Pajama Mornings

This is what our morning looked like today. A little bit of pajamas. A little bit of story books. A little bit of couch cuddling. Flannel meets faux fur meets Dinosaur Stomp meets mother's melting heart. Yes, it was that good.

The twins started a four day schedule at school this semester and have dropped nap times, so it's safe to say that they are tired. Yesterday morning by this time we had already been kissed by butterflies. Today it was nice to lounge around for a pajama morning.

We didn't get dressed until after lunch and only because I didn't really think I should send them to school in their slippers.

So we lounged and we lingered. Drinking up the slow pace, soaking up the sunlight and feeling a calmness within that fed us comfort food and asked us to stay for just a little while longer. And so we did.

I love going on "field trips" and adventures, cabin fever deems day trips absolutely necessary to the survival of this entourage, but it's so important to balance yourself. To listen to what you need and to go out and find it. Even if you only have to travel as far as the living room.

First real snow of the season a few weeks back and you should have seen the snowball fight Brendan had with the kids, it was fantastic, the stuff legends are made of. The type of fun that will have them throwing snowballs at him for the rest of winter just in the hopeful anticipation that it will spark another round, even if it's only half as much fun as they had that day.

Of course, Oscar wasn't into the snowball scene. Seems that snow cones are more to his liking.

And little Miss? She was ready to go inside after about 90 seconds, my little Snow White.

Last year was an intense time of growth for me, it was a growing year. This year has begun as a healing period. It's a lengthy process but one that has already revealed so much to me and one that will naturally lead to more growth. I have been thinking a lot lately about what I want and what I need, caught up in trying to sort out what is real. Figuring out what I want to carry with me and what I can allow myself to part ways with. We carry so much with us at times that it's a wonder we get anywhere at all. I'm not big on resolutions, mainly because I'm terrible at following through with just about anything, but this year I have some pretty big ideas about what I want. I have some pretty big intentions and a fairly specific destination, but I won't be able to get there without letting go first. I've been carrying too much and it's time to tuck it away, to let it go as peacefully as possible. And so my resolution this year is honor. I will do everything I possibly can to honor this life, because honestly, this life is simply too amazing for anything less.

So, whatever you have planned for yourself this year, wherever your intentions take you, I hope it is lovely and that you find what you need.

Now let's show 2011 what we've got.