Loving Little-dom

There is something monumental about opening and closing weekends at the compound.  They not only serve as brackets to the summer season, but they also mark time in the same way that all annual traditions do.  We have a ritual of saying goodbye to the lake each time we leave it, and when we say our final goodbyes of the season on Columbus Day, I always find myself staring out at the unmatchable beauty that surrounds me and wondering where we'll be when next I lay my eyes on Keoka.  Seven months older, of course, but what else?  How else will life be different?  And then, before we know it, we're back on those same rocks, saying hello again.  And it seems like nothing has really changed, until family members note with shock how big the boys have gotten, and swap tales of the always-too-long winter.  So-and-so lost ten pounds, so-and-so gained twenty.  So-and-so has a new job, so-and-so has a new knee.  So-and-so moved across the country, so-and-so moved back home.  For those of us who still have little-ish kids, it's all good - gleefully told tales of potty training successes, new readers, and kids growing taller and leaner (those lanky Stockwell genes are strong!).  But this year, for some reason, I really noticed the changes in the bigger kids.  Some were absent, some might as well have been, spending most of their waking hours engrossed in a world that lived entirely on their smart phones.  Some openly voiced their discontent, or their boredom, wishing to be home with their friends instead of stuck in the boonies with their cousins.  And this all made me so sad.  Because I knew these kids when they were 5 and 7.  I knew these kids when they were my boys' ages, and they LOVED every bit of the compound, just as my boys do.  Watching the older kids this weekend was like looking into a crystal ball, and I didn't like what I saw.  So in addition to making me want to do everything in my parenting power to change that probably inevitable future for our family, looking into that crystal ball also made me cherish the littleness we have in our house right now.  To cherish all the wonderful things that make our littles little, at least for a little bit longer.  Things like...

Still asking to dye Easter eggs with me, and spontaneously doing it one week late because we never got around to doing it in Arkansas.

Adorable elementary school concerts that involve kids doing the tango.  Adorable!  (Ethan in green.)

(Although I do love the responsibility that comes with older kids.  I told Ethan he needed to wear a plain colored t-shirt and exercise-type pants for his concert, and I found this post-it-note stuck to his dresser the next morning.)

Unbridled excitement to bring hand-picked flowers and hand-drawn notes for teachers.  (This one's older brother was too embarrassed by this idea because "no one else is doing it.")  

Still loving our swingset, constantly reinventing new games, like playing soccer while swinging (using the buoy between the swings), or playing Quidditch on swings (yes, we've been reading Harry Potter).

And refusing to wear shoes.  Ever.

Asking to celebrate half birthdays, not in expectation of gifts or parties, but just wanting to be sung to and to eat (a half of a) cake.  Tonight Adam announced that his beloved Horsey was turning two (which is far from correct - he is five and a half - just like Adam).  Watching him and his brother throw a little party for Horsey, complete with wrapped presents, singing, and a bowl full of freshly cut grass (because that's what horses eat, of course) was beyond precious.  Until they kept bringing more and more grass into my kitchen - that wasn't so precious. 

Fully embracing the spirit of the "All Children Exercise Simultaneously" day at school, running his heart out and being proud and thrilled that his mom was there to help.

Loving nothing more than fishing with Dad.

Or kayaking with Mom.

Someone's too big to kayak with Mom now, but watching him tackle it solo is pretty darn cute.  I guess watching them grow up isn't all bad.

My Special Day

WARNING:  This is going to be one of those annoying "my life is perfect", "my kids are awesome", "I am supermom" posts.  It's a post for me, for future me, and for my boys, and I won't be the least bit offended if you skip it.  If you choose to continue reading, you have been duly warned.  Because my life is, of course, far from perfect.  Supermom status is totally out of my reach, and a good chunk of the time, my kids are really annoying.  But every once in a blue moon, when the stars align and the clouds part, and everything is just so, I have one of those "pinch me, I can't believe this is actually my life" kind of days.  And yesterday was one of those days.  Today the magic is gone, and I am just trying to write this darn post while yelling "no, I will not tuck you in AGAIN!" for the tenth time, but yesterday?  Yesterday was perfect.

This was a first for me, and it was every bit as wonderful as I could have imagined.  The best part about it all was that my three men brought me this lovely spread in bed and then LEFT ME ALONE.  I can't remember the last time I ate a leisurely breakfast alone and in peace and it was such a treat.  I also love that Ethan remembered to use our "It's YOUR Day" plate that we use for special occasions in our house.

I was showered with so much love and adoration all day long.  Not only did the boys run out to the store to buy me flowers when I was at my favorite yoga class, but I also got some lovely spring weed-quets hand-picked from our yard.

Ethan knows his Mama well.  Ben was worried I'd be upset about the "she cooks dinner" line.  I told him if that had been on the "Mom really likes to..." line, it might have been an issue.  I'm glad Ethan knows I'm "okay" with hugs and kisses.

Adam painted me this lovely work of art ("on canvas", he was sure to tell me) and gave it to me at a sweet Mother's Day tea at his school on Friday.

The kids waited on their moms and sang us some adorable love songs.

But perhaps the best part of my Mother's Day weekend was spending my most favorite hours of the day with my most favorite people at my most favorite place.  A warm beach day in early May - what better Mother's Day gift could there be?!  It was heaven right here on earth.

I feel loved beyond words.  I feel appreciated, understood, and thanked.  I feel lucky, so lucky, to be a mom.  It is the one job I always knew I wanted, the hardest one I've ever had, and the most rewarding one I can imagine.  I feel blessed to have all that I have, and to have the opportunity to sit back and acknowledge it.  This IS my life, and sometimes, it IS pinch-worthy.  I'll be basking in the glow of yesterday for a very long time.

Spring Break 2014: Across the Wide Mississippi

One of the perks associated with this little hiatus I'm taking from the working world is unlimited vacation time.  As a result, I have a whole new attitude towards school vacation weeks.  Last year's school vacations seemed like just another inconvenient lapse in childcare; this year, they mean extra time with my kiddos, a break from the hustle and bustle of the daily routine, and an opportunity for adventure.  Sometime back in the fall, I decided that April vacation would be a perfect time to visit our family in Arkansas.  They have, after all, been living there for several years now, and we've never had the time or flexibility to make the trip.  My grand idea back in the fall was to DRIVE there.  Ben knew he wouldn't be able to take the time off, and the idea of driving 1,600 miles with my two young men as my only copilots was rather daunting.  So I roped my similarly unencumbered, equally up-for-anything mom into serving as my trusty travel companion.  Somewhere along the way we abandoned our extended road trip plan (thank you lord) in favor of a flight to Memphis and a significantly shorter road trip from Memphis to Conway, Arkansas.  We still had our share of adventure (and time in the car), exposed the boys (and ourselves) to a part of the country we'd never discovered, and had a nice long visit with Gwen and Mike and the boys at their lovely home.  Here is the story of our Arkansas adventure.

After a late flight into Memphis and a night at the airport Best Western, we had a full day planned in Memphis before heading west on I-40 to Arkansas.  We began the morning with a visit to Graceland, which was a big hit across the generations.  I had always thought of Graceland as a tacky tourist trap, but it is instead an extremely well-done homage not only to Elvis, but to his whole era.

Didn't know much about this Elvis guy, but this audio tour is pretty cool!

A walk back in time to Elvis' media room.

 

Seeing Elvis' cars and planes was probably the boys' favorite part.  They took home a mini version of Elvis' pink Cadillac (which later went down a storm sewer, but that's a story for another day).

We told the boys all about drive-in restaurants and took them for their first-ever Sonic lunch afterwards.

Next we headed to the Memphis Botanical Garden, which houses an amazing childrens' garden called My Big Backyard.  The boys could have spent the whole day here - it is a huge space with mazes and treehouses and swings and climbing structures amid gorgeous blooming flowers on which to feast the eyes.

It was really hard to get the boys to leave this swing.  I couldn't blame them!

After a fun morning and the aforementioned Sonic stop, we began the three hour (which turned out to be five hour, but again, a story for another day) trip over to Conway Arkansas, home of the fantastic Sprungwells.  We were met with a warm welcome, excited smiling faces, and a yummy dinner.

Cousins reunited!

Although Ethan and Adam hadn't seen Brian and Andrew since last summer, the four boys picked up right where they'd left off and didn't leave each others' sides for four days.  There were...

Wagon pulls,

Teamwork!

Dinners al fresco,

Twilight bike rides,

Sprinkler baths,

Hours of fun in the backyard,

I love this picture because it shows how much Ethan loved being the big cousin.  He took such good care of Andrew while we were there, and Andrew repaid him with complete worship and adoration.

and even a few moments of quiet.

Adam also loved being a big cousin.  Note his sweet little arm around Andrew.

There was also lots and lots and lots of jumping.  The trampoline was my boys' most eagerly anticipated part of our trip, and it did not disappoint.  I love this picture because I got all four boys (a very difficult feat!) - note Andrew on Ethan's back!

While the Sprunger boys were at school on Friday, Noni and I took my boys to a beautiful park about ten minutes from Gwen and Mike's house.  We had a picnic, took a little hike, and watched the activity on the Arkansas River.

On Saturday we ventured into Little Rock to go to the zoo.  We saw so many great animals; Ethan was most thrilled about seeing his very first elephant!

We were lucky enough to be in Arkansas for Easter Sunday, which provided extra opportunities for cousin bonding.

Bribery at its best - no egg hunt until we get a decent picture.  We were marginally successful.

  

 

Hunting for eggs is hard work, so we followed it up with a walk to the nearby TCBY (because they clearly needed more sugar!) before a delicious Easter ham dinner.  

Monday was another school day for the Sprunger boys, so Noni and I took the boys to Petit Jean State Park, which ended up being the most pleasant surprise of our trip.  Actually, I have to say that I was generally quite surprised by Arkansas' beauty, but Petit Jean was a real gem.  We explored gigantic bear caves, walked down to a waterfall, and had lunch in a beautiful lodge with spectacular views.

A leash would have come in handy here...terrifying.

And Tuesday it was time to say our goodbyes and make our way back towards home.  We spent most of Tuesday back in Memphis, visiting a fantastic fire museum and taking a cruise down the Mississippi River on a paddleboat.

We decided to stay right downtown on our last night in Memphis, and were thrilled to experience Beale Street in all its glory.  Our timing was perfect, as there were blocks and blocks of old cars on display as we walked to dinner, enjoying that last bit of Southern warmth.
 

Adam didn't know that grilled cheese could get any better - Texas toast!

Thanks, Sprungwells, for a fabulous trip and for your warm hospitality.  We will most certainly be back!