Making Magic

We are home from vacation and are back into the groove of daily life.  Laundry, pets, schoolwork, writing and childcare.  Going away feels good but coming home always feels the best, doesn't it?  There is nothing like your own bed and pillow, the wet kisses from pets who think you are the most important person in the world and familiar nooks and crannies that welcome you home.

It was the girls' first experience on an airplane and they did great.  Dee was unable to come on this trip as her spring break was last month and it really wasn't the same without her.  Having an adult daughter is a new experience for me.  It brings with it both joy as well as a bit of grief.  It is a reminder of why I work so hard to put all of my energy into raising my daughters now, so they can go into the world and make a difference and thrive... yet, it is also a reminder that they all will, in fact, leave and go into the world without me.  So I'm savoring the moments we have together while I can.

Brianna has grown so much from an anxious little girl to our dare devil.  She loved the idea of the airplane and EVEN went on her very first roller coaster.  She absolutely LOVED it and couldn't get enough. It makes me so happy to see her blossoming in her own time and I'm so glad I trusted my instincts instead of what society might believe about pushing her ahead academically.  We gave her the gift of time and it was the best decision we could have made for her because now she is ready to focus on academics after first learning to trust the world around her.

Keira, as always, was excited about everything she saw.  She has such a love for life and has a naturally positive energy.  As she enters her teenage years I know there will be rough parts, so right now is an especially special time for me to enjoy the child left within her as much as I can.  She still loves to play and discover as a young child, yet I see the maturity in her growing strong and catch a glimpse daily of the young woman she is soon to become.  

And my oh-so-silly but quiet Maia... the things she thinks of and the quick humor she has stops us all in our tracks so often and brings out such laughter.  She has a knowing about her that I cannot describe.  I guess it is exactly what people refer to when they say someone is an "old soul".  She asks deep spiritual questions and has her own philosophies including her own belief of life-after-death which simply translates into reincarnation.  We have never told Maia what that is... she just told us that she believes when we die we come back as a new baby until we have learned all of our lessons and can go to heaven. Mind baffling really that a child can think of this without prior knowledge of what it is.  It truly makes you consider.  Maia always wants to know how things work.. the mechanics of everything and asks so many questions to fully understand things in her world.

The girls also really cherished their time uninterrupted with their father.  He works all week and with the new business he often has to go in on weekends and it feels like he is never home anymore so it was really nice for them to have a full seven days together without an agenda besides having fun.

And while we are not a Disney family and try to keep the girls away from too much media, we were presented with an opportunity to visit the parks that we couldn't turn down and I must admit - they truly are magical.

I was able to meet an online friend who used to also run a natural childcare that I've known for eight years but have never met in person.  It was a wonderful experience.

And, we were able to create some wonderful family memories that will definitely last a lifetime.