it is still cool here.

officially it is spring,

but first thing in the morning,

waiting for the bus, it feels like

we’re smack dab at the tail end of winter

and last week my 5 yr old packed for summer vacation.

i don’t mean talked about packing

or packed

a few things.

she filled

two duffels

to overflowing with

all her very

best stuff.

and the look

on her face was

painful to see

as i gently

explained that

vacation was still five months away.

we unpacked  flip-flops, her treasure box, her favorite puzzle,

the stuffed lamb that she sleeps with nightly, and her minnie mouse towel.

she looked

deeply sad,

then an idea hit.

and with a lilt in

her voice and

a renewed

glimmer of hope in her baby blue eyes she pleaded,

“can you read “phoebe’s birthday” to me, please, while i wait for summer to get here?”

and “phoebe’s birthday” it was.

the story is both sweet and real.  my kids relate.

they do puzzles with their cousins at night, just like the mouse family;

eat birthday cake,

splash in the waves,

snuggle under quilts,

build in the warm sand,

enjoy sidewalk music,

and eat (oh do we eat)

ice cream shop treats,

just like the mouse family on vacation.

the details of eric’s drawings keep them looking for more

and joanna’s story (like the two previous books) is comfortable and familiar.

they keep my kids turning the pages and saying things like:

“don’t you think mother mouse looks like aunt gail?”

“remember the summer that elizabeth learned to swim?”

“i know i’m finally going to beat uncle ben at chess this year”

“kuppy always tries to finish my ice cream for me before i’m really done…”

yup, it’s true.  the mouse family seem an awful lot like us.

i’ve even heard my kids whispering their suspicions

that the tiny toy boat which the mouse family vacations in

lies somewhere on the dunes of the same small town

where we spend two weeks in maine every august,

and i haven’t the heart to tell them differently.

 ‘remember’ taken from 63:6 of the psalms.