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she’s right, he knows her name.
It was maybe three weeks ago when we woke up to faucets that wouldn’t turn on. Water that wouldn’t flow through our pipes. We didn’t know it at first, but it was an issue with our water pump and we had to replace the entire unit. (Which is hidden deep down inside our well.) That weekend Piper and Otto had gone camping with our friends and they were just returning, all campfire and dirt smelling. Piper wanted a shower. But there was no water at our house. There had been none for hours. She talked about how she just wished there would be enough water for her to take one…
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As Seen Through the Door Frame: A Monday Night Poem
My desk is wherever I am. Tonight it’s the extra leaf at the end of the dining room table. I’ve spread my supplies wide, stacked in an order that follows my brain and makes Lacey Logic. I hear laughing. My Piper and her friend Hanna. They’ve asked to bake chocolate chip cookies together. Before they began, they prepared. Not the flour and the butter, but themselves. They have raided the dress up closet and put on fancy Cinderella style dresses waist aprons and grins. They have turned on the music of the Okee Dokee Brothers. Singing. Laughing. Dropping cookie dough on the floor. I’m actually working here…
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Five Finds Friday (surprise! & the warmest socks & the silliest picture)
We all know why this week sped right past all of us. Yes – it’s already Friday you guys. Here we go …… FUNNY Humor plays a vital role in my life. If it’s not outright sustaining, it absolutely is what makes certain days feel endurable. (Is endurable a word?) Our friend Abby has endeared herself to my children through several methods. One – she sends stellar care packages that have rather specific instructions on the outside. Instructions such as “For Kids Eyes Only” and “Whatever You Do – Don’t Let Your Mom Open This Box”. Two – she shows up in surprise ways and says yes…
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Five Fridays (nine)
FUNNY I sent this poem by Wendell Berry in a text to my dad the other day. Luckily he thought it was funny too. FASHIONABLE Undoubtedly, this is the hardest entry for me each week. What in the world do I know about fashion? Wait. I’ll tell you. Absolutely nothing. Recently hannaH told me that a friend of hers put me (and hannaH) and our chosen style of dressing in the category of Mary Poppins. I can’t even understand what that means but I feel confident that no one alive is thinking, “Who should I ask for fashion advice? I’ll ask Mary Poppins!” I’ll tell you what I do know,…
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cue the laugh track.
Greetings from the Maybe She’s Our Funniest Kid files. “Hey, Mommy – doesn’t Otto look like Gerald?” Piper Finn called to me from the other room. “What?” I asked. “He looks like Gerald.” She was pointing at Otto. (Who, at the moment, looked like ……. Otto.) “Piper,” I asked. “Who is Gerald?” Piper’s hand went to her hip. She looked exasperated but explained mostly patiently, “Hark – the Gerald angel who sings at Christmas.”
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happy birthday willow.
“All I want for my birthday is to play dolls with my friends.” I love when wishes are so easily granted. Six is a good age. We invited a few dolls over. And their girls. Lemonade was served in tiny tea cups that once belonged to Piper’s namesake and birthday twin, my mother. London made her famous scones. (They aren’t famous yet actually, but they should be. They’re legitimately delicious.) She even created seven miniature scones for the dolls. With a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream and strawberries and blueberries – the table was set simply but sweetly. A strolling musician named Daddy composed an original spontaneous tune for…
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miss communication.
“You know what?” Willow asked me. “What?” I said back. “I think it’d be sort of fun to lose your independence.” “Okay. Why?” “You’d probably get toys and ice cream and stuff.” “Oh?” “Like Madeline in the hospital?” “Oh. Your appendix.“
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logic. five year old style.
My lovely friend Jo is going to give birth next week. This will be their third baby and she and her husband Jason have chosen to let the baby’s gender be a surprise. That seems like a giant deal to me. I love the mystery of it, the anticipation. But I know I couldn’t take the suspense. I just need to know. But they don’t. And this one is their baby so they get to choose. Aren’t we glad life works that’s way? Mostly? Anyway. The kids and I were talking about this much anticipated baby human. And I say, “I can’t wait to find out if it is a…
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a doll story, a Finn story
I just deleted about thirty-five blurry, barely recognizable photos from my phone. There were at least twenty more that I sent packing because they were basically a picture of darkness. (Not nearly as poetic as it sounds. Just – literally – a picture of nothing.) Piper Finn and Otto asked to borrow my phone to take photos of Piper’s pal, her doll. I think they were inspired by their siblings’ earlier forays into artistic photography. Out of the barrage of blurry and unusable images, I did get a handful of cute savers. (All photos taken today were taken by a three and a five year old. You’ll know who took…
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a funny video.
It’s been more than a year since we moved twelve minutes down the road into this old farm house where we seem to be collecting memories and animals at an increasingly alarming rate. Kevin’s been plowing new ground with Jody over at Bottlecap for more than a year and we’re all still here – paying rent and eating meals and clothing our children and living a life that would never qualify as luxurious but has proven to be blessed and fulfilling all the same. Bottlecap has been making videos – good ones too. The most recent one is funny and features the cutest little expression from my Willow. Today, I…
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questions and answers.
Some of my favorite posts in the past have been the interviews with my children. It is possible that the interviews are primarily adorable to me and me alone. And I’m okay with that. I like hearing their answers to my questions and listening as they really ponder how they feel and what they think about anything I ask. And it’s been a reaalllly long time since I’ve lured a kid in by my writing side and asked them a handful of questions. Too long, in fact. Welcome to ….. the return of The Interview. The interview with the child who has been interviewed most frequently, because she adores an…
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Would You Rather?
We drove to a wedding in the mountains this weekend. On the drive across the curvy roads through the gorgeous trees of blazing color, we all played a little car game to pass the time. It’s called “Would you rather?” and it’s simple. One person asks the rest of the players which of two bizarre or both awful options they would prefer. The questions were hysterically funny and I wish I could remember more of them but on curvy mountain roads I am incapable of recording moments in any other fashion besides my not-to-be-trusted memory. By far, the title of Creator of the Oddest Questions belonged to little Willow. (Who…
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How To Celebrate Five With About That Many Dollars
1. Allow your daughter the rare (first in her lifetime actually) privilege of choosing three friends to invite over for an evening of fun. 2. Instruct the girls to all wear dress-up princess attire. 3. Have big sisters paint finger nails and toe nails, brush hair, apply sparkle lip gloss and show the girls their reflections in a handheld mirror. 4. Spread a cache of beads and girly-colored pipe cleaners on the table and create necklaces and bracelets galore. 5. Eat miniature snacks served in muffin tins. (Pizza bites. Baked mozzarella sticks. Broccoli and hummus. Apples with dip. Chocolate cupcakes with pink icing.) 6. Permit the princesses to run around…
