Seven Doesn’t Seem Very Old To Me Now That The Youngest Is Eight

He was seven when she was born, and already the brother of two other younger siblings. I have pictures of him cradling her as a newborn, and later, toting her little diapered self around on his hip. Do they have a special oldest/youngest bond? Not sure, but there are little moments…

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Siblings

These two have always had a great relationship. I’m not sure why. I do remember hearing harrowing tales of sibling fighting issues from other mothers when these ones were toddlers, and having to admit that no, they actually didn’t really fight much. I probably attributed the lack of quarreling to my stellar mothering, but by [...]

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A Thousand Words

Look at how L’s fingers are subtly keeping Jay at a distance. A bit of closeness is okay, just not too much. It’s an accurate portrayal of their relationship right now. L tolerating, and sometimes even enjoying the company of her little sister, but there’s always that little edge. They have fun times, but L [...]

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Sisters

L showed me the gift she’s made for Jay, who’s turning seven this weekend. It was a handmade gift certificate from L to Jay, giving her the gift of a “Sisters’ Outing”. In it she stated that she’d pull Jay on the sled down to the neighborhood shops where they could spend the afternoon browsing, [...]

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The Back Story. What You Don’t See In the Pictures.

What a lovely picture. A little girl pulling a sled in the Canadian wilderness. Sheesh. Those homeschooled kids. So brave and hearty and adventurous, always outdoors in the healthful fresh air….(What you don’t see is the howling wind, and my serious misgivings about having suggested our grand outing). Squatting down to eat some snow. (Me [...]

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Eager Beaver

L was interviewed by a reporter at the dive meet, and got herself quoted in the paper, which prompted young Jay to wonder which sport she could do. She came to me and asked for a list of all the sports I could think of, then decided on swimming. Gymnastics was okay, she said, and yes, [...]

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Moments

Family life definitely goes through cycles. The times in which I feel absolutely mired in the swamps of bickering, when all I seem to hear are shrieks of outrage over imagined slights,  I find myself having to struggle not to get sucked right into the negative mood. It’s hard not to begin questioning all of my choices, all of [...]

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