Happy Daze

"Today the kids were listening to the story you recorded for Maddie's birthday last year when she turned three," my son told me over the phone.  Really?  I was so glad to hear the electronic storybook still worked!  It was such fun to do a read-aloud story to her and then see the video of her reaction when she heard it.  Now it is time for another birthday, and we plan to be there for this one!

Last night, big sister Anne-Marie, who is six, was reading aloud to me on Skype!  What a difference a year makes.  These youngest grandchildren of mine are growing up.  They have gotten a new refrigerator, and in eliciting conversation out of them, I asked about it and what they liked to eat.

"I can make my own peanut butter and jelly sandwich!" Anne-Marie said proudly, followed by another little off-camera voice chiming in, "And I can make a cheese and turkey sandwich!" Little women.  It is so amusing (and sometimes disconcerting) to me when I see traits in them that remind me of myself.

For instance, their father related to me that recently when placing a food order, he had given his name as "Ben" for the sake of brevity.  Maddie heard him and said, "You told them your name was Ben!  Your name is not Ben!  It is Benjamin Todd!  You lied to them!" She is a stickler for telling it like it is!  (Maybe it's a woman thing!)

I told my grandchildren Beth and Kate,  who live here, that Pa-Pa would watch them yesterday when they got home from school, because I had to have a nap (he had already had one).  "No!" they chorused.  But I was desperate, so putting him in charge of their snacks, I closed my bedroom door.  After a half-hour or so, I found them contentedly watching TV, the remains of burnt popcorn in a bowl on the coffee table and him asleep in his chair!

"We're hungry!" the girls exclaimed.  "We want that!" they said, pointing to frozen waffles in the freezer.  "Toasted.  With peanut butter."  They had never asked for that before!  They almost never vary from requesting Ramen noodles or popcorn.  I opened the box to find it nearly empty and soon gave them their treats.

Later, after they had gone home, my husband remarked how they liked the waffles with peanut butter he had made for them. So that was it!  Maybe a little flexibilty is a good thing, for me and for Maddie!