Loving Grandma

We're in the middle of a wonderful visit from Grandma Barbara. Which has included lots of swimming and beach time, lots of walking back and forth (I never remember everything the first time), and lots of fun. She's been reading tons of stories (including Johnny Appleseed) and everyone's been playing various card games. Its been a great visit, and we haven't even hit the crazy 4th celebrations. It was a hot day (grandma would have liked real air conditioning I think), and so its turning into a late bedtime. But I think finally the house is quiet.

More pictures later.

Bedtime Swim

We all miss Daddy, especially nights like this.

Birthday Mini Tri (Lake Style)

Swim across lake, paddle boat back (in high wind), run 7 miles. Go, daddy, go.

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday To You!

Saturday was James's 35th birthday. We celebrated at the lake with grandma Barbara, Nick & Erin, grandma & grandpa Schneeman.

Sweets, there are not words for our gratitude for you. You are one of a very small company of men (or people) for that matter that truly do everything important well. You quietly shoulder the responsibly that has been rested on you with grace and intelligence. You are a natural father, a man who educates and leads by good example and deeply felt love. You are a husband who make marriage easy even though I know I can be a challenge. You continue to grow in your career without cutting into your family or personal health time. You've transformed yourself into a remarkable endurance athlete not for vanity sake but so that you can show your children how to be fit, healthy and have fun.

I am amazed by you every day. I am grateful God sent you to me. And I promise to do my best to live up to the high, wonderful standards you have set.

Happy birthday, Darling. It's going to be a good year.

New Cabin Friends

Love is always in action.

My dad insisted on cutting my grass this morning because he thought I looked run down. He told me that I need to make sure I take care of myself - and when I argued about cutting the grass he said "I know I don't have to, but I'm going to."

Today was the first sun we've had all week and my heart feels so full of love and sunshine it could burst.

Itasca!

Rain doesn't slow us down. Saw the largest white pine in the area - it was a super big tree. Had a great trip but the kids all asked if we could go back when its nice out.

Rainy Cabin Day

Kids are making a pillow fort, I'm rereading America, America and we're rediscovering that a rainy day can be its own adventure. We're heading to Itasca this afternoon when we start to get a little stir crazy. But so far, cold and rainy ain't much of a problem.

First paddle boat fish!

Reading.

Seamus crawled into bed with me this morning (our first morning of the summer all alone at the lake) with his book, Marco Polo. We both read quietly for 15 minutes or so, when he put down his book and asked if he could do this every morning in the summer. I said sure, as long as you're quiet. But it made my heart happy to know that yes, he's loving independent reading and that he'll still snuggle with me. He's finished 3 or 4 chapter books since school got out and asked if we could go into town today to check out the library.

I told him that this could be the summer of reading for us, I'm back to reading all the time too. Finn's been carrying around a suitcase filled with books he can't read yet, but now I see its all only a matter of time. A summer of reading will be good for all of us.

Happy Father's Day.

Good dads make good dads. Thanks grandpa Tom for shaping, teaching, and loving our dad so much.

Thanks grandpa Dan for being such a great role model and guide.

We are so blessed - James makes our family go 'round. Happy fathers day to the best!

The Good Brother.

MJ didn't have her bathing suit at the hot tub. Seamus agreed to walk all the way back to the Treehouse to get it (he had his). No complaints, grabbed her hand and they ran all the way. Apparently this is what you get when you bring your brother to fetch a bathingsuit.

Summer begins

With a grey sky and three happy hearts. Just waiting on dad.

Finn fixes his own bike.

So Finn's chain has been falling off his bike regularly and it has been a very annoying problem. It is compounded by the fact that the chain has some sort of plastic protective covering on it (probably to prevent it from falling off and or for keeping young riders clean).

Anyway, the chain came off again today and before I had time to get out and take a look at it (its been a crazy busy day - TBPP, party for Dan and Kelly, leaving for the lake), Finn had gotten two different screw drivers, removed the plastic covering, fixed the chain and replaced it all. Ahhh, self sufficiency, the byproduct of distracted parenting!

Kinder Kamp

First Grade Comes to a Close.

Seamus finished first grade today. MJ, Finn and I attended the closing mass and I struggled to keep my composure throughout the lovely celebration. Everyone seems to have really grown this year - including the new, young priest, Fr. Joe, who did a really wonderful job helping the kids to think about how they can be a "light" during the summer months.

Seamus's report card shows a student who experienced incredible academic growth in one short year. His teacher, Jane Tracy, will be one of those teachers that I think he remembers forever. I know that I will. She is a tough, no nonsense kind of woman, but she had a hug for him every day. His reading and math skills went from average to excelling and I think he really got the correlation between working hard, listening, practicing and seeing real results. He got 100% or more on every spelling test and so he's earned a dinner out with the family. We are all already looking forward to celebrating with him.

Maureen Krumm and I had a good cry at the last pick up - we laughed at how these little milestones seem to catch us off guard. Heaven help us all at first communion next year.

I got home, made some quick lunch an we're getting ready to spend the afternoon at the pool. I had a moment standing in my kitchen, quietly and unexpectedly of deep, soul filling gratitude.

It took me a long time (or at least it felt that way) to find my way as a woman transitioning into a mom. I struggled with how or why to stay home - it was hard for me to shake the feeling that I should be "working". I think every woman who has kids struggles with how to best fit it all together - do you have to work for financial reasons? Do you need to work for psychological reasons? Do you want to stay home because you don't have a career? Do you want to stay home because being a mom is all you ever wanted to do? The answer is different for everyone (sometime different for the same woman at different points in her life). I've answered these questions (for the time being) for myself so comfortably.

And so standing in my kitchen, making egg sandwiches, listening to the kids find sunblock and bathing suits, I felt immense gratitude for the ability to make my own choices. James works so hard - very willingly - but today I got to go to mass, have lunch with the kids and now take them swimming all afternoon at the pool. I know that he'd kill to have this day - but he makes these sacrifices so that the kids and I have this very wonderful life. I know how lucky I am. I cannot say thank you enough - and I need to remind the kids all the time how fortunate we are for dad's work ethic and his great company.

We don't get where we are alone - people help us, support us, sometimes carry us along the way. They give us options we otherwise wouldn't have had, they teach us things about ourselves that we didn't know, but in the end we rest on the wisdom and support of the people who have loved us.

Some of life is luck - we could very easily be in a different situation and I know we'd handle that just fine - but that doesn't change how important it is to say thank you to the key teachers, parents and supporters in our lives. Seamus and I gave a lot of hugs and thank yous today - but it is almost never enough.

The last year has given me lots of professional satisfaction (though none of the monetary kind) and while that's been so good for me as a woman, I know where my heart is, I love being your mother. I am grateful that motherhood suits me so well. I am grateful that I get to make the choices about how I spend my time, and through you may not have this luxury when you're older, I hope that you can find balance and happiness in your decisions.

When dad gets home tonight, we all need to give him some extra love. Congrats, Seamus on a wonderful year. I can't believe you're a second grader...

(I took a picture of Seamus and Jane at the end of the day - somehow it was deleted from my phone - but it is forever in my heart).

MJ Graduates!

Today marked the end of MJ's first year of preschool. Finn and I attended her "graduation" which again included a few songs and cake. She spent the whole walk home (its 100 degrees today) singing loudly: "That was so much fun, that was so much fun, that was so much fun."

I turned around to see if she wanted to get in the stroller as we were leaving Nativity, and I saw she and Seamus holding hands and talking about their days. It was priceless.

These are two of her favorite friends from school Mia and Gabrielle. Gabrielle is moving away this summer and I know MJ will miss her - its been a fun year with new friends (and finally getting to hang out with some girls!).

The fun thing about this age is your enthusiasm for just about everything. Loud singing, big clapping, happy, happy smiles. Watching you today filled me up with love.

Finn finishes preschool.

Finn wrapped up his preschool years yesterday with about six songs, some milk and sheet cake. He started his preschool years at Edgecombe Community center with Mrs. Culbertson and Ms. Nancy. He still talks about missing Ms. Nancy - which I think is the sign of a good preschool teacher.

He's loved Nativity's Early Learning Center (and Mrs. Roger and Ms. Mencke) this year but he is very ready to move up to kindergarten. Kindercamp starts on Thursday and he's been wearing his uniform in preparation (note that the kids are not supposed to wear their uniforms - he's just that ready).

Finn and Will Krumm could very easily spend all their preschool years, grade school years, and high school years together. So here is the first of what could be lots of graduations that we're celebrating together.

Finnypie, I am so excited for you. You couldn't be more ready both academically (you're reading a few words and counting into the 100s) and socially (you are more socially confident and outgoing than you used to be). My heart aches a little because I'll miss you at home in the fall. But I know I'm sending you off to a special place where you'll thrive and grow. We will treasure every moment of this summer together - story time, swimming, hikes through the woods, campfires and cookouts. I don't want to miss a minute of this precious time with you.

Nesting

We've been watching a nest of five eggs for a few weeks. Today they started to hatch. It is pretty cool.