The Kids Are Alright

When I look back through old archives (Don’t try this at home, kids. Trust me) I find that I talked about the kids a lot more than I do now. There were tales of tantrums and of diaper explosions and of bedtime meltdowns. Now that they’re getting older we no longer live in the chaotic trenches of babydom and it also feels that they are less “bloggable”. They have lives at school that are separate from mine and I would hate to put anything out there that could cause any school yard grief. School kids can be mean enough on their own without any assistance from your parents. These past few weeks have confirmed to me that aside from general stories and quotes, Graham truly too old to be written about it great detail. How do I know this?

He calls me Mom. Not Mommy but Mom. And he calls Matthew Dad. As in, “Hey Mom? Can I have a snack?”

He hasn’t called me Mommy for a few solid weeks now but every time I hear him call me Mom my heart gets caught in my throat and I think, “That’s not my name.” I mean, it is, but it’s also not. Here is this kid who was our first one to make it out into the big huge world. He’s the first one I stumbled through middle-of-the-night feedings with, who I fretted over introducing solid food to, who made my heart explode the very first time he smiled at me and said, “Mama”.

Now he stands at a height equal to my shoulder, fires witty zingers faster that you could ever expect and calls me Mom. When you decide that you want babies, people try to warn you that they grow up so fast but it seems so far in the future that you just smile and wave it aside. Well, the future is now and it came without me inviting it in. It doesn’t appear to be leaving any time soon (or ever) do I better start getting used to it.

*Insert big, heavy sigh HERE.*

While I may not go into the minute details of our (their) lives I’ll still tell stories of family vacations and trips to the beach and things that just need to be documented. One way that I do this on a fairly regular basis is by quoting them on Twitter/Facebook because they crack me up all the time. My Dad (and many of you) don’t pay attention to either of those networks and I kind of like to have everything in one place, so I thought I should repost some of my favorite status updates.

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Graham: “I don’t believe in the Easter Bunny.” Me: “Why?” Him: “Because rabbits can’t lay eggs.”

The TV remote has been AWOL. I offered $1 to whomever could find it & Nathan did so within minutes. He’s a hunter/strategist extraordinaire.

Go, Canucks, GO. (I’m pretty sure that Graham is their #1 fan, based on this photo.)

Graham: “How old is God?” Me: “He’s kind of been around since forever.” Emily: “God’s birthday is EVERY DAY.”

Dudes are at Boys’ Club, Emily is having her Girl’s Night movie (Dora) and a treat (Smarties). Her: “You know what?” Me: “What?” Her: “You eat the red ones last”.

Nathan: “Who STINKS? Oh, wait. That was me.”

Graham: “What’s a Vegetarian?” Me: “Someone who doesn’t eat meat.” Graham: “What are people who eat meat?” Me: “A Meat-etarian.” Graham: “That’s not right.”

Me: “You say goodbye…” Emily: “And I say hello. Hello, HELLO!”

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I may not remember what it feels like to be bored but I spend the bulk of my days laughing with these three monkeys. That is, until I get called Mom. Sigh. I’ll get over it eventually.

*That photo at the top makes me fear for the photos my darling daughter will post on Facebook one day.

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