Today I am the mother of four. (Actually, without pregnancy, increasing the number of children you have isn’t that bad. It definitely ratchets up the Mom-I-Need-You-Right-Now! factor, but as long as you are feeding and cleaning up after two, it may as well be four.) I volunteered to watch my friend’s two girls while she & her husband flew to California for a wedding. Josh thought it was such a great idea, he fled to New York for the weekend.☺ I just decided I wouldn’t try to accomplish anything other than playing with the girls and, consequently, we have had a great time. I wish I had a recording of all the cute conversations and imaginary games that have taken place. These two girls, Lucy and Sarah, are cut out of the same mold as Kate and Jane. We haven’t had a single quarrel, but the imagination meter has been off the charts. Several times this weekend I found myself just listening from the adjacent room with a smile on my face, wishing I could capture that moment. We have been Rapunzel, Indians, pirates, mountain climbers, artists, Spirit, Mickey Mouse, ballerinas, explorers, fairies--you name it!
Yesterday the sun was shining so the girls and I walked down to the Azalea garden. Two seconds after arriving the girls had their shoes off and were running, twirling, dancing, rolling, spinning, and exploring. They were darling! Irresistible in fact--even crusty old Philadelphians cracked a smile and paused for a few moments to watch. As Josh put it, “When these four girls are together they sparkle!”
In case two additional children wasn’t enough, we also have a new pet. Kate came downstairs earlier this week and told me, with Jane as her witness, that her little plastic frog “really moved.” It “hopped along her arm”, so she knew that “he had become a real frog.” I could tell that Kate’s almost five-year-old mind could not decide whether the frog was real or not. Jane, on the other hand, was completely sold. Kate knew the frog was plastic. She also knew it moved. And she really wanted it to become a real frog. She put out two tart shells, one filled with rice and the other with milk, in case the frog was hungry. When we came home later that day, the milk was gone! All doubt erased, Kate named the frog Sam and he became her beloved pet. It sleeps on the post of her bunk bed. It gets regular meals. It kept hopping away and getting lost, so now it has a leash.
Watching Kate become attached to and care for her little pet has been really cute. The nice thing about having a plastic pet is that I won’t have to flush it down the toilet when the novelty wears off.
Josh and the girls have a new game. It is definitely a dad game. They tie a rope to the railing and repel down the wall. I just cover my eyes. Kate thinks it is the greatest game ever. Jane is terrified but yields to the excitement and peer pressure. She does put a pillow from the couch on the floor before she starts. Josh and the girls have four rules of the game: 1) tie a good knot, 2) walk your hands, don’t slide them, 3) strong legs, 4) never repel with friends.
Josh went to an LDS MBA Conference in New York City this weekend. He said it was, “awesome.” That’s all the information I have so far, and I think that’s all I’m likely to get until dinner and the end of our fast.
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