Party Time

I'm one of those lucky work-outside-the-home moms who is able to adjust my schedule (aka take a vacation day) and be at all of Alyssa's school parties.

Her Christmas party was yesterday, the last day of school before at twelve day break.

Over the weekend, she asked me if I was going to be there.

I replied, "Of course. I'm always there, aren't I?"

And she grinned and nodded, content in the fact that I would indeed be at that party.

I then asked her if she wanted me to take Olivia to my mom's while I was at the party or if she wanted her little sister there.

She actually thought it over for a few minutes before deciding she'd rather have me all to herself for a couple of hours.

And so it was.

The night before the last, we all went to bed at 8:30. I was so ready and neither girl was settling as I'd have liked and I knew that being in the dark bedroom would help.

So we snuggled in.

I tucked Alyssa into her bed, kissed her, counted the blankets as I settled them on top of her (four, if you count the sheet) and she giggled over the ritual.

Then I took the two steps away from Alyssa's bed and settled into the bed Olivia was already sitting on, waiting for me and my boobs to lay next to her, so she could lay on me and tell me how much she loves my boobs.

Anyway...Olivia rolled around and chatted about everything and nothing and I shushed her and rubbed her back and started to wonder how lonely Alyssa might be over in her own bed.

So after about ten minutes of Olivia 'nesting' I rolled away from her and asked Alyssa, "Have you ever heard the story of how Bubby came to be with you?"

I could hear the grin in her voice when she whispered back, "No."

So I told her about her beloved stuffed dog and how her Gram found him on the way back of a bottom shelf in a store.

I told her about the first time she saw that dog, way down in the bottom of a gift bag, and how her eyes got wide, how she pulled him out of the bag and rubbed noses with him and then hugged him tight.

She was two years old when she got Bubby and that dog has been loved almost to death. He's definitely over halfway to being a real dog ala the velveteen rabbit.

She laughed a places in the story and sighed with love in other places, all the time hugging Bubby close as I told the story.

It's moments like that, when I take an extra moment to remind my first born how very important she is to me, that I realize how hard it probably is to have a little sister who is as demanding as Olivia is.

But we're good, the three of us. We all know that the others love us and that we're a team. Yeah, I have my screechy moments of which I'm not so proud but those quiet times in the dark, as I'm telling a story and reminding my sweet girl how special she is to me, those moments make this life amazing, beautiful, worth every other tough moment we go through. Those moments are the ones memories are made of.