Weekend? What Weekend?

A quick look at Friday morning... it's the best when Daddy doesn't have to go into his school and instead has a meeting in the city.  "Here for breakfast... before school?"  They scream!







It was a whirl wind weekend packed with six mini photo shoot for Holiday Cards. Let me tell you.... by the end I was soooo tired. But happy to be home to do the 'regular' stuff like this... with this little one!



And see regular stuff like this..



A bit of fall has to make it into every single weekend. And this weekend was all about the leaves!



I read in Yankee Magazine about "the perfect drive" up the Connecticut hills through Litchfield. I pour over Yankee Magazine and dream of all of the things I want us to go and do and see in it. If we do one of their little New England day trips in each bimonthly issue I'm happy. And the Connecticut hills just didn't fit in this weekend. But who need "the perfect fall drive" when you have this?



Oh wax, where have you been my whole life?!

 I mean really, took long walks for leaves, ended up at the girls school and found the prettiest leaves there,



melted the wax and dipped for hours.



I'm in love with waxing! What else can we wax? It was so much fun and the perfect fall craft for my girls to do.



Not to mention that it sure did spruce up my fall garlands on my mantles. (tomorrow for sure, I'll take pictures of my October house!)

We mailed some to my Aunt who lives in sunny Florida but who is a New Englander at heart.



We strung them in long garlands, and even pressed some flat to be the perfect book marks. Happy I tell you; this wax and these leaves and my girls made me happy!



So Yankee Magazine, you have to do your 2014 October issue right her in our house.  My girls will take you on long walk with a basket and teach you what leaves are the perfect ones to wax.  Then we'll come back to my sunny kitchen and we'll show you how it's done.  Way better than any New England drive. 

Photography

I'm excited!  This weekend on both Saturday and Sunday I'll be headed to a local park to do some Holiday Card Mini Sessions.  I have back to back families that will be with me for about 20 minutes each to have their Holiday Card pictures taken.

The weather looks good, and I'm hoping that I can get them to smile pretty for the camera.

After I edit them next week I'll be designing their Holiday cards for them.  They'll be done, and I've just begun!  I still don't have a location and the whole outfit figured out for my girls!  But it always happens!



Hoping that you all have a wonderful fall weekend!  Wish me luck!

Dating You Two ~ Adventure Park

I have to post on this more than just this little video when I get the chance.  And I still have to do the scrapbook pages from this date.  But I just can't wait to share this one.  It was a super fun date.  Super Fun!!!  And can I tell you.. it is so much fun to date again... something great to look forward to, time alone, and baby those sparks are a flyin... he even brought home flowers yesterday.  It makes me so happy to just take the time to remember that we're still in love.  Okay, enough gushing!

Tree climbing (like really tall tall trees... the pictures make it look like we're an inch above the ground and this video looks like we're at the girls school playground)  balancing, zip lining, and balancing some more!  My hands didn't stop shaking until we were on the ground two hours later.  ~ It was oh so much fun hanging out and sometimes waiting for our turn up in the trees.  The weather was sunny and cool; just perfect for this date.

So without further ado; I bring you date number two...



The best part is that we still have ten more to go~

Shopping with Girls and Dancing an Irish Jig

This weekend while daddy was running the Marathon relay style with his school the girls and I explored a country store. I'd been there years and years and years ago... first married, no kids kind of years ago. But I recently drove by it last week on the way home from a newborn photo shoot. Instead of stopping by myself on that way home I decided it would be much more fun to explore it with my girls. I knew they would love it; and they did.



With just my 50mm it was impossible to capture the scenery.  The huge lake, the trees... fall picturesque. 

And the store... it was a huge old barn, all cozy and separated into different rooms that wound around and around.  Charming! 



And one little girl who made me take this picture of her.  And she arranged her hair "just so" and put on this silly fake smile. 



And there's the seasonal harvest tree that I want.  I've always admired Billie Jo's seasonal tree.  I love how it's up all year and she just changes the ornaments for every holiday.  So when I walked in and saw this beauty I told Anna, "let's buy this and take it home."  She walked over and said, "do we have to add up all of the ornaments to buy it?"  :)  Sooo I think I spyed a much smaller undecorated country tree there.  I'll keep my eye on it and already know just the spot for it (year round) in my house.  At least I know now where to get seasonal ornaments!  (I'm getting closer, Billie Jo!) 

It really was a lovely shop, and the girls and I could have stayed there forever looking at all of the treasures.  But as you know there's only so long I can keep little six year old hands from breaking something. 



And then on Sunday after teaching my first graders we headed, quickly, to Abigail's Irish Step Feis. So exciting!

Getting her gillies on



Walking on to perform with her only compettion for the beginners group. We don't take the compettion seriously. We really only did this so that Abigail could have a special afternoon doing something she loves to do. So we made it clear that this was all for fun.



I quickly found out that I was quite possibly the only Mom in the place to felt that way. Some serious Moms there... even in the beginners group. While I could have cared less if Abigail just went out and did the same tap~kick over and over and forgot the rest, these other Moms... well they were on the edge of their seats if they weren't in their seats making their daughters cry while they pulled back their hair and put on the funniest Irish Step wigs. For some of these Moms it was part beauty pagent, part dance competition. Phew! Not for us.

Some of them wore full wigs (see the girl in the bleachers), and most of them wore "bun wigs" like the girl next to her and the teen helper.



Poor Abigail showed up with just a pony tail so I fished through my purse and found a little red flower clip.

 Looking a little like "what did I get myself into?"



Okay, you gotta love this one. Her 'competition' is all in position with a smile on her face. Abigial is asking that teen something like, "so what's the first step to the Irish Jig?"


But off she goes... to the live music. I was so proud of her for just getting up there and dancing. (check out that kick from her 'competition'... wow!) 



And as soon as the dancing was over they had to approach the judges table. She has no idea what this was about.



But was thrilled to way away with two trophies!



We were all thrilled for her!





It was fun doing something new; something we'd never done before as a family. It was fun cheering her on and watching her beam when it was all over! But it was even better when we found this on the way home!

Off The Beaten Path

Oh it was a good weekend.  Full of fall.  It was packed to the brim.  (which I'm not so good at) but there was so much of us outside and so much fall that it made up for the schedule.  This fall weekend we enjoyed

visiting a country store
scott running the marathon (relay style) with the kids from his school
teaching first grade religious education
baking banana bread
Abigail dancing in her first Irish Step Feis
finding a new walking path along a river
cuddling on the couch for It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
making and eating oven baked applesauce oatmeal
annnnnnd (drumroll please) dating my husband (so much more on that coming later)

I have pictures like crazy but I'm waaay behind on my clients pictures so just a few to share for now.

On the way home from Abigail's Irish Step Feis we spotted this bike and walking path. We jumped out of the car and just enjoyed nature. (I didn't do much walking around since I was still in heals from other parts of the day... but we will certainly go back with sneakers next time)



And I certainly couldn't climb down to the Connecticut River in heals but it didn't stop them.



Reasons why I adore New England





And the way my little girl runs... oh six... I love you!









Still wearing her skirt and shirt from the Feis... I couldn't have picked a better outfit if I planned it! 



Oh my little happy girl. 



Fall, won't you please slow down?

On Mothering, Never Being Done, and After School Tea Parties

Disclaimer ~ This post is not supposed to sound moody, or down on anyone. I believe that all mothers, those that stay at home and those that work full time can equally be wonderful mothers. Can be... those that choose to be. Maybe I'll just start.



It's simple really.  Thursday is the only day we don't have to go somewhere after school.  Sure, there's homework and a viola or two to practice but that empty afternoon calendar makes me giddy.  So what's simple?  A tea party of course.

I brew the herbal tea, the girls choose their tea cups, I put biscuits on my Grandmother's plate.  There are already pumpkin placemats on the table.  We don't need the dining room.  The round kitchen table with the sunlight streaming through is just perfect. 

Anna pours



Abigail giggles knowing that she'll overdo her spoon in the sugar bowl.



And I sigh and take it all in. 

Littleness all around me.



We have lots to talk about.  But yet not much of anything important. 

It's just me and my girls. 



And I'm reminded

I'm not done yet
They still need me
Mothering still
Togetherness counts
Touch and eye contact
Listening and really hearing

I know, and I'm sure you do too, so so so many parents who are hands off.  They come in from school and run off to do their own thing.  It's always a play date or it could be even good for you outdoor play.  But never together; like really together. 



And I'm not talking about working mothers and 'stay at home' mothers.  I know plenty of working mothers who are with their children and don't stop parenting when their children are potty trained.  And I know plenty of stay at home mothers who are just getting through the years til their kids are school aged and then 'they're done'. 

So so so many parents think they're done when their child can get dressed, get off to school, does well enough in school and is an over all 'good kid'.  Why do they let go then?  Don't they know that while babies demand the care and parenting attention, our ten year olds still need that care and parenting attention? 

I'm not a perfect mother.  I make mistakes every single day.  But I parent every single day. 

Mothering is more than shouting upstairs to their room or outside, "come in for dinner!"  or "did you do your homework?"

Parenting is sometimes helping them with their homework and always checking their homework.  Not so that it's done perfectly or even that it's done but just letting your child know you're there every single step of the way. 

Parenting is not homemade biscuits and herbal tea either; I know that.  Real, authentic, caring parenting can be a cuddle on the couch with Bernstein Bears on.  It's the watching it together that counts.  I like the biscuits and the tea but I like the leggos and the doll play too.  The read alouds, the pumpkin patch books and the orange twinkle lights in the background.  But that's just me.

I'm 'preaching to the choir' here.  Every single blog I read (and you know who you are) stirs up in me better parenting, a more calm approach, a major life decision to home school to spend that amazing time with your children, or a simple breakfast at Panera when a morning isn't going well instead of rushing them off to school when a mood could be changed.  I'm in awe of the farewell dinner in the old house and the Family Day in the Park.  I love it and learn from it all; all of you. 

There is one thing that I know for sure.  I have today.  They are ten and six on this October Friday just once.  I can be with them or I can get things done.  Getting things done sure feels good and needs to happen but oh man, being with them feels even better. 

This weekend, despite the lists and the must get dones, I'm being with them.  Parenting them.  It's not all warm in fuzzy over here.  I know they'll be some real parenting; and maybe even within the first 5 minutes after the school bell rings but I'm in it; all of it for good. 

I'll correct a tone of voice, and teach another how to turn her day around (as I try to do the same for myself). 
I'll praise the sweet thank you and how one goes to get a tissue for another. 
I'll remind a older one to not be so bossy and a little one to not be so manipulative. 
But I'll praise them for always playing together. 
I'll enjoy the giggles but find a way to be creative to bring down the crazy behavior at bedtime.
I'll get annoyed at the not tidy room but listen to them fall asleep. 

It's all motherhood and I'm not done yet. 

In a society that endorses activity, I think we would all do well to put more trust in stillness.  No matter how busy we are, we can find meaning and renewal in those moments that are available to us.  We can come together in an intimate way, even at the end of a long, draining day, if we are willing to be fully present with our children - to take the time to hear their confidences and to respond from the heart.  We can teach them to value of a deep breath, of a spiritual pause, of rest, if we take the time...   Katrine Kenison from Mitten Strings for God

I Want A Telephoto Lens

Nothing inspirational about this post. Sorry if you were here for some uplifting sappy talk about how I gush over my girls or love to decorate my house. Today I just want to put it out there for that I need a telephoto lens. For this

Yes, that's my daughter waaaaay up there holding the letter P


Okay, so a little background here. I love my daughters school; love love love love love my daughters school. (is there supposed to be an apostrophe in there? I mean the school is my daughters, as in apostrophe s but there are two daughters... anyway... who cares?) They have these character assemblies, school spirit assemblies through out the year. Parents don't go. It's really just for the kids. Buuuut I happened to be in the school that morning and Abigail's first grade teacher told me they were performing a song on stage during the assembly later that morning. And I happened to have my camera gear with me.

So later that morning I snuck back into school
(okay, I signed in and got the sticker thing)
but snuck into the auditorium to see Abigail holding the "P" and singing the song.

Best part? I stood right behind Anna's fifth grade class without Anna knowing I was there. Her perfect assembly behavior didn't surprise me at all.

It was her standing up for a better view of her sister on stage that gave me goosebumps. Watching her watch her sister with what looked like a prayer on her lips and concentration in her eyes.

 (They'd practiced all week at home...mostly because Abigail just couldn't get a handle of that
 B I N G O type song where you leave out a new letter each time and add a clap... still can't do it) Oh I loved watching that sister moment. (okay, so I sap a little in this post)

But back to what's important. I need a telephoto lens for moments like these. I rented one before Disney and lugged it around to get this picture.



But I really need it for the "P" holding moments like these.



Okay.. enough said.

Except to say that this is the tree right outside their school. Love!



Happy weekend y'all. We've got Friday indoor tennis, Scott running the half marathon on Saturday morning, Sunday morning teaching first graders in Religious Ed (ooooh still have to plan), Abigail's first Feis for Irish Step, and a date with my man on Monday. It'll be a good one this time! Hope your weekend is wonderful!