Family at Heart

This might seem to be a quite unusual post for me.  There are no pictures.  Gasp, I know.  But today has been more about what I’ve been thinking quite frankly.  I always check the message boards of both of our play groups several times throughout the day.  This is what was posted on one of them…

The Purple Hat
In honor of women’s history month and in memory of Erma Bombeck who lost her fight with cancer….

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER – by Erma Bombeck

(Written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have sat on the lawn! With my grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life. I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime. Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle. When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, ‘Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.’ There would have been more ‘I love you’s’; more ‘I’m sorry’s.’
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute…look at it and really see it.. live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!
Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has more, or who’s doing what
Instead; let’s cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.
Let’s think about what God HAS blessed us with, and what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. I hope you have a blessed day .

This immediately had me in tears.  All I could think about was my mom’s almost step-son.  (She’s currently engaged.)  Anyway, this son is 40 and he just got a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease.  I did some research and found that most people only live another 3-5 years after diagnosis.  This man has two young children, one who is two months younger than A.  To think about what this man is feeling right now is truly heartbreaking.  To know that you won’t see your child/ren grow up.  To know that they are going to need you and you won’t be there.  How horrible and overwhelming for anyone.  I know that we’re not promised anything and that every day is a gift, but we have some hope and faith that we will at least get to be there for our child/ren and that we will see them grow up, succeed, and be exceedingly happy.  At least that’s what we pray for.

Because Hubby has been traveling quite a bit, I have kept us pretty busy with playdates and field trips.  He’s gone again this week, but our plans are pretty light.  The other day I was a bit down because I thought we would have some long, lonely days on Monday and Tuesday.  But I have since changed my thinking.  We have had two amazingly wonderful days together and if I never had another playdate or field trip and could only spend every second with A, that would be fine with me.  I know that I’m being very sentimental today and that I would definitely need a break, but I know it would only be a small break   On Monday, we entertained two of our friends for part of the day while their mom took care of some family stuff.  Then we enjoyed some leisurely games of Candyland, watched some tv, went to the park, and just had a fantastic time together.  Then today, the day when I was being so mindful of what blessings I have in my life, we just hung out together.  We talked and played and went out on the back patio together.  Then when we finally got out of our pj’s, we went to A’s favorite toy store and I let her look around and play for almost as long as she wanted.  The only catalyst was our hunger and the traffic that I knew was waiting for us.  But I let her choose our dinner destination.  We ended up at Waterloo where we enjoyed a good meal.  After her scoop of chocolate ice cream, I let her play for over an hour out back.  She was playing with some older girls who were just so sweet to let her tag along.  She kept saying she was a “big kid,” and she is right about that.  This is going so fast.  I love it, but I do wish that it could slow just a bit.  I truly want to savor every moment, or as Bombeck put it “Seize every minute…look at it and really see it..live it and never give it back.”

Our neighborhood play group met up and painted ceramics on Friday morning. The kids loved it. We invited some friends to join us and were so glad they could come. A picked a butterfly dish to paint. She couldn’t wait to get started and even had started painting before I was able to wash the dish with the sponge. No harm done though, because it came out looking beautiful. After we finished, two of the other moms and their kiddos joined A and I at Chuck E. Cheese’s for lunch, some playing, and chatting. Later I put down our deposit at another Chucky’s location for A’s 4th birthday party. She chose the venue this year, and she’s helping me with the guest list. Yesterday at Target, she was going down the aisles picking out possible birthday gifts just to give me ideas. This is one little girl who knows what she wants And me and Daddy, well we aim to please I’m looking forward to her party this year. I always do. I just can’t believe that she’s almost 4!!!!

She wore pigtails for part of the day. I think they make her look older. I also think she’s just too darn cute!

I can’t wait to pick it up on Thursday after it’s been glazed and fired. I know that I will treasure it always.

Today was Western Day at A’s preschool.  I was there for the entire time.  I just love stuff like this.  I love taking pictures for the scrapbook and I took lots of video too.  She’s just growing so fast.  I want to document every moment that I can.  I know that I’ll never regret doing it.  As soon as I found out about Western Day last week, I went out and got a red bandana and a cowgirl hat.  I keep calling it a cowboy hat, and A is very quick to correct me.  It’s definitely a cowgirl hat   At the last minute this morning, I thought of letting her wear her boots.  They’re not actual cowgirl boots, but they looked so cute with her blue jean shorts and her little denim overall shirt!

Western Day was a pretty big deal – petting zoo, face painting, stick horses, a cactus craft, and a hot dog lunch.  Hubby came for quite a bit of the festivities too.  He had lunch with us there and was able to stay and sit in on her music class.  It was so fun to watch those kiddos sing, play the drum, practice rhythm patterns, and finally to do the Hokey Pokey.  This is where most of my video was taken.  I just couldn’t turn it off.  Everything they did was so darn cute.  A had the absolute best time.  She was so happy that Mommy and Daddy were at school with her.  She hardly stopped smiling all afternoon.  This was a school event, but it certainly turned out to be a great family day too.

I took this before we even went in this morning.  I couldn’t wait to start snapping pictures.  I think she looked adorable.

This was during music class.  This child was beaming

Hokey Pokey time…                                                   Face painting – A wanted a house, no cat or butterfly for her

Yes, this is my second post of the day.  Sometimes my topics just don’t fit in the same post.  I’m a category person, so that just doesn’t seem right.  I already lumped in the air show, the new baby, and the flag into one post.  I just couldn’t lump this in too

Anyway, we were at Barnes & Noble today after lunch.  A and I were in the kids’ section, and she was playing with the train.  Another little boy was there too, and they were sharing so sweetly.  So these other boys come in and kinda take over the table.  I was sitting there looking at a parenting magazine, and A was playing quietly.  Then the first little boy just starts bawling.  He’s so sad and he’s trying to explain to his mom what’s happening.  I look up and those other little boys have taken all of the trains except for A’s.  She has one left.  The mom of the other boys doesn’t say a word, at least not at first.  I don’t think she realized what had happened yet.   But my A walks up to the crying boy and offers him her train.  His mom couldn’t believe how sweet that was, and me, I nearly cried.  I was so proud of her.  I feel like telling this story to the next person who says that an only child doesn’t know how to share.  That’s a stereotype about only children that always makes me cringe.   It’s really just about this age and those other little boys were just being little boys.  A shares great most of the time, and today she certainly proved it.  I couldn’t have been prouder and Hubby and I talked to her quite a bit about what a great gesture that was and how proud it made us.  Yes, this proud mommy moment will keep me smiling for some time to come   To the other mom’s credit, she did correct the behavior and all the little boys ended up playing with a train.

Okay, I promise there will not be a third post today

We went to an air show at Camp Mabry today.  I didn’t even know about it until yesterday.  It was pretty small, but nice and absolutely free   The soldiers were so friendly and eager to talk to us too.  We were sure to thank them for everything they are doing for us.  We had a great time there.

They had a great Blackhawk battle enactment.

A was obsessed with reading the map.  She had to know where we were at all times.  She also successfully figured out where we were parked.

After lunch and some browsing at the book store, we stopped by one of our closest friends’ house to see their new baby.  We hadn’t seen her yet because she was born right as we had the flu, then A was sick, Hubby’s traveling, etc. etc.  It was so great to see them again and that little angel was just precious.  I told them that if they ever need a babysitter, I’m their gal!

After we got back, I remembered that A and I had picked up a flag while we were out last week.  It has been in the back of my car since then.  After she flew it around a bit, we stood it up next to our shrubs where it can show that we are really thankful to live in such a wonderful place and that we do acknowledge the sacrifices that are made on our behalf everyday by strangers who are a world away.  It’s really amazing when you think of it in those terms.

A ended her time outside this evening with her little airplane that she got at the air show.  It was a fitting end to our day

I know I already did a post today, but darn it, I surprised A with a trip to Kiddie Acres after school today and I just have to post my cute pictures of her   What can I say, Daddy is gone until tomorrow, the laundry is drying, and I don’t have much else to do.  I could always do the dishes, but nah, this is way more fun.

I have to include this cute picture from the airshow on Saturday.  It was a little windy and chilly when we got there, but the three of us still had loads of fun.

We hadn’t been to this place probably since September, so A was very excited.  She had a great time on the carousel, the pony, airplanes, and boats.

This was a great after-school treat for both of us

Our neighborhood play group went to Sweetberry Farm this past week.  We had a great time, and we were so happy with the number of our friends that were able to go.  The kids all had such a great time picking the berries, petting the baby donkey and the goats, and then having a picnic lunch.  We  of course ended the day with their homemade ice cream.  It was  a truly great day.  My friend M and I took some bluebonnet pictures of the kiddos after we got back.  I took along A’s little friend J too.  Enjoy – we sure did

Our little neighborhood play group had a luau this evening.  It was so much fun.  I got A a lei, a grass skirt, and big sunglasses.  She was so excited to see everyone.  She wasn’t crazy about taking pictures today though, and I unfortunately had to use my old and slow camera.  I didn’t get the quality or quantity of pictures that I wanted, but I did manage a few that I really like.  The kiddos put stickers on little sun visors as their craft.  After we munched on fresh fruit and admired the dozens of little umbrellas , we went outside to play on the swing set, to do the limbo, play in the sandbox, and to catch oodles of huge bubbles from the bubble machine.  Perfect afternoon with friends!

My really great friend M had called me up today and invited A and me to dinner with her and her two guys.  Z is one of A’s very favorite friends and we delightfully accepted the invitation.  We had a great time with them as always.  Thanks again for thinking of us M!  We can’t wait to get Daddy back tomorrow night, that’s for sure.

We are soooo tired right now. It will be early to bed for both of us tonight I’m sure. We were up, ready, lunch packed, and on the road to Austin Nature Center by 9:30. The entire day was a field trip for our neighborhood play group. I had set it up about a month ago, so I’ve been looking forward to it. A was so excited. She knew she was going to see the rescued animals, play in the Dino Pit, and then ride the train. We hadn’t done any of that stuff in a while, so she was anxious to get started. We met up with four other mommas and their kiddos there. Great day, perfect weather, fabulous playmates – perfect field trip for our group.

After the Nature Center, we headed over to Zilker Park for our picnic lunch, the train ride, and some good old-fashioned play scape playing. The kiddos were so anxious to ride the train, especially A. She spent most of our lunch in tears fearing that the train was going to leave without us. She hardly touched her lunch. After we finished and boarded the train though, she was one happy girl. I got great cuddles during the train ride

We miss you Daddy. Enjoy the pictures. We are counting the minutes until Friday.

A gathered several shovels at the Dino Pit and gave them out to her friends and the other mommas

Entrance to the Dino Pit                          Posing on the train

The playscape is great at this park.

I snapped this one for grins.

A was excited to give the tickets to the driver.

A one-man band entertained us during this part of the train ride. I got video of him too.

A and I hosted our neighborhood play group’s playdate this week. I had actually planned this a month ago, but then I got that dreadful flu. So thankfully the rain held off for us, and we really did have a great time. We had 10 kiddos and 6 mommas here. I taped regular printer paper to the back fence, gave the kiddos some washable paint, brushes, and Q-tips and stood back and watched them create They loved it. It was just a novel thing to do – paint outside on the fence. No different really in the finished product or in how they did it. But they were so cute and they had such a blast. We munched on veggie chips, pretzel sticks, and goldfish and washed it all down with water and apple juice. It was a perfect afternoon among friends, both short and tall Thanks everyone for coming. We really did enjoy every second!

I started the pictures with this. The last picture is the finished product

A had just gotten painted on and she thought it was pretty funny. Painting is one of her favorite things to do.

And yes, we are STILL playing with the eggs. It’s less and less, but we are still hiding and hunting.

The masterpieces…