rainy days...kickin it old school...
It has been raining the last couple of days here in Austin...and it has been wonderful. Not only do we need the rain for our seriously dehydrated lawns and flowers, but it helps to lower our scorching temperatures to a high of 90 degrees. It also gives us a great excuse to slow down, stay home and kick it old school. By kicking it old school, I mean stay in our jammies, watch cartoons, play dress up, make forts, watch movies ("Because of Winn Dixie" is one of my favorites), make hot chocolate (of course with marshmallows), color and play pirates...all in all, replay the old days of our youth. I remember making up games, playing dress up, making forts, jumping over "alligators", reading books...using our imagination. I find that my kids do best (and I do too) when we have the time and the space to do these things. (If only I could get them to clean up consistently!). And hopefully we are creating memories. Isabelle and I watched "Nim's Island" the other night. It was wonderfully imaginative. We also watched "Kit Kittredge: An Amercian Girl" when it came up in theaters. It was excellent. She and I both loved it. So much so, that she has decided to forgo a birthday part to go to Dallas to the American Girl store and restaurant with "the girls" (Nana, me, Izzy and Becca). Jonathan and Nicky will have some boy time. Countdown to Kindergarten: 5 days. She starts on Monday. We have Back to School night on Thursday to meet her teacher, Ms. Little. Her best friend, Emma, is in her class. Izzy is so excited about that, but has very mixed emotions on starting school. I will keep you posted.
Nicky's input to our rainy day games is usually anything with Superheros. Although, when he heard "pirates" were coming, he jumped right into it...with his cape and "Clark Kent tie" that he borrowed from daddy. Nicky, who follows Jonathan around constantly when he is home, now wants cologne like daddy puts on on the morning. I am suggesting we start with some hair gel and leave it at that for a while. I can only take one child making huge growing steps at a time! He wants to play soccer again and will start his preschool again with his friends, Audrey and Luke, in a couple of weeks. I think he will have a really hard time with Izzy gone all day every day. But, Nicky and I will have some one on one time that we have sorely missed. I think it will also allow him time to grow closer to Becca. He plays with her a lot, but Izzy has always been his buddy. As Becca starts doing more, I think it will give them an opportunity to become buddies too.
As you can see, another way we are kickin it old school is by bringing back "The Mullet." Not only does Becca have a modified Mullet, but she has this cowlick that sticks up right in the back...and it's not even thick enough to hold a bow or clip or anything. I have thought about having her hair cut, but honestly, it's the only hair she has!! She has started walking. She still prefers to crawl, but she is taking more and more steps every day. She also loves to dance. She starts by bobbing her head back and forth and up and down. Then she will throw her body into it. If she really gets into it, she throws her arms up into the air and shakes her hands, like she's Praising the Lord! As you can see from the picture below, she is just getting going. It is really something to see. She is starting to take her baby babbling to an understandable level. She says "Dada", but not always just at Jonathan. Sometimes it sounds like she says "Izzy" and "What's that?". She says "Mama", and if I had the accent mark capability on my computer, there would be one on the second 'A'. Yes, she sounds like an Italian baby. I keep waiting for her to do a backwards wave with her little hand and say, "Ciao, bella."
I am almost done with the book, Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life. I really wish every person would read this book. It has been inspiring. And so speaks to my heart. It has made me stop and listen and look for God more. It has made me realize it's O.K. to stop for a while. To create time and space to listen...to breathe. And we have to create it, because the world and people will just take our time and our focus away if we allow it. It has made me start prioritizing and start setting boundaries...a new thing for me. Between personal struggles and health struggles this year (anemia which lead to extreme fatigue and stress and hurry that led to IBS), this book seems to be bringing all of it together. Boundaries, Simplify, Single-Focus on God...When Christ called us to a life of following Him...He called us to a simple life. He never said it would be an easy life. Simple and easy don't always go together. Our choices to create simple life focused on Christ and His will for our life are rarely easy. I am so blessed to have my wonderful husband, kids and girlfriends that encourage me to do that. To live my life in a way that is a reflection of Christ and reveal an authentic heart that is full of gratitude for His forgiveness, mercy, grace and blessings. 
It has been raining the last couple of days here in Austin...and it has been wonderful. Not only do we need the rain for our seriously dehydrated lawns and flowers, but it helps to lower our scorching temperatures to a high of 90 degrees. It also gives us a great excuse to slow down, stay home and kick it old school. By kicking it old school, I mean stay in our jammies, watch cartoons, play dress up, make forts, watch movies ("Because of Winn Dixie" is one of my favorites), make hot chocolate (of course with marshmallows), color and play pirates...all in all, replay the old days of our youth. I remember making up games, playing dress up, making forts, jumping over "alligators", reading books...using our imagination. I find that my kids do best (and I do too) when we have the time and the space to do these things. (If only I could get them to clean up consistently!). And hopefully we are creating memories. Isabelle and I watched "Nim's Island" the other night. It was wonderfully imaginative. We also watched "Kit Kittredge: An Amercian Girl" when it came up in theaters. It was excellent. She and I both loved it. So much so, that she has decided to forgo a birthday part to go to Dallas to the American Girl store and restaurant with "the girls" (Nana, me, Izzy and Becca). Jonathan and Nicky will have some boy time. Countdown to Kindergarten: 5 days. She starts on Monday. We have Back to School night on Thursday to meet her teacher, Ms. Little. Her best friend, Emma, is in her class. Izzy is so excited about that, but has very mixed emotions on starting school. I will keep you posted.
Nicky's input to our rainy day games is usually anything with Superheros. Although, when he heard "pirates" were coming, he jumped right into it...with his cape and "Clark Kent tie" that he borrowed from daddy. Nicky, who follows Jonathan around constantly when he is home, now wants cologne like daddy puts on on the morning. I am suggesting we start with some hair gel and leave it at that for a while. I can only take one child making huge growing steps at a time! He wants to play soccer again and will start his preschool again with his friends, Audrey and Luke, in a couple of weeks. I think he will have a really hard time with Izzy gone all day every day. But, Nicky and I will have some one on one time that we have sorely missed. I think it will also allow him time to grow closer to Becca. He plays with her a lot, but Izzy has always been his buddy. As Becca starts doing more, I think it will give them an opportunity to become buddies too.
As you can see, another way we are kickin it old school is by bringing back "The Mullet." Not only does Becca have a modified Mullet, but she has this cowlick that sticks up right in the back...and it's not even thick enough to hold a bow or clip or anything. I have thought about having her hair cut, but honestly, it's the only hair she has!! She has started walking. She still prefers to crawl, but she is taking more and more steps every day. She also loves to dance. She starts by bobbing her head back and forth and up and down. Then she will throw her body into it. If she really gets into it, she throws her arms up into the air and shakes her hands, like she's Praising the Lord! As you can see from the picture below, she is just getting going. It is really something to see. She is starting to take her baby babbling to an understandable level. She says "Dada", but not always just at Jonathan. Sometimes it sounds like she says "Izzy" and "What's that?". She says "Mama", and if I had the accent mark capability on my computer, there would be one on the second 'A'. Yes, she sounds like an Italian baby. I keep waiting for her to do a backwards wave with her little hand and say, "Ciao, bella."
I am almost done with the book, Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life. I really wish every person would read this book. It has been inspiring. And so speaks to my heart. It has made me stop and listen and look for God more. It has made me realize it's O.K. to stop for a while. To create time and space to listen...to breathe. And we have to create it, because the world and people will just take our time and our focus away if we allow it. It has made me start prioritizing and start setting boundaries...a new thing for me. Between personal struggles and health struggles this year (anemia which lead to extreme fatigue and stress and hurry that led to IBS), this book seems to be bringing all of it together. Boundaries, Simplify, Single-Focus on God...When Christ called us to a life of following Him...He called us to a simple life. He never said it would be an easy life. Simple and easy don't always go together. Our choices to create simple life focused on Christ and His will for our life are rarely easy. I am so blessed to have my wonderful husband, kids and girlfriends that encourage me to do that. To live my life in a way that is a reflection of Christ and reveal an authentic heart that is full of gratitude for His forgiveness, mercy, grace and blessings. 
1 comment:
Hey friend! What a great time with your kids! They are so sweet. I need to pick up that book... you've inspired me :)
Post a Comment