My Momma

My children are brilliant! Okay, maybe not all of them and I will probably be taking this all back the next time they annoy me, but Lex and Eddie have something special going on. Lex had the chance to go to the park and play today and guess what he chose to do instead? No, not stay at home just to annoy me, although I can't say he hasn't done that from time to time. He wanted to finish writing the instructions for his new video game. He wants me to submit it to Nintendo. I have no idea if it is any good because I don't play very many video games, but the point is that he is applying himself to a worthwhile project. Maybe I should start taking some hints from him, eh? Eddie wasn't quite as gung-ho to stay home, she actually did want to go to the park, but had to stay because the other kids didn't want to have to watch her. After a few, okay quite a few, minutes of crying she decided to join her brother at the table and started writing and drawing. Lex kept on asking me how to spell certain words and I would spell them for him. Eddie noticed this, so she started asking me to spell for her too. I said I would, but she doesn't know which letters are which, so it is harder. She said just point to the computer if I don't know the letter. I thought that was pretty smart of her. So that's what we did. A few quick notes that said I O U Eddie, her way of saying I love you, with hearts and arrows and squiggly lines for decoration, she came over holding a piece of paper and started to read from it. (or so it looked) She said:
My Momma
I love my Momma when she brings me somewhere
I love my Momma when she brings me to Florida
I love my Momma when she brings me to Rachel's
I love my Momma when she brings me on trips
I love my Momma when she brings me to the park
I love my Momma when she reads to me
I love my Momma when she watches movies with me
I love my Momma when she brings me to soccer
I love my Momma every day
I love my Momma because she loves me.

When she finished she looked up at me and I said, "Oh Ed, that's a wonderful poem". A huge smile spread across her face. Then I said, "Let's write it down", 'cause we all know what kind of memory I have. So here it is. Days like today really make all the really hard ones worth it. Kids are a surprise a minute and if you are too busy to listen you might just miss some of the best surprises in the whole world. So, Lex is still plugging away at his video game idea, I talked the older kids into watching their little sister at the park, and I am basking in the fact that maybe, just maybe, I see a slight upswing in the balance of my life. All thanks to a little girl who, apparently, loves her Momma.