The word of the day: Perspective

Yesterday, Lester took Dean to the doctor to see about the complaint he was having about his ear. We were especially vigilant because Michelle told us that Dean had a little waxy substance coming out of his ear when he woke up from his nap the day before.

This happened with Cary over the holiday break, if you recall, and it turned out -- after a few days of us thinking it was only ear wax -- he had a burst eardrum! So we weren't taking any chances with Dean.

Guess what? Dean has an ear infection. And of course he would! This is the Davis House of the Infirm is it not?

That makes us 3 for 3 for kids with ear infections this winter. And it also brings the total number of people on antibiotics in our house to 3 (Dean, Clair, me). If you count Michelle, who has also been taking antibiotics to help with her month-long sickness, that's 4 people!

And we're now on week 4 of me being sick -- although I have to say, I am feeling better finally, thank the good Lord in heaven (and also thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. And time, too, I suppose.)

Anyway, I got a good dose of perspective this week from Laura C. so I have resolved not to complain about the relatively minor things that are affecting our family's health.

Instead, I will take time to reflect on how amazingly amazing my children are. Because they are here for such a very short time, in the scheme of things, and tomorrow is never promised.

Even though I felt like shiznit, I took the boys to the playground on Sunday, because it was such a nice day. We ate snacks and played for close to two hours. They loved it!

 

Here they are playing "train." Dean is the "tunductor." At one point, Cary looked at the letters on the side of this toy and said, "B. Eight. O. Spells 'train.'" I told him he was absolutely correct.

At some point on Sunday night, while I was fixing dinner and Lester was "watching" the kids in the basement, and also the football game, Dean brought me my cell phone, which had been disabled. Why was it disabled? Because Dean had been playing with it -- a No-No! -- and iPhone shut him down!

Later on, I looked through my photos and found that my Dean is an incredible artist. Check out these two selfies he took -- somehow using my Hipstamatic program.

The perspective on those selfies just grabs me. Who is that little boy? What is he thinking? What does he want out of life? Where will he end up in the future?

Anyway, he also somehow got into a drawing app I have on my phone for kids, created an abstract - and then took a screen shot of it.

What does it mean, Dean? What does it MEAN?!

I honestly have no idea how he was able to do all this. But one day, when my child's artwork and photography is hanging up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, don't say I didn't tell you.

And, just for good measure, here's a picture of  my darling Clair -- without her hair standing up all over her head.  For a kid with an ear infection and RSV, she is really super pleasant. And cute, too.

Hello lovely!

And, since I am in supreme children-appreciation mode, and want to savor all my wonderful memories with them, here is a video of the boys when we were watching the Inaugural parade on Monday, and they got inspired by the marching bands to dance along. I hadn't intended to post this, because the playroom looks such a mess. (Isn't that silly?) I mean, who the hell cares? Having kids is messy sometimes, and in our house, more often than not. So here they are, the marching, dancing Barack Obama-loving Davis boys:

I was feeling like total crap by the end of the day Monday, and I was also feeling just a wee bit jealous of all the people who got to go to the Inauguration and feel -- in person -- the simultaneous solemnity and excitement of the day.

But in retrospect, I am so glad I got to spend a few minutes in the messy basement playroom, with my children, enjoying them as they jumped and danced and marched and laughed. These are the moments that give meaning to my life.

Perspective = Realizing I wouldn't trade this time with them for anything in the world.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The boys went out with Lester this weekend and picked out a fat and wonderful-smelling Christmas tree. Gracious, it smells good in our house!

And then we spent the weekend decorating it, letting the boys hang bulbs and talking to them about some of the more personal ornaments and what they meant to us, like the one we made at a pottery shop in Fredericksburg, Va. on a little mini pre-anniversary trip we took in 2007. (I was pregnant with the boys and didn't know it!)

He was so deliberate about every bulb.

Mommy, I want this one to go up high! Way up high!

So far this holiday season has been really great because the boys have been really in to the whole thing -- from picking out the tree, to decorating the house to singing "Jingle Bells" and "We Miss you a Merry Christmas." (That's how they say it.) And we aren't spending every waking moment trying to get them to NOT TOUCH THE TREE! Even Clair hasn't been a problem. She crawls around and touches everything, but not the tree, for some reason. She likes to stare at the lights, though, and kick her little feet at how beautiful it is.
 

Best time of the day: When the kids go to bed! We like to just sit, and have a holiday-cocktail and just look at the tree.

Sunday, my friend Monica came over and had breakfast with us. She's from the South, so I used that as an excuse to serve some good, old-fashioned cheese grits, made with plenty of butter! Lester made pancakes, too (more butter, YUM!). So we had grits and eggs, sausage and pancakes and have never been so happy. :-)

Monica took a few photos of us while she was there, and I can't wait to see them. She's an amazing photographer -- really, simply amazing -- which is why I was so surprised when she told me that her favorite camera right now is her iPhone.

Really? She showed me some photos on her phone that she took with her iPhone and they were absolutely breathtaking! "How can I be down?" I asked her. How do you do that?

So she introduced me to some photo enhancing apps she uses, but most were still too advanced for my Mommy brain. I picked one to play with called Camera +, and I am now obsessed with it!

I apologize in advance for all the photos I'll be enhancing and posting. It's just so cool!

Here are a few existing photos I had in my phone that I enhanced using Camera +:

You're my...Bright-Eyed Girl. Sha-na-na-na-na-na!

Look at the color!

This seriously looks like it could be from back in the day. My boys look so dapper. Their look is what my dear old Grandmother would call "smart!" As in, "Don't those boys look smart?!"

I think this should be an ad in a magazine for something. I don't know what. But for something.

Focusing in on Cary and his favorite activity (after whining and arguing), and making everything else go softly out of focus. Cool!

Again, more color -- and light! And Deanie smiling! What's not to love?

I don't know if there's a filter I could use that would make me NOT love this photo of my two super cool dudes.

 Pretty cool, huh? Anyway, this is my new toy, so indulge me, please. I'm pretty sure this too shall pass. (Until the next thing comes along!)

Oh! Last thing to point out:

This morning, Dean seemed not himself. He was subdued and slow and said he wanted to go back and take a nap. He said, "My tummy hurts." At one point, for no apparent reason, he burst into tears.

I got down on my knees and tried to get him to tell me what was wrong. But he just sobbed.

Finally, I said, "Baby, please tell Mommy what's wrong, so I can help you. What do you need?"

And he said, through tears, "I-I-I-I.... I need a hug."

OMG -- I had to hold back the tears! Seriously, I can't tell you how much that tugged at my heart. My sweet boy!

I hugged him long and hard, and rocked him like a baby.

And it was the saddest and happiest moment I can ever recall.



 

How I know I am not cut out to be a photographer

My Mom stayed the night with us last night. She had a conference nearby and elected to stay with us, instead of in the hotel the final night.

The kids were in HEAVEN! They adore their Nana so much it's ridiculous. Dean gave her unsolicited kisses, and both boys insisted on holding her hand when they were on their way to bed. (So sweet!)

Of course, I forgot to get photos of them laughing and smiling with her all night long, so I was determined to get one of Clair this morning, before Mom left for her conference. (The boys were still sleeping.)

I took a bunch of posed pictures that turned out terrible, because Clair refused to look at the camera, playing with her toes or staring at the comforter instead. So I was so proud of myself that I thought to snap a couple pics while she was lying on the bed, cooing at my mother, and wrapping her more and more around her chubby little finger.

Here's the thing. Even though these are basic B-level iPhone pics, a good photographer would have taken these two nearly identical photos and chosen the very best one to show here. But I cannot for the life of me figure out which is best. What are the criteria I should be using? Photo-people, please help me. Which of these two pictures would you throw out, and which would you keep -- and why?

Photo A

Photo B