Some Sweet Experiences

I didn't go to my book club meeting Tuesday night.  *GASP!*  Did you hear what I just said?! I NEVER skip book club. I think Gerald experienced some minor shock when I told him I wasn't going.  I love my book club. It's my favorite outlet.  The women in this group have become some of my very best friends, and I really look forward to the conversations we have at book club. (By the way, YES, we really do discuss the books! Amongst other things...) And we only get together (for book club) once a month. So, I usually do everything I can to not miss book club.  

I was still feeling sick with a head cold, but usually something like that still wouldn't prevent me from showing up.  But this past week Gerald had been gone from Saturday morning until late Monday night; then he got up and went to work on Tuesday. So, when book club came around on Tuesday night, I decided to stay home.  At bedtime, Gerald and Katelee and I all cuddled up in our bed to read bedtime stories, as is our nightly routine (though usually Gerald does this more than I do).  Gerald read the stories aloud, and Katelee held my hand as she lay on her side snuggled next to me.  It was heavenly.  Somewhere between "The Paperbag Princess" and "The Little Engine that Could" I decided that staying home had definitely been the right decision.  I am grateful for little moments like this that help remind me of what my greatest treasures are.  Don't worry, though, book club friends.  I'll definitely be there next month! 

Another tender moment I had with Katelee recently was our 'girl's date night!'  As I've mentioned, Gerald was out of town over the weekend, and we didn't go along because we were feeling sick.  All I wanted to do was lie (lay?) around and read my book all weekend, but I knew that Katelee wouldn't be thrilled with that idea.  So, I thought of a way to better get my rest AND make it fun!  I told Katelee that we were going on a date, which made her SO excited. (Have you ever noticed that with kids you only have to CALL it something different and more exciting for it to actually BE different and exciting.  Brilliant!)  We went to Wal-Mart and bought a treat. Then we stopped at Hollywood Video and Katelee chose a few movies to rent. (I don't think she's ever been inside a video rental place before - it was a little overwhelming for her! She wanted every movie in the place; and was upset when I made her settle for only three.) Then we went through the Wendy's drive-up window and ordered dinner. Ah, what a date! I really had fun picking out movies and treats with Katelee, despite my head cold.  Katelee was thrilled with her chicken nuggets, M&M's, and "Little Mermaid" movie. And I didn't have to make dinner. Or get off the couch for the rest of the evening. Very nice.   

Here is Katelee getting ready to leave on our 'date night!'

Also, on Sunday we were too sick to go to church.  So, throughout the day when Katelee was getting stir-crazy and bored we played some board games. We played Candy Land twice, Memory (sort-of), Mancala (which with Katelee basically means count the beads over and over again), and Hungry, Hungry Hippos about 300 million times. And yes, it was fun! There were occasional times when my head was pounding and I was thinking, "Please! I cannot handle the noise of hungry hippos anymore! Just let me go lie down!" But I didn't say that. Well, at least not EVERY time I thought it. Instead, we usually played 'one more time.' (Which, by the way, I've discovered does NOT mean in pre-school language what it means in adult language. 'One more time' means 'indefinitely' or 'until Katelee is ready to quit.' Who knew?)

Then this morning Katelee's head cold was really bothering her.  So when she first woke up she let me hold her for about 10 minutes.  If you know anything about Katelee, you know that that must be some sort of life-time record for her.  She hardly ever lets me just hold her; she always wants to get down and run or jump or play with something.  Usually she gives me a nice good-morning hug and then starts the day running.  This morning, however, as I stood next to her bed and gave her her morning hug, she didn't ask to get down and so I held her tight and enjoyed it with all my heart.  After awhile my back started to hurt from holding that great big girl while standing for so long, but I didn't want to ruin the moment by adjusting her weight, so I just stayed still until she was finally ready to go downstairs.  Little moments like these make motherhood so worth it.