this has been my last week with just annie and i home together…no siblings.
today is our last day.
and we are very busy with unrelated things.
oh well.
we went to the zoo yesterday….that counts towards good memories.
on monday we did some painting.
on a box in the driveway…because she wanted to.
she had plans to fill it with "gifts" and mail it to eliza.
i figured she would forget…..and she has.
but we did paint the whole box.
i could feel my heart swelling up in me…things are going to change.
she talked non stop while she painted.
i painted very slowly so she could do the majority of her project.
i tried to take in every second of it.
i was burning it into my soul…don't forget this moment…don't rush…don't leave…just sit and BE.
me.
i ate cereal with milk…she ate cereal without.
i wore my slippers.
why do sweet baby toes have to grow up and go to kindergarten?
not fair.
today the school year ends.
as of monday our summer begins.
meals all day, kids all day, fighting all day, hanging out, making messes, inside/outside/inside/outside
but i think it's going to be a good summer.
i was dreading it last year.
for some reason….i am not this year.
i will let you know if i feel the same on monday night.
now…i need to start on my rainbow cake.
alyssa - i wish i could have a piece of that cake!!!!
kristine - hmm favorite line:
why do sweet baby toes have to grow up and go to kindergarten?
not easy.
smile.
cringe.
tear.
Mindi - I totally agree! Kindergarten sucks!! I just signed my son up for fall and seriously cried while filling the paper work out. It’s silly I know. they have to grow up, right?
The funny thing is this is not the first time or the last that I have been saddened by a major milestone.
It will get easier won’t it?
Amy R. - I am so with you on this one! My sweet and only girl starts kindergarten this year too! My heart is breaking. At least I will have another little one at home still, but my daughter and I are just kindred spirits.
Hope your summer is sweet and calm in it’s own way…
Amy
Molly - Aww this post made me tear up 🙂
Molly
http://www.mypeaceoflove.com
Corry - Thank you, Meg, for saying “what you say” Love you and your blog! You make all of us “Moms” who are trying to “do it all” relax and realize what is important- our FAMILIES, of course!!!!
Rachael Ensom - This is such a precious post:)
Lin - Why do sweet baby toes have to grow up, graduate kindergarten, and move on to first grade? My daughter will be six next week, and the week after is her last of kindergarten. Then she will be a “big school ager”. What am I going to do without my baby?! Sorry…my self-pity just got out of control for a second.
Courtney Walsh - I don’t know what I’m going to do when Sam goes to school. I am so glad he has a late birthday. It gives me an extra year with him. He makes my days so happy. I imagine your Annie does the same.
Hard to let them go…
A pocket full of posies... - Precious, sweet, priceless moment!! (and delightfully filled with color too!)
perfect.
Happy Summer Break!
Blessings!
Jill
krystall - I wish I could make your rainbow cake, I tried and failed. Any hints????
I wish you were my BBF, I love your life and LOVE your house. You seem to have it all together I’m sure you don’t think so but reading your blog daily inspires me to be a more “in the moment” mommy.
“see” ya tomorrow,
K
Christina - Poignant.
Her toes are adorable. I love baby toes. My two-yr-old still has those sweet little beautiful feet. My seven-yr-old (son) had the prettiest baby feet ever…and now they are big boy feet! I still took a picture of them when he had them crossed under his bottom in the sand recently. They were still cute, after all. 🙂 My oldest? Her feet are going to look like her dad’s! haha Long and thin.
You are such a good mama.
tara pollard pakosta - she’s so CUTE>
love that you just sat and watched her paint.
i did that and still do with my girls,
and I LOVE IT. it’s so neat, to just sit and
see what they create.
I LOVE your blog!
hugs!
tara
Mary P. - I’ve shed many tears w/ you this week. My 6 yr. old tender boy started kindergarten this year and it almost killed me, so your post about Annie and her preschool had me re-living last year. I also have a 4 yr. old who is finishing up her 1st year of preschool this week. The time we spend together at home I’m trying to be very “present” for. It’s been hard since I’m due w/ #3 in 2 weeks. I wish sometimes life could just stop so I could soak everything up.
I read something yesterday that really hit home w/ me and thought you might like as well. “the ordinary is just the extraordinary that’s happened over and over again.” Isn’t that true for us “at home” moms? I forget that WAY too often. May God grant us the grace of a normal day everyday.
FYI: I LOVE your blog.
AshleyAnn - Those are some sweet moments…for you and her.
You are a really great mom. A really great mom.
JJ - You are making me cry! Next week is my last week with my youngest- after 11 years of being home. My heart aches along with yours!
What a great memory you made with the painting project.
Tanya - Empty boxes should always be painted with love
Pamela duMont - Is that cookie crisp? Man you are a cool mom. My kids get cheerios. What is my problem? I would kill for a bowl of cookie crisp right now.
Kelly - yea for cookie crisp!
nora - wah, this is how i felt my last few days of maternity leave… if you find yourself too upset to eat your slice, feel free to send it to Jersey 🙂
Melanie - I hope that you have a great summer. I will be thankful for the ONE child that I have:)
Have a good weekend.
Jaime Melcher - You’re so sweet! I just bought all the stuff to make rainbow cupcakes for my 3rd graders end of the school year party next Friday! Can’t wait! I hope you have a FABULOUS weekend!
Debbie S. - I feel your pain with the inside/outside/inside/outside and meals all day. I have to do MAJOR grocery shopping before summer kick-off Monday.
Julie - for whatever reason this blog made me cry. I have 4 more years until my last is in kindergarten….still to treasure the moments. Hope you have a great summer. look forward to reading about it! We have a whole month before our summer!
Elizabeth - I love your blog and how real you are, just beautiful. I found your blog because of your rainbow cake from last summer. I made it for my 5 year old’s birthday in Jan and have been reading your blog just about everyday since then. You have inspired me as a mom. Enjoy your summer with your children! -E
linda lou - sweet photos of annie and painting the box what a neat idea (: to mail. blessings.
Heidi Jo the Artist - I’m so glad you are not dreading spending the summer with the kids this year. I remember that last year and it saddened me to hear that. Sure, I have days that the kids get on my nerves too, but I pray to appreciate those days too, as crazy as that sounds; because I know people (one being my sister) that have had their children die and so I would rather have fighting then silence.
I just showed my son the photos of Annie painting the box, and guess what he wants to do!! I love all your (and your kids) creative ideas. It always gives us something new to try. 🙂
Cheers to a great summer! 🙂
P.S. Rainbow cake here I come, I have planned a Rainbow Brite birthday party for our daughter who just turned three. Just so I could make the SUPER COOL rainbow cake of yours. I will have to let you know how it goes!
Staci - We are not out until next Friday…but today is our last day because we are Disney bound!!! I have a ton of stuff to do before getting ready for this trip…and I am reading blogs 🙁 I hope you have a terrific Summer !!!!!! Can’t wait to see it all in your fabulous pics 🙂
Courtney - the rainbow cake! one of my favorite “things” i learned from you!
Lisa Currie-Gurney - MEG, I AM SO GLAD FOR YOU THAT YOU ARE A WISE MUM AND TAKE THE TIME THAT GOES BY US, EVEN IF WE DON’T WANT IT TOO.
HUGS FROM MAINE
Nicole Q. - I’m with ya . . . all week I kept thinking this was IT with the twins!! Next year they have to grow up. SNIFF SNIFF! HOpe to see ya at the grad party tomorrow, we’ve got a couple parties to make it too, it will be a busy day.
Lisa - OH. I can’t take anymore. I do NOT heart kindergarten. Last day of preschool at our house and I’ve been on the verge of tears all day. Way to soak up sweet memories with Annie!
amy d - you forgot the best part….SLEEPING IN!!!!! …almost as good as rainbow cake!
Jennifer - You will soon have a new type of normal to enjoy. It will be fun-this one will come home from kindergarten, talking your ear off telling you every little thing that happened. My oldest is like this and I hope it NEVER changes! Our summer starts next Friday-for right now at least, I can’t wait! 🙂
Sarah@Clover Lane - yes, repost the rainbow cake! and i am SO looking forward to summer this year too…and last year i wasn’t either. i can’t wait for it all…the good and the bad.
Jaime - I love your pictures of Annie… =D
Summer starts the following week for us. I am going to sit down with the kids this weekend and create our summer “to do” list – the one you made last summer with your sweeties!?! It was such a great idea!
Karen Gerstenberger - My heart is with yours – and you are so right to savor every moment that you are “awake” and noticing the blessing of just BEING. Just being, and being with the ones you love, in peace. There are many hard, sad, frustrating, annoying moments, too, and those beautiful ones are pure gifts. So glad that you took time to reflect and to share with us…now we are awake to those moments, too.
sarah - I’ve been struggling with Kenzie not being my ‘baby’ anymore. She changes everyday, and sometimes I feel like I can’t hold on to the moments tight enough.
I agree why do ‘baby feet’ have to grow up. tear.
I want some rainbow cake.
Katie - Can you post your recipe for the rainbow cake? I can’t find it anywhere. I love reading your blog (and looking at)and smile everytime I come to it. I also like to link to your happy things. I even thought of you this morning when I made a smoothie.
Janine - Wow. I must be reading your blog for a year now. I think I started around the time of the last rainbow cake. Enjoy your summer. “summer” doesn’t start around here till mid/end of June.
Kirsten - Oh the rainbow cake! Makes me smile…I must make one. We still have 4 weels of school, but my baby is in 4th grade. I know this: we have an option for all-day kindy, or 1/2 day, and 1/2 day is so much less popular (why???) because many mom’s can’t wait to “get rid of their kids”. Me? No way, I was selfish and wanted my girlie to come home at lunchtime everyday and to have her to myself for that bit of the afternoon before her brother came home. I savored that last year.
Anna Marie - That is what I was going to ask. Haha! Gonna make that infamous rainbow cake like last year? Gosh, it seems like that was just yesterday. Have a great weekend, Megan!
Rebekah - Is that Cookie Crisp? I love that stuff. I haven’t had it since I was a kid. My mom never bought it, but my grandmother did. 🙂
On a more serious note, this post makes my heart ache a little. I have a couple of years left before Ginny starts school, but I can see that day coming and I know that once it gets here every thing will change. I should be soaking up every minute of this precious time alone with her. Already I’m amazed at much she can do without my help. And I’m going to stop thinking about it now, before I cry. :}
tami reed - Funny how mom and daughters relate. My daughter and I have alot of friction but i love her soo much. She is soo different from me. My son and I have a great relationship and he is so funny. He is the jokester in the family lol.
Sandy - Was that Cookie Crisp in Annie’s bowl?! That was my favorite when I was a kid! I could still eat it.
So sad Annie’s little toes are growing up and going to kindergarten in the fall. I bet she’s excited though. 🙂
Nancy - The rainbow cake… I just love that! My five year old has cereal with out milk as well. Must be a getting ready for Kindergarten thing. Enjoy your day.
elma - I so heart your blog. Enjoy your last day together:) Summer starts for us on june 2. Now that Adrian is five I am going to try to do some fun day trips and take the littles to Chicago for a couple of days I hope I survive. Love all the pictures!! You are such a FABULOUS mom!!!!!
Queen Bee - Oh you about brought me to tears.
My darling Kiddo goes to kindergarten this fall as well, and I had the very same internal *moment* as you last night, as I watched her brush her teeth.
All by herself.
No help necessary in turning on the water, getting the cap off the toothpaste, no step stool needed. I just watched her, mesmerized, thinking, “Remember this. Take this in and commit it to memory. This will be gone in the blink of an eye and never return.”
Jimina Anderson - Why do you have to be so perfect? Darling box idea! I’ll keep it in mind.
Vicki - You have tapped into one of life’s greatest secretes…..when all else fails….when the ship is going down…when nothing makes sense anymore…BAKE!!! Have a happy day!