The never ending winter

This winter seems longer than most. The skies have teased us with sunlight and temporary warmth, than blasted us with brutal winds and snow. The world seems disrupted in an uproar of political spasm. I watch my boys grow each day. It gives me hope that the warmth will soon come. Maybe the sun will bring everyone to rest. Allow us all to simply get along.

I long for the chance to get out in the garden, to enjoy the parks, to try something new this year. This summer will hopefully involve camping, gardening, and horseback riding. We haven't taken Apollo on horses yet. I feel this year would be a good opportunity. Maybe try some other things we haven't done yet. We haven't gone to any pools since we moved up here. So maybe we will try that out this summer as well.

Lucian is signed up for soccer, which should start in a few weeks. We have been talking about putting both boys in swim lessons this summer as well. It's hard, since summer is so short. School restarts in the midst of what we knew as summer break. It really limits the time frame to try new things. I think we will also send Lucian to soccer camp again this year. It's not an overnight camp. He really liked it last year. Now that he speech is constantly improving, I hope it will be easier for him to connect with other kids. Maybe make some true friends.

Apollo is milking his toddler years. Enjoying the fact that he gets to stay home while his brother leaves for school. He does miss him though. The bigger he gets, the more things they are able to do together. They can actually play and have fun. Of course, there is a lot of fighting as well. They are siblings after all. Taking each others toys and deliberately annoying one another. It can be frustrating at times, but I actually kind of enjoy it. Through the disagreeing, they find a solution or they are separated. It gives them a glimpse into their potential closeness, into how much they are alike, into the unfair world. So, yes, I enjoy that they are unknowingly learning about themselves and the world around them. They will understand the importance of their relationship when they get older. For now, let them play, let them disagree, let them learn.

On the upside, Lucian has been going through an eating strike since being back in school. He thinks he can survive off of macaroni and cheese and lunchables. Ok, not quite that extreme. Though he would probably survive, he wouldn't be very healthy. He has been retrying and trying new things. We have been trying to re-expand his food palate. He has discovered he actually does like mango, and still dislikes anything in the squash category. Apollo, on the other hand, seems to be even pickier. He straight out refuses to eat anything the color green or that may have a sliver of green touching it. I can only hope we outgrow that sometime soon. Until then, one day at a time.