We love cousins coming to visit us and playing at the park. So low key and mellow. Nothing but good times.There was a theme of pairing upand I was seeing double.There was also a bit of wild fun for the whole bunch. Watching Mike was highly entertaining. Even kids not in the cousin circle wanted in on the fun. Also the youngest can capture your full attention because she has feathery wispy hair and a twinkle in her eye. Oh, and painted nails. Then these two eventually lost their shoes, needed juice boxes, and Ollie turned her hat backwards. That means they are staying put and digging their toes in the sand.
Sunshine, tank tops, and leaving right before anyone fell apart.We are getting good at the parenting and the parks and the play. High-five!

He is the one who makes up games on the spot to keep Olivine entertained for countless hours while I cook dinner, finish homework, etc. Paul meanwhile may be reading, sleeping, or homework (lately that’s all it feels like-which sounds like a teenager).On this occasion he was playing dolls with her. They were putting all the dolls to bed in the box so that the Tooth Fairy could come visit them all.These aren’t my favorite dolls but they were from Grammy and they are loved by these two. So for now they stay.

Henry had this fairy fly all around the house with Olivine following as he gave her directions about items to grab that the tooth fairy would deliver to the other dolls when they woke up (a.k.a. the box was opened).

Currently, Henry’s words take precedent with most issues involving Olivine, meaning his word is truth to her. We can tell her the tooth fairy and Santa are not real. And then I will later hear Henry remind her how crazy of a story that is, while Paul insists his parents only tell the truth. Henry points out how little money we have, that we aren’t able to gather all those items for the stockings, consider the rest of the kids getting presents, this can’t be some universal conspiracy. She listens and inevitably takes Henry’s side.

The latest stories surround his confessions to her about how to get off the nap list at preschool. He is full of detail about laying on the mat with his eyes open for days at a time, telling her it worked for him, he eventually was moved off the nap list due to never sleeping. The problem is Olivine loves his idea but still falls asleep. So when she seeks his advice he has all sorts of tips and as much as I hate their conspiracy being built against naps, I also love hearing their schemes.

I won’t lie. The time for just this middle bear gets shaved off all the time. But he doesn’t seem to mind. It’s more an issue in my own mind. As far as he knows, being a big brother and a little brother are the coolest roles around and he wouldn’t trade them for anything.

My cousin is taking full advantage of the girls who have birthdays less than a week apart. I love that! Right now, there is a mutual love of mermaids and like every party, they went ALL OUT.

I didn’t charge my batteries for the camera. I mostly took pictures with my phone. (Now that I am on instagram with my cell phone – this is my life now! Tt makes my camera feel like the forgotten and outdated item in my bag)

Here was the double cake:with cutout silhouettes, names, and numbers:I was a big fan of the white chocolate shells. I might have eaten three or four! So good. And I opted for cookies over cupcakes at this event.The other highlights of the party included a time lapse video of the entire party from a Go-Pro stuck to the window, a bubble lady who had bubbles big enough to stick children in, watching others watch Joe play with a singing bubble wand, face painting, mermaid bubbles, and family.

I am not Catholic but I love the symbolism that permeates the practice. At this recent baptism I heard about the water symbolizing life, the candle carries on the “light,” and the white clothing marks new life. I loved it. I sat in awe and wonder of this sacrament.And afterwards, the celebrating and joining together of family and friends felt like such a moment of making memories. I was full of hope watching the play of these small children, knowing they will grow up and we will reminisce about this more innocent period of parenting. But that we will be able to lean on each other and our faith to carry us through the harder times. This is a comfort.I look across the yard and see this one. Full of imitating the play of a mother. She wants to run around and play, but also loves sitting at the sidelines watching as she tenderly cares for a baby doll.There are these two. With the long hair in their eyes and the funny grins on their faces. They are jumping on top of the play house to escape the dragon that is flying nearby. Ahhh…the imagination.When the crowd has died down and it is almost time for a bath. The one who was baptized warms up and cozies next to me. We make a sound of surprise as she over and over opens the cash register. I can hang with toddlers all day.

This may just be a fancy phrase for describing the learning about money and spending, but it is a priority for me and Joe. We agree we don’t want to give allowance. But what else?? We recently set up (in 2016-yes!) savings accounts for the kids and tossed those ceramic pigs taking up space and haunting my memories. Yes. My house was broken into in first grade and I may have never fully recovered from seeing my smashed piggie bank-completely robbed at such a young age may leave scars.

Anyway, fast forward to being a parent of three and expecting my kids to help with the dishes and their room not because they are paid but because we are a family  and this is what people do…work together. So my kids rarely have their own money and this creates a dilemma in teaching them the price and the cost and the choices that surround money. So when this year at Christmas they were sent cards with money and at Easter grammy might have given them money, we let them save some in their new bank accounts (half) and then keep some.

Paul and Olivine are true to their age and circumstance. They willing will raid the Dollar Tree or 7-11 with their father cheering them on. They are sad to realize their new toys have broken or how expensive candy and slurpees are.

But Henry is another story. He offered to give me the money to help pay for gas or laundry when he has overheard us budgeting. (yeah we are also having money meetings where we try to use cash after our identities were stolen twice in the last six months) He has also saved and spent sparingly. He recently counted up his 11 dollars and boasted to his siblings that he was rich (compared to them). They shrugged and he insisted on taking it all to baseball to buy treats that he promised to share from the snack shack. Except that is a crazy amount of money to spend when most candy costs a quarter. So I set a limit of two dollars. You should have seen his eyes when one dollar bought for boxes. That he quickly gave away and then Grammy insisted she give him a dollar for sharing. I had to try hard to deny him that money because he has years before moving out. I sometimes loose track of time and it feels like I have to teach him all the lessons in one setting.

Later that same day he had tucked his money into his shirt pocket and forgot until he saw the man selling cotton candy on a stick. He was over the moon to realize he had permission to leave the gate of the playground, go ask how much it was, and buy the candy if he could afford it. This is his face upon returning: pleased with his purchase and ready to share with those around him.
Yes he still has money in his sock drawer that this sister always wants him to bring on errands as she tries to convince him to spend it. She wants toys and treats all the time, but he is saving up. For what? He has yet to decide as he constantly asks about how much things cost. Lego Sets are $40 – what? bikes cost $100? Our car costs thousands of dollars? What in the world? His mind is being blown on a daily basis when he tallies up the cost.

Don’t hate me but I might have charged him $5 for loosing his water bottle last week. I went and bought a new one after looking high and low. As soon as I took his $5 the bottle was found the very next day. Was money part of the motivation? Maybe. I am still debating about paying him back. He’s asked. Thoughts?

I really can’t believe that the first year of classes is done. Our program is designed extremely well and skills continuously build on one another. This past semester I worked on a mini-study of my choice and the culmination was a poster project we displayed this past Saturday.

The boys had baseball and so I brought along my twin and yes…we dressed like twins. I was super nervous but it was low key and fun to see everyone’s hard work. These are K-12 folks I sit with late on Wednesday nights with in my cohort (A principal, high school counselor, and Latin teacher). We cheer each other on through a new baby (little Frank) and an upcoming wedding (Miss Maria) and all the assignments that come our way.A couple weeks to breathe until summer starts before June first. I am so grateful for this opportunity and I really love being in school.Last night’s class…Willard Elementary School library and then drinks at Dr. Slater’s. Go us!

I celebrated with my mom on Friday.Olivine came along while the boys were at schoolWe sipped mimosas and enjoyed the rainy weather outside.My mom surprised me with this:On Sunday we made a trip to Little Tokyo with friends.For a special lunch at my favorite vegan sushi spot: Shojin.We ate until our tummies were fulland the day was full of smiles.We like to call Olivine our “cherry on top” and so had to take a picture in the doorway of this yogurt shop with the same name.Happy Mother’s Day..to you and yours!

We spent time this week thinking about all the good teachers bring to our lives (yes, Joe and I are biased). With three little ones, the care they are given by people we trust means so much. It is important to take the time to say thank you for a job that is often underpaid and under-recognized.

Paul was quick to add stickers and think about each one of his teachers in after school care.Henry’s sentences included special moments as well, but he opted to draw pictures. That made the cards colorful and unique.While Olivine has many more teachers than either of the boys. Plus, she is younger, so she really worked hard on writing their names.And Olivine has a favorite teacher who she imitates the mismatch style of so we framed this photo and shared the love. We also bought plants for some head teachers and then wrote some special letters to other head teachers and tucked them in the water bottles. Last week, I volunteered at the teacher dinner which is always a big hit. There is always plenty of food and a chance to say thanks over and over. We try to do this more than once a year. I want my kids to share the big hearts that they naturally have.

We went to Olivine’s final conference on the Blue Side of the Child Development Center. She will be there next year, but leaving a group of teachers she has been with for more than a year. A lot of growing up has happened in this time and her teachers have been with Paul, Henry, and so saying good-bye feels so final.The head teacher (who I adore and lives across the street) complimented her increased social skills, willingness to help others, active participation, and her imaginary play. She likes to play mom, baby, kitties, super heroes, and a whole bunch of other games that are made up with minimal props.Of course, this is related to her love of the felt board. She spent over an hour this morning setting it up and taking it apart with a continued story along the way. She insisted I “play” which is more of me listening to her tell stories. Here we are at the Pet Shop (she set up) and we are both buying kitties. Not the doggie. And we are also buying some “madageenes” to read about our pets. No fish and no birds. Empty cage. Wow. Our kitties are so cute. What will you name yours?
And she can wait for an answer or not. She is just so excited to dress the girls, add hair, and move the animals around.I am unable to fully attend or sit for very long (I am working on it) so as I wash dishes, make a snack, and tidy up she has taken the Pet Shop apart and set up the cafe. Insisting I come back over to see: Mommy, we are the cafe now. We brought books to read and kitties too. I ordered beers for you on the table (what??) but you are just going to start with lemonade like me. This is so fun. Oh it’s hot (she adds an umbrella) and look we are in the cafe with no shoes (adds shoes). At one point she even changes the outfit and says that’s okay mommy because these ladies only look straight ahead. They don’t turn their heads so you didn’t really see me. Plus, if you did, you would just see my bra!

Of course I am rolling over in laughter and snapping photos and she doesn’t understand any of this. She just wants me to play along. Add to the story. So I tell her the food is really slow in this cafe. Which gets her digging around for sandwiches or any food props.In the hunt, she does find drinks for the kitties who are also hot. She gives her kitty lemonade while making a lapping noise with her tongue and insists my kitty have the “bottle” because it looks like a baby. So I meow along and find myself impressed with her imagination.The last scene, she changed out, was us going camping. We are having a busy day or a busy summer, which I never quite figured out. But we have our kitties. I no longer have hair so a kitty sleeping on my head will have to do. She points out we have cozy slippers (those look like fins for the divers) since we are in the woods. It is night time and there isn’t enough room in the tent so you (me) are sleeping outside. I insist that I am fine outside as long as I have some tea and am promptly given a cup. She tells stories about how her kitty likes to dig for and find bones now, kind of like a dog but in the woods. Look the bone is in the tent! She propped the felt board up and even snuck the clouds and sun in the back, she whispered about how she had tucked them behind, because they go away at night.

Can I snap enough photos or invest in an audio recorder to possibly capture this all?

No but this blog is my spot to remember and smile and brag and record all these moments that make my life feel magical.

A year ago I was barely able to leave to teach. I had started packing up the room, not knowing if I would even return. I remember feeling so incredibly uncertain about where I would be. And yet Here I am: Home-with the gift of time and a little girl and a felt board. I feel so grateful for this space.