Speaking of making things, we had reason to celebrate yesterday. It was Daddy's 36th birthday and the kids and I got busy. We sent the birthday boy off to get a massage and went to work. The kids created a birthday banner. All I did was write the words, the pictures were all theirs.
I stole the idea of birthday garland from Amanda Soule's beautiful book The Creative Family. I had plenty of leftover fabric from other projects and just spent a few evenings cutting and sewing them into little flags. Then it took about 15 minutes to sew them onto strips of double folded bias tape. Now we have festive garland for all our parties. Cheap, easy, beautiful and reusable.
The garden has been on overdrive so Grace helped me cut a beautiful bouquet.
Then we strung the garland and I took a bunch of bad, back-lit pictures of it.
And when Zach came home we went swimming in the pond first because DAMN, summer has arrived with a beautiful vengeance, and then came in to eat the delicious cake the kids helped bake. Seriously, do you bake with your kids? 'Cause if not, you should. Everything I make with them comes out better. Maybe it's the enthusiasm with which they mix and stir, I don't know, but they have magic in those little hands. When we are feeling seriously hassled and the day isn't going well, we usually haul out the mixer and get baking. It calms everybody down. Counter intuitive, yes, but effective.
It has been hot here, which is fabulous, and we have spent most of our time in the water, but we try to spend a part of the afternoon being quiet. When it is this hot that usually means playing quietly inside to get out of the sun for a bit. Kai usually goes and builds with his Lego sets, Grace likes to go around and take pictures with her camera (yesterday she did a whole study of my toes) and Noah likes to roll around on his sheepskin rug. This usually lasts for 30-45 minutes and then the kids tend to gravitate toward each other again. A wrestling match usually starts, but instead of dissolving into tears, they are rejuvenated from their quiet play and the wrestling involves lots of hugs and sitting on each other.
It's good to remember and document these sweet moments because, at this very moment, they are trying to make me prematurely gray. The fighting, dear Jesus, the fighting! And then the laughing and giggling, followed by more fighting. It must be exhausting to be on such an emotional roller-coaster ALL THE TIME. I'm tired just listening to it. Zach is going away for a week for work so they are extra psycho right now. We are not used to being apart as a family and the kids hate the separation. I'm thinking of taking them camping tonight to distract them. S'mores and shooting stars can't replace daddy being gone, but they can certainly take a person's mind off it.
3 comments:
They are getting soooooooooo big!!! You're right to document every second of it!!!!!
I am SO GLAD you are back. I've missed the activities over at Dumpling Manor!! I think of you guys often. I was absolutely STUNNED to see the pix of Noah. What a change has taken place in that little man. I see many features similar to E's in his sweet, sweet face. Who would have thought we'd be coming up on a year later so quickly???
Beautify post April...
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