Chuck D & Mr. T

I love hearing the kids run around the house laughing and screaming and having fun. It soothes me and makes me smile. Add their friends to the mix and its blissful.

What requires more concentration and patience-skiing with a five year old or baking with 6 children 5 and under? Both are fun.

Yesterday Charlie got to hold his friend Hero’s new baby brother. He was so proud. I love that he loves babies and is so good with them.

Tonight we took the littles to the Georgetown Club for movie night with dinner and s’mores. They had so much fun.

Back to the Story about owning McDonalds.

Monday I took Charlie and Teddy skiing. Teddy took a lesson and I skied with Charlie and it changed us. I love skiing and I love doing a sport with Charlie. We both had so much fun and in having to talk him through difficulty (if he didn’t do it perfectly he’d get frustrated at first) we both understood each other a little more I think. And it made me realize my strength in coaching him safely down a mountain so he could have fun without hurting himself. I took him back on Wednesday for a day skiing with just the two of us. It was heaven. Being outside with him was so much fun. Having him follow me down the trails felt so naturally perfect- he was my little duck right behind me. Then I would follow him, though skiing ahead to block him if I though he was going to fast. We cross crossed and he would lead me all over. Snuggling on the lift with him chatting about the trees below and what we saw in the sky (he and teddy like us to talk about the shapes we see in clouds-elephant is a popular one). We took a lesson from the coolest 70 year old woman who skis and snowboards daily. She was totally inspiring and the perfect combination of maternal gentleness and no nonesense toughness.
Charlie is so hilarious and made me laugh so hard- he told me jokes and we had a great conversation about what it would be like he owned a McDonalds.
Charlie begged me to take him on tougher trails- I did. At the top of this high mountain he asked “I’m a little afraid- are you afraid?” I said “A little because I don’t know what this trail is like. But overcoming that and not being afraid is part of the fun of this and I am not too afraid because I know we can get down this mountain together.”
It was so fast and we wiped out and I had moments of nervousness when he cried about bot being able to get up and Would say “i cant do it” but we were alone and i had to get us down the mountain and promised gum
If he would get up and do it and we made it down and at the bottom i was relieved and he begged to do it again. The teacher couldn’t believe he went down this. The best part was that he had fun and could be proud of his own ability and accomplishment and wants to go back.

I heard Charlie reciting this story to himself as he walked up the stairs…

“Chapter 1: Mommy poops on the floor. Chapter 2: Mommy poops then drops her baby. Chapter 3: Mommy puts her baby in the poop. Chapter 4: Mommy puts her baby in a skunk’s but and there is poop up in there. Chapter 5: Mommy leaves the baby in a junkyard with the skunk who is also in the junkyard. The end.”

Has the nicest Valentines Day. Being woken up by Charlie excitedly exclaiming “Today is valentines day! I’m going to tell you I love you!!”, heart shaped cinnamon toast and valentine cards made by each of us at breakfast, parties at Blue Igloo and Charlies Explorer class (he made a chocolate heart shaped cakes. Teddy cracked the eggs and did a surprisingly good job for a 3 year Old), hearts painted by Teddy for his class, Flowers from MJ, and a dinner party here with Rachel, Skip, Lely, Alec, Jenny and Peter and baby Nora. So much love.

She is called by Scottie
“De le la” and Nelly “De le le le le le la”.
They say it all day long.

Charlie “Open your door and let me in”
ALB “I am on my exercise bike but will open when I’m done”
Charlie “I’m going to count to 10 and if you don’t let me in by then I will not go hiking with you. “