I Don't Think So

Is there anything more adorable than the sight of a five-year-old boy laughing out loud at his own jokes?

This kid is so Vasko. Sorry, Jim. :)

Night Moves

A strange phenomenon takes place in my bedroom during the wee hours of the night.

Every evening I go to sleep beside a handsome man. And every morning I awake to find myself sandwiched between a rogue and a pixie, the boy always on my left and the girl always on my right. And no sign of the handsome man whatsover. I never actually witness this transformation happen---I don't see him leave, I don't hear them come, I feel no movement of bodies in the bed---but I always face the reality of it in the morning.

If I wake early and need to use the bathroom, I carefully extricate myself from their tangled limbs and gingerly climb over their peaceful frames. As I do, their sweet bodies roll toward each other as if by some mysterious magnetic pull. When I return to the bed, I choose the widest open space rather than push my way back into the middle. Inevitably, the child who is now not sleeping directly next to me awakes and discovers my immediate absence. I hear a desperate cry of anguish and feel a mad scramble over both the little body in the middle and my own. Then comes the panicked death grip by the arms and legs of one who has finally recovered a missing treasure and now hangs dangerously close to the precipice. Apparently, being in the same bed is not quite close enough, and skin to skin contact is worth the risk of a tragic fall.

I know that these nightly rituals will all end someday, but then, I've been saying that for years.

I'm not exactly sure what happens to the handsome man when he disappears each night, but he returns to my bed every evening, and for that I am always grateful.

Wordless Wednesday: The Veterans Day Edition

Henri-Chapelle American Cemetary, Belgium

Wordless Wednesday:The New Phase of Motherhood Edition

Sigh.

The Best Stuff

I interrupt this regularly scheduled void to make an important announcement:

One of my dearest friends of the heart received the most amazing blessing this weekend. You probably already know but go back over there anyway and gush over that beautiful baby a little more. Isn't he gorgeous? Just like his mama.

We've all been waiting and praying for you for a very long time, little guy. Welcome Home!

She Could Have Danced All Night

On Friday night, for the first time in a long time, I wished that I were back in high school.

My beautiful Elena attended her first dance ever, and I had the privilege of accompanying her as a chaperone. We both had a ball. :) She, because she was able to get all dressed up and spend the evening dancing and laughing with her friends, and I, because I was able to watch her get all dressed up and spend the evening dancing and laughing with her friends, in exactly the way it should be done.

I told Elena's teacher, the founder of Dominion Academy, that it was this dance that sold me on her school last spring. When I heard about the way they run their annual Senior Honors Ball, I knew that it was a place I would feel comfortable sending my daughter to classes. Since last fall, she has been taking English and history there three mornings a week, and we have quickly grown to love the family-like community at this small classical Christian school.

Only seniors are allowed to bring a date to the Ball, and this encourages the underclassmen to come in groups of friends instead, relieving much pressure and making the event a whole lot more fun. Elena and one of her best friends, Rosa, spent the day getting ready together at our house. After an entire afternoon with the curling iron, hairspray, and make-up, we still ended up leaving an hour late. In the car, one of them remarked, "Imagine if our dates had been waiting at the door!" and I just had to respond, "See? One more reason not to date during high school." The eyes rolled, but I know deep down they agree. They just don't know it yet. :)

The Ball was an elegant affair, held at the officer's club of the local Air Force base. When we arrived, the girls found dance cards at their assigned seats for the formal dinner. The school uses a computer program to randomly match couples for most of the dances. The gentlemen don't have to worry about whom to ask, and every young lady gets to dance. As each song begins, the young men approach their seated partners and escort them to the dance floor. When the song ends, they escort them back to their seats and thank them. It is all accomplished with such grace and decorum, beautiful to observe.

To prepare for this special night, most of the students take a ballroom dance class offered by the school. Throughout the evening, they waltz, they swing, they cha cha, they foxtrot, they mambo, and they merengue. And they have fun! So much fun. What a far cry from the dances I attended in high school and college. Many of the chaperones brought their spouses and joined in the dancing. I hope to drag Jim along next year, but we will definitely have to take the class first. Maybe a really good instructor can teach old dogs new tricks.

In between some of the formal dances listed on their cards, there are a few open numbers with more modern dancing. During these, the kids flood the floor in groups of guys and girls. I probably don't need to tell you that they enjoy these as much as the formal ones.

They danced the Electric Slide, the Cha Cha Slide (pictured below...how low can you go?), and, of course, the infamous YMCA song, which seems to be a mandatory, timeless crowd pleaser for no explainable reason.

I am so very proud of the young woman my Elena has become, beautiful both inside and out, and I am extremely grateful for the virtuous friends and the wholesome, holy opportunities God has given her. Wouldn't the world be far better if all kids could have this? We are so very blessed.

It Wasn't All Bad

Since I wrote a bit about how difficult Mother's Day was on the inside, I think it's only fair to show you how wonderful it was on the outside. I awoke to find this beautiful display in my kitchen, having been only slightly tipped off by Mei Mei's incessant questioning, "Have you been downstairs yet?"

Here's a close-up of that thoughtful bouquet of Sprees. My sweetheart knows me well. While I always appreciate chocolate, I LOVE Sprees. Odd, I know. Unfortunately, this photo was taken after Elena, Valya, and Jacinta had already been consumed. In my defense, I did share, and at 12 shared Sprees a pop (2X6), the rolls don't last long.

My favorite wildflowers! Aren't they beautiful? After Mass, I asked Jim to take a picture of me with my babies, the ones who give me the honor of being a mom. Yes, Valya is really that tall, and no, Elena is not. :) I have no idea what Mariana thought was so funny, but obviously Charlie and Jacinta did not agree. Elena says they remind her of the couple in American Gothic, minus the pitchfork, of course.

In the middle of the day, I gave myself a gift. I snuck out to a local sewing shop that is going out of business. Gorgeous, gorgeous fabrics, all 30% off. After over an hour of agonizing decision making, I walked out with 30 different patterns, mostly quarters. I bought some I plan to use for Maggie's quilt block; some I hope will work for Chere Mere's square; some yellows, pinks, and greens I want to use to make a quilted runner for my little girls' dresser; a couple of cute Western prints I intend to include in a cowboy quilt for Charlie eventually (sooner rather than later if he has his way...why did I ever tell him my plans for them?); a few florals to make sweet birthday surprises for my quilting gang; and some simply because I thought they were pretty. I even bought a yard and a half of that black and red batik butterfly to sew a skirt for myself this summer. Or some summer. Yes, I am a sucker and a dreamer when it comes to fabric. And an economic peril in a sewing shop that is going out of business.

All in all, an awesome day. Thank you, Jim, Elena, Valya, Nastia, Mariana, Jacinta, and Charlie. You rock my world and make my life so very precious. I am blessed beyond measure.