But I am also a huge plaigarist of ideas. And I just read Kelle Hampton's blogpost from a day or two ago. It was Hallmark-sponsored (which mine, obviously, is not!) but the topic was cool. It was about appreciating all the little ways those around us help to love and raise our children in really special, memorable ways. And her post made me want to write, a little stream of consciousness, about that.
I want to write about my mom. How she came to stay with us for 6 weeks, back when Ella was six months old, because our old nanny flaked out and I was going to have a nervous breakdown trying to find child care for Ella Bella in just a few days' notice. She took temporary leave from her job, packed up, drove down to Columbus, left my stepdad to fend for himself for 6 weeks, during which time she joyfully took care of Ella, cleaned our house daily and cooked Chris the most delicious meals he'll probably ever enjoy (that many consecutive days in a row) in his own home.
How she spoils my girls RIDICULOUSLY. Like it's a birthday EVERY time she sees them. She brings Target bags full of their favorite foods (mac and cheese, gummies for Kate, Oreos, goldfish); usually at least one outfit a piece and almost always a toy. Like mermaid dolls in the summer. Or Belle princess dresses, just because she saw them online. Or a new Strawberry Shortcake remote control car, because Kate wanted one.
How she has never yelled at the girls, even though they can sometimes act like little monsters around her, precisely because....they know she'll never yell at or punish them. How Kate now asks me -- every single day -- if we can go see Grandma. How Ella and Kate call her at least 2 nights a week at bedtime and ask her to read them bedtime stories over the phone. How she will gladly read -- even the longest, most boring stories...like the one about "Porkis and Dorkis" from a Beatrix Potter book she should hever have shown them a few months ago...until they fall asleep.
How she has assembled a ridiculous collection of toys at her house; so the girls are sure to be entertained while they visit. So many toys that she has dedicated an entire sun room to baby doll changing stations and cribs and strollers, tiny tables and my full collection of Strawberry Shortcake dolls (which she saved from when I was 5, hoping that I would have little girls who love those dolls as much as I did. As much as my girls do today.)
How her dining room is also filled with doll houses and other accessories; so the girls can play in different rooms when they don't feel like sharing. How she even has a battery operated Barbie Jeep, an assortment of tricycles and swings for these little girls -- who live not down the street, but 3 hours away.
How they RUN to her every time they see her...whether she's pulling in our driveway for a weekend visit; or we're pulling into hers. Or we're meeting half way, in a Burger King parking lot, so she can have the girls to herself for the weekend.
How she'll sleep like a dog at the bottom of a full bed, so both girls 'get' to sleep with her, because she can't tell either one of them to sleep by herself. How she WANTS to be the one to wake up with them on days they awake early, because she doesn't want to miss the morning routine. Brushing their teeth. Making pancakes. Putting pony tails in their hair.
I want to write about Nana, Chris's mom. How she used to come to visit the girls every Sunday (before she retired.) How she actively plays with the girls during her visits. Playing baby dolls or princesses; acting out Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Dressing up in a 1980s prom dress and tiara so she, too, can be a princess. For hours upon hours at a time.
How she ALWAYS watches the girls when we have plans to go out -- even though we usually ask at the last minute, with little advance notice. How she joins us for Trick or Treating, holding their little hands as they walk up to houses. How she always tells me not to worry about it, when I apologize for the fact that there's peanut butter smeared all over the floor...or no decaf coffee in the cupboard...or for the fact that Kate woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.
How, the week after she retired, she started making lists of fun things she could do with the girls....how she took them to the Franklin Conservatory Butterfly Exhibit and a "Strawberry Festival" in London, Ohio, in just the first two weeks -- both local summertime activities I didn't know about or think to take the girls to.
I want to write about my cousin Tommy, who's in his early 20s and lives in Cleveland, but calls me every time he's in Columbus for work, so he can stop by to see the girls. How Ella remembers that he brings her coins when he comes, and that his brother, Dustin, also in his early 20s, babysat her once and played Snow White with her.
I want to write about my brother Rich, who built my girls the most fabulous lemonade stand EVER because he heard Ella said she wanted to have one so she could donate money to little girls who don't have houses.
I want to write about my cousin Olivia who loves my girls so much ... just as I adored her when she was a little girl...that she comes to stay with us one week each summer so she can play with and spend time with them. She's a New York City girl who has fair white skin and despises being in the sun. But she'll play play dough and princesses with my girls, and spend hours at the pool. Because those are the things they love.
And my Aunt Laura. And how even when she and I are in a knock-down-drag-out fight; not speaking to each other because of some pointless argument, she never forgets a birthday and always, always sends my girls the sweetest, most thoughtful, personal gifts...like fairies in their very own jars, complete with grass ecosystems. Or Alice in Wonderland teasets.
I want to write about my friends Heidi and Stephanie, and how Ella and Kate, with no prompting, call them Aunt Heidi and Aunt Stephanie because, well, they certainly seem like family. And about our neighbor kids -- most of whom are older than our girls -- but who always include Ella and Kate in their reindeer games. Or, as pictured here, their dog circuses.
I wish I lived closer to my mama. To my broter and sister and my girls' cousins in Youngstown. That we got to see Chris's brothers and their kids and his parents more often. But I'm pretty blessed, and pretty grateful, for all the ways so many of my friends and family make my girls feel special, feel loved....for all the memories my friends and family are making in my little girls' hearts and minds.
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