The familiar glow of morning light shines through the window and I can hear his sweet baby sounds. He giggles and coos and sucks on his feet. I'm tired. I had a fitted sleep filled with hazy memories of diaper changes and midnight nursings. I roll out of bed and put on my slippers and slide on my robe. I put on the light and my baby boy sees me and his face lights up in a tender smile. It's like sunshine hitting my face on a cold day and any pang of resentment I harnessed for my lack of rest washes away in an instant. I gently pick him up and cradle him in my arms and breath in his sweet smell. He laughs with excitement, his high pitched belly laugh that makes me laugh too. I place him on the changing table and as I tend to him I become increasingly aware that I'm being watched.
I go about my business trying to act as if I don't notice them. Little hushed giggles coming from the hallway. Like a flash, my daughter comes running into my room and rushes to her baby brothers feet. She likes his feet, nibbles on them while more belly giggles fill the room. I notice my daughters outfit. She's wearing her brothers soccer shirt and his old church pants. I quietly chuckle to myself that she finds this comfortable sleeping attire. Her hair is disheveled and her eyes have that slightly droopy look that shows that she's just woken up. My son Andy walks into the room next. He immediately comes and embraces me, as he has done every morning since he was a boy, my gentle natured, cuddly son. He picks up the baby and we head out to the kitchen to start our day.
As I make my coffee out walks my son Nikolas. He's rubbing the sleep from his eyes and I notice that he's wearing his shirt backwards, his hair's sticking straight up. He wanders over to me slowly and gives me a long hug, resting his head on my shoulder, which, at eleven, he now reaches. The baby sees him and squeals in excitement, my first and last born, tied in a special bond that bridges their age difference without notice. As I sip my coffee I notice that Alexia is sitting on the kitchen floor reading a book to her dolly. She says each word, enunciating each letter slowly and carefully, taking her time. The sweet part of this scene is that she's holding the baby in a self made "baby sling", much like the one I wear most of the time. Nikolas is the first one to begin his schoolwork, doing so without me asking, making me thankful that I am blessed with a child who is self-motivated. Andy is weaving in and out of the room, hurriedly, hoping I won't notice the remote control he's taken apart. He does this "for fun" to see how it works. I ask him if he's started his work, to which he replies "I'm doing a science experiment. It counts Mama, it's science!" I decide to stop him, only because we have our weekly home school cooperative in two hours and he needs to do actual work. Before I can enter his room, he comes running out dressed up in his Halloween costume. This is funny because it's the costume he wore several years before so it's REALLY REALLY tight! This makes my mom, who's sitting at the table eating her breakfast, laugh so hard she snorts! More giggling ensues and now the baby squeals again with delight. This high pitched noise excites our chihuahua, who begins howling in a yodeling type howl, happy to contribute to her family's conversation.
Andy looks over and sees Nik doing his work so he decides to start his. He sits down at his desk and starts working. He is still in his ninja costume. As I work with Alexia on her math problems I notice that Andy is, once again, out of his seat. I call from the study "Andy, GET IN HERE, NOW!" No answer. I call again. No answer AGAIN! I mutter obscenities under my breath as I walk towards his room and BOOM!!!!!!!!! Andy, jumps from around the corner, scaring me to death! More muttered obscenities, to which Alexia chimes in from another room "Mama, you said a potty wawd!" Her odd Boston sounding accent gets me every time, and I can barely keep from laughing as I say "You are right sweetie. Mommy should not say that word." Andy now realizes it will be defcon 5 if he doesn't act like he's really taking this work thing seriously so he, still in the ninja costume, grabs a book off the bookcase and buries his nose in it, as if deeply enthralled with what's in it. Sadly for him, he fails to notice that it's a thesaurus.
I just stare across the room with a poker face. This is a far better tactic than yelling with Andy. He is a a sensitive child who, all kidding aside, wants to do well. He simply is our "class clown, and likes to start the day by making those around him smile. Andy can't read my mood so he FINALLY decides to do his work! I go to play a language arts game with Alexia, only to find her sitting at the table with ALL of her book work done! She is grinning from ear to ear, beaming with pride. I give her a great big hug and thank her for being such a "big girl". She responds by saying "No, I am and you AND daddy's big girl" then she darts off into her room, only to quickly turn around to give Eli kisses first. I go from child to child, at this point,helping them, as needed. Sometimes this means talking them through a problem, other times it simply means repeating back the question to them so they figure it out themselves. We gather our belongings and head out the door to be with friends at our weekly coop. I buckle the baby in his car seat and get in my van. As I look in my rear view mirror I see my children, all sitting quietly, looking out the window. I get a tinge of bittersweet aching in my belly for I know these times are priceless. My kids are all growing so fast. Nikolas put 's on our favorite song and we head off down the.....
HOLY BATMAN!!!! I notice that ALL the kids have on their Halloween costume.....more obscenities muttered.....more Lexi going "Mama you said a potty wawwwwwd!"
And such is a day in the life of a home school parent.
Quite frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way.
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