February 2016...Sunrises & Sunsets

Spectacular Performances in Lyla's Room

Sisters sharing a moment

Happy Baby!

At Let's Play with Friend & classmate Georgia

February 16 Birthday!

Sisters Posing for camera

One of costumes from Georgia

Saturday at Granny's with dog Sunday

Last night (June 12) I watched the Tony awards and took a break from watching the coverage of the massacre at The Pulse nightclub in Orlando (the worst shooting in US). The Fiddler on the Roof was nominated as one of the best “Revivals of a Musical” so a performance of one of the songs “Sunrise Sunset” was part of the program. The words made me thing about how quickly Lyla & Willow are growing up…Lyla is becoming a tall beauty & ready to start kindergarten and Willow is sitting up & clearly no longer a newborn...a seedling blossoming overnight into a sunflower. And I am getting older too…

Is this the little girl i carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don't remember growing older,
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?
Wasn't it yesterday when they were small?

Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset,
Swiftly flow the days,
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers,
Blossoming even as they gaze...

Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset!
Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears...

The first week in February I stayed at Angela’s Monday-Friday and then after 5:00 pm post-park-Lyla-dropoff I went to Mobile for weekend to attend Myle’s senior vocal recital. This week was also the “Iowa Caucus” which is the beginning of the 2016 presidential election…Willow’s 1^st and Lyla’s second. The days were routine, but also special; carrying Willow in the Bjorn carrier while she slept, stroller rides to the park & lunch at Jimbo’s, afternoons at the park watching Lyla play & one rainy afternoon at Chic Fil A indoor play area. For her “share” at school Lyla had a book about Chinese New Year. The second week included snow flurries and Tuesday-Friday at Lyla’s with a day too cold to go to the park, preparing Valentines for school party and reading books with Hilltop Montesorri School (HMS) students and a beautiful day alone with Willow while Angela was out. Since I didn’t routinely help during the nights at Angela’s, my times were literally “sunrise to sunset” and watching the Rotter girls turn into sunflowers! Friday was a school holiday spent with Lyla & her classmate Georgia. We went to Georgia’s house where Lyla was given several "play dress up" costumes Georgia had outgrown! Lyla loved wearing them. We went to lunch at Panera Bread & “Let’s Play” before I took Georgia home and headed to “Friday night at Granny’s”. On the way home Saturday we stopped for dinner at Taziki’s and Valentine shopping at Publix grocery. The week of the 15^th Monday was a school holiday for Brock & Lyla and an “errand day” for me. Tuesday-Friday included a pediatrician visit with Angela where Willow got 4 shots and visits to the park with Lyla and stroller rides with Willow. Friday night & Saturday at my house with Lyla was spent watching TV and playing games before Taziki’s supper and holding Willow while Brock bathed Lyla. The last week of February had one exception to the routine Monday-Friday at Lyla’s followed by Friday night & Saturday at Granny’s: a nap for Willow in the baby bed at my house while Angela’s house was cleaned & Angela went to a UAB appointment. Hopefully one day Willow will also have Friday nights at Granny’s even though Angela’s schedule of working every Saturday will change. In the future, our precious routine would  be altered as Willow began to sleep more at night; I would have more days at home & fewer nights at Lyla’s. Although every phase of a child’s life is special, there are some things more special than you realize...until they end. But fortunately life goes on and new & different special things will begin to happen. February’s last Friday & Saturday were beautiful days with fun at the park (where I left Lyla’s scooter!) and outside & inside playing at my house followed by Panera Bread supper before going home to Dad & Willow to get ready for bed before Angela got home from work.