Annabelle started her eagerly anticipated violin lessons today. She and Henry have been talking about violins for months. They put a chopstick under their chin and play it with another chopstick. Everytime I’ve told her I want her to take piano lessons, she says no, she wants to take violin. And so, I bought her…
Today Annabelle made a “rat trap.” She took a ball of yarn from my knitting baskets and wrapped various things around her room until she had made what looked like a giant spider web. She had a whole plan for the hole the rat needed to go into and she enlisted Henry to hang onto…
I was lying next to Henry at naptime and feeling very open and all-loving and just reveling in the deep reverence I feel for being able to participate in the lives of these little beings. I have to say, when I smell Henry’s neck, it is poetry. That baby smell, that rose petal soft skin,…
It was a sunny afternoon in 1984 when my mouth dropped open in shock. I was perusing my local bookshop in my little town in Utah when I stumbled upon a calendar full of shirtless men, and as I turned the pages, I screamed when I saw Mr. December. It was my cousin David, wearing…
The other night Henry woke up at 3am, rearin’ to go and play. He insisted George take him to play, but he was being so loud, chitchatting up a storm, that he woke up all of us. A storm came and we listened to the thunder and watched the lightning flash through our bedroom and…
Oh my, magic everywhere! Today we went to Carly’s house to swim and have dinner. She is so amazing with the kids! She told Annabelle there were all sorts of magical secret places in her house that only kids can go to, no grown-ups. Watching Annabelle and Henry run down the thick green grass pathway…
Today we were swimming at Carly’s wonderland pool, and Annabelle said she had to pee-pee. I suggested she go among the flowers like a puppy so we wouldn’t have to go in the house in our wet suits. She obliged, and when Henry saw what she was up to, he decided he needed to go…
We were so tired this morning I wanted to sleep for five more minutes, so when Henry awakened and started puling on my nose, I said, “Annabelle, can you babysit Henry for five minutes?” Then they started wrestling and laughing hysterically. He was rolling on top of her and she yelled, “Mommy! This isn’t babysitting!…
Driving around the French Quarter in a horse and carriage, I feel so at home with the red leather seats and the rocking motion of the carriage. I know damn well I must have lived in the Quarter in a past life–most likely as a Madame of my own gorgeous bordello. I love everything about…
Woke up this morning to Henry insisting on dressing like an elephant and feeding himself a banana. He got to feed carrots and bananas to the elephants at the zoo the other day, and it’s had a far-reaching effect. Annabelle rolled out of bed and immediately donned her little white kitten costume. She drank her…