"Maybe they're at the beach!"

Rolling with new adventures

Thursday we took our first family bike ride.  All four of us on our bikes. We set out to OSH hardware store in search of hooks for Josh's new tool shelves.  (Man oh man it feels good to be getting that garage organized.)

So there we were embarking on first venture and we had our water, snacks, Kleenex box for my girl's epic runny nose, yep we were ready.  The sun was bright and the air crisp. I was so excited to be back on my bike. As soon as I hopped on I realized how much I love to ride it. Riding as a family was oh so fun and offered yet another opportunity to take things slow and really notice the beauty of our little neighborhood.

Riding with kids gives you joy as:
* you watch the sunlight dance through new streamers that Santa stuffed into Ellie's stocking,
* they stop to take another drink of water from the super cool water bottle mounted to your big bike,
* you get a peek back from your daughter saying, "You right behind me mama?",
* your son slows down to say, "I want to ride right by you.",
* you notice an egret and pair of ducks in the creek that you didn't remember was even there,
* you stop for another drink of water from that cool water bottle,
* you stop to share some crackers you packed in your bike basket,
and the list goes on.

Our quick trip to the store was a grand day out and I just loved it.

The way home was a challenge for my girl.  She had pedaled her little legs off and was wearing down.  Daddy and Mason's lead stretched out in front of us until we could no longer see them.  Ellie informed me that we should have just walked because her legs were too tired.  Could I just walk her bike for her?  She began singing as she skipped along and then would find a burst of energy, hop on her bike and pedal like mad until, "I am done riding."  And off she would go singing, imagining, announcing, "When we get home will you help me find my doggie ears? I am a doggie now."

As we made our way along, she announced, "Where are Daddy and Mason? Why don't they come and pick us up?"  We decided to take a picture and send it to them and ask them where they were.

"Hi Guys, where are you?"

The sent us this back.

Ellie looked at it and said, "I think they are at the beach. That picture looks like they are at the beach. Come on Mama, let's go see." And with that, (and the lack of awareness that although we once bought surf shirts with our town's name on them for our east coast friends for laughs, we live nowhere near the beach,) we rode like the wind to find our boys at the beach.

To her surprise we didn't find them at the beach, but we did find them waiting for us at good ol' Mr. Pickles.  Our friendly neighborhood sandwich shop and landmark extraordinaire. So although it wasn't the beach it was a gem of a place in her eyes. We caught them and Ellie announced, "One home is a rotten egg."

It wasn't long before I was strolling with two bikes and watching my little doggie skip merrily along. I won the prize of rotten egg, but it is pretty grand!

I hope this feeling lasts...

Mason's artwork for our Healthy New Year Breakfast display.
Kicking off the new year right with a little "Like Cupcake Wars" breakfast!

Love you dad!

The girls -  Love you Mom!

As this break began we were greeted with far away family members swooping in to join our local crowd and it was one celebratory gathering after the next in a whirlwind that seemed to be leaving as quickly as it came.  My heart was happy to have everyone near, and aching all in one as it realized the time I had so been looking forward to, had fluttered by in the blink of an eye.

Micah and Maddie traveled the farthest!

Walking to see the lights. They were beautiful and I was glad I went even though I was freezing and not feeling good. 

Hey babe, we actually did get a family photo!

Amidst all the festivities was a wealth of germs being lovingly passed from one another and somehow still lingers in my wee little girl.  Tonight she cried as her ears were hurting and my heart felt her pain as I have suffered through many an earsplitting ache!  I am guessing she must have an ear infection, but my last visit to the ER as I was wakened in the night with stabbing pain a few years ago the doctor told me it is best not to go on antibiotics if you can stand the pain for a bit.  I can tell she is not always feeling her best, but she is not one to simply rest. Luckily, she was able to hang in there and is sleeping the night away.

I love you guys! Hope you are feeling better.

With Ellie not feeling so well we have tried to stick close to home and are trying not to do too much.  Usually when the break comes I am thinking of all the things I want to accomplish and have my lists in my head.  Those first few days of break I realized how many things I had not done on my mental list.  I had so many ideas, creative ones, that sat there as just thoughts and what ifs.  What if I had found time to pull it all off?  Luckily, most don't know the ideas I have in my brain or I would have worried about how I had let everyone down.  Mostly I wanted this time of year to be magical for my kids.  With all the items on my lists, their items can't be overlooked.  Pieces of them perhaps, but the parts that really matter must complete their journey to reality.  The rest can wait.

Somehow today as I was sweeping out the leaves from the patio room and moving bikes around.  I realized how peaceful I finally felt.  I was cleaning and there was tons to clean and organize and make, but somehow it wasn't weighing me down.  I somehow found this feeling that I was being productive and I was okay.  I could stress about all I "should have, would have, could have" been getting done these past few days or making lists of all to do before next week, but I didn't want to.  I didn't feel the sense of urgency to.

My sister-in-law stopped by yesterday and said, "Yeah, I haven't done anything on my To Do List, but I have just been having fun hanging out with these guys." I agreed.  I had been doing the same.  There are so many times I try to get stuff done and end up feeling frustrated that I didn't get it all done.  I read or hear people say it doesn't matter if your house is messy and such, the kids won't care, they really just want you.  I know in my heart this is true, but sometimes I just want things to not feel overwhelming to me.  I want to be able to enjoy my time with my kids and not feel like the mess is closing in on me.


Today somehow I found it.  Perhaps it was the reenactment of "Like Cupcakes Wars" this morning as we made smoothies and egg tarts.  The playfulness overlapping the "have to" kinds of things.  I gracefully wove "mom time" into the "have to" time.

Our winning display complete with egg tarts and smoothies.

I cooked, did dishes, exercised as I walked and they biked around the town.  Mason took us to the nearby elementary school parking lot because "there are no cars and there are downhills that are really fun".  I sat on the curb a minute in the cold, sunny day and looked out on our little town from a new perspective.  Places I usually only see from the car on the road, I saw in a new way, from a new angle.  I thought how we should do this more.  Take time to see our town through their eyes.  Find the best spots to be.  To let the wind fly through your hair. To sing "The best part of life is LOVE" as you ride your bike with a smile from ear to ear.

Hopeful

This afternoon after a late lunch we made time for some "have to" stuff.  I swept the patio, mowed the lawn, filled the green waste bins with whatever else I could, and enjoyed the feeling of not worrying about all that was still looming.  I almost don't want to type that.  I don't want it to vanish.

Tonight I cooked and baked.  I don't normally do these things.  It feels good to be creative.  I watch a lot of cooking.  I eat a lot of things and admire the artistry, time, and love that allows it to be so satisfying, but today I embraced the art.  As with any art, it had its ups and downs.  To get to the ups though, one must take risks.  Last night as I jumped in head first to play with making those Peaches and Cream Cupcakes I found myself letting go of the stress of it all.  In what could have been my demise...the challenge of creating under pressure.  The playfulness of it all, the silliness of it all allowed me to let go of the worry and be open to the journey.

Maybe that is the feeling I think I may have found.  I have known it before. I have found it before.  I recognize its beauty.  It is the journey. Sometimes it is hard to see it because you are too far in it. You have to step back and take a look at the map, turn it a new way, and then get back on your path.  A stronger, more confident YOU leading the way.

Childlike

There is a difference between being child-ish and being child-like.  I opt for the latter.  As the last few minutes of December bring us closer to the new year, and the photos of myself show that I am not looking any younger, I wish for finding ways to be child-like forever.

Last night we felt the magic as we clapped and believed with all our hearts that we could save Tinkerbell.  Our eyes and hearts spilled over with a powerful joy as she flew again.  Mason and Ellie snuggling into me in the darkness of the theater as Peter Pan flew out over the crowd sprinkling magic fairy dust all around is a moment I want to remember always.  We soared with hope and wonder.

As we stayed until the very end of Peter Pan's meet and greet, Mason hunting for treasures among the fairy dust sprinkled lobby, and Ellie running, singing, "flying" all around I thought ahead to this morning, knowing I would be making a Peter Pan costume to make sure the magic would not end.

"You can fly Onyx!"

Sure enough, when we awoke Ellie found her fairy dust that Peter Pan gave her last night when we met her.  She had proclaimed on the car ride home that she could be Peter Pan because Peter Pan is really a girl.  Oh and "Mommy, Peter Pan has short hair and I have short hair, so I can be Peter Pan".  If we believe, it is so.

Soon enough fairy dust was flying at me and I was told I could fly.  Ellie flew through the kitchen asking me who I was and continued to throw fairy dust long after her container ran out.

The floor was sparkling with silver and before I knew it, I was sewing a Peter Pan costume for Ellie to go along with Mason's from Halloween 2011. She was no longer Tinkerbell, she was Peter Pan.

It pays to have scraps of felt hanging around.
And that belt from Mason's shorts that he never wore has sure come in handy for Puss in Boots and Peter Pan!

The joy of fantasy and play beats out head colds, coughs and such.  If you are Peter Pan there is no room for being sick.  However, you can come close to death due to pirates and need your family to believe that their applause will bring you back to life.

This older brother is always looking out for her.

His get well gift for Peter Pan.  "You can even turn it into a kite on a windy day."  I love that boy!

Ready to fight those pirates again!

We played and played and played and just when I thought the cold had possibly beat us, there was a second wind. The afternoon brought us outside to find a wrench for family that were stopping by and cupcakes were shared with them.  When Mason and Daddy returned from their adventures, Peter Pan and I had "cleaned the ship" and all the leaves were gone.  Mason cruised inside and returned to announce, "Mommy, why do you always do Cupcake Wars when Daddy and I are gone?"

"I don't know.  I didn't know what to make for lunch, so I made chocolate cupcakes. We could play again tonight."

And we did just that.  It was a New Year's Eve that will be in my heart for a lifetime.  Right up there with the year I was in Times Square having champagne sprayed in my face, only oh so much better.

As we dined on Josh's dinner Mason proclaimed that I had to be a cupcake maker and Josh would have to be an Iron Chef.  With the size of our kitchen I jumped on the cupcake idea and searched for a recipe.  I wanted a challenge, I mean it was round 2 and the last day of 2012 and there is always the $10,000 to win.  (Remember if you believe, anything is possible.)

My trusty carpenter! Have you ever seen that show? They always wear those plaid shirts.

So I researched and we were off.  Peaches and Cream Cupcakes complete with a filling?  I was up for the challenge.  Ellie was my baking assistant and Mason was my carpenter.  We had to make our 1,000 cupcake display and we really wow the judges. Mason grabbed a pencil and paper and had me sketch the design idea and he was off to work complete with his plaid shirt.  I was busy trying to pretend like I had things under control and wasn't going to miss a step on the recipe.

Here it is our Cupcake Display.  Didn't I have an awesome carpenter?  Oh and that baking assistant, I couldn't have done it without them.

So as time ticked away, we actually pulled it off.  Cupcakes were baked, filled, frosted, and the display was a show stopper.  We beat out the Grinch and won the $10,000, packed up our display, and headed to the main event.  The dance party started and yep, it was a New Year's Eve to remember.

Dancing in her "glass slippers".

"It's Just As Much Fun Decorating a Fake Tree"

I don't have photos directly related to this post, but it is all about traditions, so these from the Annual Tree Lighting event a couple of weeks ago seem to fit.

As Thanksgiving break drew to a close a few weeks ago, the sunlight and warm weather brought us outside and I thought I should put up our lights and garland.  The lighting on our fall decorations was too beautiful and I wasn't quite ready to let it all go.  The next weekend it rained nonstop, so I didn't change things then either.  Last weekend we were busy with a project and suddenly I realized 3 weeks had passed and we were that much closer to Christmas and all my projects/plans remained in my head and not in reality.  Mason and Ellie began asking me about our tree and decorations and as they continued to open their tiny doors of their Advent Calendars I began to realize there are fewer and fewer of them.

We visited Santa at the Tree Lighting, but still hadn't decorated our home.

This weekend was filled with plans and I thought, "How will I ever get it all done?" Saturday morning arrived and as we were getting up and moving and preparing for a birthday party Mason said he wasn't feeling good.  At first I thought he might just be hungry, but it wasn't long before I had good reason to stop all plans and clean the bathroom.  We would not be heading to the party and although I don't wish illness upon anyone, there was a silver lining on this dark cloud of bleck. We were sad to miss the party, but being stuck at home meant I might actually be able to clean and figure out how we might make room for a tree.

Later that day, Mason was feeling a bit better and he had been dying to try out Geocaching.  Josh took the kids on their first treasure hunt and I stayed behind to clean.  I rearranged our living room furniture and found a way to feel as though we had more space and a spot for a tree.

Building traditions: Visiting Santa at the Tree Lighting

Today we ventured out to the local tree lot and Mason told Ellie, "You smell and I'll look."  I peeked down the aisle they were in and Ellie stopped, leaned in and sniffed the trees.  Mason ran around and soon she chased after him. I love that we had the pine tree scented experience, yet I was hesitant to buy a tree there.  I remember the year we bought our first artificial tree growing up.  I remember my dad being happier without so many allergy issues.  I loved that tree.  I looked forward to setting it up each year. My dad would hang the lights and all his ornaments at the top and we would hang ours all around.  It was our tradition to buy an ornament on our family trip each year. We had quite a collection.

To me I love the memories that hang on the tree. Each ornament tells a story.  Yes, I love the smell of pine trees, and on this cold Sunday morning, Mason reminded us to smell them and we did and it was grand. Yet a part of me didn't want to bring that into my home this year. This year we will be home for Christmas and I want to welcome our family and friends without worry of bringing on an allergy attack.  I want to gaze at our tree, the lights, the memories of each of our silly ornaments.

Ellie loved dancing with The Nutcracker.  We have read that book a  lot lately at bedtime, so this was pretty magical for her. 

So I told Josh that I wanted to look at artificial trees.  We found one we liked, but passed it up because Gran offered us her old tree. We left the store with a rosemary plant and a festive entry rug and headed to her house.  Such a magical trip it was. She passed along a tiny tree with ornaments and lights for Mason and a small green tree in a bin for our family.  We took it home and spruced it up and as I pieced it together I thought of all the years of building trees at home. I went to the garage in search of something to set the tree on.  I wanted it up higher to make room at the floor.  When you live in a tiny space you have to get clever with things. My first attempt was a no go, so back out I went.  I spied a cement form and a plastic five gallon water jug and then it hit me...

I pulled out the glass 5-gallon water bottle from my Grandmother's basement that has been hanging around waiting for it's new beginning.  Last night Ellie and I made Mason Jar snow globes and today they sparkled and filled our home with the cozy feel of winter. Now our tree would be standing in style on our giant snow globe like a cork.  Just as we were getting it to work I had to leave.  I was invited to a family tea party which was simply divine.  I hated having to leave just as we were getting going, especially as Mason invited me up to his room to show me how he had decorated his tiny tree.  The kids were begging me to get the rest of the bins out, but I convinced them that the box of nutcrackers and Santa's sleigh bell would be enough until I returned.  Even though I was late, I hurried up to Mason's room to catch sight of his display and my heart, oh my heart beamed at the sight of his proud face showing me his tiny little tree.

The tea party was wonderful.  A special day with the women of Josh's side of our family. Such a fun afternoon.  If I had to be breaking away from making memories at home, this was a good place to be. My heart was full as I left and I drove to see if I could catch my trio who had called me from the grocery store.  I drove through the parking lot, but didn't spot the car, so I drove on through and as I turned I saw them, Josh in his new winter hat, Mason in his superhero costume and Ellie with her new antler hat skipping down the sidewalk.  My heart jumped for joy and I scurried to find a parking space and surprise them.

It was already dark, but after stopping to buy coffee beans and having a small cup, I even found a couple of gifts for the kids in one of the shops, I headed back home to meet them and make time to decorate our tree.  Ellie and Mason were so proud to show me how they had covered the tree with ribbons, but were eager to pull it all off to make way for the lights and ornaments.  I headed out to the shed and the bins exploded through the room.  Ellie and Mason dug through with glee finding all their treasures that had been tucked away for the year. Ellie found the lights and helped me string them on. I unwrapped and handed them ornaments telling them the stories of each one. They retold them to each other as they walked over to place them on the tree. Mason pronounced, "It's just as much fun decorating a fake tree!"  My heart spilled over with joy. Sitting there amidst our memories, making new ones as we spoke, I whole-heartedly agreed.

Our local tree in town, lit up in all her glory!

We finished hanging the last of the ornaments and tied some sparkle ribbon.  Then we turned out the lights and let her glow.  She is a beauty, that little tree standing proudly on that pedestal.  I think I'll name her Rose Marie.

*photos to come...

"I Love You So Much..."

Me: Laying on the couch reading the new picture book Stopping By The Woods on a Snowy Evening By Robert Frost and Illustrated by Susan Jeffers while Pandora plays "Silent Night"



Mason: Mommy will you peel my orange?
Me: Yeah.
Mason: Mommy, I love you so much.  I love you so much I am crying.  I really am.
Me: (getting all misty, while peeling the orange and seeing Mason wipe his eyes on my grandma's handmade quilt I am snuggling under)
Mason: Daddy, I love Mommy so much I was crying.
Daddy: I know.  I've felt that way.

My heart is full and then some.

In the NOW!

At the preschool there is a clock that has the word NOW in place of every number on its face.  Lately this sense of a 3 year old's need to live in the now has been more and more apparent. When I am driving Ellie in the morning and we begin chatting about her day and what lies ahead, she tells me how she doesn't want to go to preschool because a particular girl will call her names.  When I am getting ready to say goodbye and leave for work, she cries for me to stay.  When I arrive to pick her up at the end of the day she is first thrilled to see me and then cries that she doesn't want to leave and stomps her foot as she tells me she is staying. Her story from preschool the other day was about how we would be going on our trip the next day and she would be sad because she would miss her friends and she would not be there.  She would miss her friends.  These same friends that she didn't want to see the other day.

The common thread...she wants to fully embrace the moment.  She is not comforted by the thought of what fun could be coming her way in the future.  It isn't that she doesn't like the other places, people, and things she will be doing.  It is the change of it all. Switching out of the current fun or time she's spending with someone she cares about, that is hard part. She wants the NOW, and when you're 6 it isn't much different.

Yesterday we got up, packed our bags, ate breakfast with Daddy, and then took off on our mini-vacation getaway.  The kids and I on our way.

Today we set out on an adventure.  We drove west and as Grandma said, "We're almost at the ocean." It was decided.  Our "NOW" was the ocean.  Nothing would stop us.  The wind? No.  A snack? No.

"Mommy follow Mason's footprints," Ellie called.

The sand was calling our name and we kicked off our shoes and headed toward the waves.  The wind was strong, but our will was stronger. We stopped along the way to take some pictures to share the fun with Daddy and capture the beauty of the NOW. 

Hair by Windy Day

Two buddies 

Hangin' with my bro

Grandma and Mason paved the way

Why of all days had I left the house without extra clothes? As we neared the waves I worried about how cold it would be when the NOW wore off, as I am a mama, and not 3 or 6.  At first I attempted to forge on ahead and simply roll up pant legs and hope that the chill of the water would be enough to send us up toward dryer land.  They dipped into the sand and the joy on their face exploded throughout their whole being and it was contagious.  That is the thing about living in the NOW.  When you really find it, everything else disappears. Your only worry is how to keep it going.

Fingers dipped into the wet sand and we were hooked. There was no turning back.

Dipping my toes in the ocean in November. Priceless.

Jumping for Joy. Priceless.

Playing without a care in the world...

Sand stuck to your feet? Nope.

Cold wind to worry about?  Nope.

Wet clothes to spend the afternoon in?  Nope.

All of that worry can wait.  We are living in the NOW!

October 1st

My response to the woman leaving Dos Coyotes on Saturday who asked with a smile, "Is it Halloween already?" :  "One day is not enough for costumes!" I grinned, spreading the joy.

Well as Mason would say, "Yesterday we said goodbye to September and today is the first day of October."  October, the bittersweet time of year.  October is filled with so much to look forward to, and filled, filled to the brim where things begin to overflow.  Today was a Monday and bittersweet is fitting.

Tonight as my mama skills were maxed out and exhaustion was setting in, my head was spinning...spinning with all to be getting done and spinning with "live in the moment: these two need you."  We took a ride to the mailbox, me on my feet following behind as they raced their bikes up the road.  There is something about this strip of road of ours that helps erase the wild and crazy of the day.  Our little ol' road, I love it.

When we got back the kids jumped on the swings and flew.  This past weekend I realized how I miss our hammock.  I need it.  Darn squirrels, nibble, nibble.  Nevermind, I told myself I would write in the positive.

Moving on, we ventured inside when the sweet smell of skunk was wafting through the yard and as we rounded the corner of the laundry room Mason announced, "It smells better in here." We were safe. After taking a few minutes to chip away a layer of dishes and start a load of laundry I settled into some game time.

I told the kids I needed a few minutes to do some dishes and they could play or draw while I do that before we played a game.  While I did dishes they asked me how to spell Daddy.  Here is the little snippet of joy that evolved and now hangs on our wall with green and yellow striped tape.  Notice the hand holding...bliss!

Mason wanted to do puzzles and Ellie wanted to play a game and neither wanted to compromise.  They wanted me and they wanted their way.  Somehow we settled on Mason building puzzles while Ellie and I played The Ladybug Game.  I turned on Pandora and The Vitamin String Quartet reminded me of our "restaurant" we created Sunday evening with newly carved mini-pumpkins and a nod to fall with candlelight, stew, and homemade bread courtesy of Chef Daddy.  (We won't mention the triple digit heat of Monday.  We shall bask in the beckoning of fall.)

As the music played and we played everything slowed...the spinning, the fight for my attention.  I sat in wonder and took moments to think.  I watched and learned.  Mason executed his puzzle building plans, announcing key strategies as he felt appropriate, giving sideways glances at his sister who was making up her own rules for the game we were about to embark on.  "How will you even play that without the cards, Ellie? You won't even know how far to move."

"We will use our brains to know," Ellie replied with confidence. She did not need the rules, she was creating her own.  We began to play. I took her lead and somehow my brain told me how much to move and when it wasn't right, her brain showed me the way.  Mason quietly kept eyeing such play as he built his puzzle.  It must have taken everything he had to not scream at her, for she was not playing by the rules.  Yet somehow, maybe it was the music, it took over and it wasn't long before one of his glances at our game moved up and locked into mine.  That's when it happened.  He got it.  A grin broke his seriousness, not a wink exactly, but it was his way of doing so.  He suddenly knew that she was okay.  It would be okay that she wasn't following "the rules" she was letting her brain be our guide.

Somehow in the letting it play out, we all figured things out and found the right time to leave those games and puzzles and laugh and play one together.  As they set up one of daddy's "favorites" they put all the pieces out without arguing and said, "Daddy would be blue but he's not here."  He was probably okay with that. The land of candy is not where he likes to reside. We played on and Ellie allowed Mason to lead the way this time and he did so with a bit less control.

It is a dance they say...life.  I love the quote, "Life is a dance.  Sometimes you lead. Sometimes you follow."  I don't know who said it, but I love it.  When I begin to spin again, I hope to find my lead and follow them to greatness.

Start somewhere...

So for a while now I have had an abundance of ideas spinning around in my head and a desire to write them, yet somehow when I find the quiet moments in my day to do such things I find myself too tired and/or noodling about reading other blogs and such, that I can't seem to capture the magic and wonder I was thinking. It saddens me a bit to miss those moments and not write them down, yet it is like something I heard once about trying to take a picture, that somehow in that truly magical moment could the picture really capture that feeling of that lump in your throat? When I miss the opportunities to write, I try to hold onto that feeling, relive it in my mind, let it dance and play and stay a while in hopes that even if I can't go back and reread the words I chose to capture it, or gaze at the amateur photo I took, I can call it back to mind again.

We love to buy flowers at the farmer's market.  Ellie insists on putting them in her room.

The past several weeks have been full.  Sometimes overflowing and I just keep taking it in.  We have had some big moments and many little ones that feel just as big.  There have been laughs and tears and missing teeth everything in between.  

I keep reminding myself to observe and observe and try to let things play out before stepping in, and man these two kids of mine have become the best of buds. They are figuring each other out and I think one of my favorite things lately is walking behind them, or hearing them play through the house, or ride in the back seat.  I love when they carry on as though I am not there, allowing me to catch a glimpse of the bond they have. The other day in the car, this annoying song they love was requested and played on and on, and the more it annoys me, the more I love what comes from it all.  It is like at school when kids request one of my least favorites and I play it and end up having such fun watching the joy it brings.  On this particular car ride the song is singing away, "why do I have to have a sister?...." and goes on to talk about a sister being a pest.  Ellie and Mason begin to argue about the word pest and Mason tells her she isn't one, and she argues that she is, and he continues to argue that no she isn't, because a pest is someone you don't like at all and "I love you, Ellie."  

We must endure the annoyances, the things we cannot stand, to uncover the beauty, the rich, pure beauty that is there.  We must let go of our worries that feelings could get hurt, and trust our children to work through and prove us wrong.  Model, model, model the good you hope to see, and then sit back and let them find it within themselves.  I write this for me.  Take it if you wish and run with it, but I warn you it is not an easy task.  You must continue to remind yourself especially when you want to jump in and rescue.  Trust them, though, they will have the power and strength to show you they can be all that you want them to be. And best of all, they will show you who you want to be too. 

There have been many leaps we have taken these past weeks.  Mason is in Kindergarten.  I was so nervous about this one.  I worried about what it would be like.  I worried about how he might miss preschool, but I was viewing it through my own lens and not his.  His lens is not blurred, his is crystal clear.  He sees the joy of learning, the magic of school.  He sees it through the lens that has been built in the most magical place we could have found. 

First day of Kindergarten, my boy is all grown up!

Ellie anxiously awaited her time and it is here.  The girl is a preschooler.  The place is her school now. She is ready to shine!

First day of preschool, yep girl is growing up, too!

First ride on our new bikes!

Chasing bubbles, not the first and definitely not the last.

Silly faces and sideways photo

So with school, comes homework and this week we were given the task of talking about menus and shopping lists and creating some of our own.  Mason insisted this happen on day 1 of the weekly packet, so Friday night we were at the store shopping and then home to create his pancakes.  I stepped back and let it happen.  I gathered supplies and took some photos, worked the hot griddle, but the preparing was all on them.  Ellie insists on doing the homework, too.  She must keep up with her brother, there is nothing she can't do. So there was flour to measure.

And they were off and running with their ingredients.  I didn't help other than to gather what they "needed". 

 And eggs to crack.

Oops cracked the egg into the shell container, good thing we bought a dozen.

And in a bit, pancakes to be eaten.  Model, model, model and step back and watch it happen.  Who says a 3 year old and a 5 year old can't crack eggs and make pancakes from scratch?

Mason and Ellie playing last weekend

As I said before, the photo just can't seem to capture the moment like really being there can.  It can try, but even when I crop out the piles of mess, the view is not the same as the feeling you get when you're around them.