Patrick in Poetry

Several weeks ago, Patrick and I had a long conversation about how he felt about his dad traveling for work so much. (At the time, he seemed to be having a rough time with it.) As he told me what he was feeling, it suddenly dawned on me that I could write a little limerick about all of the things that were coming out of his cute little mouth. So I did. And then I forgot about it. (Insert sad face.) But then I found it tonight! (Insert happy face.) So here it is: (Insert poem.)

My Family
By Patrick and Catherine Walden

My name is Patrick and I come from a bunch
Of people who love each other so very much.
My mom is a nurse and she makes us feel better
When we fall and get hurt or feel under the weather.
My Daddy is awesome almost all of the time,
And can build giant monsters with these Legos of mine.

I've got only brothers and that is so cool!
I'm the oldest and the only one who can go to school.
Leo is two and he's tougher than tough,
But doesn't know yet when enough is enough.
Hatchie's our baby, and he's so very sweet
But scrappy, we call him, when he bites at our feet.

Our home is so happy, we laugh quite a bit.
We even wrestle a lot, until Mom says to quit.
And Daddy, he travels and he's gone all the time.
I don't understand it, I don't think it's fine.
But we talk on the phone and get to sleep in his bed.
(He likes to wish us goodnight and Mom's lonely, she said.)

So I'm the man of the house and I'm really quite brave!
When I'm in charge, we know the whole house is safe.
And when Daddy comes home, he's still braver than me,
(I like the break, shhh-- I scare easily.)
But when I'm big like my Dad, I'll be the bravest there is,
Because I got lots of good practice when I was a kid.

Leo + Mommy Go Together Like...

Being the only girl in a house with four boys (and one boy dog), I admit that I sometimes feel left out.  When the boys get wrapped up in a new super-hero kick or find a new movie they all enjoy or a new general past-time that is completely lost on me, I kind of get down-graded to a fix-owies-and-make-dinner-and-wash-my-dirty-clothes-please position.  I also admit that this has gotten me down in the past.  I want to connect with my boys on that level, too!  But, I can't.  I am a girl, so no matter how I try, Adam will always have an unfair advantage.  Well, sort of fair.  But still a little unfair to me. 

 

However, with this summer's events and Leo's evolving two-year-old self, the two of us have found a new bond that is special-ly ours.  This summer, Leo and I grew together.  We learned how to read each other and understand each other, how to help each other out, and how to make each other happy.  Leo and I spent a lot of time together in this little journey of ours (and both had a lots of bumps and bruises and tears in the process), and though he is no more special to me than the other boys, the pictures on my phone the past few months indicate the hours and hours and hours of time we spent together.  Leo + Mommy now go together like...

...raindrops + umbrellas...

...Marley + Reggae...

...peas + carrots...

...warm milk + sweet dreams...

...peanut butter + jelly...

...a wink + a smile...

...monkeys + bananas...

...bees + honey...

...a lyric + a song...

...winter + a sweater...

...a heart + a beat...

...a mother + her sweet baby boy.

My positive attitude is really being challenged today. I mean, really.

How many self-improvement posts have you seen from me? A handful for sure, right? And so it is with full disclosure to whomever reads this and to my own kids: admitting your own inadequacies, failures, faults. My redeeming quality here, I suppose, is that I am at least aware and open to the evolution of self; the adaptation of change. My most obvious character flaw as of lately is my grumbling, anxious, high-strung attitude. It's like a cancer took root, started to grow, and took on a life of its own (I would be more specific here, but I'd be certain to piss off at least a couple of people in the process and my new positive attitude would be made really unhappy by that.) As a once-devoted and practicing positive-thinker, I do heartily agree with the power of one's attitude, both intrinsically and externally. Here, I do mean "power," too. It is intense. So, in reading this today, I found a bit of truth and inspiration. I do believe that, as always, change is brewing at the Waldens'.

ATTITUDE
by: Charles Swindoll
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have is a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.

From Last Week. Forgot to Post. Oops!

Here I sit, knowing that I really need to write something down, but once again not knowing what.  We're plenty busy, don't get me wrong, but I feel uber-pressure to be inspiring or pull something from deep down inside and I don't have that right now.  What I have is a collection of mundane events and happenings, all of which make up the life of the Waldens.  Sorry if it's boring.  It's what I've got. 

 

This weekend marked what will likely be my last at the job I so loved for almost a year.  The people, I loved.  The shift, I loved.  The snuggling of lots of lots of little babies, I loved.  The way I felt after working all weekend, sleep deprived and grumpy and feeling like I was failing my family...I didn't love.  So, when I got offered another job with better hours and the opportunity to delve into pediatrics, I couldn't turn it down.  I just couldn't.  And now that my start date is under a week away , I am honestly in a moderately anxious state, wondering if I made the right decision.  (Note: I have, as of lately, developed a new habit of anxiety.  I don't know where this came from, but I really don't like it.  I'm going to burn out my adrenal glands, the way that I am going. Breathe, Catie, breathe.)  Not to be deterred, I am very, very excited for new ventures.  And new hours.  And less hours.  And the smaller paycheck?  Well, we'll deal.

 

Here are a few "life" snippets from my weekend.

 

A rainbow on my way in for my second-to-last night.

My locker after I had removed all of my pictures and "moved out."  So sad.

 

My favorite massage chair, to which I would sneak away between 4am and 6am when I just needed a 15 minute nap.

My last walk in the Sky Ramp.

My "fancy" going-away party, hosted by some lovely co-workers (you know who you are).  Wouldn't this make you feel special, too?

So, on to new adventures.  I have had this week off, and while I had grand plans for it, so far, there has been a lot of hanging out.  And grocery shopping.  (How can tiny people eat so damn much?  I will never understand.)  And one seemingly broken finger.  But I digress.

 

Do you know what is awesome?  These people I share a house with.  Patrick is back in school and doing so well.  His teacher tells me of how smart he is and how well he is doing.  Leo has continued growing out of his terrible twos and is so funny and sweet, and continually romantic (borderline creepy, but sweet.)  William is my forever-baby, sweet and loving, but starting to grow into a toddler.  He's growing to be a bit sly and sneaky, with a joyful sense of humor (naturally) and an easy nature.  He is, however, increasingly difficult to snuggle while he sleeps.  That boy is restless.  And Adam.  Adam.  There are not enough good things to say about Adam.  Instead of the seven year itch, it seems as though we have gone the opposite direction.  Adam's frequent traveling has made us appreciate him more.  Adam is a wonderful husband.  He's a better father.  We're happy he belongs to us.  (And if you have never heard Adam's laugh, you are missing out.  I may have married him just for that.) 

The end.



What a weekend!  The French Market, good times spent with friends, and two solid nights of quality family time (including an excellent storm...my favorite!)  I forgot how much I like weekends.  I forgot what I was missing by working all of them.  This one may have included more wine than I care to admit, but the good news is that I have recovered in record time and have, in the meantime, decided on a change of attitude.

I think I laughed more this weekend than I have in a month.  (The majority of this was yesterday, but Adam has made me vow silence).  Suddenly, I am very conscious of the fact that something at my very core has changed over the last year.  Perhaps it is visible outwardly, but perhaps it is not.  I am aware of its presence and it sometimes burns.  Sometimes, it's at the surface and sometimes it's buried, but it is still there.  It's something jaded and annoyed, pressed for time, or pessimistic; looking for the faults in others and painfully aware of my own (maybe that last part, I will keep.)  It's something new because it's not who I am.  So I'm dropping it.  It's done. 

Today, I started a new job (yay!), and with it comes a new attitude.  Today, I vow to take my time, to watch my words (I watched a really touching video on this this morning...it's what started this whole thing), to be encouraging and hopeful, to look for the good in others and to cherish, cherish, cherish this new time that I have with my friends and my family, and to let go of the things that have nothing to do with me or that I cannot change.  As of today, I am giving myself that opportunity again. 

Today, I will care less about what I have and more about who I have.  I will focus on the prayers with my kids at night and not rush through them.  I will try to live by example and not expect my kids to be better behaved than I am. 

Today, I vow to be a better person.  Because happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. 

The Serenity Prayer
God grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathways to peace;

Taking, as He did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen