Every afternoon we have about an hour after naps and before dinner, and I’m trying to get in the routine of going outside. I wish going outside to play only involved me saying, “KIDS! LET’S GO OUTSIDE TO PLAY!” But that’s simply not the case.
I won’t bore you with the details but there are shoes and snacks and trips to the potty and by the time we make it outside at least one of us is laying in the doorway screaming and it’s almost time to come back in.
But it’s worth it. My kids get to dig, climb, and discover caterpillars and I get to bask in the afternoon light and my three awesome kids.
A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016.
David / See that bandage peeking out from David’s sleeve? He had to have some blood work done this week, and he was so brave. It wasn’t a big deal, but I couldn’t sit with him because I had Thomas, and seeing him alone in the chair, grimacing through the discomfort was somehow more wrenching than if he’d hollered and cried. He’s getting so big.
When we were done they gave him the sticker he’s wearing. It says, “Behind this sticker is one great kid.” I read it to him and he turned the sticker over and said, “Mommy there’s no kid back there!”
You’re the great one, kiddo.
Mary Virginia / We went out to feed geese in the pond behind our house. David ran straight to them, and it was all I could do to keep Thomas from flying south with them for the winter. Meanwhile, Mary Virginia (the fowl lover in the family) stayed, oh, at least football field away from the geese and kept asking to go home. When we were safely in our yard, she filled that watering can with dirt and threw it in the air, shouting, “Here you go geese! Here’s some food geese!”
Thomas / Since we moved, our wagon has been in the shed and we haven’t played with it at all. Until Thomas found it and even though he’s never been in a wagon before, his little boy DNA told him to climb into it and whine until someone started to pull him around.
