Spring Break

We've had a lovely spring break so far. Last year's spring break trip was to New Orleans. That was marvelous. Our only trip for spring break this year was to the farm in Illinois. Not as big of a change, but we had a lot of fun.

Sophia is so interested in agriculture. It's really interesting to me. As soon as we crossed into Illinois, she started asking questions about augurs and silos and how they all work together. Once we got to the farm, she spent a lot of time out in the wind with the dogs and the cows and the hay bales.

She also enjoyed the time spent indoors making cookies with Granny. It's something they enjoy each time, and Sophia always earns a little more trust with the process as they go along.

It was never too long before Sophia was headed back outside, though. She was determined to find this particular calf. On our last visit to the farm, Sophia got to name this little heifer, so she has a very vested interest in her progress. The plans for her don't include being eaten, so that's a relief.

In order to get out to her, we had to get onto the gator, a cross between a golf cart and a small tractor. I drove out through the cows, but in honor of my grandpa, I let her drive us back. She did great, and made a wonderful new memory.

I love that Sophia connects so fully and completely to the Illinois farm. It's fascinating to me how much of this stuff really is genetic. I'm grateful that we have the chance to deepen these connections while she's old enough to make memories and young enough to be formed by them. 

Snapshot

Because I want to remember this very normal day with my extraordinary girl.

Sophia wants to be a professional soccer goalkeeper. She wants to own horses and sing karaoke with her friends on the weekends.

She wants a blue convertible or a big, black truck.

The other day, she said, "You and daddy are both biscuit eaters, so I'm the daughter of a biscuit eater, but it's not in the 'b' word way." (This in response to a song called S.O.B.)

My Loves

I think I post a version of this picture every winter. I just love how cute these two are when they've been battling it out in the snow.

I love sledding, but Erick will occasionally allow Sophia to "sneak up" on him and smash snow in his face or down his shirt. So, he'll always be a little bit more fun to be outside with than I am. I'm okay with that.

Admittedly, I'm hoping that was our last snow. I can smell spring in the air today, and I'm hoping that's where we're headed.

We sure will miss him

Grandpa passed away this morning. I am so sad. Not for him, of course. He was ready. He was dissatisfied with life away from the cattle and the land.

No, I’m not sad for him, but for the rest of us. The rest of us will miss that strong man. Always ready to wrap a protective and fond arm around your waist and say “we” when he really means “I”. “You know, we sure are proud of you kids.” In the last few years, even a “We love you.”

He was the first adult to teach me what it felt like to be trusted. None of us ever wanted to disappoint him because he gave us the freedom we craved. Freedom in the form of money at the State Fair to spend and a few hours without adults around to do it. The keys to an old car and an open pasture before we knew how to drive. The reins to an unruly pony that he wasn’t sure you could handle.

Trust is what I learned from him. Because he trusted me, I began to believe that I was capable. I was willing to take risks because he seemed to think I wouldn’t fail, or that failure wasn’t the worst thing.

He was a farmer who kept horses and carriages. It didn’t make any sense, but he did it anyway. He didn’t care what other people thought about the things he did. He always knew better than anyone else. It’s one thing that most of us inherited from him, for better or worse. We tend to be the type of people who stick with our plans in spite of common wisdom. Common wisdom has nothing on us.

If you find us unwilling or unable to see when we’re wrong, you have him to thank. Of course, he gave us other qualities. Some got his ability to tell and stretch a good story. Some got his love of the land. Some can judge character in a person with stunning accuracy.

The thing we all got was the benefit of his love. For us, but most of all to witness the love he had for his wife. Over 70 years of starry eyed devotion. It will stay with us always. 

I am so glad I am one of his. We sure will miss him.

Royal Gem

Sophia is almost halfway finished with basketball season. The third grade girls are determined and fierce this year. And Sophia realizes, about half the time, that she is five feet tall. Lots of rebounding and a couple of baskets have made her very proud of her effort.

We've had a lot of fun going to games with all our friends. One of the best things about basketball this year is that we've been at it for three years now with the same families. The girls on the team are Sophia's friends from school, and we all know each other well. That means we know when to cheer. For one girl, we might cheer if she passes. For another, we might cheer if she goes after a jump ball. It's just great to watch these kids learn about themselves, the game, and about being on a team.

Five more games to go, so I may be feeling less joyful about the season in a few weeks. For now, though, it's very fun.

First snow of the Winter!!

Sophia has been incredibly upset that we had yet to get a single snow that would withstand a sled. It was a constant source of disappointment.

To be honest, I have been disappointed myself. So we were both thrilled to get our first real snow last week. While I don't think it was worthy of the snow day that she got from the school district, we certainly used it up!

This was her face after her first roll down the hill. Very, very pleased.

This was on our second sledding trip of the day. Toward the end when she doesn't need the hat any more, and her cheeks get nice and rosy.

On the third time we went sledding on Sophia's snow day, she stayed out for an extra hour with friends. That was the best of both worlds for both of us. 

This picture was taken the next day when we went sledding one more time before the snow was all gone. Like I said, we've only had the one snow, but we made good use of it! On thehat was the best of both worlds for both of us.

Can't wait for the next time that we get to get all bundled out and run up the hill over and over again. Seriously. I still love going sledding.

Vacationing with Leo

Taking our little dog, Leo, on vacation with us was probably one of our biggest concerns. He's a lovely guy, but the longest he's ever been in the car with us is four hours, and he doesn't love it. Add to that our concern that Sophia wouldn't sleep in the back seat while he was there with her, and we were hoping it wasn't a terrible idea. 

Within the first hour of leaving home, Leo had growled at Sophia to get off him as she tried to lay down. She had complained that he was taking up too much room and she couldn't get comfortable. We were more than a little worried at this point.

Then... I don't know what shifted. Either they both finally got tired enough or they just accepted their fates. Regardless, they settled in, and never had any trouble again.

Having Leo with us was actually quite wonderful. In New Orleans, since it wasn't raining, we ate almost all our meals on patios, which meant that he was welcome to join us. He did so in a very mannerly way. He was charming to all and pleasant for us.

Here are Sophia and Leo in the lobby of our hotel. The Hotel Indigo is very dog friendly. During our first couple of trips through the lobby, we counted six or seven canine guests, all sweet and friendly. None quite as cute as our own, but then...

While we were in Gulf Shores, we didn't take him out to eat with us, but we had lots of time together. He loved hanging out on our deck watching the waves and the seagulls. He also loved running through the sand like a crazy dog.

Mostly, though, he enjoyed the same thing he enjoys at home: snuggling up on the couch.

Overall, I'd highly recommend traveling with Leo. He's a great companion. Sophia is very interested in taking him on our next flight, but that's an adventure that I'm not so sure about.