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April 30, 2006

What matters most

It really has been a great weekend. I feel like we got some things accomplished around the house, but what made the weekend really good was that there was plenty of downtime, just relaxing, talking, and hanging with the kids. I'm easily consumed by tasks, and get caught up in checking one more thing off my to-do list, oftentimes at the expense of being connected with the people I care most about. Tonight, though, I was real intentional about being close with Owen. He helped me in the kitchen, and then I just sat with him while he ate a waffle as a bedtime snack (the cutie asked for a waffle right before bed, and how could I say no?). Normally, with him sitting and eating peacefully, I would rush to get some cleaning done, but I decided to just sit beside him at his little table. As we were sitting there, not even talking really, he just looked at me and spread his arms open wide for a hug. It was so warm and special, and went directly into that place in a mom's heart where treasures are stored. I loved it, and it just makes me wonder how many of those moments I've missed by letting unimportant things take over. I know there is a lot more of Owen that I've got to get to know, and that just increases my desire to stay home even more.

Posted by amy at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)

April 29, 2006

A Great Saturday

With both of us working, Saturdays are really important to us. The weekend is the only time we have to clean, shop, relax, work on projects, and also be sure that Owen has a good time all the while. Today was a good mix of all of those things. We got up, and Owen headed right for the backyard to throw some pitches to dad. So he did some running around and exploring. Then, we went to our favorite neighborhood coffee shop, Capitol Coffee, and chatted with our friend Troy who is the manager (and the man to see for lattes). Then, we headed to the Farmers Market to stock up on fruits and veggies. Basically, Duffy kept Owen happy watching the live fish and lobsters, while I quickly filled our cart with the goods. On the way home, we stopped by an antique/art shop "So Rare" we always drive by, but have never been to. It was inspiring, and further reminded us that we really need something for our bare walls. We also went to the library, which we haven't been to in way too long. Owen was just amazed at all the books, and you would've thought we took him to Disney World. Going to the library will have to be one of our weekly events when I'm home with them in the fall. We came home, rested a while, played some more, and cleaned house. Caroline slept the entire morning, and then woke up with a smile (see picture).
We went to church for a little while tonight, but left early after Owen had an accident (I don't know if I can even call it an "accident" anymore, when it happens more often than him using the potty- ugh!) We were most excited to find that the Braves game was being televised, and we celebrated with some ice cream sundaes--Owen has fallen asleep watching the game (see picture), and so now it is just Daddy and me.
Ahhh, the perfect ending to a great day.

Posted by amy at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2006

Figuring

I am looking forward to learning more about setting up this blog. Certainly it will be nice to give it a bit more personality. I want to figure out a real purpose for it, and be genuine with it. Knowing that others might read it can be good and bad; good, because it forces me to be thoughtful and clear, and bad because there is a temptation to try and be something more than I am. In truth, through this and other outlets in my life right now, I am just trying to figure out who I am. Some great poetry I read in college (the romantics, I think) was a lot about trying to get back to the spirit and freedom of childhood and a pure self (Blake and some other guy). I've been feeling that way over the past year or so, and am so thankful to have my children to remind me of that unhindered way of being. The little ones just put their whole selves out there. They don't think about it, they just are. Speaking of the beautiful children, here they are...

Posted by amy at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2006

School is almost out

There are only 4 weeks of school left, and that means a big life change for me. I will be staying home in the fall with our two little ones. I am looking forward to a slower pace of life for us. It will be nice to give Owen and Caroline more meaningful attention, and to make our home a comfortable place to be. It's only a little bittersweet right now, because this is when I start looking forward to the fresh start in the fall. I love teaching (most of the time), but I know it'll still be there in a few years. Encouragement comes from women, who've done the stay-at-home thing, who say I'll never regret spending the time at home. I know they're right, and a lot of what I enjoy about teaching, I'll still be able to do with Owen and Caroline, and by helping out in Duffy's class.

Posted by amy at 07:54 PM | Comments (2)