Shouting out 'Hooray!'

Day 28 of 31 at TWT!

 "What're you turning on the TV for?" Rainbow Girl cranes her neck from her spot crouched on the floor, playing with the VTech Smart Animals set affectionately known in our house as "Kitty and Baba's house". 

"Oh, there's something special I'm hoping we can see today..." I grin.

"What is it? What is it? What is it?" Sweetie starts leaping around the family room, and Rainbow soon imitates her. 

I just smile and find the right place to click on the tv's YouTube app until the event pops up... with a preview picture of someone very special! 

"LAURIE!!!!" Both girls squeal and jump as if they're seeing a best friend or favorite family member. 

The countdown timer appears, and after yelling, "church!" because it's the same one our church uses before online services, they excitedly count down as they prance around the room. ("Is it church?" Rainbow Girl keeps interjecting, and I keep reassuring her, "It's just the same countdown as church. It's gonna be Laurie!")

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0..." Bouncing curls, bright eyes, a smile that seems to tell even me that everything is going to be ok, and a guitar appear, and it's spring of 2020 and 2 years of rocking chair snuggles all at once as Laurie Berkner launches into the song that's become our special lullaby, "When I Woke Up Today". Rainbow runs around the room for a verse and then scrambles onto my lap as if she can't decide if it's better to dance or cuddle to this song. "I shouted out 'hooray'! / 'cause I knew I'd see you..." I pull her close as I coo into her ear, "and we could sing together..."

Just like we've seen her do for 2 years now, Laurie looks straight into the camera after the song, telling us to grab our instruments and stuffed animals, seeming to talk right to us in that Mr. Rodgers-esque measured, caring way. Even I forget that she can't actually see us; her conversational tone is so authentic. It truly feels as if an old friend is visiting us as we notice the new decorations in her house and watch her tune her guitar, take sips of water, and dance around her family room as we frolic around ours.

blanket-monsters for the "Monster Boogie" today!

I can't believe it's been 2 years. Rainbow has grown from a sitting baby flailing her "Laurie shake-shake" to a preschooler who can actually jump along with "Chipmunk at the Gas Pump". We've curated our own playlists to enjoy when the daily Lives stopped and eagerly celebrated the release of new music videos. Sweetie has gone from finishing preschool remotely to thriving in person in 1st grade.

so little in spring 2020!

a quick dance break with their daddy in summer 2020!

When I see Laurie's smile, I remember how Rainbow gradually stopped crying as Laurie put on her mask at the end of every Facebook Live in spring 2020; how that simple act helped her understand that Laurie was still Laurie in a mask and by the time we actually started needing to wear masks, it was no big deal. I remember the guaranteed half hour of joy each day when the stress and weight of the pandemic lifted away as we danced and wiggled around this room and listened to Laurie tell us we were superheroes and she loved us. I remember the delight of learning fun new songs and the familiar comfort of classics we already knew. I remember stuffed animals on our heads, becoming goldfish and dinosaurs and monsters, and grabbing Husband out of the den to blast off Rocketship-Sweetie into the air while I lifted Rainbow-Rocketship beside her. I remember scooping up 1yo Rainbow to fly her around like a bumblebee. I remember the magical excitement of Laurie saying the girls' names or playing requested songs we put in the chat. I remember dragging all our our pool toys into house for the virtual beach concert and wearing our costumes for the Halloween one. I remember the way both girls' faces absolutely lit up every single time Laurie appeared on our TV, and the way Rainbow would grab favorite toys and run up to the TV to show Laurie, convinced that she could really see us. I remember both sisters running wildly around the house with their toy guitars, "Laurie shake-shake" (tambourine), toy Harry the Chipmunk, and superhero blanket-capes.

Most of all, I remember having something certain to look forward to when the days dragged into weeks and months, and hope turned into uncertainty, monotony, and frustration. And I remember, as we noticed small changes in Laurie's room, saw her dial in other bandmates from their houses across the miles, and watched her overcome technical challenges and learn new digital tricks, feeling like we were really in this together.

So on a much-too-frigid-to-be-outside, still-not-safe-from-Covid-indoors first day of Spring Break, there was truly "no better thing to do / than sing a song and hear you sing it too" with Laurie. Thank you, Laurie, for your concerts in our house these past 2 years. Someday, we hope to see you in person.

Rainbow, now 3, holding her own animal for "Pig on Head"!

The best sisters

Day 27 of 31 at TWT!

 "I wanna eat at the craft table!" Rainbow Girl scampers over to the white plastic table and pulls out a pink chair. "With YOU, Sis!"

Grabbing her Minnie Mouse plate and unicorn cup from the big table, Sweetie heads over to sit with her little sister. I remember how she loved that table when she was a toddler, and now she has to scrunch and squeeze to fit. 

After rummaging in the pantry for my own lunch, I'm met with a sweet surprise: instead of each sitting on one side of the craft table like usual, both girls are huddled beside each other on the same side of the tiny table. "Aww, are you sitting right beside each other?" I scurry over to take a picture before one of them decides the other is too far in her space. 

"You're the best sister in the world..." Sweetie puts an arm around her little sister and starts crooning the song she made up when Rainbow Girl was a baby. Rainbow leans against her shoulder and grabs her hand. 

<3

When Sis finishes, Rainbow adopts her declarative reading / announcing / performing voice and starts singing the same song loudly back. "...you're the best sister in the world / come here, Sissy, / and give me a hug and kiss... / I love you, Sissy!"

Sis leans her face almost-too-close, gazing and grinning with wide blue eyes that glitter. 

"Aw, look, she loves the song you made up for her!" I remember how my heart swelled when Sweetie first made it up, how I thought it was a one-time thing that she'd forget, and how she kept singing it to her baby sister for months. And now here's Rainbow, not a baby anymore, singing it back. 

The best sisters in the world.

Marrying

Day 26 of 31 at TWT!

(a slice from earlier this week; it's freezing cold today!)

"Mommy, marry me!" Rainbow Girl giggles in my ear as I carry her away from the playground after an afternoon of too much fun in unseasonably warm weather. It's already past bedtime on a school night, but it was so hard to leave the park with 70-degree-weather in March!

Behind us on the sidewalk, her exhausted big sister has convinced Husband to carry her to the car too, gangly legs and wiry arms wrapped around him as she croon-whines, "Daddy, I LOVE you! MARRY me!" Always a Daddy's Girl, Sis must have already said this once as she begged him to pick her up, and that must be what prompted Rainbow, my mama's girl, to say it now.

"Ok!" I squeeze Rainbow closer. "I promise to love you forever and ever!" I rub her nose with mine. 

"Is that MARRYING?!" she squeals, giggling more. 

A few steps back, I can hear Husband protesting, "I'm already your daddy! We're already a family!"

"Yes, Honey Bun!" I reply to Rainbow. "Well, and we have to kiss!" I gaze into her blue eyes and plant an exaggerated smooch on her face just as she opens her mouth in a loud cackle. 

"I love you oh so much, Sweetie Pie!" I whisper in her ear. She flops into my shoulder, super snuggly now. 

"Mama Pie," she mumbles, wiggling against me. 

One daddy's girl and one mama's girl. One family so full of love. Yep, that's marrying! <3

Daddy's Girl

Day 23 of 31 at TWT!

"Why are there tears in your eyes? / Because I just love spending time with you, Daddy!" I grin at the green message as I get ready to eat lunch. For a second, I think Rainbow said that after preschool, but then I look at the time sent and realize it must have been Sweetie at lunch.

"M said that?" I type back.

"Uh huh! During lunch! I looked over and there were tears in her eyes!"

I can just imagine her sitting in his car outside her school, purple unicorn lunchbox in her lap, gazing adoringly at him. She has always been such a Daddy's Girl! I giggle. And she's soooo sensitive!

When Omicron was raging after winter break and I panicked that she'd catch Covid from the lunchroom, I realized that we could actually make it work to pull her out of school for lunch like I'd heard of some other families doing. Our nanny agreed to let Sweetie eat in her car with the windows cracked (and piles of blankets on her and Rainbow) on days Husband works on campus, and Husband would take his lunch during Sweetie's lunch on his work-from-home days. I was afraid she'd be sad about missing lunch with her friends, but she has perfectly been happy all these months to listen to Ramona audiobooks in the nanny's car with her little sister some days, and obviously ecstatic to eat with Daddy on the other days. 

When I get home after school, he can't wait to expand on the story. "Yeah, we were just sitting there, talking about nothing, like cars or something, and I looked over and saw big tears welling up in her eyes!" His face glows with love. "And when I asked why, she just said, 'I just LOVE you, Daddy! I just LOVE spending time with you!'"

A few minutes later, when she gets off the bus, I say, "I heard you had happy tears at lunch with Daddy today?"

"Yes! I just LOVE him!" she repeats, and runs to wrap her arms around his neck in the den. 

These 2 years have been so hard in so many ways, but when she looks back at first grade, I hope she remembers those special parking lot lunches with Daddy. 

Summer Preview

Day 5 of 31 at TWT!

 "Look!" Rainbow Girl lets go of her Shamrock Shake and her arm shoots out, little finger pointing at the sky. "The moon!"

I peer quizzically at the sunset-streaked sky. "You see the moon?"

Husband leans forward, ducking down to get a view that's more like hers. "Oh, I do see a little sliver of the moon, good job!"

"I see it too!" Sis jumps up from her side of the picnic table, crouching near her daddy. 

"Thank you for showing us, honey-bun!" I smooth my hand down her glossy hair. "Good noticing!"

"And I see the sun painting the sky!" she declares. "It's pink to me!" She nods vigorously to herself and bends back to the table to take another sip of Shamrock Shake, dangling her tiny feet off the bench and swinging them happily.

"Yeah, it's a pretty pinkish orange! I like it too, Sweetie Pie!" 

I'm not sure we've ever had Shamrock Shakes outside before (since they're only available late Feb - St. Patrick's Day!), and while the wind is a little chilly as the sun goes down, dinner at a park sure makes it feel like we're living in a preview of summer (cue dramatic voiceover):

Beautiful sunset! 

Running around a playground in short sleeves! 

Drinking milkshakes!

Precious family time!  

Coming soon to a neighborhood near you! Rated G for all audiences.

Flippy, floppy, fun new friends

Day 18 of 31 at TWT!

"Can you get my sea lion?" Rainbow Girl has only been awake for a few minutes. This is the third thing she's said through the monitor. Still in love with the sea lion, ok. 

The new sea lion exhibit was our last stop on Tuesday after she finally decided the zoo was fun. It's right near the exit, so I figured we'd swing by quickly on our way back to the car. Since it was built during COVID, I had no idea how much I'd underestimated it, and I wasn't even sure it would be open. At this point of the year, a lot of animals are still just in their back areas until it gets warmer. 

35 minutes after I planned to leave, we were heading in the opposite direction from the car, backtracking to the kids' gift shop to buy a toy sea lion to commemorate our newest love. Yes, all three of us were in absolute love.

Hidden around the corner from a snack shop, the exhibit didn't seem like much at first. We came to one full-length glass window with the waterline halfway up it. I peered through the hazy blue depths but only saw some sort of long, floating string for the seals to play with. They're probably not out yet, I thought, and I was about to turn towards the car when Sweetie screeched, "I see something!!!" 

"You do?" I squinted again. She probably sees that string thingy...

"Yes! Yes!" she squealed, and I caught a flash of dark movement out of the corner of my eye. 

We rounded the corner to find a much bigger window going downhill farther under the water, opening onto a lengthy path that wound still farther down. Oh, this is waaaaaay bigger than I thought!

In the fake-rock stucco beside this larger window, I saw a little sign: "Children's Bubble Window." "Look! You can go in here and it will be like you're in the water with them!" Sweetie scrambled in immediately, and Rainbow Girl started wriggling in her stroller seat, asking if she could go in too.

Almost as soon as their little hands hit the glass (ugh, we'd avoided touching things all afternoon... but we have lots of anti-bacterial wipes), another dark shadow zipped by. Then a dark submarine shape started heading straight towards us, turning gracefully to show off its flippers just before it got to the bubble. 

Mesmerized!

"THAT?!" Rainbow Girl exclaimed. 

"That's a seal!" (A docent later informed us that these were all sea lions. There are also seals, but they weren't out.)

After a few minutes, another family came up behind us, so we gave them a turn in the bubble and continued down the path... to discover the most enormous, farthest-underwater window yet! Now we could see several seal lions shooting through the water like torpedos, rolling and gliding around the rocks. As we watched, giggling and calling out "Look! There's one! Look at that one!", it became clear that different sea lions each had their own favorite paths through the exhibit. 

Sweetie perched herself up on the curb, pressed against the glass, chattering about every detail to nobody in particular. Rainbow, who I'd put back in the stroller, leaned forward against her straps, craning her neck to try to catch one coming around a corner. "'Nother one?!" she kept clamoring. 

Woosh!

"Can we go back in the Bubble?" Sweetie implored. 

The other family had moved on and no one was in sight, so back up to the bubble we scampered. Then back to the big window. Then, we saw the door at the end of the path. We'd so far avoided any indoor enclosures, but this was obviously special, and when the automatic doors welcomed us in, there was only one small family way farther up the tunnel. Because yes, there was a tunnel, like at some of those giant aquariums Husband and I had been to before we had kids. And it wasn't very long, so we could be outside again in just a few minutes, and we had good masks on. It'll be ok. We'll just walk through quickly.

The sparkly, blue-bubbled-glass-like blend of mottled sunshine and water glittered above our heads as the sea lions gracefully soared around us. "There's even water under us!" Sweetie shrieked.

"You can walk on the water!" Rainbow echoed.

Do you see the glass floor with water under it that Sweetie's about to step onto?

It was beautiful, but also exciting enough to walk in that both girls moved through pretty quickly, to my relief. Back outside, in safer air, we discovered a metal ramp leading to an overhead viewing area, which the sisters scampered up almost faster than I could keep up, pounding their feet against the metal in delight. 

An employee at the top tried to answer my questions about the sea lions while Rainbow Girl twirled around like she was on a giant stage and Sweetie romped from one end of the fence to another. "Look! One came up for air!" I tried to call their attention to the sea lions, but the overlook itself was apparently more exciting than trying to peer down at the mostly-underwater creatures. 

Until, hearing a keeper in their back area, several of them jumped up onto a platform! "They're showing off for us!"

They look so different on land!

Suddenly, we heard a loud bellow. "THAT?!" Rainbow inquired.

"That's the sea lion! He's saying hi to you!" I can't believe we got to hear them make their noise!

"Do you want to go back down to peek in the water again?" 

"Yeah! To the Bubble!" We scurried back down and thankfully, nobody else was there, so the girls pressed themselves in for the third time. Little hands reached out, trying to grab and pat them through the glass.

"Here they come!" The seal whose favorite path shoots him straight at the bubble was already rocketing towards us.

"Look, the water's all around! I wish I was in it! I want to be inside with them! I wish they would flop themselves onto the bubble! They're humongous! Seals, I love you!" Sweetie jabbered happily, with her little sister giggling, echoing and adding on. 

"Can I have them? Hi seals! Seals, I love you!" Flapping hands, wiggly bodies. 

Then, another bellow echoed from beside us. 

"THAT?! What's THAT?!" 

"The seal's saying hi again! Let's go see!"

Just around the corner from the bubble, the most gigantic seal was upright in the water with his face poking above the surface, giant mouth open. He spun, flippers sending a hurricane of splashes out in all directions. Flopping back down under the water, he swam up to the corner window, and opened his mouth fiercely at his reflection. Then he shot upright again as a keeper tossed a fish at him. 

"She's feeding him! That's why he's so excited! He wants his food!" 

He let out another thunderous bellow. 

"THAT?! That 'ehhh' sound?!" Rainbow exclaimed as if she didn't just hear it and get an explanation a minute ago. 

"That's the sea lion! He's making his sound! He's saying hi!"

"AUHHHHHH!" Sweetie imitated him as we all watched him splash and frolic, catching thrown fish mid-air in his mouth. 

Mouth open, asking for another fish!

We were supposed to already be home by now, but I couldn't drag myself away, let alone them. Finally, we decided to peek in the Bubble one more time and then head home.

But first, we just had to head to that gift shop to bring home a stuffed sea lion friend! 

I remember learning that manatees are probably what sailors thought were mermaids, but after seeing these beautiful sea lions flip and glide up close, I think they just might be the closest thing. When I ask Sweetie what song she thinks I just pair with this story, she chooses Laurie's "A Mermaid Song" without hesitation.

Another first time

Day 17 of 31 at TWT!

"EHHH! I want THOSE elephants!!!" We're watching one large elephant use her trunk to try to get some grasses from a hanging basket, but Rainbow Girl starts pointing wildly over my shoulder at the five elephants we just left. After protesting her new-first visit to the zoo for most of the morning, then warming up to the general idea of walking around and seeing everything, this is the most enthusiasm she's shown for any particular animal.

"You want to go see that family of elephants again?" I grin, giggling a little. We'd moved on from that particular spot along the fence to give other people a turn (and to avoid people who insist on wearing their masks as mouth-only covers or (worse) chinstraps), but we can definitely take another turn if she's this excited about them. So far, she's mostly just enjoyed taking in all the surroundings, and I'm not sure she's really been able to pick out some of the calmer, smaller animals in their habitat or grasp what we're doing here.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! See THOSE elephants!" She wiggles back and forth against my hip, one little hand clutching my shoulder while the other one continues to point at what is apparently the correct group of elephants for us to watch. 

watching one of THOSE elephants!

"I have elephant diapers!" she declares to no one in particular... or possibly to the elephants. She points at the male elephants' tusks. "That?"

"Those are their tusks! Like big teeth!" I realize that I'm not sure any of the elephants she's seen in books, on her diapers, or in the elephant song have tusks. A friendly docent tells us that only the males have visible tusks, but the females actually have short ones that we can't see, just a couple inches long.

Finally, I ask again her again if we can let some other people have a turn and go see some other animals, and she doesn't protest this time. "Can I run?!" 

There's a wide path and not too many people here, so I put her down and get ready to push the empty stroller. She and Sweetie skip-run-frolic behind and then ahead of me until we get to the red pandas, who are actually exploring their habitat instead of sleeping. 

"That?! What's that?" she flails over to the fence.

"They're so cute!" her big sister exclaims. 

Who's cuter, the red pandas or these sweet sisters?!

By the time we get around to the other side of the zoo, she really seems to be catching the excitement of seeing all these different kinds of real animals. We see several penguins dive into the water just like in the video from their Ranger Rick magazine that she keeps requesting we watch over and over.

She flops her head against mine when we see the baby koala snuggling on its mommy's lap, putting one bent arm in front of her face and wiggling her bottom like she does when she snuggles. "Mmmmmm! They're snuggling!" 

We all giggle at a family of siamangs swinging from their ropes and perches: "They're swinging!" We watch a beautiful leopard stalk around its habitat. "It go away!" she announces when it heads off for the other side of its enclosure. 

It's so much fun to see her (re)discovering how amazing our zoo is. I've missed this so much, and so has Sweetie, who's been alternating between exclaiming "I remember this! I've had a picture in my mind!" and "I don't remember where the things are anymore," throughout the several hours we've now been here. Before Rainbow Girl was born, we came several times a week during summers and school breaks and after school, eating lunch and getting snacks, playing on the playgrounds, enjoying how different the animals behave each time, and singing Raffi's "Going to the Zoo". And just when Rainbow would've really started to understand and enjoy it, it became, instead, another missed experience in a year of too many blank calendar squares.

But now, we get to enjoy watching her see it all for another first time. And that's beautiful too, just like our time at home together has been.

Unfortunately, we encountered people with enough disregard for the mask policy and social distancing that I'm hesitant to go back anytime soon because it might be even harder to stay away from them if the crowds get any bigger... but if we have to wait a long time again, we can just enjoy another first time. 

(My mom and I always sung this song on the way to our many trips to the zoo together, then I sung it to Husband every time I dragged him there when we were first married, then I sung it to Sweetie, and now I can sing it to two sweet sisters!)

Looking for leprechauns

Day 14 of 31 at TWT!

Sweetie has been building a leprechaun trap for weeks. She's completely convinced she's going to catch one, which has resulted in some extra planning on our part (and a lot of discussions about how tricky and magical they are!). 

We convinced her that the leprechauns would only come around for a few days before St. Patrick's Day, but she's still had the trap sitting in the hallway outside her room for several weeks, just in case. However, every few days, she's gotten a new idea for how to make it more elaborate, adding on some new feature to snare them more effectively.

Last night, we told her that since it was our town's parade day (this year, an attempted "reverse parade" that was mostly one big traffic jam), she could finally set it for real. Because leprechauns are so tricky and therefore likely to steal their bait but escape, I convinced her to just use a few pieces of gold stickers and hide the rest. 

After adding yet one more piece to her elaborate trap, she put the gold in, yammering about how the leprechauns would be and how much they would really want to get her gold. 

In case you don't read kindergartener-ese, it says
"I have gold for you leprechaun please come"!

This morning, she ran into our room. "Mommy, Daddy! The front flap on my trap has been moved!"

"Did you look inside?" 

"No, I wanted to make sure you got to see the leprechaun if I caught one! Let's all go together!" She skipped back down the hallway, tense with anticipation.

Slowly pulling up the trap, she shrieked, "Look! He left me prizes!" She grabbed the shamrock tattoos with wide eyes, holding them up. "TATTOOS!!!"

"That's so nice! Those leprechauns are sneaky, but he wanted to leave you something to thank you for the gold he took! And he wanted to help you celebrate St. Patrick's Day!"

"I love them! I didn't know he would bring prizes! He really loves me!" 

"We'd better reset the trap in case he comes back tonight! Get some more gold!"

I guess we have a magical new addition to our family traditions and city celebrations, which is just perfect for this little Irish dancer! I'm thankful her creativity gave us a new way to make this holiday special, since we haven't been able to celebrate the usual ways in 2 years now!

Over the next few days, we'll dye some food green, drink Shamrock Shakes, put on some of our favorite Irish songs... and keep checking that trap!

(A local Irish group usually plays this song before our town's parade, complete with lots of fun motions for the different animals!)

Little big hiker

 

Day 11 of 31 at TWT!

"Look at you! You're a big hiker!" I'm amazed at how Rainbow Girl just scrambled up the steep hill after her sister, and now she's navigating these tree roots with no fear. 

"I'm a big hiker!" she chirps, grinning. One of her tiny pink Nike shoes stumbles against a huge root, but she waves her arms and regains her balance. "Look! A LOG!" Her chubby finger signals the serpentine roots popping in and out of the dirt. 

"Haha, it's a tree root! These are the roots of the tree!" 

"It's like stairs!" 

"Yeah, it is like stairs! Can Mommy hold your hand?" I grab her tiny hand, relishing the feeling of her warm, wiggly fingers clutching mine, since she doesn't hold my hand very often. Together (with the help of some friendly saplings just in the right places for me to grab occasionally to ensure she doesn't pull us both down), we successfully navigate this tricky downhill stretch of roots. 

"I'm a big hiker!" she echoes, running off with flailing arms and legs to catch up to Sis, who's already almost to the next turn of the path. Luckily for both of us, Sis stops to clamber up on a huge log, and we're able to catch up... for a minute. Then they're both off again at their signature speed: running. 

When we first discovered this new park in the fall, we did an easier gravel path with Rainbow in the stroller. Obviously, I didn't need to bring the stroller today! I'm glad I didn't bother dragging it out of the car. I'm a little afraid I'll end up having to carry her back when we turn around, but she's not showing any signs of diminishing energy, despite all we've already done in the nearly two hours we've been here. 

"Look! Those people are right where we were earlier, by the big rocks! Now we're right where we saw that man running when we were in the creek!" I manage to get both pairs of running feet to stop long enough to peer down at the beautiful creeking area we enjoyed earlier. 

Peeking down from the path to the creek & natural play area.

Creeking! (The hiking path is across the very top!)

In addition to creeking, we'd already explored the huge natural play area, with a stick tent twice the size of the one at our local park, a swinging bridge, stepping stones, a log teeter-totter (which opinionated Rainbow Girl currently hates, but maybe someday...), and a giant stump table. 

When we got here, the stick-tent was in disarray after the winter, so we got to help rebuild it!

The "jumpy bridge"!

Enjoying their snack on the stump-table.
(There are chair-stumps around the table, but that wouldn't be nearly as fun as sitting on it!)

A 2 year-old should be exhausted. (My backpack feels inordinately heavy!) But here we are, still frolicking along this trail! Afraid I'll end up carrying her back, I declare that we're going to turn around here.

In an adorable case of "I did what you said," Rainbow Girl stops momentarily, turns her body around... and continues down the path backwards. Sweetie and I burst into a fit of laughter as she precariously places one foot behind the other, grinning proudly. 

"No, no, I mean we're going to walk back the other way, to go back where we came from!" I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard. I snap a picture of Sweetie laughing beside Rainbow Girl's backwards-inching self, then turn around and start walking the way I intended to clear up any confusion.

Soon, they're back in front of me, and it's not long before we arrive at the root-entangled incline. Sweetie charges up, and Rainbow Girl follow without even reaching for my hand, eventually deciding to squat down and grasp the roots as hand- and foot-holds like she's rock climbing. "I'm a big hiker!" she declares again, turning her head to flash me a proud smile.

I marvel at how strong she's getting. What a big-little, little-big girl she is now. And how easily she latches onto the words we give her to build her identity.  "I'm not a baby anymore," she always announces, "I'm a big girl!" And now, she's a big hiker! 

I'm reminded of one of our favorite Laurie songs, a frequent rocking-chair song about hiking. This is no mountain, but it might as well be to them. There's certainly so much to see from up here, and it's beautiful, but best of all, I love to see them "doing what kids can do". 

Over in the meadow

Day 8 of 31 at TWT!

Sunshine warms my cheeks as my eyes widen at the brilliance of the perfectly clear sky. The breeze that tickles my face and rustles through the long grasses is not the same as the biting winds of not that long ago. Ahead of me, the rainbow streamers on Sweetie's bike flow backwards as her legs pedal furiously. I don't even have to go that slow anymore to stay with her! It's amazing to see how much stronger she is since the fall. 

In my rearview mirror, Rainbow Girl's big blue eyes are gazing across the meadow, taking everything in from her seat at my back. "Look!" she'll say periodically, sticking out her little finger. She loves watching the road on the other side of the meadow just as much as she loves the nature we're riding through, and she signals each with equal excitement. "A dump truck!" "Birdies!" "Woods!" Last summer, she demanded I sing "Over in the Meadow" every time we rode or walked along this path, but now she's more content to just look around and tell me about whatever she sees. 

When we round the corner to the stretch of path that runs right along the edge of the woods, she declares, "Leaves! Play in leaves!" 

"Yes, that is where we played in the leaves in the fall!" There were great piles here, now blown away and trampled. It's amazing how much she remembers. 

Sometimes we pass another biker or walker heading in the opposite direction, and she yells out, "Hiiiiii! I'm on my bike!!!"

We're already at the first pond, which used to be about the end of Sweetie's range, and she doesn't seem tired at all. If we had time, we could go longer. "Do you want to get out and look closer at the pond?" 

"Get out!!!! Yeah!!!!" Rainbow Girl sticks her legs and arms straight out with joy, wiggling her little fingers in delight. By the time I turn around on my bike, wrangle her out of her seat straps, and lift her down, Sweetie's skipping along the bank of pond, which absolutely sparkles in the sunshine.

"Frogs!" Rainbow Girl announces. 

"They might be down in the mud still, but yeah, we sometimes see and hear frogs here!"

The sisters giggle and frolic for a few minutes, running along the path and in the grass. Sweetie, with her long legs sprawling out, looks so big and tall. Rainbow Girl toddles along behind with her flailing run, so little, yet so big, yet still so little! 

<3 <3

Too soon, we have to turn around and bike back home to be back in time for Sweetie's second kindergarten meeting. But the warm air is hugging us, the soft breeze is blowing hope into us, and we will have more days like this!

La academia del aprendizaje remoto

Day 5 of 31 at TWT!

¡Hola! I write in Spanish on Fridays. Feel free to paste this post's url into Google Translate if you don't speak Spanish - it's not perfect, but you'll get the main ideas! (and you'll get a peek at what happens when something is machine-translated!)

- ¡Familias! ¡Comparten sus imágenes favoritas de la academia del aprendizaje remoto! -

Con una sonrisa, hago clic en la publicación en el grupo para las familias de nuestro distrito escolar que han elegido la opción de clases a distancia para nuestros hijes. (Nuestro distrito ha estado en modo híbrido casi todo el año y comenzará las clases completamente normales a partir del 15 de marzo, pero pudimos elegir "la academia del aprendizaje remoto" para cada semestre entera.) En este año tan difícil, ha sido una bendición tener este grupo de Facebook con familias con creencias semejantes acerca de COVID (... y no me empiezan con qué rollo es poder tener "creencias" o "opiniones" acerca de algo tan científico como una pandemia, pero...) que comparten juntos las dificultades y las alegrías de esta situación. 

Porque sí, hay alegrías. Aunque todos queremos "la vida normal", todos queremos que nuestros hijos estén en nuestras escuelas bellísimas con sus amigos, todos sentimos el peso de permanecer encerrado por tanto tiempo... hay alegrías. Hay razones para estar agradecidos. Y no sólo por la oportunidad de estar sanos y salvos, sino verdaderas alegrías de las que no hubiéramos experimentado si nuestros hijos no estarían aquí en casa, pegados a la computadora. Tantas personas hablan de la supuesta "pérdida del aprendizaje", pero no hay suficiente discurso sobre lo que hemos obtenido.

Desplazo la página y veo un montón de imágenes bellísimas: gatos y perros acurrucados en los brazos de niñes durante sus reuniones de clase, hermanites pequeñites mirando, curiosos, sobre los hombros de sus hermanes mayores, sofás con familias enteras sentadas juntas con sus computadoras, niñes pequenes con audiófonos gigantes... momentos de orgullo, alegría, y comunidad. Momentos de familia. Momentos de amor. 

Y mientras busco fotos en mi teléfono para compartir, recuerdo nuestros momentos bellos, únicos al aprendizaje remoto: 

Mi hija mayor en su primer día del kinder, con camisa de su escuela y trenza de Elsa, ya entusiasta y ávida para participar en la clase:

Tocando su guitarra nueva a la canción de bienvenida de su maestra (quien toca el ukelele cada día y ¡tiene una canción para casi todo!):

Utilizando uno de los nuevos señaladores que le trajeron los reyes magos para contar con su maestra en la rutina del calendario:

Enseñando a sus compañeros los varios insectos que atrapamos en el otoño. (Después de "traer" cuatro o cinco amigos insectos a las reuniones en las primeras semanas de la escuela, su maestra ya le preguntó si iba a ser entomóloga...):

Haciendo sus tareas y asistiendo a sus reuniones con su hermanita curiosa sentadita en las piernas o echando un vistazo de puntillas:

 

 

 

Celebrando el centésimo día escolar con las materias divertidas enviadas por su maestra:

Bailando con su hermanita a una de las muchas canciones del alfabeto que su maestra utiliza para momentos de movimiento:

 

 

Y lo más precioso, los abrazos de las hermanas durante la clase:

También, las hermanas han tenido tanto tiempo extra juntas durante los descansos entre las reuniones (y más si pensamos en el tiempo que hubiera sido gastado llegando a la escuela en autobús). Pero éstas son historias para otros días...

Les dejo con una de las canciones escolares favoritas de las hermanas: ¡el alfabeto de animales!

P.S. Fellow multilingual slicers... feel free to join me in writing in another language on Fridays! :-) Watch for an official invitation next Friday on TWT! :-)

The Light of Love

Tuesdays at Two Writing Teachers!

"...Last Sunday, we lit the candle of hope." I break eye contact with the people in the pews and nudge Sweetie's shoulder.

Husband leans forward to dangle her closer to the mic. "Today we're gonna light the candle of love," her tiny voice squeaks out, "an' God loved the wor-rld, an' he sent Chee-sus to save the wor-rllld." She beams proudly, squirming back against Husband's chest in excitement as the congregation titters.

"Now Daddy!" she squeals and throws her arms around his neck, prompting a second rumble of louder chuckles.

"No, now we get to light the candles! Then Daddy will read his part," I whisper. I kiss her head and take the ornate candlelighter to the altar candles, pushing the lever to raise the wick as I did so many times as an acolyte growing up. The flickering candle wavers with pure magic as I carry it carefully back to the wreath. Our three hands wrap around each other and we lean forward together to light the candles of hope and love.

Just like I did with my parents, and Husband did with his parents.

"Now there'll be lights and lights!" Sweetie chirps in my ear. Husband begins to read. "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another..."

Hope and love.

Light in the darkness.

Our love is shining so bright within and through me that it feels like I might float away.

Isn't our historic church gorgeous?

After the service, as people come up to tell us how cute Sweetie was and what a great job she did, one man grins and winks. "So what is it like to live with all that cuteness all the time?" We giggle, but I'm serious when I answer. "So, so sweet!"