I have entirely too many good memories of my children, but I include some of my very favorites.  When Addi was very little, just barely talking, we were folding the laundry one day and she asked me, “Is this frog side in?”  I was taken back and asked her to explain.  She said, “Frog side out or frog side in?”  Beyond cute!

When Jessica was three she decided she wanted to be call Leigh instead of Jessica.  I figured she was old enough that everyone could adjust and, so we started calling her Leigh.  I taught her a little song so she could remember how to spell it.  “Jessa Faerber has a new name.  It’s L E I G H. She learned to spell and write her new name. She came home from Pre-School with Leigh written on all her papers.

Well the next year she decided she wanted to change her name again.  She asked me what we had almost named her, and I told her Monica.  That is what she wanted to be called from then on.  Her Pre-School teacher took me aside and said this had to stop. It would be too confusing to all the other children.  Jess and I had a long talk and she decided to become Jessica again.  Problem solved.

When Addi was about four or five she took to wearing a Kool Aid t-shirt, that was much too big for her, and one of my half slips.  When she got tired she sucked her finger and fondled the half-slip.  I was embarrassed to take her out in public.  We decided to go shopping at the local Goodwill store and see if we could find her something more appropriate to wear.  She picked out a pink, what looked to be a flower girl’s dress, that was full length.  I’m pretty sure she wore it out, but she got out of that craze in no time and was back to wearing real clothing.

Jess, Addi and I traveled to Niagara Falls when Jess was four and Addi was six with y sister.  The girls were asleep when we got to Pennsylvania. I told them we had just gotten into Pennsylvania.  Jess looked out the window and asked, “Where are all the pencils?”

On that trip to Niagara Falls we got to see the Cirque de Solei before they ever became popular in Vegas.  The girls also got brand new winter coats from the local coat warehouse outlet, and they each got a finger puppet that was a mouse.  Addi called her mouse “Squeaky” and promised her undying love for the puppet.

When we got to the hotel that evening we were all pooped.  I got the girls changed into their pj’s and into bed when Addi suddenly exclaimed, “I’ve lost Squeaky.”

My sister thought it had fallen out in the car and went to check.  No Squeaky.  Addi was sobbing and carrying on so, I thought she would never get to sleep.  She did eventually calm down and go to sleep.  In the morning when we got to the car, there on the ground lay Squeaky.

Years later I came across Squeaky and mailed him to my sister as a remembrance.

When the girls were very little they got so bored on rainy days.  I taught them to play Wonder Woman.  They donned their bathing suits and rubber galoshes.  I tied a towel around their necks and masking taped their wrists and foreheads. They ran around in the rain, splashing in puddles and fighting off the bad guys in the cul-de-sac.  I am so very sorry I never got a photo of them dressed as Wonder Woman.

When we first moved to northern Illinois we decided that we would explore every city park we could find as they grew tired of the two playgrounds at Lake Summerset.  I packed balls, hula hoops and these stilts, that I had made out of coffee cans and rope.  They each asked a friend to join us and we drove all over northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin playing on the playgrounds.

Peace be with you.