1.28.13 - Little Things

 

 

 

 

Ballerina - I love watching Lu'au at her dance classes. She listens well and enjoys dancing. The ballerina temporary tattoo is added cuteness (and the only kind daddy will permit!).

Daddy-daughter dancing - Daddy took the day off and went to ballet with us. It was great to have him see what we do and see the ballerina in her element. Good stuff.

Cousins - We snuck off to North Carolina to see my sister, brother-in-law, and their family. The cousins all get along well, and so do the adults. It's great to spend time together.

Sitting up - Little man is sitting now. He can't push himself up to sit yet, but if you sit him down, he can play there for a good 5-10 minutes before he wants to get moving again. He can't crawl yet, but he can roll himself anywhere he wants to go (or to any toy he wants to get to)!

Snow! - Lu'au was so excited that it actually snowed here. After several days of below 20 temperatures (and staying inside due to colds), it snowed. We ventured outside, runny noses and all, and played in the snow for a few minutes. Most of it melted yesterday afternoon, but we're getting a fresh batch today. Just in time for Daddy to take her sledding this weekend. Kunane and I will hang out together inside.

Hello... Is this thing on?

Wow, this whole two kids thing is intense. I read a funny article about it the other day, and while it's not that bad, it really is a big change.

In the beginning, it was so hot outside, it was hard to take Lu'au to the park. Now it's so cold outside (19 degrees?!?!) that I don't want to go outside, even with Kunane in a baby carrier or super-bundled, unless we have a specific mission and stops along the way. I know, whine, whine.

We're wrapping up our time here in the DC area. I totally have mixed feelings about this. I'm sad to leave the community we've established here. I know the cashiers at the grocery store, the baggers at the commissary, the mail ladies at the post office... I feel like most times we go out for walks around town we bump into someone we know. And I love it.

We did random acts of kindness on what would have been my brother's 30th birthday. It was a great way to honor him, I think. Plus it was fun. Some of what my family chose to do were truly random. Lu'au handed out 2 dozen flowers to random strangers on the street. Other things were deliberate acts of kindness and a way for us to thank so many people in our neighborhood that we see regularly and usually don't stop to acknowledge.

I watched the movie Hope Floats the other night while folding laundry (another thing that has dramatically increased with the one to two kids transition, particularly when kid #1 is potty training!). Along with bringing back good memories from Huntington University, at the end, I heard a line that resonated with me. The main character, Bertie, said,

"Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. And you need to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up, and it will, too." 

I really thought about that. That's totally where I am now. I'm starting to feel like we're ending our time here, doing some things here for the last time, and I'm sad about it. At the same time, I'm starting to get scared about our upcoming move (first time PCSing with 2 kids!), readjusting to life somewhere else, and plugging into a community. But while all of that is going on, I don't want to lose any of the richness of life here - the time with friends, walking all over town, seeing our favorite people around the city - we really do have it good.

And I'll try to write more. Not really for you, but for me to capture this time in our lives.