Some Days are Almost Magical

It has been ages since I posted to this blog. I blame two things: (a) I directed at play in the beginning of the year which took all my time and (b) I have spent the time since then catching up where I fell behind.

But, today was something special.

I woke early. I intended to write, but sat with a cup of coffee and caught up with my online social networks instead. It was peaceful and comforting and wonderful.

William, Michael, and Jocelyn were up soon and came down to join me. I had printed out some very basic phonics books for Michael, who has shown a drive to learn to read. I showed the first one to the kids and they proceeded to read it to me, helping each other out and relying on me for almost nothing. I had been confident that Michael would manage, but the other two surprised me.

After books, we had breakfast and then I took Patrick off to his swimming lesson. This is often a part of the week that includes several struggles, but today was excellent. On the way home, we stopped at a couple of stores to look for a cage for the butterfly larvae that we will be picking up tomorrow - from a family that has too many and just wanted to share.

As we arrived home, Andy was serving brunch: eggs, bacon, sausage & fried tomatoes. William showed me the comic book he had made while I was gone. A quick meal and I was off again. This time to the doctor with Michael, William, and Jocelyn for their annual physical and shots. We talked about the shots on the way there and I informed them there would be treats in the car afterwards for all brave children. In the waiting room, Michael continued to march through the phonics books, learning words as fast as I could give them to him, while the others played with toys.

3 shots, a few drops of blood, and one tender shoulder - but no tears - later, we were back in the car sucking on lollipops, ready for the next adventure.

We piled 4 bikes, 4 gloves, 4 balls, a T-ball tee, and snacks into the car and headed off for Heber Down, one of our local conservation areas. Heber Down has a flat path in the bottom portion of one of the hiking trails and we hoped that it would be a good place for the kids to learn to ride bicycles. A few hundred yards from the parking lot, the path turns a corner and the parking lot is hidden from view by stands of enormous conifers. We didn't go any further.

Patrick has had an incredibly difficult time learning to ride a bike and was frustrated to discover that he had forgotten the balance that he had finally found last summer. But, after a short practice session, he was riding up and down the path with glee. He rode off to the end of the flat path and back by himself several times while everybody else stayed in one place.

William, Michael, and Jocelyn have proper bikes (with training wheels) for the first time this year. Last year, they had tricycles and balance bikes. This was our first outing with the new bikes. By the time folks gave up, both William and Michael had managed to ride a bit.

After snacks, we played around with the T-ball equipment. I haven't played baseball since elementary school, but I found myself in a classic catcher stance as soon as I knelt to throw a ball with Michael. And even Patrick's glove felt manageable in my hand despite being several inches small. It felt good to be playing ball again. Patrick ran off with a butterfly net and we caught glimpses of him chasing butterflies.

But the best was yet to come.

Eventually, the children started playing tag - using the butterfly net as a tagging device. And then, suddenly, I realized the net was down and my children were calling me from within a grove of conifers. As I approached, I determined both that the cries were gleeful and that they were coming from above my head. William and Patrick had found a path into the stand of trees and had discovered that the trees had only grown branches on the outside edges of the grove. They had access to the trunks of the trees, and the branches were kindly spaced for them to climb easily. Jocelyn and Michael soon joined them and Andy and I had a bower full of children above our heads.

It would have been impossible to leave the tree-climbing fest without tears in most cases. But, Andy announced that there were water guns waiting for them at home. These have been much anticipated, and the kids came to the car with little trouble. Our back garden was a toasty 32 degrees Celsius: perfect for a water battle to end the day.

And this is where the story really ought to end. It will come as no surprise to parents reading this that such an exciting day was somewhat overwhelming to the children and bedtime was on the messy side. But, it wasn't bad. Certainly not bad enough to spoil the magic of the day that had come before.

I am hoping that by taking the time to reflect and write about this, today will become one of the days I remember when I look back from what is now my future. It was the kind of day upon which glorious memories are built.