Yuck.

Esther has had 0 accidents so far today. She even went poo in the toilet, as she reminded me, not on the toilet. Anyway, she was working on it while I was nursing Nathan before his nap. I could hear her playing with the costume jewelry ring that she had left on the counter in the bathroom. I called out to her that she had better put it on the counter or she might drop it in the toilet. She put it back, but within 30 seconds forgot what I’d told her. More fidgeting from Esther – then – kerplop! “Mommy!!” I quickly finished up with Nathan and put him down. Then I went to see what the damage was. The ring was sitting at the very back of that hole at the very bottom. If the toilet had just had the yellow stuff in it, I wouldn’t have hesitated. But it wasn’t….

So I did the only thing I could think of to do. I called my mommy!

After my mother regained her composure, (Growl… Though I guess she has every right to laugh as she has been there before. I remember I dropped a stuffed animal into the toilet when I was pretty young – in the middle of the night, no less!) she offered a helpful suggestion. How about using gloves? Why hadn’t I thought of that?

So I donned the plastic gloves, which Esther wanted to wear, tried very hard not to think about it, and got the ring out! After a very hot and long washing of hands and ring, Esther and I had a discussion about the danger of playing with toys while on the toilet.

Yuck. I do not ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever want to stick my hand in a full toilet again. Ever.

TRADITION!

Last night Daron and I were blessed with an opportunity to see a live performance of Fiddler on the Roof, part of the annual Dallas Summer Musicals event. The thing that made this show extremely special to us was that Topol, the actor who played Tevye in the 1971 movie, starred in this show! Aside from the movie, he has played the character hundreds of times onstage and this was part of his farewell tour. For a man in his early 70s, he has an amazing amount of energy and still has a fabulous singing voice.

The theater was packed; I don't recall seeing one empty seat. And as the curtain call began, the audience was poised on the edge of their seats, waiting for Topol to take his bow. When he came out, the theater rose, almost as one body, and clapped and hollered for a long time. He was so gracious - bowing to each section of the audience, and bringing out his co-stars for a final applause.

If you have never had the opportunity to watch the movie version of Fiddler on the Roof, I would highly recommend it. It is a remarkable, funny, and poignant story of family and faith.

Sink Me!

Esther is showing early signs of becoming a classical book snob like her mother! We like to listen to books on CD in the car. Generally, Esther and I take turns with our books. But I got into The Scarlet Pimpernel, which I hadn't read in years, and didn't want to give Esther her turn. To placate her, I tried to get her involved in the story by telling her basic points of the plot and having her watch for key phrases such as "Odd's fish!" and "Sink me!" Amazing how excited she'd get when she heard them!

After watching the Leslie Howard version of the movie, Esther was even more hooked. I knew she was really getting into it when she started quoting, "Odd's fish!" at random times throughout the day. Last night, she even held a stacking ring up to her eye and said in the most droll voice she could muster, "Sink me!"

But the icing on the cake came this afternoon at the grocery store. I was selecting some fish and had decided on the cod. Here was our conversation:

"Esther, should we buy some cod for dinner?"
"Cod?"
"Yeah, some cod fish sounds good."
"Odd's fish? Mommy! You remember odd's fish?"
[Me chuckling] "Yes, I remember. But this is cod fish, not odd's fish."
"No! That odd's fish!"

So there you have it, we had odd's fish for dinner and Esther is a big fan of The Scarlet Pimpernel! Huzzah!

Playtime!

The weather has been comparatively mild this year and Spring is lingering; a welcome change from the usual direct jump into the muggy heat of the Summer. Esther has been clamoring to wear her new swimsuit so we took advantage of the gorgeous sunshine and had some playtime outside.

Esther enjoyed spraying herself, the slide, the yard, and her brother with the hose. Nathan, on the other hand...none of the above. But he was sooo cute in his red swim trunks hanging down to his ankles!

These are the moments I love!

So Proud!

I just had to post Esther's first drawing of a person that actually (sort of) looks like a person! I'm so proud of her!

Power Tools

Some people get excited at the thought of powerful electrical tools in their hands - drilling a hole here, slicing a board there, stapling a project here. And some people may actually drool as they linger lovingly over a coveted tool while browsing their local home store.

Suffice it to say - I am NOT one of those people.

Generally, I avoid using power tools at all costs. They scare me. Especially the big saws and things that I imagine will break, spin off into the air and slice off my fingers and toes. You can imagine how much fun I had in my required shop class in middle school!

But mostly I just think I'll mess things up - drill a hole in the wrong place, cut the board too short and then have to go back to the store to get another one, power sand the vintage dresser too much and ruin the beautiful piece of furniture that's been in the family for years.

Unfortunately, when your husband is really busy and you really want to get the new curtains up in your room, but you really loathe the thought of using the drill... well, sometimes the desire to get the curtains up wins.

So I organized all my tools - hammer, screwdriver, pencil, measuring tape, level, curtain rods, and drill (shudder). I read and reread the directions. I spent nearly an hour measuring and remeasuring and using the level to make sure that the four holes were in the right spot.

Then I began to drill. Esther covered her ears and looked a little frightened. Yeah, I'd be afraid of Mommy with the drill, too. I realized part way into the wall that I'd hit a stud. (We actually don't have a stud finder and just get surprised. Hmmm... a Father's Day gift idea...) So I switched to the directions on how to put the bracket up when you drill into a stud. It worked and the first bracket went up pretty smoothly. Whewph! I congratulated myself for a job well done and went to tackle the next one.

I drilled the second hole and realized I'd again hit a stud. So I started to put the screw in and it stopped. Hey... No matter what I did, the stupid screw would not budge. Hey!!! So I pulled it out and tried the anchor method. I lightly tapped it in with the hammer and it bent. I tried three more. Three more anchors dropped uselessly to the floor. Then I tried a different kind of anchor. It wouldn't budge. It just made the hole bigger.

Then I made a fateful decision. I'd simply drill some more! And the hole got really big. Oops.

So I stopped.

I dropped everything where it was, left the room, and shut the door.

I think I'll ask Daron for help when he gets home.

Musings on Motherhood

I admit it. I get frustrated with my children. Yes, my sweet and chubby babies are often a cause for frantic tearing of hair and long pleading prayers for more patience and love. I often sit on the floor, exhausted from chasing after Nathan, giving Esther a time out for poking her brother in the eye, cleaning up the latest mess, trying to explain to the 911 operator that my ten month old had been playing with the phone, dozens of false alarm trips to the toilet, and little hands pawing at me while I try to simply send an email.

Then Nathan crawls towards me, laughing with his mouth wide open and his eyes eager as he climbs into my lap, then pulls himself up to standing and slobbers on my cheek. I kiss him back and he imitates kissing by smacking his lips together.

Esther, not to be left out, makes room for herself on my lap and strokes my cheek. “Don’t worry, Mommy.” I pull them close and hold them tightly, wondering how I could possibly get so upset when I’ve been so blessed. I think of the wonder that each of my children is, how my life would be so incomplete with their unique personalities, and the rare gift that being their mother truly is.

I love that Esther, at three years old, is already a great lover of books. She sits quietly and pours over her books, making up a new story if she hasn’t already memorized the book. We developed a tradition of me telling her a story right before naps and bedtime. She latches onto the characters I make up and we have story after story of her favorites. Then she wants to “nuggle” with me; so she scoots close, wraps her arms around me, and whispers softly, “I love you, Mommy.”

I love Nathan’s determined look and pursed lips and he stands on tippy-toe trying desperately to reach something he isn’t supposed to touch. When he finally gets it, he raises it with a grunt of triumph. I catch him at it; then he smiles and hands it to me, and is off to find more trouble.

I love to hear Esther sing. Her voice is airy and sweet, and a shy smile lights up her face when she knows that we’ve been listening to her singing to herself. She has us sing the same songs to her over and over again, all the while memorizing them.

I love that Nathan is too excited about everything to hold still. He is always going somewhere, usually with a toy shoved into his mouth as he crawls.

I love that Esther has so much of her Daddy in her. She has Daddy’s olive skin, his long toes, which she started to cross while she was still an infant, just like Daddy does. She is likes to sleep on her right side, just like Daddy. And she determined and smart – just like Daddy!

I love how Nathan gets all excited when he looks at himself in the mirror. He waves and says the sweetest “ahh,” which is his way of saying hi.

I love how Esther is so talented at making friends. Shy is not really in her nature. She can talk to anybody and is always interested in finding out more about people. .

I love that my children love each other. Though Esther constantly pushes over, sits upon, pokes, pulls, and otherwise pesters her little brother, her adoration of him shines through and I love to see it – the sweet stuff, that is. Nathan yells for his big sister whenever she leaves the room, and then follows her around. My absolute favorite thing is when Esther gets Nathan laughing so hard they can hardly breathe. Then she busts out with, “Mommy! We lapping together!”

More often, I need to pull them close and search their big eyes and kiss their chubby cheeks. More often, I need to tell them how much I love them. More often, I need to thank my Heavenly Father for such wonderful children. I am proud to be the mother of Esther and Nathan, two of the greatest blessings in my life!