April

We were in the drive-thru pharmacy line. The girls were getting restless and wanted to know more information about the medicine I was purchasing, since they knew I wasn’t sick. I explained that it was medicine that makes me not have babies. At this, they got angry. “Mommy! Don’t get it! We want more babies!” We discussed it, and they eventually calmed down.
One month later, I pulled our car into the lane again, and without any forewarning, Hannah shouted, “No, Mommy! I want a brother!”

Hannah had peeled some skin off her thumb, leaving it red and icky looking. She was concerned about the red appearance and asked when she would get it back. “Get what back?” I asked. She thought for a moment, searching for the right word. “Get the peach back!”

I told the girls that children with blond hair are called “tow heads.” They thought this was hysterical. Not knowing what tow means, I realized they were visualizing a “toe head” when they changed it to “foot head.” Hannah is thrilled to be a “toe head,” but Abby is a bit disappointed that she’s just a “brunette.”

While talking with some of my friends, the subject of eyebrows came up. (It’s a long story, but we were discussing bushy verses thin.) One of the girls mentioned that she used a toothbrush to brush her brows each morning. Another girl said that she did, also. They used the free dentist brushes. Not wanting to be left with unruly brows, I made a mental note to pick one up the next time I visited the dentist.
A week later, I saw the jar at the dental office and grabbed my eyebrow tool. The sign said they were complimentary. (It also said some other stuff that I didn’t read.) I began using my free brush as part of my beauty regime. Since the dentist had found a cavity, I returned to the office two weeks later. In the bathroom once again, I saw the toothbrush jar with its “free” sign. Pausing to read the entire sign this time, I perked up at the last line. “Free toothbrushes! Now with toothpaste already in the bristles!"
Mmmmm. . . minty eyebrows.

At Easter time, we were buying food to give to the needy. I think all the messages we give children sometimes get jumbled in their heads. Hannah thought about it. “This is for the poor people? Did they eat all their dinner? Did they say thank you?” She was fine with it after that.