The Awwwwwwww Factor

I'm afraid I have been rather remiss over the last few days with regards to my blog, however, the catalogue of memories has been maintained!! On Friday we had a hootananny with some gorgeous friends - the kids ran wild with their chums, and I love love loved catching up with two of my closest mates from work. After spending the day chatting with the girls, I must admit I am quite looking forward to being back in the thick of it next year (I just need to find a way to smuggle Maisie into my classroom...). On Saturday, the big kids went out for the day with Grandma and Grandpa, and I caught up on housework. Yes, yes, I know I should have been resting etc etc., and I tried to have a nap when Maisie and Daddy were asleep. However, the five minutes I got were not quite enough. As Maisie is teething, the booby has been on-call more often than not, and so I'm afraid my sleepy-time had to happen with a little girly on the breast. Never mind. With Jack and Phoebe out and about, I got quite a bit done, and poor sick Daddy had a big rest. So that was good!

Sunday saw us doing our usual thing at swimming lessons, and as Daddy was still full of bronchitis I was the lucky parent to be in the pool with both of our girls for their lessons. We were very proud of Phoebe, as she was put up into the next level, and from now on won't be needing Mummy or Daddy in the pool with her! It is a little sad (for us) that she will now swim independently, but I am so excited for her. Luckily we still have Maisie Mouse to splash violently and push water up our noses every week for a little while longer.

When we arrived home yesterday afternoon, the kids were pretty tired and Christian was feeling quite awful, so we had a very quiet evening. It was a fairly standard weekend but still lovely in it's own way as the five of us spent time together without manically rushing around trying to achieve the unachieveable. Last night I was thinking about my neglected blog (and my sick laptop, which is the reason why the adventures of Team O'Toole have not been avidly described for the past few days...) and it became apparent that there have been several moments of undeniable "awwwwwwwww" moments over the last few days. You know what I mean - those times when your kids do or say something and it's just so beautiful, or funny, or sweet that all you can do is tip your head on one side and say "awwwwwwwww!" Pathetic, I know, but true all the same!

* Yesterday morning Phoebe ran in breathlessly and exclaimed, "Daddy! There's a beetle stuck upside down in a spider's web and you have to help him!! You have to get him out!!" How gorgeous is that? Of course, Jack then added dryly, "Yes, because otherwise the spider will suck it's blood out like in 'Charlotte's Web'." Thanks for your help, Jack. That really helped your sister's hysteria.

* Last night I was holding Maisie on my hip, talking to Christian, and she put her little hand on my face, pulled me around to face her, and planted a big kiss on my cheek. I looked at her and said, "Thank you darling! Do you want a kiss too?" And she turned her chubby pink cheek towards me so I could kiss it. Awwwwww!!!!

* I overheard Jack and Phoebe playing today, and Phoebe was getting tired. Jack asked her, really gently, "Do you know where your Lucy is, sweetheart?" What a little gentleman! He makes me so proud.

* This afternoon after lunch, I found Phoebe asleep in her Daddy's lap. Both of them had their mouths slightly open, and were snoring gently. Awwwwwwwww!!!!

* While the girls were asleep, we allowed Jack to go outside on the driveway to ride his bike. I looked out the window and saw him circling the drive, narrating his own riding with a little song. He had a dreamy smile on his face, and he was singing loud enough to be heard by the neighbours, with no inhibition or embarrassment whatsoever. He looked so little and happy that I wanted to bottle that moment.

* Phoebe had disappeared, and I found her wearing only undies, a t-shirt and a bike helmet (?), very carefully putting her babies to bed underneath Maisie's swinging chair. One of them must have started crying, as she gingerly picked it up, cradled it's head and started crooning to it, lulling her doll back off to sleep. When she spied me watching her, she put a finger to her lips and whispered, "Ssssshhh, Mummy. Don't wake my baby. She's so tired, poor thing." And then she kissed the doll and tucked her back into the makeshift cot under the chair. My heart might break, I think.

Just a normal weekend, with many normal and not-so-gorgeous moments (Maisie discovered biting nipples is funny; Jack needed to use the toilet in The Good Guys and sat and sang while he ahem, did his thing; Phoebe continued her quest to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest number of poppies done in a public place) Yet I know that I won't remember the yucky smells or the embarrassing moments (the grazed nipples, however, are another matter...) in a few years. What I know will stick in my memory are the little gems when my kids just made my heart melt. When they are teenagers, I will remind them about how they used to greet Maisie every morning with "Hello precious girl!", how they would kiss the top of her head and put their downy cheeks together, how Jack would drop everything to help Phoebe learn how to push the pedals on her new bike, how I could stay for hours and watch Jack and Phoebe while they sit, so close their legs touch, bike helmets on their heads, heads both cocked to one side, watching Play School together. In the course of one normal weekend, I found myself close to tears so many times simply because it feels as though my heart might break with love. I would give anything to bottle these moments, and yet I don't want to live my life looking through a video lens. And so instead I will bore you all to tears with my awwwwwwww moments....and hope that there might be many more.