It is so HARD joyous, fun and thrilling to reflect. I know the value to be found in assessing. The springboard evaluation provides for growth and change. But is isn’t always easy. Watching reality tv often seems like a much better escape option. Read the rest of this entry »
Today I had to try and get a photograph of myself for a project I will be doing with my new students next week…and I hate getting photographs of myself. I love being behind the camera and capturing moments. A few months ago, while taking her Superhero Journal online photography class, Andrea posted about forgetting her camera when attending a wedding. She reflected,
“I had to consider what I was really attached to. The gift I wanted to give them? My compulsion to capture beauty? My desire to be useful? Something to do with my hands if I didn’t feel like small talk? Maybe it was all of that. But I do wonder sometimes what I am missing when I have my camera. It is a balance I am very curious about and try to stay conscious of– how much (and when) does my camera bring me deeper into the moment and when does it pull me farther away?” Read the rest of this entry »
Such a treat to have breakfast with this little guy. And rascal INDEED. While the eldest can be a handful, I can also put away dishes in the dishwasher and deal with laundry without fearing their immediate removal and double the work. But this guy loves to eat. Today he put away scrambled eggs and hash browns like a champ…all the while “blowing” on them to cool each bite off. This “blowing” is really a big raspberry fest meaning EVERYONE gets a share of the fun. We’ll see if Drew and I can finish off the to do list today before the three others arrive back home. Happy Thursday! {I’ll be TEACHING a week from today! Holy Reality Check, Batman!}
My dear friend, Mihee, has an amazing blog called First Day Walking. Mihee has been one of the richest gifts in my life for the last eight or so years. My husband may claim that he’s responsible for Mihee and I meeting {she, her husband Andy, Matt, and many others shared the Princeton Seminary experience together ten years ago}, but I am convinced she and I would have met up somehow, even if it weren’t for the crazy men. Mihee talks here about why she chose the name for her blog, but it immediately came to mind today. There is much to be seen in the halting, timidness of one’s first steps, and the many foibles that come for the remaining years of our lives.
But today, I had the gift of actually seeing Drew’s SECOND first steps. The first ones happened earlier in the day with Grandma LeiLei, but I managed to capture a pretty good segment later this evening. Here’s the proof….
And it all got me thinking…Matt, Alex and Sally are gone for a few days up at Matt’s Mom’s house. I am allergic to her fun new puppy like there’s no tomorrow, so I stayed home with the Drewmeister. As I mentioned, we had pages of lists to accomplish. And man alive, is it easier to get things done with only one kid and no anxiety-ridden dog in the mix.
So, a few reflections….
With only one child, there is some sweet opportunities for connection we don’t normally get. I’m realizing that once Alex starts Kindergarten next year, this will happen even more. And I’m not embarrassed to say that I’m looking forward to that time. Alex had our full attention for 3 1/2 years before Drew came on the scene. So, in some ways, that will carve out some of his special, alone time.
Is it coincidence that he really started going for it with walking when there wasn’t competing attention around {aka….a rather “involved” brother}?? Not sure, but as I watched Drew go to town with his spaghetti tonight, so focused and independent, it got me thinking. Then…get this……he was taking his bath and I started singing the clean-up song and he picked up ALL the toys, put all the stacking cups in order, put all the pirates back up on the bathtub wall, squeezed the water out of all the squirty toys and put them on the side of the bath tub, all the while bouncing to the song I was singing and then clapping when he was done. WHAT!?!??! Seriously?!??! Just so interesting to watch. {FYI: this does NOT happen when big brother is in the tub}
As we move into January soon, I have the gift of attending the wedding of some dear friends, former summer staffers we worked with. They asked me to share a bit about marriage {THIRTY seconds-ish, people….short!}, and I have been thinking through a lot of things, wondering what to share. As the last few days have unfolded, I have felt kind of weird. Like part of me is missing. It is so odd to go from a family of four/five (the dog FEELS like family member number 5!) to just two of us—and he can’t even talk! I have thought about the gift of time apart, though.
time with Grandma LeiLei today while Mom had lunch with three girlfriends here (YUM!)
(a busy boy is a happy boy is a tired boy….)
I think time apart, while hard in so many ways, gives us the opportunity to see things in ourselves that were pushed aside. Or, as happened with Drew, maybe even have enough space to learn and explore a new skill set. The more we sit with our own selves, which is often a hard and painful process, the more we are pushed to know our selves, to deal with our selves, to confront our fears, to think through what we want or which areas we need to grow. These are not easy things to process and often are raw and take effort. But what I have seen for so many others, and also for myself, is that these times apart make me a stronger member of the team, the family, the marriage and the friendship.
Luckily, as Mihee points out, when we ARE all together, there is even a gift in the stumbling. In the times when things don’t go as planned or desired. For it offers a chance to “embrace it for the grace-full story that comes out of the falling flat on [our] face[s] at so many levels.”
p.s. And then there’s the PURPOSEFUL, planned falling….proof of what the three Gough boys do when they have too much time on their hands.
It was LITERALLY freezing this morning, but I enjoyed a wonderful walk with three dear friends nonetheless…and a stop at Peet’s for some warm goodness on the way home. Trust me, we look classsss-y in our fine attire. Walking each morning, despite the early time and temperature, has been one of the biggest gifts to me. Dear friends & conversation bring some sanity before the day implodes with kid frenzy fun. Right after taking this picture, the door opened and Alex was standing there with his blanket to greet us. No rest for the weary, I tell you!
I love that I often walk into the living room and find Drew doing this….staring in wonder at the tree. Amazingly, he hasn’t taken to grabbing the tree or pulling off ornaments and surprisingly, Alex has moved away from the same obsession this year. I keep waiting for that to take over and though I am still kept busy trying to keep them out of trouble, at least the tree has remained upright!
We had a gloriously full day today. It leaves me tired at the end of the day, but in the best way. From a park play date with caroling and hot chocolate to dear friends in town, the Elsdons, coming over for lunch and kid play time to crab frenzy for dinner. Really….how can you go wrong with all that? Tomorrow we have a slightly mellower day with Matt getting the morning off before we head into the weekend of Christmas services and family visiting. I am really looking forward to it all. Watching it through the eyes of the kids—-like the wonder Drew is showing above—has been quite magical.
And not only magical wonder, but also hilarity. This morning, the following conversation ensued. LOVED it.
After running out of Hollyberry soap, Alex reflected, “I wish we could get hay-smelling soap…”
Me: “?”
Alex: “YOU know, Mom…Jesus?? He laid in the hay when he was born, so we should have hay-smelling soap. That’s Christmasey.”
I swear to you-all. I don’t make these things up. How does that mind of his work??
As I have mentioned time and time again, our tenure at Westminster Woods brought many incredible adventures, memories, experiences and relationships. In the span of the last 24 hours, in fact, I have had the gift of time spent with seven folks, met during our time at the Woods. Last night, three amazing ladies came over for wine and treats. This morning {which felt like the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!}, I walked with another dear friend. And today, three more came for sewing fun. I am pretty humbled by that all. The bonds forged in the camp setting are very deep and special.
Today’s picture took place when Alex convinced Jessie and Hope to partake in his hair cut and styling salon. Loved that he used the superhero cape on Hope to keep the hair off her clothes and his M and M wand fan, a Halloween cast-off from our neighbor, as the hair dryer. These amazing girls kept the boys entertained for HOURS {4 plus} while Hope’s mom, June, and I sewed some Christmas PJs for the boys. June is my sewing savior. She has helped me get more comfortable in my feeble sewing skills and time spent together is always an immense gift.
Last year Alex had Hope in Sally’s cage, pretending to be bears for hours, so maybe today’s antics were a bit more tame??
Who’s to say, but what a great day it was.
p.s. the runner up picture for today? This LOVELY sweater….
As an explanation, here was my Facebook status this morning:
From the other room I overhear Alex exclaiming, “OH MY GOSH!!!! WHO GOT THIS BEAUTIFUL SWEATER???? Look at all the JEWELS!??!” Yes, this “beautiful, jeweled sweater” was loaned to me by Janine for tonight’s youth group ugly Christmas sweater party. Alex, your taste is “impeccable”.
We had the gift of being invited over to a modern day Mary’s house today…to make her family “traditional” Santa cookies. These beauties are complete with chocolate chips for eyes, a cherry piece for a nose, coconut for the beard and a marshmallow on the top for the hat. Fun times! She took on the hurricane of three boys {well, my TWO were really the major hurricane force} today and it was such a blessing for the boys and the moms to be treated to such a special day. Mary, like so many others, has been a warm welcoming presence to us from the start and I feel so lucky that my boys get to enjoy her creativity, love….and COOKING SKILLS!
{Luckily, Mary has 4 kids—all boys—-
so I always feel like she knows the ins and outs of parenting boys!}
I have had the hair raising gift of creating Gingerbread Houses with kids for the last 15 years….and sometimes managing ONE of my own, vs. a classroom of 4th graders with their 1st grade buddies, seems harder. Case in point. Today, we decided to add on some of our own items to the Trader Joes Gingerbread House kit. Alex thought the flat marshmallows would make perfect fence material. And yes, indeed, they did….til they got too close to my pine scented candle. Look at the 4th marshmallow in for evidence in the picture above. And yes, folks, I think we successfully created the first “S’mores Gingerbread House” in history. Never a dull moment.
a close up!
last year’s creation….
Alex got to open a Christmas present from one set of grandparents on Saturday morning….and thanks to the tip off from his preschool teachers, we learned that he was really into their train LEGO set. So, we swallowed our fear of stepping on tiny plastic pieces and gave the ok to buy LEGOS. And boy-o-boy was he EXCITED!
And then DREW discovered the LEGOS. And that is just good times….in theory. He wants to “help” and have fun too, but a 14 month old, near an intricately planned and built LEGO project just doesn’t bode well.
Yesterday we enjoyed some bliss while Drew napped….
{some of the Gough men doing manly things}
And today has been a little trickier. Lots of negotiation. LOTS of opportunities for patience.
But, fun to see them trying to work it out, frustrations and all. And really….who doesn’t love an electric train with a gas station pump???
{with sound effects that keep making me think I have to go to the bathroom}.
Awesome.
