Mary Virginia doesn’t approve of my day-to-day look. T-shirt, ponytail, no makeup, usually un-showered. She’s kind about it, but she wouldn’t mind seeing me put a little more effort in my appearance. Maybe a clean shirt from time to time, a swipe of lip gloss wouldn’t kill me. It’s fine, I don’t pick anything that
Mary Virginia, talking to herself while playing with a mound of freshly-picked Azalea blossoms: “Flowers are so wonderful! They tell us, ‘God is good! God is great! God loves us! … They’re also nice for weddings!”
Last month we took Mary Virginia to kindergarten registration. Everyone told me that the second kid would be easier, but it was exactly like last year with David. I was just as emotional, just as uneasy, just as feeling like I was holding my baby over a cliff (dangling her above the outstretched arms of
Occasionally Mary says things that raise my eyebrow. Things like, “I can’t play soccer because girls don’t play soccer.” Or. “I wish I could be a scientist, but I’m a GIRL.” I try to be redirect these comments and encourage her, and I try to not feel too bad. After all, I AM her main
I told myself I’d never straighten her hair, but today she needed some Mama time. I did her hair and listened as she talked about Pound Puppies, and I told her about my girlfriends in college who used to straighten and curl my hair. When I lifted her onto the counter, I didn’t notice that my compact
Now that David is in school all day, Mary Virginia and Thomas have no choice but to play together. They play really well, but they also fight. A lot. I’ve never actually kept track, but I feel pretty safe saying that the time they spend fighting outweighs the time that they play by at least
Early this fall I put flu shots at the tip top of our “things to do before baby” list. Not every member of our family was as motivated to cross off that particular task. I tried to explain the modern medical miracle of inoculation against a terrifying virus, but ultimately it was the promise of a
One day over lunch Mary Virginia and I were talking about how things were when I was a kid. I explained that we only had one phone and it was attached to the wall so we couldn’t take it into the yard or in the car. And the only thing it did was make phone calls. It
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have four kids ages six and under, this is exactly what it’s like: Don’t touch the baby. Leave the baby alone. Give her some space. Back up. Let her sleep. You can hold her in a minute. She’s eating right now. Don’t touch her eyes. Don’t touch her
Last weekend our family took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and went to the James River. The only word I can think of to describe Tom and I as we got out of the van is “laden.” We had three kids, plus water bottles and a picnic lunch for five people, two blankets, and