discovering Port Discovery

It's hard to believe we had never been to Port Discovery Children's Museum before;  today we finally made the trip and had a fabulous time exploring.  The kids got to be explorers in ancient Egypt, detectives, mountain climbers, engineers, artists, and probably a few other things by the time we were done.  Different than the other children's museums we have visited, it had a lot more directed activity where I could really see what was being taught and that my kids were getting it (at least at the level of a 3 and 5 year old). And they had so much fun doing it.  Great job, Port Discovery!

giant climbing tower about 4 stories up

signs of life

I know Spring is coming.  The calendar may say there is still a month to go, but the signs are all around me. And I rejoice in:

• my energy coming back!
• the snow and ice from two days ago already being mostly gone, and with that, the trickle trickle of the gutters collecting the melt from the roof
• the daffodil and tulip shoots peeking through the snow
• wanting to be back in my craft room, finishing some languishing projects
• walking to the mailbox without a coat on
• the urge to clean, clean, clean!
• robins starting to outnumber the winter birds

Hurrah! This week I am trying to get the curtains for the boy's room sewn...this has been a project from way back last fall when I re-did his quilt (here) to fit his bed. The quilt and two sets of Pottery Barn sheets (discontinued pattern) were a great find at my local consignment store. One set of sheets is on his bed almost all the time, but the other set was full-sized and I had a vision of some curtains. The fabric was probably bought in November or December, but just this week I finally took scissors to the sheets and got started. More to come...

hope for spring

We are blessed to have wonderful friends who have 2 boys a bit older than the little guy.  He looks up to those boys and wants to be just like them.  And they are good role models, and so sweet to him.  Friends, we are grateful for you!  The thermometer read 66.7 (F)  in the shade, and we all wandered through the park today with no coats on! I know winter will likely return in the next week, but for now, we are loving the break this gives us.  What's the spring version of "Indian Summer" called?  That's what we are experiencing. Fresh air. Birds singing.  Even the ice on the lake didn't dampen our spirits. 

the seagull report: "yup. still frozen."

I had forgotten that when you first get back to the park after a long winter's break, its always amazing to see how the kiddos have matured and can do so much more than before.  The little guy had fun on his buddy's big-boy bike, and ran and climbed and jumped off of anything he could find-- logs, benches, playground equipment, hillsides.  At 3, I don't have to be right there by his side every moment anymore, which is good because I think it would be hard to keep up!

determination.

three in a row...stair-steps.

toothless

 "Mommy, my wiggly tooth fell out at school today!"

So begins the long reign of the tooth fairy at our house.  I was tickled by the oh-so-cute tooth-box necklace that the school nurse sent her home with, tooth lovingly tucked inside. My girlie is so very proud of herself.

winter rhythms

The middle of February. The middle of winter. A slow time, both figuratively and literally. Slower paces at work and at home tend to make me a little crazy, feeling like I should be using my time more productively. But thanks to a wonderful blog post here, I have rethought what I should be doing--using my time more wisely. The quote from that blog that stuck with me is this:

"winter is intended as a time of rest.   And really expecting herself to be as productive in the winter as she is any other time of the year was setting herself up for failure."
 
God created the world and its seasons. Even Ecclesiastes reminds me that "to everything there is a season, and a time under heaven".  He made seasons of growth, of harvest, and of rest.  There is a new peacefulness in my heart, as I am learning to give myself a break, to spend some extra time reading or in other quiet activities, to not feel like I must take on a new creative project right now. The time will come. The day will come when I am compelled to go hole up in my craft area and "get making". But it is ok if today is not that day.

It is ok if my daily rhythms are of maintenance (laundry, go to the gym, grocery shopping, clean up around the house) and care (for the kiddos, my dear husband, and for myself). It is ok to sit and watch the lovely birds on the feeder--there is a gorgeous and noisy male cardinal right now.  It is ok to watch the cat nap in the sunshine...or to take a nap myself. 

Fields left fallow in the winter do not stay that way for long. Soon enough, plowing is followed by planting and growing.  Soon enough spring will be here.  Literal truths for centuries of agricultural societies become figurative for us, but there is still truth there.  For now, I will treasure a slower pace.

where the heart is

Finally got around to some Valentine's crafting today with my boy...at three, his paintings are still very much in the "abstract" phase (ha!) so together with a few pages of his creations, and my scissors, we managed to create a cheery window in the "heart" of our home--the kitchen. I have a feeling that when the daughter gets home from school, we may be decorating more windows shortly!

yippee! I'm 3!

It was a simple, yet fun, birthday for the boy yesterday.  I felt like it was the easy way out, but he really wanted to do Chuck E. Cheese's, so we had 3 other families join us for a fun and crazy evening.  I had fun making him a t-shirt to celebrate the day--fusible web, a cute scrap of fabric, and some fabric paint, so easy! It says, "Yippee! I'm 3", which pretty much sums up how he felt about his special day!

on the day you were born

On this day, 3 years ago, my baby boy was born.  My darling boy, you have brought so much joy to our lives. Overnight, it seems, this little brand-new baby face has grown into an active, happy boy.  There is so much to love about you. I love your ready smiles, your great imagination, your happy heart.  I love how much "boy" there really is in what you love:  your tools, your construction and fire trucks, your trains.  I love to hear you sing, which you do all the time, even at the dinner table.  I love to go on "adventures" with you. Perhaps most of all, I love how much you love to snuggle, hug and kiss.  I love your "tickle tackle snuggles"!Even when you are testing your independance and trying my patience, I love you.  My dear boy, I wish you a happy birthday and a wonderful year of being THREE!

(birthday photos to follow in a later post!)