Introducing...

...the newest member of the walking world!



Good things come to those who wait--even 16 months worth of waiting!

Friend Island

Some of our friends had the generous (and crazy) idea to invite 3 other families to join them at their beach house for 4 days. And when I say "crazy", I mean that there were 18 of us... 10 of whom were kids! (It's no wonder all of the kids took it upon themselves to rename Fripp Island "Friend Island".)

My expectations going into the trip were low: I would consider it a success if no one got the stomach bug. Shame on me for having such low expectations! Every minute of the trip was incredible. The kids had a blast, entertained each other, and enjoyed a virtual 4-day slumber party! And we grown-ups had the chance to sit back, talk, laugh, and enjoy a time with no schedules, clocks, chores, or work. The weather was perfect, the food delicious, and the beach was beautiful. Even an all-nighter in the ER with Jack for a bad case of croup the last night couldn't put a damper on the fun we had. Because hey, at least it wasn't the stomach bug!

The big kids

And the little ones

Beach Races

Healthy Jack...

...and not-so-healthy Jack

The Rooster Crows

I'm blogging... Chad must be out of town. It seems like that's the only time that I venture into the quietness of my kitchen to sit down and attempt to update our life over here in our corner of the world, to those of you who check in.

Chad is gone for a few days, and right now--at the end of the day--I'm struggling with being the mom I want to be and being the mom I actually am. Summer has, paradoxically, been a mixture of relaxation at a whirlwind speed. With the girls not taking naps anymore, I feel like the days--as lazy as some of our days are-- are nonetheless full. I don't think that I've quite gotten used to being "on" for 12 straight hours. I feel like I can have some really meaningful, quality time with the kids--the girls in particular-- followed by a scolding. In a time frame of 12 hours, this cycle is repeated...repeatedly. Being the worrier that I am, the scoldings sit much heavier on my mind and seem to outweigh the "quality time." I often wonder if it feels the same for the kids or if, because they are kids and kids need to be scolded, reprimands are more of just an expectation of childhood.

I feel like I had one of those days where I was just counting down the hours until bedtime... trying my best to manage, control, deputy, and corral. Nothing bad, nothing sad, just not enjoying the presence of my kids. Now, as they all lie sleeping, I want nothing more than to wake them up and love on them. Notice I said wake them up...I want them to realize and remember that I'm loving on them because I feel like I am lacking in that category, now that the day is done and the tallies are being made in my mind.

I guess that the beauty of motherhood--parenthood-- is that you continue to get chances. The kids will wake up with the same eagerness to attack the day; the same willingness to give me a clean slate; the same loyalty to love me because I am 'Mama'. I pray right now that I can greet tomorrow morning with the same expectations and know that the best medicine for a regret-filled night is simply my spoken "I love you".

Dancing Queens

The girls' spring dance recital was Saturday afternoon. It's been marked on the calendar all month but as the 4:00 hour approached, I was able to get a little better understanding of both girls and the inborn behaviors they possess.

Aly awoke and knew exactly what the day held, and had a game face on from that moment on. In the pool, she was practicing moves. At lunch, she wanted to eat food that would "be good for her body for dancing." She asked several times during Jack's naptime if it was time to go. By the time that we were in the car to head to the auditorium, she was down-right agitated. She was not in a talking mood on the drive. Her nerves hit a high-point when we pulled up to the auditorium and she had to wait on me as I looked for my keys to lock the car. "Can you pleeeease hurry, Mama? We're going to be late. I really need to be in there." Bless her heart, she can't tell time and me telling her that we were an hour early had no effect on her anxiety.


This is a picture of her (forced-smile and all) at the top of the auditorium steps in the midst of pacing and chewing her nails:


And then there was Caroline, blissfully void of nerves. Her only concern was that we watch her dance. She was in such a zen-like state, that this is how I found her after our short 5-minute drive to the auditorium:



Granted, she's a year younger, but these are the personality these two have had since they first began displaying their personalities.

After fixing hair and make-up, I settled in next to Chad in the auditorium (a good 30 minutes before the curtain went up!) and told him that I thought that Aly was genuinely irritated with me and explained the story of her frustration and anxiety. He calmly said, "Have you ever been late to anything? No. Have I? No. We are anxious, timely, type-A people and she is our daughter. We can't expect that she'd be any different." I think that I've spent 5 years hoping that Aly would not be as tightly-wound and anxious as I am. Yesterday I realized that she probably is that way; now it's my job to help her cope.

So after this 4:00 parenting revolution hit me between the eyes, we were able to enjoy watching our two amazing (yet very different) ballerinas do what they love to do: Stand side-by-side and dance their hearts out.

Backstage (with plenty of time to spare!)

Well done, little girls.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Thanks to a free hotel room from Chad, the girls and I got a chance to have our first girls' night on Friday night! Dinner at the counter of Steak n' Shake, swimming in the hotel pool and jumping on hotel beds was the perfect equation for an unforgettable night. I loved getting the chance to cuddle, hold, read to, and pay special attention to these sweet things without muttering the usual, "Sorry girls, I've gotta help Jack." That's not to say that we weren't all ecstatic to see Chad and Jack show up the next morning for a family swim. But sometimes a girl's just gotta have some girl time!

Surveying the Pool

Pomp and Circumstance

I know that today was just a little thing compared to the big milestones in the lifetime that lies before Aly. But in our little world, today was a big day. Aly graduated from pre-K today. Chad teared up and I had a knot in my throat as I acknowledged that our little girl in now a Kindergartner! She is so ready, so I guess that we need to be too.
But as she took pictures under the sign that read, "Class of 2024", I was so happy that today is only 2011.

1st day of preschool (2007)...

...And the last day of preschool (2011)
"What I like most about pre-K is my teachers."

Receiving the "Great Author" award
(look at her just beaming!)

A Boy and his Ball

We have always had balls laying around the house. But they were never really noticed or played with until about a month ago. Jack's third word (followed closely behind "Mama" and "Dada") was "ball", which is repeated continuously throughout the day. From the time that he wakes up in the morning, he wants to play. He refuses to eat breakfast (by putting his arm up to cover his face) until Chad takes him out to the basketball goal to "shoot ball". Even after that, if Chad is around, it is a constant and persistent chant from Jack of "Dada, ball. Dada, ball". If we're in the playroom, he crawls right over to the Elmo book and hunts for the page where Elmo's room has balls laying around on the floor. "Ball, ball, ball." When we go for walks in the morning, Jack proudly holds the basketball while being pushed in the stroller; and we've started keeping a big bouncy ball in the car that he holds immediately after being buckled in. He fell asleep on the way to pick up his sisters the other day, and my heart just melted when I turned around to see this:


I feel like I'm looking at what Chad must have looked like 34 years ago. My sweet boy.