magic flute

I liked my kids yesterday.
We got dressed up (on a Saturday nonetheless) and went downtown to the Met for a performance of Mozart's Magic Flute. Lucky for us it was a wonderful children's adaptation. Marcos got to spend the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa and then we all went out for icecream. The kids had been so well behaved and grateful all day that we spent the rest of the evening playing dark tag and kicking our heels up to really loud 80's music. Tony had a crazy day on call so it must have been nice for him to come home to a happy wife and happy kids.


Cooper burst through the door on Thursday with a broken nose swollen like a grapefruit and bleeding from both nostrils. Despite my usual ability to tell my kids to buck up, this injury shook me. Turns out, the year long battle of words with the kids across the street had finally come to a head resulting in a backpack to Cooper's face. What the perpatrator failed to remember was the heavy remote control car in the backpack. I was so close to going over to talk to the parents, but instead felt like we needed to all calm down and turn to the scriptures. That night we reviewed the Savior's advice on how to handle our enemies. Cooper did not think turning the other cheek was an option and frankly didn't think he could pray for his enemies either. My idea to take cookies over was met with a resounding NO. What amazed me was watching the spirit work on him to soften his heart so that by the time he got home from school he had totally forgiven the kids and was giving them gifts. I really think that life lesson was worth a broken nose--sorry Coop.


In reviewing pictures I noted that I had four good Mom moments recently. Thankfully, my 12,000 Not Good Mom Moments were not captured on camera. The good ones included:

laughing when Marcos ate an entire jar of blackberry jam

learning to make corn tortillas with the kids

making cupcakes to celebrate Max'x pretend birthday

sewing American girl clothes with Eliza