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| Buggy Babies |
I am flat out in love with these slow and quiet mornings with my girls. It is no question the thing my heart will miss the most when we get back to the busyness and heaviness of real life. Mornings together with no clock.
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| Who could resist this little face saying, "dot dog peeeeese, dot dog peeeeese?" |
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| "Cheeeeeeeze!" |
No rules or menu. (Yes, that is Willa eating a gas station hot dog for breakfast. And yes, that is chocolate milk poured into a giant gas station cup. Stop judging.)
No hurry or agenda, just me with my girls.
Though Harper has been at the house still asleep with Sam both of the mornings that I took Wills out for a few hours, she got to join us today. Sam and Jeremy went to golf, so we snuck out together.
So Wills and I showed Harper our morning routine of the gas station and Food Lion. And on the way back to the house, we stopped in at the cutest little playground beside the museum in Ocean Isle Beach. It was clean, new, and made up of sand underfoot, so the girls loved it.
How nice it was to talk with other vacationing moms while our little ones ran and laughed.
But what was most fun was taking the time to really play with my daughters, not just watch them play.
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| Rocking the "spider" swing |
I have had so much fun this week, reliving my childhood through these experiences that are brand new to my four-year-old. Swinging "spider" style. Playing "sharks and minnows" in the water. What wonderful memories I have of my growing up years, ones with my family and my best friend sister. Seeing how much these little things stand out in my mind 25 years later makes me even more determined to recreate them for my girls. And it also makes me realize that these little memories weren't actually things at all, they were experiences. They were games. They were jokes. They were time. And I hope that is what my babies will remember, too.
I want them to remember that Mommy was fun and ran until she was dizzy, spinning them on the tire swing; that she watched proudly as she slid down the pole all by herself on the first try; that Mommy noticed when the baby climbed the stairs and went down the slide on her own. I hope they feel that. And I hope I become more intentional about doing just that at home.
We did get to have Sydney's little party tonight, and decided to go for a walk on the Pier to finish off the special day. After Harper overheard us deliberating between getting ice cream or going to the pier, we began to hear excited cries for going to the "pyramid!" It took the others a little while to figure out that Harper was really talking about the pier. I don't think she was too disappointed about it not being an actual pyramid. :)
I really tried to enjoy the breeze and sounds of the ocean from the pier, but to be honest, I just couldn't. Not with two preschoolers walking around next to railings with huge gaps and large waves beneath us. Most days I feel like I'm a laid back mom (see hot dog eating for breakfast above). And then there are many times that I become almost panicked at the possibility of peril around my children. I could not enjoy a single second out on that pier with Willa crying to walk over to the edge. I think a lot of it stems from seeing two friends with children who went to Heaven unexpectedly. It is one of those things that would "never happen to you" or "never happen to someone you love," and then it does. It does happen and you see the real devastation that accompanies such an unnatural loss, and you just get overwhelmed by the possibility. Every time I let my mind get panicked and I allow that sick feeling to creep into my stomach, I pray for my friends walking this earth with an incomplete family. I ache for them and ask God for peace for them. And as paranoid as it may be, I only stayed on the pier for five minutes before bringing everyone inside.
I love these two sweet blessings I've been given. Thank you, Lord, that they are healthy and here with me. I truly could not ask for anything more.
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