Matthew: 1, 2, 3, 4............94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99.......hmmmm.....Tenty. Tenty-One, Tenty-Two, Tenty-Three......uhhhh....ELEVENTY...Eleventy-One, Eleventy-Two.....Twelvty...Twelvty-One, Twelvety-Two...LUKE, there are Twelvety-TWO constellations on the ceiling!!!
Luke: Huh?
Matthew: There are TWELVETY-TWO stars and constellations. That's a LOT of stars. The reason you've never heard of that number is because it's so BIIIIIIGGG!
Downstairs, Mark and I sat rapt and grinning as our firstborn counted himself sleepy. So cute, we said, puffing up with parental pride. But when he began winding himself into a number-counting frenzy, I urged Mark to go on up and settle him down - we have a big travelling day tomorrow and as entertaining as the show was, the boy needed to sleep.
Up Mark went, ushering both boys back into their respective beds, tucking them in. Matthew asked for "the Counting Game, explaining to Luke that "me and Daddy played this game when I was four, like you!"
Luke: Cool.
Mark: Two plus two equals?
Matthew: FOUR!
Mark: Four plus four equals?
Matthew: EIGHT!
Mark: Eight plus eight equals?
Matthew: SIXTEEN!
Mark: Sixteen plus sixteen equals?
Matthew: Uh.....Thirty-two?
Mark: Thirty-two. Thirty-two plus thirty-two equals...
And so it went until Mark got somewhere near 4000 at which point Matthew yelled, "Pi!!! That's my favourite part!"
Downstairs, I giggled helplessly, enchanted by the sheer pleasure in his voice and the fact that he and Daddy have a special Counting Game that I knew nothing about.
As soon as Mark left the room Matthew began the Counting Game on his own, getting stuck at 16 plus 16.
Again.
And again.
And again.
For almost 8 minutes (yes, I timed it) he counted from one - over and over and over again - struggling to get past 16, but never quite managing it. He ended up at 26, instead of 32, as he was - I imagine - counting on his fingers.
Finally, on the heels of one giant yawn, he proclaimed that 26 was indeed the right number.
Big pause.
Matthew: Yep, it's 26! 26.....yep.......26......I'll do 26 plus 26 in the morning, OK Luke? Right now, I need to get some rest. I'm a tired boy."
Bigger pause.
Silence.
Downstairs, grinning through my proud tears, I thought, "For these moments, I am so thankful."
And then sleepily, from the monitor: "I am so proud of you, Matthew." (Matthew, deepening his voice to mimic Mark's)
Matthew: "Thanks Dad, I'm proud of you, too."
Downstairs, eyes welling, grin widening, I began counting, too. Counting my blessings:
"98, 99...Tenty. Tenty-One, Tenty-Two, Tenty-Three...."
And you? Have you counted your blessings today?
Happy Thanksgiving, All!
That's pure sweetness. Kudos to you for capturing that moment in words!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it, though? To be honest, as I listened to the "Counting Game", I was crafting this post in my head. Sometimes, they kids just write 'em for me!
ReplyDeletexo
My memory sucks now.
ReplyDeleteI would be typing this on my laptop as I eavesdropped on the monitor to make sure it was recorded.
What a wonderful batch of moments to capture forever.
It made me smile.
Just this afternoon I typed as my son talked, so I could capture his words verbatim of the only time he's ever said I was his "favorite" over Daddy...
He also is a huge fan of the counting game, but he's gotten rusty. I don't think he could make it past 16 either.
Aw, Kelly - I love that you heard him say you were his favorite. What a moment!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed with Matthew's counting/memory - I can't remember ANY times tables, which is why I write! LOL!
Thanks for stopping by! xo
Okay. *I* have tears at this post. So, so lovely. These are the moments, aren't they? And now this one's preserved because you wrote it.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving, my friend. Wishing you tenty-nine x tenty-nine more blessings. :)
SO sweet! These are the moments to be thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving my Eastern friend.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased to see you both here, wordbitches! Wishing you both - all - eleventy hundred blessings this Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeletexo
Aw, so great. I realized I have been so caught up in counting unread emails, blog posts, dirty piles of laundry, crusty dishes, etc that I forgot to count the blessings. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sweet reminder, friend.
Ain't that the truth, though, Annie. It's so easy to get caught up in the STUFF that makes up our days/lives and completely overlook the moments. Sigh. Balance. Someday, I'll find some!
ReplyDeleteLove to you, sweet friend!
perfect moments like those make me wish I had a monitor to listen in on my girlies' conversations at bedtime. almost.
ReplyDeletesweet boys you have
Love this post. And the counting game! Tenty-Awesome.
ReplyDeleteVery cute! Some of my favorite times with my kids are when they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing -- like when they get out of bed to come tell us something really funny. Great memories!
ReplyDeleteAwww that's the sweetest and what a sweet bond your boys have with their father. It just warms my heart. I'm sure this memory will stick to your mind forever. :)
ReplyDeleteSo happy to see you all here! It's so true that some of the best memories get made when we're not looking!
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping by!
Oh my stinkin' goodness! I love this so much!
ReplyDeleteSee?
This is what you miss when you only have one.
That! That right there.
Hold onto that baby monitor for as long as you can, Liz. It's a blessing in disguise.
(Until you hear something you didn't want to hear. Then let it go. Let it go.) ;-)
I'm thinking I'll keep that monitor well as long as I can. Sometimes, I just like to hear them breath. Or giggle.
ReplyDeleteThe counting was a delightful bonus. Thanks for popping over, Renee!
xo
Capturing precious moments is a prerequisite for counting them. You've encouraged me to do more of that. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe pleasure was all mine. Will you post some of your blessings on your blog, Brad? Would love to read them!
ReplyDeleteGreat to see you here!