Hawaii

        5/52: A picture of my children once a week every week in 2014.

Bunny:

As a reward for going to swimming lessons every week and trying your best, I bought you, as promised, your own "floaty", flippers, and mask. During the month of March we had been reading books about Pearl Harbor, President Obama's home island of Maui, and watched you tube videos of Polynesian fire dancers. Our up coming trip to Hawaii was not a secret, we openly discussed it as a family. But it wasn't until this moment, when you made this face, that I realized you final understood, we were going to Hawaii. 

Five Inches

        4/52 A picture of my children once a week every week in 2014.

Bunny this week you:

• Won the battle to cut your hair shorter, five inches shorter.
• Made my heart skip a beat when you asked, "Do I look older?"
• Registered for kindergarten.
• Went on a "girls only" adventure to Barbie's Dream house.
• Decided you like "unjins", but only the red kind. 

ROAR!

    3/52: A photo of my children once a week, every week in 2014.

Bunny, you never stop amazing me. You are my free spirit, courageous and defiant. Qualities found in all those women before you who have changed or are changing the world. You are a daring and willing soul, capable of staring fear in the eye and sending it packing. It amazed me how at the age of two your sheer determination to dress yourself could single handedly stop the world from rotating on its axis.

I am so enamored at your inner strength to remain true to yourself. You have always exhibited a phenomenal ability to listen to what feeds your soul- regardless of any and all efforts to persuade you otherwise. It is this part of your character I hope you always embrace.

As a mother there is a part of me which would like to bubble wrap you and protect you from the emotional and physical turmoil caused by life. I, like every mother, want to shelter you from the ache caused by experiencing devastation, betrayal, heartache, and disappointment. But to do so would also prevent you from developing a sense of perseverance not to mention potentially rob you of experiences which might bring you boundless joy. So while it is my instinct to scoop you up and shelter you, the logical part of me knows it is these tough emotional and physical battles which strengthens and aides in the development of one's character.

You see, the world is a turbulent place, and at times you will find the gravitation pull to be something you are not overwhelming.
Your character will be challenged daily by relentless attacks from the every growing globalization of social media. These attacks will be so powerful there will be days you will question yourself and your beliefs.  Every day you and your peers will battle thoughts of whether you are smart enough, strong enough, pretty enough, cool enough, thin enough...the deluge will be endless. Please hear me when I say, you my wild child, have always been and always will be enough.






 


 

Treasure

 

     3/52: A picture of my children once a week, every week in 2014.

Through out the summer and fall, Monkey and I would walk the parameter of the lake. Often we would find what he began to call treasure- the remnants of battle's lost by local fisherman. Each time we were out,the game to find as much treasure as possible grew. Unfortunately, at times my lack of desire to be knee deep in muck would cause quite the heartbreak. But as mother's do in those moments of disparity, in an attempt to hold back the alligator tears, I made promises of future adventures. So after weeks of Monkey asking, and sub-arctic temperatures I determined the ice was officially safe for a "treasure hunt". Truly, one mans trash is another mans treasure.

Monkey Business

            2/52: A picture of my children once a week every week in 2014.

Monkey Man this week you amazed me by:

• your never ending sense of humor, sometimes even laughing at your own jokes
• continued to excel in school- having scored 100% on every spelling test to date,
• got a new book on snakes and read the whole thing cover to cover- I now know everything there is about Anacondas and Water Moccasins,
• melted my heart leaving secret messages for me all over the house.

Bubblicious

 

 
    2/52: A picture of my children once a week every week in 2014

Bunny, this week you:

• were home all week with a terrible cold,
• played nurse to your lovey Betty...she caught a bunny cold too,
• found great joy in making bubbles, you giggled and giggled,
• discovered you love to wear your hair in a ballerina bun,
• and asked if you could take ice skating lessons.

The Year of the Horse

To celebrate Lunar New Year 2014, The Year of the Horse, I thought I would proudly share my little Monkey's beautiful interpretation of Farnz Marc's Blue Horse 1. Unlike Bunny, Monkey is not a fan of art class or making art in general, with the exception of play-dough and mud sculptures. So believe me when I say, most often I am lucky to get a picture with a few scribbles and a three legged stick-man. Thus, I was doubly impressed by  his effort and outcome. And while I am sure he enjoyed the proverbial hugs and smooches from his adoring fan, I think it was the proud display of his work framed on my office wall which brought a smile to his face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/52: A photo of my children once a week every week in 2014.

 

Monkey: This week you

• discovered you really like to make homemade pudding
• got a perfect score on your math exam
• you impressed me by reading a whole chapter book in a day
• continue to take Aikido lessons, and love your instructor
• saw your first college wrestling match and thought it was great "their moms let them do that!"