The Pages of My Heart

One part of Alex's daily life revolves around reading and story telling.  The routing started out as a means of settling her down at night, and now has grown to be a part of our relationship, our interaction.  I read.  Ben tells the elaborate stories.  I try to cap it at a few books, but I've been known to read more than 4 if she gives me the look.  And after I finish, Ben and I change positions and he starts the story telling.  And from a distance, I can hear her talking to Ben in her petite voice, "Let's talk about..." or "Daddy, tell me about…" It's awesome to watch them thrive together.


As busy as life can be, I believe that we always should make time to sit together.  Every. Night.  And confirming my belief, I recently saw a story on National news, talking about a father who read to his daughter every night until she left for college. It started it out of his concern that they were growing apart; I believe she was the ripe old age of 6.  Their nightly interaction became an essential part of their lives and honed their relationship - so much that the daughter as a teen chose to continue reading, rearranging her social schedule at times.  As you can imagine, they progressed from chapter books all the way through the Harry Potter series to an amazing selection of classics. You could just see the love as they talked about how their "schtick" flourished with time.  Seriously touching.


The other night on vacation, it was late - beyond 10pm - and Alex insisted that we read.  So we made it through 2 books and I told her that we were all going to sleep.  5 minutes later, she rolls over towards me, sporting a hurtful pout and crying.  Not just a tear.  Oh no, a river of tears followed by uncontrollable sobbing.  And I saw a part of me reflected in her the first time - the silent cryer, the sensitive one - and I knew her reaction was no joke.  I finally coerced her to admit how I upset her, seeing that all I knew was that I hurt her feelings.  "You wouldn't read to me." And the tears flowed again. You would have thought that I verbally attacked her from her level of emotion.  And it all centered around a book and our need to be together. Sleep could wait.


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Last week (before the current heat wave), Alex and I set out a quilt on the deck, dragged out a throw and a mountain of books, and invited a few of her stuffed "friends" to join us.  The sun was setting and it illuminated the pages with golden light.  After our first book, Alex broke away from our quilt to pick flowers.  If you know her, flower picking is her her daily obsession that mortifies her father and makes her mother glow.  She's my girl. 

Then she kicked off her frog boots, deciding that a boot would be the perfect vase to hold her flowers.

I cannot lie - she did a nice job.  

She was visibly tickled, admiring her work and repeatedly pointed out to me how boo-ooo-dul her flowers are.  Then she sat down and resumed reading. Boo-ooo-dul.  Simply boo-ooo-dul. Gosh, I'll miss that mispronunciation.

Ok, I might be rambling with this post, but I haven't taught Alex to arrange flowers; and instinctually she knows what to do.  I haven't taught her to read, but somehow she knows the importance of that time too.  And it's moments like these when I feel my Mom present. And I am thankful.

"There is a way to live the big of giving thanks in all things. It is this: to give thanks in this one small thing.  The moments will add up." - Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

Anatomy of S'more

Summer. Take another deep breath.  Mmmm…


To me the epitome of summer circles back to childhood.  Simple memories of playing flashlight tag at dusk, collecting fireflies, swimming until my skin pruned, long days, tired nights, and making S'mores from the abandoned coals of the barbecue.

Bodies huddled tightly over the fire, buzzing like a colony of bees hard at work - a task at hand.

Preschoolers, Teens, Adults - all talking, turning, guiding, and roasting their marshmallows to perfection.

Elbow room at a minimum. The air is sweet and smoky from burning marshmallows.

Audibly you could hear her and others mumble "Mmmm" in delight.

And in the midst of the moment, Alex says "Oh Mommy.  S'mores are the best. I really, really like them. Can we do this again?" But of course.  It wouldn't be summer without it.

Buzz of Summer

When it hits 4th of July weekend, there's always that point in my mind where I remember it feels like the mid-point of summer.  It's hot.  The air is thick.  Our skin is sticky and coated with layers of sunscreen and bug spray.  Hair sticks to the back of my neck.  Bathing suits and towels always feel damp.  We sit on the ground and eat popsicles and water mellon and crave root beer floats. And this is when I feel alive. Energized and busy like the bees in my garden.  Buzzing.  Following rituals. Constantly in motion. 

This holiday weekend was no disappointment.  We had the treat of staying home and parading and running through farmland and swimming in the intense splendor of summer.  I kept thinking all weekend about the power of rituals around seasons and holidays.  The importance of rituals.  And how what we do shapes ourselves and our children. There is a place and a rhythm where they exist or are created.  

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Sunday we found ourselves on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, landing at Jenny & George's house, playing with our extended family, the Wheatley's.  Jenny and George are surrounded by farmland, so their house was nestled among haystacks and corn fields.  

Alex ran into the corn field with Jack and within 6 rows, she was undetectable. 

They were just short enough to run through the rows without feeling the sharp edges of the corn husks.  I cannot say the same about my experience in the field.

Alex was in love with Jenny's 4 year old daughter Katie.  They ran in the fields, held hands, swung together, and loved picking flowers from Wayne's garden.

I enjoyed roaming through Wayne's plot.

 It was my first time seeing the massive scale of broccoli, cantaloupe, and zucchini.  Remember I am a virgin harvester this year.

Wayne explained to me how he designed the beds with irrigation and which bugs are affecting his harvest.  Still, he has a bounty.  And I am energized from seeing his harvest just like I am from studying other gardeners' perennial beds.

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We stayed on the boat over the weekend - call it a "boatcation" if you will.  It's 50 paces from home, but you feel hundreds of miles away from daily life.

Alex finally discovered the cool little nook/cave under the V-berth pillow.  It can't be any bigger than a few square feet, but it's perfect for her. She sat under there with a flashlight and her doll Sallie and belted out "Somewhere over the Rainbow."

We made some sugary sweet treats for friends.

 RC Treats are the one treat that fits every holiday.  Just add a shape and sprinkles and voila!

Yes, they disappeared quickly. Thank God.  We ate peaches so juicy that Alex stripped down to her skivvies.

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And then we paraded on the 4th.  Oh how we paraded.  Two times to be exact.

The first one was in Eastport at the first annual children's parade.  Children were encouraged to decorate and ride their bikes, but seeing that someone doesn't like to her Skuut, I opted to make a Statue of Liberty costume from 1 yard of white material and 1/2 yard of 1/2" foam.  Thank God Mom taught me to be resourceful.

More than 50 families attended, and we got to see fellow friends Nathan & Brock. The bonus: it was lead by Police escort and a fire truck!

It ended at the local playground and every child won an award.

I commend the mom's for getting a list together of each child's costume/entry, and for making sure that there were lollipops, water, and snacks for the kids.  What a treat. I can't wait to make this a tradition.


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The second parade was a bit more of an old-fashionned, Anytown USA, American Pie parade in Galesville, MD.  Ben drove the Faces of Valor car, which led the event this year.

It's what you think of a patriotic parade - old cars, ponies, marching bands, large wagons pulling local families, and candy being tossed at kids. Alex loved sitting in the car waving her flag at people as we drove down the route.  She had a grin ear-to-ear.

Here's Alex at the end of the Parade.  Exhausted, but still waiving strong.

I loved watching kids sitting on the side of the road, hot and sweaty but armed with buckets - just waiting for the moment to pounce on the treats being tossed from the parade vehicles.


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We ended the holiday surrounding ourselves with friends on the back lawn of the marina.  Splayed out on blankets, eating s'mores, playing corn hole, and holding littles who were waiting for fireworks.  

And when I closed my eyes I could hear the buzz of children, of excitement, of summer.  And I knew rituals were there and it was simple but oh so good.  It makes me excited for next year, but then again, I don't want to wish one day of my current summer away. Simply rejoicing and being content.