Looking Back & Forward | a series of picture & words

I've not yet made my coffee in fear that grinding the coffee beans will wake my oldest, Garrett, who is camping out in the living room in my husband's pop up deer blind. Yes, I have a pop up deer blind in my living room right now. My toddler is going to go crazy when he sees it this morning.

{Driving to my parents for our first swim of the summer.}

Garrett is awesome. He shows us his authentic self every single day. One of my prayers for him is that as he grows he can continue to be him when there will be so many voices & influences telling him to be like everyone else.

{Owen and Garrett splashing Mitch}

I daydream about all the possibilities for his life, all the different paths he may choose and I'm so excited knowing that I will be there to cheer him on. On one of our many car rides he asked me if there were classes you could take to learn other languages. I explained yes, in junior high he could do that. He then told me that he needed to learn other languages because he was going to travel the world and take pictures of animals to teach people about them. Awesome.

{Owen's 2nd Birthday}

Garrett is always on an adventure. His imagination takes him everywhere and he can spend hours lost in the world he has created. I can't even count the number of times we've had to remind him be present in this life instead of the one he is creating.

{Last day of school.}

Being home with him this summer has been good. Working full time out of the house the only other opportunity I've had to be with him one on one for an extended period of time was when Owen was born. Our time together was so different. He was transitioning from Montessori to Kindergarten and my focus was on nurturing, building confidence, solidifying his self esteem.

{Owen's last day of school picnic.}

This summer he is transitioning from 1st grade to 2nd grade. His self esteem is solid and he is testing boundaries left and right. His needs have shifted from obvious (food, safety, stimulation) to obscure (life lessons, understanding the world that extends beyond our walls, development of self discipline) and I think he needs me more than ever.

{Playroom with Owen & Travis.}

I am fortunate that when I go back to work I will be able to split my workday between my downtown office and my home office so that I can pick him up from school everyday. So very fortunate.

{Mitch fixing Saturday s'mores}

I think alot about the man that I am raising in this small boy. The task we have been given is great, overwhelming at times, if you really sit with it.

{Owen's first toddler visit to the Splash Park.}

He is so much older than his brothers and I expect so much of him. I have to remind myself that he himself is still little. Thankfully he reminds me of this with pop up deer blinds in my living room.

{Garrett, a veteran at the Splash Park.}

Thanks for reading friends.

Monica

This post is a series of posts that highlights my reflections on maternity leave and my thoughts leading up to going back to work. You can read all of the posts in the series here.