Around here

School has started and the boys and I are getting settled into our new routines. This year it has worked out that they can ride the bus near my house on the weeks they are with me. There are so many little details that I want to hold inside me forever. I've noticed lately that my memory is not what it used to be. The details slip through and are lost forever. So I feel the need to capture the really important ones. 

I want to remember.... 

Getting up before the sun to wake the boys for the day

The look of pure peace as they lay curled up under the covers

How nice it is that both boys can get themselves fully dressed on their own
Yeah that one is big... so wonderful to not have shoe/sock power struggles anymore

Making toast (with butter and jam) for Hayden each morning

Walking the boys to the bus stop as the sun comes up

Playing Battleship with Hayden before he has to leave

The slight smile that crosses Hayden's face when he spots me after he's exited the bus

Watching Ro with his headphones in/iPod cranked.. he's growing up on me

How I feel slightly panicked each time I have to decipher their agendas and make sure they've done all their homework. Not sure what that's all about.

The neighborhood boys that come and go at our house. Love being the house they all gravitate to.

Meeting other moms around the block and experiencing community in a new way

How Ro still loves owls and is becoming a full on gun expert

How Hayden is still searching to find what he loves.. but always falls back on astronomy

Nerf battles throughout the house

and my favorite new routine that feels unique and so us...
Using one side of an album as a timer for the boys reading time. So far we've listened to Abbey Road, Sgt. Peppers and Hotel California. 

and to go along with that one... how good my heart felt when I heard Ro humming "come together" later that night.

Things are good around here. I feel closer than ever to the boys. We have found a new normal and it feels right. We're not perfect, but we're finding what works for us.