Rollerblades and Rockabyes

Today was special

It was a day full of joyful moments that just happen.

I could not have planned today, and I know that if I ever try to re-create it I will fail.

I thought today would be busy and frustrating. I had 2 children that needed to be at a dance practice in Salem at 9am. One of those children also had to leave that dance practice to attend his last basketball game, then return to the dance practice.
We are all recovering from a nasty cold and cough. Saturday is my day that I can guarantee sleep!
Last night the bishop asked Dallin to help clean the church at 7:30am.

For the past month or so, Dallin has been sleeping on the double bed in Simon's room. I have been sharing a bed with Sarajoy. We all sleep better this way, but I miss Dallin. Dallin and I said goodnight to each other last night and I climbed into bed alone. Sarajoy was in the cosleeper already asleep.
I realized I missed HER. How could I? I had the whole bed to myself!
I realized then how very much I love snuggling up to her little pudgy warm body and hearing and feeling her breathe. She didn't leave me alone and cold for long. After just a few minutes, she missed me too!

How about today? Here's how it started:

Baby fussing. Will she nurse? It feels so early--please nurse, baby! Those poor budding teeth--here's some Tylenol, baby. Please calm down.

Knock Knock Knock. Baby's eyes fly open. We both listen.

"Mom! e'body ineer? knock knock, Mom! e'body ineer?" (anybody in there?)

My heart melts. I giggle. Baby smiles. We drag ourselves out of bed to meet the day.

There's Simon at my door. "Mom! See you! (Good to see you)" I wrap my arms around him and he curls up in a ball in my arms.
A most adorable little curly haired boy is glad to see me.
Not a bad way to start the day.

I set the baby down to play and take a shower. (Of late this is a huge accomplishment for me.)

Dallin came home from cleaning the church. I decided that since I was up and ready I'd take the kids to dance. We get to the rehearsal on time. I sit and read my book Emily of New Moon. I haven't read this since I was a teenager. I love it even more now. I get to visit a little with a friend. She's adopting a child from Ethiopia who didn't bond with her original adoptive family. How special!

Before I knew it, it was time to take Nathan to his game. I pulled him from the practice and we drove back to town. He was very out of sorts. He hasn't been feeling well and the other kids at dance were not behaving well. I wondered if he would be able to get his head in the game. I tried my hand at a pep talk, but from the look on his face when I dropped him off, I think I failed.

I came home to see if the baby needed me and if Dallin wanted to come to the game. He did, but the baby was asleep in bed. Simon was just calming down from a 1 hour tantrum. Dallin wasn't feeling well. He decided to stay home. I was glad to be able to go to the game, but it seemed like Dallin should be there for the last game.
Nathan's team was playing dismally. Were they all under the weather? I could see their discouragement as shot after shot missed the rim.
Dallin showed up. The team bucked up. They played a great 4th quarter. They ended the season well.

I raced Nathan back to the dance practice. We got there just in time for his group to do their number. We hadn't missed a thing! After his number we had to wait for Ruby's group. Nathan was grumpy and tired and starving. I magically had a dollar in my purse. (I never have cash) I gave him the dollar to use on the vending machine. He came back a few minutes later looking very downcast and holding a bag of peanuts. "I wanted a granola bar and it gave me peanuts!"
Poor guy.
On the way home, I was thinking of stopping to get them a treat or something to eat. As we passed Subway, Nathan said, "Suuubwaay" in such a quiet, pitiful voice that I turned around and got lunch for everyone. I think he needed that.

When I got home, my sweet baby was finally very ready to nurse! It was noon and she hadn't nursed all morning. We all had a lovely lunch. I sat on the couch and held and nursed the baby some more. Brandon was showing off his latest gymnastics moves. Simon and Daisy turned on some music and started dancing and doing tricks. Dallin came and sat by me on the couch and we lounged and enjoyed the baby. She was giving us kisses!
There we were, all in our little livingroom. There was dancing and laughing and snuggling and enjoying.
A reward for what we do all day every day.

Soon things moved outside. Ever since they saw speed skating on the Olympics, Brandon and Ruby have been rollerblading around the driveway and trying to improve their time. We found some rollerblades for Nathan. We even convinced Dallin to dust off the pair he bought when we were dating.

The baby was napping, and the rest of us were enjoying the wonderful hopeful rays of sunshine. Simon and Daisy were joyfully making mud balls under the tramp. I watched for a bit while the rollerbladers raced the course. Then I picked up my shears and tackled the rose bushes. Simon was very excited to see my huge scissors! He wanted a turn for sure!
He and Daisy took turns with the little clippers.
At one point Simon came running up to me: "Sank, Mom! Scary sank!" I followed him to a little puddle where a worm was curling around. "That's a worm, buddy. Worms are nice. Isn't it cool?" I went back to pruning while Simon ran to find Daddy and tell him about the "sank".

Later, we came in and gave deep sighs of joy for the hope and peace and refreshment that we had found out in that sunny, cool, almost-springy air.

We had hot dogs for dinner. Nathan made snowball cookies. The kids had baths and showers.
Simon was very tired when he got out of the bath. Screaming tired. I quickly dried, diapred, plastic-pantsed, and jammied him. He miraculously held still for flossing and brushing. (He's doing his best to be a big-guy) We found all of his blankies: Lellow, white, monkey, and big lellow. (Big Lellow was Dallin's when he was a baby. It is very care-worn and smooth and soft.)

By throwing his little TV off of his bedside table, Simon lost his bedtime movie privelege during his 1 hour tantrum today. I decided to rock him to sleep. We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar first. We looked at the Book of Mormon reader. We knelt for a sweet little prayer. We turned off the lights. I took him up in my arms and rocked and sang.

"I love my Simon boy, oh yes I do.....
"If I had words to make a day for you, I'd sing you a morning golden and new....
"Wait, mom, wait! Pig!" He was trying to distract me and get me to talk about the show Babe.
I tried another.
"I'll walk in the rain by your side, I'll cling to the warmth of your tiny hands....
"Wait, Mom, wait!" I refuse to be distracted, but try another song.
"Mommy makes me my breakfast. I eat it up real slow cause my..." and I know he has succumbed because he joins in
"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, my mommy loves me so."
His head falls back in my arms and his body goes limp, but I can still hear the occasional whisper:
"Daddy puts me on the see-saw. We go high and we go low, cause my Daddy, daddy, daddy....
The song runs out, but he hasn't completely dropped off. We both love this one:
"Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy praise....
He is soon completely asleep, but I keep singing, and at the top of my voice because it feels so good:
"Oh, to Grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be.
Let Thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave that God I love.
Here's my heart, Oh, take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above."