Riding the Waves With St. Nicholas

Another snow pic from last weekend...
First a note for Farmer Keith (who commented on the Jasper hat situation) - you inspired me to actually play Liza Minelli for Jasper and he did indeed like it - both kids did. And, you're right, why wouldn't they?
The past two days have been better days. Perhaps it helped that the sun came out and the kids and I were outside a lot in the afternoon. Mom also blissfully babysat Jasper while I went to the gym. Jasper is reluctant to go to the gym daycare these days, to the point that I haven't been taking him. (His refrain is clear: "I don't want to go to gym.") And the environment there doesn't seem quite loving or attentive enough to me, less so than when I started. I'm afraid the little guy is used to lots of love and attention. Maybe I'll try walking on the days it isn't too rainy... We'll see how much tolerance J. has for that...

I do realize I don't write as much about Lucy. She is generally too complicated for me to write about easily. Stay tuned for the photo download, but the child can actually walk up walls - well, in the doorway that is. She walks all the way up 'til her head is at ceiling. Then I come and get her to bring her back to Earth - which is what it seems like I'm figuratively doing frequently - bringing out of her play or her dreamworld to tend to the details of eating, dressing etc. She is five and a half plus and quite capable in many ways, but she still is also so very childlike and dreamy and innocent.

I cherish her littleness that is still there but that I can see is transforming into something else. The moments she'll allow me to hold her or when she rests her head on my shoulder while we're reading, or when we snuggle before sleep feel extra super precious. We were reading a book today and they talked about galoshes. She asked, "What is a galosh?" And then I realize how much she knows. She rarely has to ask me what a word means.

Oh, and the children had their first visit from St. Nicholas yesterday. He had come and put Newman's Own Peanut Butter cups in their shoes. Lucy was utterly convinced and when asked how he'd gotten inside she said assuredly, he has magic keys of course. And the joy they got from a simple candy unwrapped in a shoe seemed every bit as big as what they'd feel with a big pile of gifts. Perhaps best of all, we didn't have multiple bags full of wrapping paper garbage to take out later...