I have vivid childhood memories of being home alone with my mom while my brother and sister went to school. The thing I remember most? Arranging Memory game cards across the blue shag carpet of our family room and playing game after game, my mom fully attentive and ever-patient. I won nine times out of ten because, I now realize, short term memory in your thirties turns crap. I should also note that this was the original Memory game with easily discernible matches–simple images like apples and ice cream cones and goldfish, a far cry from today’s character-themed Memory games which are nothing more than a maddening tease. I recently played the Strawberry Shortcake version with Lainey and got all excited every time I made a match, only to be informed by Lainey that they weren’t really matches because Strawberry’s apron was a different color on one card or her left eye was winking. I got so mixed up and defeated flipping through one hundred different cards of what looked like the exact same picture of Strawberry Shortcake, looking for a match, that I finally quit and banned the game from our home. But original Memory is categorized in the archives of my childhood as nothing short of perfection. It has little to do with fun and everything to do with spending time with my mom.
I am the baby of the family, so I know all the ins and outs of this job. There are perks–one-on-one time with mom while the big kids are off doing big kid things and looser rule enforcement because everyone is too damn tired to follow through–as well as downfalls–shortest baby book, less enthusiastic cheers for first steps, hand-me-down everything. Dash no doubt fits the bill for everything they say about birth order, joining his mother for–among other things–the family risk-taking role. Let’s paint that wall a crazy color, what’s the worst that can happen–repaint? Let’s climb that bookshelf to the very top, what’s the worst that can happen–a cool ambulance ride?
He keeps us on our toes, but with that comes humor and entertainment and an enviable mix of tough/tender, the magic sword he’ll wield and win with in a harsh world.
We’re in a nice window right now–new preschool adventures two mornings a week for him…
(First day)
…and the others, quiet mornings at home, just the two of us.
We have a few years of this now–time that will quickly slip by, I remind myself.
We’ll fill it up as good as we can. Cars and blueberry muffins today, Memory tomorrow…the original, of course.
A few photos of our mornings:
Happy Weekending, Friends!
the ordinary beautiful! i wrote about it too! thank you for always inspiring kelle;)
In the picture where he’s wearing glasses and looking up at you from the seat of his car…he looks so much like Lainy!
Well, look at it this way…..once the last one starts school, maybe you can go back to work.
Love this post! Dash is such a beauty!!
My lil’ guy Ben is starting preschool on the 9th and I’m both happy and sad at the same time. I treasure my time with him but am excited for his new adventures and some alone-time time for myself 🙂
I’m the eldest in our family, with triplets two years younger than me! And I also have vivid memories of my alone time with my Mom. Possibly some of my earliest memories actually. Nap time for my siblings meant I got to sit and watch Let’s Pretend on my Mom’s lap, with a malted milk biscuit and a drink of milk. My own children are now just turned six, four and almost two, and I always try and make sure they have alone time with me every week, even if it is just a cuddle and a story. The fact that this memory is the one that stands out above everything else just tells me how important alone time with your Mom is!
:o) …and now I want a malted milk biscuit with milk!
He is such a sweet little boy. Love the pictures of you baking with him. It’s clear you really treasure him. Enjoy this special time!!
OMG! That picture with the apron & the muffin tin…I just can’t. He’s so freaking cute!
That damn strawberry shortcake. I edited that game to make it “fair”. Dash looks so sweet! My youngest ( my love with almond eyes) started preschool last week. Take lots of pictures – you’ll be glad you did. : )
How special. Does he seem lost without the girls? I have another year to go before I am home with just my daughter. I am worried she’ll be lost without her big brother, yet I look forward to one-on-one time with her. I am the baby of my family, too. How nice it was to get all the attention!
I loved the original memory. Mine came with a little red try for stacking the cards back into the box. Did yours? My favorite pictures were cherries, roller skates, bananas, and a girl — all very discernible images!
Yes, we had the red stacking tray! I forgot about that.
So far, Dash is loving the one-on-one time. And the day goes by so fast!
I’m in a similar place home all day with our youngest, also a little boy. Love the pics of everyday life. I know you have mentioned the cars before but what brand are they? My little guy would enjoy them so much. Thanks!
Love this post and the stories you tell with your pictures. p.s. where can I get your sneakers??
Google Men’s Whirlwind Classic Puma Sneakers (I got mine from Amazon) and use the size conversion chart (I wear a women’s 9 and ordered a men’s 7 1/2 and they fit perfect!) Hope that helps.
Thanks Kelle!
Your photos captured the true essence of his days. I’ve always loved photos of the kids in action or at play when they have no idea I’m watching. Something so pure and innocent…
Thanks for the reminder to enjoy these days…I too will still have my young ones home with me for another few years. 😉
I’m right there with you in regards to all the modern memory games. What the heck? Talk about confusing. It’s more like that game where you compare the two look-alike photos to see which one is different and how….those drive me crazy enough. Memory shouldn’t be that hard. I recently made our own memory game with home photos. I can’t remember the company off hand right now, but you upload photos and they put them on a Memory card deck. I made sure each photo was completely different, LOL.
My kids just went back to school, and at home it’s just me and my two year old. I love it. It IS a bit challenging because he is used to being entertained by his 9 other siblings…so when they are all out of the house, it’s all ME, baby. MOM. I remember on that first day of school, my husband called me from work at around 1:30pm and asked how my quiet day to myself has been so far. And I was like, “Are you kidding me? Quiet? When our two year old has NO ONE in the house to play with except ME? Yeah, I got nothing done.” (except playing with him, of course, and really that’s the most important thing)
Yes! The more, the merrier and built in entertainment and extra babysitters!
Ahh.. he *is* a blueberry muffin!
Lovely photos, and those curls of his? Swoon. I don’t know if it’s those blonde ringlets, or the lighting, or what, but these remind me so much of your earliest blog posts when it was just Lainey. Full circle, and all that loveliness, I suppose 🙂
Yes. Miss those days!
How is it within your first paragraph above I’m in tears peeking back at your blog after in/out for years. You have such a gift capturing these precious childhood moments, not only with your writing, but also your photography. Always inspiring to “do better with the simplest thing in parenting, being more present within these everyday moments”. I adore the sunshine picture where Dash is playing with his cars & how sweet is the little hand in the blueberries.
adorable 🙂
good gosh that child is so beautiful. love these images. everyday beauty.
these pictures of Dash melted my heart. The one where he’s in an apron carrying the muffins~ oh my goodness gracious! xo
I too am a baby-of-the-bunch, and I remember playing an animal themed Memory with my mama. I wish my boy could be the baby long enough to remember these days alone with mom, but another will be along shortly, reassigning roles all over the place.
We made our own simple memory cards on card stock (popsicles, bananas, garbage trucks) because I hate the new complicated ones, too! I love reading this because we have a three year old and a new baby girl who was born with special needs (she’s deaf and has a congenital disease). I’m excited for these moments ahead with her, and you help me realize that when we have a third, our special girl will be off to school of some sort and I’ll have another chance at these quiet moments with another baby, too. Sometimes it’s hard to just get past the initial anvil of a diagnosis, you know? Thank you for making the beauty in your journey an opportunity for hope in ours!
xo