I have a few things on the back burner, just waiting to be written.  Tonight is not the night to sit down for a thoughtful post, however.  Good things come to those who wait.

What a day!  Nothing extraordinary about it but the sun was shining and we were full of creativity and energy and pancakes. Nearing the end of the day, pretend play was in full swing and Lily shared an original story while we said good night. I hope tomorrow we can retell it so I can get it transcribed for her. 

The milk marble paint (first few pictures) was yesterday. Today was a solar oven to make s’mores, color science activities like spin art, creating giant-sized signs, and Em writing on her own self with markers. 

Having little people who are brand new to living sure gives you a special perspective.  Add to that your own memories of growing, recalled as your son tells you about making a fist.  Ollie can’t make a tight fist in the morning.  He thinks that has to so with waking up.  And as he told me this, I flashed back to laying in bed as a little girl trying to figure the exact same thing out.  As we travel further from that innocent and new world-view, it is easy to take everything for granted or, even worse, stop wondering.  I’m lucky to have 3littlewees that help me gain perspective every day.

Each night {since Sam set bedtimes straight}, Lily is the last to bed and she is alone in her room at 8.  Before Sam came to the rescue, we had a ritualized “check on me” that lasted up until my own bedtime.  She {and I} have responded to the new routine in a positive way.  Ever the pattern-maker, though, she has set aside 6 minutes of snuggling to perform a list of actions.  Three minutes of talking, two minutes of no talking, and one minute of kissing.  As I walk out the door, we sign an ASL I Love You to each other and she chants, “I love you.  I love you because you are the best mommy.” while I am doing the same but saying “daughter”.  She makes sure we give a kiss and a hug and say I love you every day.  Its a sweet way to end our day.

Sweet dreams…

On the days I/we are most productive, I can fall into bed without really having done any quiet contemplation.  Thank goodness for the blog!  Today was super productive thanks in great part to Gramma Lissa.  We are lucky to live within driving distance and even luckier that she fits us into her busy schedule.  I can always count on the kids falling into bed and to sleep without complaint when she visits, the laundry being caught up, some sort of interesting and/or homemade deliciousness in our fridge and new books or games introduced.  We love Gramma Lissa!!😍😍 thanks for today!

Our visit may have been short but we stuffed all good things into it.  Playgrounds and scooters and walks and exploring and visiting.  Ice cream and long drives.  Roof-climbing goats, bunnies, tractor rides and ziplines.  Can’t wait to get home sweet home but everyone is looking forward to our return later in the summer to Camp G&G!

Someone commented on the kids yesterday, happy to see little people playing barefoot and picking up and examining caterpillars. Today was an active day of scooters, grilling and a forced nature walk. 🐸 In fact, Lily says after the video ends: “at least I’m exploring nature [even as I’m ruining my new shoes].”