Gotta Pee!!!!

I can tell its the start of summer...  long summer nights with nothing to do but eat ice cream and ride bikes/walk/play outside until the sun goes down.  In my house, and I'm certain yours, you can also tell it's summer by the number of tantrums/meltdowns/overstimulated spinning out of control moments you have between 3-5pm.  Please allow me to share this beautiful picture of my sweet daughter and her meltdown extraordinaire.

I was upstairs putting away the 4,321st article of clothing that day, Baby is sleeping, Shannie is happily playing in the living room.  Suddenly I hear tears, not just little tears, the kind of tears that signify something is terribly terribly wrong.  But I didn't hear that tell tale scream...  why didn't I hear the scream?  Is the ceiling fan to loud?  did she go outside alone without me knowing?  I sprint full speed down the stairs, scoop up my sobbing little person and hold her tight.

Mom:  What hurts honey?
Shannie:  wail... .sniff sniff... wail my belly.
Mom:  Did you hit it on something?
Shannie: (with a look that says.. how do you hit your belly on something, seriously mom) no.
Mom: Do you have to go poop (remember we have potty issues, we ask this question a lot)
Shannie: wail, sob, sniff sniff, wail (I must be getting closer)  no.
Mom:  They why do you think you belly hurts?
Shannie: pout I have to go pee.
Mom: well then go pee, there's no one in the bathroom.
Shannie:  giant, make your heart stop wail...  (Wait for the punchline... it's so good)  I don't know which bathroom to use!!!!

It's at this point that she falls on the floor, face first and cries her little eyes out.  There was no consoling (because I was laughing uncontrollably), there was no reasoning, (her bathroom probably doesn't have the toilet flushed, the downstairs bathroom is to close to the basement stairs, which is suddenly scary, and my bathroom is to far awaaaaayyyyyy)

Yes really, I couldn't make this stuff up.

So I sat, and watch my poor child struggle with the most important decision of her day.  I remind myself that sometimes I have had just a little to much chocolate/coffee/activity/children... and I have a face plant meltdown on the floor too.  Mine usually starts with a mad 8 year old who won't practice piano, or a 5 year old who won't leave my side even to use the bathroom.  So I gave her some space, that's what I would have wanted, and I waited... I figured sooner or later the urgency of the potty would supersede the location.

It did, a long time later.  Her sobs slowed down, she picked herself up off the floor, and said "I hate it when I can't stop crying."  as she wiped her little tears and tried to put on a happy face.  I wanted to say "get used to it kid."  Instead I gave her a little hug (I won't lie I laughed) and helped her to the potty.

A note to my Husband this Fathers day...

Believe it or not...  I have a weakness, one that I am so frustrated by!  I am TERRIBLE at letting people know genuinely how amazing, wonderful, beautiful, gifted, etc. they really are.  Sure, I'm great with the little things.  "You are my hero!"  "you did an amazing job at ______"  "you rock...."  "wow, you are great..."   I think I'm truly gifted at the generic grateful recognition of people in my life who do nice things.  But I'm TERRIBLE at the big things, the really big things.  The things that are uncomfortable, telling friends how much I truly value their friendship, telling my children that they really make my heart happy just being alive...  That's where I sit this Fathers Day, I have so much I wish to genuinely tell my sweet husband, but instead I hide behind the generic.  

 

"You are a great dad" seems way to generic for the man who changed my world in the most amazing way possible. The man who picked me for his FOREVER!  Who loves me more than I can even imagine and makes sure I know it each and every day.

A new briefcase (his very deserved and super needed gift this year) hardly seems to say "Thank You" for working so incredibly hard so I can stay home and care for our family.  Nor does it say "I understand how much you agonize over working late or working weekends, and I thank you for wanting to be with us, even when you can't."

A funny "today you can play golf all day" card doesn't really describe how sacrificial he is of the time he's home.  My sweet husband has no vices.  Nothing that takes him away from us.  When he's not working, he's home, navigating the insanity of family life and listening quietly and attentively to the never ending ramblings of all his girls, while playing games with the boy.  Sure, he could take the day and play golf, go to the shooting range, whatever he wishes to do... but he always choses us... how do I tell him how much that means?

A homemade breakfast barely scratches the surface of what I really want to say...  "Thank you for making family dinner a priority."  Thank you for walking in the door every single day, and devoting yourself to our family around the dinner table.  Thank you for your patience with the spilled milk, the forgotten manners, the over excited story telling and the constant interruptions.  Your presence makes me fall desperately in love with you every evening.

That store bought "fathers day cake" which was rainbow colored with sprinkles on top...  was obviously not what you would have chosen...  Thank you for indulging your daughter in her love for all things celebratory.  Thank you for smiling at her party attire, and her excitement for the party, even when there isn't one.

So, I did that...  all that very little nothing, that in my heart meant so very much of something but from the outside really appeared to be a whole lot of nothing.