"Lead Me, Guide Me, Walk Beside Me..."

I know my post titles have been lazy...I promise to get back on it when I don't want to be lazy anymore. I've been listening to so much Christmas music lately, that I don't constantly have a power ballad stuck in my head. You're lucky that you didn't get Scorpions' "Winds of Change" Lyrics instead....which was the most recent resident song in meg's brain. (not quite sure how to relate the end of the cold war to library day with my kids)

I love days like today. We didn't do anything spectacular. The day was an ordinary day, we got up, had breakfast, did laundry and dishes (leftover from the weekend), snuggled under a blanket and watched a Little People video, Quincy surprised us with her ever growing vocabulary, Reese made a "cake" from play dough, I tried not to be frustrated when Quincy actually ate the play dough (she cried, kicked, and screamed "my cake! my cake! no yucky mommy, miiiiiiine cake!" as I wrestled her to the ground and scooped the slimy play dough remnants from her squirerl-like cheeks...one minute too late) gross.

We went grocery shopping, and to the library to to get some new books.

Our library visits usually follow a pretty consistent pattern:
We arrive and are greeted with a big warm welcome from the little old ladies at the front desk, who think that Reese is a darling, polite little angel, and that Quincy is a brilliant 9 month old boy, instead of a selectively mute girl who is about to turn two. They hear her speak three words and think she is a genuis, and are even more surprised that she is "walking already". Reese escorts her in a "motherly" (bossy) way that appears endearing, but she is really just jealous that Q is getting more attention.

Reese picks out 5 or six books that have at least 100 words per page, and an obnoxious pop up book and shows it to Quincy....who gets a dimple in her nose just looking at it, and she can't wait to get her sticky little jam-hands on that fragile 3-dimensional dinosaur and destroy it.

I pick out 1 book for myself (this week's pick: The Christmas Jars by Jason Wright..hopefully I'll find time to read it before book club next week) 2 board books for Q, and 7 age-appropriate (meaning they don't have 100 words per page...these are bedtime stories, and sometimes that means the less words the better) books for Reese to take home (one for each night until we return...though she usually picks one favorite from the first few and requests it every night after that, in addition to the new one).

In the meantime, Quincy has moved everything from one shelf to another, grabbed the entire stack of stuffed animals and stashed them somewhere behind the videos, and is now standing on top of the kiddie table with her shoes off, holding a naked barbie doll (where did that come from?) and singing "ashes, ashes" with 3 or 4 plastic scrabble pieces stashed away in her Louis Armstrong cheeks. I should get her started on sunflower seeds now. I bet she'd be able to take on 10 at a time by kindergarten.
Reese has discovered that her 100 words a page books do not have pictures, and is "angry at them" She hands them over to the librarian and says "yeah, these books are no good, you know I can't read those words yet 'cuz I'm in preschool" She then finds a princess book (what else) and heads over to a quiet corner to "read".

Quincy is on the third verse of "What A Wonderful World" (just kidding) before I get her down from the table and hand her a book with a baby on it. She points to the baby's nose, says "baby's nose" then picks a booger from her own nose and wipes it on the page.

I read a few books to Q, then Reese joins us, with a concerned look on her face. She had overheard the school aged kids near her talking about santa coming. She doesn't like this idea at all. "I don't like santa. I just want grandpa to come instead. He is not scary and he brings presents too, and he will come when I'm awake, not sleeping" I tell her that next week we'll get some books about Santa, and then she can decide how she feels about him.

We read a few more books, then repair any damage from Hurricane Quincy (not bad this time) and we head to the counter to check out where the little old ladies say "Ooooh leaving already?" in their best fake voices. Quincy says "bye, books" and Reese holds her hand in a cute kind of way and flashes a cheeser smile that will redeem themselves enough to be welcomed back in a week with the same nice, warm and fuzzy greeting they received today.

I love days like this. I am so lucky that I get to be the one taking my kids to the library, not someone else...because someone else might not think to get the book about Yoko the bunny, who's grandparents are far away, so she sends them a card and present in the mail at Christmas time. Someone else might not have purposely chosen the book where Ruby misses out on a special treat, when she doesn't let her little brother, Max, sell lemonade with her. I'm glad that I get to pry the scrabble pieces from Quincy's cheeks, because I know how to do it without being bitten (most of the time). I'm blessed with the responsibility of teaching my children to love literature enough to share boogers with the illustrated babies on the page.

I'm not trying to slam on moms who don't stay home or anything. We all need to get out once in awhile (I have a sitter coming tomorrow for two hours, so I can do just that) Everyone's situation is different, and we do what we have to do to get by and take care of our family.

But today...I just payed a truckload of bills. As I went over our budget (something I LOVE to do), I was reminded of how lucky I am that I get to be where I want to be, and doing a job I feel like I was created to do. Sometimes, it doesn't seem financially possible that we are thriving on one income. But somehow, we do, and that alone reminds us that we are showered daily with the blessing of time with our children, and the incredible gift it is to raise them.
That is what I am thankful for this week.

I hope that when my children have grown, I'll remember how good it feels to take care of others. It is humbling to know that I have been entrusted with two (soon to be three) little people who are totally dependent on me....that need my care and my nurturing. They are my sidekicks. I think need them as much as they need me....and they are teaching me so much more than I am teaching them. I hope they will have good memories when they grow up and remember "library days" with Mom.

"One...Twoooo, Free, Foooooh....Five books." She may not say much yet....but she can count!