“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: This week you have expressed a strong desire to go back to school. For you, I think it’s mostly social. You haven’t seen a lot of your friends this summer, and I know you are really missing them. You really prefer to have one or two close friends, but I think you genuinely miss being in the classroom and having people to chat with about kid stuff. Luckily for you, the wait is almost over. Big changes are ahead — are you ready??? I feel excited for you, and I know you’re going to have a great year! [P.S. You really enjoyed that crazy hail storm we had. You even gathered up some hail and put it in the freezer for posterity. I think it’s still in there!]

Zane: This week you endured more than your fair share of riding in the car. The whole thing started out rather simply: we drove to the Manchester airport to drop Daddy off so he could fly to California for a wedding. However, after three or four delays, they cancelled his flight. He was able to arrange a new flight, but it was leaving out of Boston at 6am the next morning — quite the quandary. We ended up driving back to Manchester to pick up Daddy, then to Boston to stay overnight in a hotel, then up at 4am to drive Daddy to the airport, and then home again (your sister got to skip this part and stayed at Nanny and Papa’s house). You were an angelic traveler, which made the whole thing a lot easier than it could have been.

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: This week you made a beautiful drawing of fireflies alighting from the ground against a midnight blue background and titled it “Little Souls”. You have really moved into a new artistic phase where you are spending more time conceptualizing and trying out different styles. I think this is a sign of a maturing artist, as you move away from emulation toward something more uniquely your own. Your work is beautiful. I am so proud of you.

Zane: This week you discovered that you can draw things that actually look like, well, things! First you drew a “kayak” and then a human-like figure. After you were finished you exclaimed, “I made a person, it’s called a baby!” You seem to be really interested in representational art. It’s funny how much you and your sister have in common, despite the fact that you are two very different people. I am so happy that you both love to create and express yourselves through art.

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: This morning (Saturday), you asked your dad why he was still at home. As he aptly noted you are obviously in full-on summer vacation mode — you don’t even know what day of the week it is! You’ve spent a ton of time at the pool, and also you’ve been planning on doing some sort of summer shape-up by jogging around the block. We discussed how little kids stay in shape without difficulty, but that it is harder the older you get to stay active. Although I sometimes miss your younger years, I think it is pretty neat that we can talk about all kinds of interesting things now that you are older. I hope you keep talking to me as you enter your later tween years. I’m always here if you want to chat, and I promise I will try to be a good listener.

Zane: Your new backpack arrived this week and you were so excited to try it on. I have to admit that seeing you wearing it kind of depresses me but I’ll get over it (eventually). I’m so glad that you are excited about preschool, and I know you will have a blast. You’ve been helping me do all kinds of things around the house this week: we’ve made bread; watered and tended our garden; picked berries; and we even made our very first pie! I love having you as my little shadow.

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: This week you had a sleepover at Nanny & Papa’s house. Earlier in the week we were driving in the car and I asked you if you missed Papa, since it had been quite a long time since you saw him. You said, “Of course! I ALWAYS miss Papa!” I think it is really special that you are so close to Papa. He worries that when you become a teenager you won’t be interested in spending time with him anymore, but I can’t imagine that would ever happen. You have a very unique relationship, and he loves you very, very much; we all do.

Zane: When we were at the pool the other day there was a little girl, a little younger than you, swimming all by herself with floaties. Her grandmother let you try them on to see if they might work for you, too. At first you were really nervous so you held your body perfectly still and when I told you to try and move your arms you said, “I’m afraid I’m going to sink.” Once I reassured you that you were not going to sink, you were pretty thrilled with the whole experience. The next day we got you a pair of your own, and now you’re unstoppable in the pool. Freedom!

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: Summer vacation is in full swing, and your freckles are in full bloom! This week you played with your best friend, spent some time at the pool, and just generally relaxed. Last night you regaled your dad and I with twenty-five minutes worth of web comic plot synopsis. I’m so amazed at the amount of information you are able to retain, especially if the subject matter interests you. I know that some of the comics you read are a bit mature for you, but you seem to handle it well and I am trying to choose my battles wisely. I know from life experience that there much worse things to fear than a couple of curse words, and I want to save my energy and whatever authority I have for the big stuff.

Zane: This picture makes you look old, and that makes me sad. This week something very exciting happened to you at the pool — you met your preschool teacher! You and “Aawie” (Allie) talked about trains, alligators, and the playground at the preschool. I’m so glad that you had a chance to meet Allie this summer because I think it will help you to feel more comfortable in the fall. Also, you had your first non-family babysitter last night and you did great! And, next month you’re turning three. I’m feeling some serious inertia with all of these milestones just around the corner.