To the Moon and Back

Tonight when I was laying by my girls putting them to bed, I was overcome with love thinking about these two precious stinkers that I was laying by.  My tender mother heart was just brimming with love, and I know I have my moments of not-so-tender parenting, but tonight I felt impressed to share some of my thoughts and feelings about these two precious spirits Heavenly Father has entrusted to our care.

Ella- O' how I love her spirit and her tenacity!  She is smart, vivacious, full of life and curiosity.  I love her for all of the things she wants to know, and her earnest desire to understand things around her.  She is not afraid to say what she thinks when she thinks it, and yet she can be so tender and sensitive too.  She can be very affectionate and tender, but these moments occur on her terms, not anyone else's.  When they do occur, they are quite touching and sweet.  Her laughter brings joy to my soul, and her adventurous spirit is a constant inspiration to me.  Ella desires to do the right thing (most of the time).  She doesn't necessarily care to please, but she wants to do good because that is what is best.  She is a natural born leader with those that she associates with.  Even with older children Ella can take over and have everyone doing things on her terms.  I'm impressed with her as she matures and grows.  She's very challenging still in many ways, but I remind myself that her strong spirit will make her an excellent adult.  I want her to embrace that inner fire and do something remarkable with it.  In fact, I'm sure she will!  She is smart, beautiful, and so very strong (with a remarkably sensitive side she doesn't show very often).  I love her!

And Amelia- what a joy and delight this little munchkin is in my life!  She has a sparkle in her eye and a dimple in her cheek that make her warm and open to everyone, but these features also hint at a little mischievousness.  She is like a ray of sunshine, loving to laugh and to play.  She loves to be with others and gets along with everyone she meets.  She makes friends wherever she goes.  She is caring and sweet, and loves to give soft rubs when I lay be her at night.  She has such an easy going and fun loving personality, she's hard not to instantly fall in love with.  She is the perfect compliment to her big sister, easy going enough to let her fiery sister call many of the shots, but by no means a pushover.  She stands her ground when it matters and she makes her point of view clear.  Amelia is smart and perceptive.  She wants others around her to be happy.  She loves it when we make things into a game, and her favorite time is family time when we are playing games together or wrestling with her.  She is a bundle of love!

They are both so articulate and fun to be with these days.  They are also exhausting!  I am glad to be home from work these next couple of weeks as I am way worn out by 2pm (this last month of this pregnancy feels like it may never end).  Amelia and I usually fall asleep while Ella watches a movie.  We've fallen nicely into our little summer routine and are enjoying time at the library, the pool, and just playing at home.  This week the girls have done a half-day Parks and Rec Camp so they've been gone from 9-12 every day, giving me time to catch up on some home projects before this little baby comes to join us next month (pics of the nursery soon to come).  I have been in hyper drive nesting mode, pursuing as many projects as I can as I know after this C-Section I will be out of commission for a while.  I always feel like it takes a good 6-9 months to feel "normal" again, or find a new normal after adding to your family.  I'm excited about this new addition, but I don't look forward to the difficult transition before we find our new normal... the sleepless nights, the figuring out how to juggle three vs. two, the getting used to an infant and their schedule, but it will all come in time.

I know this little boy will take up just as much space in my heart as his two sisters already do.  I am anxious to meet him and see how his little personality mingles with everyone else's, but I know already Heavenly Father is sending the spirit that needs us just as much as we will need him.  I sense he may be laid back, but again, I could just be hoping!  He may not have a choice but to be laid back with these two big sisters.  As hard as it can be juggling so many things, being so tired, and oftentimes feeling unappreciated, I am so grateful to be a mother.  It's humbling to think that these precious spirits rely on me for their understanding of the world around them to a large extent.  I love learning about them and their personalities, and seeing how they take on challenges and life in general.   I am grateful for the honor and responsibility of motherhood.  I want my children to know, if they ever come back and read this, that they are so deeply loved, now and always!

Summer Lovin'

The Calderwoods have been enjoying their summer festivities so far.  This weekend we enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July celebration.  We started out the day biking to Old Town where they were having a kids bike parade down Main Street.  We live close enough that we actually biked to Main Street, and then the girls enjoyed riding their bikes through town.

 We met up with my cousin, Amy, and her family, who were here visiting for the fourth again this year.  We made plans to get together with them the following day.  

After our time at the parade, we decided it was time to do some sun splashin' fun at the pool.  The girls had a wonderful time.  Ella made a new friend, and Amelia ... well, just look at this photo.  Can you see the glee in her expression, minus the goofy goggles.  What a ham!

 We came home from the pool super tired and worn out, so after a little R&R (literally ALL of us took a nap), we went out again in search of fireworks.  This year we decided to try out Culpeper's show, and we were not disappointed.  The fireworks were wonderful!

Here the girls are waiting for the show to start.  No photos of the actual fireworks though this year.  My little camera phone just didn't do them justice.

Some of our other summer highlights have been going to visit friends.  Last week we went to visit my friend, Kristin, and her family, who recently moved to a new home in the Shenandoah Valley.  It was such a beautiful drive, we just had to stop and get some photos at the scenic overlook.

As long as I've lived in this beautiful state, I still find myself in awe sometimes at how absolutely beautiful Virginia is.  It simply takes my breath away, and I'm so grateful to live in this beautiful country.  I hope my children learn to have the same appreciation for this beautiful place where they get to grow up.

So I couldn't talk about summer adventures without mentioning our $24 purchase that seems to be the cure all for any summer boredom.  Our little inflatable pool with attached slip n' slide (i.e. big plastic tarp and water sprinker + dish soap) has provided the girls with hours upon hours of entertainment.  And Shaun and I can supervise from the deck above.  It's AWESOME!

We've also been to the library.  Ella got her very first library card of her own, and she was so thrilled. They are both doing the summer reading program that the library puts on, and here they are at story time playing with the parachute, although it looks like the adults are praying.  Really they're just solemnly supervising.  Funny though.

We've also been to the dentist for our cleanings.  My girls LOVE the dentist all of the sudden.  I take advantage of this love and have them brushing their teeth for fun.  I have to admit I even look forward to going to their dentist's office.  It's super modern and fun.  Even the bathrooms are modern but with fun touches for little ones to enjoy.  My girls liked the waiting area so much they wanted to stay and have a play date there.  I don't know if that means the dentist is extra cool, or our home is just super lame.  We'll go with the dentist being cool how about.

 And remember how I mentioned my cousin, Amy (short for Amelia), had come into town.  We got together with her and her cute kids yesterday for ice cream at the Carousel!

I just had to take a photo of the two most beautiful Amelia's I've ever met, even though Amy's daughter, Lyla, was not looking on rather skeptically in the background.  

My girls with their cousins, Lyla, and Gavin.   

And today, just because they're cute, I took some photos of the girls before church.  They are getting so big and even though I have my moments when I'm so exhausted and just lose it, I am grateful to have these two beautiful munchkins in my life.

 They're excited for baby brother to get here, but in the mean time, we are trying to make this a summer of fun memories and adventures.