So I got to spend a large chunk of the weekend by myself with the girls. This used to cause me some stress, as it meant, among other things, that P would be going without nursing, which had the potential to be difficult. And managing all of them and their needs could be a real challenge, especially when they are used to spending days with Mommy. We still usually have some transition issues, but they are manageable. They are finally getting to the age where they have outgrown some difficult behaviors, and having them by myself can often be a real pleasure. Such was the case this weekend, when we had some good activities to go to, and a beautiful weekend in which to enjoy them.
Saturday brought a visit to UMass to join D and JD for JD's lacrosse games. It is sort of a wild zoo of lacrosse games as teams from all over the region converge and play multiple 20 minute "short games," followed by an hour break. Even though we only had time for one, it was fun, and H of course now wants to try lacrosse. We had a birthday party at a neighbor's house following that, which took us into the afternoon. The girls allowed me to get in a quick 15 minute power nap, which is something that I could not have done a year or two ago. They were also able to occupy themselves quite well while I mowed the lawn, with only the occasional squabble breaking out. I then took them to dinner at the Hangar, which until recently was a place they didn't want to go. We ordered way too much food, and had a great time stuffing ourselves.
S came home Saturday night, but had to go back to her meeting on Sunday. So we hung out around the house, cooking breakfast and reading the paper. The girls did some playing outside, and we decided to wait for S to come home, and she would take them to UMass for the E=FAC(2) festival going on there. But since S had a Monday deadline, I decided to take them instead, which was a lot of fun. Physics games and toys, including an "Earth Harp" - very cool! We had ice cream from Herrell's Magic Bus, and sat on top, which the girls have always wanted to do. Then we ran a couple of errands, including the garden store for some top soil to repair the lawn, and kind of lost track of time. We realized that we needed to get home so the girls could make it to swim practice at the Y. P stayed home with me, which is what got me writing this post to begin with.
She has almost always been my buddy to the point that we began calling her my sidekick when she was about 1. That intensity waned for a while, but seems to be back now. She skips around and dances and sings about how she loves her Daddy, and often chooses to spend time with me as she did last evening. She was quiet enough and played by herself such that I was able to get in another 15-minute power nap (2 in a weekend - wow!). Then I was ready to do some planting in the garden as I had some onion seedlings from a neighbor to get in the ground. She didn't come out immediately, as she was busy drawing - if I remember she had drawn a sun with a tent in it (interesting in and of itself, but clearly a hint/sign that we need to do some camping!). But she did eventually come out and help put some seedlings in the ground, which she enjoyed quite a bit. She had been saying that what she really likes to do is pull weeds, but since there aren't any in the freshly tilled garden, she hasn't been able to do it.
I just have this image stuck in my mind (not in a picture unfortunately - need to take more) of her little hands putting the small onion seedlings in the hole and pushing dirt around them so they stand up. The metaphor of my little "seedling" planting seedlings is irresistable. It was just a really special moment that we shared together (holy Hallmark Batman!), and one that I think could stick with her. I want to make sure it sticks with me by blogging it, 'cause my memory ain't what it used to be!
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