Our first full day of Summer break at home

It's 1:52 P.M.

Owen is singing to himself while he puts together Lego in the hall and Delaney is quiet.  She is supposed to be resting in her room but is more likely hunting for a "cutter-butter" which she describes as not something to cut with but rather something pokey, such as a needle "or an earring", she explains.  I am concerned, but not so much that I plan to move from my position on the bed.  It is rest-time, a momma-imposed post lunch quiet time that brings back happy memories from 1984, where my twelve year old self looked forward to buying Lemonheads and lying on my bunk for half an hour instead of traipsing from swimming, hiking, archery,and canoeing with wet and dirt covered feet.

Back to the present.  In my darkened sanctuary of a bedroom a window fan blows the translucent inner curtain and the ceiling fan spins without end. This is my antidote to sensory overload. A quickly moving figure sprinting out of the doorway catches the corner of my eye.  What sprite is this? What phantom? Ah, yes. Sweet four year old Delaney Rose, surely escaping with her prized "cutter-butter". Soon enough the truth is revealed. Delaney has decorated her upholstered headboard with a collection of a dozen or so of my earrings.  Of course she has.

Today is our first full day of Summer vacation at home.

We left on a red-eye the last day of school and returned two nights ago in the middle of the night.  We spent yesterday happily visiting Grandma and Grandpa at their new home and helping them close out their apartment rental.   It felt lovely to be doing this on the last day of June.  Today we implemented our Summer schedule, which went something like this(so far):

6:49 kids wake up. so do i.
7:00 make fruit/yogurt smoothies, serve breakfast(smoothie,banana mini muffins(2), play school
8:30 O.sets up Lego movie, L and I play yoga
9:30film O. move take 1
10:00 mom eats breakfast, takes a shower
10:25 get ready to go to story time
11-1 library fun!
1-1:40 make and serve lunch (chicken, broccoli, biscuit, mac/cheese)
1:40-2:40 rest time
3-3:30 show
3:45-4:30 play outside
4:30-5:30 read library books and snack(bunny grahams/berry/fruit chew bar)
5:30-6:15 watch two shows
6:15-6:30 dinner (scrambled eggs and toast, milk)
6:30-7:30 play outside
7:30 brush teeth, pj's, stories, lights out at 8

Spring update

Life continues nonstop around here.  I try my best to savor each little cuddle, giggle and even moment of stubbornness because I know these days are fleeting.

*Owen is "5 and 3 corders" years old.  Both kids are looking forward to his birthday, which falls on the last day of school just like the year he was born.  He reads, adds, and is starting to enjoy sweet friendships, playing soccer on the Kinder yard, and explaining his classwork to his little sister.

*Delaney is finishing up her second year at Little Patch of Earth Preschool.  May will be her last month there, as she will be attending Pre-K at the Wiley Preschool with Miss Vicki in the fall.  She is excited to go to school with momma and Owen, and will be going five mornings instead of MWF like the past two years.

*We spent three days with friends at Joshua Tree National Park during spring break and the kids earned their first Jr. Ranger badge.

*Laney has been enjoying Tiny Stars dance class with Miss Erin at Star Dance this year.  March was her last month because we will be leaving on a two week summer whirlwind adventure the day before the June recital (on O's bday actually) and we didn't want her to feel bad practicing the recital dance when she couldn't participate.  She participated in her first stage recital in December so now she know's what she's missing.

*As an alternative we enrolled her in an 8-week Jr. Musical Theater class with Miss Elizabeth at Star Dance on Saturday mornings.   Owen decided to try it too.  They will present a 15-20 minute condensed version of The Lion King on Saturday, June 6. They find out their parts at today's class and are busy watching the DVD of the movie (they've never seen it) and practicing the lyrics for the first two songs they've learned, "The Morning Report" and "I Just Can't Wait to be King". Should be fun.

*It is sign-up time for AYSO soccer and Cub Scout recruitment so Owen is thinking about what he'd like to try for Fall.  Delaney thinks she'll wait one more year and then maybe try soccer. We are still looking at group piano for both.

*The kids will be in ten day intensive (15 minute long) private swim instruction July 6-17 to try and solidify what they've learned in city and YMCA swim the past three summers.

*The kids are enjoying LEGO a lot.  Owen likes the sets now and Laney is enjoying creative freedom.

*Today is a jam-packed day with Owen's school Color-a-Thon fundraiser, Jr. Musical class, Wiley Earth Day carnival and a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's. so off i go!

Delaney Rose turns 4

Delaney has been looking forward to turning four for several months.  During her last few months being three, she learned to write her name and count to 39.  When I would lament the fact that I soon wouldn't have a three year old anymore (one of my favorite ages since I was a teenage babysitter), she'd  say, "Don't worry, momma.  You can pretend my dolls are 3." :) In late summer/early Fall, she started showing interest in writing the letters of her name.  She started with "D" and then after a week or two added the "L" consonant, but in the initial position, so it looked like this "LD".  Next was Y, and she switched the D to initial position like this "DLY" By late November, she added the N and the vowels, and voila, she could write the whole thing!  One funny thing is that last year at some point Owen told her her last name was "Robert" instead of Richard, so now when you ask her whole name, she insists it is "Delaney Rose Richard Robert". so cute.  We have slowly switched from calling her Laney to Delaney (at least I have) over the past several months, because it seems to be what she prefers right now. So, around Halloween, I ventured into the Disney store at the mall. I had successfully avoided it completely during my first five and a half years of parenthood. (smile) I ended up with a complete Rapunzel outfit (including the blond flower crown of hair with detachable Rapunzel braid) and a second costume for our sweet neighbor Olivia's birthday gift.  I may or may not have purchased a dozen small/sale items for Christmas gifts as well. In any case, we had recently watched Tangled, the kids only Disney movie other than Cars, Planes, Rescue Planes, Toy Story and Frozen. Delaney was enthralled, so I hoped she might choose Rapunzel as a Halloween costume instead of Sky from Paw Patrol. (The Sky costume involved a pink helicopter prop. Hmmm.) Well, on Halloween morning before Owen and I left for school I asked Laney what she was going to be for Halloween.  "A Rainbow Fairy" she answered matter of factly. Uh-oh.  On my first break at school I dialed my mom's cell.  Mom said- "Yes she's been talking about that for months," I panicked. "I thought she was talking about a rainbow fairy birthday party!" So Rapunzel was shelved (the dress was too long anyway) and Gramma went to Party City (on Halloween) and bought the entire Rainbow Fairy costume.  She did have a Rainbow Fairy birthday party as well, on her actual birthday.  She invited four girls, since she was turning 4, and they made fairy gardens with tiny mushrooms and pixie dust, had their faces glitter painted by Miss Petal, an actual faerie, and feasted on teensy fairy bread with rainbow sprinkles, berry wands and a six layer rainbow ice cream cake made by my mother! I decorated the chairs with wings and made a pastel rainbow of tissue flowers to hang above the table. We hung a pink flowery curtain on the front door and placed an orange glass jar of rainbow wands outside for the guests.  It was magical and fun, just like being 4!  Delaney's gifts included unicorn puzzles, a rainbow in my room lamp, a tie dye rainbow swimsuit in big girl size, a fairy jewelry box, and a big girl bed! Our sweet girl!

Service

Each year I select a word as a theme for the year. For the past several years I chose action words:
2008 sparkle
2009 bounce
2010 twinkle
2011 breathe
2012 unplug
2013 meditate
 and then a shift began last year to a noun + action word

2014 love wins

For 2015, I unwittingly selected a noun:

Service