Puddle Walk

It's no secret, I love walks. I love the fresh air, I love feeling invigorated walking around, and I love all the millions of amazing, every day things to see. But I've had to make my peace, and even grow to appreciate, the "puddle-walk." In theory, puddle-walks seem idyllic, like a Norman Rockwell moment of childhood. How adorable to hear the clop-clop sound of those darling little rain boots, to squeal at the splashes that kids make as they jump into the water. Those images are true...........but puddle-walks are also messy, and soggy, and kind of gross. I mean, rain boots.........just so you know........I'm totally onto you! You seem like a great way to keep little feet dry, but you're really all show and no substance. So it was with some hesitation that I joined our latest puddle-walk, in search of the poor worms that get stuck in the enormous puddles of our neighborhood. When Peter at first gently stepped into the puddles.......then ran about with a little more vigor..........then completely lost all puddle reservations and really went for it..........I wasn't too happy. But when I stepped out of my mom shell of "Oh no, more laundry" and "Ewww! Put your shoes on for goodness sakes. Your feet are going to get a disease!" I was able to appreciate that I was witnessing, and an active participant in a "true little-boy moment." And don't I love those? Don't I treasure my boy being a real little boy, getting dirty, giggling at the debauchery, and being amazed by worms and snails? I sure do! So, for now, I'm enjoying our puddle-walks. But.......everyone gets a good bath when we get home!

Hail!

The other day we were eating our lunch when we heard a tink, tink, tink sound. We rushed to the door, and what should we see, but the sky open up and rain absolutely pouring down. And not just rain.........but HAIL! Hail?! How exciting! The kids had never seen it before, and they were amazed. I was amazed, because it is amazing. How cool! When you're only used to boring old rain, hail is very......exotic. We stood mesmerized on our front porch, watching it pound down and bounce around. It lasted only a few minutes, but boy was it cool.

Two Little Peas

Peter's so lucky he has his darling little friend, Charlie. Sometimes it can be hard being the little brother. You always tag along with the bigger kids, trying to follow their furiously paced games. You're clunky, sometimes mess things up, and often are "in the way." It can be a bit of a reprieve when the "big" kids are at school, and finally the "little" kids get their time to shine. They set the pace, they're in the lead, they're running the show. Sometimes, on special days, Peter and Charlie get a little time to play together. It's fun to get away from the chaos of the big group to have a little playtime with just these boys. They enjoy one another, and more and more, are seeming like "friends." But Charlie better watch out, because Charlie's little brother, Baby Nicky, is quickly becoming the new apple of Peter's eye. Peter loves to "play" with Nicky, give him lots of hugs, and watch him walk around. I guess it must feel good for Peter to be the "big boy" once in a while too.

Bowling

And now........we've come to the end of our birthday party bonanza weekend.........a bowling party for our neighbor Owen. Our kids had never been bowling before, and boy did they love it! I will file this away as another great activity to do when you need to get out of the house. Lizzy and Peter put on their special shoes, found some balls, and were ready to go. I was amazed at how much all the kids enjoyed this. They just kept going and going and going. Lizzy was having fun, but Peter really loved bowling- it was so cute! Back at Owen's house, we had lunch, jumped in the bouncy house, and played. With this crowd, Lizzy is the only girl, so out of 13 party guests, she was the only little lady of the bunch. With all this rain, and testosterone, the party was loud! While Lizzy does pretty well holding her own, I think we had both had enough wrestling, pretend shooting fights, and shouting potty talk to last us a lifetime. Can someone sign me up for a tea party please? I'm ready for a little bit of girl time now:)

Good Old-Fashioned Fun

The last few times we've been to our local toy store, Lizzy has managed to swindle a couple bags of marbles out of me. She loves how shiny they are and their pretty colors. She lines them all up, admires them, displays them in her room, and generally thinks they're totally cool. Yesterday when it was pouring outside and Peter was taking his nap, I suggested we play "marbles." I told Lizzy I'd look it up on the computer how to play, and she said, "Mommy, you just make a circle and try to hit the marbles out of the circle. That's it."........out of the mouths of babes! Thank you, Lizzy, for reminding me not to make things that are easy so complicated, and to just go with it and have fun! Lizzy cracked me up playing marbles. She would close one eye, line up her shot, and flick the "shooter" into the circle. She was surprisingly good! I thought at first I'd take it easy on her, but even when I was trying, Lizzy proved to be the natural at marbles. I'm excited we've found a good rainy-day-game, and a real purpose for all those marbles!

Cars!

We've been on a birthday party bender, which is a great thing considering how stormy it's been around here lately. It's been so nice to be able to get out of the house and have somewhere to go on these rainy days. I do have to have a moment of silence for the poor mothers hosting these parties. Man, are they brave! It takes a lot to allow a dozen or so hyper, crazy, loud, kids to run around like total maniacs in your house. Sheesh! Peter was a tag-along to this party, and he was in heaven once he was given an older brother's tossed aside box of old cars. Peter spent forever lining these guys up, and while it certainly created an obstacle for the other party-goers, I'm sure it was nice to have at least one kid not screaming his head off!

Callum's Party

On Friday afternoon we gathered at Callum's house to help him celebrate his 2nd birthday. Our usual "street gang" was all in attendance. From left to right we have Callum, Lizzy, Charlie, Nicky, Ryder, Owen, Rowen, Evan, and Peter. I thought Callum's mom, Kim, did such a great job having a "mellow" party. It seems like it's so easy to quickly go over the top with a little kid's birthday party. Kim had everyone over for about an hour, we had cake, played a game, played around the house, and then went home. The kids had a lot of fun, and it didn't seem too crazy.

Girl with a Curl

What's one of the best things about rainy days? The totally adorable curls that frame Lizzy's face when it's damp outside. I love those delicate, perfect ringlets that come on rainy days. They're definitely the cutest part of the day:)

Road Builder

Peter built this road with lots of garages for all of his cars. Pretty cool, huh!

Afternoon Relaxation

After a vigorous ride around the block on Lizzy's scooter, Mulan took to her garden to rest under a "tiny tree" with her flower bouquet in her lap. What a life!

Special Friends

These two.......it's like watching poetry (very busy, loud, and creative poetry) in motion. Caroline and Lizzy have such a special bond, it's truly amazing to see. Whenever they get together, it's like two pieces of a perfect puzzle fitting together in the most precious way. They just get each other. They play and play and play, with a beautiful give and take, with joy, with teamwork, with fun. There is no other friend that Lizzy plays with in this way. No other friendship is as effortless, as comfortable, and joyful. I love when I can just sit back and watch them! And I think I've found the secret- they're not just friends, they're cousins! They're family, they're bonded since before they were born, in a meant-to-be friendship.

Big Boy

I love this picture of Peter because, for me, it captures his nervousness at climbing something so tall, and his accomplishment at doing it "all by himself." Peter is so big now! He's turning into a "big boy" more and more each day, even insisting, "No, Mama! Me no little boy! Me BIG boy!" I'm constantly in awe of the need in our human nature to seek independence. If you were a fly on the wall in our house these days you'd hear a lot of, "No me!" and "My turn!" and "I do it!" and of course, "Me no little baby!" While it can be excruciating to give someone the space necessary to do everything all.......by........himself (I mean seriously, can you just get in your car seat already?), it is a beautiful thing to watch confidence, and independence, and persistence blossom right before your eyes. Whoever said there was no holding us down spoke true words. Watching the beauty and strength of our human spirit can take your breath away, and, if you can manage not to stifle it with your own worries and control, it's pretty amazing to see.

Confirmed

We headed up to our cousins house for Mary Kate's confirmation. Of course, the Mass was wonderful, and it was very special to share a "big" moment with Mary Kate, yet another reminder that she's turning into a young lady more and more every day. But I must confess, my favorite part of the night happened before all the hoopla. I loved our dinner before the big event. I loved having all of us, children from as little as Peter to kids and grown-ups in between and all the way up to Grandma and Papa, gathered around Elizabeth's big dinner table. I loved riding the movement of our conversation..........from the silly one-liners to the laugh-out-loud jokes, the debates, the flashes of heated opinions to the more calm back-and-forth. I loved the blanket of warmth, of love, of pleasure, of comfort that we're so blessed to share. I loved that we get to be a part of one another's lives, that we all love and enjoy each other so much, and that we get to have nights like this. It's pretty awesome to have people who want to share your journey, warts and all, and who, at the end of the day, love you, enjoy you, and treasure time with you.

Blue Bear

Here's Peter giving his blue bear a ride on the baby swing- too cute!

Ready For Writing

The other day I had an incredible learning moment with Lizzy. We were playing a game where Lizzy was trying to write simple words that I was saying to her. After a few rounds, I asked if she wanted to try to write a sentence. I gave her the sentence "I am mad." She wrote it (with some help) "i am mad" After a minute of looking at it, she inserted a period, and changed the little i to a big I. When I asked her about it, she told me, "some letters are little and some letters are big. And that's a dot that goes at the end." I was blown away that she had noticed so much from books, and how she was really starting to put it all together. When I gave her two more sentences, she ended one with an exclamation point, and one with a question mark. Are you kidding me? While she didn't exactly know what they were called or what they were for, she had seen them in books. Pretty observant! What was Peter doing during this idyllic moment of learning? Playing with cars and running around like a little stinker doing anything he could to be a buggy little brother. Oh well, that's how it goes, right?

Climbing and Sliding

We had a free day, so we made the most of it and visited an old favorite. We hit the Coyote Point museum and the great park with the giant slide right next to it. I remember visiting this museum when Peter was a tiny baby, and having such fun wandering around. I was amazed at how different the kids are now. Lizzy so loves the animals, and really wants to search for them and learn all about them. Peter is so curious, running all around, a busy little bee. We had a nice picnic lunch then hit the park. Peter wasn't too into the giant slide this time, and stuck to running around, climbing, and sliding. Lizzy loved the big slide, and went on it over and over. She also found a huge rainbow shaped climbing structure, and was determined to figure it out. She got pretty spooked once she hit the highest point, but in true Lizzy fashion she talked herself through it then tried it again and again until it was a snap. There's just nothing better than a fun park day.

Play Day

We met Grandma and Papa this morning to enjoy a wonderful play together, and it turned out to be a day full of small miracles. First, we picked up Grandma and Papa, and managed to fit everyone in our car, without too many complaints from Peter, who's usually pretty attached to his routine seating arrangement (as well as the rest of us). Then, everyone did a great job sitting through the show, and I think we all really enjoyed the play. I'm certainly ready to see the next one. Then Grandma, the queen of loaves and fishes, managed to scrape up a delicious lunch for all of us even though she claimed she had no food. What a great morning, and a great way to top off a fabulous birthday weekend. I'm very blessed.

Wow!

Pat and I went out to dinner and a movie the other night for my birthday. That in and of itself merits a "wow," but the real "wow" moment was waiting for us at home. When we opened the door, this block masterpiece was waiting for us. I couldn't believe it. Our babysitter told us the kids had used every block to make this building, then added cars, street signs, and other goodies. I was blown away. I loved it! What thinking, what creativity, what teamwork! That's the best birthday present ever.

Flower Walk

I'm so thankful I have a daughter. When all the maniac boys of our neighborhood are going bananas in the street on scooters or bikes, I'm thankful I have someone who wants to hold my hand and go on a walk to look for our favorite flowers. I'm thankful I have someone who notices beauty all around her, and takes time to literally small the roses.

I'm so thankful I have a son. Sure flowers are great, but riding in a cozy car, keys in the "ignition," moving at literally a snail's pace is pretty great too. I'm so thankful I get to look back and see those little feet paddling along, and that little head looking from side-to-side, enjoying the day.

I'm so thankful they have each other, and that they still like to wait for the other to catch up. I'm thankful they care enough to share their discoveries, and that they still want to hold hands on a walk. I'm so thankful I get to see it all!

Peek-a-Boo

Hello there, little pony. I see you there! I like your castle very much!

Birthday Kids

Our sweet friends Drew and Paige had a double birthday party at Pump It Up. Boy, did we have fun. Lizzy and Peter loved all the slides and bouncy houses, but they were super into air hockey too. They both, very bravely, also tried the climbing wall. I observed it as an interesting psychological experiment. I could tell Lizzy was scared, but she insisted upon going up. Then she nervously bolted down, screamed in fear, composed herself (sort of), and insisted upon going up again. This pattern repeated itself several times, and was so classic Lizzy- that never-give-up determination to the end, even when she's super scared. Peter, on the other hand, was a cool customer. He stepped right up, got hooked up into his gear, and got down to business without so much as cracking a smile or breaking a sweat. Classic Peter- unflappable, ready to join in, but without the "all eyes on me" demands. I was pretty proud of both of them for giving it a try, however they chose to go about it.

Boy Time

I love this picture of Peter and Charlie. It seems to so perfectly capture who they are. Charlie, with his sweet smile, ready to laugh and join in, always saying, "Hi Pe-ter!" Peter, calmly taking it all in, also trying to join in and find his place too, all along with his cute little smile on his face. Charlie is Peter's first "real" friend, and it's so sweet to see them together.

Our Grand Old Tree

A truly special soul, one that has touched us tremendously and taught us so much, is gone. Our dear, dear friend and mentor, Teacher Gayle, has passed away. What a loss for us all! From Teacher Gayle I learned to see the best in my children, to value how special, wonderful, and unique they are. I learned to cherish childhood, not to hurry them along, and to take time to wonder at the world and learn through experiences. I learned to take pride in the little things, because it is noticed and appreciated. I learned to treasure thoughtfulness. The day after Gayle died, we had school. I wasn't sure what would happen, or how the tone of the day would be. At the drop-off spot, a lovely table was set up with books neatly layed out. Each book was wrapped with a lovely quote and each family's name on it. The book is perfect. It speaks so eloquently about life and death, the value of a rich, full life, and how someone can so positively influence the whole world around them. It felt very "Gayle-like" to have thought of something so special, and to have it delivered in such a lovely way. Teacher Gayle will be terribly missed, and I feel so very fortunate my path crossed with hers, if only for a short time.

Red Plate Special

My dear friends took me out to dinner for my birthday. Boy was I surprised when my meal was delivered on the "You Are Special" red plate! Of course, my sweet friend Kelly would think of this:) What a simple gesture, but one that really makes you feel wonderful!

The Pond

Oh, I just love those mornings when you get a free pass. No need to rush, no place to go, no urgency. The only frenzy is the excitement of the moment, the thrill of drinking in what's all around us. After dance class and the library, we decided to visit the ducks. Oh, how I loved watching the kids play with sticks. Peter being silly and pretending that he had caught a big fish and we had to help him reel it in. Lizzy discovering ripples in the water, and how to make her own. Lizzy gazing quietly at the ducks, patiently seeing if they would come over to her only to have her hopes dashed by Peter running them back into the water. What a lovely morning.