Magic Moments

Yesterday was nearly perfect.  I feel the need to document it in some way to remember how good it can be to be a stay-at-home mother during the summer months.  The whole summer so far has been going really well so far, actually.  I don't think I would have imagined saying that a few months ago, but yes, we are really having fun.  

The day started out with a bang:  JB whipped up some carnitas and tomatillo salsa in the morning before work.  Dinner done.  

One good choice for the summer:  membership at the YMCA.  Yesterday morning I got to exercise for about 45 minutes all by myself (lifting weights too for the first time since early grad school!).  For much of this time I can see my children (If I want to!) through a window in the childcare room.  Awesome. Ben likes going because we either get to swim or do the playground after I exercise.  And ever since I told him that I feel happy when I get to exercise, he asks me if I feel happy when I get back.  I always am.  

E loved seeing me on the TV at the museum.  So dear to see her so excited.  

The kids didn't nap very well (I did say nearly perfect), so we went ahead to the children's museum for the afternoon, and they did great.  I love to see Eliza's developing interests. Auntie Karen will be pleased to hear that animals are huge.  The swimming turtle, the life-size plastic horse, even the tarantula, were obviously her favorite parts of our visit.  

B didn't show up on TV very well with his green shirt.  

On the way home, E fell asleep, so when we stopped to get tortillas for dinner, Ben and I got to eat some ice cream together (with E asleep in the car carrier next to me) at the Mexican ice cream place next door to the tortilleria.  

Some sort of magic happened when we got home.  Ben sat down with some play dough for a full hour by himself.  Eliza Jane found two little cups, a wash cloth, and a capped washable marker and played with them in one spot for a full 30 minutes.  I chopped some mangoes, avocados, tomatoes, etc. for a salad and got supper around while talking to Ben a little bit about his creations.  And every few minutes I stopped just to watch.  I think pictures would have broken the spell.  When JB got home, dinner was amazing, bed time was a breeze, and I got to talk on the phone with a dear friend for a good while.  

From a few weeks ago at the zoo.  

That was a lot of good stuff for one day.  Today was definitely marked by some tiredness and less than magical things.  Morning at home, afternoon trip to Lowes (failed to find what I was looking for) and a stop at the library where poor Ben was disappointed when we brought our stack of books to check out and I didn't have my library card.  The play dough and cups were not quite so magical, JB came home feeling a little sick, Ben conked out on the floor before he had eaten his dinner while I was putting Liza to bed, and the leftover carnitas were good but we were more rushed eating them.  Sigh.

But it was ok.  Even a day like that is not really so bad.  A friend stopped by with fresh flowers from her yard.  Eliza laughed most of the way through Lowes.  I got to read a few good books with Benjamin.  But the reality is that none of these incidental things (good or bad) matter as much as how I handled them.  And all I will say for now (the summer is not half over after all) is that I am doing ok.  I pray for the grace for this to continue.  

Also from a few weeks ago  on a trip to the farmer's market.  

A previous trip to the museum with dinosaur tail.  

happy father's day

This mother got to go out all by herself on Father's day, and this is what I came home to.  Benjamin was asleep upstairs in his bed.  I attended the baptism of a friend's baby and JB stayed home to take care of a sick Benjamin and a fussy baby.  JB can get her to sleep during the day much better than I can.  

I guess Brazos got some too 

The highlight of last week was grandmommy's visit, of course.  She played with the children and cleaned the kitchen while I did the cooking and got considerable work done one a furniture painting project I've been trying to do for ages.  And we all had homemade cream-sicles.  There is nothing like being able to zip around a store or a kitchen or up and down stairs all by myself without children under foot.  

On Saturday, JB and I got to take Benjamin to the water park all by himself while grandmommy watched Eliza (dad's get in free for Father's day!).  It was great to be able to spend time with just Ben.  Grandmommy is so good to us.  Next time I will make sure the tonic water is not flat : )   

Another summer day

A morning at the park

An afternoon at the Suspension bridge.  Our children standing where we
got married over 5 years ago.  

This looks like a picture of a little girl's confidence running
free across a wide open space.  What you can't see is her
mother's anxiety as she runs faster than I can keep up with
while trying to wrangle her brother.  I will never take these
two on the bridge without help again!  

Moon pie snack in a moon pie shirt with a herd of thundering cattle.
We have granddad to thank for the first two and our city to thank that the
cattle aren't real.  

E is ready to go.  She'll get the hang of it before long.  

This is sort of a morning ritual right now.  E is just so delighted when B
pulls the wagon.