Monday, June 29, 2015

Pulling It Together

Scott is away a for a few days this week. I didn't want him to go. We were supposed to go to but more on that later. (when I can get some pictures and video off of my phone)

I have to tell the truth. When he first left I was excited about having the girls all to myself. And the house all to ourselves. The organized schedule all to myself. I had little ideas, little plans for us.

But then the second day came and missing him turned into thoughts like, "wow, he really does do a lot around here."

I missed him but I missed him doing the dinner dishes while I got the girls cozy for the night. I missed him soaking up some of Abigail's endless stream of conversation. I missed him pulling Anna out of her shell and into laughing.

I missed him pulling down the shade (which is broken in our room) and being there at night because falling asleep alone is well, just alone.

I can't wait to see him tomorrow night... wait.. there's one more day in there I forgot about. It's a few more nights than I thought.

Tomorrow I'll keep our afternoon simple. I'll pray early in the morning about my patience that I'll need around bedtime later that evening. And I'll count off one more day until I can wrap my arms around him again.

9 collage

Friday, June 26, 2015

One Saturday Morning...

"Do you want to play castle???"  (from the 'do you want to build a snowman' song in Frozen)



do you want to play castle
I've been waiting all day
but you wouldn't wake up
I guess you don't want to play
I'll let you do your game
and control it to
do you want to play castle
all I want to do is play
do you want to play castle
it doesn't have to be castle
I love you...

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Summer ~ Day Six

I love when I find her here, knitting.

0A6A6123

She's part big girl part little girl. Twelve is great. One minute knitting and quiet in her room surrounded by American Girl Magazines and books so thick it would take me months to read... one minute in the family room setting up a Calico Critter world. Twelve is great!

Sometimes I like to take pictures of how the girls play and what they're playing.  How they set it up, and how they see their play world.  Just so I can remember.  People tell me all the time (from the moment I stepped off the plane from China with baby Anna in my arms) "it's gonna go by so quick.  you'll blink and she'll be grown."  Ohhhh those comments always made me feel uncomfortable.  And I think I decided way back then to prove them wrong.  So I soak in every single detail.  I slow it down with my camera.  I watch, I listen.  I look around me.  And on day six of the summer this is what I found.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

16

17

I love looking at the way they chose to put everything the way they wanted.  Darling to me!

18

A card game in the middle of the day. Life (they love it!!!)

1

We are slowly working our way though this book. It's life changing. Here's the basic concept. Instead of cleaning out a section of your house, you pick a 'topic.'

 For example, if the girls closets were very messy in the past we would take everything out of them and sort in the hallway: games, puzzles, doll clothes, etc. Tidy it up, throw a few things out... and put it back nice and neat. It works, right? It's the way we all do it.

 But all of that changed when I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. In a nutshell,instead of tidying up the closet toys or the playroom as two separate events, you pick a topic.

 So yesterday was stuffed animals. The girls and I took them off of their beds, out of their closets, up from the playroom, off of shelves, everywhere. The rule is if it doesn't join the pile when you start it's automatically gone when it's found later. It motivates them!!!

 Then, with every single stuffed animal in front of them they hold one at a time and and ask yourself, "does this spark joy?" And if it does you put it in the 'keep' pile. If it doesn't you put it in the discard pile. There's so much more to it but trust me it's really a better way to get rid of things. We have been bringing bag after bag after bag to goodwill! This is their discard pile of stuffed animals. (which looks little in the picture but was really huge) Fun times!!! (no that new baby elephant that you gave her 10 minutes before cleaning wasn't discarded grandma, it just couldn't leave her arms that day)

Sometimes when stuffed animals all have a memory it's hard to discard them, even for me.  My grandma bought that before you came home from China.... I should keep it.  But not really.  Think of it like a bouquet of flowers.  Those are given too.  They cost money but when their time is up (they die) we throw them out.  Sometimes time is up for things in our houses.  Just because we loved it once doesn't mean we have to keep it now.  Guilt gone.

stuffed animals

I found this in front of me after bath that night on day six of summer.

1

It was the second night of Annie (musical theatre) And she has her script in her lap. She's reading the script like it's a bedtime story. No parts were given out yet but boy oh boy was she ever excited to have a script of her own.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

A Few 'lasts' things

The last day of school was last week.  But it feels like it was like... last month.  Once my girlies are home and we dive in a bunch of fun and a bunch of nothing the days go on and on and that is just perfect in my book.

But I don't want to forget this.  Abigail speaking into the microphone at her school.  Her little report was on Salamanders.

2

It was sweet. She was super nervous and oh so quiet. And ya know what I said to her when she was done? (after, great job! of course) "Abigail, if you picked turtle you could have worn your pink dress with the turtles on it and the turtle barrettes in your hair and I even have the matching underwear and bracelet". I think she rolled her eyes at me.

1

I love being there for all of the little and big school events. (the little ones really are big ones to them, right?) But seeing those pictures makes me so happy that it's summer!

And this one... it makes me happy. This is the girls on their last day of viola lessons for this school year.

1

Most wonderful teacher in all the world. The end! And the beginning of summer!

Way back when she first had Mr. Lee for a teacher I took this picture on the last day of lessons that year.

IMG_2554

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Summer ~ Day Two

1

Summer means more time. Time for things that we love to do. Time for fun things. Time for nothing. Time for growing in our faith. This summer the girls, Scott and I are spending time in God's Word before breakfast each and every morning. I like this picture. A lot. ~ I, on the other hand need more time in prayer in the morning. I wish I could be as patient, loving, hard working, caring, wonderful as Scott with a quick Bible time in the morning. I need more like an hour just to be a little nice. So I get up at 4:20. I love mornings. Good thing no one takes a picture of me during my Bible time! Amen!

Monday, June 22, 2015

Father's Day

1

Yesterday was Father's Day.  We celebrated by going to Mass and then home to presents.  I know, not over the top.  Not even close to 'the top' but that's EXACTLY what Scott wanted.  A simple, regular Sunday.  (with presents and homemade cards)

2

It rained on the way to Mass and it was sweet (although I don't have a picture).  Scott dropped his three girls off at the front of church so we didn't have to walk through the rain (even though we all had umbrellas) through the parking lot.  Sometimes even if their isn't a picture I want to remember a moment.  He's mannerly like that, and we like being 'his girls'.

3

Presents at home.  New headphones and a fitbit.  Anna has one and now Scott.  We've all been so jealous of Anna's... checking into her steps goal each day.  She loves walking and I love our two mile walk each day with her!  Now Scott's can record tennis.  (He's an amazing tennis player... played #1 for his team in college and he plays almost daily, competitively...although I haven't watched him in a while I love to see him on the court... takes me right back to high school and college days with him)

4

In the afternoon he played tennis at the club and the girls and I met Grandpa at Barnes and Noble.  We had snacks there and just walked around outside and talked.  It was lovely.

5

We came home to this... a lovely dinner Scott grilled.  I thought it was perfect that Scott cooked dinner on Father's Day.  He's always willing to jump in and get a meal on the table when their is a time crunch during our full school year.  And this was exactly what he wanted for dinner on Father's Day ~ burgers, fries, and grilled corn.  So 'fatherish'!

7

8

I am so grateful today for my dad.  The best one ever.  My dad and I are very close.  I adored him growing up and still do.  He made my world safe.  And at the same time he opened up the whole world to me.  I am a teacher because of him.  I love children like he does.  He loved me dearly and I am so glad he is my dad.

IMG_2573

And to the daddy of my girls, my husband.  I adore him too.  He makes my world safe.  He took over just where my dad left off on my wedding day, nearly nineteen years ago.  He too opened up the whole world to me.  I am a mommy because of him.  I love children and teaching like he does.  I love him dearly.

scott blog sized

Friday, June 19, 2015

Mother's Day

2

8

The way my house looked on Mother's Day back in May is not the way it is decorated now.

6

2

Our tulips have long gone and although I don't have them growing at my house it's the roses that are in bloom in New England.

3

We had the most wonderful weekend back in May on the 'real' Mother's Day.

4

9

10

But Scott insisted that we celebrate properly.  And so we did today.

1

With breakfast out at a lovely restaurant.  I love breakfast out.

3

4

5

6

And then when we got back home it was business as usual.

7

Seeing all of the tulips from our yard makes spring seem like 'ages ago'. I miss them popping up after a long winter.  But it will happen again... next year.  For now we are enjoying sitting outside and loving not being cold.  Summer is here and we are happy.

1

I snapped this with my phone on Mother's Day back in May.

8

A huge surprise waiting for me at 4:20 am when I go to this same desk every day for my Bible time. Scott has a 'rough draft' of my blog done. My whole blog all converted to a Word document and save yearly and printed in a book. Best present ever. My heart pours out on this blog and I feel like my 'motherhood' is here. I love that I have these words of mine (and photos) saved for my girls forever.

And this... just this...

9

10

The brand new... just released annotated biography on Laura Ingalls Wilder

11

Looks so pretty in my 'love of little house' room.  And I can't wait to dive into it!

12