We took a little trip down Piper lane tonight. It was longer than expected. Laughter fueled our ride. A good time was had by all. If you need a blast from the short past of piperism or just a quick chuckle to get you through your Olympic viewing (let’s face it-it’s serious business), here are the top viewed piperisms of all time:
There you have it. The top five. The competition was tight. They all put up a good fight. If you were the judge, what piperism would take home the gold?
Last night we went out for a favorite Friday night treat: Fro Yo. Piper’s daddy is a bit of a fanatic for the fruity frozen custard. While we were enjoying our dessert we got a message from Augie’s parents (see Soulmates and You Know You Have a Valentine’s Day Hangover When for Augie info) letting us know that he’d declared Piper his best friend in his preschool yearbook. Now it’s in print. Their soulmate status has reached a new level.
“You never know when you’ll meet your soulmate, Piper. Who knows?” Piper’s dad said.
Piper rolled her eyes, threw away her empty frozen yogurt cup, and climbed up in the chair with her Sissy. The new American Girl magazine was much more interesting than dad’s love lecture.
“I met your mother on a chance encounter at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial back in 1996,” dad continued, undeterred by Piper’s obvious lack of interest. “You just never know.”
“Dad,” Piper said. “Could you please stop talking about the love stuff? Thanks.”
As you may have heard, unless you’re boycotting or hiding under a rock, last week was Valentine’s Day, which is really just another opportunity for Piper and Augie to engage in their ongoing soulmate love fest. I vote yes for any occasion that let’s me just say I love you. I don’t need flowers although I won’t complain about them either. I definitely don’t want to brave a restaurant and/or wrestle someone for a babysitter on a Tuesday evening when much of the rest of the country is trying to do the same. But I’ll happily eavesdrop on your personal valentine messages and appreciate the truth about love.
The truth about a long distance friendship between four-year-olds is that it’s hard and it’s work. You miss each other and you don’t know when you’ll be together again. Your parents are entirely in charge of scheduling and they seem to be busy doing something called “work.” You don’t have a credit card yet so you can’t just buy a plane ticket. You don’t drive, even though you really, really want to, so you can’t just hop in a car. You don’t own a boombox so you can’t hold it above your head and blare “In Your Eyes” like John Cusack in “Say Anything”:
Oh, swoon. That gets me every time.
As a four-year-old in love, you have to rely on Skype, video messages, and the postal service to keep the flame alive. So, you work hard to express yourself to your valentine with the only tools you have: markers, glitter, heart stickers, and foam beads. Here is what Augie sent Piper this week:
Swoon again. That Augie is sweeter than candy. That’s a lot of glitter hearts and you and I know clearly what that means. Nothing says I love you like a purple pipe clean molded into a heart. And any man who understands the importance of dotting your “i” as a statement is a good man in my book. Piper went a bit more of the clichéd route and relied on jewelry to express her feelings:
As a girl invested in anything rainbow, making and then giving away an awesome foam rainbow necklace is the ultimate sacrifice. And look at the layering of hearts. Clearly, a metaphor. Let’s look inside:
Writing her name is not Piper’s favorite thing to do, but for Augie, she will. Happily. Because when you love someone, you work at it. You tell them. And you hold on tight.
Piper met her soulmate a few days after her first birthday. His name is Augie.
They picked each other out in the toddler room at the university daycare. Piper knew immediately that he was something special. Augie has one of those full bellied old man laughs. What more could a girl want? Piper then called every other boy she met “Audie” for a full two years. She really just hoped they’d all be him. Augie’s parents had to bribe him to go to daycare every day with a game they called “What is Piper wearing today?” It probably wasn’t that hard to guess since Piper really only wears the tutu or the rainbow dress, but it was enough to get Augie out the door and reunited with Piper.
Watching your kids make friends is a bonus I didn’t anticipate about parenting. It feels good when someone likes them. It’s a gut punch when they don’t. Your kids pick these other people to bring into your little world. It’s a risk. Piper brought us an Augie. We fell in love, too.
Piper is Augie’s personal laxative. He laughs so hard when they are together he…well, you know. Every single play date. Every outing. Every time. Sometimes he has to come visit just for the cleanse.
When Piper and Augie are together, the rest of us disappear:
Their first official date was to the Longbranch Coffeehouse for Augie’s third birthday. He had his parents drive over in the Subaru to pick her up. Piper was waiting by the door in the rainbow dress. At dinner, Augie had his standard back beans and rice. Piper ordered the quesidillas and a round of apple juice. She gave him a Mr. Potato Head for his present. Friends know what you like.
We don’t live in the same town as Augie anymore, but they send video messages to each other and say things like “I miss you. You’re my best friend. I need to see you soon. I love you. I love you. I love you.” When Augie and his family recently visited us, Piper couldn’t sleep because of the anticipation. She waited by the door like a puppy, running back and forth watching the sidewalk for a glimpse of his blond head. After three days of giggling, Augie was empty (see above note regarding laxatives) and Piper was all filled up with love. Saying good-bye got a little rough.
How can you resist your soul mate? You can’t. The force is too strong. Even when you meet them before you can walk.
The other day Piper asked, “When Augie and I get married can we live with you guys?” Of course you can. I have videos of them bathing together I can’t wait to show their adult selves. Soulmates are forever.
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