the view from here

First grade has been on a mid-winter break this week, something that struck me as positively absurd when I first noticed it on the school calendar but for which I am feeling pretty grateful at the moment. It was the occasion for a visit from my mom, which was truly lovely, featuring lots of time outdoors, stories, pizza, snuggling, and the inspiration, cheerleading, and extra hand I needed to get a lot of little things done around here (like patching the hole in my favorite jeans and moving the glider that has been sitting in the middle of the landing since the bunk bed was assembled - sad but true). Oh, it feels so good! Anything is possible with my capable and loving mother by my side.



After we sent her off this morning, lunched on the deck, and settled Gabriel for his quiet time (oh yes, naptime is most decidedly a thing of the past), Frances and I brought snacks, pillows, and a blanket into the yard to read The Four-Story Mistake. The sun shined down on us, Frances wriggled all over and around me until she found the perfect listening position, and I felt very, very content.

Then, just as we finished our chapter, as if on cue, Gabriel's smiling face appeared at the screen door. Quiet time is over! he announced triumphantly. Well, okay then. I brought the lunch dishes in and sat down to listen to their voices for a bit. We're supposed to go to the library, but they are still out there in the midst of a complicated imaginary game, and I don't intend to interrupt them. All this week Frances has been sleeping on the top bunk in Gabriel's room. They are such good friends these days, and without Gramma here to compete over their playing has become more cooperative and sweet. It brings more joy to this mama than the soft air and bright light of an early spring day.