Saturday Surprise

We appreciate Saturday mornings as an opportunity to sleep in. There was a time, not that long ago, that this meant 6:30am. Fortunately, though, the kids have learned to sleep-in a little longer than that. And even when they don't sleep-in they know they're not allowed to come downstairs until 8:00. Learning to read a clock was a skill they learned early.

So now, on most Saturday mornings, we'll hear a knock at our door at 8:00 or 8:01. I'm convinced they must sit and stare at the clock just waiting for that minute hand to stand tall and reach the twelve. Sadly, nine times out of ten whoever is knocking comes in ready to tattle-tale on a brother or sister, or both. Some come in yelling and some come in crying.

This morning Harper was the one coming in and her approach is never to yell or cry. Instead, she uses exaggerated body language, sighs, and drawn-out speech patterns in hopes of prompting us to ask her what's wrong. Being the soft-hearted enabler that I am, I generally pretend as though I don't notice her little show and try, instead, to tickle her into laughing.

knock...knock...knock

"Come in," Tricia called. Harper drug herself in and climbed up on the bed with a heavy sigh. "Good morning, Harper!"

"Good morning, moooooom" Harper mumbled. She climbed between us and let her body drop heavily to the mattress as though every ounce of energy had been sucked from her body. "Hmphhhhhhh," she sighed again.

That was my signal to tickle.

"I think I'm going to tickle your nose!" I exclaimed as I reached over for her.

"Noooooo!," she screamed, covering her nose with cupped hands.

"Maybe your chin then!" I countered.

"Noooooo!" She moved one hand down so that both nose and chin were protected.

"Looks like I'll have to take a tummy then!" I yelled as she giggled uncontrollably.

She seemed to have forgotten about the pouting, and what I assumed would be tattling, when Ainsley and Ty came walking in the partially open door.

"Harper," Ainsley said. "We made you something upstairs."

"Come see it," said Ty. "It's on the dry-erase board."

Another loud sigh. "I'll be right up," she answered.

Happy, both turned and ran back upstairs. Harper, on the other hand, didn't budge.

"Go on Harper," Tricia said. "Go see what they made for you. You can come right back down."

She pulled herself off the end of the bed and looked back at us. "I probably won't. It's probably a trick to make me stay up there!"

And with that she was out the door - not closing it.

A little later I went upstairs to find Harper, Ainlsy, and Muluken lying on their couch together. They were each reading a book.

"We started a book club, Daddy!" Muluken called out.

"Cool," I responded as I made my way over to the dry-erase board to see what the surprise had been.

There, at the bottom of the board, was written:

We love you Harper
Ainsley and Ty