Wise Words

Lizzy and I were talking this morning, and I reminded her of the importance of talking kindly. Lizzy had these words to share on the topic:

Kindness is Goodness. Goodness is Godness.

I loved that saying, and I've adopted it as my new mantra!

Teddy Bear Fun

I was the helper Mommy in Lizzy's class yesterday, and after a semi-rocky start (Peter was very sad that I was not staying with him, but what can you do......), we had a wonderful day. Lizzy loves when I can stay with her, and I love getting a peek at her life at school. This week is Teddy Bear week, which as you can imagine, is totally adorable. On Monday they made teddy bear shaped french toast. On my day, they made butter and honey sandwiches for snack, with darling bear shaped name tags. Lizzy made one for me and it was...........sooooo yummy! What a wonderful day with my special girl.

Pockets

This totally cracked me up. The other afternoon we were all out front riding bikes around, and Peter decided he didn't want to scooter or ride on the back of my bike. He followed me around at a leisurely pace, hands casually in his pockets. What a cool guy! We've decided that Peter has outgrown his old name. He should here after be known as "I do it!," "My turn!," or the very catchy "Meeeee!" since these are the phrases we most hear from him. Catchy, don't you think?

Lizzy Spreads Lovliness

If there is one spot Lizzy loves to hit up, it's the fabric store. I can't blame her at all. I love looking at the different fabric patterns, checking out the arts and crafts, and being amazed by the aisles and aisles of unnecessary junk I wish I had. Lizzy loves the crafts, the amazing selection of ribbons, and the wonderful array of buttons. Lizzy suggested we make a tablecloth for Valentines Day, and I was all too eager to comply. We went to the store and Lizzy picked out a darling fabric full of hearts and glitter. It sure is busy, but it screams "little girl" to me, so I love it. Lizzy took the extra fabric and used it to make a tablecloth for the little table in her room. Everyday she sets up different center pieces on her table. She will carefully line up jewels, or put a vase in the center, or make a special arrangement for her doll. I love peeking in her room and discovering something new on her table. Lizzy, to me, is simply lovely. Not only does she have a lovely heart, but I'm so lucky to find all the little remnants of her loveliness all over the house- glitter on the floor, notes by my bed, dolls tucked into blankets in the corner. The handprint of her time and caring are all over, and I love to stumble over every little bit of it.

Beach Day!

Okay, it's official: we're totally spoiled by our amazing weather! While some of our friends were driving to the mountains this weekend to play in the snow, we decided to hit the beach. We knew it would be a pretty day, but had no idea we were in store for gorgeous. The sky was clear blue, and it hit 70 degrees at the beach....... in January! I packed the kids suits on a whim thinking there was no way they'd use them, but good thing I did because of course they wanted to splash in the water. We mostly played in the sand though, because the waves were huge! The kids loved building lots of sand castles, but the very best part of the day was that our special friends Drew and Paige came with us. Their parents even let them ride in our new "big" car with us- such a treat! I've always wanted to have extra space for more kids to ride with us, and it was so fun looking in the back seat, seeing all those adorable faces, and listening in on their wonderful stories and conversation. Lizzy entertained everyone with her "spooky" stories that I had to reign in once they started centering too much on poop and other yucky stuff. Aahh potty talk, looks like you're here to stay:) What a great day with great, great friends!

He Can Do It!

We've been enjoying some serious park time this past week, and Peter has been showing off all his new climbing skills. He's getting really adept at some of the ladders up to the play structure, and now that he's got the hang of it, he does it over and over. Of course I know he's getting bigger and more capable all the time, but it still amazed me to watch all the new things he's learning, and what a big boy he is becoming.

Art Gallery

Our busy bee neighbor came over to play the other afternoon, and in an attempt to salvage some "calm" time before the daily afternoon bike rodeo, I thought I'd set up the paints and the kids could create some pictures. I know I'm a broken record on this, but we've been having the most lovely weather lately, that I could think of nothing more wonderful than sitting out front, enjoying the afternoon. I love watching kids paint and draw. I find it so interesting to see how they think and create, and listening to their conversations and what they say about their work. Lizzy is a seasoned painter by now, and enjoys mixing paints to make pretty new colors, and she usually paints flowers and butterflies. Rowan was a "big idea" guy. His pictures came with lots of detailed descriptions and stories, and many bold colors. We hung up the paintings and admired our own front yard art gallery. Rowan was chatting up Lizzy and he told her, "You know, I'll always be older than you. But even when we're twelve, I'll still have playdates with you." Pretty sweet stuff, huh! What a peaceful and lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Boo!

I see you, Peter! Hide-and-seek is a daily pleasure in our home, and it is pretty hilarious. Lizzy is actually pretty good. She's gotten rather stealth, knows real hiding places, and is pretty tricky. Good thing she's got Peter "the anchor" as a co-conspirator, or I'd never find her! Peter giggles hysterically, pops out constantly to show you where he is, and is an all-around terrible hider. But by "terrible," I mean priceless. Feet under the shower curtain, giggles in the closet, they are the most wonderful give-aways. I love the sheer joy in their faces when they're found, and the chorus of "one more times" that always follow. Yup, hide-and-seek is a pretty great game to play with your little ones.

Playmates

My kids really love each other, and it is such a joy to see. One of the things I'm most thankful for, is that they've been given the gift of time together. We have purposely chosen for them to attend a traditional nursery school only a few hours a week, and to be "under-scheduled" with formal activities, to create maximum playtime together with our family. They eat their meals together, sitting down, sharing conversation. They play around the house and with our neighbors, learning how to negotiate, take turns, and share space and toys. They have an abundance of attention and love, so they don't need to fight to be appreciated, and there's no jealousy (yet). They're individuals with their own interests, but they seek each other out, understand one another, and enjoy being together. For a parent, this is bliss. This gift, this time, it's wonderful. I know it may not always be this way. As kids get older they change, interests change, life becomes more complicated. But right now, when they love being together, it's magical.

Back in the Saddle

You've got to love Lizzy. I mean, nothing gets that girl down. Nearly a week after taking a pretty hard fall off her bike, which required two stitches in her chin, she's not only ready to try her bike again, she's ready for a bike ride down the street to a local playground. Without hesitation, Lizzy told me she wanted to ride her bike. There was no fear for her, no worry, just excitement to get going. After riding around our neighborhood, we decided to try riding to the park. Lizzy was amazing! She did such a great job riding very carefully and steadily, and loved looking around and enjoying the afternoon. It was a gorgeous afternoon, sunny and warm, feeling like spring. We hadn't been to a park in such a long time, it felt great to get out there and enjoy the fresh air and just play. It got me excited for the spring and summer, when we can hopefully try many bike rides together. I loved feeling Peter's presence behind me in his bike seat, and I could hardly believe that just a moment ago it was Lizzy sitting back there, and now, there she is, riding on her own in front of me, her long braid down her neck, peddling away. Time does go by so, so quickly. Enjoy it!

Oh, Flopsy

The camera swiper strikes again, and this time, his latest subject is......Flopsy! Oh, Flopsy, you bug. You're soft, and quiet, and you pretty much just hang out in your cage, but you're also messy, and poopy, and a constant presence.......like the tell-tale heart. I sense your little quiet demands, even when you don't say a word, "feed me, take me outside, somebody pet me." AGGG! You were a big hit, and everybody did love you, so maybe you can come back to visit.......someday........in a few months. We'll see.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Lizzy made this castle for Aurora, and she "decorated" it with beautiful jewels. If you look carefully, you may see a moon jewel, a diamond, a golden boat, and a heart. You've got to love the creativity of a child's mind. It is truly priceless.

Bunny Visitor

We have a house guest this weekend. Flopsy, Lizzy and Peter's class pet from school, is staying with us for a visit. He's already made quite a splash with the neighborhood kids, and everyone loves to pet him and sit in his pen with him and keep him company. I'm not too much of a pet person, but so far Flopsy's silent, mellow temperament is growing on me. What's one more mouth to feed and more poop to clean up when you're so darn cute, Flopsy? I guess you can stay awhile.....

Circle Time Friends

Every Friday when it's outdoor circle time at school, Lizzy runs to Peter, grabs his hand, and brings him into the circle to join her class. Today Peter was extra lucky because he got to hold hands with his other special friend from Lizzy's class, Reily. Reily is always so gentle and sweet with Peter, and often plays with him when Peter is at school. Lizzy was a little jealous of all of Reily's attention to Peter, and didn't quite know how to handle Peter's divided loyalties. She's used to being the only object of his affection. I'm sure it felt pretty good to Peter to get to be the guy in the spotlight, and not just the tag-along:)

Dance Class Stowaway

Wait......who's that little guy in the dancing circle? He's not in the class, is he? Well, Peter successfully made his way into Lizzy's dance class, with his sneaky, quiet, excellent following-along skills, Peter was able to achieve his goal- ultimate Lizzy copying! In fact, it was quite a study on mimicking mastery. I wondered how this would all play out. Lizzy had been talking to Peter all morning about her dance class, and telling him that he could join her in it today. When we entered class, Lizzy and Peter found spots in the circle, and both joined right in. Lizzy was really into everything, and Peter was a natural. It was totally adorable to behold. Lizzy gave lots of hand signals to Peter to follow her, saved him spots whenever they moved to a new place in the room, and held his hand throughout. When the class was broken up into groups, Lizzy announced, "Um, excuse me. This is my little brother. He really likes me and wants to do what I'm doing, so can we be in the same group?" The teacher was only too happy to comply. I am so, so thankful everyday that not only do I get to be ever present for the moments of my children's lives, but that I get to see their friendship bloom and their sibling love grow. It is truly a priceless gift!

Kickball

The other day we were playing outside, and the kids had tired of riding bikes. Some friends had gone off to play baseball, but Lizzy wasn't too interested in that. I had a flashback from my youth of kickball. I used to love playing that game during P.E. I loved the anticipation of your kick, waiting for your turn in line, and oohing and aahing over the "big" kicks that almost hit the classroom windows. I thought we could give it a try. Pretty soon, just like bees to honey, we had a whole little crew waiting to kick. What fun we had! I'm pretty sure we weren't following the official rules, but everyone got the hang on kicking, and then running (whether they made it to the bases or not). It was adorable to see the little boys gather their courage, then inch their way to the "kicking spot." I'm looking forward to lots more kickball games to come as the weather improves.

Secret Photographer

Guess who swiped my camera and took this picture? He captured his obsession perfectly, don't you think?

The Town

"Mama, come see! Papa's house.......dada's house......mama's house.....pay-pay's house!"

Tea for Two

And here's one of the countless reasons it's so wonderful to have a daughter- afternoon tea parties! Lizzy has been inspired by her Grandma Susan's gorgeous tea cup collection, and is now a great fan of the two pretty cups I have. She loves to admire them and examine them for all of the pretty tiny details they have. Susan gave me the golden cup many years ago, I think as a wedding present. The blue flowered cup was a wedding present from my dear friend Teresa's mother. Many times I've thought, "what will I do with a single tea cup?" Thank goodness I've held on to them all these years because now I know! Have tea parties, of course! And I'm so thankful to Lizzy for awakening in me a sense of appreciation of these beautiful cups, and the special women that gave them to me. How decadent to enjoy your tea, and your time, with a lovely cup and a special girl. I can think of nothing more precious.

Biking Bonanza!

We have been in a complete bike-riding bonanza! Our neighbor friend came over to show Lizzy his new bike he got for Christmas, and Lizzy quickly noticed it had no training wheels. She demanded we take her training wheels of right away, because if Rowan could do it, well then she certainly could as well. I was hesitant, but Lizzy was so determined, I decided to let her give it a try. Lizzy tackled bike riding with her typical incredibly focused, determined, fearless Lizzy spirit. Within a few tries she was whizzing down the street, a huge smile on her face. She's spent the last week or so practicing starting, stopping, and turning, and while she's still a little rocky, she gets better everyday. Now every afternoon the kids gather in the street to ride their bikes back and forth in a big oval. It's so fun to see them all riding around, so proud of themselves and full of life. When Peter wakes up from his nap, he springs right out of bed to join them on his scooter. It won't be long before he'll want a bike of his own to join the crowd.

New Dance Class

It's a new year, so time to try some new things. Lizzy is taking a break from soccer for a while to try a new dance class. When we arrived at the class, I was initially skeptical. Where's the dancing? But then I admired the clever way the teacher subtley taught dance steps and moves by weaving them into stories and games. Lizzy seemed to enjoy herself, so that's all that matters. After the class, we explored the whole rec area. We made our usual pit stop by the duck pond, and Lizzy and Peter went "fishing" and chased the poor ducks all around. Then, magically, we somehow morphed into a "Mary Poppins" movie. Lizzy wanted to draw pictures of the ducks, so we took out our paper and colored pencils and away she went. Peter pulled out his cars and began playing next to Lizzy. The ducks, happily surprised that their chasers were still, began waddling nearby us, and we marvelled at how they dug around for their lunch in the muddy puddles. After, we went to the library and found all sorts of great books. We even made it through story time! Whew! What a big morning! But through it all, I was thankful over and over that I'm present in my children's lives. That we all were able to play outside and enjoy the world around us, in the lovely company of one another. There's no where else I'd rather be.

Traffic Jam

The line-up is evolving. Now, cars are lined up in lots of different ways besides the old standard (one long straight line), and the life of the cars is getting more exciting. Now Peter keeps his own commentary going with some, "Oh, no! Need gas!" or "Red light!" The cars even periodically transform into a "choo-choo" when they're all lined up together. Yup, life is improving all the time for all the cars in our house.

For the Birds

The other day we went over to Grandma and Papa's house for a visit. Papa was tending to his birds, and Lizzy and Peter got to help put out all the bird food in all of the bird feeders. There was so much to do! They poured seeds into one feeder, carefully carried "blocks" of food for another, and spread seeds around the rose bushes for the birds and squirrels that like to gather their own seeds on the ground. It's no surprise that Papa's yard is full of many beautiful, colorful birds, and some very fat squirrels.

It's Okay

Peter, oh Peter. Lord I love you, but sometimes dealing with an irrational two-year-old can really get on my nerves. Today, right before his nap, Peter decided he just didn't want to put his diaper on. He thrashed around and screamed as though I was poking him. Finally, after much wrestling, I got that diaper on, but Peter, all discombobulated, kept fussing around. He wandered into his room and Lizzy asked me, "Mom, can I help Peter?" I thought to myself, "Good luck with that one!" Then I witnessed one of the most darling interactions. Lizzy said to Peter, "Want me to hold you? Come here and sit on my lap. There you go....you're okay.....you're just getting yourself all worked up. It's okay." Peter calmed right down, sat on Lizzy's lap, and soaked in her comfort and soothing words. When I came in, Peter asked to read some books, so I read them two books, then Peter promptly went down for his rest. Lizzy, I'm so thankful for your calm head, and kind, soothing way. I'm so thankful for you to step in and help settle everyone down when we're getting all worked up. I'm so thankful for the love you have for your brother, and that you genuinely care about his feelings and are willing to take the time to help him when he needs you. Thank goodness for you, my darling little girl. You are the best!

Cute Boy

Peter loves the puddles that gather next to the sidewalk in front of our house. He loves to sit next to them and stir them up with leaves, throw things into them, and enjoy all the tiny things he finds floating there. I love seeing his darling little face intently concentrating on something as commonplace as a puddle. I'm always amazed at the wonder children find in the most run-of-the-mill things. What a gift to find beauty and wonder all around you.

Chilly Zoo Day

This week has been so fun because Daddy hasn't had to go into work, so we've been having so much fun having what feels like a leisurely looooooong weekend. We've slept in, played around the house, stayed up late, and gone on lots of fun day trips. The other day we hit up the S.F. Zoo. We hadn't been there in a long time, so we were excited to go. It was a crisp, chilly day, but the sky was clear and the kids were eager. We explored all over, and saw lots of things we never had before. Lizzy fell in love with the peacocks, and decided they were her new favorite animal. She loved their colorful, beautiful feathers. Peter kept claiming to love the elephants at the zoo, but since there are no elephants at the S.F. Zoo, I'm thinking he must be enjoying his imagination on that one. It's my favorite thing to be out and about on a lovely day, exploring the world and enjoying our family, so I'm so glad we got to have a special day together.

New Friends

Ever since we have moved into our new house, Lizzy has become friends with our across-the-street neighbor, Rowan. These two are cut from the same cloth, so they can't quite decide if they're going to be the best of friends, or the bitterest of enemies. Right now, they seem content to amuse themselves in a constant match of one-upmanship. Lizzy and Rowan are both very outgoing and social. They love being a part of the crowd and chatting. What's pretty sweet is that they bring out nice parts of each other. Rowan is super athletic, and loves to play outside, so Lizzy is eager to try to keep up with him on her scooter and bike. When Lizzy is playing quietly inside, drawing or doing a project, Rowan is ready to slow down and join her. I think it's super fun to have a neighbor friend, so I hope this friendship blossoms into something special.