August 23, 2011

I travelled last week for business and when I’m away from the girls for a couple days it’s easy to forget about all the difficulties of raising kids and just focus on the good stuff. So that’s a great thing to do from time to time. I’m sure Belle wishes SHE could do that from time to time, even if she probably doesn’t need the dose of perspective as badly as I do. In Woody Allen’s film classic “Manhattan,” he makes a list of some of the little things that to him make life worth living. For his character, Isaac Davis, it was Cezanne’s apples and pears, Louis B. Armstrong’s Potato Head Blues and his ex-girlfriend’s face. For me, there’s lots of things, movie popcorn, Red Sox games at Fenway, The Wire and West Wing, Doonesbury, and the music of Michael Penn to name just a few. But what about the wife and kids? Well, since you asked…

Jasmine wrapping her arms around me when I get her at night (she’s crying, I pick her up, and she just melts onto my shoulder. Honestly, it’s pretty sensational)

Ariel singing Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” (she gets every word wrong but thinks she knows all the words. It’s fabulous)

Jasmine’s smile when I walk into the room (doesn’t matter what’s going on, the kid just lights up when she sees me. Makes me feel like a million bucks)

Trademark Ariel moments - like the other day, she walked into my office in wearing a Princess Tiana dress with her wand, to show me how beautiful she looked. Then she came back 2 minutes later with a mirror in her hand and said “Now you just have GOT to see me.” (True, Ariel. Very true.)

Jasmine laughing when tickled (just like her older sister when she was a baby, she has the best laugh ever)

Belle’s face when one of the kids does something good, or new, or unexpected (the look of pure joy)

Now if I can just remember these things whenever Ariel screams at me for no reason, or Jasmine pretends she’s going to kiss me and instead bites half my face off, then I’ll be fine. :)