Friday, May 15, 2015

Summer's on the Way... Problem Solved!

Though I truly have savored the moments, I cannot help but be surprised (again) that another school year is coming to a close. I guess this one flew all the faster than those before since there was so much anticipation for it to begin. Such a momentous season when my Ainsley love headed off to Kindergarten.

We I had such fun with these pictures documenting the anticipation for the start of full-day everyday school.


We did eventually get some fun shots to document the season and I'm pretty sure bribery was involved.





Once Ainsley was off to school I did miss having wide open days when it was just the two of us. But I loved the newfound independence she found there and I didn't mind my new found independence too much either. I loved the maturity in her that blossomed in a place where she was alone without me. But, of course, she was not alone at all. So much to glean from the experience of working shoulder to shoulder with other little people in her same stage of life.

I was lucky enough to get to sit in and watch it much of it unfold. As the Room Representative (how about that!), I had the keys to the kingdom and got to come into the classroom to snoop help whenever I wanted to. I love Ainsley's teacher, a beautiful girl only twenty-five years old. She's great at the job. She challenges the kids to do their best but isn't afraid of a little silliness and fun along the way. Ainsley's crazy about her and will miss her sorely when the year comes to an end.

As I watched her among her classmates, I saw a natural boss leader who surely seemed to have settled right into her own skin without any difficulty at all. I am just getting this myself and Kindergarten was a long time ago for me. She's not afraid to tell someone she'd prefer they not do something or to ask for what she wants. She's, um, direct. Yes, that's it. But she really is nice about it. It's extraordinary in its simplicity. Be nice. Be yourself. Speak up. Oh, to have learned this that early in life. Baby girl makes a momma proud.

And then there's the Emerson love. Fourth grade is on the horizon and that's just crazy talk. I remember fourth grade. I mean I remember so much about it. I remember Mrs. Forhan and her beautiful voice and her round plastic framed glasses. The Social Studies unit that I adored in which we were allowed to wear clothes from 1776. I remember proudly wearing my white pinafore and bonnet that my mom lovingly (or probably begrudgingly) sewed for me. She didn't love sewing but she sure loved me. Oh, that was a great year, and now my first born is off to enter her year in the fourth grade so much further along in being true to herself than I was at her age.

We went out to dinner just the two of us the other night - me and Emerson and she was just fantastic company. She is such a love. Here is how she looked right across the table from me.



We just had such a good time. She's fun to talk to and I'm so grateful that she still likes talking to me. She does feel things so deeply. We got to talk a bit about how the gift of a tender heart, lovely though it is, can feel burdensome at times. She asked great questions and we discussed ways to lean in and pray for others rather than rush in to "fix" things. I surely know how this method really does unburden us and surely does such good for those we love. I left that evening a bit awed at how deep and wide her thoughts and feelings are - she sure makes a momma proud.

In addition to cultivating and understanding her gifts, Emerson is equally excited to have taught herself her own version of cursive. Because, priorities. Longhand is something she took up on her own last year, and her version is actually pretty close to the real thing - which is kind of how mine looks to this day:) Recently, her teacher introduced penmanship lessons in class. She's eager to learn proper form and often asks me to say a few words that she can write out at as practice. Last night I suggested that she write that I was glad she was home. I went on about my work and didn't notice that she was still writing long after the amount of time it should take to write just a few words. After she had finished, she came to me with this little pearl.

Friends, I just can't even. Her precious heart.


The penmanship is a work in progress and capital letters haven't yet been introduced but here's what it says:

I'm so glad you're home. Because you're my favorite mom. And every time you see a problem, you fix it. So that's why you're my mom.

I love that this is how she sees me. I see a problem and I solve it. Boom. That is who I want to be. I know that when I walk this out well, the problem solver isn't me, but He who is in me. I cannot fix everything and make it better. But, if solving problems is about making hard things easier, putting broken things back together, making messy things beautiful, then I'll do that all day long. That's what moms do and I'm so proud to call the job my own.

1 Comment so far - Add yours!

  1. Your girls are beautiful. And precious. And I am so happy you solved your problem and assigned yourself a blog post. Well done.

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