The Secret is Out

Bo is like all first graders...losing teeth left & right.

He was missing his front tooth, then got bumped by his good buddy  which knocked out his other front wiggly tooth.

Of course we couldn't find the tooth fairy jar at bed time
so I assured him the tooth fairy would come 
if he just put it in a little baggie.  

He was very skeptical but put his tooth in the 
Ziploc & headed to bed.

At 6:00 the next morning I was awoken by his voice 
"I TOLD you it wouldn't come."   
I opened my eyes & he was about two inches from my face holding up the baggie for me to see, 
with the saddest little face I ever saw.

Oh no....the tooth fairy forgot!

"Oh baby, I think I know what happened."  I explained, "Look outside.  The sun is not even up....it is still night.  I bet you were the last kid on the list tonight and you just woke up too early.  She is probably trying to come right now but we are up too early so she can't come...it's okay!  She'll just come tomorrow night.  I bet she feels really bad, but what can she do?   We are already up she can't come now!"

Bo thought about it and didn't say anything.  He turned to go downstairs to get ready for the day & I promised him I'd be right down. 

When I finally got down there he looked at me with a big smile, "Mom...I think  know who the tooth fairy is."

"Oh yeah Who?"

"You."  He pointed at me with the edges of his lips curling up.  I could tell he was pretty proud of himself for unlocking one of life's mysteries.

I smiled....a HUGE smile & nodded my head yes without saying a word.  He knew...despite that big fat whopper of a lie I told him.  
(I try realllly hard to tell my kids the truth always so that was hard for me). 

His smile grew bigger & bigger & he punched his fist into the air, 
"YES!!!! YES!!!! I knew it!!!! 
I always knew it was you!!!!!" 

It was fun to see how proud he was for figuring it out.  "Now Bo...you can't tell your brothers.  Annie has know this for a loooong time but she didn't tell you because she didn't want to spoil your fun."

"Okay....but mom?  You put me LAST on the list?!?!"  He still had a smile as wide as his face with 2 missing top teeth.  "And...What do you do with all those teeth?!?!"

Oh man...I thought he figured out that I was the tooth fairy...but it seems he "figured out" that I was THEE Tooth Fairy! 

Rocco & Roo were up by now & he had so many questions!  "Bo we will talk about this later."  I tried to quiet him with the other boys still never experiencing tooth fairy magic. 

He smiled at me all morning. 

On the ride to school I was glad he seemed to have forgotten about it & then from the back seat, " Mom?  Who will be the tooth fairy when you get older...cause I don't want to do it...I want to be a cobra tamer!" 

"Bo, I told you we will talk about this later, but no,

 you will not be the tooth fairy."

After school we got so busy we both forgot about it.  Then, right before bed he came over & patted me on the shoulder smiling, "Mom...don't forget to come tonight!"  he spun on his toes & scooted off to bed yelling over his shoulder back to me,

"Put me first on the list tonight!  Oh & mom...don't worry...knowing your secret doesn't ruin the fun...I like it."   
And into bed he hopped.

So the next night I actually WAS the tooth fairy,

We found the special tooth jar & 
turns out he was first on the list.

We never have talked about it again but,

I am totally dreading breaking his little heart when

 I tell him that I am not THEE Tooth Fairy. 

In the meantime I just get to enjoy imagining his vision of this tall, very pregnant, mom of 5, flying house to house every night 
in a tutu.  

And I can't tell you how tickled I am that he thinks I could be.

What's the going rate for teeth at your house?

Mornings

Mornings at our house start before the sun rises.

 

Even with my eyes still closed I hear

little feet running down the hall.

 

It gets quiet as they tiptoe into our room,

 I hear, "Mom?" and I open my eyes

to one of the boys about a foot from my face.

I send them down stairs & tell them I'll be down soon,

and then I hope they get started getting dressed.

 

Bo & Rocco are usually dressed before
I come down because I always lay out their clothes in little piles
on the fireplace before I go to bed.

 

And when those piles are gone I have
a full bucket of jammies
to put back on the shelf until tonight,
and a pile of yesterday's underwear
to whisk off to the laundry room.

 

But Annie...

she will still be here.
 

 

and it'll take me about 5 minutes to threaten coax her out of bed.

 

The kids start trickling to the table,

(Kit is always first)

 

just as sun starts to peek up over the horizon.

 

As the kids eat,

 

I run around doing all the little things that need to be done,
Making tea for Annie & my myself, 

 
setting out snack options for them
to choose & stuff into their backpacks for school,

 
making sure their backpacks are fully loaded & ready to go.

 

 Then, at 7:40 comes my least favorite part...

"Get your shoes on.
Annie go start the car.
Get your shoes on.
Get your jackets on.
Bo get your shoes on.
Rocco, Roo get in the car.
Bo, your shoes!"

And everyone needs to be bundled to the max,
look at my weather on the morning drive today:

after the "get out the door scuffle" all is well again.
(& after the "get buckled" scuffle)

I love seeing the full back seat in my rearview mirror
as I buckle check,

"Bo, get buckled!"

The drive is beautiful to their little school in the cornfields,

and I love listening to their chatter.

Today, Rocco was filling Roo in on important baby deets that even I didn't know about,

"So if an angel comes into your house and you see it that means you are going to have a baby."

Then, comes the part that makes me a
little emotional every single day:

As they get out with I love yous and pass in front of the car,
 my heart swells as Bo looks so grown up
& I think of him on his own for the next 7 hours.

 I start to miss them already as Annie turns at the door to wave
& always holds the door for Bo no matter how far he is behind."

We smile & wave like crazy
and then I am down to three.

And as long as we are in the car it's errand time.

Every other day we seem to head to Target from school.

Where I have to resist this:

"Pleeeeeease mom?

But I stay strong.

Today was just a quick run for

strawberries
&
radishes.

It was a good thing we stopped despite that cold because the boys acted like they might die while I quickly snapped
that last strawberry picture.

But, I understand because I might have died without my radishes.

This radish-butter flatbread recipe was just calling my name!

Then it's just time to wait.
The mornings have slipped away and we settle in to
enjoy the long days until we get to pick Annie & Bo up again.

I am all too aware that those looong days turn into years
that are flying by so fast they make my head spin.

So cherish those mornings Mamas.
'Cause even though it always seems wayyyyyy too early,
all too soon no one will be
peeking over the side of your bed.