The Boy

There is a boy in the mix now.  Bella met him at Jesus Camp.  He is also a twin,  No I'm not making this up.  Yes, we should have our own TV show.

And so, I got to meet this boy, who shall remain nameless, (because quite honestly, if my OWN kid finds out I'm telling you all of this, she'll KILL me, so I can't throw the boy under the bus too...just my own offspring).

Here is one thing you should know about our family: if you date one Walsh girl, you are basically committing to dating the entire clan, our tribe, yep...all 7 of us.

Case in point: when the boy arrived, and rang the door bell, Cosette dropped her Calico Critter hedgehog family, and came hauling out of her room like a freight train, to unbolt the locked door, while screaming at the top of her lungs, "HE'S HEEEERRRRRE BELLA!!!"

Yeah, we're super low key like that.

As Charlotte and Cosette wrestled each other to be the first to welcome him in, Abby strolled into the living room slowly, protectively, like a predator, to claim her spot on the couch, and simply watch all of this chaos unfold.

Meanwhile, Tom, who had parked himself at the kitchen table pretending to fix something, says to me, "What are we going to do about this kid?" , like it's a Math problem that we need to solve.   And I say, "Um, let him in?  Like, we're not burying bodies, or anything.  At least, not yet.  But if we ever need to do that, I have some excellent hiding places."

 I almost wish I would have had a Go Pro camera attached to my head to record exactly how visibly nervous the boy was, as he politely, but firmly shook my hand.  From the smirk on Abby's face, I observed that his trembling fear, satisfied her completely.

In fact, not long ago, Abby, Bella and the boy went to a movie.  And where do you think Abby sat?  Right smack dab in between the love birds.  Because she's awesome like that.

There have been lots of "firsts" lately.  Like Ms. Emma, who has earned nothing but straight A's her entire life, (yes, she's mine, but I'm not sure how), failing her first Geometry test in High School.  Poor Em.  She was absolutely beside herself.  Bawling, sobbing, shaking from side to side.  I walked into her room, knowing I needed remain calm, and inquired hopefully, "Have you emailed the teacher?"

"Yesss," snort, sniff, long whine, snot, "But" (GASP), "I haven't" (ANOTHER GASP), "heard" (COMING UP FOR AIR),  "back yet." More wailing.  Followed by yet more crying.  Tears and snot combined to make a slimy river, running down her face.

See, here's the thing, when my daughter is losing her shit over a test she just bombed, I am thinking, "Welcome to my world of not straight A's, sister!  Build a bridge, friend.  Put on your big girl panties.  Learn from this."

 I know, I'm a horrible person.  But I'm being honest.  I truly suck in this department.

So I offered, "Great job advocating for yourself," and then slowly, but deliberately removed myself from the Black Hole of Sorrow, and proceeded to pour myself a drink.  Peace out, Girl Scout.

Don't judge.  But instead, join me in my excellent decision making.

Which is exactly what Tom did: joined me on the couch with his drink.  Because this is what couples do at the end of a long day with kids.  We hobble to the couch, talk about our day, while having a drink.  It's like a ritual: similar to working out, eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, or making time for prayer and meditation.  Except with alcohol.

But because of Emma's impending whining, we couldn't hear each other.  And this was making us both want another drink.  As if on cue, Abby came wafting into the living room, to inquire why her sister was on another planet.

It was then Tom made a request, "Abby, can you please go handle that?" pointing in the direction of Raging River.  See, what I did just there?  Just like the Native Americans, I named my kid to match her behavior.  Like, I wonder what my Native American name would be...Lady With Big Mouth Too Many Kids.

And so like a first born, who is also a Boss Lady, Abby vanished to go deal with her blotchy faced, red eyed sister, who was convinced her life had taken a turn for the worst.

Tom and I heard Abby's voice rise and fall, like the wind during a storm, but also noticed Emma's crying ceased.  And after about 15 minutes, Abigail confidently rolled into the living room, faced us on the couch triumphantly , hands on her hips, and asked, "Did you even hear what I said in there?!  I KILLED it. And by the way, you're welcome."  She then disappeared into her room to retire for the evening.

Another "first" is that Cosette is now walking home from school with friends.  She even got hit by a car near our house, while crossing Lincoln at the light her first day.  Yep, that ADD is a real thing.

Maybe "hit" is too strong of a verb.  Tapped by a car?  But here's the deal: THE KID NEEDS TO LOOK BOTH WAYS, MAKE EYE CONTACT, AND THEN PROCEED,   I'm relieved she wasn't actually hurt, and glad that it happened the first day.  Lesson learned.   I'm like, SEE?! You can get HIT/TAPPED by a CAR, when you don't LOOK, and aren't paying ATTENTION.  I was RIGHT (about one thing).

I bet by the time Charlotte is old enough to walk home, she'll just hitch hike.  I will be so elderly, and exhausted by that point in my life, I'll just be glad she made it, and ask her to fetch me a Protein replacement shake from the kitchen.

But for now, there is a tribe of 3 Littles that stroll home with me: Charlotte, and two neighborhood sisters, Leslie and Sammy.  I leash the beast, and Bo greets the girls outside the school gate with his kidney bean dance.  As they run, their happiness is clearly tangible. All three Little's snuggle their faces in his mane, and give hugs and kisses. Tell him he's a good boy.

The girls devour their half eaten lunches, while we amble the mile and a half  back towards home.  Leslie, who's backpack is bigger than she is, walks Bo, while keeping him on a short leash, letting him know who's boss.  Along our path, we must stop to look at the chickens through the chain link fence near WGHS.  Sometimes, we talk to them.  We then make yet another stop to pet Kody, my friend's dog.  And while the girls are giving Kody loving pets through the gate, Bo is on the prowl for the cat who resides here, so he can essentially, eat her.  But Leslie's got it under control.

Right next door to Kody's house, we check out a neighbor's rather elaborate fairy garden she has set up in her front yard.  It has multiple bridges, that cross a river, as dragons and fairies look on from where they are perched.

 This is on the daily.

 I feel like parenting this beautiful combination of "being in the moment" with my children, and grieving that the moment has passed by.  It's fleeting.

Like being enchanted with fairies.  Or walking home for the first time from school. Or having your first boyfriend.  Gone.

And I came to this realization: the time that I spend with my daughters creating memories, reminds me of how I felt with my Mom when she and I were blessed enough to spend time together the last two years of her life.

And I don't want it to ever stop. 

I miss my Foxy Mom.  I miss my friend who would listen to me without fear of judgement or shame.  I miss doing her hair and painting her nails.  Most of all, I miss laughing with her.

There are so many times, I just want to call her up, and say, "Oh my gosh Mom, guess what happened today?!  Cozy got hit by a car!  But she's okay Mom!  And Bella is interested in a boy.  But Abby is on Security Patrol with that situation.  Oh and Mom, Charlotte still believes in fairies."

 And it's then I sense her presence...I see you, Michelle.  I'm right here.  Believe me, I wouldn't miss any of this.  And in case I forgot to tell you, I am so proud of you.