Special Time With Walt

I apologize for the blog silence.  September has been a busy month with the start of the school year and other activities.

Now that we're starting to get into our groove, I'll be blogging again on a regular basis.  

Jane and Walt are LOVING preschool!  They have a fabulous teacher, and they come home with tales of their adventures everyday.  As much as they love preschool, they equally love their one-on-one time with me in the mornings while the other one is at school and Harry is taking his morning snooze.  As an added bonus, they are excited to see each other at preschool pick-up.  "Tell us about your day!"

Walt is especially fond of what he calls his "special time with Mommy."  I thought I'd share a few pictures from one of our mornings of special time.

Walt was helping me water the new mums on our front stoop.  When I stepped inside to refill the watering can, Walt said he would wait for me outside.  When I returned, he was yelling next door to the workmen coming out of their van.  "Hey!  Guys!  I'm Walter!  I'm THREE!!!  I go to preschool.  I live in Lincoln.  What's your name?"  He is quite the social butterfly these days. 

Walt loves to expand on whatever he's doing at preschool.  Since they were doing several activities and crafts about apples, Walt asked to do an apple craft with me at home.  He was so proud of the finished product!  Walt is a pretty big fan of the jumbo glue stick, but he most definitely DOES NOT like having sticky fingers. 

Whenever he finishes a craft, he likes to display them on his bedroom door.  I snapped this pic after we hung up his jellyfish.  This is the pose he made when I asked him to give me a thumbs up.  "Is this what a thumbs up looks like, Mama?"

Last week, Walt helped me purge & organize the toys.  Ever since the morning we organized the toys, he keeps asking me, "Can we organize toys during special time?  I love organizing!"  He's definitely my boy! 

As much as Walt loves doing things with me, I think his favorite thing to do is just have quiet snuggle time with me on the couch.  Physical touch is most definitely Walt's love language.  He is always asking to be held, trying to hold hands while we read stories, or running over for an impromptu hug.  

I love knowing that whoever is at preschool is having a ball while I'm getting to have quality time with whoever is at home with me.  There is a great temptation to use that time to be more efficient since I "only" have two kids at home, but I've resisted that temptation whenever possible.  When I fill the kids' love tanks (especially Walt's), everyone is happier, and we manage to get more accomplished than if I put them in front of a screen or ask them to play independently the whole time.  

My friend, Kim, shared this quote on Facebook last week.  It's my reminder to keep my priorities in check.  The days are long, but the years are short.  Our children are "the most important work" because they have eternal souls that we are helping to form.

Enjoying these years is a common theme among my friends lately.  Another friend shared this poem, "The Last Time."  

It is so true that we don't know when it will be the last time we will get to do all of the little things that we take for granted during the day--holding their hands to cross the street, kissing a boo-boo, or singing them their favorite lullaby at bedtime.

So, this year, I am making it my goal to soak in the "special time" with Jane and Walt while I have them home.  It's the only thing I'll do that will have an eternal reward.