Mostly Complimentary

As she watched me peel an orange this evening, Gwen commented that she though I was talented. I asked her what she thought my talents are, ready for anything.  Want to guess what she said?

Changing diapers was her first and quick response... odd, since we have had no one in our house wearing diapers since she was a toddler, aside from the occasional Baobei baby, and I may have changed only half a dozen in her sight in the last year.  I do have experience in this area, but I'm not thinking I would claim it if I were listing my talents. Next on the list was peeling oranges with a knife, point well taken as that is something she cannot do yet herself.  Third- washing dishes.  Glad she approves of my skills in this area.  My fourth talent she noted as singing.  That made me smile.  I have sung many little ditties around the house in these child rearing years, a habit my mother passed firmly down to me.  Any little thing can be a song, right?  This week Gwen and I have been singing the names of the 13 original American colonies, to the tune of "Yankee Doodle".  Guess that counts as talented singing.

My last talent on Gwen's short list was "pretty-ness."  I'll take that one.  :-)

A New Normal

We stopped at Valpo for a quick visit with Caleb on our trip to Cleveland for Labor Day.  I love this photo of our kids together in his dorm room, the girls both looking at Caleb, Trigger in his lap, listening intently to him while Seth bumps a basketball, volleyball style.  A little slice of our new normal.

At first I missed Caleb so much.  Every little thing reminded me of him.  The juice bottle in the refrigerator never seemed to get empty without him home to drink it and the cereal wasn't being eaten at 10:30 at night anymore.  We felt his absence in so many ways.   Our house, with five of us in it, seemed like it had so many fewer people in it than when we were Six.  I decided that three kids was far less than four had been.

But now we are in a rhythm without him.  I hate to even write that, but it seems to be true.  Perhaps it helps that these schools this year and the routines we are in are all new to us, we haven't had Caleb with us in this season before and so we can carry on as if missing this person were no big deal.

I have more thoughts about sending this boy off on his own... but they will come later.  :-)