owgquestions

-Mom what does "meow" mean? And where do hedgehogs live?
-He's famous. Is he dead?
-

Exactly as I would live

If I were living exactly as I wanted to live I would: -mother/wife/care for our home, yard & finances and write novels - historical fiction about St. Louis and Santa Barbara and birth - for a living -love my family and friends better, more consistently and attentively -live in a smaller, lower maintenance home with only the things we NEED (I mean get rid of even the books that we "like" but will sit on our shelves forever, never being read…) -regularly work with habitat or a well-run organization that provides health care to the desperately in-need (maybe mission trips) -be a vegetarian -have a 3rd child, then donate my kidney to my husband to make it work I may/will have to: -stay on PRN at BJH, just to keep the health insurance and in touch with patients -stop dying my hair blond -stop going to Starbucks and get rid of extra clothing, and lots of other stuff, stop BUYING all of this unnecessary crap -clean out the basement

Chicken names

So far, we have lived gratefully with:

Mother Goose*
Penelope*
Rockwell*
Baby

and now are thankful to welcome:

Beignet (Benz)
5K
June
Dinner

*We have bid fond adieu to these birds.

Too much to really get at any of it...

But poco a poco.
One parenting thought: I am arbitrarily, but usually restrictive while p. is seemingly arbitrarily but regularly permissive.
Need to change this to consistently and both setting good limits in which they can exercise freedom, with help from us. Attentive, good help.

Star Wars 3D

<3 efg - So thrilled you are! You and dad went to see the Phantom Menace at the Moolah on Sunday. Of course you loved it. I hope we are not letting you see it too early...too late to change it I guess. And I kind of love that Owen still wants a puppy theme for his birthday party this weekend. You both are doing so well...so sweet and strong. Love you three boys beyond beyond. <3

Rainy day with Owen

The warmest, most light-filled day of my week. You are so snuggly and funny. You LOVE to bake...you just want to help. Unless we ask you to, of course. I can't believe you are almost 4. We played boyMonopoly and Candyland. We read books. We baked chocolate chip (garbanzo bean) cookies...we took a couple each to dad and E. at school in plastic baggies. You like your little stuffed animals a lot: bunny and puppy and badger (a puppet I think may actually be a prairie dog or something) and goosey. Simple, practical names. If I pretend to be them (talking for them), I can usually get you to put your coat on or get into your car seat. I just adore you completely. Even when you hit me (you never really try to make it hurt...it's just you expressing...something. You are like me in that your shame quickly becomes defensive anger...that is a genetic predisposition AND a learned behavior I am sure. So I am just doing my best to be gently firm, to love you with every disciplinary action, to look you in the eyes when we speak and bake and play games. You are so shiny and glowy most of the time...you have the most gigantic smile when you are jumping into the pool and kicking your own bottom with your heels as you hit the peak of your arc!

For your 4th, you have told me MANY items that are on your list. With my aging brain, I remember a few:
Electric toothbrush (Spiderman)
Lego sets - especially one with a big ship
More wooden train tracks and another train car that is electric ("remote control" - do these exist?)
I should write them down when you say them. It's hard to remember when I try.

I am so thankful for your you-ness. You and Eli are the lights of my life. You will always be.

Love. So lucky in it, we are.

"Eli, do you know what you are?"

"What?"
"Brilliant and kind."
"I think I may be part monkey."