Two Years

A lot can happen, or not happen, in two years.  You can realize two years after moving into your house that you still haven’t finished putting up pictures and paintings or cleared out what’s still in storage.  You can go from being a new stay-at-home mom, worried that you made the right choice to stop working outside the home, to knowing that home is exactly where you need to be.  You can discover that your grandmother needs more help than you thought, become her legal guardian to get her in a safer place, and learn more about Medicaid than you ever thought you’d need to know.  You can watch your first baby move from preschool to Kindergarten to first grade and wonder how she got so big.  You can watch your second baby who can barely talk become a preschooler who knows her alphabet and can add.  You can become pregnant and have another baby, and remember that you had forgotten how crazy life with a newborn is.  You can gain immense additional respect for your husband as you watch how he deals with rough situations in his life and how he loves your kids.

 

Over two years you can be bent to the point of cracking several times, and by the grace of God and the love of family and friends you will be saved from breaking.

 

Two years ago today I had to do the two hardest things I’ve ever done in my life: help Mom decide to turn off the machines, and tell my grandmother that her son was dead.  Two years ago today I realized that I can be strong enough to handle more than I ever thought possible, and that if I falter I have people supporting me who will never let me fall.

 

I know you’re watching, Dad, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the show for the last two years.  Comedy, tragedy, and everyday drama, we’ve had it all.  I don’t think it ever occurred to me that I’d be doing this without you there talking to me, laughing with me, laughing at me, giving me advice (requested or not), or just annoying me.  But I am doing it, I am living this life, and I can’t wait to talk to you about it all when I see you again.

 

Sidney "Mack" Tate

May 10, 1949 - October 25, 2010

A Rainbow Pirate Ship

Lizzie's birthday is coming up in November, and in an effort not to get too far behind because we are focusing on Halloween at present, I decided to go ahead and ask her what she wants.  Here is how the conversation went:

Me: Lizzie, what would you like for your birthday?
Lizzie: A boat
Me: A boat?  What kind of boat?
Lizzie: One that floats in the bathtub, and is thiiiiiis big [holds her arms out wide].
Me: Will that fit in the tub?
Lizzie: Sure.  It will just go like "whoop" [moves one hand in an arc motion] and it will fit.
Me: So, what should this boat look like?
Lizzie: Well, it should turn rainbow colors when you put it in water.  Oh, and it should be a pirate ship.  And it should have a driver.  And mates.
Me: Mates?
Lizzie: [looking at me as if I'm stupid] You can't have a pirate ship without mates.
Me: Oooookay.  Is there anything else you'd like?
Lizzie: A stuffed animal house.  It should have pictures of bears on the walls and have windows just this big [holding the tips of her fingers about an inch apart].  And it should be tall, like this [holding her hands above her head].
Me: Where would you put it?
Lizzie: In my room.
Me: Where in your room?  I don't think there's space for something that big.
Lizzie: The middle of the floor.
Me: Alrighty then.  Anything else?
Lizzie: Yes. A stuffed car.

So there you have it, folks.  Lizzie's wish list.  I'm sure I can find a pirate ship that changes colors in water somewhere on the internets :)