I've stepped into a mellow phase in life. Not that there aren't 100 things to do. I still have a to-do list a page long, written on the back of an envelope, next to the computer. Every day I cross a couple things off and add 5 more.
I still get out and have fun, see the kids acting incredibly cute and want to burn the moments into eternity. But, it seems less important now that they're older. Maybe that's dangerously deceiving and I should be writing these things down. Like the time when Nala discovered her elbow, or when I heard the greatest sound ever, or when I learned how dumb I am, or when the kids had their first tiff. Are the moments of today any less important? Nala stuck a role of Scotch tape to the tip of my nose and it hung there. Then she balanced two pens and a scissors inside the roll. I volunteered at Kaio's art class and he looked over his shoulder brightly beaming at me the whole time, then made this self portrait:
A couple days ago I walked into the bathroom and it looked like this:
You see Kaio and Mari were out of town for a week. They flew down to Brazil for a good friend's wedding. That whole week the house felt so quiet. Nala's such an easy kid, she'll entertain herself for hours without asking for anything. By the end of the week the house was clean, so clean and organized. Just us girls we got through the piles of clothes to be put away and kept the toys off the floor and the rooms tidy.
Then the boys come home and within an hour toys are dumped all over the floor, suitcases sprawled and clothing piled. I still haven't gotten it all picked up. In no time Kaio was leaping down the stairs, four stairs at a time. The yang energy back in full force.
The quiet lunch time that Nala and I usually share, ripped into by a hippidy hoppidy kiddo full of bounce and ideas. He wanted to bob for apples. This is the kind of request that would make me annoyed. But because I hadn't seen him in a week, it sounded fun and refreshing. I'll try to remember that on a daily basis. Remember that although these off the wall schemes he comes up with seem like a nuisance, they are the thumping of the heartbeat that keeps our family thriving with life.
Then he dressed up in a spiderman suit and climbed a tree.
Halloween 2012 |
Nala dressed as Rainbow Dash, her favorite My Little Pony. She was always on the move, jolting from one spot to another.
My costume sucked but whatever. I'm always looking for an excuse to dress up. The day I stop dressing up on Halloween will be the day my inner child turns to ice. I hope that day never comes.
When you're a teenager you feel like you own the world, like you can bend light with your mind and change a city from the ground up. You get older and wiser and realize that you can't do much about anything without exhausting way more effort than it's worth. And the idealism melts into a something payment, signed away with indifference and learned helplessness. Then we nod at the news and weather and find our joy in the smiles of the younger generation, in their sparkle, their naivety and wonder.
In case you wanted to see a jack-o-lantern massacre |
And so as 2012 comes almost to a close. To my pleasant surprise, the world has not ended yet. Looks like the human race might survive. As the kids are older, diapers are away in the closet. I don't have to worry so much about watching their every move, making sure they're not holding a knife or running with a glass jar. We can spend more time focusing on what we like to do, and on little projects.
And time passes slowly again. And we savor every minute with great gratitude.
and I just love this family with big kisses all over.
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