Grace in small things: Wendy Merrill edition
- Some good—and sad—talks today with a couple of the women I love most...we've lost a lovely soul who's been in our midst for many years...tough...sending love and peace to her and all who love her...
- Sunshine and lunch and the playground with some of my favorite Steamboat mamas and their sweet little ones...
- The kids suddenly interested in the periodic table—a requested baby gift—that's been hanging in their nursery since they were babies (and is now in the playroom). I taught Luke today how to know how many electrons an element has...and he's thrilled that there's a element for him—Lutetium or "Lu" for short
- I've been working so hard this week, but Luke and I have instituted "hug time," where I put down whatever I'm doing and run out and hug him. (I realized after we planned it out that that's what they do in Trolls, lol.) Sis wants a hug sometimes too, but is generally pretty self-sufficient...
- Luke's newest thing is rubbing against my shoulder and purring...
- Snuggling my kids to sleep after singing "Intra-planet Janet" (their song of choice lately) as our scratchy-and-song song...
XO
Grace in small things: Water on the porch edition
- Zo loves to take stuff from the kitchen and play with water on the porch...today using the water to help her cool off too...
- Kids' friend Fletcher, who is leaving tomorrow, spending most of the day with us. Glad they all got some friend time in. Especially love how he and Luke traded hot wheels for the winter. (Fletcher lives in Maryland for the school year...we'll see him again next summer...)
- Busy workday but everything got done...
- Doing my nightly dog walk with the kids..I was taking them individually when the other was at Grammy and Papa's...fun to take them together, too...
- About to go read stories and then do scratchy and song...love our nightly routine...
Happy Tuesday!
XO
2017 Eclipse
So my friend Lindsay and I had been talking about taking our kids to see the eclipse...and then I talked her out of it...and then Sunday 5 PM talked her back into it...so off we drove 5 AM Monday to Wyoming, her 2- and 3-year-olds and the baby girl in her belly and Luke and Zo and she and I...and what a fun time we had! Four-and-a-half hours later we pulled over on a Riverton-area side road, cracked and weathered asphalt, smell of sagebrush and desert hills all around and had the full time to watch as the moon overtook the sun, glancing up with our glasses every few minutes and Lindsay had a paper plate setup where we could see the shadows too. We had a picnic with salami and cherries and cheese and pretzels and almonds and played with race cars and stuffed pigs, watched ants and put on pink fairy wings and got more and more excited as the totality neared...there were half a dozen groups we could see and 10 other cars drove past us...from Tennessee and Idaho and New Jersey and California...Elias sat solid in my lap and then the sun covered the moon and you could hear everyone gasp and then cheer...it had been getting darker and cooler and the crickets had started chirping and when the sun was covered there were these beautiful wispy feathers of light all around it, like nothing I've ever seen and a coyote howling and it was just magical...I wish I'd taken some pictures but I just wanted to experience it and there were deep oranges and purples and pinks around the ring of the horizon everywhere you looked and the kids were in awe and we were in awe and then after, Luke stood on the minivan's running board and high-fived the drivers of the out-of-state cars as they went back to their normal lives and I'm sooooo glad we went and I want to do it again...do we really have to wait 7 years? I'm already starting to plan...
XOXO
Grace in small things: Gondola with Daddy edition
- A gondola ride, nature trail, and then a beer for us and lemonade for the kids on the sundeck at the top of the gondola...fun...
- Followed by Zoya's first birthday party...fun...
- Trying to make some plans come together for the eclipse...not sure if it's going to happen but hope so...
- Warm summer afternoons on the porch...
- Zo getting the hiccups and asking me to hug her tight to make them go away...a hug is as good as any other hiccup cure, right?? :)
Grace in small things: Dinner outside edition
- Picnic dinner outside at the kids' request...beautiful day, the rainy cycle we've been in appears to be over for the time being...
- A day off...and Monday to look forward to as well...
- Grocery shopping as a family...
- Luke (whose favorite animal is a lion): "Mama, I love you like 200 lions."
- Clear skies late tonight and a million stars...
Grace in small things: Horsey friend edition
- No food in the fridge = pizza and Pac Man for dinner at the pizza place next to the kids' horsey friend...always have to say hi to the horsey if we're near...
- Grandma taking the kids fishing this morning while I worked...she is so amazing with them...
- Christy Sports Powder Daze sale for winter clothes...a new jacket for Bubs (with neon on it so I can see him when he's skiing trees) and new ski pants for Sis...they looked so huge at the sale but they fit her...my baby is growing up! And a new coat for me it's soooooo pretty, new boots for both the kids too. We've gotten all our winter stuff at that sale since we've moved to Steamboat...it's great...
- Luke has totally got fractions down...he was trying to get me to sing more than one song to him tonight and I said no. "How about 1/2 a song?" he said. "1/4?" "1/8?" "1/16?" How about 1/32?" Also a blessing that they went right to sleep, even though I couldn't snuggle them until they dozed off like I normally do because I had work to finish up...
- Luke wearing his "Camp Grant" shirt all week long...he and Sis had such fun at Grammy and Papas'...
XO
Grace in small things: Peach ice cream edition
- Luke and Zo helping me make peach ice cream with peaches from Grand Junction this afternoon...yum and I love cooking with them...
- Playing "Kitty" with the kids, which involves lots of snuggles and getting under the blankets in a blanket fort...
- Kids are having so much fun together now that they are reunited...it is the sweetest...
- Stormy and cool...nice change...
- Filling out forms for Kindergarten...so grateful I have babies to do that for...oh and also a sweet friend of mine suggested meeting for breakfast after first day of Kindergarten drop-off so I don't have to be sad alone...friends are the best...
XO
