A few days ago I heard Anda say in the bedroom, "Uh, Oh! Dan's doing something really bad!" Then it sounded like rain. Naturally, I ran in. Daniel was cheerfully dumping an entire box of Rice Krispies (the new box, of course) onto the bed and floor. He was MAD when I took it away. Then it took me twenty minutes to find the vacuum, which was holding all the shirts I hadn't felt like hanging on hangers. We did eventually get everything cleaned up. I actually had to use the vacuum twice in one day (I imagine it felt overworked, since it usually holds shirts), and we got the shredded styrofoam off the floor in the family room.
The next day, a sociology PhD student came by to interview Tim about home recording and see his studio. I imagine it was the only studio setup in his research that was constructed from turning a bunkbed on end and strapping the mattresses to the outside with bungee cords.
Later, I once again heard a commotion down the hall. This time, it was cheering. So I again went to find out what was going on. I found Anda and Caleb cheering for Daniel, who was standing up and sitting down over and over again in the middle of the hall--without help, and without pulling up on the walls or anything. "Hooray!" Caleb said. "Daniel's a toddler now!" Dan thought it was great.
Nice to see that all three kids like to play together, even if they sometimes dump the cereal in the bedroom.
Today, the kids informed me that they are planning a surprise party for my birthday. "What is your favorite thing?" they asked, wanting to know what shape I should make my suprise birthday cake in to surprise me with. I told them I would really really really like a round cake. Just plain round. Maybe with a smiley face on it. Not shaped like a kitty, or like Caleb and Anda together. Funny kids. They have a grasp on "Let's do something for mom," but not on "So we'll ask DAD for help."
When they asked what I wanted for my birthday, I almost said word for word what Mom always said, "I want everyone to be good." I understand now what she meant. When I was a kid, I thought she just was trying to save money. I don't think I ever really tried to be good. Now I wish I had. The other thing I want is for everyone to sleep through the night. Not for Tim to wake up with the kids, because I'll wake up, too, out of habit, and lay there wondering if he knows the fast way to get them back to sleep, etc.
I suppose I'll get that once before the new baby comes. Maybe. I comfort myself with the fact that Mom gets to sleep through the night every night now. And she doesn't have people dumping cereal everywhere, or playing in the toilet (except maybe the dog), or writing on the walls with markers, or spitting on the couch, or any of those other things I hate. And I seriously doubt she gets koolaid spilled on her feet on a regular basis any more. There is something to look forward to...
We were about to wander out to Boston, but moosebutter really preferred not to go for two and a half weeks, so now we're staying home and the guys are all flying out for the two weekends. This is a way I prefer--costs less, too, and we'll be travelling plenty later, hitting Utah for a month in November/December. So we're not putting Melody away yet.
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