Today finds me...
...thankful for the little feet in my life.
...amazed by how busy- and quick- those little feet are.
...thankful for washable paint as I explain to Isia that her little brother is not a canvas. (Ahem)
...enlightened by her reasoning, "but he likes to be painted."
...appreciative of friends who have been loving up- and wearing out!- my kids this week.
...wondering if nap-time might be long enough to help them on their way.
...deciding we better head outside to make sure- and enjoy this beautiful sunshine!
Wishing you sunshine, and long naps, wherever this finds you!
Here's the thing about our daughter, she wants to make things. She loves the process, but she wants a final product. Sometimes she'll humor me with some busy-bag'ing, or she'll get entranced with sorting buttons, but often lately she wants to know, "What am I making?" And that's when I realize, again, that this girl needs paint and clay and tools. She gets it honest. She has a whole lineage of "do-it" ladies in her blood- including my grandmother who was still climbing up and fixing her own roof not that long ago. So I realized it was time to break out the glue gun, much to Isia's delight!
First we tied her hair back, then we examined the glue gun and I explained how it worked. How the metal tip melts glue as it's pushed through with the trigger. Then we discussed safety, and how the metal tip that's hot enough to melt glue can also burn our finger. And then she got to try it out for herself...
...and quietly concentrated on putting hot glue onto the paper. At first we didn't glue anything onto the paper, I just gave her space to explore and get comfortable with using the glue gun. Then I pulled out some aluminum muffin cups and she began gluing those down.
You might recognize this as one of her textured finger paintings, here. I love creating on top of old artworks! She's been so proud of it since finishing, showing it all of our friends that stop by. Very seriously she'll say, "but you can't touch the hot glue- it will burn you." (Which goes to show, again, that those little ears can listen when they want to, ha!) In all seriousness, though, this was a good step in the right direction for us. As she continues to desire to be big, and all the autonomy that comes with it, I need to push myself to provide her opportunities like these. She's just growing up so quickly these days, right before my eyes honestly. I've read somewhere that "the days are long, but the years are short." Yes, very short indeed.
I love our neighborhood. Sometimes the stars align and a collection of people move into the same area that you would have been friends with even if they weren't living next door. But they are, and that just makes it that much more incredible. And that's where we are now- sharing life with a group of people who are committed to creating a community. A group of people that aren't just friends with Cory and I, but are friends with Isia and Billy too. They'll stop by and ask if they can take Isia for a walk or if Billy can come over and hang out for a bit, and it makes the kids feel so special. Especially our Isia, who enjoys and understands the gracious gift of one-on-one time.
Recently our next-door neighbor Juliet was taking a break from her grant-writing to paint on a large canvas. As always, both my kids migrated to the window to see what was going on outside. She smiled and waved while they looked on. Then she stopped, looked at Isia and gestured for her to join her. "Can I?! Can I?!" asked Isia. Um, yes- of course!
So we changed into her all-weather painting gear (ha) and released her into Juliet's studio, where some awesome creating took place....
.... which Isia was extremely proud of. "Mama, I rolled the brush! I walked on the painting! Did you see me?!" And I had, clicking away with my camera and thinking, "Large canvases you can walk on? Painting with a roller? We have got to do this more often!" And that's another reason I love our friends who just happen to live next door, they inspire me too!
"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."
(words and inspiration via Soulemama.com)
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Today finds me...
...admiring my new, lovely ironing board cover (via Pixiilane Boutique on Etsy).
...thinking I just might look forward to ironing now, ha!
...wondering which Robert Kaufman print to include in our house next? (Billy's robot pants, here)
...remembering I have a few projects to finish before new fabric is purchased (ahem).
...drinking lots of tea to stay warm as the thermostat continues to drop.
...willing myself to get all of us bundled up and outside at least once today, per Isia's request.
...reminding myself that today's temperatures will be spring-like come February.
...finishing the kid's photo albums online so they're ready to order soon.
...contemplating giving each of them a photo album each year as an annual present?
...gearing up for all the holiday creating to come, stay tuned!
What are you creating this week?
