from our holidays: Victoria and girl friends

I keep forgetting about some of the photos I have from our holidays this summer.  In all the back to school and studio rush, the blog has been a bit neglected, but I thought I'd post a couple of photos from this GREAT house that has undergone a transforming fresh coat of white paint since the last time we were there. There are so many things about this house that I love- Caroline has such a great way of putting it all together!

We spent much of our summer holidays hanging out and staying with families who have girls.  I have to say that it was something quite special to see my boys playing with polly pockets and my little petshop stuff.  They would be absolutely livid if I told anyone that they a) played with girls for their entire holidays, and b) they played with girl toys, because they are so in that stage where they think their friends would tease them about it.  But the reality is that my big, boyish boys loved playing with the girls this summer, and I couldn't help thinking how good it was for them to have to play differently, negotiate differently, and frankly just enjoy hanging out with friends we don't often hang out with. 

Life with my boys

I haven't talked a whole lot about the boys on this blog for a little while- somehow the birthday highlights got skipped over with all the studio stuff going on.  My boys turned 8 and 10 this spring so my stint as a parent for 10 years now feels like a big deal.   There's been such a shift between just providing the boys with their basic needs, lots of love, care and attention, to now a whole lot more relational navigation.  Dealing with sibling fights, pushing boundaries, and challenging everything are all a daily struggle.  I won't say that I find this fun.  I want to like being around my kids and when I find them demanding and pushy it feels really hard.   My patience is occasionally stretched to the brink and I find my voice rising along with my generally even-keel composure getting lost in the moment.  Being a parent is not for the faint of heart.  It's hard work to recognize that I need to learn and grow just as much as my kids do.

Speaking of growing- my boys are big.  They just feel so tall.  I think Johnny has lost all his baby teeth but one and he's already getting close to 100 lbs.  It's really crazy how their childhood is just cruising along.   Why is it that time seems to pick up speed when you have kids? Or is it just that you  notice how quickly life passes you by when you see a child growing right in front of you?

Today is 'go skateboarding day!' so we'll be skateboarding to school! Hope your day is great!