...and so I did return...

I've been away for far too long.  Not away from the living the life, just away from the taking the time to record and savor the journey.  Finding my way back on the grid...and why not with a sweet shot of sisterly love...

Maia's been home from college (more on her college choice to come) several times this year, to enjoy the Ravens' (Caw! Caww!) incredible playoff season here in the incredible Super Bowl winning town of Baltimore. Here, she was heading back to school, and swung by the couch to kiss Gommy goodbye.  Gommy loves this photo because when she woke up, she was disappointed she'd been too tired to see Maia off, but loved knowing Maia took the time to "say" goodbye to her.

Back soon.

Much Love. Take Care.

Welcoming 2012...

...with a little shot of performance joy. 

It's been awhile since I've spent time here, and as is always the case when that's my reality, I have missed my little blogging sphere, much like an old friend.  These days there is little creative room in my daily schedule, and the right side of my brain is beginning to feel the pinch.  I am hoping to make the necessary adjustments in 2012 to gain a better sense of "brain-balance."

Meanwhile, it's been (and still is) great having our whole brood home for the holidays and having a few days off from work.  This holiday season our entire family (with the exception of Job, whose semester ended too late in December) participated in the Nutcracker performances of Maia and Montgomery's dance school.  Although there are parent roles every year, and Maia has danced with this dance studio for about eight years or so, Craig and I have always held back because of the rehearsal schedules and the fact that there has usually been a very small child in our arms.  We had promised Maia, however, that we would participate at least one year before she graduated high school.  Well...she's a senior this year...sooooo...this was the comeuppance year.

Surprisingly for the two of us, other than the stress of timing and family schedules with the rehearsals and other holiday season activities, we all had a really good time.  We just might do it all again next year too.  I'll post more on our Nutcracker experience in future posts.  The photo above is just a small slice of those festive days: Montgomery, of course, costumed out as a "small peppermint from the Land of the Sweets," enjoying some giggle time with her fellow mint-lets...and loving wearing the required stage makeup!  You'll notice that she's lost her first tooth since my last post in October.  That was a funny story, one I'll try to be sure to tell in days to come.

(By the way, Maia begged me not to post this particular photo because she thought Montgomery's make-up left quite a lot to be desired that day, and then she insisted on applying Gommy's makeup herself from then on...so her baby sister wouldn't look -- in her words -- "jacked-up."  Teenagers!)

Take care.  Much love.  Happy New Year!

Off To College! (Part 2)

We took Job up to college on an August Thursday so he could participate in a pre-orientation retreat before the actual orientation began that following Sunday. Only Craig, Maia and I went up for this leg of the journey, and we were packed to the gills with the necessaries of setting-up a dorm room. Getting keys, finding the right dorm, and finding the right room in that dorm was so exciting...for all of us!

Figuring out how to actually work the key card and code thingy on the door took some doing...and finally, after a few unfruitful attempts, some instruction reading.

Maia tried her best to wait patiently in the hallway while Job figured it out...

...but finally I think she couldn't stand another moment of waiting to see what the dorm room looked like and just had to get actively involved!

Success! We finally made it into the room and got our first glimpse of where Job will be spending the next year of his life.  Small but adequate (and actually better than we had anticipated from the college website photos)..but more importantly, totally his space...well, his and his freshman roommate, of course.

Maia gave it a thumbs up!

After many trips back and forth unloading the van, Job realized the job was done at last...

...and headed back inside to his new abode...

...but graciously posed for a picture for his dear old mom, waiting, as usual, with a camera in her hand.

I think this bright young man looks ready for his future...sturdy backpack, black briefcase, glasses, and...uh...is that your ninja sword? Well...who knows what the future may hold, right?   ;o)

The building has some interesting architectural features...

...that Job thought might lead to a shortcut inside...but nope...it's main entrance all the way for this dorm!

After finding his way back to his new neck of the woods...

...he and Maia shared a moment...

...or two...

I think I'd call that a "happy dance"...wouldn't you?

Much Love. Take Care.

The Elders POP+

I love this photo of Job and Maia,

a POP (Post of Previosity) from April 1995,

when Job would have been about 21 months old and Maia almost 9 months.

It's one of my all-time favorites!

What I love is that it shows the natural inclinations, personalities

and sibling relationship of these two...even today.

Job tends to be focused on the activity of the moment, and the tools and items related to that activity, which for him in this picture is clearly the sippy cup, the drinking of the juice, and the wearing of the sunglasses. Maia tends to focus on the people of the activity of the moment and relating with them, and thus the items of the activity of the moment are kind of unimportant to her...she was simply wanting to "talk" to the nice mommy lady standing over her with the flashy-light-camera-thing.

Job has usually tended to exhibit a degree of reserve. Maia has usually -- well, almost always -- approached situations with a desire to dive right in. Job has tended to have his mouth closed much more often than it's open. Maia has tended to have her mouth open communicating something much more often than it's closed. Job tends to be methodical. Maia tends to be a bit freestyle.

Yet, with all of their differences, or maybe because of their differences, Job and Maia have always been very close siblings, and I think are even closer now than ever before. Perhaps they balance each other? Either way, as a mother, their special relationship has warmed my heart again and again over the years. And...the funny thing is that in recent years they seem to have started rubbing off on each other. Job is a whole lot more social these days and enjoys getting to know new people in new situations, and actively seeks out those opportunities. Maia is now contemplatively reserved in situations that warrant it, and has a greater appreciation for methods and procedures.

But I still sometimes manage to capture a few photos,

like this one from Job's graduation day,

that take me right back to April 1995...

...classic!

Much Love. Take Care.

A Twisted Life ;o)

Maia spent a lot of time recently, over several days, twisting her hair.

(As a comical aside, she was about halfway through on Day 2 when it came time to go to an SAT prep class, and she had to quickly come up with a creative style of half twists/half fro...a bit challenging, but she managed...um, how shall we say...interestingly.)   :o)

Her twists are lovely and funky, much better I think, than when I have spent the hours styling them into her hair.

Everyone keeps asking her where she got them done, wanting to know the hairstylist she uses! Ha! Go Maia!

They make daily life so easy for her, especially now that school has started...just condition, spritz, fluff a bit, and go!

While I am delighted that she can do them now herself, I did always end up with a great feeling of accomplishment whenever I styled them for her...but the whole process just takes soooo long that I found myself dreading it rather than welcoming it as a time for shared mother-daughter intimacy.

However, I must say that whenever we were not hurried to meet a time deadline for completion (...boarding a plane for California in a few hours...heading off to perform in a play in a few hours, etc...you get my drift...) or pausing repeatedly to entertain/mediate/snackalize/bathe/chauffer/insertyourchoiceofmotherlytaskshere the littles, the process has really been quite fun. We usually watched reality TV marathons (Top Model, Think You Can Dance, House Hunters Int'l, Housewives, Top Chef, you name it...) while we styled and laughed and enjoyed some great TV peanut-gallery commentary along the way! I think I will miss that time...hmmm...

Wait Maia, WAIT!...please let me keep on doing your hair!! 

Just kidding...

...ummm...

...I think?

Isn't she beautiful!

My little Mai-Mai is growing up! (Sniff)

Much Love. Take Care.

Love in the Shadows

I was standing near the second floor landing recently, rebooting a load of clothes (our laundry nook is just off the landing), around Montgomery's bedtime (well...really significantly after Montgomery's bedtime), and heard muted excitement from nearby. I glanced into my bedroom (yes, that's still where Montgomery starts out sleeping most nights) to see Maia and Montgomery making shadow puppets on the wall.

Gommy had apparently noticed how my bedside lamp casts just the right spotlight on the wall for a center stage, and then her imagination took flight...it tends to do that quite often   :o)

Was that a big hairy spider?

Maia had come along and helped Gommy figure out some new characters...is that a unicorn?

And the two of them created some dramatic sceneplay quite befitting such interesting creatures.

Is the unicorn being chased?

Or was that a horse (or two) being chased by a dragon?

They knew, and that was all that mattered.

Much Love. Take Care.

August Swimming...Lessons?

The kids and I headed to the pool again this morning, for Montgomery and Johngideon's swimming lessons. It was nice that everyone "wanted" to go...or at least they did by the time they got there.  ;o)  While Montgomery had her lesson, Maia continued with her water exercises, and the boys threw each other around in the shallow end, or rather the youngers attacked Job and he delightedly threw them around. I got to sit and chat with a friend I'd been trying to connect with for a couple of weeks, but we'd been delayed by things like life and the stuff of schedules.

After Gommy's lesson was over, it was Johngideon's turn. I think because it's August, a good number of families are on vacation, so Johngideon's lessons this week have so far worked out to be private affairs. Which would be a delight for a family of seven, such as ours, on a reasonable budget, such as ours, to have paid for group lessons yet wound up with private ones, except that Johngideon decided today (as he'd done Friday) that it was too chilly for swimming lessons, so spent quite a lot of time on the side of the pool, huddled into himself, while his two -- yes, I did say TWO -- instructors stood over him trying to cajole him back into the pool. (Needless to say, his mother was not amused.)

See, there he is above, the small bundle of red miserableness at the far end of the pool, between the two -- yes, I did say TWO -- instructors standing on either side, promising him all manner of things if he'll just get back in the water. (Meanwhile Maia is peacefully and thankfully obliviously swimming her laps.)

And again, hunkered down into a small ball this time (to the left of the lifeguard this time...who is watching this scene in amused disbelief), having brought one of his instructors to her knees (I think the poor girl just gave up!) (oh, for a better zoom camera to capture the expressions on their faces!)...

True, there was a bit of a wind today, but it hadn't seemed to bother him too much thirty minutes earlier when he was joyfully and shriekedly being thrown all over the water WWF-SmackDown-style by his big brothers. Hmmmm.....

While Johngideon was causing his instructors to think it would probably be easier to have a class full of twelve kids instead, Montgomery was snuggling under a big towel on a lounger by her other brothers, enjoying a little sun-warming time while they tossed a wet towel at each other.

When Johngideon finally had endured the full-length of the excruciating 30-minute(!) (really?!) lesson, he dragged himself (shivering violently for effect) back to a lounger and "thawed out" in the sun...which was exactly what his older brothers were up to by now. Isn't it funny how the boys' feet hang through the threads on the loungers...

Job was actually just trying to stay on the thing, I think, because he seems to have grown longer than it! Montgomery, meanwhile, had headed off to the kiddie pool to play with some new friends.

Speaking of Montgomery, Craig has been teaching her to swim all summer long, and wow, has she learned! She went from a kid just walking around in the shallow end, to a bonefide deep water dogpaddler! Last week in South Carolina, she was sliding down the slide all by herself and "swimming" to the ladder. And late last week at swim class (her first professionally taught lessons in months), she jumped off the diving board for the first time in her life!...

and "swam" to the side...in 11-feet-deep water!!...
(Maia was a super-smiling big sister watching from the water, you know, just in case.  :o)

and then Gommy lined up (chilly but proud) to do it all over again, and again, and again, and again...

(even though she was completely submerged with each jump)

until after the lesson ended...and again...and again...until we had to practically force her from the deep end!

I love it!

Take Care. Much Love.

 

Delighted to Have Her Home

Maia returned home this week after more than a month away at two different college summer programs. We were all so glad to have her back, and her siblings rushed her at the door as soon as she and Craig got in from the airport.

The arms you see around Maia's waist are Johngideon's, who is lost somewhere in the middle of the group hug. Wait, here he is...

Her brothers even cheerfully carried her bags upstairs.

It is our comfortable household pandemonium once again. (By the way, Josiah's not injured (thank goodness!)...just having fun with Maia's old crutches.)

It is so good to have everyone home again.   Such a luxury...and I am grateful.

Take care. Much Love.

     

Knocked Out

This is how over-scheduled teenagers look when a car ride takes a little longer than normal.

We've been seeing a lot of this lately as we make the college visiting rounds one more time to help Job finalize his decision. I think its pretty much finalized now...more on that later.

But these two -- so interesting! so wonderful! so interested in life! -- wouldn't have it any other way...the over-scheduled part I mean. I'm trying to work on simplifying the overall household schedule, but I'm finding that simplifying is a complex process.

Much love. Take care.

  

Montgomery's New Hairdo

Montgomery was in need of a new hair-do...one that didn't require a daily fix from me (agonizing for both of us!)...and preferably for her, a "downer" style. "Downer" to Gommy means needing no elastics or barrettes and, most importantly, swish-able and shake-able.

For a bit of a back story, most of the little girls in Gommy's pre-K class are Asian and wear their hair "down" and very long. This was also the case at Gommy's pre-school last year; the little girls in her class were of European, Asian or East Indian backgrounds and also usually wore their hair "down" in various lengths. So, although big sis' Maia and I have praised and praised Gommy's afro puffs, braids, and other more traditionally African-American styles, Gommy has always asked for "downer" styles. (It probably doesn't help that Mommy is ethnically blendy, with ethnically blendy hair...usually worn in "downer" styles.)

What's a mother determined to instill "I am beautiful me!" into her daughter supposed to do?

Resist!

Ok,ok...so I know that's not the best plan...but we have made a conscious choice to live in a diverse community and have our children attend diverse schools, and we firmly assert and teach that every creation of God is beautiful and perfect as He intended. We remind our children of God's love for beautiful variety, and how we can see that in the many beautiful and different flowers and the many beautiful and different people He has created. AND...we make sure not to buy any Disney princess anything that doesn't included Tiana! We have also made sure that Gommy's dolls represent the United Nations and then some, in all skin tones...even adding our own home-made blue-haired and pink-haired dolls! (I'll post photos of them soon...soooo cute!)

Yet and still, maybe it's the constant barrage of hair and cosmetic commercials, advertisements and billboards everywhere around us in the city, but this little girl still wanted her "downer" hairstyle!

Insert Maia to the rescue! Ever since Maia chose to "go natural" and cut off her processed (perm-straightened) hair in favor of her natural hair texture, she has been researching and exploring healthier hair care and interesting styles that complement her hair texture. Recently she showed me an instructional video on the Internet for double-strand twists that lay close to the scalp in rows similar to cornrows for braids. I watched, learned, and styled Maia's hair in these twists and she loved it. And then we both thought hmmm, this might be the long-sought answer for Montgomery...a "downer" style that celebrates her beautiful natural texture and coilability (my new word).

So, after sitting tearfully through the styling (a more tender-headed child you've never met), Gommy finally emerged with a "downer" style that was Mommy-ethnic-pride-approved and Gommy-swish-able-and-shake-able-approved. And she looks just beautiful...but then again, she always has.

Here are a few close-ups...

Isn't she just beautiful!

I think this will be her style for quite awhile...especially since she recently fell in love with headbands!

Take Care. Much Love.

(I call this expression..."Really, Mom, more pictures?")