Safe from Wolves

Wednesday, September 1st, 1993 Lark's 1st birthday -- I take a day off work -- Laura is 9 Jasmine is 8 Margret is 6 Trina is 3

It's 10:30 p.m. and I have a staff meeting to conduct in the morning. I have classical music playing on the stereo but it has no effect on Trina and Lark who are frollicking on my bed where I would prefer to be sleeping at this moment. We've just got the other girls to bed.

I tried taking photos of all Lark's activities today, missed some though.

This morning at 10:30 Lark was fussy so I resigned myself to taking a walk with her rather than try to finish addressing postcards to my scrapbook business customers. I decided to take Trina and Lark to the park to collect pine-cones to make into Christmas crafts. Lark fell asleep in the stroller on the way. On the way back home Trina complained that her legs were hurting. I wanted to get home so we could really relax rather than make numerous rest stops. She clung to a fence. I lightly slapped her hand. She cried. I squatted down to her level and put my arms around her. Then, (I can't believe I did this), I told her if she were a little pioneer girl acting like this she would be left behind for the wolves. We managed to get home.

We live in a quiet, secluded cul-de-sac. Lark was asleep in the stroller so I told Trina to sit on the step and watch her while I ran to the bathroom. The washer and dryer are in the downstairs bathroom so I rotated the laundry before returning to bring the girls in. I couldn't have been gone even five minutes.

In the meantime Trina had actually lifted the stroller with Lark in it up the two steps and over the threshold into the house! She told me she "Didn't want the bees and wolves to get to Lark." Of course Lark was awake by now. It served me right. I had to laugh. Annoyed, I scolded Trina but I told her I knew she meant well. It was my fault.

I didn't get Lark to sleep again til 2:30. Then I read to Trina til 3:00 and I was so tired I had to lay down. The big girls would be home from school in a half hour. That rascal Trina wasn't about to nap. In fact, she trimmed her hair while I was dozing. I swatted her bottom once and she lay down and was instantly asleep. This was just minutes before the big girls came trooping in.

Margret wanted to play at Melissa's. Jasmine went in the back yard to play with the dog. Laura briefed me about the fund-raiser sales drive-- candy again.

Now it was time to fix dinner and the cake and so the evening went. Steve got home at about 4:30. I got my business postcards mailed. I'm so glad I took the day off work. It's nice to focus on my family without the distraction and interupption of work. We helped the girls with homework, talked with them, coached them.