I counted them up. There are fifteen relationships that require work in our little household. Stephen and I have a marriage that takes time and care. We have relationships with each of our kids and our kids have relationships with each other. Stephen and I are attempting to know and shepherd our kids' hearts which, with four, can be overwhelming.
I find it super easy to appreciate my babies. Everything they do, even when they are naughty, is cute. And they require so much carrying and holding that it's simple to stay connected. It's a lot more challenging for me to stay in tune with my big kids. They are away at school learning. They come home and play together, and I spend a lot of my time with them instructing them in various life endeavors. It's hard for me to turn the coach off and be affectionate and friendly.
So my goal is to find time to nurture the relationships I have with my little family. I don't want to put rules on how to accomplish this goal like we have to take each kid out individually once a month or something. I just want to be intentional about my time and put my relationships with my kids close to the top of my priority list.
When I went to Texas in February, we did a girls and boys weekend. For spring break, we took the big kids to Chicago. Without the babies in tow we got to enjoy our kids that don't require strollers and diapers and who could actually remember what we experienced.
Chicago is full of awesome museums . Museums aren't for the faint of heart. They require lots of walking, reading, and learning. This can be a bit exhausting. Oh, and did I mention they cost a lot of money? Yikes! We went to the Field Museum of natural history and spent $50 for four general admission tickets which did not include any special exhibitions. We could have easily spent several hundred dollars in in museum tickets, but Chicago is just up the road and we'll be back.
So, instead, we spent our time enjoying all kinds of big city charm. We went to millennium park and enjoyed art and the spring time weather, we took the L train up to the residential (still urban) north side. We found a lovely park to play in full of yuppie moms with $350 strollers. We ate Chicago style pizza with friends. We did some shopping at the American girl store and the LEGO store. We went to the beach and dipped our feet in the lake, and went back to the hotel and put our whole bodies in the much warmer hotel pool. It was relaxed and easy and much enjoyed.
We probably got less awes from passerby's. Well, I guess a couple people noticed how blond our kids were. I kept wanting to mention that I had two more at home, but I didn't because it was another opportunity to just focus on the beauty of D'arcy and Julian.
Here are a few of my favorite comments from those two. D'arcy noticed that the posts at the bottom of the stairs looked like chess pawns, and so upon returning to the hotel Julian would always say "Hello Pawns!"
Julian liked riding the train and kept asking if this was his first ride on one. I thirty something man who presumably rides the L train frequently got a little kick out of that.
D'arcy had a hard time remembering where we were headed, and kept asking when we were headed to Canada or California. She got teased about that one a bit.
They both kept thanking us for taking them to Chicago and said they never wanted to go back. After a while though, Julian said he missed Maggie. I asked them candidly how they would feel if we had stopped at two and didn't have a Maggie or a Schroeder. Would they like that? They both immediately said no that they wanted to have a younger sister and brother. They also mentioned that they would like another one. Julian has a name picked out if he gets another brother...Bucky. He has been so adamant about this name for the last year that it is actually growing on me.
Photo credit goes to D'arcy. I've never been to Chicago in springtime. It was lovely.
Thanks again to Aunt Meagan for giving D'arcy Kirsten. Kirsten is retired, but D'arcy was still able to get a book about her and happened upon a bathing suit and roller girl outfit complete with roller skates for her.
I find it super easy to appreciate my babies. Everything they do, even when they are naughty, is cute. And they require so much carrying and holding that it's simple to stay connected. It's a lot more challenging for me to stay in tune with my big kids. They are away at school learning. They come home and play together, and I spend a lot of my time with them instructing them in various life endeavors. It's hard for me to turn the coach off and be affectionate and friendly.
So my goal is to find time to nurture the relationships I have with my little family. I don't want to put rules on how to accomplish this goal like we have to take each kid out individually once a month or something. I just want to be intentional about my time and put my relationships with my kids close to the top of my priority list.
When I went to Texas in February, we did a girls and boys weekend. For spring break, we took the big kids to Chicago. Without the babies in tow we got to enjoy our kids that don't require strollers and diapers and who could actually remember what we experienced.
Chicago is full of awesome museums . Museums aren't for the faint of heart. They require lots of walking, reading, and learning. This can be a bit exhausting. Oh, and did I mention they cost a lot of money? Yikes! We went to the Field Museum of natural history and spent $50 for four general admission tickets which did not include any special exhibitions. We could have easily spent several hundred dollars in in museum tickets, but Chicago is just up the road and we'll be back.
So, instead, we spent our time enjoying all kinds of big city charm. We went to millennium park and enjoyed art and the spring time weather, we took the L train up to the residential (still urban) north side. We found a lovely park to play in full of yuppie moms with $350 strollers. We ate Chicago style pizza with friends. We did some shopping at the American girl store and the LEGO store. We went to the beach and dipped our feet in the lake, and went back to the hotel and put our whole bodies in the much warmer hotel pool. It was relaxed and easy and much enjoyed.
We probably got less awes from passerby's. Well, I guess a couple people noticed how blond our kids were. I kept wanting to mention that I had two more at home, but I didn't because it was another opportunity to just focus on the beauty of D'arcy and Julian.
Here are a few of my favorite comments from those two. D'arcy noticed that the posts at the bottom of the stairs looked like chess pawns, and so upon returning to the hotel Julian would always say "Hello Pawns!"
Julian liked riding the train and kept asking if this was his first ride on one. I thirty something man who presumably rides the L train frequently got a little kick out of that.
D'arcy had a hard time remembering where we were headed, and kept asking when we were headed to Canada or California. She got teased about that one a bit.
They both kept thanking us for taking them to Chicago and said they never wanted to go back. After a while though, Julian said he missed Maggie. I asked them candidly how they would feel if we had stopped at two and didn't have a Maggie or a Schroeder. Would they like that? They both immediately said no that they wanted to have a younger sister and brother. They also mentioned that they would like another one. Julian has a name picked out if he gets another brother...Bucky. He has been so adamant about this name for the last year that it is actually growing on me.
Photo credit to D'arcy Williams. I like how you can see one piece of art by looking through the other.
Stephen says Chicago beaches are apocalyptic.
oh my word. I always look forward to your blog posts. I love your writing style, your insight and your stories.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing bits and pieces with the world. You're pretty rad.
Oh man! I love that Julian wants your next kid named Bucky. I love that he said, "Hello Pawns." I love that Stephen thought the chicago beaches to be apocolyptic. I agree...they look like something out of the Inception dreamscapes. I love that you took just Julian and D'arcy away for just them time. I love yoU!
ReplyDeleteBeth