Our last little birdie skated out of the nest this school year! Christmas Break is over and I’m missing the kids. Below are some quotes and stories from the youngest growing up:
Age 2 ½: While playing Hide and Seek, Lauren (4) and I were hiding and shouted, “Come find us, Alana!” She excitedly said, “Ok!!.. I’m gonna hide, too!” We went over the rules one more time… Soon it was Alana’s and my turn to hide and she called out, “We’re gonna hide under the blanket in my room!”…
Age3: Well into November I came up with the brilliant idea of the kids doing chores to get what was left of the Halloween candy. “Chore! Chore!” Alana happily sang out. I told her to make her bed and she could get her treat after breakfast at which time she went to the bucket and took two pieces of candy. Being the warden that I am, I said, “You did one chore, one piece of candy.” She replied, “Eating is a chore. I eated!”
Age 4 ½: Alana was tapping some blocks together and asked me to guess which song she was playing that started with an “H.” “Happy Birthday; Hava Nigila??” I guessed. She cried out, “It was Hankee Doodle!”
Age 5: She spelled “p-i-s-s-i-n-g” and asked what it means. I told her then added that it’s not a nice word. She was biting her cheeks trying not to smile from her decadent achievement and finally grinned, “I can spell ‘dumb’, too!”
Age 5 ½: We’d been invited to a friend’s house until I realized Alana had a slight fever. She said, “I STILL want to GO!! If you won’t drive me I’ll walk there—even if I don’t know the way! If I can’t find it I’ll walk to the airport. If I can’t find the airport I’ll go to the firefighters and if I can’t find them I’ll come home and you’ll HAVE to drive me there –humph!!!”
Age 6 ½: I was reading Alana a funny ‘Cute Kid Story’ in the ‘Bulletin Board’ section of The Pioneer Press newspaper as she ate a bagel. “Can I have another one?” “Sure!” I said, thinking maybe she’s in a growth spurt. I asked, “Do you want half or whole?” “Half or whole WHAT?” she asked. “Bagel—you asked for another one.” “I meant I wanted another joke from the paper!”
A few months later I sent ‘Bulletin Board’ this story: “My husband was still at a meeting, and it was time to pick up our son from hockey. Our two pajama-clad 7 and 9 year old girls were eating a bedtime snack. I felt bad for having to tow them along. “Hop in the car!” I said and expected groans of “Do we have to?” Grabbing their plates of apple slices and caramel, they climbed into the way back of the Suburban. The youngest blissfully sighed: “I just love taking drives in the dark…in my jammies…wrapped in a blanket…eating a snack…next to my sister.” And sister added: “Especially when it’s after our bedtime!” They sang the whole way.”
Now Alana’s in college…a school renowned for its music. One day while walking to the athletic building a fellow student pointed to her bag and said, “What instrument do you play?” “Hockey,” she dryly replied.
Thanks for picking a college only 40 minutes away! See you tonight, sweetie!
©2010, Jana B. Patrick
©2010, Jana B. Patrick
No comments:
Post a Comment