Lizzy Brings Joy

Today Lizzy didn't have school, so I wasn't quite sure how to handle Peter's gym class. They have become really strict about letting siblings occasionally sit in, and ask that they not participate at all and just sit on the sideline. Really?! Come on! Knowing Lizzy, I knew this would be really hard for her, but I thought we could give it a try and sneak in some playing time. Well, right away, Peter's teacher spotted Lizzy and reminded me of the rule. I could see the hurt in her eyes immediately, how left out she felt, but she quietly walked to the side and began to draw. I breathed a sigh of relief and thought, "Maybe she'll just work on a picture or read some books while Peter plays?!" Don't I know my daughter though, and don't I know that she's never one to "back down" quietly? She walked over to me, with her sad face, and handed me the above picture of Peter's teacher (this is her go-to picture when she's mad at someone. I know it seems kind of mean, but I always appreciate her honesty with her feelings, and, to be truthful, I'm always bizarrely proud that she can write the word "no"). I worried things may be going south, and fast. But then we changed to a new area, and the class moved into the gym. Here, I was assured, Lizzy could run around and play with the equipment as nothing was too "dangerous" in here. That's when the magic happened. Peter blossomed in a way I'd never seen him do in class before. He ran around and laughed his head off playing hockey with Lizzy. When the parachute came out, which he's disdainful towards on a good day, he hopped right on next to Lizzy. He ran around in the parachute house gleefully. I marveled at Lizzy's ability to put Peter at ease, make him feel so safe and comfortable, and give him the gift of her contagious joy. And there I saw it so clearly, Lizzy's beautiful gifts that we are so blessed to share- her leadership, her confidence, her eagerness to jump in and have fun. Her ability to effortlessly bring her little brother into the folds of her happiness. How thankful I was that she could come to class today, and share some special time with Peter!

Signs of Fall

There's an old man that lives in our neighborhood, I think he's lived here over 40 years, and every fall he gives all the neighborhood kids an enormous gift- free reign over his front yard. See, he has a gigantic, and I do mean gigantic, tree in his front yard, with thousands of leaves. He told me he planted the tree himself, a father's day present, many years ago, and now it has grown and grown into a wonderful monument to love, friendship, and generosity. Every fall, when the leaves begin to turn brown and fall on the grass, he quietly rests rakes against the trunk of the tree- three little rakes, perfect for little arms and bodies, one medium sized rake, and two big rakes. The rakes are a signal, a silent invitation, to come into his yard and play in his leaves. The kids don't need to be asked twice. As the weather begins to change, they seem to sense it, and know it's time to visit his yard and play with the leaves. It's really joyful to watch them as they dive in, squeal with glee, and roll around in the leaves. They rake them into a big pile, play throw and chase with them, and organize them in all sorts of different ways. I overheard a woman questioning if he really liked this, if it was annoying to him, if all this noise and confusion wasn't bothersome. I thought to myself, when I'm an old lady (heck, I'd do it now if I had the right kind of tree), I'd like to put the rakes out by my big tree. I'd relish the chaos, take secret peeks out my front window waiting for kids to run up, dive in, and enjoy.

Look At Bugs

There is an awesome boy in our neighborhood that sits out in front of his house every afternoon waiting for "customers" to talk to. His sign reads, "Look at Bugs" and he has a complete bug menagerie that he's found in his yard to share with anyone passing by. This kid is a complete bug expert, and he can tell you everything you'd ever want to know about the bugs he collects. Everyday he has something different, so we'll often say, "Let's go look at the bugs!" to see his latest discoveries. What's wonderful about this boy is his charm. He's eager to share his facts, but he's also so excited to visit with his customers. It's always amazing to me to see how many people take the time to talk with this kid- little kids, of course, but also teenagers, and grown-ups stop to look at the bugs and say a quick hello. I've learned a great lesson from this boy: When you take the time to open your heart and be friendly to others, that friendship and love comes right back to you through the smiles and friendship of your neighbors.

Jersey Boy

When Lizzy was born, and we learned she was a girl, I was overjoyed! How wonderful to have a daughter! I was so excited for ruffled socks, hair bows, and pink, pink, and more pink. I had always thought that there was just something so sweet about a little girl, so precious, so totally darling it made your heart melt just thinking about her. To be perfectly honest, I felt a little sorry for my friends that only had boys, because they didn't know that feeling (I mistakenly thought).

I must admit, when I first found out Peter was a boy, my first reaction was, huh.....what about the pink? What about sugar and spice and everything nice? What do you do with a boy? Then I met him, fresh from the oven, and guess what? My heart melted again! That sweet face, that soft skin, that baby smell......turns out mothers of boys are equally over the moon (who would have thought?). Now I know it's not just the ruffles and bows that pull at your heart strings, but it's the jerseys, sweat pants, and tennis shoes too. Pink's no longer my only favorite color......blue's pretty wonderful too! I still love ballet, and princesses, and shiny things, but I also love catching footballs and playing chase and looking for bugs. And the weird thing (though it makes perfect sense if you think about it), is that both my kids can be equally "girlie" or "boyish." I guess it's not being a "girl" or "boy" that makes us love our children so, it's just being around their wonderful selves that's the real joy.

Peter's Trick

This is Peter's new favorite trick. He will shout out, "Mama, watch me! Watch me!" Then, no matter the time or place, he will perform this trick- hands down, leg up, big smile on his face. Good one, Peter!

Dancing Machines

This picture should have the caption: "Mom! Stop trying to take pictures of me while I'm dancing! Sheesh!" The new trend in our house- dancing. Lizzy and Peter have dug up an old CD player from Lizzy's room, with some kid CD's, and are on a dancing bender. It's so darling to see them boogieing around the living room, but it's darn difficult to capture on film. Stay tuned- hopefully I'll get a good shot one of these days!

Movie Night

We found an envelope on our front door step with the name "Lizzy" written on the front- how exciting! Lizzy opened it right up, and what should she find, but an invitation to attend a big-kids-only movie night, complete with her own hand-made ticket. Well, she was over the moon, and so excited for her big night. We all walked over the the Nelson's, then the "big" kids went into Drew's room. Brian set up his projector to play a movie on Drew's wall, and all the kids snuggled in with their own popcorn and treats. Daddy left to go watch a football game at Matt's house, and when Peter began to get fussy, I took him home to bed. Daddy brought Lizzy home an hour later, and while she was totally wiped out, she had a big smile on her face. I guess it's pretty fun to be a "big" kid.