12/22/2008

Thoughtful Children

I ran out to Joanne's to pick up a few things to finish a gift I'm making for someone. Noah was being particularly helpful while I was browsing through the pattern books. Just moments before, he saw me drooling over this book about embellishing. Turning it over and seeing the price, I returned it to the shelf, made a mental note to see if the library has it, and kept moving. At first I wasn't at all curious about the questions about my favorite kinds of foods. My first answer which was "steak" wasn't what he was looking for so he started fishing (no pun intended) for an answer like, Italian, Mexican etc. I sat there for quite a while browsing while Noah pushed Linus around, and kept an eye on Oliver (not an easy task).

~Aside~ I'm almost afraid to go into Joanne's anymore because I feel like I spend the entire time scolding him for hanging from the ceiling...only a slight exaggeration.

Remarkably, everytime I called Oliver, he answered....immediately!!! Only Steven can appreciate just how FRIGGIN' unusual that is. He'd say "right here mom", and pop his head around the aisle. Once he was a few isles away and said "coming...I'm walking up the aisle....now I'm coming around the corner....now I'm coming around the other corner....almost there....Ugh! He cracks me up. Anyway, Noah asked if he and Oliver can "look around" while I'm in line, and could they meet me outside. I rounded up my few purchases and told Noah I was going to check out, and pull the car around. The line was very long, so by the time I was 5th from the register, I heard Oliver approaching the front of the store...he was singing Jingle Bells (well his version to which I'll post the lyrics later).

My eyes welled up with tears (just as they are now) thinking of my kids buying me a Christmas gift. I didn't turn around, and I didn't acknowledge them...I didn't want to spoil their surprise. I could hear quiet comments about the boy and his little brother buying their mom a gift. Ok...no more welling...we've got a veritable downpour (now, not in the store).

I couldn't help but think about the Christmases when we were little. My dad would give us each a little money (a dollar, maybe two), and drive us into town to do our "shopping". It would always be in the evening, and seeing the decorations and the lights was magical. Windows were beautifully decorated, Christmas music was playing...I loved it. We would almost always do all our shopping at Woolworth's where I would spend what seemed to be hours picking out just the right pair of earrings for my mother. I remember one year they were big gold hoop wires with pink stones. Now that I'm a mother, I realize that her the tears she cried when seeing them had nothing to do with their...ahem...beauty. But had everything to do with the excitement she could see in my face waiting for her to open the package, knowing that I took that dollar my dad gave me, and put my heart into picking something out for her that would rival anything I saw the movie stars wearing.
Well, I've done it now...I'm soaked and the kids want to know why I'm crying.
I wonder what every happened to those gold earrings with the pink stones.

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