The first day of school is one of life’s first rights of passage. It’s a change from being in Mama and Papa’s fold to being judged by a relative stranger and held up to the opinions of other students that at some point (very quickly) become your peers. With Sofi going into kindergarden this year it was also a wake-up call that my babies are growing up.
I’m honestly not sure how I am going to make it through childhood. Not mine, of course, but my daughter’s. There is so much to learn, so many new experiences, and so many pains along the way that sometimes it feels as though my emotions would shatter my very soul if not for the fact that I don’t want my daughters to see me falter.
There are few things more exciting to a child than an amusement park, and we’re fortunate enough to have a few pretty good ones in our metaphorical back yard. Paramount’s Great America and their partner organization Gilroy Gardens are both pretty close and offer a wealth of rides for young and old alike. Personally, I think that Gilroy Gardens is more suitable for children under 10, but the fact that Great America is about 15 minutes from the house makes it a lot more appealing than the hour or so it takes to get to Gilroy Gardens.
I’m way behind in writing about some of our recent adventures, but thought that I would take a moment to catch everyone up on our recent New Brighton State Beach camping trip. For those that haven’t heard of it or visited, it’s south of Santa Cruz and is touted as a beach-side campground, which is probably about as accurate as one can get. You don’t get to sleep on the beach, but it’s a short walk from the campground and adds quite a bit of fun to what otherwise might just be a trip into the forest. Hopefully the pictures and following story will share a little of the experience from our perspective.
I didn’t write this story, but I think about it often. Every time I tell my girls, “just a minute” or “not right now” I’m forgetting the importance of the moment and that I will never get this time back. Once the moment is gone it’s gone forever – and while there will be many more minutes and times for us to play, why waste a single one of them if I don’t have to? So for that reason alone, I am sharing this story with our readers, in hopes that it will help each of us remember the value of time.
Enjoy ~
Papa
In a perfect world I would have a way to spend every minute of every day with my children, but it’s not a perfect world and sometimes it is necessary to just accept that there will be days that I miss and time that I can’t be as close to them as I might otherwise desire. Fortunately, during the summer months, Mama has the time and opportunity (being a teacher gives her summers off), and this year, as the girls are older and more able to get around, they’ve been making the most of the summer months and it would seem as though they’re really enjoying themselves.
It’s difficult to believe that my daughters are old enough to be riding scooters – it seems like just yesterday that they were “scooting” around the house as part of learning to walk. But here we are 2009 – Sofi is 5 and Natalie is 4 – and they’re out riding their scooters; tearing up the neighborhood. Fortunately, they’re having loads of fun, too!
The Razor scooters are actually pretty cool and the pink handles, wheels and board make them girly enough for even our little princesses to ride with pride. In just a few days they’re actually pretty good at it, too, and a lot better than I would have expected. We’ve even made the morning run to Starbucks – about three relatively long blocks away – and they did very, very well. Before too long they will be doing the trips that Sofi is so ready to try out. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve come to the conclusion that for as much as we try to educate our children based on our experiences, what they teach us (or remind us) is infinitely more important. Take this weekend, for example, and the big, blue ball at the park just outside Capitola. The big, blue ball, is huge – bigger than me by a lot and that much more bigger than both Sofi and Natalie. Fortunately, it’s not intimidating and actually looks kind of fun. And, of all places, it’s perched at the top of a hill (with others already having started their decent), begging to be pushed from it’s teetering spot. I asked if they wanted to try and push it, thinking that they would think I was insane.
Instead, they were excited about trying to push it down the hill, and even as they were saying, “don’t be silly, Papa, we can’t push this down the hill” they were asking me to help to see if WE together could push it down the hill. ‘Cause, just the thought of this was too exciting an opportunity to pass up. So we pushed and strained and pushed a little more, but the giant ball did not move. One lesson learned; one to go.
As we walked away, Sofi said, “that’s okay, Papa, maybe next time” with a big, giant smile on her face. It brought tears to my eyes and made me realize that what I had forgotten is the simple joy of trying something – even when your mind says it can’t be done. Because, for all of us, that trying may be all that is needed. That little bit of effort brought Sofi, Natalie and me that much closer for trying together to see what we can accomplish and what we can’t.
These pictures will be my reminder, and “maybe next time” I will try that much more to do what I think can’t be done.
Papa
As an interesting side-note for any of the geeks in the house, all photos for this post were taken with my iPhone 3GS – and the quality seems pretty darn good.
It seems like just yesterday that I was standing in the maternity ward waiting (and stressing) about the birth of our first child. We didn’t even know what sex she would be, let alone how much work and joy that she would bring to our lives. Five years later and the only thing I want is more time to spend with my children so that I can enjoy each and every moment of their lives.
Celebrating birthdays -- milestones -- are little reminders of our successes and of the life that we have created. In these words I hope that you will see my pride and realize the happiness and joy that both my children have brought to my life, and know that for every milestone we achieve I learn more and more the value that these lives bring to mine.
Happy Birthday, Sofi. We love you.
Papa
It has been some time since I’ve last posted (again) and so much has been going on that I hardly know where to begin. Today, though, I had another thought that I wanted to try to get down here, if not for the few readers of the site, then to remind my children later in their own lives what they meant to me, each and every day.
See, today, like to many before and after I woke with the reminder of how beautiful my life is and how blessed I am by my loving, adoring daughters. It’s amazing to me that even on the days that I get up thinking, “oh, not another day,” that they wake up with all the excitement that comes with a new day. They hardly even remember yesterday, and even the biggest upsets and nastiest boo-boos are forgotten completely. They come to each day completely ready for whatever the world has to offer, open to absorb, learn, and truly enjoy every little piece. Even days that are something like yesterday and a little like tomorrow are important beyond comprehension and most importantly they are enjoyed for exactly that. They know that the best part of the day is what you do when you’re awake – and I am very glad to know that my children make the most of that every single day.
So yes, there will be more posting this weekend – hopefully a little catchup for some of the recent stuff – and even more after that, but for those of you that have forgotten that each day is new, this is my wake-up for call for you. Look into the eyes of a child – borrow a child if you don’t have one handy – and see the mystery and amazement that comes just from being awake.
Papa
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