Do you know who this is?
With a half day and a day off for the kids last week was full of lazy afternoons and snuggles! Can't beat that! What a great way to spend the last full week of January, and lead in to a busy week of kitchen cabinet refacing and pre birthday excitement!
Ernie's new favorite spot!! On the half day we met Tom for lunch, Abby couldn't stop snuggling him and Noah joined in the fun loving on Sophie! Thursday afternoon the kids made a 'nest' to snuggle up to watch a movie. While the girls were at art class Noah and I got a chance to relax at Barnes and Noble! Saturday night while Noah was at a slumber party (they girls went to one Friday night) we went out to Mexican and I snapped a picture of beautiful Abby with her crimped hair! Sunday morning the girls snuggled up in the chair while the snow fell outside!
We had a busy, but wonderful winter week! Last Sunday we went sledding at a school near our house. On the way home we went out to the beach just in time for an AMAZING January sunset! Monday-Thursday Noah took snowboarding lessons in Grand Haven. He learned so much and had a blast (as I type this on Sunday he is back out there having fun!) It was a very cold a snowy week, the bottom L picture was taken of Grand Haven State Park on our drive to his lessons. Friday for our "hot chocolate" tradition I made the kids 'melted frostys' (family fun). Yumm! It was such a fun week!
I'm running behind with the blog, but here is a collage from last week....
This morning at basketball Abby was putting on her shoes (slower than Sophie's velcro ones). Sophie sat down and said, "Want me to start tying this shoe?" Abby, "Sure, thanks" Teamwork, a gift.
The kids brought home their Christmas gifts for us yesterday. They made them over a period of 5 weeks in art class at school. We LOVE them. They learned about southwestern storytellers (google Helen Cordero and southwestern storytellers...very cool!) The premise is that it is an object, the teller, is telling a story to a smaller object, the teller. Helen Cordero created the first one for her grandfather who always had kids on him listening to his stories. The objects can be people or animals and the listeners can be placed anywhere on the teller. They are amazing!! We love reading to our kids and this is such a treasure!
L-R: Sophie's (turtles), Abby's (turtles), Noah's (daddy and Noah)
2012: Look
“I have to learn how to see, to Look through to the Largeness behind all the smallness” -Ann Voskamp
This is the quote that sparked the idea for my word for 2012. Look, Looking, really seeing. I can see this word being the focus of my life this year for many reasons. The quote reminds me to look through the chaos and clutter that sometimes threatens to overwhelm moments to see what is important. What is key. What needs to be seen. It will help me focus on what needs to be done at a given time, and what can wait. I had considered making this year #2 of ‘yes’ because I feel I can still improve my ability to say yes to my kids. Saying yes to more snuggles and less dishes, yes to playing catch in the yard while dinner waits 10 minutes, yes to jumping in the pool just to enjoy some laughter. Saying yes in these instances will be easier when I am looking at these moments, the largeness, the important things. Yes dinner can wait. Yes the dishes will still be here later. Yes I am listening. Yes I am looking at what is important. These two words go hand in hand.
In 2011 I looked at and recorded 1000 gifts and blessings in my journal. To start 2012 the list continues to grow (1,091 to date). I want to use my word to continue to look for and make note of the treasured moments that fly by so fast. To capture them on paper, with my camera (maybe more regular blog posts are in my future), and in my heart. I will look for blessings, and savor them.
Finally I wonder how many times a day I hear the phrase “LOOK MOM!” I hear it so often I think I become immune to it. Occasionally I grunt a reply, or mumble something about “just a second”. Not as often as I would like do I stop, turn, and give my undivided attention to the child that has an item of wonder to share with me. Sometimes it’s a drawing, sometimes it’s a trick on the monkey bars or in the pool, sometimes it’s a beautiful fall tree (actually, that was WOW, but Look works too!), or as I heard about from Sophie this morning a squirrel “looking for food in the snow”. I want to hear my kids, stop and turn my body, look them in the eyes and look, really look at what they want to show me. I know the day will come where my kids don’t really want to show me everything, so for this year I want to soak in their wonder and really look.
This year, 2012, I will look and really see what is important in my life. I will look and I will treasure what I see.
