Tag Archives: kids

Weekly Photo Challenge: Careful

Weekly Photo Challenge: CarefulJane with eggs

I suppose one could call out to the three year old with the dozen eggs traipsing around outside in nothing but her swimsuit on a chilly October day to be careful.

But I don’t.

I’m not that kind of parent.

She knows all about broken eggs. She knows what breaks them and what to do with the broken ones. She’s been there and she’s done that.

And after a few run-ins with thistles, raspberry canes and other less desirable things, she knows how to watch what she’s stepping on.

And as for the swimming suit, all you grandmas out there shivering just looking at her, will be glad to know that after an hour or so she told me she was going inside to warm up.

I could tell her to be careful.

But I won’t.

 

Clara’s First Day of School

Today was the first day of school.

Ivy, entering third grade, is an old pro.  She got up already excited to see her teacher, her classmates and head back to school.

Clara, getting ready for her first day ever, had been hesitantly interested up until this morning. This morning she was what I would call willfully frightened.

But, despite her best efforts, we got her up, dressed her, attempted to feed her, took the obligatory first morning photo and sent her on her way.Ivy and Clara first day of school

I’m not gonna lie, I was a bit worried about how her day would go.

After our first day alone together Jane and I walked down the driveway to meet the bus. Jane continued to tell me things. Everything, actually. Things that, apparently, she had been telling Clara but will now be telling me. I half listened, fingers mentally crossed, hoping it had been a good day as I watched Ivy and Clara climb out of the bus and break into a run.Ivy and Clara running up driveway

Look at that smile!

It was a good day!

 

Birthday Breakfast

Today is John’s birthday.

Today, because I love him like no other, I woke early with the girls and we made his favorite breakfast together.

Today, because his girls adore him, they woke him up hours earlier than necessary to serve him breakfast in bed and shower him with gifts.

John and the girls

Today, my second shift working love and I were reminded that birthdays with kids are different.

Good, but different.

Happy Birthday Honey!

 

Three Treasures

I am a temporary, treasure repository.

At the end of the day my pockets are filled with treasure, the front of the car has extras handed up from the back and the kitchen counter has a collection of interesting things.

Some days, I get pretty rocks and precious toys.

Other days, I get small handfuls of vomit and bits of garbage.

These are the three best treasures I was given today.

An egg. chicken egg

Jane collected the eggs today and I caught her rolling the warm smoothness of them across her cheeks. Then she handed them to me with them same enthusiasm she does every morning that she gets to pluck them from their nests.

The molted shell of a cicada.molted cicada shell

Ivy and Clara found this in their favorite climbing tree. As they hauled me out of the house to see and take custody of it, they were so giddy with excitement you never would have guessed they had found one in a similar spot the day before.

And a small duck feather.duck feather

Another find of Jane’s, she had me hold it in my pocket and randomly requested it back throughout the day.

She looked at that feather with wonder and excitement every time I gave it back to her.

It was good day to hold the treasures.

 

Always Wash Your Produce

Standing in the middle of the produce department of our small town grocery store, I turned to deposit the garlic bulbs in my cart just in time to see Jane finish fishing something out of her underwear.

“MOM! THIS WAS IN MY UNDERWEAR!!!”Jane

Ivy, who, obviously, heard the comment promptly chimed in with something to the effect of:

“Oh my gosh, how did she get the Apple Jacks we just bought in her underwear?!?”

And by chimed, I mean bellowed as if she was in possession of her own personal grocery store bullhorn.

I quickly informed my children, and anyone else who may or may not have been listening, that the offending item Jane had retrieved was part of her snack from the car and promptly left the area without making eye contact.

Moral: Always wash your produce.