Reflections at Fifty-two...
Yes, today's my 52nd birthday and I find myself in a rather reflective mood. I am reminded of all of the people who have helped to shape who I am today. I see my children maturing into beautiful young adults and look on them with great pride. They are a blast to be with! I wonder where the time has gone? The day to day musings and busy-ness seems to have filled my life. I laugh at the little wonderous things: "Telling Ethan not to bounce the ball on Cara's head while I'm trying to talk on the phone;" "Watching Jenna scamper up the doorjambs and sit there like a monkey talking to us;" "Amazed as Whitney gathered her craft materials (again) to create one of her masterpieces (could be a myriad of clock faces, rubber stamps made from rubber bands, or even paper hair wigs for modeling!)" I remember when she was three she came downstairs with two-inch long/quarter inch wide paper fringe taped all along her arms and legs and informed me that she would be going to pre-school today as an indian... Or, how about the time she spread refrigerator ice cubes all over the family room carpet so that she could "ice skate." (I never could get the stains out of that hunter green rug.)
So many things. Taking Ethan canoeing down the Colorado River when he was four and watching him delight as he dragged the hand-carved wooden fish that his Dad had made him in the water behind the canoe. And of course backpacking with his six small stuffed animals stuck into his waistband for company. Thank God for the tic-tacs we used to bribe him to get to the next tree. Or, how about the day we spent at Disneyland allowing him to walk (one foot at a time) along every one of the iron grass rails...forget the rides...this is what he wanted to do and we had no reason to hurry him along. Precious times.
I remember Whitney "helping" me in the garden when we lived in Mira Mesa. That girl could crawl or walk on anything. She would scare everyone else half to death but I knew that if I just let her be and didn't startle her she would be all right. She and Ethan spent many hours "pretending." I was looking at some pictures last night and have them playing "doctor" with stethoscope and all, dressed up as indians and flying in airplanes. He really enjoyed her company (even if she was a girl)!
Having Jenna and Cara brought many new and challenging changes to our growing family. How could I accommodate the needs of two infants, a three year old and a growing nine year old boy. Very different requirements! We would all traipse up to the soccer field for Ethan's games and then drive everywhere to see him perform with the Mt. Carmel High School Band. And we mustn't forget our newspaper recycling days! We would fill up that old VW bus from front to back and top to bottom with newspapers from his assigned route and then unload them into the semi-truck at campus. Larry and I were never so tired!!!!
Trying to help with daily homework, feeding schedules, emotional needs, and throw in a little fun was the order of the day.
There was no way to go to the park with two toddlers running in two different directions at once. I couldn't keep them safe
and let them properly explore. We needed two adults who could help and then we could manage quite nicely. Of course, Jenna was always "done" with something before everyone else. It didn't matter if it was shopping, playing or just hanging out, she was always on the move and would often leave a store alone. I really had to keep an eye on her.
She and Cara loved to play "Bumper Bellies" after bathtime. They would run to their room naked, jump on the bed and bump belliles, fall down and giggle uncontrollably. Too funny! And Jenna was always trying to escape to "streak" through the neighborhood! Vigilance was mandatory unless I wanted to go on a neighborhood " Jenna Hunt." And of course, what one baby can't do alone, two can do very well. One learned to open the door and the other to close it. Through cooperation they discovered that if they both leaned on an object it would move....help!!!!
Jenna and Cara looked up to both their brother and sister. They wanted to be like them and dress like them. Cara even went dressed as Whitney one Halloween (that is when she wasn't being a clown; which was almost every year--5 at least). Jenna tried out different personas (bride, Peter Pan, harem girl, space being, pumpkin, and a witch). We were never too sure what Whitney would come up with but that first clown costume I made for Ethan when he was one sure did make the rounds!
It seems that I have been to thousands of sporting events between archery, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and basketball tournaments to say nothing of the practices and games over the course of 20 years. And perhaps hundreds of concerts and special performances (let's see: violin, flute, trumpet, baritone horn, chorus, tuba and sousaphone). Between lessons, practices I read hundreds of books and increased my vocabulary.
I'll share more as things come to mind but those are my thoughts this sunny August afternoon in San Diego.
~Laura
posted by Laura @ 4:15 PM
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