The Spirit of Summer

We are lucky enough to have awesome friends (the Stani's) who lent us their beautiful near lakeside condo. We spent one last week of the summer swimming in pools and splashing on the beach. R's highlights were swimming with her water-wings, having her face painted and catching fish off the dock. B loved the hot tub, the bike trailer, and playing in the sand and running on the docks. RKA and I mostly enjoyed watching the kids discover the spirit of summer.

Siblings

Sibling. The word is so strange. The relationship is so deep. Siblings are the ones who are there with you from the start. They are the first ones to teach you how to love and how to share. The first one whom you had to stand up to may have been your sibling, as they are also the first ones to teach you how to fight. Ironically, they were also probably one of the first people to stand up for you...to this day they probably still would.

It is a bond unlike any other. Your siblings know just as well as you do exactly what dad's no nonsense tone sounds like...just how far to push mom before you get the evil eye. Somehow they also seem to know precisely where every one of your buttons are located and how to push them. They can go from being your best friend to your worst enemy and back again all within an hour. But the bond is never broken.

Sharing seems to be synonymous to sibling. Siblings share parents, rules, chicken pox, often rooms, toys and then later clothes. For some reason humour seems to be shared by siblings as well. If it makes your brother laugh, then it will probably make you laugh, too! Most important though, are the memories shared by siblings. Which are often completely different stories from the perspectives of each sibling - yet nonetheless are shared.

The sibling relationship is one relationship that spans virtually your entire life. Throughout your life you may grow closer or further apart but your roots will always be intertwined.

Lists

Some people like to make lists. To-do lists, hit-lists, grocery lists, shopping lists, must-have lists... Me - I figure if it is that important to do or have or buy then I'll remember it. Not having a list is kind of like my way of simplifying. The really crucial items are accomplished out of necessity and the other less important (and often pesky) items just have a way of hanging around until they finally expire and they are no longer relevant. So, I didn't make a to-do list this summer of places we had to go or things we had to do. I just left it open and knew that our summer would come together in an organic way. So now we are nearing the end of August and we actually do have a list...it's a been there, done that list!

Husked corn in the backyard...
Played hide`n`seek...
PDA`s in the front yard...
Explored vintage vehicles...

Frolicked in the ocean...

Held morning meetings in pj`s...

Enjoyed quiet moments of mutual admiration and reflection...

Turned the garage into an art studio (yes B is drinking the paintbrush water!) ...

Explored our nautical roots...

Got tossed into the air...

Enjoyed movie night (Garfield) and jiffy pop...

Played with friends...

Hosted afternoon tea parties for stuffies...

Wore bright orange goggles indoors...

Discovered our shadows...

Contemplated at the beach...

...and wished that September would never arrive!

Interview With a 3.5 Year Old

1. What is something mommy always says to you?
Um, do something for mama like clean up with her.

2. What makes you happy?
I love you!

3. What makes you sad?
When someone laughs at me.

4. What makes you laugh?
Funny things like dressing up like funny things and I laugh at Bennett.

5. How old are you?
“Free” and my name is Ruby and (commands me): draw my name (looks closely at computer screen while I type her name).

6. How old is Mommy?
I don’t know (bewildered).

7. How old is Daddy?
I don’t know (further bewildered).

8. What is your favorite thing to do?
Play with Sadie.

9. Who is your best friend?
Sadie

10. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Teacher! (shouts)

11. What are you really good at?
Art projects! (shouts)

12. What are you not very good at?
I don’t know…(again bewildered)

13. What did you do today?
Had fun…making silly faces.

14. What is your favorite food?
Spaghetti and cheese

15. What is your favorite song?
Baby Beluga

16. What do you want for your birthday this year?
New pet shop toys! And the princess girl’s pony castle outfit for me with ponies that are girls.

17. What is your favorite animal?
I don’t know…(now just mostly bored and done with the interview)

18. What is love?
A heart

19. What does daddy do for work?
Be an engineer – tell everyone there is a fire and get out!

20. Where do you live?
Greene place

21. Where is your favorite place to go?
School

R turns to me and says: I’ve got a question for you…
Mommy: Okay?
R: What is your favourite thing to do at the park?
Mommy: Watch you and B play and talk to my friends.

Action-packed

They look so peaceful in pictures but in reality they are just so active!

B has no respect for gravity. He throws himself down the slide recklessly. When he is swimming it would appear to the average on-looker that he is attempting to drown himself. Yet he comes back up every time with a huge smile on his face.

R is just as active in her own way. Her brain is constantly whirring and her imagination runs wild. Here are some recent sound bites from her:

At night after she's been tucked in: "Mommy, Twinkle (stuffed lion) is keeping me awake. He will not go to sleep."

Playing in the backyard: "Daddy, B and I are being ducks and we are pooping all over the lawn ."

Standing on one leg: "Grandma, this is how a goose poops."

In the afternoon: "I can’t come downtown with you Daddy, I have to stay home and make sure that B stays asleep and keep an eye on Lola (the cat). "

Walking down the sidewalk holding my hand: "Mommy, when I grow up and I'm a mommy I'm going to be your best friend!"

Out of the blue: "Tell me the story about my twoth birthday, Mommy"

In the car reaching to hold her brother's hand: "I love you, B...Mommy, I want to keep B!"


Our life is action-packed right now...just the way we like it!

On Children*

Your children are not your children,
They are the sons and daughters of life longing for itself...

They come through you but they are not from you,
and though they are with you, they belong not to you.

You can give them your love but not your thoughts,
They have their own thoughts, they have their own thoughts.

You can house their bodies but not their souls,
for their souls dwell in a place of tomorrow,
which you can not visit, not even in your dreams.

You can try to be like them, but you can not make them just like you,
Strive to be like them, but you cannot make them just like you.

*A poem by Kahlil Gibran

The Gift of An Ordinary Day

Sometimes it feels like there is just too much macaroni on the floor, too many little fingerprints on the windows, and the decibel level in the house is just too high. When it feels like that it is so good to get out...it is so necessary to get out. So last night I enjoyed a night out with one of my best friends, "Stani". We sat on a garden patio and sipped fancy drinks that you can't make at home and enjoyed a relaxing dinner in good company. A few hours and many laughs later and the macaroni at home on the floor didn't seem as big or problematic. Then Stani sent me this clip which so eloquently puts the chaos of parenting into perspective. Check it out:

The Gift of An Ordinary Day - Katrina Kenison

http://vimeo.com/8054255

Turning the page

Our stroller has been folded up on the floor of our garage for about a month now without any use. Our crib is packed away and B is sleeping in a "big boy bed". R is only a couple of pounds away from being able to sit in a booster seat in the car. Babyhood seems to be leaving our house in bits and pieces as boxes of clothes and toys have been given to various friends with new arrivals.

I notice these small changes that signal a new chapter of our life and sometimes feel a bit wistful for those squishy little newborns. Yet, somehow there are always bigger changes that are far more interesting and promising. B has some new words which just happen to be, "No" (often repeated over and over again with an emphatic head shake) and "Why?". R has made a new girlfriend on our street and she comes home from play dates with a huge smile on her face telling about the posters they made for their upcoming pony parade. R&B also have formed quite a strong alliance and are fiercely loyal to each other. They are already finding their places in this world and as these little ones grow and assert their independence I am proud of the little people they are becoming. It makes me want to turn the page and see what is going to happen next!

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