A really great day

Two weeks ago, Kelly Morrison -- leader of Rachel's Daisy Scouts troop, mom of Rachel's friend Libby and an incredibly nice, kind, Midwestern-born person -- told me she wanted me to stop by this Sunday but she wouldn't tell me why. The only requirement was that I bring a homemade or store-bought treat. I ended up making cinnamon streusel bread, which I haven't baked in years (and made Saturday night while Drew was out getting sushi).

So, Rachel and went over to the Morrisons at 11 this morning. The house was full of kids and a bunch of moms that I recognized from Libby's "Frozen" birthday party last month. After the kids had gone into various rooms (basement, playroom, Libby's room), Kelly gathered us all and said that after she was driving home from Libby's party (the one where I washed up the dishes during the party and afterward), she realized how much all of us meant to her and how she wanted to show her appreciation for all that we did (and at that point, she broke down and started crying), so that's why she had invited us over for brunch -- and bought us each a beautiful tea cup as a way of saying thanks, "because for some reason, tea feels so intimate." I went over and hugged her while she was crying and thanked her for being such a great person (which she is), and so we all sat down and had a great time with great food. Lots of talk about overcrowding in schools; the various in-laws and guests that are staying at all the moms' houses for extended periods of time; summer camp; etc. I loved being around grown-ups (even though the kids were running through the house most the time and eating God knows what junk food; they had NO INTEREST in any of the brunch food the grown-ups were eating) and just sitting around and talking. It was a nice coda to the rushed holiday season.

After we left, we met Drew at home and all headed to the Arlington animal shelter to hand over our tzedakah gift, explaining to the folks there about the tradition we've started about collecting money all year to give to a charity at Hanukkah, and how it was Rachel's decision to give the money to the shelter. They seemed really tickled at that, and invited us to tour the center and observe/play with the animals. Rachel was asked by a teacher to hang out with a rabbit the teacher was considering adopting for her class (she ended up going with a livelier rabbit), and Rachel was so sweet with the bunny - she stroked it very gently and the rabbit sniffed Rachel's hand and padded around the floor near her legs. Rachel also checked out a hamster, which she badly wants, and then we looked at the dogs (Rachel was delighted to feed them treats), and then hung out on the cat room for a bit.

This kid loves animals, and it's hard to believe that she used to be terrified of dogs when she was little. I believe that if we hadn't had to leave to drive me in to work, Rachel would have stayed there all afternoon. We looked at whether she and I could volunteer there, but it turns out that kids can't do that until they're 10, and then only with an adult. Only four more years from now...