Musings with Clark

Clark is a boy who wakes up with a smile on his face and greets me every morning between 6:30 and 7:15 with a request for cereal. The remainder of the day is filled with cutting out pieces of paper to give as gifts, playing various games in different ways than they have every been played, but what keeps everyone entertained (mostly) are the words coming out of his mouth.

The sweet: I remember Christmas morning at our house. I'm still in my pajamas a little groggy, the kids have torn through all of their presents, and things have settled. Clark and I are alone in the room, he jumps into my arms as I sit on the couch and he whispers in my ear "I just love getting new toys".

The thoughtful: On one of their many trips to the mall Andrea and Clark stopped by The Disney Store. After shopping and playing for a while Andrea thought she could really impress Clark by telling him that she used to work at The Disney Store when she was younger. He helped her finish the story by saying "and then you grew up and became a mommmy".

The practical: I was in the nursery with Lydia and I overheard this exchange between Clark and Ryleigh. Ryleigh had just stubbed her toe on a stool in their bathroom and was hopping around saying ouch, ouch. Clark advised, "Next time Ryree instead of bonking into that, just move it out of your way".

The neverending: I would call this Clark's version of the old Abbott and Costello "Who's on First" routine. The dental office where Andrea works was having a baby shower. Since it was Friday, Clark didn't have school, but Andrea thought she could take Clark and Lydia and they would be entertained in the play room at the office. Andrea had been talking about the baby shower all week, and apparently that entire time Clark had been processing what exactly was going to take place. Friday morning he began asking questions: "will all of the babies take a shower", "are we going to shower our baby", "will we all be in the shower together", on and on and on. By the end of the day he was still trying to grasp the concept, and Andrea was just worn out. Of course I havn't been much help. We've tried to compare a shower to a party or a gathering. So when I describe the kids' collection of books, I call it a book shower. They are having pizza at Clark's school today which I described as pizza shower. I have no idea where he gets it.

Anytime we go to mom and dad's church someone comes up to me and repeats something my son has said, because they heard in a Sunday school lesson. Andrea and I have joked that we need to keep a tape recorder with us so the we can remember all of the funny things he says. I've only recalled 4 in this post, but I sure he has said 4 things this week that would make you laugh about monsters, or sword fights or cars or uncle Steeb (Steve). The key I guess is that I need to listen more, because it always makes me smile.

Tuesdays with Ryleigh

Tuesdays after school Ryleigh goes to ballet practice and I pick her up on my way home from work. I usually try to time it so that I leave work and get there just in time for class to be over, but I'm not sure why. On days like this most recent Tuesday when I get there early or class runs late I get to stand in the lobbby and watch as 6 and 7 year old girls plie, saute, and releve which are French terms for running, jumping, skipping and looking cute. Of course in the ballet studio there are mirrors all around so when I arrive and Ryleigh sees me in the mirror her face lights up with a great big smile which immediately adds an extra spring to her step. I don't stop smiling from the moment I arrive until long after she gives me the sticker she just received from her teacher and we recount her day during the car ride home.

Of course I don't have to tell any readers here that she is a beautiful young girl who has a body made for ballet. She is tall and slender, and her long flowing hair is pulled up into a bun for ballet. She looks so grown up especially in these pictures from the Nutcracker. Andrea tells me that Ryleigh took great care in holding the precise pose for these pictures, but see her jump and skip during free time at the end of practice dancing seems to come naturally to her.