Thursday, March 31, 2011

.....hope.....

......although nothing about the 30 degree weather has felt like spring, there are still signs that breed excitement and feverish expectancy......


......and the sun has been beaming the last few days and we take every advantage to soak it up.....even if we have to bundle up in the winter gear to enjoy it.....



.....and although the driver to enjoy the outdoors is certainly the sunshine and crisp air, it is also the fact that I have this belief that the more I walk, the quicker our baby will arrive......and considering none of my winter gear fits and my casual coat will no longer zip, I sequester the girls rain or shine to get outside and walk.....because I am ready to meet this sweet child.....

.....and everything is always more fun if we do it with William.....so he and his Momma bundle up and join us......




......and although the little ones should not be complaining that their fingers are cold this time of year....they are......because I packed away the mittens two weeks ago thinking that certainly the last cold snap had already shown it's frosty head.....and every year, Mother Nature always gets me with one late winter spell just before April arrives......forcing me and all of the other spring seekers to tell ourselves, this is certainly the last of it......

.....but we carry on like it is 70 degrees, hoping the weather will follow our lead.....




.......we snooze like it's time for summer siestas.....



.....and my girl could not be roused by anything.....I didn't want her to miss out on the fun, so I practically had to pry her eyes open so she could see that her sister and William were feelin' quite festive......








......and when Elsie is forced to wake up when she isn't ready, she requires a lot of TLC.....and I am happy to give it to her.....


......and it's not a surprise she was a weary one......she worked hard this past week......it was her turn at school to showcase her All About Me poster......after lots of cutting with her new scissors, lots of glue sticking her favorite items on to her cardboard and after much deliberation on where to showcase her purple and pink stickers, she was ready to take it to her class and explain all of her favorite things......


.....and she was quite proud to talk about the things she loves......pink cupcakes, Saturday morning pancakes with Daddy, summertime, spending time with her sister, adventures with her best friend William, ballet class, growing hair as long as Rapunzel and having tea parties......she covered it all......


......and I was so thrilled to be able to watch her in her glory.....proudly stapling her poster to the All About Me wall with her teacher, satisfied that her hard work wasn't going unnoticed.....mark a notch on the self esteem belt.....this three year old was feeling pleased with her accomplishment......



......and then it was off to trim the bangs.....not a cut, a trim.....because trims actually make your hair grow longer.......

......at least that's what my Mom used to tell me.....so I am using the same line since Elsie does not want to have short hair.....the goal is to the floor by the time she's four......



.....and she kept checking to make sure that Miss Lily wasn't cutting her hair too short......jus a little trim, peez, not a cuutttt......


......and stay tuned because someone else in our house is due for her first cut soon.....my bald and beautiful toddler has sprouted hair overnight.....and we need to give her new do a little.......how shall I say this?......shape......



......I can't wait to share a special day with Callie like I did when Elsie had her first cut last summer......

.....and that's the thing about anticipation.....whether it's waiting minute by minute to see if each braxton hicks may turn into full blown labor, or waiting for the winter to finally move past us so we can begin the liveliness of spring, or spending days talking about an event with a child that gets them so excited and woozy about something as new as a first haircut.....it's all so hopeful......and hope is such a key element to enjoying the tiny moments and pushing through the other stuff until you reach your own pot of beauty and glory......




.......and the little ones remind me so often of hopefulness because it's the smallest things that get them revved up and full of sheer happiness.......they love to anticipate everything.....and that is living in the moment......




.....savoring the small things we learn from our children.......
Thank you, Sara, for your beautiful outdoor pictures!