240/365: going for gold
My life has been mostly consumed with home, family, and getting the kids off to a good start this school year. It occurs to me that this sometimes feels like a distraction from “my work”. In reality, though, “this” is not the distraction: it’s the main attraction. “This” is the heart of my life. I can make up anything else that I miss but not the time spent getting to know my kids. It turns out, they are really cool people. I’d hate to miss on that.
As parents, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. I’m sure we all dwell on what needs improvement. But it’s a tough job and I think most of us do the best we can. Which is why it’s good to also recognize the things we do best.
For me, one thing I know we’ve done right as parents is nurture Sawyer & Zola’s love & enthusiasm for the outdoors; they may suffer from messy room syndrome but they will never come down with nature deficit disorder!
154/365: zola with caterpillar
Give us 84 degrees in the City of Lakes and we will hit the beach. It was a beautiful May day for playing hooky, lunching at Sandcastle, and watching the waves with my favorite beach bum, even if we didn’t get our toes wet.
146/365: nokomis beach, may
I snapped a few shots of Sawyer & Zola yesterday while they were running around by the creek. It’s how I like to see them best – in nature, being happy & free, fully alive & taking it all in. I love the dim reflections in the creek behind them and the play of sunlight on their skin. Mostly I just love them.
Happy Mother’s Day!
128/365 (a): sawyer
128/365 (b): zola
This mama duck visited the cabin throughout the week with her brood of seven ducklings. So did Brad’s cousins and their kids. On this hot afternoon, when all the kids were in the lake, the ducklings came shockingly close to swimming with our extended brood before Mama gave the signal and they all scuttled away.
184/365: families
It’s all about rites of passage this time of year. Graduations, last days of school, weddings. Doors closing and others opening. It’s a bittersweet time.
As a child passing through these milestones, I think it’s mostly sweet. At least, that’s how I remember it. Everything exists in the present moment when you’re kid. You think about things in the future & past, sure. But, really, it comes down to giving all you’ve got to the moment.
155/365: tug of war
avant garden 365 