Reentry

-
I'm sure you know how it goes...

"MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY!!!!! Mommy's Back!!!! I missed you!!!...

What'd you bring me?"

We were still standing on wobbly sea legs when the girls demanded their gifts from abroad. We were prepared, but barely.

See, before we leave our daughters, we ask what they'd like for us to bring them. This is a good strategy for a few reasons. One: it gives us direction as we scour gift shops. Or, it keeps us from having to scour gift shops because we can just reach for the first candy/coloring book/art project/(but it's always candy) that we see. Two: It gives the girls something to look forward to about our return. Let's face it...mom & dad are no grandparents. But mom & dad with gifts - that's something to anticipate.

There's one more reason that asking for suggestions is a good plan: The suggestions can be pretty darn funny. Por ejemplo, from this cruise, Eden requested "a picture of a ship" so that she could draw and color herself on it. Passive agressive, or just wishful thinking? Of course, she also requested Mexican candy. From Mexico.

Well, this time, we struck out on their requests. We decided that our kids didn't need any overpriced cruise line logowear, or a $12 box of candy that they wouldn't eat, or any unidentified lollies from a shady "farmacia" in Mexico. There were no coloring books or bath toys to be found. The "Cruise Barbie" was interesting, but we knew she'd head straight for the Barbie drawer - soon to find her body naked and her hair matted.

What we did come home with were two frequent-cruiser free hats that would never see the tops of our own heads and two precious, beautifully embroidered shirts purchased in a Mexican market.

I'd already broken the news to Eden that I couldn't find a picture of the ship for her to color (yes, she asked where it was), and that the candy selection was terrible. But I assured them both that they would love what we'd picked out for them.

So when it was time for the big reveal, Matt handed over the hats to their mild amusement. They politely acted excited about the hats being "from the big ship", but clearly they were waiting for the Big Show. I produced the tops with a little exaggeration ("It's just like what the Mexican girls wear!!") and they were thrilled. Chloe stripped immediately and put hers on.

Eden's won't go over her head.

After a few minutes of stretching, wiggling, forcing, she stepped away, put the hat on and said,

"It's okay. The hat's enough."

Man, I love that kid.

Comments

Loren Eaton said…
"It's okay. The hat's enough."

Gold ...
March 25, 2009 at 8:13 AM
Mary @ Giving Up On Perfect said…
Awwww...such a sweet girl! How WAS the trip?
March 25, 2009 at 9:15 PM
Brenda said…
Funny story! It's sad that the top doesn't fit, but what a good sport she is. Hope you and Matt had a fun time.
March 27, 2009 at 1:25 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Gospel According to Daddy Warbucks

-
Image
Hooooow many times have I seen Annie? It must be a number in the hundreds. Add to that the number of times I've listened to or sung the music, seen the play...and, oh, yeah - there was that time I DIRECTED THE SHOW IN HIGH SCHOOL. Well, technically that was the sequel, but still, I was immersed in the story for like 4 straight months. So imagine my surprise when tonight, I'm just sitting here, minding my own business, being mom of the year by ordering pizza, cuddling up with the girls and having an Annie-watching pajama party - singing along with every single number and... what? Tears? What the...? Tonight, I saw a completely different story. See, there's this girl. An orphan. Let's call her...Annie. She's a pretty good kid, looks out for others, sings very sweetly. She's living in hell, but it's all she's ever known. She can imagine something better - she just doesn't know how to find it. She makes a couple of attempts at escape, but finds tha
Read more

A Baptism Story

-
Image
I rolled over and looked at the clock. I expected it to be somewhere in the late 7s or early 8s...giving me plenty of time for a leisurely shower, a big cup of coffee and the Sunday circulars before heading to church. Almost eight years ago we joined the church we still attend, and this past Sunday marked the end of a chapter there. Even though my family was out of town and I had kind of a free pass to skip, I didn't want to miss the last Sunday we'd have there with our friends, who had served as beloved youth pastor (and beloved youth pastor's wife) since joining the church on that same Sunday, almost eight years ago. We'll see them again. A lot. So it wasn't so much that I felt like I couldn't miss being in the same building with them, although there was a twinge of that. It was baptism Sunday. I didn't want to miss the last baptisms he'd be performing up there. Eight years ago, I chose to be baptized at our church. I'd been sprinkled after c
Read more

Where is Mister Rogers When You Need Him?

-
Image
It has been said that I am easily amused. Little things fascinate me. I like to know how things work. I like factory tours and behind-the-scenes stuff and those specials on Discovery Channel. I was definitely brought up this way: I remember my brother telling me about a conversation he'd recently had about "Jet Puffed Marshmallows." Topics covered were: What does "Jet-Puffed" mean? How big-a-jet are we talkin? What keeps the marshmallows from exploding when "jet puffed"? Several weeks ago, the girls and I caught an episode of the rarely aired Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In that one episode, the inimitable Mr. R shed light on two very interesting processes when he visited a sleeping bag factory and a dollmaker's workshop. Have you ever thought about how a sleeping bag is assembled? Me neither, but now I know, and I am a better person for it. So here are a few jobs I would like to shadow for a day (or watch Mister Rogers shadow them), because ev
Read more