Making Beds

Anna helps me with all my chores around the house. Sometimes she finds something better to do but mostly we are together, and usually laughing. I once tried to put together salads by myself but as soon as Anna noticed the bowls and the lettuce she ran over, dragged over her step stool and said she wanted to help. Anna can divide up the raisins and cucumbers with the best of them. She also is our table-setter and is sure to count all the silverware before carrying it all the way to the table.

We fold laundry together. Sometimes she will help by folding a dish towel but mostly she tries on our socks and pairs up her own into matches. She is always throwing the laundry: towels at me, socks into the sock bin, pants onto her head. Who said laundry had to be boring? Not only is she a folder but she enjoys turning on our washer and dryer. There are knobs to turn and buttons to push and if I do this chore without her help she is sorely disappointed. “But that was my job,” she’ll whine.

I try to be patient with her in the kitchen but making bread (or anything) is about ten times harder with her underfoot. At least the mixing part because most of my flour ends on the floor. “I’m making piles!” But she is a diligent helper when it comes to kneading and rolling. And I’m not to use her rolling pin. I do have two rolling pins, however, I’m not sure how she inherited either yet, although I’m sure my mother feels the same about her old rolling pin that walked away from her kitchen one day. (Thanks again, Mom, I love it!).

I’m sure Anna’s favorite chores are the ones which involve water. Of course, they are the chores I’m least likely to volunteer up for her to do because the clean up is always…something. But she loves to wash the potatoes for dinner, or clean the windows and mirrors with her spray bottle. The other day I asked her to clean the sink and she ended up doing some tupperware too, washing the dishes just like mommy is always doing. Water is the best.

After Christmas, I was making Anna’s bed with the sheets warm out of the dryer when she crawled underneath the flying sheet that I was trying to straighten out. We played parachute for a long time. Anna’s giggles were so intoxicating that Jacob had to stop his work timer and come jump on the bed and play with her. It was so much fun. Jacob went back to work and I realized what a natural light box we had made under those white sheets so I ran to grab the camera before the giggles wore off.

I love this baby girl of mine. (Note: I’m usually corrected when I call her that. She is a big kid these days. But I think Jacob pleaded her back into letting us call her what we see her as, our baby.)

P.S. Don’t tell Jacob about that last picture! We’re trying to kick the habit around here, but that picture, oh my. That is just exactly who my baby Anna is right now.