Navigating the hilly terrain of motherhood
We're headed to Texas tomorrow for our annual family reunion, and the girls are pretty excited about the warm weather! The other day, they put on their swimsuits and tried to remember what it's like to frolic in the sun. Boy, are we ready for some warmth! We'll be back in a week with some photos of real swimming!
The other day, while Grace and Adam were skiing, Tess and I were taking numerous trips down the road. Tess dressed her baby in a warm coat, and brought her along in the "bucket" of her trike. She also figured out — all by herself — how to hook up a wagon to the trike. This was all so much fun that she wore her little legs out, and the afternoon ended like this:
The other morning, Tess wrote her name on a piece of paper, taped it to her dress, and put on a show. The rest of us — her audience members — each had to write our name on a piece of paper that she marked with a stamp. I have no idea what all of that was about, but she was very serious about it, and it was adorable.
On Friday, Grace's school hosted its first-ever Art Walk. Each classroom was set up as an art gallery, and the hallways were also filled with various projects. Musicians, wandering magicians, and jugglers entertained us as we perused the many forms of art on display. Each kindergartner had his/her own wall of art. Grace proudly displayed the purse she knitted last week, as well as a snowman collage and a few watercolors. Right at the school entrance, greeting all visitors, was a line of paper mache heads with paper bodies also made by the kindergartners (Grace's is on the far left). I was very impressed with the entire event, and with the quality of the kids' art, but what has stuck with me the longest is this watercolor by Grace (below). It's a picture of her wedding day, when she marries B., her kindergarten boyfriend. I'm going to have to hang on to that one.
Friday mornings are completely free for me and Tess. No gymnastics, no ballet, no trips to the grocery store. So on Fridays, I get to take a nice long shower, and Tess gets to watch twenty minutes of television. She likes this tradition — a lot. (Check out her use of the shopping cart as a milk holder. Genius!)
For some reason, we're in a jokey phase at our house. Slowly but surely, Grace is starting to understand and properly retell jokes. And occasionally, she even comes up with a funny one of her own:
A water bottle walks into a bar. The bartender says, "What can I get you?" The water bottle says, "I'd like some water." And the bartender brings him his cousin!
One day last week, as we were walking in the door after school, Grace said: "I can't wait to go settle down and knit." A few minutes later, I found her sitting quietly in a corner of the living room, with her ball of yarn and crochet hook (and an animal friend). A little while later, she asked if we could measure her rope. It was 10 feet long. By the time Adam got home from work, she had used up all the yarn. Her rope was 21 feet long. I love that child.
Travelingjenny 