My Aunt Connie is one of my most faithful blog readers. I always feel so loved when I hear her wondering why I haven't written in so long. Aunt Connie also sends the best e-mails some that are funny but most that are just so darn cute you can't help but smile. A huge animal lover herself, the e-mails are often about the magic of the animals around us. This picture was included in an e-mail Aunt Connie sent this weekend titled, "Pure Joy."

So then when I opened the picture that Rob took of Caroline at the North Carolina vs. Kentucky game, the same title popped right in to my mind. Pure Joy.

It seems that Caroline's love of baseball has extended to love of all sports. She has followed her bracket picks actively throughout March Madness. When Rob told her that some of the Elite Eight games were being played in Newark, half an hour from us, he saw the wheels spinning. Rob and Caroline spent the better part of yesterday afternoon watching the prices on Stub Hub fall. Finally, the tickets were in an ok range and Rob pressed 'buy.' Rob and Caroline rushed down the Parkway and enjoyed lots of smiles like the one above. You will notice there is no smiling picture of Rob. The Tarheels did lose but for Caroline, at least, this did not impact the joy of the game.

Journaling

For a few years, I wrote with a fabulous writing teacher, Lisa Garrigues author of Writing Motherhood. She hated the term 'journaling'. Every time I think of the word or actually write it, I think of her and begin to edit but this time I'm going to write it anyway. Since last July, I've been journaling off and on. More on than off actually which has been a rather large accomplishment for me. I've been filling a notebook with words of mine, quotes from others and pictures that I have cut out from magazines. I got the idea of filling a notebook from my wonderful friend Rebecca Rodskog. She called the notebook a vision journal and suggested filling it with anything that made you happy. Somehow, this opened me up to see journaling as more than just my words. I could really put anything I wanted in my notebook and by doing this I have filled more pages than I have in a long time.

This morning I looked back over some things I had written last summer at the beginning of my Vision Journal adventure. I was reminded of why I do this...

From July 9, 2010

"Two pages left blank (I had skipped two pages accidently) as if a dare from the universe. I dare you to ignore your need to journal. I dare you to give up writing. I dare you to actually do something you are good at. I just spent an hour creating a scrap book page of a trip to the ice cream store. I suppose given the fact that it was my first scrap book page it was fine but in general, the best part of it was the written part. While we sat at Ben and Jerry's, I asked the girls what their favorite ice moment was. They both said, "Right now." As I thought about this, I realized it was, in that moment, the beauty of being four and seven- the beauty of loving the now."

Note: I have since put away the pinking shears and the cute stickers and realized that my notebook and my blog are my scrap book. Phew!

The Current One

Yesterday Caroline was getting ready to go to a Hawaiin themed birthday party. Rob was working from home so he was brought into the myriad of decisions that come along with dressing for such an event. Grass skirt or shorts. Sandals or flip flops. And the last one, hair up or hair down. With great authority, Rob said, "Hair down."



I must have given him a look that asked how he knew so definitively that hair down was the best look for a Hawaain bash. He turned to me and said, "I always choose the current one."



What!? For over ten years now I have asked and trusted Rob's opinion on everything from haircuts to shoes to which dress to wear to the party. In a large part, I have trusted him because he seemed to have such sure thoughts. He never hesitated. Always provided a fast response. Now it turns out he always chooses the current one?



Of course, he was quick to defend himself. Rob grew up with a sister five years his senior who began asking him his fashion opinion before he could fully form words. He was quick to say yesterday that he hadn't developed his 'current one' technique' he might still be standing in his childhood home choosing between feathered or straight hair.



I guess I'll give him this one...

School

I've mentioned before that I don't know where this blog would be without the power of eavesdropping but I'm hear to say it again..

The following was overheard as Caroline was explaining to her American Girl Doll, while playing Mommy and Baby, why Julie had to go to school...

"If you don't go to school, you won't be able to go to tell your children stuff when you grow up."

Caroline's had a tough year at school this year. She is learning for sure but she just doesn't come home filled with inspiration. So it's good to know that years of telling her kids stuff down the road is what is getting her out of bed every morning...

Always learning...

Warning: This post is not for the faint of heart :)

This morning, I noticed that there was pee but no toilet paper in the toilet. There were only girls in the house at the time, so this made no sense. I asked who had peed but not wiped. Both girls said, "Not me!" Knowing that I was not the culprit, I looked at the girls skeptically.

Katherine looked at my with a big smile and said, "I wiped with this!", holding her nightgown high in the air.

Because I was speechless, Caroline filled the silence,

"You're always learning, aren't you?!"

Indeed you are!

Go Yankees!

The Yankees played their first spring training exhibition game this weekend. Caroline was ready. While she was actively involved in the hot stove league this winter, daily peppering Rob with questions about which players were staying on the team, nothing could compare to being able to watch a real game again.

After the game, Caroline spent a lot of time pouring over the team schedule and marking on our calendar which games we might be able to attend. The day closed with, as the sign above reads, a "Fancy Dinner in Celebration of the First Spring Training Game." We were all told to wear Yankee clothing- or in the case of me and Katherine, at least navy and white. We had name cards decorated with Yankee insignia. And we talked about the game and players throughout dinner.

Something makes me think this family may have a spring training trip in our future. I did ask Rob if it's pool weather in Tampa during spring training. Maybe Katherine and I will wear our navy and white bathing suits and splash in the pool while Rob and Caroline cheer on their favorite team.