Happy Birthday, Katya!

So, it's 10:00pm on a Saturday night. The hubs has called it a night and I'm sitting at the computer in the family room...my whole body vibrating to the sound of "All the Single Ladies" emanating from the basement. Katya, who turned 16 in January, wasn't officially "Sweet Sixteened" then, so tonight is her right of passage! There are black lights, a disco ball, streamers, and lots of plastic covering for all the spills that will take place. A special request was made for ten pounds of M&Ms and Skittles!

Our basement is right out of "That 70's Show" with the exception of no bathroom. Everyone has to come up to the main level to relieve themselves of all the soda and fruit punch. There is a very nice boy here, Seamus, who is directing traffic to the loo and while it is in use, we are chatting about Lacrosse, carpentry, plumbing and the five dates that he brought with him.

Ed has decided to keep Katya smiling all night, so she has dressed and made up herself to look like Lady Gaga (Just Dance...). Every ten minutes or so, Ed pops her head up and asks "are we too loud?" I love Katie Perry, but paaleeezzzee!!! I can only take so many repetitions of "I don't Want To Lose Your Love Tonight."

"Too loud? Pfft..not your friends, oh no...never!" In about 17 minutes (around 11:00pm) everything comes down three decibels, and by midnight any bodies left in or out of the basement are fair game for Tootsie and her neighborhood night critter friends! I hope the hubs doesn't wake up!

Lady Gaga just came on again! I hear karaoke! I hear dancing...I don't know where they are dancing...there are three couches, two easy chairs, a Futon, tables, shelving and an armoire down there! It's now 11:01pm......there must be 30 people down there. I hope the Fire Marshall doesn't show up for an inspection!

Thank you, Lord, for giving me only two girls...

Baby's Lullaby

As she made her way into the large choir room to deliver a message to the teacher, her heart skipped a beat and a feeling of euphoria came over her. The young girls were singing "All The Pretty Little Horses." This is an old southern song, which, if I am correct, was sung to the babies of the plantation owners by their African American nannies. It goes something like this:

Hush a bye
Don't you cry
Go to sleepy little baby

When you wake
We'll have sweet cake
And all the pretty little horses

Blacks and Bays
Dapples and Greys
Six and twenty little horses

Blacks and Bays
Dapples and Greys
Six and twenty little horses

When she was in college, she took a voice class to help ease her fear of singing in front of an audience. You see, she wanted to be an actress...a real actress...who could act, sing and dance. She was comfortable with the acting and dancing, but had no experience singing. "All the Pretty Little Horses" was the song she learned in class, and sang for her final project. She didn't know why she picked that song; something in her gut told her to learn the song.

She stopped pursuing her acting career and decided to take a different path in her great journey of life. On that path, she and her husband of eight years decided to start a family. During the next eight years of her journey, she had four children. She sang this song to each of her babies during the first years of their lives. She would wrap her arms around them and hold them close. Each one of them knew that when mommy sang this song, they were the center of the universe and nothing else mattered but them. The song was especially soothing to her fourth child, who was so sensitive, she would have a meltdown if someone looked at her with raised eyebrows. The melody and words would calm the little girl and turn her tears into smiles.

On her way out of the choir room, one could see a single tear falling from her eye. But the corner of her smiling mouth stopped the tear, and for a moment, she felt the bliss of knowing how very lucky and blessed she was to have babies who loved hearing her sing this song...now she knew why her gut had told her to learn it.