opening day

On Saturday, it was just us girls. We went shopping, out to lunch, some more shopping, some napping, and some relaxing.  On the way to pick up my mom, Isabella was talking some gibberish and then she said "mommy, I said godsha, godsha, you know, like God."  Confused, I just said okay, and then she asked me where God lives. I said, "well, where do you think he lives?" She thought for a minute, then very inquisitively answered, "umm, maybe Flordia?"

I laughed and then told her that God lived in her heart. Mostly, just looking for more questions.... She patted her chest and said "you mean right here? in my heart? he lives here? is he a real person, mama? does he have a beard?"  I told her that God wasn't a "person" like us, but a Spirit and that's how he can be in your heart. She said, "oh, I know. he keeps me safe. but does he have a beard? because if he has a beard, I don't want to marry him. i don't want him to be my daddy if he has a beard."
 Isabella has a serious aversion to facial hair...always has, so she's just covering her bases. I told her no, that he doesn't have to have a beard if she doesn't want him too. She was happy and said quite confidently, "good, then I'll marry him."  So, I guess she's heading to the convent...
She is growing up. Right before my eyes, the baby has dissapeared, the toddler has faded, and now we are approaching little girl-hood.  She amazes me with her questions, her thoughts, her ideas.  She is afraid of things she's never been afraid of, she can finally fall asleep without me laying down with her, she wants so badly to begin ballet, and if she encounters something that she is unsure of, she just says "I think I'll just wait until I'm five."

Aunt Cathy and Debbie's pool is now open and she has picked up right where she left of...just like a fish.  She is confident, proud, and so excited. She told us this morning that she was so excited about going swimming, that it just might make her cry.  Within a day's time, she was without her water wings, swimming underwater between me and mom. Completely thrilled with her fast accomplishment, and pleading to do more.

As my oldest is becoming a little girl, my baby is becoming a toddler. Ever since those first few steps, she has become so much more confident and thinks nothing of letting go of her chair, hand, table, etc. but continuing the step, step, step.  She wants to walk, and she wants it now, and we have seen how determined she is.  She'll be a walker this month, I am sure. In ways I am ready. In ways, I am not.  I already see her independence and I see it growing ten fold once she learns to walk.  She's still my constant sidekick, because she's not giving up on nursing. Somedays she's rather nurse all day then take a bite of food. Other days, she rarely stops in to see me, mostly just when she's tired, and she attempts to out-eat her brother. 

Speaking of the brother, he decided to be kind and not grow up.  In a lot of ways he has stayed my baby. He still loves to be held, insisting that his legs don't work.  He will sit on my lap all day if I read him books, he wants to be rocked and cuddled, his kisses abound, and he wants to be close. But his confidence is exploding. He wakes up from his naps, comes out of the room or down the stairs, and is so proud.  This morning he woke up at 6 and came into bed with us until 8. When he woke up, he went downstairs (I was still upstairs, in Isabella's room) and was calling for me. A month ago, he would have been freaking out if he didn't immediatly find me. I came down to find him in the kitchen, just looking around. I said "good morning Declan," and he turned around, looked at me and said "where you been, mama?"  Still my baby, but now my confident baby.

According to Isabella, today was opening day.  The day the pool opens, is the day it all begins. She tells everyone that it is now summer. She's on the look-out for lightening bugs, as soon as the sun goes down. They beg Mia for honeysuckle bunches so they can have that tiny taste of sweet summer.
All I ask for this summer, is to maybe grow an extra set of arms. Otherwise, I'm not sure how this is all gonna work out.