Tonight at dinner, Patrick and I were playing 20 Questions with the boys. It was my turn to answer questions posited by Patrick and the boys as they tried to guess what was on my mind: Dick Dastardly (the villain from the Wacky Races cartoons; a favorite of a young Patrick and now of the…
When I was 16, my parents bought a small vacation cabin in Central Vermont. At the time, it provided our family a place to stay when we visited my Dad’s parents who lived in a little home of their own nearby. In the years since, that little cabin has become so much more. It is…
There are no words sweeter to a mother’s ear than a sincere, “Mommy, I love you.” Sometimes, however, what follows is not at all what is expected. This morning, Connor leaped into my arms and declared, “Mommy, I love you when you are warm and smelly!” My heart started to melt, and then filled with…
Ryan’s strawberry plants are producing a bit earlier than usual this year. From what I hear, the handful of strawberries he has collected have been delicious. For each little red fruit, he has carefully picked, tenderly cleaned, thoughtfully tasted, and dutifully recorded the harvest date and a tastiness rating… ranging from six to 10 plus…
Today is Grandparents’ Day. I gave my parents, my boy’s grandparents, the best gift I could think of: I picked up the boys and brought them home, providing my parents with the first quiet night alone at their home in over three weeks. Happy Grandparents’ Day, Mom & Dad! The boys had a wonderful time…
They say a father holds a special place in his little girl’s heart, no matter how old she is. As the years go by, the interactions between a father and his daughter may change, but long after she’s grown and moved out of his home to start and raise her own family, the lessons he…