Sunny Days Exist. Allegedly.

I think I speak for all of Pittsburgh when I say ENOUGH WITH THE RAIN ALREADY. It's been raining for years. Possibly decades.

It's been raining so many days in a row that Mila forgot what clear skies look like.

For real.

There was a point yesterday when the sun decided to peak out. I think it was later in the evening? I can't be sure because like I said, it has been raining for decades. Regardless, we were all in the family room when Mila suddenly exploded with, "LOOOOOK! THE SKY!"

I expected to look out the window and see a rainbow, or maybe an airplane sky writing. I would have been impressed at a helicopter or even a drone. Maybe there was a crazy shaped cloud? But no, Mila saw the sun and didn't know how to handle it.

THE SUN.

The five-year old legit made everyone stop everything and look at the sun because it was THAT special.

I'm glad she did because I don't think I've seen it since.

How to Win at Simon Says

Mila is trying REALLY hard to be one of those kids who sleeps in her own bed. It has been two years since she was good at that, so it's pretty impressive that she suddenly decided it was going to be her new thing. The only downside is that it turns out she doesn't actually sleep through the night. I guess she only does that if I'm next to her? When I'm not, she starts screaming at the top of her lungs for me right around 1:00 am every night.

So that's been fun.

I have confidence that she will find her way to the other side. The kid loves sleep too much to keep ruining it. In the meantime, I'm just really tired. And my ears hurt.

Part of the pattern we're creating so that bedtime is easy is to play Simon Says for a few minutes each night. I started it because I wanted to be able to end it with, "Simon says go to sleep!" because Mila is the kind of kid who will follow directions. It's magical.

For reasons I don't know, Alexis decided to join in on the Simon Says chaos. I'm guessing it's because she can't handle it when Mila and I have fun without her. Regardless, Alexis doesn't follow instructions like "Go to sleep" but she can still join in because I'm nice or something.

Or, because it's HILARIOUS.

We go on for a while with the usual, "Simon says jump on one foot" and that sort of thing. Then one day it occurred to me to say, "Simon says pretend to be your sister!"

You guys.

YOU GUYS.

Both Mila and Alexis can do the most amazing impersonations of their sister. And it's HILARIOUS. Mila wins, though, because without thinking about it, she instantly slaps on a "I'm so bored of you dumb people" face and rolls her eyes. JUST LIKE ALEXIS.

It looks a whole lot like this.

So perfect. So very perfect.

Back to Betchtubles

I am the queen of overcompensation, so of course I am all about making sure I conjure up the moments that will eventually become memories. I have very few "great" memories from when I was a kid for lots of reasons, but in part because nobody around me did things that were worth remembering. Every day was a lot like the others and mostly I was on my own to figure out how to fill the hours.

It's not about the Big Things; It's about the little moments that lead to memories that stick. For example, when I think of my grandpa, I think of him in his chair, smoking a cigar, and showing me little seedlings. There was a spring when he started some bean seeds in little clear boxes with moist paper towels. It wasn't a big deal, but I liked it and it stuck. It's what I have left of him all these years later.

When the girls are grown, I hope they often turn to one another and say, "Remember when mom ..." and end up retelling a story that makes them both smile. There's really no way to know if I'm on the right track, but time will tell the tale.

Though, sometimes Alexis gives me a hint about what's to come.

A few Fridays ago, we happened to land near the Farmer's Market at the exact right time. We hadn't been there in a very long time, so there was much excitement when I pulled into the parking lot. Alexis seems to have forgotten that she always called the place "Betchtubles" but that's okay. I will remind her some day. What she did remember was the best place to buy tomatoes, where the place with the great peaches sets up, and how much she neeeeeeeeeds the kettle corn.

She explained it all to Mila as we walked around, even going so far as to hand Mila a $5 bill so she could buy kettle corn all by herself "just like I used to!"

It was a bigger deal when Alexis did it at that age. She was painfully shy, so the notion of interacting with a stranger always took her several minutes to swallow.

Alexis walked around and around, happily chatting the whole time as she explained every little detail to Mila. Somewhere in there, she proclaimed, "This place is my childhood. Aaaaah ... memories!"

She may have sounded like a 90-year old grandma as she said it, but still. I might just be on the right track.