In my inbox

I just checked my email (I am such a failure at email lately) and these two pictures had just been sent to me.

They really are going to look like twins soon.

A Perfect Day

Some days are just perfect.

Yesterday was SO not one of them. Yesterday was the "return from three weeks of being away" day. Filled with food shopping, house cleaning, laundry, and a fun (if exhausting) pick up at our CSA.....it was just one of those often time necessary days when I found myself saying "NO" more times than I wanted to. I fell into bed thoroughly exhausted last night, and feeling as though while I did what I had to do, I didn't enjoy it (or my kids) as much as I hope to.

Today was an entirely different story. Luke climbed into my bed at 6:30 for a "Mama I love you" fest, and Jules slept till almost 8, when I woke her as we had to be out of the house by 9. We headed down to a fabulous place that we had never been to before, the Smith Memorial Playground in Philly. What a fantastic place. So clean, such great toys, such beautiful weather, and such fun times with seven of my friends and their 11? ish kids. We played all morning, and then had a picnic lunch in the shade on a lovely lawn filled with children. The kids loved the toys as much as I enjoyed the companionship of my girlfriends, and they fell into the car tired and warm and happy at 12:30. They fell asleep immediately on the ride home, transferred seamlessly into their bed/crib, and slept soundly until I had to wake them at almost 3:30 when I realized that I was due at the pool in 5 minutes to meet my friends and their kids. I had cooked dinner while they were sleeping so that we could stay there until 5 or later. We hurried out the door to find the upper pool in a "Code Brown" (Yes, a floater), so we played at the downstairs outdoor waterpark/pool until 4:15 when we went up to our usual pool. They played happily until it was time to go, came home for an already cooked dinner, and fell into bed soundly right on schedule. Some days it just feels so easy. Of course, it is impossible to have days like today without the trials and tedium of yesterday, so I suppose that I have to be thankful for all of the days.

We did have one scare at the playground today as one of Luke's best buddies had one of those horrific "time stands still things move as though underwater" falls down a giant flight of stone steps. On what was probably a 25 step staircase, the little guy jumped with both feet from one step to another when only about 4 steps from the top. His inertia carried him forward, and I can say, that for all of its horror, it was an AMAZING display of athleticism as the little guy stayed on his feet, in an uncontrolled but foot first run until about the fourth step from the bottom, when inertia finally won, and he tumbled face first onto the ground. I saw it happening, and screamed, as did a few of my friends, and we all ran towards him as he tumbled, but could not get to him quite in time. It SO reminded me of Luke's fall off of the beach house steps last summer, and his landing on a brick sidewalk. Luckily the sweet little guy escaped relatively unscathed barring some scrapes and likely bruises considering the dramatic nature of the fall, and myself and my friends probably shed as many tears as he did as we watched him recover.

I hate how "accidents" are truly just that. Little shining moments of joy where everything is just SO right, and everyone is happy, and healthy, and whole, and then, LIKE THAT, in a horrible moment, everything is different. As stated, this had no horrific results. But I feel sure I will dream of that darling awesome little guy who I love dancing way too fast and entirely out of control down those steep stone steps tonight. I have said it before and I will say it again, Motherhood is not for the feint of heart. These little ones own us, and own us completely. I would fall from a thousand staircases to stop a little one from having to endure it (despite the fact that their rotund rubbery little bodies would likely recover from it much better than my old self would!). Seeing a little one hurt, or be afraid, is simply too much to bear.....yet bear it we do.

I wake up every day grateful for healthy kids, and go to sleep each night feeling the same way. To focus too much on the "What could happen" is to drive yourself insane. To never think about it at all is simple denial.

The kids are in bed and the house is clean (another by-product of the kids and I being out of the house all day). Thank God for little R being fine, and for all of the hideous things that did NOT happen today, AND for all of the wonderful things that did happen today.

I hugged my babies more tightly tonight.