Just Some Stuff

I've got about 10 minutes to write this blog, as we're heading out for ice cream shortly. The kids are playing Monopoly with Grandpa and Daddy, and this is my down time. We had an absolutely glorious day today - it felt like the middle of summer. I loved every minute of it, watching the kids play in the kiddie pool, shoot each other with water guns, throw their stuffed animals in the kiddie pool (actually didn't love that part so much, as it created a load of laundry). There were tons of frogs in the pond today, and we all had fun watching them and trying to catch them. Connor (whose favorite animal ever is frogs) did manage to catch and hold one for a bit - he was thrilled! We also saw another evil viper today, but I managed to be calm about it. Definitely helped that there were two other adults there, both men who aren't too bothered by snakes. As much as watching the thing sslither around makes my sskin crawl, I have this weird need to know exactly where it is at all times, just in case. I'm sslightly less worried about our yard being overtaken by those creatures now that I've only seen two since that first fateful day over a week ago. I think I'm going to make it.

Our magnolia tree burst into bloom today and it is glorious. I took lots of photos, so I'll post those sometime. The blossoms are mostly white with a hint of purple and the colors are such a bright contrast to the rest of the yard. I'm not sure how long the blossoms last, so I'm going to make sure to appreciate them.

Connor turned 8 this week and I feel like now he is definitely no longer a little kid. 7 could still be considered "little", but he's not little anymore. I'm thankful that he still loves to snuggle and sit on my lap and give me kisses. He's not embarrassed to see me at school, and hopefully that doesn't change any time soon! He really is a great kid - smart and funny and kind and still full of innocence. I don't know if he even knows any swear words! Or maybe I'm just being naive. It really is hard to believe that it's been 8 years since he was born. I feel like we've known him forever, but then it feels like just yesterday that he was born. I certainly have mixed feelings about the kids growing so fast. It's such a relief to get through certain stages, but then I miss other stages that you don't get back! I know that I need to just enjoy every moment, but that's hard to do sometimes when all you can do is get through those moments with sanity still intact. I am realizing that their problems are not necessarily my problems, and that I don't need to try to solve all their problems. Our new mantra when someone complains that their sibling did something to bug them, is, "Go talk to them about it!" Rather than always separate them and try to determine who's at fault and who needs a consequence, I let them sort it out. (There are always exceptions, of course!) It seems to work. Isn't that what we as adults should be doing when we have a problem? Sit down together and talk til you figure it out? It sure isn't my natural instinct. Anyway, I'm no parenting expert, but every once in awhile you find something that works.

A big thunderstorm blew in earlier to cool things down, but we've all been waiting for our ice cream all day. I'm looking forward to it as much as the kids! I'm running a 10k race tomorrow morning, so I should probably get myself to bed early, although I likely won't. My reward, other than finishing alive, will be going out for lunch at Milestones. I had their Kobe beef meatloaf recently, and it was incredible! (I know you won't appreciate that if you're one of my vegetarian friends).

Til next time!