Setting the Stage

We met Uncle Stuart at the Chicago Conservatory at Lincoln Park Zoo!

My mom is visiting from Alaska this week.  It is spring break.  It is a very peaceful time in our house.  There is so much to show my mom.  The girls are so delighted to be playing and having laughs with their "Attle" (their nickname for her) and getting to know her more because we don't get to visit too often.

A snack before going into the zoo on this grey morning.

I have been making an extra effort to step back and enjoy these moments and really watch as they interact.  I take great satisfaction in providing the stage on which they all can play and be a family.  That, to me, is one of the great responsibilities of being a parent:  setting the stage for your family to be a family and grow and learn and laugh and be free.

Audrey and a dwarf crocodile.

Initially, I was excited to show off our new home to my mom, and take pride in our dwelling.  Now, I am starting to realize that it is more about showing my mom that she has really taught me how to live independently and provide for my own family.  THAT is what I look forward to doing when the rest of my family visits in the future.  I am proud to show them that THEY have helped me become a person who is capable of making good decisions and growing into a parent and a provider.  I want to show them that I have created a home that infuses a lot of the things I learned from them.

Getting framed at the conservatory!

So the stage is now set, and the rain is threatening outside, but that will not stop us from having fun and creating more memories together as a family.  Yes, we work hard to live in this house.  Yes, we are stressed at times and step on toes.  Yes, there are a lot of pressures in the world all around us and we have to be adults and providers....but we are also actors on the stage we perceive.  And we are writing our scripts and selecting our props as we move through each page of our life.  I know that I need to practice my lines and work on my movement and think about my actions and nail my auditions in life, but I will also try to remember that it is all an art....this living....this being....it is all something that we craft over time and we are the only ones who can direct ourselves from scene to scene.  So now I await for my costars for the day to awake and decide what part of the stage to light up and play upon today.

Classic:  Sitting on the hippos!

And scene.

-a

Audrey and pygmy hippo statue.

Uncle Stuart and Violet.  Two jokers!

Staying hydrated on our visit with Uncle Stuart!

Here in the conservatory, we see a wild Violet.

Audrey being coy.

Violet being a little sweetie.

Our new tradition with Uncle Stuart:  Molly's Cupcakes!

Violet and Daddy, and her blue tongue.

The girls and Shakespeare.  

Attle and the girls and the cat and dog watch a movie and relax after our long walks at the Zoo.

Taco Tuesday when Attle arrives in Chicago!

The girls helping me get everything needed for smores in our backyard!

Audrey's new art and design desk.

First fire pit fire in the backyard!

Violet, smores, and two rubber chickens.  

Attle reading around the fire while they roast marshmallows.

Violet

Phoebe.