Time is Fleeting

I am feeling the shortness of the days of this season - seeing how golden the time is while my boys are little and excited and innocent and interested and close to me.

So, I am taking some steps to savor the moments.  For one thing, I have committed to spending some time with them in the afternoon on pre-K activities, followed by some easy art time.  This week our art activities were tempra painting and peeling old crayons to prep for a melting project.  

For fun, we have taken morning bike rides, had popcorn and lemonade snacks on the deck, played on the swing set, picnicked at the park, and gone to the library for books on frogs and how sound waves travel.

I also plan to take them on some easy day trips this summer - places I have wanted to take them for a while and they finally seem mature enough to enjoy.  Today we visited the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC, with some good friends.  

It was a happy morning, and the boys had great fun interacting with the exhibits.

Their favorite part of the visit was the train ride.  There was a picnic lunch followed by ice cream sandwiches from the gift shop.

Mostly I just enjoyed seeing them take it all in.  I sat between them on the train and kept watching the looks on their faces - incredibly relaxed and captivated by the changing scenery.

It was a quiet train, not very fast, and not crowded at all.  We said goodbye to the trains and came on home.

Mother's Thoughts

I've been boxing up their baby things for about a month now.  I have kept a few of the most sentimentally valuable clothes, blankets and toys in a special box, but most of the other things I am consigning, donating or selling in an upcoming yard sale.   It takes me a long time to close chapters in my life, and this one is no different from any other I have attempted to wrap up.  I feel like I am trying to prepare myself emotionally for the next big thing - "The School Days!"

Mother's Day was sweet this year.  On a rainy day last week, the boys asked to bring down a box of craft supplies they hadn't played with in a long time.  They found some pipe cleaners and some plastic beads and bells, and got busy making jewelry for me.  This bracelet and necklace became my Mother's Day gifts, and I wore them proudly all day Friday - around the house and around town!

I have to record a few of the sweet things both boys have said to me lately, because they are gifts, too.  A few weeks ago, Mark looked at me and said, "Mama, I falled in love with you!"  I believe he added something to the effect that he would marry me when he grew up.  And last weekend, Nathan paid me this compliment: "Mama, you look so beautiful.  I think you look like an angel."  My heart is full.

Making Stew

The kids were playing outside today, making "stew" from things they found in the yard.

I remember doing this often as a little girl.

Their play involved going on a journey to England, and the stew was transported via their favorite trucks.  I thought this was a great re-purposing for some of my old tupperware.

They both took good naps this afternoon, too.  Happy Friday!

We got out the sprinkler and wading pool yesterday afternoon to cool off.  The boys filled the pool and set up the sprinkler all by themselves.  It was a very relaxing afternoon in the comfort of our own backyard.  Loving that the kids are old enough to really enjoy this at length, and semi-independently!  Nathan thought it was funny that I took a picture of his feet ~ I thought they were too sweet not to shoot.