Mother's Day 2016

May 8th, Mother's Day 2016, marks half a year to the day that we brought our son home and just shy of three years since our daughter came home.

We made an impromptu grocery trip to Trader Joe's the day before and Joshua whispered to Sophia to say "Happy Mother's Day" and to tell me to pick out some flowers. I was struggling with which ones to choose (the Hyacinths smelled so good, but the tulips were $3.99 vs. $4.99 for the former), when my husband suggested with a mischievous grin that I get them both.

I continued to wrestle with whether we should really bring home what seemed like an excess of flowers (but still put them both in my cart of course). As we made our way through the aisles,Baby J kept flashing me the smiles that completely melt my heart. When we got to the checkout, Sophia asked the cashier if she could have some stickers and then immediately put them in her pocket and said to me, "I'm saving these for Mother's Day tomorrow and then I am going to give them all to you".

I am gratefully enjoying the two plants back at home, but even more so the two children they represent, that I am so privileged to Mother.

Don't cry over spilled Raisins



This is the face of a child who has just made her own breakfast for the first time.

In her constant two year old quest to "do it myself", she selected her own cereal and brought it from the cabinet to the table. She put the cereal and raisins into her bowl. And fortunately, with very little milk left in the carton, she was able to pour it in the bowl without any unwanted assistance.



Two of my jobs often seem to conflict. I am to teach my child to respect other people and their things, as well as to not waste things. However, I am also tasked with fostering this little one's independence, to encourage her confidence and to allow her to learn how to do things on her own.  

I desire more "breakfast made all by myself" looks of delight from my child, and less of my own furrowed brow as we use up yet another roll of paper towels. I want her to know that paper towels come from a combination of trees being harvested, people working to create them and our bank account paying for them, but I don't want these realities to keep me from meeting that exuberant smile with one of my own.

I am a combination of someone who loves structure, routine, order and neatness as well as babies. I love orderliness so much that I resist the urge to complete her puzzles for her in order to clean them up and to make sure the book titles that she can't yet read aren't upside down on the shelf. Recently after she pulled out about 8 feet of dental floss, I continued to rip off small pieces of the unruly mess instead of just tearing off the whole eight feet and considering it lost. Clearly, I don't always have the right response to these things.

Yet there are, and there will continue to be times when my "half-way big" girl (as she calls herself) will require the judgment of others to navigate her very big world. I am grateful I am not the only person in her life that she can turn to for this. And as all of us know, the mistakes won't always be as easily fixed as picking raisins up off the floor. 

As her Mama, I will kneel down next to her to pick up whatever can be salvaged and talk about next time. We will talk about how she hurt someone else, or how she may have been disappointed, or when things just seem unfair. I will pray with her and for her as she learns from failure and as each experience refines her further to the person God created her to be. And I will cheer, for the rest of my days on this earth, I will cheer, and do my very best to match the exuberance of her two year old celebrations.

Easter 2016

Holy Week began for us with a Maundy Thursday Seder Meal at our church. 

Saturday morning was spent at an Easter Egg hunt before we boarded the plane to Philadelphia. Aunt Hazel gifted Sophia her beloved bunny basket, and there was much discussion on the car ride home about the seven candies she found during the hunt.

In Pennsylvania Sophia got to frost the cinnamon rolls on Easter morning:

And distribute the seven baskets she found in front of the fireplace:

J enjoyed the toys in his own as well as the bows on others.

Sophia was happy to unwrap others as well and was later found making additions to her basket.

Both Sophia and J added fresh flowers to the cross to celebrate Christ's Resurrection. 

And we planted our lily from the church service in front of my Dad's grave.

In addition to celebrating Easter, we visited with dear friends, including meeting this little fellow who was born the day before we arrived.

Three Pre-Easter March Celebrations

In early March we attended two birthday parties.

One for Dr. Seuss who would be turning 112, and our friend Jesse Patrick was who turning 4.  We also had a great time at the South Shore Children's Museum St. Patrick's Day Party.

Everyone who came to Dr. Suess's Birthday received a party favor of a 'Cat in the Hat' nose.

'Pin the Hat on the Cat' in the Children's Library.

'The Cat' is holding baby J in her arms. Unfortunately we aren't allowed to share his face on the internet yet and the sweet way he was looking up at her.

Dr. Seuss Classics Memory game.

Jesse's 4th Birthday

Following the teacher's lead to sketch out her painting alongside the birthday boy.

Sophia's Daddy made a painting for her to hang in her room next to the one she created.

South Shore Children's Museum St. Patrick's Day Party

Created by Sophia using a foam cut out kit (nose and mouth courtesy of her father).

Front row seat for the Irish step dancers and a lesson after the performance:



MassArt

On a Saturday morning we made our way towards Boston to visit our friends Alex, Kim and their daughter Elyse for a pancake brunch.

We then caravanned to MassArt where Joshua's sister is an Art Education professor.

As part of their education, the students put on a wonderful community day, geared towards teaching children about art.

The activities are interactive for all ages, including those as young as baby J.

Grammie and Grandpa made the trip down from New Hampshire to play for the day as well!

New England Aquarium

Uncle James came to visit and we brought the kids on their first trip to the New England Aquarium. 

We touched starfish

Greeted penguins

Explored coral reefs

Petted Stingrays

And performed medical exams on Sea Turtles.

J's favorite seemed to be the jelly fish, as he stared with the same intensity he gives to ceiling fans.

Despite it being late February, it seemed Sophia could have remained at the outdoor Sea Lion exhibit indefinitely.

Caribbean Night

About this time last year, we had the opportunity to visit our dear friends at their home in the Dominican Republic. This year, with travel limitations related to J's foster status, we decided to create our own tropical experience in Massachusetts.

                                       

Entering the middle of winter, I wanted to create something fun and celebratory that would prevent me from developing my annual seasonal grumpiness about winter. While I may never become a winter sports lover, I am choosing to live in a place where it snows and gets really cold and complaining about it isn't serving anyone.

We visited El Platanero Tropical Foods Supermarket in Boston and put together a festive meal. We played some steel drum music off of internet radio and Sophia wore her sunglasses inside.

  Culinary highlights for Sophia included the Mango Sorbet we purchased that came inside of a mango rind and the beverage we made of frozen strawberries and seltzer water (not sure whether it was the taste or drinking out of the pineapple shell that pleased her most).

We concluded the celebration with our first time swimming together as a family (and baby J's first ever) at the local YMCA swimming pool.