Seeing Santa

I asked both boys a few weeks before Christmas if they wanted to visit with Santa. Nathan, at almost 11 instantly replied, "nah" and Caleb continuously told me emphatically, "No!". But in true Caleb style, a few days before Christmas, he decided he JUST had to see Santa Claus. Of course! He would change his mind during Santa's busiest time. It figures. A few years ago the same thing happened with Nathan and the day before Christmas we found ourselves (me, Nathan, Carah and a one year old Caleb) waiting in a line that was forever long and took an hour and a half. I figured I'd learned my lesson and I would be smart this time. I had it all worked out. Since the last time we went first thing when the mall opened and the line was crazy long and since it was also bound to be crazy at the end of the work day, we'd just go sometime after lunch when everyone else was working or home napping. Sound logic, right? So Zach, Nathan and I picked up Caleb early from school and headed to the mall. As we got near Santa's workshop, I thought, "Score!!! There's no one in line. This is AWESOME!". As we got closer, I realized there was no one in line because there was no Santa sitting in his chair. In his place was just a sign that said, "Be back in an hour.". Sighhhhhhh.....

Now what? We could walk away and come back in an hour only to find ourselves in an hour and a half line. Or we could stand in line for an hour and be one of the first to see Santa. We opted to stand in line (or at least Zach and I stood in line) and Nathan and Caleb had the best time playing in front of the crazy mirror and posing with the decorations.




Santa came back and my two wild partying boys instantly became calm, reserved and even nervous to sit on Santa's lap. I am seriously surprised that Caleb didn't change his mind at the last minute and decide NOT to talk to Santa. Caleb asked for a telescope and Nathan asked for some Star Wars toys. And because they don't allow cameras near Santa, we have this one shot from their short sit.


When I look at this picture, I love seeing the smiles on both of their faces but what really catches my eye is their hands. They both do that when they are nervous and afraid. Too cute that Santa has that affect on both of them. :)

All in all, Caleb walked away so happy that he got to see Santa and Zach and I were no worse for wear. AND as an added bonus, this is what I saw in my rear view mirror on the way home. One very exhausted but satisfied little boy and that made it all worthwhile. :)

Lessons learned from the butterflies

One of the mornings while we were in St Louis, Sissy (our night owl) was having a difficult time waking up. I decided we needed to give her some quiet and was trying to figure out what to do with the boys so she could sleep. I remembered seeing a sign for a Butterfly House not far from where we were, so we decided to check it out.

Of course the boys fell in love with these.....

and these

and even these

YYYYUUUUUCKKKKK!
We finally got past these nasty bug cases and entered the butterfly room through two sets of sealed doors which they use to make sure none of the butterflies get out. Inside the second set of doors we found this

It was absolutely magical. Green plants everywhere. Gorgeous sunlight bathing everything in beautiful light and thousands of butterflies flitting around.

As I walked around soaking in the beauty and the magic of the butterflies, I found myself learning and reflecting on a few lessons too.
1.SHOOT FAST

It's hard to believe but there is actually something more difficult in this world to photograph than my crazy children. Butterflies. No sooner would I have my camera pointed at a beautiful specimen than it would dart away. They have a shorter attention span than Caleb. Yikes!

2.EMBRACE TODAY. LIFE IS SHORT

Inside the first set of sealed doors, there was a young girl working. She was there, not only to make sure the butterflies stayed inside, but to give us a bit of info of the things we would see and what we should and shouldn't do. She explained that we should do our best to avoid touching any of the butterflies. She went on to say that the life span of the butterflies in this house was an average of 2 weeks - yes, just 2 weeks. God created these insanely gorgeous, beautiful creatures to live a measly 2 weeks. She said that any contact with human skin would actually shorten their already miniscule life span.

My first feeling was sadness and pity for those butterflies. Two weeks is just not much time but as I watched the butterflies, they didn't seem to mind. They flitted from plant to plant and chased one another and seemed to be totally oblivious to their pending mortality.

They reminded me that I really don't know how long I'll be here either. It could be years but it could also be less than 2 weeks. I need to embrace today and enjoy what was right in front of me. I need to play more games of chase and soak in the sunlight and the joy and the beauty around me.

3. DON'T JUDGE A BUTTERFLY BY IT'S OUTSIDE WINGS

I saw these incredibly gorgeous, brilliant turquoise blue butterflies flying around. I kept telling Zach to keep an eye on them and help me find one who'd landed so I could take a picture of it. All through the house, I kept looking but couldn't seem to find any of those blue butterflies sitting still. Finally, one caught my eye as he landed on a leaf. Ah ha.... we figured it out.

The butterflies in this picture ARE the butterflies I was chasing. AMAZING BUT TRUE. Their seemingly boring brown outside wings hid all that magical blue inside.

How often do I judge a person by what I see on the outside? Not just their appearance but even their actions. How many of us hide our beauty to protect ourselves? How many people have a heart of gold but are reacting out of diappointment, frustration, anger or pain? Given the climate of our world today where all those negative emotions are as common as air, I need to remember that unless I really pay attention and look deeply inside, I might completely miss that person's real beauty. Their heart. Their soul. I might judge and dismiss someone who is absolutely worth a second look. I might miss the opportunity to help heal some of their hurt just by simply offering kindness and compassion.

Don't judge a butterfly by it's outside wings....

We left the butterfly house having a fantastic, surprising adventure. It is amazing that such a fragile thing as a butterfly could serve to teach such incredibly, powerful life lessons. Guess God knows what He's doing afterall.

First Day

Today was the first day for 3 of my bambinos -

It was his first day of Pre-K. He is staying at LaPetite but moving up to Miss Sharon's class. Because she is working to get them ready for Kindergarten, the rules are a little stricter in her class and there is less babying. He's not too happy about it. The nice thing for him is that Miss Lisa is moving up with him (she always makes him feel safe and comfortable) AND 2 of his angels (Lexi Vick and Emily) are back from summer break.

It was his first day of 5th grade at St. Luke's. This will be his first full year there. He was mellow and calm and happy this morning. He said he was ready to see his friends and get started. When I picked him up at lunch time. He announced that he is one of 3 boys in his class. 3 boys - 11 girls. Good odds, daddy would say. I asked him how his day was and in usual Nathan fashion, he said "AWESOME!". Everyone needs a child like Nathan. :)

Today was her first day of her internship and her LAST semester of college! She was less than thrilled about the fact that (1) she will be working very hard for free (2) she actually had to pay money to be working very hard for free (3) she has to dress up for the job..... I keep telling her to keep the finish line in sight!

And just so that he's not forgotten, Zach seems to be adjusting really well to the dry heat of Arizona. He is impressing all of his superiors and settling in just fine.

Chicago

Zach and I hopped on the Metra on Wednesday morning to head Downtown. It is the first time I've been on the Metra from Oswego to Downtown. It's about an hour trip but so much better than fighting crazy city traffic and drivers.

Zach's only goal for the trip was to walk around downtown and hang out. OK, I can do that. :)
We started out at Union Station and walked to Millenium Park. It was a bright bright hot Chicago day and of all my shots of the "Bean", this is my favorite. I love Zach's reflection and what it says about what we see inside of ourselves. Cool, no?

Then we headed down Michigan Avenue.

They had these amazing sculptures outside of the Tribune Building. This one was at least 20 feet tall (looks to me like they might be discussing medical billing..what d'ya think?)

And this was another sculpture

On our way down Michigan, it was so warm, this water looked inviting. Do you think Chicago water is really this blue? Neither do I. :)

We had lunch at the Cheese Cake Factory in the John Hancock building and then hunted down one of Zach's favorite stores.

We headed back down State Street for about a million miles ;) to Union Station and a long but relaxing Metra ride home. We hardly spent any money (just the train ride and some lunch) but it was one of the best cheap adventures ever. I sincerely enjoyed my day with him.

He's struggling a bit too

There has always been a special relationship between the two of them. Zach has been there since his beginning. He changed plenty of dirty diapers. He let him rip his room apart. He built him oodles of Lego towers only to have him knock them straight over. He could often be found sleeping in bed with him because he woke up with a bad dream and sought out his big brother. They have a bond.

During this visit, that bond was rekindled in a big way. Zach understands him. They are so much the same (big hearts, gentle spirits). Nathan adores him. He is who he looks up to. They played together - worked out and ran together - they were just great together. Today was a hard day for Nathan too.

BROTHERS...It starts out like this

Then leads to this

And to get some leverage, he does this

But in the end, it's really all about this

How lucky they are to have one another and how blessed am I to call them mine. :)

Struggling a bit

It has been a bit of a hard day for me. One of my favorite people left. He was such a pleasure to have home for the last 3 weeks. He, Nathan and I are like 3 peas in a pod and it was just special to be able to connect and bask in his company for a time. EVEN though I know this is all part of his journey and I am so proud of the man he is becoming, my heart is just a little broken. sigh...

He is just so handsome, isn't he????


I am so glad I ditched work yesterday and spent the day with him. We took the Metra to Downtown and walked and talked - just him and I. I LOVE YOU, ZACH.

going back in time...

I have so much to catch up since Zach has been here. We really have been busy with a trip to St. Louis to hang out with Sissy, bike rides, hikes, Starved Rock, shopping and a trip to Lego Land. It has been my goal this summer to really be present with the boys and these 3 weeks we have with Zach. I am proud of myself for how much fun we have had together but honestly all I've been able to stay on top of is the boys, work, and well, that's about it....

do you think Albert Einstein likes having little boys poke him in the eye or scraping his tongue?

Downtown Chicago in legos.... the buildings light up and everything..so cool

Wouldn't you like to hide in the cape of a superhero some days?

The boys asked Zach to build them a boat out of these giant legos. Of course, they started out helping but run away to play and left him to finish. He did a good job - I think he'll always be an architect at heart :)



Here's what they did while he built


What a fun place it was! The Lego creatures were incredible and we also saw 2 4D movies about Bob the Builder and the spooky ghosts. A definite Chicago must do. :)

Because

photos cause me to fall in love with them over and over again.

Because photos capture them right now in a way that will always help me remember - I am "bottling their youth" so I can open it up and enjoy it's fragrance even after these days are long gone.



Because they remind me to be present and make me grateful when I can see that I am.




Because there is SO VERY much goodness in our lives and having visual reminders always helps me, especially on challenging days.


Because I've been taking pictures in my head all of my life - it's just that now I have a sweet camera instead of my deteriorating brain :)

My incredible husband gave me my first "real" camera all those years ago. Little did he know what a gift it would be. :)

All these photos were taken yesterday on our visit to Starved Rock State Park. We hiked, fished (more correctly, we played with worms), ate a yummy picnic lunch, had an impromptu "team building session" on a log across a creek, melted in the heat but above all else, we spent some fun time together as a family. :)

Just so it's documented, this is just one set of the MULTIPLE sets of stairs we climbed to get to the top of Starved Rock. It was 93 degrees with 89% humidity. Everyone was allowed to complain just once about the heat - we all did.....