this moment

Joining SouleMama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

this moment

Joining SouleMama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

this morning

This morning spent as it should be.  Outdoors.  No need to go further than our back yard.

And the beauty of it catches in my throat.  Every time.

Last night's snowfall made a perfect playscape, with warmish temperatures making it a nice long morning of fresh air and icicles, eating snow and snow angels, sliding and swinging, tromping and playing.

Warm enough I could go mitten-less and take pictures. 

So there's this...

I finally got a good shot of this guy.  We've been watching him for a couple of weeks. His name is Fatty McSquirrel.  He is literally bigger today than he was two days ago.  He is, after all, feasting on (and sharing with his friends) the bird seed we are putting out for the birds.  Sure his ingenuity and dexterity is impressive.  But come on (said in voice of GOB Bluth) save some for the birds.

her notebook

In her notebook:

wind 
wind
wind
Mom
nature center
camera
bathroom
leaves
trees
snake
skin
button
open 
close
jump
stinky
ice 
snow

Those were the important words Lovey wrote during our recent afternoon together.  The words that made her repeatedly pause, take her notebook out of her coat pocket, take her pencil out of her other coat pocket, and write.

Thankfully I had a notebook of my own and could jot them down too...lest I forgot.

And I've been forgetful.

It seems I'd forgotten how good - how very very good - it is to spend time one-on-one with my littles. 

The activity can be embraced in a slow, deliberate, kid-led way without my ever having to turn my attention away.

I get to really look, really listen.

I get to soak up the uniqueness of that child, a sweet reminder of how very lucky I am to be Mama. 

When I do spend that time, I fluctuate between marveling at the amazing person my child is becoming and missing the child that they've outgrown.  Aware of the imperative specialness of slowing down in that moment.

Not wanting to forget.

this moment {with Mama Scout}

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of grace and goodness!

listening

Some mornings there is a moment when the day tells you what to do.

A whisper.  Persistent and clear.  When you leave the dishes undone in the kitchen and slip on the quickest clothes and go.  When you abandon any plans that had been on your list or in your mind.

You follow the whisper, a quiet roar.

Yesterday was one of those mornings.  I heard the whisper, simple and profound.  "Go pick grapes" it said.

So we took a trip (somehow perfectly timed between school bus pick ups and pre-school drop offs)  to a local farm.  A vineyard overflowing with concord grapes.  Where little hands can reach.  Where a toddler can squish and drop grapes by the fistful and it is fine.  Where you can run up and down the rows and still gather 15 pounds of goodness in a short time.

The weather, cool and damp.  Boot weather.

The smell of the grapes, intoxicating, always and forever taking me back in time to my great-grandmother's house where these same grapes grew in her city lot.  I've gotten better at spitting out those pesky seeds since those days as a little girl in her yard.

It was quiet, save for an occasional breeze and exclamations of discovering humantic (Lovey's own word for humongous and gigantic) bunches.  The whisper sighing in soft relief for my having listened.

And me, grateful I did.

more weekending

When I posted Sunday morning the several ways we were considering spending our day, how could I  have known that our indecision on what to do would allow us to spend our time in even better ways?

:: building a fort on the play set, constructing a working pulley system and blanket walls

:: a walk in our woods becoming an impromptu project of neatening up the trail

:: piling together on the couch for a bit of classic Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson is in a belly laugh class all his own

:: laying on a blanket under the truly majestic oak tree in our front yard

:: another impromptu project of pulling out some pachysandra, and moving in some stepping stones to create space to reach a large sit-able rock under that tree

:: kids in the sprinkler in play clothes

:: a burger picnic out on that blanket in soaking wet play clothes

At one point when the family - all six of us - were exploring in the woods Honey and I yet again (for the hundredth time!) looked at each other and verbalized how our move here is transformative for our children.  For us.

As the day unfolded I recognized what it meant for us to be here, home.  We weren't going, or doing, or being.  We just were.

weekending

:: treating myself to a bit of shopping to buy a purse, I've needed a new one since this happened

:: unpacking my hiking boots, and slipping into their comfortable familiarity

:: some woods, some hiking, and a much desired trip to the driving range for boys newly enamored with golf

:: falling in love with this corner of the sun room, especially when it includes a first cup of coffee and a newspaper

:: making our way through this jar of raw honey, the yummiest housewarming present from a sweet friend

:: some scheming for gladsome, it will be oh so good this year!

:: adoring my daughter when she puts her hand to her heart and says that she feels it "beeping"

:: checking most things off of the to do list, yard work, hanging pictures, grocery shopping, last-minute school supplies.  Just about everything except ice cream, its a bit harder with our favorite spot no longer right around the corner.

:: an end of summer cookout with new friends, the gaggle of boys playing until dusk fell and it was time for bed

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of grace and goodness!

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of grace and goodness!

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of grace and goodness!

green

It became green over the weekend.

Full-fledged, trees bursting with color, as green as the day is long, green.  I've spent my time looking around in amazement.  Charmed that today looks so different from a week ago.  That the windows are open and I can hear the neighborhood.  That even with the tell-tale signs of pollen - truly a complete dusting every morning - that the air feels fresh.

I realize spring comes every year, that I've experienced this particular transition of season 42 times.  But the green, this green, is simply stunning to my senses this time around. 

Though my senses are heightened these days.  With anticipation for a new home.  With end-of-the-school-year rituals and celebrations.  With knowledge that much work lies ahead (though nothing could rival my nesting list our moving list has already been started.)  With understanding of bittersweet goodbyes to people and places that will come all too soon.

I received this text from Honey last Friday.

We are a bit further along in knowing exactly to where we will be moving, though there are still several big pieces to fall into place before we actually have keys in hand.  But into place they will fall.  I know.

Meanwhile I will look at the green around me, seeing it as perhaps Pal does.  Fully.