Soaring and Stillness: Life with the Chickadees

Hello, friends. It's been a windy week here at the nest. Just like in Little Bit's favorite movie, Mary Poppins , storms have been brewing and things are changing. Change isn't necessarily bad; it's just different. It's the adaptation that takes adjustment. So...let's take 5! 1. We were invited to our second neighborhood party here in the great state of TN. I washed faces, brushed hairs, and got us out the door and across the street. The chicks had a blast in the jump castle, the prof played basketball and was asked if he was a former pro you should have seen the man grin , and I managed to appear social. It was a success all the way around. 2. On Sunday morning, we attended an amazing Gospel concert instead of going to our regular church. We loved it. Little Bit was fully into it and the Big, although slightly uncomfortable, actually ended up clapping. Having roots in Deee - troit , the hubs and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It took us back to our church youth cho...

Yippie for Friday...we've made it through the week. Seven more days removed from the lazy days of summer. Those are the moments that I'm missing this week. Ones of quiet and sleep and a lack of rigid scheduling. How about you, is there anything you're missing this week? Missing isn't always about wanting what you do not or cannot have in the present. Sometimes it's about looking back a bit wistfully and noticing what you need to work on incorporating into your days. Here are 5 things I'm missing this week... 1. Having family close. After two years you'd think I'd be used to going it alone. I'm not. I miss the girls being able to laugh with their grandparents, and my mom and dad having the ability to really "see" them as they grow up. 2. My best friend. Skype, twitter, texting and the telephone are all most fantastic and I definitely feel her with me all the time, but there's something to be said for just being able to "be"...

My five for the week are painfully slow in coming...I'm going to blame it on grading period brain. With that excuse in hand, here goes.... 1. The Big started pointe this week. Yep, satin shoes, ribbons, lots of sewing. Talent and hard work has brought her this far. She usually keeps me on my toes. Now she's on hers... 2. We've finished ten weeks of school--an entire marking period plus. Both girls are doing swimmingly and I'm only mostly tuckered out. 3. I've not turned on the air conditioning or the heat for thirty days. Waiting for the electric and gas bills this month looks a whole lot like a child anticipating Christmas. 4. I bought the husband a new shower head. Ours came with the newly constructed house two years ago and um, well, stunk. It trickled where it should have pulsed and dripped where it should have shot. In short? Yuck. He might just love me forever and ever. 5. Little Bit and I headed to Home Goods to look for the shower head. I wasn't expecti...

I have to admit, I just contributed to the creativity this week. With girls? It's all about color and sparkle. I found and supplied the paint and glitter stickers along with a smock. The idea arose after the prof and I discussed the joy of playing with boxes as children. Throw me a bone here...did anyone else do that? You know, when your parents or a neighbor or long lost relative purchased a new appliance and it came in that huge cardboard box that had the amazing ability to transform into a house/spaceship/retail establishment? Hours of enjoyment...I'm sighing and smiling just recalling those moments. Well, following the aforementioned conversation, I arrived home from using the elliptical to find this in our family room: My dynamic duo had assembled a whole bunch of Amazon boxes to form a submarine. This project had "Daddy" written all over it. There was a new captain in town, and her boat was purposefully headed to the depths. I am quite sure that Little Bit c...

Taking five is all about capturing the moments. Five, to be precise. Good, bad, or ugly...they all make up the week. Remembering them is what life is all about. Here in our nest? It's all about the remembering. 1. Our Big went away for the first time to a weekend camp. Gads of middle and high school kids from church were in attendance. Four coach buses. One new sleeping bag. A gallop-filled horseback ride on Luke (all the horses were named for biblical persons or characteristics). She learned, worshipped, laughed, grew. I think her wings may be a bit longer. 2. The prof and I experienced our first duo of days with Little Bit as a solo kiddo. Glorious is the only way to describe those sweet forty-eight hours. It was interesting to note the difference in the "feel" of our home...Our chicks are definitely their own little people, right down to the way our home hums when they are in it. 3. We went to the pumpkin patch. Twice. The first one that we pulled into was scary...

Wired. I'm wired. Purposed. Planned. I believe that what we're wired for is where we excel. I've come to believe that sometimes we're purposed for some things for a period and others for a lifetime. As a child, I was a nerd. Honest to goodness, teacher had to come and touch my shoulder to get my attention while I was reading kind of nerd. Bookish. Quiet. I excelled in school. I was a decent big sister, the kind who always looked out for her little brother, the one who brought him along to friends homes and played Barbie meets GI Joe/Transformers/ Skeletor as his whim dictated; I used constructs more than my Strawberry Shortcake dolls. I also once fed him a dandelion, but that's another story. I excelled. As a teen, I was still completely type A when it came to school. However, I found that a great group of church friends makes a girl bloom, the gift for which I will forever be thankful. I played soccer, ran track, sang in the church and school choirs, took up dance...