No, this is not a late Christmas wish list. It is not a description of myself, though it could be. These are the roles my children have naturally slipped into.
THE CHEF
Silas, not given to afternoon napping, has been cooking with me while his sister snoozles since he was 2 or so. He knows recipes and measurements; how to perfectly crack and egg, roll a cinnamon roll, decorate cookies and pizzas. he eats whole cinnamon sticks and whole cloves of garlic and tastes every spice in the cupboard. In the photo, he's spicing up some butternut squash for Thanksgiving.
THE NANNY
If you've read this blog at all, you know my Priya loves her some baby dolls. Recently, her passion has even grown as she expects to give birth to two babies of her own soon. While that might not really happen, she knows I will bring forth a real baby soon that she can dress and change and hold and, she believes, feed, too. (She will gladly lift her shirt and tell you she's equipped.) her baby dolls change gender and names as often as they change clothes, but she is faithful to all of them and makes sure they are well loved. I have been encouraging her that god has given her a real baby to love and help everyday, Levi. She is accepting that more and more and learning to be a really good big sister.
THE MAID
We'd been hoping for a quiet, clean, good-sleeping child since we started this whole business of baby making. Perhaps, the fourth will be quiet, our others are not. BUT, Levi is a champion napper and the child loves to clean. After New Year's dinner, he grabbed a stool and set to cleaning his grandmother's counter tops with a rag. He always wipes up his spills and those of his siblings as well. He loves baths and showers. He puts things where they belong and get himself dressed. Many times, he's been the example to Silas and Priya. One downside of this habit is that he likes to keep things as they are. So, if the boy has on a hat or his mittens, he likes them to stay put, even when he's blazing hot inside. In the photo, he's doing a little deep scrubbing of the pantry shelves (notice apron and vacuum cleaner toy that his cousin got him for Christmas).
The FUTURE: In a couple of years, I imagine myself sitting in the sunny backyard catching up on the years of novels I have missed while my Silas makes dinner, Priya takes care of the baby, and Levi cleans the house. I can dream, right?
