February is Gone?

Well, this month has passed by quickly. I didn't blog as much as I wanted. I am just busy.

We are in school, running wide open. Due to a lack of snow, we have not had any more snow days off. Lord, don't we need a break. I try to do housework on the weekends, but it is basketball season. So we have games on Saturday. And yesterday, along with that, was the father-daughter dance. Dave and Emma had a great time. I got to have a good date with Tripp, as well.

Eli's birthday is Tuesday. He will be sixteen. It is hard to believe I have been a mom for 16 years. Since he does not have his permit, he will not be getting a license any time soon. We are going to throw together a sleepover for him next weekend.

Valentines Weekend.

I was gloriously suprised when Dave held his cell phone out to me late Friday night. When I looked, I didn't get it. Then I saw that he had reserved us a hotel room for Saturday night in Nashville. I was so happy.

Since it snowed, basketball for Saturday was cancelled, and so we were able to head out early. My brother took Eli and Tripp. Grandma took Emma. And we were off to a hotel. After a stop to Target, we were on our way. We were there by 3 p.m. and napped until 6:30. We are exciting, I know. :) Then, we roamed downtown and had a tasty dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

I completely enjoyed the adult conversation and hanging out with my favorite person. Thanks, Dave :)

boys.

My boy walks down the stairs, crying. I look up at him and I see his lips, pooched out at me, getting ready to tell me something that is so very important. He has big, sloppy tears that are running down his cheeks and clinging to his long curly eyelashes. As I look at him, I see a size five toddler body and a going on seven attitude. He is wearing his pajamas, the same pair he has worn for the past two years. He calls them "blue jeans". In fact, they are Spiderman boxer shorts. I would never tell him any different.

I go to him, pick him up, and cuddle him in my arms. He is unable to fall alseep, he says, and Emma will not talk to him anymore. Can he have a drink? Can he lay with me? It is a school night, I tell him. He needs his rest. So I hug and kiss him, and take this moment to go back up the stairs, just one more time, and tuck him in tightly. This, I tell him, is what he needs just to sleep right. The one thing that is forgotten is Tad, his frog that he has had since he was a small boy. That will do the trick. So we find Tad, and I hug and kiss them both. And my boy drifts off to sleep.

Not so long ago, my other boy was always looking for a reason to stay awake. Ninjas would fly to his window. He couldn't find the stuffed bear he called his "sleeping partner". Now, this boy has scraggly hairs that are popping out on his face. He has the body of a young man. But sometimes, he will still come down the stairs after he has said his final good night, and he will wrap his big, long arms around my neck, and he will kiss me just one more time. And sometimes, I will go up to his room, and I will sit on the edge of the bed as he sleeps and I will listen to him breathe. If I close my eyes tightly, I still see the little blonde haired boy with a huge smile that was waiting for ninjas, looking for the lost bear, and trying to find any excuse that he could to cuddle in between his dad and myself.

Time is so short. And this time has went by so fast.