Two days ago I took the kids for a walk/bike ride - our first of the season. It was 43 degrees and there is still snow everywhere but I couldn't help myself. I wrapped Lincoln in multitudinous blankets and he promptly fell asleep. I pushed my baby in the stroller and Lacey Grace pushed her baby in her's while the boys pedaled up and down the road. After we had walked up the driveway and onto the road where we live Lace was ready to stop for a snack. From underneath her doll she produced a bag of potato chips and a lemon yogurt with a spoon. Each brother was given four potato chips and a bite of yogurt. She helped herself to a few bites and then the chips went back into the stroller. The yogurt and spoon were left on a nearby wall to wait for our return and on we went. I tried to make chit chat with Lacey asking the name of her baby (Crystal Diamond Flower) and pretending that we were two mothers out on a walk with our babies but she soon set me straight. She was my daughter and her baby was actually a doll so that was that. The boys stopped their bikes at a small marshy area where we always stop on this particular walk and found a felled tree, skinny but surprisingly long, that they took turns toppling into the swamp. At this point there was a little arguing about so-and-so tossing the tree too far on purpose so the other couldn't retrieve it and so-and-so denying that it was true and then we carried on. There is an idyllic little neighborhood not far from where we live that is paved (we live on a dirt road - welcome to New Hampshire) and it's a great place for walks. There was nothing spectacular about the outing. In fact, on the way home we stopped so many times to warm Lacey's cold hands that I felt like a school bus. Ronan, by contrast, was riding maniacally and had shed his sweatshirt so we used that to wrap LG's hands. Topher complained once that Ronan had cut him off (shocker) and "put them in danger" (which he had) but for the most part there was much laughter, attention to rule following (not going to far ahead and circling back to check in, stopping at intersections (there's only one - again, welcome to NH)), and plenty of enjoying each other's company. It was a joyful outing. I just want to try to be more grateful for moments like this and remember the details of ordinary days.
P.S. Lacey Grace has a friend boy playing over this morning and I just overheard a bunch of talk about a kiss they had seen on a movie. The highlight:
LG: ...and then she had a true love kiss, from, not her prince, but....
Friend boy Aaron Johnson: Yes, but that was just gross!
Ah, the differences between little girls and little boys.
One other conversation recently heard between Lacey Grace and her doll Strawberry Shortcake:
Strawberry Shortcake: She started it! (referring to another doll)
LG (patiently but firmly): Strawberry Shortcake, soap and time out. (This means that Strawberry has to have soap in her mouth and have a time out which I felt was a little extreme but I'm not the parent...)
LG: I'm sorry, darling. (sound of squirting - we use soft soap at our house)
Strawberry Shortcake: Gagging sounds
Me: hushed giggling
a record of my ups and downs...
About Me
- Lauralee
- I am Lauralee Burton Hill - imperfect but working on it. I am happy.
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3 comments:
You remind me take pleasure in the little things. I've been thinking I need to do more of that. Sometimes I feel I am cheating Jensen out of her childhood because we are always running at a teenagers pace.
I laughed out loud at the Strawberry Shortcake story. We use Listerine (the original disgusting kind, not the foofy mint or vanilla) at our house. All Jensen has to do is smell it. Gotta love being a parent. :)
Laur, you are such a fun mother. I would love to have been on that walk. I loved taking walks with the kids when I was there.
Tell Lacey that the I remember that her dad had to have soap in the mouth more than once. How cute our little Lacey is. I love to see kids playing with dolls.
If I remember right(which I am sure I won't), we used bar soap in the mouth (probably Ivory).
Laur, what a fun post! I loved visualizing your little walk together -- and Lacey's mothering. How fun. Audrey has been wearing her little "Aurora" bunny around in her sling. It's very cute.
And, add me to your e-mail list -- I'd love to read your talk. My last talk was before the last, last conference about prophets and it was so great to study that right before listening to conference.
This conference was exceptional, as always. I missed Elder Ballard's talk because I was picking Cash up from the airport. But, I've heard so much about it I need to go listen to it. Love you!
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