Snapshot

On Sunday morning I took the kids out for a walk and everything was just so lovely. I'm sure it was at least 90 degrees, but there was a breeze and it felt so nice outside. The sun was beautiful. My kids were happily skipping along and not fighting. And I just felt like I could snapshot that moment in time forever.

Ruthie with her necklace and ten bracelets and flower headband. The necklace and one bracelet from her birthday, five other bracelets from the zoo day, and several more from her teacher at church. Her freckles and the flip flops she insists on wearing even though she can hardly walk in them--they were $2 at Target and perfect for the pool. She was constantly skipping and telling the other kids what to do in their game-walk along the yellow line, pick the purple flower, jump over the crack, etc. She is trying to figure out how to take charge enough to be helpful but not enough to get in trouble (ie today I told her not to carry the kids table upstairs, so I did. A while later when I told them to clean up, she proudly came in to the kitchen saying she carried it down the stairs without hitting the walls. How in the world would it be okay to carry it down the stairs if I said 'no' to carrying it up the stairs? But she looks so proud at taking it by herself it's hard to get mad. But this small example is indicative of a constant struggle that is not always so innocent. haha. )

Will had on his blue tie-dye shirt that is his very favorite, and his blue striped shorts, so he was literally light and dark blue horizontal stripes from head to toe. A hair band around his neck because that has become his thing lately. Sometimes holding my hand, which is my absolute favorite.

Molly bouncing along in her layers of skirts and dresses. Pushing her hair out of her eyes (she will not keep a hair tie in!) with her 'mint' sandals on the wrong feet. She notices every bug and lizard and bird and spider web. She has white-blond streaks of sun-bleached hair that stand out in every direction. She constantly reminds me how big she is, although she's ok with being little sometimes. "Run fast, with me mom!" as she races by. "Are you okay mom? I'm okay too." is a phrase she's saying all the time now and it is so hilarious to me. She also says something that concerns her and then I'll say 'that's ok' and then she'll say "Yeah, but that's okay!" and then start rattling off some totally made up explanation of why it is ok. It's hilarious.

All three of them were singing the entire walk (this is a constant. I think the phrase I say the most throughout the day is 'inside voices, even when you are singing nicely' because they just get so loud!).

I typed this up last Sunday with the intention to come back to it. But I think I'll just leave it like this. A little snapshot of the kids on our morning walk at this time in our lives. The baby sleeping in the stroller and my happy little kids skipping along before me. We can stay like this forever, right?