1 Mother 2 Another

A good friend of mine came over last night to hang out, and at one point she chased Cora up the stairs. When she came back down she was laughing.

“I walked into Cora’s room, which was totally dark, and before I said one word, Cora whipped around and said, ‘Nuffin!’ I can’t believe it – I’d just read about that in your blog today!”

People think I make this stuff up, but I am here to tell you, I do not.

Ok, sometimes I exaggerate when I tell you they are the most beautiful girls in the history of the world, but not by much.

Seriously, I can’t make these stories up. I’m not that creative. So for all you people who think I exaggerate to tell a better story, it just ain’t so. Every day, my girls say and do things that cause me to do a double-take, things that I would not believe if I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes. This is one of the big pay-offs of having kids: a life full of surprises and laughs.

Just last night, we were sitting around getting ready to play guitar and sing for a while (yes, we do this sort of thing), and Brian and his friend had their guitars out and were tuned up. Maddie announced that before we began, she wanted to play a song on the piano and sing along – by herself. She immediately sat down (in full fairy costume, natch) and stared pensively at the piano. We waited, patiently, a roomful of adults held captive to the capricious musical whimsy of a three-year-old.

Finally, Maddie turned to the guys and said, “I’d like you to play quietly underneath me while I play and sing.” Obligingly, they started strumming lightly, picking out a quiet tune.

And then, in one of those “Oh, no, she didn’t!” moments, Maddie barely turned her head and, in an impatient imperiousness that Mae West would have envied, said, “Louder, boys!” –her eyes never leaving her keyboard.

Everyone in the room burst out laughing, stunned at what we’d just heard and uncertain we’d heard it. My brother, visiting for the night from out of town, shook helplessly for several minutes.

“Ok, Jen, now I believe. I’ve read your blog, but that made a believer out of me. Your kids really are like this.”

I told you so.