February 24, 2011

       I should have known the virus the little ones had last week would catch up with my oldest on our first week of "normal."  She stayed home with a fever and sore throat yesterday two days in a row.  I could see it in her eyes by late afternoon she was feeling better.  She relished the quiet while her sister slept and brother was still at school.  She emptied her backpack of some of her stuffed animals and created her make believe world and played.       I loved being a visitor, eating my lunch--watching her, listening to their conversations--her and her stuffed animals, that is.  At times I feel a bit robbed by her desire to play outside with her friends and ride bikes and scooters and create their make believe worlds apart from where I am.  I loved listening to the innocence of it, love that she isn't asking to see the Justuin Bieber movie, love that she still seems little--sometimes.  What a gift this afternoon with her was!
      We decided to bake fresh bread and I put her to work rolling the meatballs for albondigas soup for dinner.  She was a happy, little helper this afternoon.  We listened to piano music as we cooked and there was something about our afternoon that was so comforting.  It reminds me of the days my Mom was on maternity leave with my little brother--I loved having her home in the afternoons, smelling new recipes she would whip up for dinner.  What a gift--teaching our daughters how to be wives and moms!