Labor of Love

Labor Day
is officially
the last day
the end of
Summer
and while
this weekend
was busy with
back to school
activities
tying up loose ends
and what not
I am still
riding the wave
that was
this Summer

I purposely
photographed something
everyday during 
our last full week
of Summer
of home
with just me
and the kids
perfection
pretty much
our theme
this Summer season
and we earned it

Monday - had to take Daddy's hat with us

 last year
at this time
was so different
we were ending
our beginning
and beginning
the next unwritten
chapter

We made the local newspaper, watching Day 1 of this demolition

a lot of excitement
a lot of anxiety
a lot of a lot, ha
the school year
proved to be
overwhelming
challenging
and manageable
we survived

Construction, this Summer's obsession

so yeah
Summer
this Summer
and now
ending it
with a smile
of satisfaction
I can do this
I got this

I now get smiles for photos when I ask... most of the time

I remember
so long ago
dreaming
waiting
wanting
this life
an Art teacher
a job I love
Summer's off
equals time
time to share
with family
my family
my kids

Almost a daily stop this Summer, the playground

I had zero plans
other than to
soak in the sun
bathe in the beauty
and listen
listen to the laughter
of them
of course
we had our
ups and downs
but this time
I understood
every moment
every memory
was a meaningful
gift
time to unwrap
time to reveal
time to relish
now
 

and that is just it
this is where
we are
right now
I have let go
of yesterday
I am not
worried about
tomorrow
today is my fuel
today is my focus

Tuesday - swimming, this year I took them in on my own with the help of floaties

It's funny
that teachers/students
the education world
calls it
Summer "vacation"
and certainly
as a young rookie teacher
with no kids
and no responsibilities
in the beginning
Summer was a vacation
but now...
my first official
Summer off
home with the kids
vacation is the last word
I would use to
describe it
any mother knows
time spent with children
isn't necessarily work
I like to call it a
Labor of Love

for us
this Summer
started with one goal
potty train
the twins
no more introduction
no more play with
the idea
the equipment
the books
remove the diapers
replace with underwear
sit on the toilet
and you know, go

Patching in a pool never lasts long

  

She is a fish

well of course
it is not that simple
and of course
my twins
do nothing
the same
so here's
what happened
for milestone
recording purposes




Azalea, my little
willing to learn
eager to please
girl pretty much
trained herself
on the first day
she had successes
she had failures
on the second day
she had more success
less failures
by the third day
girlfriend got it

 

she is pretty much
good to go
within a month into
the process
I would find her
in the bathroom
yelling for me
as she just
helped herself
and now needed
my help to wipe
and finish up

Still Tuesday - just dressed, more construction play

we did transition
with the use of
pull ups
for long car rides
places where
the bathroom use
was questionable
and during
naps, nighttime
now at the end
of Summer
she is only using
pull ups for sleeping
and has very few
accidents, if at all
 

Easton, my big
blob of cute cuddles
boy is just as smart
but has less self control
and is oh so stubborn
everything is
in his own time
for the first month
he wanted
no part of the potty
he had the same
three day start as her
and it went no where
no success
so I simply
put him back in diapers
and focused on her
hello there are two
no need to make this
harder than it needs to be

Wednesday - Beach

one month later
she is a pro
so I tried again
with him
all eyes
all hands
all focus
on him
again three days
diaper free
little success
lot of failures
pretty much
threw in the towel
put the diapers
back on him
by day four
a light bulb
totally turned on
for him
even with a diaper on
he did not want to
wet himself
so off to the potty
we went and...
he went!!!

I do exist... it's tough being the family photographer

he really liked
the idea of
him being a tanker truck
and he gets to
"make a delivery"
and when he stands
he sprays his fire hose

hey whatever works
he stumbled through
the first week
of the second attempt
but huge progress
he has been
in and out of underwear
currently he is in
pull ups full time
he does not use them
to go #1
he still has trouble
identifying #2
and making it on time
he will get there
in his own time

Thursday - nice clothes, planned photo shot... no so good photos

He would not stand still, next to her or cooperate in general

talk about a
Labor of Love
a delicate balance
of encouragement
of knowledge
of practice
of reward
of patience
and
of challenge
knowing when
and how far
to push each of them
as individuals
fostering their abilities
yet recognizing
accepting their limits

She is an angel

 

yeah so
this Summer
our Summer
was no vacation
but yes
as I said
it was perfection
pure enjoyment
of them
where we are
right now

This year... the door was open

 

She was napping... we had a popcorn date, pretty much all Summer

I will end
this post
this Labor of Love
with a few
of this Summer's
vocab terms
according to them
yeah, you know
that twin language thing
they will sing
back and forth
this phrase
"ahh bay me moe"
several times
usually in the morning
before I go get them
I hear it
on the monitor
or just randomly
she will say it
and he will respond
same phrase
in a sing song way
too funny

Friday - wait a min. did he just nap

She is hoarding all the giraffes, we have many

She also coined
the name
"Miss Mastey"
no not nasty
but with a M
and usually uses it
when talking
as she does, non-stop
when referring to
a person
or an object
that needs a name
he by the way
totally understands her
as for me...
not so much
but it makes me
smile
 

He has coined
the term
"a fa lee key"
pronounced
as all one word
he pretty much
uses it in all
situations
and she totally
gets it, sometimes
she even uses it
he wants
afaleekey breakfast
he hears
afaleekey song
he finds a good
faleekey spot to sit
he even has
afaleekey day
its hilarious

A look at just the other eye for a change

Ps. yes, I know
they are STILL
in cribs
one goal at a time
just today, no lie
they started
getting out!!!
was planning on
transitioning
during Christmas break
might be a little sooner
now...

Pss. darn, I so tried
to publish this
on Monday
Labor Day
and then
before I knew it
midnight...
I need to
go to bed
my alarm
will be ringing
too soon
back to school!