Nunny came by for a short visit. The boys love Nunny, and always ask where Do' Do' is when she comes. Nunny and Do' Do' come as a "set" in the boys' minds. While here, Nunny said something about the boys remembering these days spent with me. I queried as to whether she remembered anything from when she was two. She was not sure, but thinks she remembers an event when she was three involving her older brother, Anderson, who shortly afterward died of leukemia. Simple moments that surround significant events are often forever etched in my memories.
Four years old is about where my memories begin ~ the traumatic year spent at "Miss" Ruby's daycare. So many things I remember about that. Never one to be a squeaky wheel (unless I am in pain, then I can drive the Lord God Almighty bonkers with my complaints - I am dealing with neck pain at the moment) I did not tell my mother how much I hated being at "Miss" Ruby's. She learned it the day when I was 5, and she was gathering together all my new little dresses for day care and I burst into tears. After much prodding, she learned that "Miss" Ruby's was NOT my favorite. I spent my five year old year going to work at the television station with my mom, having lunch at the Krystal with mom and Mae (my grandmother), and just generally having a grand time.
So, I do not think the boys will remember Wednesday, specifically, but I hope the feelings of love and fun and safety and acceptance will be woven into their beings. Neither will I remember many of the specifics of the day, but I, too, will have the joy of the time spent together woven into my being.
I actually planned for the day. By the time Fizzie arrived with Simmie Pie ~ Fizzie goes up to Simeon's house around 6:25 and waits for him to awaken before he comes down to our house for the day. What a spectacular grandfather Mr. L is! The boys adore him. I sort of do too :-) By the time they arrived, I had high chairs on the patio, ghost snow made (microwaved Ivory soap, toilet paper and water - it is, in the words of Max "aweshum!") Tiny, sweet, table grapes were frozen ready to eat. Yogurt popsicles made. Homemade banana ice cream (frozen bananas, vanilla, heavy whipping cream put in the blender until smooth, and then frozen) ready for dessert after lunch, Whole Foods' animal crackers and cheddar bunnies ready for rewards (bribes?) when they came inside when asked, wading pool filled, sprinkler suspended to make a sort of "boy wash" in the vein of a carwash.
Max arrived with all his enthusiasm for life, and at 8:30 am our day together began. It was a great day. Max loves the sprinkler. Simeon is a bit more reserved in his enthusiasm for it.
Simeon really prefers to have control over where the water goes rather than just willy nilly running through it. This picture was not actually taken this Wednesday, but it is indicative of the different approaches to the sprinkler. The wading pool is a fascination for both boys, however they do want to transfer pea gravel from Rocky, the purple dinosaur, to it. I highly discourage this activity, which results in either tears or defiance. I try to kindly deal with both. Max was not sure if it was okay to sit in the pool, but once I assured him it was fine, he would stand up and jump in the "deep end." Our yard is on a slope, which makes a shallow end and a deep end for our little wading pool. How perfect is that? This impromptu hug just melted my heart.
So, this specific hug will not be remembered by these boys, but I pray the feeling of love and "this is my buddy" will. After lots of time in the pool and sprinkler, it was craft time ~ working with our ghost snow. It was a bigger hit than I expected. Not much was molded from it, but the relaxation derived from just squishing it and throwing it was priceless.
We ate, we played, we watched Daniel Tiger on TV and Winnie the Pooh on the IPad before bedtime. Max was a champ climbing into the crib on the ladder (my neck). It has become a great game, but of course the door has to stay shut tightly so they do not climb up the ladder unsupervised. We water colored, spilled purple star glitter all over the floor, one of us may have had a drink of paint water (oops), we sang and danced and giggled and cried a little. We shared and we fought over certain things. All in all, a really great day, that I do not take for granted. I am very fortunate to be able to have a work schedule that allows me to spend time with the boys. I am most fortunate that these precious children live where I live. Again, I do not take any of it for granted, for I know it could be so much different. Oh, and one thing I learned on Wednesday ~ not just boys can pee in the backyard when desperate. Seriously, did I, raised by Mary Williams, just use the word "pee" in a blog?
For today, I wish you time in the presence of children, and I wish you
blessings
