Accidentally on Purpose

Laura is fond of writing notes. They are always informative. Yesterday morning I found this:

So she wrote the note before leaving for the school bus, my tennis shoes on her feet. She had apparently realized her mistake, and paused to pen this apologia. What she did not do was change out of my shoes. This is classic Laura. She believes that a few well-chosen words can make up for just doing whatever the heck you want.

I wonder where she got that?

Hank is the same way. If I allude, however obliquely, to some wrong-doing of his, he says, "But that is in the past and we don't have to worry about it, RIGHT?"

Even better is that she wrote that note on one of her monogrammed gift-insert cards. Where did she have to go in the house to find those?

When she came home, I just thanked her for having left a note, as I had had tennis practice that morning and I would have worn myself out looking for the proper shoes instead of just sighing and putting on my running shoes.

Since Monday night, it's just been Laura and Matt and me at home. Hank stayed in the mountains to play with the Australian cousins. Here are some things about that:

Parenting one child is crazy easy. Especially if that child is a ten year-old, maybe even more if that child is Laura. Seriously, I feel like my work is done with her and I could just go get a froyo.

At night, instead of having an elaborate bedtime ritual that includes exhortations to brush teeth and my lying down in Hank's room, we say, "It's bedtime, goodnight Laura." Then, in the morning, she gets herself up, dresses, eats breakfast, and goes to the bus stop.

Not having to do preschool drop off and pickup for a couple of days has given me loads of extra time. I've composed a symphony. Okay, not true. But I did have lunch with Normal Neighbor yesterday. I think if I had never had Hank, I would probably be accepting the Nobel Prize in Literature soon. But I would not have nearly so many Legos, and I would not have benefited from Hank's wisdom these five years. Example: "Mom, sometimes when you ask a girl to marry you, it takes a long time for her to stop slapping you and say yes."

We are all three going back up to the mountains tonight, because--HURRAY--Dave and Katie are bringing my new nephew Gabriel down there from DC. I have never yet gotten to meet this baby guy. Their presence plus the Australians makes this something like a celestial event, not to be missed. It will be a hootenanny.

I hope you have something nice to look forward to this week. More later.
xo