Momcation + Sibling Love

I'm writing this from a favorite local coffee shop after enjoying some of its most delicious fare (that I forgot to photograph - what kind of millennial am I?!).  For the past two nights, I have stayed in a hotel room by myself.  I went to bed and woke when I wanted, watched what I chose, swam in the pool (which I had to myself, so I also got a pseudo-sensory-deprivation-moment in addition to an uninterrupted workout), ate what sounded best (and didn't prepare it myself), and completed a few pressing and non-pressing tasks (i.e. school-planning and nail-painting).  Plus, I kicked it all off by Christmas-clearance shopping for an entire day!  My only plan that involved someone else was to go see Wicked with one of my piano students.  The time has been refreshing, wonderful, and the gift it was intended to be.

Of course, there was ample photo documentation of most of it.

Bryant's job has required of him an unprecedented (and unexpected) amount of travel in the last several months.  While this has meant I have solo-parented for days, sometimes weeks, at a time, it has also allowed him to strategically accrue hotel reward points.  We can talk more in person about all the pros and cons of his job, if you'd like, but another relevant "pro" to note here is the fact that his office closes for an extended holiday break.  So, between the free hotel nights he has accumulated and the time he had off between holidays, he was able to gift me a "Momcation." 

Wanting/accepting this kind of time to myself has been a mixed bag for me over the past several years.  There was a season during which I longed for it...and then felt guilty for that longing.  There was a time when I felt selfish even thinking about taking that kind of time for myself, especially when so many are not able to do so.  There have been instances when I have thought that sort of extended time would be self-indulgent, frivolous, and unnecessary...even a form of escapism. 

I still occasionally teeter toward some of those feelings, and even did so momentarily during these last couple of days.  By the grace of God, however, and thanks to my encouraging and supportive husband, I have been able to allow myself to relax, enjoy, and truly lean into this time for myself.  I have rested assured that I am not escaping my day-to-day, but rather, relishing in the treat that is a change of pace, the break from all that comes with stay-at-home-motherhood, and the love and support of a husband who works hard to provide for our family in so many ways.

In other news:

This "footloose and fancy free" time also allowed me to freely (and lavishly) enjoy some favorite gluten-laden entrees and treats before beginning a six-month gluten-free regimen.  Long story short, I was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease (I'll let the experts explain more here.).  Because it is not (yet) a severe case, I will be (under the guidance of a functional medicine doctor) adding some natural supplements and removing some potential triggers in order to help support my thyroid into (hopeful) remission.  While the kids could survive solely on cheese quesadillas (and sometimes do, esp. when Daddy is traveling), gluten is not necessarily a huge staple the adults of the family's diet (Bryant will be joining me in this lifestyle adjustment), so I am not overly concerned about making this change.  I did, however, fully enjoy taking advantage of the excuse to enjoy "all the things!" as a last-hurrah before committing to the new diet...especially in case it ends up lasting longer than six months.

I had started compiling the rest of this post during Bryant's most recent work trip.  Despite some long days and trying moments, I was (and still am) in awe of the privilege it is to watch these kiddos learn and grow and love others (especially each other).  Any one of the following pictures could have been its own post, but since I don't always get around to sharing them in real time, I thought I would do so here:    

We began the ritual of leaving each other notes in suitcases even before kids, and now, the kids do it unprompted. According to Jacob, 5 days gone = 5 notes. ♥

Sunday best + feeling sweet = "Mom, take our picture!"

No words. ♥

My piano (and trumpet!) students and I recently hosted our annual Christmas piano recital at a local senior living apartment complex.  We had a great audience, and all the performers did so well!  

This was Lydia's second recital, though she still isn't actually taking lessons (don't tell her, though...).  She decided what she would perform (and how she would perform it) about 24 hours before we did so.  ;)

The excitement to perform was so real!

the annual wearing of the "music dress"

Of course, we celebrated with cookies afterward!

Taking advantage of a mild December day by visiting two parks was not new news or necessarily photo-worthy.  Her going down this slide on her own (closely followed by her encouraging brother), however, was monumental.  She went a few times with Jacob holding onto her, and though she would not try on her own with my encouragement, he worked and worked with her until she felt comfortable doing so with him right behind her, though not touching.  As you can see, they were both so thrilled afterward.  It was just so very precious.

This is on the way to the car afterward. 
They were talking about how brave she was and how proud he was of her.
♥

Pretty sure this girl is entering her crafting era.  She asked me to make a "Christmas hat" for her beloved Mango, and then, she proudly made tiny bracelets for her.

The kids and I joined a few ladies from church on a visit to an assisted living facility to carol and pass out cards the kids had helped make at church.
Jacob happily performed his recital songs...

...and sang carols like a seasoned choir member (though he hasn't done this before in his life).
Lydia was more reserved, but perked up for "Go Tell is on the 'Mountains.'"

Couldn't help but do this "then and now" after he recently got new specs.  Hard to believe we've been on this glasses journey for six years!

Of course, little sis wanted her picture taken, too.  She got an updated pair of the pink glasses she picked out a year ago!

There was more photo shoot where that came from! 
I had waited a couple years to put those Christmas-clearance hair bows to use.  ☺

Thanks, as always, for reading and caring and being interested in the big and small moments of our lives.  Your love and support are so evident in the ways you follow up, whether virtually or in person!  It is all much-appreciated.  Wishing you and yours all the best as the Christmas season comes to an end (on Epiphany, of course!) and the "dead of winter" sets in. 

Refreshedly,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

so many things (and people!) already mentioned above ;)

 

Pink Pony Party (and Chuck E. Cheese: Sibling Edition)

I am truly blown away by how rapidly time seems to be passing.  Lydia turned four last month, and she is constantly surprising and delighting us with insight and questions and things she initiates.  As with so many things in life, this is a "both/and" situation, because at the same time, it is so sad to see her baby and toddler moments riding off into the sunset (a preemptive horse pun for ya 😏).  Even so, we all had such an enjoyable time celebrating her - both on her actual birthday and at her party the following weekend.  

She opened gifts first thing...

...and they promptly put them to use.
Jacob was thrilled to gift her a pony Lego set - two of her most favorite things in one!

As promised (and rehearsed), Jacob fixed her hair at "Jacob's Salon" on her birthday morning.

The hair was (surprisingly) maintained all day and through her requested birthday supper at Nick and Jake's.
They were showing horse races (her first time watching) - so perfect!

This sweet girl shared her free dessert with everyone else right away.

The next morning brought horse races for all the new (and old) ponies!

She chose a strawberry cake for her party, and we made one from scratch.

She wanted to help set up everything and was so excited for her guests to arrive!

She helped with decorating the cakes, too!
(This nostalgic mama was glad for an excuse to get her some miniature My Little Ponies.)

♥

Unfortunately, I didn't snag many pictures of the birthday girl participating in the party games without others in the shot.  We started with a (stick horse) Pony Express relay (our kids and the cousins had recently visited a Pony Express museum, so half the participants were familiar with the concept, at least).  Stick horse riding at my parents' house is almost always accompanied by the William Tell Overture on their player piano, so I brought out my trumpet to play this during the race.  As a former trumpet major, I was embarrassed by my practiced-it-once-and-tried-to-play-memorized-while-giving-instructions-and-encouragement performance, but thankfully, the participants were fairly focused on the task at hand and got the gist, regardless. 😉 Ha.

This race was followed by a "horse show" during which participants introduced their tiny horses (thanks to a cousin's surplus from a different party) and took them through a series of moves and tricks the "owners" conceived of on the spot.  I was not sure how this would go over with the range of ages in attendance, but everyone seemed really engaged!  This was followed by (requested) bubbles, lunch, and cake.   

This is a screenshot from a video of the "horse show" - just to give you an idea.  The plastic horses were a couple inches tall, and here, Lydia is running hers over the "jump." (Our homemade balance beam came in handy!)

Lydia is very selfless, so it was really fun to get to make sure she got exactly what she wanted for all the festivities in her honor.  She is beginning to make core memories and connections, and it was really special to see (and hear) her anticipate and appreciate the various celebrations.  We just love her so!

Pinkily,

Kensy

P.S. You may remember last year's party theme was "Pink."  This year: Pink Pony.  Any bets on whether or not next year will add another P to the alliteration?  Pink Pony Princess, perhaps...?  😉

Favorites of the day:

alllll the bday freebies!

an hour of free child care courtesy of the IKEA play place
(this was on day 11/14 of Daddy's work trip)

these sweet siblings

They are both on reward systems for separate things (Jacob's is in place to encourage autonomy and minimize complaints, and Lydia's is helping encourage her to play independently during rest time) and have had their eyes on the top tier prize (a trip to Chuck E. Cheese) since the program was implemented a couple months ago.  Initially, they could not fathom being able to save up enough gold coins (the reward system currency) to cash in for this prize, so to help further incentivize them and foster a sense of teamwork, we told them they could pool their coins and earn the trip together (which also meant splitting the game credits while there).  They were very much on board with this idea (mostly Jacob, who had been there once on his own a year or so ago and was really gunning to get Lydia there, somehow) and worked hard to achieve their goal.  I was glad they earned it when they did, because it was during Bryant's long work trip and provided some great excitement and extra activity!  They shared the game credits willingly and well, and Jacob was so excited to show Lydia the ropes and play the games with her.

This moment left me speechless.  They got on, the ride started, and as they came around after the first rotation, I saw this.  They did not let go for the duration of the ride.  No one was scared or worried - they were just happy to be together, I guess. 💗

This was a motorcycle game Jacob remembered most from his previous visit.

Probably not built for two...or for seven-yr.-olds, but they made it work.

I was actually surprised by how into it all she was.

They were on a "helicopter ride over the city."  
Jacob was looking for Ingredion, a downtown client of Bryant's, thinking they were "flying" over KC. ♥

She didn't want to drive the second truck, but was happy to watch and cheer him on.

This all probably could have been a separate post, but it really was a favorite thing, recently, so I will just leave it here.  Please know that there are countless moments between these two and with them that are less-than-favorites.  They sure tend to run hot and cold.  It is the sweet moments (like these, brought to you by Chuck E. Cheese), however, that I cling to and choose to dwell on ("whatever is good, whatever is lovely...").  These are the moments I pray will live on in their memories; the interactions I hope to foster and encourage; the days I cherish.

 

Spring, so far

A friend recently asked me if I had given up social media for Lent.  Haha - woops!  No, I had not, but I can understand why she wondered.  Once spring arrived, we hit the ground running and didn't look back, I guess!  So, here are few updates and some of the pictures I didn't get around to sharing, previously:

Lydia is constantly surprising me not only with her requests to do things by herself, but also by the success she often has in these endeavors.  She asks to help me with the dishes, standing on her stool to hand them to me from the sink as I load the dishwasher.  Her several-word, descriptive sentences often use the word "like" or "buuuut," with a flip of her hand or bat of her eyes.  She has nearly mastered counting to ten, thanks to countless games of hide-and-seek, and points out every "L for Lydia!" she sees.  One of her favorite activities is to empty her Lego container and transfer all the pieces back into it with a spoon and/or a plastic mug.  She entered the garden this season as if no time had passed since last fall - ready and willing to pull every weed she saw.

She's joined her brother (very willingly) on the "fluffy" (a.k.a. steamer) bandwagon.  Our "downtown adventure" routine is to get them at a café in an old trolley (that the kids call a "street car") before riding the real street car).

A rare Sunday photo shoot was feasible when we all went to church together (rather than me going in a few hours earlier for rehearsal and first service).

Her request to make chocolate chip muffins was granted.

So proud to be using Great-Grandma Marceil's Foley fork. ♥

"Tan I do it by myself dis time?"

She didn't have to choose between pink frosting or sprinkles this time - there was one that had both!

Jacob continues to take us on a parenting roller coaster - a recent quote, "This has been the worst day ever, except for the fun parts."  If we're sticking with the theme park analogy, however, he provides lots of cotton candy along the way.  He is kind and thoughtful, and often sends guests out the door with something of his own (usually a piece of candy from his stash).  He is thrilled that Lydia is more and more able to play with him and even has her own ideas, sometimes.  There are the usual sibling spats, of course, but over all, he loves her so, so much and is such a cheerleader for her.  School is not always his favorite thing, but he's excelling in many subjects and on track in others, even though this technically wasn't even going to be an "official" kindergarten year.  When I tested him at the beginning of this semester, he was reading at a Level J (second grade), and he's breezing through his kindergarten math book.  While handwriting still isn't his strong suit, he has worked through all upper and lower case letters much more willingly than I anticipated (we just started the handwriting curriculum this semester).  He was asking about the garden even before it was time to plant and has been a willing and enthusiastic helper, which is so refreshing and endearing to me.

He calls me his "sweetheart," these days. ♥

This was the first sentence he's written.  The prompt was "write any sentence you want."
☺

He's putting some hand-me-down cleats and shin guards to good use thanks to a few weeks of "Bitty Soccer" through a local Parks & Rec.  It's a non-competitive program for preschoolers, and it's been really fun!  At the end of the first week's practice, he came off the field saying, "This is the best day of my life!" (despite the cold, very windy conditions).

This is how he ended what started as a seed-gathering hike with our weekly homeschool group.  All but one of the twelve kiddos ended up in the creek (with permission).
I grew up attending a once-a-week gifted class that took fairly regular "field trips" to walk to a nearby creek bed to look for fossils, creatures, etc., but mostly play in the mud and water. I don't know that it was necessarily an approved field trip and the time and certainly wouldn't be today, I'm guessing.  I don't have many strong childhood memories, but these were definitely core one.  So, as much as the mess and potential for all sorts of things to happen makes me cringe (working on this - ha), I'm very thankful for these opportunities and the moms and kiddos who make them possible and extra-special.

Jacob finished his first year in the Awana Sparks program and was so thrilled by the awards ceremony.  He was just as proud of himself for finishing his book as we were of him for doing so.

He finished memorizing and reciting all his verses well ahead of the curve, which allowed him to move into some extra credit work, earning him even more "bucks" to spend at the Awana store.  This was obviously very exciting.  ;)

I was talking with a friend recently about the sweet/nearly-perfect/endearing/wonderful moments of parenthood (particularly moments between siblings), and that while I think it sounds sort-of lofty and fantastical at times, sometimes the best word I can used to describe these moments is "magical."  So, here are some magical moments between siblings:

L was not as excited as J to be in "the big Chiefs chair."

He's been waiting so long for her to go down tandem slides with him.

He insisted this was a "swing built for two."

Jacob sometimes does "movie time rest time" for the rest time he has during Lydia's nap time.  On this day, he asked if we could do a "movie time lunch time," so Lydia would get to watch, too.  This was an easy "yes" for me, and they were so excited about it!  (For those wondering, they/Jacob chose Robin Hood.)

She was so excited to get to "go to Awana," and he was so glad to have her there.

Not pictured: many instances when they are sitting in the big chair together and Jacob is reading to Lydia.  (Sometimes Lydia "reads" to him, too!)

Our weeks often include playdates - some planned in advance and some spontaneous.  We're so thankful for friends, young and old!  During a recent visit, one of these friends drew an unprompted portrait of herself with Jacob, her sister, and Lydia (including meticulous details from everyone's outfits and accessories), so of course, we recreated it in real life!

This parenting journey is so many things, but above all, it is beautiful.  Though not every moment is easy and some days are harder than others, I am continually thankful that this is my job.  I am also so thankful to have such a wonderful partner in it - he is such a great dad and often knows what this mama needs before she does.  

As always, thanks for reading,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

This tiny vase regularly being filled with tiny-hand-picked flowers.

I have a souped-up smoothie for breakfast, most mornings.  So, I fully enjoy opportunities to have brunch.  (That's an already-half-eaten pineapple Danish - yum!)

Getting my colors done - for FREE!
This is something I'd been curious about, but wasn't planning to ever pay to do for myself.  Then, a dear friend alerted me to the House of Colour's need for models for training in KC, and you'd better believe I jumped right on that!  I got a spot, asked another dear friend to watch the kids, and was able to take advantage of this awesome deal!  (Since it was free, I didn't walk away with pictures or some of the other typical offerings, but luckily, my consultant posted this before and after to her Instagram!  For those unfamiliar (as I was a couple days ago), you're assigned one of four seasons on their color wheel, based on your natural skin undertones and what colors best compliment and highlight your features.  I'm a winter, which was both surprising and not, and is great news, because it means I'm "allowed" to continue to wear black leggings and silver hoops as staple items!  Phew!  ;)