More

Wednesday got off to a rough start. I had an early doctors appointment that I was going to go to by myself, and then at 5am we thought maybe it would be better to take the kids so Andrew wouldn’t have problems getting to his morning class.  We realized twenty minutes before it was time to head out that there was at least six inches of snow outside, Nathan needed to be fed, and Emily was still asleep.  Needless to say I left by myself, later than planned, and drove veeeerrrry slowly all the way there as I passed a few accidents on the way.

The appointment took a lot longer than I planned.  I was hoping in the morning I wouldn’t need to wait as long as I did in the afternoon.  It took one and half hours instead of two and half hours past my scheduled time before it was my turn.  I gave Andrew the heads up there was no way I was going to make it back in time for his class and he bundled the kids up to take them to the neighbors (thank you!!!).

I wasn’t in great spirits when I showed up to pick up my kids who were gratefully having a good morning.  As we were walking home in the snow, talking about how beautiful and sparkling it was with the sun shining and the flakes still falling, Emily face planted.  A serious nose first then forehead slam on the cement.  I was holding sleeping Nathan in a thin blanket in a very bitter wind so all I could do was grab Emily by the arm and walk her home as she bawled.

We got inside, I set a now awake and crying Nathan on the couch, and assessed the damage on Emily which included a decent amount of blood and a goose egg forming on her forehead.  It was a moment of chaos, so I told Emily I was going to say a prayer and began talking, asking for help.  I’ve started making praying admits the chaos a habit, which usually includes two crying children, and it clears my minds, brings peace, and helps me prioritize what to do next.

When I said “Amen.” Emily said, “More.”  I was cleaning her up by this point and so I clarified. “More what? Prayer?” Yes came the reply.  I was surprised, and shoudln’t have been, that she found comfort in praying. I continued while I gathered a stack of books, plopped a still crying Emily on the couch next to a still crying Nathan so I could read to her while I fed him.  It was a beautiful moment, the three of us sitting there reading books, reaching the calm after a quick storm.

Today was a much better day all around. After nap time we popped popcorn together and pulled out Blokus.  This time we sorted all the colors out by shape, finding their matches.  Emily is really good at matching things right now, and it always amazes me that she doesn’t need help.  When she saw I was snapping a picture she stood up and then took a turn hitting the button for quick selfie. She also spent a lot of time skateboarding around the living room. Sometimes it was a skateboard, sometimes it was a car driving to her friend’s house, sometimes an airplane flying to her friend’s house, and sometimes a spaceship heading to the moon. I was invited for a some of the trips, and other times she told me she was leaving and would see me later. I really enjoy the fun that Emily brings into our home.