"What's This?"

Many of my more experienced mom friends tell of a time that our teenage children will all but stop communicating with us. They'll tell of a time that our teenagers will become so immersed in their own little world, that we will become spectators to their lives.

Fortunately for me, that hasn't happened with Hadley yet.

I have no words for this. 

Did I say fortunately? Pffft.

This morning as I was wrestling with my clothes, getting dressed (I do this more often now that I'm a stiff forty-something-year-old woman than I ever did as a young child learning to dress myself), Hadley came to my bedroom door and said, "What's this?"

My head, of course, was caught in my sleeve but I responded anyway, "I can't really see it."

"This, Momma. What is this?" she insisted.

I pulled my head through the proper hole and said, "Oh, socks."

She sighed so hard that my hair blew from my forehead. "No, Momma. This." Then she thrust a pair of socks at me.

"Slip on socks?" I answered, the question mark actually seemed audible.

"No," she said through gritted teeth, "THIS."

"I don't know, honey. They look like a pair of footies," note my use of a different word, "that one would wear with slip on shoes. Or at least that's the way I use them."

She rolled her eyes so hard into her head that I thought she was about to seize. "Geez, Momma. THIS." She spit the word out slowly and loudly as if she were speaking to a rude, elderly, foreigner who couldn't speak English.

I stared at her. I blinked. I didn't know any other way to say slip on socks.

With a lock of her knees, she explained herself. "This. This. This. This," each time shaking the (dare I say it) socks at me.

"Honey, I have no clue what you're talking about. I call those socks. Is that not right?" I confessed, possibly with a lump in my throat and a fleeting thought about early onset Alzheimer's. They say you can loose the simple vocabulary first.

She dropped her chin to her chest and roller her head between her shoulders, popping her neck as if she were gearing up for a prize fight or a Lincoln-Douglas Debate.

"THIS, Momma. THIS pad in the sock." Then she closed her eyes as if praying for the heavens to open and pour forth a bounty of patience as she dealt with the ignorance of the world.

"Oh," I stammered. "I think it's just a foot pad."

"Finally," she sighed as she took my padded socks with her and walked out of my room. "Was that so hard?"

Yes, child. Yes, it was hard. It was very hard.

When exactly do I get to be the observer?

Christmas Headlines

If my holidays were summed up with Headlines and Teasers ...

Sick Children Left to Fin for Themselves
With the last day of school hanging heavy in the air, parents continue to teach others' children while their own children suffer at home with a tummy bug.

Tummy Bug Take Two
As if to teach her parents a lesson about taking care of their children, Hadley, age 13, proceeds to vomit for twelve hours straight--beginning at nine in the evening; her mother is heard to have said, "Ugh."

Family Unpacks Before They Even Leave
Having their three-day sojourn to southern Oklahoma thwarted by sick kids, the Davis family repacks their suitcase so as to not haul too much stuff. It didn't help.

Heather Davis Spends Eight Hours In A Car
After leaving from Christmas with her In-laws, Davis repacks her bag to travel with her mother to Stillwater.

Family Enjoys Time Together; Wishes for Different Circumstances
Davis's Uncle Mac passed from this life to the next. His family expresses regret at his passing, but rejoices in his perfect healing.

Candlelight Service Calms Davis's Heart Before Storm
 Singing carols with her family and friends and sharing candlelight as they sang "Silent Night" helped Heather Davis, ever-graying, to regain Christmas spirit in her heart.

Teen exclaims, 'This Is The Best Christmas So Far'
After opening Christmas gifts from family on Christmas Eve, Hadley Davis makes her miraculous exclamation. Parents rejoice over positive words escaping from their teen's mouth.

'Mom, I don't feel good,' Cries Tween
Heather Davis was awoken (it's a word) by her 11-year-old Briley on Christmas morning, not with shouts of excitement, but with moans of misery.

Davis Receives Fateful Call From Her Husband
With all the urgent care offices closed due to Christmas, Brian Davis takes his tween to the ER due to high fever. Calls his wife with one word: Flu.

Evacuate Nana Plan Goes Off Without A Hitch
Davis and daughter Hadley transport Nana to sister, Rachel's home to keep her away from sickly tween (and eventual sickly husband).

Mother Daughter Share Quality Time Thanks To Hotwire
To allow the sickies to heal and the wellies to stay well, Davis and Hadley score a deal at a hotel less than half a mile from her house; both enjoy a Duck Dynasty marathon.

Good News: World's Best Aunt Wins Christmas
When Davis's four-year-old niece was denied drums by her parents, Davis purchased herself some drums and left them in the care of her niece. They both rock.

Thank you, Briley

Today I'm thanking Briley. Briley is better known as Daughter 2. If you keep up with me on Facebook, you know that she's an avid softball-er and keeps me in stitches with her wit and humor.

I have no idea where she gets it.

The good news is that she's always been this way. Where Hadley's been serious, Briley's been not serious. As a baby, Hadley did more crying than Briley did--this was usually because we wouldn't let Hadley pick up her baby sister, and Briley was all like, "What? I left the womb for this?"

But, Briley's also intense. She loves intensely. She gives her whole heart to her passions. She thinks of others first. She loves God and the idea that while her life is wonderful here, greater things are waiting for her in the next life.

She feels compassion and empathy for those less fortunate. While she's fiercely competitive, she is sad for those lose. She's lonely for those who are friendless. She aches for those who are hungry, cold and needy.

But she's also willing to back up her feelings with actions. She constantly has an activity going or a plan brewing or a stream of intelligent (sometimes) and entertaining (always) words coming from her mouth.

Most importantly, she completes our family. I used to dream of having three or four children. But, once Briley joined us, I knew she and Hadley were enough. They filled my heart.

Besides, who could follow this kid?

Getting Older

It was Twinsy Day at school yesterday. My kid, who goes to my school, who is in the throes of hormonal raginess, who tends to growl at me ... She wanted to be my twin. 

We both had an "Okay Okay" shirt. We both had jeans. She had two grey-ish pairs if Chuck Taylor's. Easy enough--Twins!

Then I cut my hair. 

I love my new 'do. I have just a smidgin' of color left the rest of my hair is 100% me--grey and all! And I love it! 

Daughter 1 told me this ruined our twin experience. Her hair is long and auburn and gorgeous. My hair was now short and mousy and, well, different. 

"But it will still work for us to be twins," she said with a sigh. 

Then we took the twinsy picture. 

Then I felt old. 

She's taller than I am. We wear the same size shoes. Her boobs are bigger and higher than mine for goodness sake! 

I look at that picture, and I wonder when I got so old. When did my baby become a young woman? How did I get wrinkles and saggy eyes and a child that has been mistaken for me? (Seriously. Someone thought she was Brian's wife. Twice.)

I look at that kid, though, and realize I've raised and am raising that kid. I still feel old, but I'll take it ... As long as this smart, kind, considerate kid is the pay off. 

Saturday the 14

Daughter 1, like every other tween and teen with a heart and blossoming bosoms, has been excitedly waiting for The Fault in our Stars to come to a theater near her. 

She and a friend worked for days--literally--to establish a day and a time they could go together. They finally decided Friday the thirteenth at 7:15 would be the best time. 

"You're going with us, right, Momma?"

Well, why not. 

I read the book in two days, forsaking laundry and cooking. I thought of ten thousand reasons to back out and let her and her friend go by themselves, but ultimately, I decided that it wasn't just a movie for me and my girl. It was a gift. 

My girl is almost a teen. Increasingly, she's becoming more and more independent. She's taking high school credits next year. She's leaving on Sunday for a week at college! She's forming her own opinions that are informed. She's growing up. 

So, I continued to forsake laundry and cooking and personal tasks like bathing so that I could spend the evening, invited, with my girl. 

My Friday the thirteenth? It was wonderful. I caught a glimpse of my sweet little, tender-hearted girl. It's been a while since that girl had invited me to be with her. 

Then we woke up Saturday and she ran out of deodorant and wouldn't use mine because it had touched my outs. And she couldn't decide with shoes to wear. I suggested her Toms, but that was stupid because, you know. Thirty minutes later she walked out if the house with her Toms on. And we didn't fix anything she liked for breakfast because we clearly don't love her and we made her wake up early to go to her sisters softball tournament because her sister is our favorite. And the wind was blowing. So, you know, there was that. 

But my Friday the thirteenth was great.