FAMILY DAY

On perhaps one of the last warm weekends of the summer,

 we spent our Sunday

 in the sand

 and in the sun,

 slurping slushies,

and being silly.

COUSINS

 We spent our Saturday playing with my cousin's kids ... such great built in playmates for JP and AA!  JP looks up to the little boys; and AA tries to keep up with all of the girls.  She immediately took off her sandals when she spotted the pile of flip-flops from the other girls ... great find, AA!

Despite the sweetest instructions and coaching, AA just couldn't figure out how to jump rope (I didn't have the heart to tell these 5 year olds that AA can't even jump!)

And the best part of our day?  Daddy came home from his long trip!

TIME

Of course I miss those early days with my babes ... the afternoons when JP would curl up on my chest and we'd take a nap together; the evenings feeding AA while the fireplace kept us cozy.  I miss the  "firsts" and the days when my kids were truly reliant on everything from me.  But ... those days were crazy (especially the first few months when AA was born; I truly had two babies to look after!).  

As I sat at the park on this beautiful late summer evening, my heart was filled with such gratitude for the stage of life I'm in.  One year ago, a trip to the park was logistically challenging ... the kids had opposite nap times, AA could only crawl, and JP wasn't very proficient at playing on his own.  Having two kids so close in age was hard.  But tonight, I just cannot imagine life any other way.  JP and AA are the best playmates.  They ran off hand in hand; JP is a great leader and AA follows suit.  I'm hopeful that if A and I can be positive influences on JP, than JP will be that positive influence on AA.  It's already quite clear that JP is number one in her life!  For a moment tonight ... a fleeting moment ... parenting two kids less than 18 months apart seemed, dare I say, easy?

While each day presents new challenges, I wish I could freeze these days.  

MOMMY AND ME

I've survived 2 days without A ... only 6 more to go!  Even though he is frequently away for 2 or 3 nights at a time for work trips, this time it just feels different ... while daddy is up fishing in Canada for the week, I'm holding the fort down at home.  Yesterday we kept really busy!  We had a picnic lunch with EJ and Thatcher, E&N, and Mr. Chris!  We only met for an hour or so ... JP and AA were so quiet!  

Then we called up Grandpa T and went for an afternoon swim:

 and then we went to sing Happy Birthday to Aunt J:

after cupcakes, and parks, and a late dinner, we finally headed back South.  

Oh, and both kids slept past 7 AM today!  I think I got this.

WHY?

Forget the daily crossword puzzles or book clubs; all that anyone needs to keep their mind ripe is a blossoming preschooler nearby!  By 7:15 AM, JP has already used up his “WHY?” question quota for the day.  Or week. Or month.  Lately, these questions pop up incessantly … keeping my brain on high gear!  Sometimes the answers I give are simple: because the rain needs water to grow; because that is her favorite color; because the doggy was hungry.  But then, JP persists with follow up WHY questions … and eventually follow up WHY questions to the follow up WHY answer.  I’ve found that sometimes even the “because that’s how God made it” answers don’t satisfy his inquisitions. No wonder he sleeps soundly at night!

And if this doesn’t keep me high enough on my toes, AA has now entered the “WHAT’S THAT?” phase of toddlerhood.  Oh my.

MULBERRY BUSH

To report that AA loves her nursery ryhme book is definitely an understatement.  For the last several months, AA and I have sung our way through Humpty Dumpty, Twinkle Twinkle, Yankee Doodle, and Patt-a-Cake more times than I care to count.  Each song carries its own hand gestures and actions.  For whatever reason, AA's new favorite song is the Mulberry Bush.  I just do not understand the fascination with this page: just one big green leafy tree.  The song is quite boring, I must say, but after each rendition, AA looks up at me with her brown saucer eyes and signs, "More? More?".  And so I sing, "And here we go 'round the Mulberry bush, the Mulberry bush, the Mulberry bush, here we go 'round the Mulberry bush so early in the morning ...".  Last night Daddy put AA to bed ... apparently he's a bigger softie than I am ... I seriously heard him sing this song 15 times in a row! 

I wonder what will be the favorite ryhme next month!

FAMILY TIME

Sometimes life just gets so busy.  Thankfully, we've had zero plans for the last two weekends.  Of course, with two little ones, a carefree weekend is far from relaxing ... our days were quickly filled with bike rides, zoo trips, park escapades, picnics, pizza outings, Olympic watching, and swimming sessions.  I never picked up my camera once!  Today, I just had to snap a few photos with my phone during our mini golf adventure:

We've had a nice time ... just the four of us.  Family time.  These are the days I will cling to in the years to come!  

STAR OF THE WEEK

And just look who is the STAR OF THE WEEK at daycare?  My AA!  

JP and AA have attended a daycare center since January of this year.  And I love it.  And the kids do too!   They play hard outside; read books; learn songs; work on writing letters and counting; and brush their teeth after eating.  They grow a garden and bake cookies and eat organic vegetables from the local farms.  They run through sprinklers and pet animals and tour firetrucks. They are learning how to make friends, share, and communicate respectfully with adults.

Knowing that my kids are receiving high quality care and plenty of TLC helps me feel less guilty about my quest to juggle being a professional and a mom.

HAIRCUT