"How are you two feeling right now?" I asked, wondering if they were coming down with the colds and flu everyone seems to have.
"I feel great," Sis said. Bud concurred.
"Okay, that's great. Then we can go to Chinese class today."
"Cough-cough. Hear that? I'm coughing so I must be sick," Sis backtracked. Bud coughed in solidarity.
"No, I think you're faking it. Don't you like Chinese class?"
Sis admitted, "I'm shy and don't talk."
"That's okay. You listen and learn."
"Um, can we do that question over again, Mom?"
Ah, the do-over. Tricky and clever. No wonder Mama and I call her "Sis, Esquire."
Well, we actually didn't go to class because I started feeling under the weather--headache, achy, maybe even fluid in my ears, soar throat, sniffles. Was is psychosomatic because I didn't really want to spend the afternoon going and coming? Or do I finally have what everyone else has (again)?
Later, I told the kiddos that I didn't feel great and that we weren't going to class.
"You sound awful, Mom," Sis sympathized. "Here, have my Amy Bunny to feel better."
And I did. So well in fact, that we walked to the deli for lunch--our usual half-meat ham sandwiches on rolls for them, with chips and candy, and a veggie wrap for me, plus a 1/2-1/2 lemonade-tea because I was craving something besides water and unsweetened iced tea. And then because the sun was shining, birds were chirping, and squirrels were frolicking, I pulled out all the outdoor blankets I could find and layered them on the spongy ground in the middle of our side yard. And we sat, eating and waving to neighbors, for our first picnic of 2009. Sure, the damp eventually came through the layers, but then we all just got up and kicked our big ball around.
After we finished eating our lunches (though Sis was still slowly finishing every single chip crumb--they eat at completely different speeds), Bud and I filled the bird feeders and played kickball. Sis soon joined us to play in the backyard--more kickball, time in the little house, and then "ice-skating" on a slick patch of ice in the shade, just like Olivia does in one of the new episodes of her show (though, we weren't practicing for Ice Capades. Thank heavens for tv sometimes--"Olivia" has been giving them some great ideas. Besides the ice, we've been playing hotel recently too. And not playing "Olivia" play hotel, but just in our own way.). They took turns sliding across the ice, sometimes while holding on to me, other times holding on to the slats of the deck. Bud was much more tentative about doing it by himself, while Sis practically danced across the ice, even sticking out her leg like figure skaters do. She is fearless and adventurous. Then she'd cheer him on (they had to take turns because the patch wasn't that big) and, when he successfully crossed over and back again by himself without holding on, she said, "Give yourself a thumbs up!" as she waved both her thumbs at him. They each only fell once (Sis said, "There is no pleasure in tummy skating." Even if that's what penguins do). But it was enough for us to eventually move to the swingset. And in the house when our wet clothes got the better of us as the sun dipped behind the house.
Feeling under the weather never felt so good.
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