The Things They Say

So, I just finished this really intense Child Development class. It made me think about my boys in new ways. It made me appreciate them too. It's been crazy around our house. I come home, eat, study and go to bed. There is very little time to spend quality time with the boys. But I still laugh and cry during their moments.

After a fairly rainy week, Zachary came home and asked, "You know that song, 'It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring'?"

"Yes," I reply, wondering where this was going.

"Well, number one, is that a true story?" with his arms coming out to the sides flapping like a bird. "And number two, who is the 'old man'?" he asked with great animation.

"I don't know," I said laughing. I glanced at Jason and he shrugs his shoulder and says, "It's a good question!"
_____________________________________________________________

Poor Karsten, he was missing me so much this past week and a half. With me studying non-stop and having no time for a life, it was really getting to him. Karsten tends to be more emotional about things. Last night, he couldn't sleep because he said, "When I lay down at night, my brain starts missing you."

"It seems like you feel like we don't get to spend enough time together," I said empathizing with him.

Karsten blinked really hard and his bottom lip stuck out. "I love you mom and I miss you," he said as his lips quivered and he wiped his eyes. I realized that for the first time, I felt the pressure and guilt of being so busy with school. It was really confronting me. But I knew that this week and a half would be short-lived.

"What are you doing when we are at Kidstop?" It was a questioning tone that begged, "What are we doing apart all day?" When I told him that dad was at work and I was at school and sometimes at work, he whined asking when we could spend time together. We made plans to get ice-cream, go to a movie and do some bowling. That seemed to appease him. It was reassuring to him and to me that we wouldn't be seeing so little of each other forever.
__________________________________________________________
For the most part, Zachary is a wonderful big brother. He is protective and thoughtful. Other times, he can be a typical brother. He can antagonize and irritate. But the other night he said something, that I can't decide if it was a creative insult or just mean!

Zachary has some allergies. But when Karsten was annoying him, he said, "I'm allergic to you!"

Karsten, not being deterred by such a comment, simply ran up to him and squeezed him hard and said, "No you're not! See!"
_________________________________________________________
We have all sorts of seasons in life. This one was busy. We made it mostly unscathed. But this week and a half reminded me, too much busyness can get to all of us. We need time with our family. We need time to spend with little people in our lives who's brain misses us when they try to sleep. It's good to be reminded that we can slow down. It's good when you have kids who can tell you that.