A Day in the Life

These pictures are from several days but collectively, they are good representation of our day to day life.  

Last Monday Stella spent the day at the vet's office throwing up a very large quantity of dark chocolate that she stole from my birthday gift bags. She has not learned her lesson and continues to take any opportunity to pilfer food. I quickly forgave her because she is my favorite since she doesn't complain, ask me for food, goes to bed when I tell her to go to bed and as an added bonus, can pee and poop on her own. As you can see, she also guards Candy Land so I can have a break from playing the stupid game.

Oh my. This picture of Isabella is nothing special. In fact, I don't even think it's in focus, but I came across it while editing and shed many tears because she is growing so quickly and at the oddest moments her growth and maturity catch me off guard. She also rarely looks at the camera without making a weird face.

"Ma ma, I'm going to learn a lot about birds and then everyone can call me a birder."

Our front yard has the perfect sledding hill for Isaac.

Chicken meeting. They are discussing the tastiness of these weeds.

The moment I knew that in six years of attachment parenting, I'd done something right...

Forced Coloring

Most days, I am bewildered by Isabella. I can't really figure her out in terms of what motivates her and what she enjoys aside from playing. If a kid could win a "Best at Independent and Creative Play Award" she would have that one in the bag. I sign her up for various activities mainly because they sound fun, and also because she's not attending a school where they churn out perfectly socialized children (if you don't know me, please note the sarcasm). After all, I don't want my kid to be the weird one. So, I signed her up for a ten week art enrichment class provided by the art education students at Kent State University. Every week she'd walk out of class appearing a bit too underwhelmed for all of the effort I put into driving her there and back, so we talked about the class and whether she liked it or not. She said, "I just don't like people forcing me to color." It must be rough being six.

Even though those mean college students forced her to color, she was thrilled to show off her art work to her grandparents.

In case you can't tell, this mask is Walter, laughing.

The art show was a little too much for Isaac to handle. After we got home it took him an hour to recover from this "deer in headlights" expression.

Kite Flying

A poem, by Mary Oliver: 

Invitation

Oh do you have time

  to linger

     for just a little while

         out of your busy

and very important day

  for the goldfinches

      that have gathered

          in a field of thistles

for a musical battle, 

  to see who can sing

      the highest note, 

           or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth, 

  or the most tender?

       Their strong, blunt beaks

            drink the air

as they strive

  melodiously

      not for your sake

           and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning

  but for sheer delight and gratitude--

      believe us, they say, 

           it is a serious thing

just to be alive

  on this fresh morning

       in this broken world.

           I beg of you, 

do not walk by

  without pausing

       to attend to this

           rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.

  It could mean everything. 

       It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote: 

           You must change your life. 

from, Red Bird 

Learn from Isaac: Walk with a purpose.