The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the air is filled with the fresh smell of yesterday's rain, and spring is officially in the works. Looking back, spring is a beautiful time of year, but I always found it trying due to my allergies. And summer was far too hot. Fall was definitely my favorite season. And all of a sudden, that has all changed. Sun means going outside and running around at the park and going for walks and playing with the water hose; in summary... fun! My daughter squeals in excitement as she explores this new world for the first time, my son runs in gleeful abandonment and I sit back and thank God for the beauty all around me. Not just nature at its best, but the beauty of my children enjoying it. Who could ask for anything more?
It is amazing how having children changes you. I have never been much of an outdoor person, but who could deny a boy with his thumb in his mouth, his kee-kee bundled up in his hands, and his face an expression of sheer anticipation as he looks out the window, "ou-siiii mama??" "pak? wak? (park and walk)". I have even discovered the perfect way to avoid tantrums and running away from mama... the stroller. No, I don't confine my son to sitting, instead, we pack Selah up and Caleb pushes the bar at the bottom while I push the bar at the top. That way he is helping mama, he walks a whole lot faster then he does when he can stop and look at EVERYTHING that we go by, and he is safe from running around. Perfect indeed. I never go anywhere without the token fruit snack (the bribe for leaving the park without collapsing in a bundle of screaming tears) and off we go. Never far, my little guy tires out pretty quick. But each time we go to the park he gets a little braver, and I have to run a little faster to keep up with him. Caleb has always been very very cautious. He didn't crawl until he was sure he could do it. No flailing for him, no army crawl. He would wait and watch and then one day, he just did it... perfectly. Same with walking. Slow and steady, and very cautious. I must admit, it is a quality I admire as a mother because of course, I am cautious with my children. I don't mind that he doesn't want to climb walls and scale mountains, it means less chance of my heart stopping and we are all happy. Well, that is very quickly changing. He is not always cautious, only until he is comfortable, and then he goes from one extreme to the other. For example, he would never go down the slide except on my lap. So far so good. Now he goes up so fast and down so fast that I can barely run to the front to catch him again. And that is not the worst part. He goes to the tall metal twisty slide and climbs up, barely making it up without falling, and down he goes. Be still my beating heart! All this while Selah crawls and begins eating gravel. Oy vey.
In summary, I don't just "put up" with being outside for the sake of my children, I truly have begun to LOVE being outside with my children. When you are watching everything from the eyes of a child, who couldn't begin to enjoy the simple pleasures of the outdoors? And the best part? I think my allergies, which I have suffered from my WHOLE life (to the extent of being on an inhaler) are gone. I still sneeze here and there, but somehow being pregnant twice through the spring and being unable to take my usual cartload of drugs has helped me. Who would have thought? Maybe the drugs don't help us, maybe they just make it all worse? Anyways, I am sure I will still have my days, but maybe it is just God's way of helping me enjoy the outdoors even more. And who am I to complain?!?!?!?!
And now dear reader, I have to get ready, for this day is a gift I am not about to waste sitting on the computer! Happy travels!
It is amazing how having children changes you. I have never been much of an outdoor person, but who could deny a boy with his thumb in his mouth, his kee-kee bundled up in his hands, and his face an expression of sheer anticipation as he looks out the window, "ou-siiii mama??" "pak? wak? (park and walk)". I have even discovered the perfect way to avoid tantrums and running away from mama... the stroller. No, I don't confine my son to sitting, instead, we pack Selah up and Caleb pushes the bar at the bottom while I push the bar at the top. That way he is helping mama, he walks a whole lot faster then he does when he can stop and look at EVERYTHING that we go by, and he is safe from running around. Perfect indeed. I never go anywhere without the token fruit snack (the bribe for leaving the park without collapsing in a bundle of screaming tears) and off we go. Never far, my little guy tires out pretty quick. But each time we go to the park he gets a little braver, and I have to run a little faster to keep up with him. Caleb has always been very very cautious. He didn't crawl until he was sure he could do it. No flailing for him, no army crawl. He would wait and watch and then one day, he just did it... perfectly. Same with walking. Slow and steady, and very cautious. I must admit, it is a quality I admire as a mother because of course, I am cautious with my children. I don't mind that he doesn't want to climb walls and scale mountains, it means less chance of my heart stopping and we are all happy. Well, that is very quickly changing. He is not always cautious, only until he is comfortable, and then he goes from one extreme to the other. For example, he would never go down the slide except on my lap. So far so good. Now he goes up so fast and down so fast that I can barely run to the front to catch him again. And that is not the worst part. He goes to the tall metal twisty slide and climbs up, barely making it up without falling, and down he goes. Be still my beating heart! All this while Selah crawls and begins eating gravel. Oy vey.
In summary, I don't just "put up" with being outside for the sake of my children, I truly have begun to LOVE being outside with my children. When you are watching everything from the eyes of a child, who couldn't begin to enjoy the simple pleasures of the outdoors? And the best part? I think my allergies, which I have suffered from my WHOLE life (to the extent of being on an inhaler) are gone. I still sneeze here and there, but somehow being pregnant twice through the spring and being unable to take my usual cartload of drugs has helped me. Who would have thought? Maybe the drugs don't help us, maybe they just make it all worse? Anyways, I am sure I will still have my days, but maybe it is just God's way of helping me enjoy the outdoors even more. And who am I to complain?!?!?!?!
And now dear reader, I have to get ready, for this day is a gift I am not about to waste sitting on the computer! Happy travels!
