Through Kindness

Zane begs to help with dishes. He told me "Mom, it's good that I help you with chores." I asked how he knew it was a chore and good. He replied, "Grandma said doing chores helps you." I said, "Did she?! Your Grandma is really smart. I like her thinking. And I love that you enjoy being helpful. Grandma wants only the best for you."

Even though I have to remind him to put away his toys, I don't ask him to help with much. He just  loves to. Being extra considerate comes naturally for him.

Who's having the most fun?

Do you ever have those times when you wonder who's having the most fun? This was one of those times. :-)

Adventurous

We hadn't seen our cousins Carson and Keldon in a while. After the visit I asked Vanessa how she would describe the boys. She answered, "They are adventurous." I asked if that was a good thing and she replied, "Yeah, sometimes. But I don't always like adventurous." I wondered aloud whether or not adventurous was good this time. She thought so.

When Zane was asked what he enjoyed most from this visit, he smiled through his teeth and exclaimed "When Uncle Leonard went up that big mountain!" Vanessa was a little uneasy taking off into the woods, worried if we would find our way back. Perhaps that is the part of adventurous she doesn't like. I assured her that Uncle Leonard would not get us lost, that he knows the area better than anyone--a newborn there and growing up there. I also asked Aunt Tammy if Vanessa's nervousness and worrying brought back memories of when I was little. Aunt Tammy chuckled.

Thinking of Vanessa and Zane's Pappaw's birthday coming up, I can't help myself from thinking that he's smiling knowing we recently hung out with his baby brother and family. We'll go back soon. We have homesteads and land to explore.

Santa Rainbow

Zane was gifted a pet Betta for Christmas. We considered one for his birthday but decided there were other things he was more interested in and wasn't sure he really wanted the responsibility of a fish. Plus, we had convinced ourselves that age 6 might be a good rule of thumb for a pet -- it seemed to work well for Vanessa. Then the weekend before Christmas, our dear friend Cal, without knowledge we considered one for his birthday, gave him a small aquarium she couldn't resist. Zane loves Horton!

So Santa brought the fish for Zane. And when asked what to name his new pet, Zane said "Santa Rainbow." A perfect name!

Santa Rainbow is very active and quite engaging. He stares at you and begs for food and we have figured out that he likes to watch TV, especially Super Mario Bros on the Wii U. Zane is willing and sometimes eager to feed him.

Growing Side by Side

I'm not anxious for the kids to worry about the future for fear they'll be leaving their childhoods behind. I'm finding they find their joy just being together, tangling their roots into knots. They are a generation planted beside parents who have roots tied tightly together. How blessed we are.

*Photo credit to Paul and Lindsay for the adult group shots!