Monday, July 1, 2013

And then There was Noise

After a very quiet week, I had a very busy weekend. Friday, I went to the movies with my mom and grandma. (The Heat is hilarious, but less so when you are sitting next to your grandmother when women are screaming about their vaginas. Just sayin'.) I also had book club and a surprise visit from one of my all-time best friends ever. Saturday, I slept late and painted furniture. Sunday was filled with church activities and having my kids home.

Last night, about 7:30, we climbed in my bed, turned on James and the Giant Peach and snuggled for two hours. Maren would not let go of me, occasionally deciding that snuggling against me was not quite enough contact and flopping onto my belly so we were face to face. Brynna, who usually wants to be near, maybe brushing up against me, but not really touching was smooshed so tight to my side, I felt like I might catch fire from the additional body heat.

I smelled their hair approximately 27 times yesterday. This is most disturbing, because they are at the age now, where their hair smells like shampoo instead of babyhead and they've been using someone else's shampoo for a week, so they didn't even smell like they usually do.

I could not get enough of them.

Except when they were fighting with each other and then enough was totally had.

I looked at them, decided they'd each grown a foot and made them stand against the measuring wall. Turned out, they'd each grown a foot. I don't feel so bad about the fact that I can't find any clothes that fit them. It's not my laundry prowess at question, it's their weediness.

Of course, it probably didn't all happen last week, but maybe.

This morning, Maren informed me that they shouldn't have any chores this week because they need a summer vacation. I told her that's what last week was for. I told her that maybe we can have a summer vacation when their rooms are clean. I told her that you have to pick up all the time, no one here has a maid. We fought, in other words. For the whole car ride.

Then, she climbed up on the console, wrapped her arms around my head and whispered, "I love you mommy and I missed you so SO much and I want to stay with you forever." A big smacky kiss, another head hug and 20 blown kisses later and she was out of the car.

Even Brynna gave me a big goodbye kiss and a 10 second hug this morning.

At some points last week, it felt like it was dragging on forever, like I'd never have my kids back. At some points it felt like it was flying by. Like if I just had a few more days I could have the house perfect, have my DVR cleaned off and have baked all the goods. But last night and this morning, all I could think was, "How did I survive that? How did I live a whole week without their arms around my head and their super-serious conversations? Without story times and chore charts and screaming fits about hairbrushes? How did I make it through without their voices and their bright eyes and their dirty hands?

And also, did anyone feed the cats while they were gone? I seriously can't remember.

2 comments:

Steve Finnell said...
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Becca said...

I had the pleasure of meeting your daughters this weekend and they were lovely. Maren was so shy until she ate and then she was just alight. Brynna was very quiet and so intense while we played a three dimensional tic-tac-toe game. She told me about her art and reading. I was delighted by their brief company.