Lapful of Love

Birthday celebrating for Leah started a week early when David and Judy were out visiting.  Mark continued the celebration all week up until the big day— big, because that number of candles just keeps on getting bigger, no matter what we may try to do to stop it. Ben did think that Leah was turning twenty.  She made sure to correct him and let him know it was actually her twenty-fourth birthday (at least that is the number she feels inside).  

Aside from the fifteen minutes at Sunday brunch, when Clara gave us a preview that the three’s may be more challenging than the two’s (and gave us a scare that the teen years may just do us in), it was a week filled with happy moments of love, a date night, tulips, chocolate croissants, valuable artwork from emerging artists, an abundance of cuddles and thoughtful care. 

Many of you wondered who makes cupcakes for Leah on her birthday…well, for our early celebration (which was for Miss Clara too) Leah baked a chocolate-chocolate cake per the littlest birthday girl’s request. Clara rightly declares her mommy, "my chocolate, chocolate buddy." For Leah’s actual birthday, Mark bought a batch of ice cream cake cupcakes from Cold Stone Creamery.  Ben adored them and gleefully proclaimed, “Mommy, you need to make these for every birthday!”  Gee Ben, thanks for appreciating all the from scratch, filled with love and real buttermilk goodness that your four-and-a-half years have brought you.

Birthdays are always a moment to step back, assess the past year and desires for the next one.  When both kids wiggle to find their “cozy spot” in your lap at the same time, you wrap the full length of your arms to hold them close and are thankful you can still fit both of those little bums (barely) on the "mommy chair."  Smelling the sweet mango scent of their Toy Story shampoo, feeling the warmth and weight of growing bodies, growing minds, growing hearts, listening to knock-knock jokes without a punch line and looking up at your husband who is attacking a sink load of dishes while listening to NPR, that single moment is all you need for clarity.  Your desire is simple, yet feels completely extravagant— more, just give me more of this.

Fuzzy and Juju

This month we were lucky leprechauns to have David and Judy (or as they are known around here, Fuzzy and Juju) for their annual spring visit.  Judy introduced us to the tradition of leaving a shoe out on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day and the morning of the 17^th we were delighted to find shoes filled with chocolate (well, Leah was sort-of delighted, the idea of food in shoes kind of grossed her out, even if they were wrapped) courtesy of a rainbow seeking leprechaun.

It was a week filled with treats— an ice cream date for the kids, some pre-birthday celebrating for the Watson girls, Just Dance competitions, shopping excursions, rock throwing adventures, bedtime stories with shiny new books, laughter filled conversation, IPad demonstrations (aka- Apple Addiction Syndrome...but an addiction that looks so enticing), storybook yoga for kids (and semi-kids), with plenty of food, wine and a fresh stash of Peet’s coffee.  The most beloved treat was just having them here and already planning out the next time we can be together—in Santa Barbara.  Lucky us.

Lent

It has been a challenge to find meaningful ways to celebrate the Lenten season and Easter with small children. The idea of asking them to give up something for forty days doesn’t compute with small, attached, sticky hearts and you don’t want acts of faith to feel like acts of punishment. Also, spending weeks on end discussing Jesus nailed to the cross (in typical boy fashion, Ben finds the crucifixion pictures in our kids’ Bible fascinating, squinting to really see those nails) places the focus on dark images that are beyond their understanding (sometimes ours too). 

We were thrilled to learn the great plan of our friends here, the Young family, who devised a meaningful, kid-friendly way to celebrate this time of year. Each week of Lent focuses on a theme that as a family you learn about and act on together, with a focus on how Jesus calls us to each of these themes. We adapted a list of themes for our family and the first week, “Giving to Those in Need,” was met with great success. The kids were excited, serious and moved to action in brilliant ways that humbled our smudged and sometimes cranky hearts.

Clara on her own initiative, emptied the entire contents of her beloved piggybank to give to, “people that don’t have food and don’t have homes.” Ben gave about a third of his piggy bank stash, but wanted to be sure to hold back enough so, “the whole family can ride the Ferris Wheel in Santa Monica this summer.”  Clara was excited all week about emptying her strawberry coin purse into the five-cents-a-meal metal buckets placed at the altar on Sunday morning, but as we were pulling up her knee socks and heading out the door to church, she had a moment of hesitation.  Did she really want to give it all away? Leah didn't say much, she just told her to bring her purse with her to church and she could decide what she wanted to do. As the opening hymn began, the  sanctuary filled with song, Clara walked up to the front and held up the line for a few minutes as she shook and shook her coins into the bucket, making sure not a penny was left behind.

This theme led to thoughtful dinnertime discussions about different kinds of need— it could be someone who is lonely, sick, scared, or without food and shelter.  We asked Ben what was the number one thing he needed in life and his quick answer, “Cuddles!” For the record— Clara’s answer, “Dinner.”

We went shopping as a family and then assembled treat bags for The Corner Table, our local soup kitchen.  Our friend Mimi is the coordinator there and she told us that more and more preschool age kids were coming in for meals and that a small surprise would be a wonderful way to make these little ones feel more comfortable.  We were shocked when the kids did not whine or ask for any treats for themselves.  Watching Ben and Clara accept these duties of love and faith with completeness of heart, made our own personal mental lists of whining and desires fade and suddenly feel shallow and silly.

This time of year is busy with birthdays, springtime celebrations, visitors and visits along with extra church activities.  How incredible that this one simple poster on the fridge has managed to focus our thoughts and intentions in ways that are meaningful to all of us. 

As we now focus on the theme of “Thankful Hearts” we easily recognize the abundance of ways our needs have been met and look outward to find ways to say thank you.  Thank you Casa Watson readers, for sharing in the life of our family and making the miles between all of us seem so much smaller. We love you, appreciate you and thank God for your faithful friendship and love.

Clara giving her brother a much needed hug in the bounce house.

You Say It's Your Birthday

There are days when the best decision to be made is to throw aside the to do list, the should do list, the needed to get done yesterday list and just play. This week Ben realized that it was the birthday of all his beloved stuffed animals, which made Clara remember that it was the birthday of her menagerie too. 

Over breakfast smoothies and buttered toast, plans were made for a party, a party that very day. So, we gathered the necessary provisions (Clara insisted on yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting and lots of sprinkles), decorated with a mixed-up stash of leftover party supplies, created custom crowns for each guest (including itty bitty crowns for Luke Skywalker and a Storm Trooper), set-up a tea table with care, pulled out party attire from the dress-up box…and then nibbled and played at the party in honor of our favorite furry friends. 

Leah had found a tea set years ago for a steal, took a chance with her heart and purchased it, knowing that it may very well jinx the thing she most desired- a little girl.  It had been boxed in storage in Saratoga, traveled out to North Carolina where it had been safely nestled in a corner of the attic for the last five years.  A couple of different times over the years (before Clara), she had almost given it away to friends who had a houseful of girls, wondering if she had tempted fate when she held the floral drenched teapot in her hands and made that girl of a wish. 

Leah brought the box down for the party and with Clara by her side carefully unwrapped each teacup, saucer and creamer with a heart besieged with gratitude.  Clara was delighted with the real china after hosting so many pretend parties with her plastic tea set. When the table was laden with the rose wrapped china, sunny daffodils picked from our yard and a tower of sprinkle drenched cupcakes, Leah was thrilled to tell her baby girl that this tea set belonged to her- that it was a treasure her mommy had bought long ago with a hope for a beautiful, bright, little girl. It is no wonder that as Clara was tucked in that night she said the best part of her day was, “setting-up with Mommy.”

That night over dinner we began to reminiscence about the crew of animals.  Mark and Leah must admit, this collection often drives them bonkers— the endless stacking and searching, remembering the names and preferences of an ever-multiplying assortment of characters can be tedious.  However, as we began considering each animal, where they came from (Santa Barbara Zoo, San Francisco, North Pole), whom they came from (grandparents, far-away friends, each other), how they provide comfort in the middle of the night or make great co-pilots on rocket ships and students in pretend classrooms…our hearts softened.  

We also admit, that as we recalled the oldest animal in the collection, there were some tears.  Aslan, Ben’s now matted and much loved lion from Aunt Ann, has been his companion since he was a baby.  Looking at Aslan, we were also looking at our little bald boy, blue eyes flashing with delight, giggling up at us from his crib.  Suddenly, a party in honor of these cushy creatures seemed entirely appropriate, because they had been the ambassador of comfort and treasured memories for us too.  

Happy Birthday to everyone, from Fat Gecko to Benny the Penguin, to Yoda and the Blue Fairy (who is quite the flirt, last week she was all over Woody)– here’s to many more years together. We love you. 

Simple Days

Part of what makes this season of life so sweet is the awareness that it won’t always be so simple. All we need right now to make as Clara calls, “a pretty great day,” is time with friends playing superheroes, a windy day and a dollar store kite, going down a slide choo-choo train style, a fun surprise in the mail, a snack time treat from a Star Wars Cookbook or sporting a new hairstyle (alas, the pigtails only lasted about five minutes). 

Days filled with uncomplicated desires and effortless joy. The challenge for us is to find ways to make that simple contentment last beyond the era of snow cones and sword-fights. This season reminds us daily to turn down the constant barrage of buzz from our laptops, televisions, phones and minds and to stop, turn up the music (be it The Beatles or Justin Bieber) and just dance— the quickest route we have found to a pretty great day.