very moment.
You can’t get rabies from a gumball, right?
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How about 9 1/2 Hours?
Last night Dallas and I put the girls to bed. Then we found ourselves lounging around playing various versions of Sudoku late into the night. You know the feeling of being dead tired but not wanting to go to bed? That’s what was happening. As we were finally getting ready for bed I said something like, “I wish we were on vacation without the girls and could just sleep in tomorrow as late as we wanted.”
Then we slept. And slept. And slept. I vaguely recall Caroline squawking, but she quickly put herself back to sleep. And so did I.
The girls both slept in until 9:30 a.m. NINE-THIRTY A.M.! That is unheard of. I don’t know if it was your fervent prayers on my behalf that were answered or if the girls sensed that my sanity depended on them staying quiet for a couple of extra hours this morning.
In any case, it was a wonderful morning. Let’s hope for a repeat tomorrow.
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December Pictures
I feel guilty that we didn’t post anything about Christmas. We had a fun Christmas. We just didn’t take many pictures. And I usually use pictures to inspire my posts. Thus, I’m feeling very uninspired.
Hmm.
I guess I’ll just upload what we have and you can peruse at your leisure.
Happy New Year!
Visiting Temple Square
Caroline with Grandma Golden
First taste of solid food
Just waking up
Caroline and Grandma Allen
I loved watching Brooke play with the nativity. There was something profound about the way she would arrange the figures–everyone focused on the baby Jesus. Everyone including a rubber ducky.
And what’s this? A lone sheep gone astray. Find your way back to the fold!
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Mrs. Potato Head
We went to Dallas’s Mom’s house for a visit. Brooke found these Mr. Potato Head glasses and wore them the whole time we were there.
She even kept them on while she watched a movie. She’s such a silly kid.
Not to be left out, here’s Caroline…and as an added bonus, I’m in the picture, too!
