英语美文：Making Memories 累积记忆

 虽然家务繁忙，作者为了自己的女儿陪她玩游戏，给她读故事，陪她出去遛马路，每每有人问起，她总是回答到，我在累积记忆。

女儿即将入睡，口中喃喃道：妈妈，世界上除了上帝以外没有人像我这么爱你了。母亲泪如雨下，心里充满了欣慰。

Some may think spending the day with a child is doing 'nothing much.' Here's why it's the most important thing in the world. 

By Tonna Canfield

After eating breakfast, my little girl says, "Mommy, will you watch this show with me?" I look at the breakfast dishes in the sink and then at her big brown eyes.

"Okay," I say, and we snuggle together on the couch¹ and watch her favorite show.

After the show, we put together a puzzle and I head for the kitchen to wash those dirty dishes when the phone rings. "Hi," my friend says, "What have you been doing?"

"Well," I say, "watching my little one's favorite show with her and putting together a puzzle." 

"Oh," she says, "so you're not busy today."

No, I think to myself, just busy making memories.

After lunch, Erica says, "Mommy, please play a game with me." Now I am looking at not only the breakfast dishes but also the lunch dishes piled in the sink. But again, I look at those big brown eyes and I remember how special it felt when my mom played games with me when I was a little girl.

"Sounds like fun," I answer, "but just one game." We play her favorite game, and I can tell she is delighting in every moment.

When the game ends, she says, "Please read me a story."

"Okay," I say, "but just one."

After reading her favorite story, I head for the kitchen to tackle² those dishes. With the dishes now done, I start to fix supper. My willing little helper comes eagerly to the kitchen to help me with my task. I'm running behind and thinking about how much faster I could do this if my sweet little one would just go play or watch a video, but her willingness to help and her eagerness to learn how to do what her mommy is doing melts my heart, and I say, "Okay, you can help," knowing it will probably take twice as long.

As supper is about ready, my husband comes home from work and asks, "What did you do today?"

I answer, "Let's see, we watched her favorite show and we played a game and read a book. I did the dishes and vacuumed³; then with my little helper, I fixed⁴ supper."

"Great," he says, "I'm glad you didn't have a busy day today."

But I was busy, I think to myself, busy making memories.

After supper, Erica says, "Let's bake cookies."

"Okay," I say, "let's bake cookies."

After baking cookies, once again I am staring at a mountain of dishes from supper and cookie baking, but with the smell of warm cookies consuming⁵ the house, I pour us a glass of cold milk and fill a plate with warm cookies and take them to the table. We gather around the table eating cookies, drinking milk, talking and making memories.

No sooner have I tackled⁶ those dishes than my little sweetie comes tugging⁷ at my shirt, saying, "Could we take a walk?" 

"Okay," I say, "let's take a walk." The second time around the block I'm thinking about the mountain of laundry that I need to get started on and the dust encompassing⁸ our home; but I feel the warmth of her hand in mine and the sweetness of our conversation as she enjoys my undivided attention, and I decide at least once more around the block sounds like a good idea.

When we get home, my husband asks, "Where have you been?"

"We've been making memories," I say.

A load in the wash and, my little girl all bathed and in her gown⁹, the tiredness begins to creep¹⁰ in as she says, "Let's fix each other's hair."

I'm so tired! my mind is saying, but I hear my mouth saying, "Okay, let's brush each other's hair." With that task complete, she jumps up excitedly, "Let's paint each other's nails! Please!" So she paints my toenails, and I paint her fingernails, and we read a book while waiting for our nails to dry. I have to turn the pages, of course, because her fingernails are still drying.

We put away the book and say our prayers. My husband peeks¹¹ his head in the door, "What are my girls doing?" he asks.

"Making memories," I answer.

"Mommy," she says, "will you lay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Yes," I say, but inside I'm thinking, I hope she falls asleep quickly so I can get up; I have so much to do.

About that time, two precious little arms encircle my neck as she whispers, "Mommy, nobody but God loves you as much as I do." I feel the tears roll down my cheeks as I thank God for the day we spent making memories.

1 couch   

n.睡椅，长沙发椅；vt.表达，隐含

参考例句：

• Lie down on the couch if you're feeling ill.如果你感觉不舒服就躺到沙发上去。
• The rabbIt'sprang from its grassy couch.兔子从草丛中跳出。

2 tackle   

n.工具，复滑车，扭倒；v.处理，抓住

参考例句：

• Don't forget to bring your sports tackle with you tomorrow.别忘了明天带上你的体育用具。
• We have gained sufficient experience to tackle this problem.我们已经有了足够的经验来处理这个问题。

3 vacuumed   

vt.用真空吸尘器清扫（vacuum的过去式形式）

参考例句：

• I vacuumed and dusted the living room. 我用吸尘器打扫了客厅，擦了擦灰尘。 来自辞典例句
• It doesn't look like you've vacuumed the living room. 看起来你并没有清扫起居室。 来自互联网

4 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

5 consuming   

adj.强烈的；消费的v.消耗(consume的现在分词)

参考例句：

• an all-consuming love of jazz 对爵士乐的迷恋
• Basketball is his consuming passion . 篮球令他着迷。

6 tackled   

解决( tackle的过去式和过去分词 )； 应付； 与某人交涉； 向某人提起（问题或困难情况）

参考例句：

• The robber tried to run away but a man tackled him. 强盗企图逃跑，但一个人把他抓住了。
• The policeman tackled the thief. 警察捕捉小偷。

7 tugging   

n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉，样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他，一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句

8 encompassing   

v.围绕( encompass的现在分词 )；包围；包含；包括

参考例句：

• Being too large and all-encompassing is a common defect among state-owned enterprises. 过分追求大而全，是国企的一大通病。 来自互联网
• Our services are: all-encompassing, love justice and high quality. 我们的服务目标是：全方位、真情义、高质量。 来自互联网

9 gown   

n.长袍，特殊场合穿的长服

参考例句：

• She pinned the gown at the neck with a safety pin.她在领子那儿用一枚别针把睡衣别住。
• He threw on his gown.他穿上他的礼服。

10 creep   

vi.爬行，匍匐；蹑手蹑足地走，缓慢地行进

参考例句：

• The baby is just learning to creep.这个婴儿才学着爬。
• I would not creep along the coast.我不愿在岸边爬行。

11 peeks   

n.偷看，窥视( peek的名词复数 )v.很快地看( peek的第三人称单数 )；偷看；窥视；微露出

参考例句：

• A freckle-face blenny peeks from its reef burrow in the Solomon Islands. 奇特的海生物图片画廊。一只斑点面容粘鱼窥视从它的暗礁穴在所罗门群岛。 来自互联网
• She peeks at her neighbor from the curtain. 她从窗帘后面窥视她的邻居。 来自互联网