Julia's Performance Piece

After Aidan and I got back from a weekend doing some Hiking Laser Bearing, and Julia and Mommy got back from a weekend at Yaya and Baba's, the two kids were ready to get back to hanging out and being together.

You two quickly got to business, wrestling, talking, catching up, and doing some creative works outside on the deck. 

Aidan, you and I were pretty wiped out from our weekend in the woods, but Julia, you got an AMAZING burst of energy, agency, and creativity.

You ran into the house, emerged in a costume...

...brought one for Aidan...

 ...and then hopped in a tree before crashing on mommy's lap and watching what happened next with as much wonder and amazement as the rest of us...

For about 45 minutes, Julia, you conceptualized, practiced, practiced, and repeated your production over and over and over again.

"1, 2, 3...follow me...march this way...girls curtsy, boys bow. Follow me. 1, 2, 3"

We watched in amazement as you perfected your performance, and then willingly joined in as you invited us to the stage.

Your creativity, your passion, your energy on full display. You are a magical fairy butterfly, Julia. And I pray that you never forget that. 

Kayaking with Pops

For Father's Day, we gave Pops a voucher to come Kayaking with us, and today was the day!

 So, we suited up, sunscreened up, Pops came over, we gathered some snacks and headed out on another White Rock Lake Adventure!

We may have slightly broken Pops, so early on we clipped the kayaks together and did a bit of a tug-boat caravan all the way to Northwest Highway! The longest we've ever gone on the lake!

We saw interesting birds, silly turtles, a bit of stagnant water with some crazy bugs, we ate banana chips, and jerky, and Triscuits, we sang songs, you guys dumped copious amounts of water on your heads, and some fish (aka me) splashed Aidan a few times...and I got splashed back!

You silly kids paddled and clamored for each other, clipped the front of the boats together, and held on tight.

It was exactly what Pops wanted for Father's Day. And it was so good to go up a creek with a paddle with Pops!

Gardening on a warm January day

Sometimes you appreciate the great outdoors the most when you can't access it. Such is the case of "winter." Now, we can't complain too much: we're pretty spoiled as far as winter is concerned. Other parts of our country are covered in 6 feet of snow! And Waterfalls are freezing! It's been a crazy winter...but not too crazy in Dallas. Still though, a few weeks of really cold weather and rain and clouds can make you really long to sit in a pile of dirt and just shovel.

 

So, when the sun came out, Aidan, your pants came off, and Julia you followed him out to the garden to eat some fresh broccoli, dig some fresh dirt, find some tiny snails, play chase, and have a sun-kissed lovely afternoon.