What we don't want to lose

We've had flat Stanley (well, Flat A.J.) with us this week so we've photographed some things that might otherwise have gone un-documented. It was a reminder to me of just how thrilling a typical week can be in the life of a child. Being a kid is where it's at. Each day in their life is new and exciting, action packed and full of adventure.

Taking Stanley to school was great, because it was SCHOOL! Do you remember when school was a rite of passage and we had ARRIVED when we made our Kindergarten debut??!! And look what's missing in the picture...a TOOTH! Does it get any cooler than that first gap in your smile?
Then came (brace yourselves for this one...) VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Now I kind of thought it was romantic and zesty to celebrate the love between my hubbub and I. But when my son came home from school with his overflowing box of candy hearts, lollipops, mini-tatoos and special messages from the whole K-gang, I remembered what it felt like to design a special mailbox that would soon hold cargo second only to what Santa brings. I remember painstakingly selecting just the right card with just the right message to give to just the right person. (Gotta say ENOUGH but can't reveal TOO MUCH.) It was an introduction to the complexity--but beauty--of LOVE, and it was good stuff. Heavy, but GOOD.
Then there was the soccer game and the first GOAL scored in this winter season. He was so excited he gave the Toyota jump ("Oh-What-A-Feeling") at least seven times. But this excitement was also fueled by the promise of a CHUCK E. CHEESE token for every good kick in the game. (He needed an incentive to amp the oomph that day, and whether it's good parenting or not, it WORKED!)
The amazing week was topped off by a weekend with Grandma and Papa, which was great-turned-SPECTACULAR when the four of them headed off to a HOTEL for a night. No mom. No dad. No Cairo. Just suitcases, swimming pools, hotel TV, treats, and chilling with g-parents as the "big kids" they felt like. No Ritz-Carlton needed here. It was enough just to GO.
Part of what we gain from children is remembering what we don't want to lose.