summer tomatoes

The summer tomatoes have finally arrived!  They hang heavy on the vine just waiting to be plucked by anxious hands.  We eat ours right away while they are still warm from the summer sun.  Washed, sliced and doused with a bit of sea salt is our preferred method of devouring these lovely summer gems.

Happy July to you!

daddy

He is calm when I am flustered.  He always has time for them no matter how busy we get.  He cares about how they experience the world, what they watch and who influences them.  He is involved in every aspect of their lives.  He makes an effort to be there when they are sick, for recitals, school performances, soccer games, piano lessons and dinner as a family each night.  He can foresee problems before they arise and extinguish a fire before it begins to blaze.  He balances us all perfectly on the tiny tightrope of life.

He is wonderful and was created especially to father these girls.

We are endlessly grateful for you!

Happy Father's Day!

a bit of water

There, in the usual fields of overgrown wispy grass and old oak trees, they found water.  It lured them near it's gentle flow.  It begged them to step into the cool clear liquid that ran through the field as a result of the recent rains.

Their feet were wet in seconds.  

Soon, the older one began to "fish" with a long stick she found.  The little one stomped in the stream as she followed it's lead.  Leaves were collected and thrown into the deeper parts to feed the hungry rockfish below.

Oh the minds of these little ones that force me to pause and remember the simple pleasures of my youth.  It was refreshing for all of us to find this little runoff stream to guide our play today!

a real ballerina

"Mommy, today I am a real ballerina!"

"I can put my shoes on all by myself but can you help me tuck in the ties?"

"Today I am going to dance on the stage where the real ballerinas dance."

"There is no curtain there so they will just turn down the lights when it is time for us to walk on stage."

"I will smile and not sing during my performance."  

"My teacher said not to sing along to the song."

The song they danced to was the ever-popular Let It Go song from the movie Frozen.

"I wasn't nervous and I did my best.  I heard my Aunt cheer for me at the end!"

"I sat and colored with my friends backstage."

She was captivated by every detail of the afternoon.  

It was a magical performance day for my joyful ballerina and her family.

We are grateful for such a positive experience for this budding ballerina!

oh what fun

Oh what fun it is to collect bugs in the backyard in your PJs on an early summer morning!

Let the summer fun begin!

her morning ritual

It's her morning ritual.  She points and whines to his food dish sitting up on the counter.  It is out-of-reach to soak his hard food and make it soft enough for his aging mouth.  She hates to wait and often resorts to screaming and crying while we wait for the food to soften.  As soon as the food is ready she reaches up for his stainless dish.  It is full and heavy with inflated dog food pellets.  She carefully holds the dish and walks across the tile to the back door.  She successfully navigates the back step and walks out to feed him.

When he hears the back door open, he saunters over to meet her.  They meet by his water pail.  He gently stands face-to-face with her with straws of drool falling from his eager jaws.

As she bends to give him his food, he softly nudges closer to sniff his morning meal.  He doesn't begin to indulge until she stands up.  She watches him devour his meal in seconds and seems so pleased that she could give it to him.

The entire ritual reminds me of her younger sister's similar ritual with our other boy.  

It is neat to see similarities emerge in their personalities.   

so long daisy

Today she walked across the little bridge at the park wearing her Daisy vest for the last time.  Along with her troop, they became Brownies today.  The little blue vest with all it's hand-sewn patches will be packed away for her to share with her kids someday.  Next year we will embark upon lots of new adventures with all the girls and their mothers as Brownies.  As a former Girl Scout myself, I love everything it teaches young girls.  I love the good friendships and character it builds at such a formative time in their lives.

I will do my best to behonest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and torespect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.