Peanuts!!

Holy cow! this is what you will say once I download and post the picture of what my living room looked like today! First, let me start by saying Happy Belated Mother's Day to everyone. I had a marvalous day! Olena and daddy bought me a pair of garnet earrings. Garnet is Olena's birthstone. I wanted a pair of earrings that I could wear daily. Everything I have is dressy and it just isn't feasible while crawling around on the floor with a toddler. But I love them, and I am very impressed by the gesture. Daddy cooked breakfast and took care of the chores for the day, and Olena promised to behave all day and much to my delight, she fulfilled her promise.

Now for the fun part. One word sums it all up....packing peanuts!! I got a toy organizer in the mail today that I ordered from a catalog. It was a big box, and Olena was so freakin' excited about this box for some reason. (Now I am beginning to think that she has x-ray vision??) I was explaining to her that there was something for her toys in the big box. She kept dancing around it, telling me "open, open, open" it was ridiculous. I had assumed that her excitement was related to the idea that she heard the word TOY and assumed that it was a new toy for her . I finally gave in and decided to open the darn box so that she could see that it was nothing exciting. Boy was I in for a surprise. I cut open this box, while she anxiously awaited next to it about to wiggle right out of her skin with excitement. In side this box was another box about half the size and the rest of it was STUFFED with packing peanuts!!!! If you could have only seen her face - her eyes were huge and her face gleamed with pure happiness, the next thing I knew packing peanuts were flying everywhere. She was liturgy in the box swimming in these darn things. I just sat there and watched her in complete awe because she was laughing so hard and having so much fun. She was pretending to swim, then she was throwing them in the air catching them, she realized that they crumbled so she started squishing them in her hands and stomping on them. While doing all of this she was laughing hysterically. But this laugh was different. It was so angelic...I think she felt completely happy, and carefree. That may sound weird to some of you, and I hadn't really noticed anything "sad" about her before this but these children really do carry a lot of "baggage" with them. Even at Olena's age. Over the course of these past 6 months I have watched her change and grow emotionally, and she has made great changes for the good. I don't see any signs of abuse, or neglect. We haven't even experienced any attachment issues, but yet I know the bottom line is that she grew up without a mommy or daddy and though the baby house did what they can, they can't replace us. She has never really been able to be a carefree child and I thought she had learned that after being home a few weeks, but she proved me wrong today. TODAY was the day that my daughter learned how to be a child! she used her imagination! she didn't have a worry in her little mind, and she was completely happy. It is a moment that I will never forget. O.K. now back to the packing peanuts! 1 1/2 hours later, my brown carpet was no where to be found, and neither was the 2 year old who created the mess. (Later to be discovered laying on the floor, camouflaged into the rest of the mess because she too was covered in crushed packing peanuts.) We had to leave for parent- tot class in 30 minutes and I had to find a way to pick this mess up. Heeelllloooo shop vac! I brought out the big guns - and it worked like a charm. Carpet, couch, dogs and Olena were all sucked clean in a matter of 10 minutes! Hooray! I had to stop half way through to empty the canister, and then I remembered to take a picture, so I will be sure to post that soon. You will crack up! It was such a great moment in time and it was the perfect Mother's Day gift (even though a few days late) I hope that she too remembers this day! How did she know that there was something fun to do in that box?!?!