My Family

Lately, all I've done is bitch about 2009. And seriously, it deserved every word and more. But I really don't want to be that person. You know, the person who'd bitch if you hung 'em with a new rope. I don't really like it when all someone can do is complain. So today I'm going to just talk about the nice stuff. And there is a lot of that, too. So no sarcasm today. No complaints. Just things I was thinking about.

Today Zoe asked to skip preschool. She normally loves it, and even though she was the one who wanted to stay home she later regreted it and was sad that she hadn't gone. But I enjoyed sleeping in with her. She's taken to sleeping in bed with Scott and I, and last night in the middle of the night she started talking in her sleep. I responded, hoping she'd say something understandable, and all of the sudden she started telling me a story. "She broke in two pieces, but I had people glue so I glued her back together. So she started carrying the wood. But she dropped the firewood and it started to fall. So I got a big strong net. Strong enough to carry firewood and I caught it. She said, 'You're so fast and strong! Who are you?' And I said, 'I'm Zoe, your sister. Who are you?' And she said, 'I'm Caly! I would beat up a bear for you!'"

Caly IS a great sister, so maybe she would beat up a bear for Zoe. I know she would try if she thought she needed to to keep Zoe safe. Caly's fiercely loyal. And she's sweet, but not syrup-y sweet. She's also funny. It's in a subtle, quiet way though. You don't realize how funny what she says is until about a day later. I mean, you'll laugh at the joke, but the next day when you think about it again, it's even funnier. But Caly has that quality. She'll do or say something that's obviously nice, or funny, or smart. But later, when you're not distracted by all the talking and laughing going on, you'll realize that it wasn't just nice, it was selfless. It wasn't just goofy, it was sarcastic. It wasn't just smart, it was astoundingly well thought out. You just don't notice it at the time because she's goofing off.

Zaven is funny too, but in a rubber chicken sort of way. He'll try to tell a joke and you'll laugh, but you're laughing because HE is funny, rather than because he's made a funny joke. It's not exactly laughing at him. It's more like laughing because of him. He's like a slightly less fuzzy Fozie the Bear. Actually there's a lot more to him than that. He's much more mature and adult than most people give him credit for. He works hard, thinks things through and tries to learn from not only his own experience by from listening to what people tell him. And he and I are the most alike in personality in our family. We like the same books, the same movies, the same food, etc, so I think that if/when he reads this he'll forgive me. He likes Fozie the Bear.

Quinn is hard to describe. There's still so much hidden. I do know he is far shyer than he seems. He acts outgoing and self assured most of the time because he's certain that it's safe to be that way. When he's in an all new setting, or in one where he remembers a bad experience, he is painfully shy. Plus, he doesn't really say much yet and I only understand a fraction of what he says. But he sings. He sings all the time. Right now his favorite song to sing is Yellow Submarine. I'm going to try to record him this week. It's so amazingly sweet to hear him sing. I hope he never stops.

Scott is also hard to describe. He is simultaneously the smartest, most mature person I have ever met... and a 9 year old. Zaven may have gotten the Fozie part from Scott. Scott giggles at all the potty jokes on TV, chases his sister with small critters he catches, and plots to put mice in people's cars. But he never misses a day of work, even when he should be in the hospital. He knows something about every topic I ever thought to bring up because he reads endlessly about anything and everything that interests him. And he always puts his family first. Always. And I cannot imagine my life without him.

I am so blessed to have these people in my life. I truly am.
But I promise to be more of a smart ass next time.