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

Lillia: The warm weather has really brought you out of your winter cocoon. You’ve been playing imagination games again outside with your best friend and zooming around the neighborhood on your scooter late into the evening. It’s really wonderful to watch you play. You also went on a forced, 3-mile long death march to the village with us on Sunday. You were pretty sure you weren’t going to make it but, thankfully, you did.

Zane: This week you talked to everyone. You saw some men working on the roof of a tall house and asked them if you could join them; you told the mailman all about the fit you were throwing because you couldn’t have the Tonka trucks that you saw on the side of the road (they belonged to someone else); you also talked to a very nice dog named Lila who had just taken a bath — she was cleaner than you! I can’t get over how extroverted you are.

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

Lillia: You’ve been feeling kind of down about yourself this week. Trust me, you are incredibly gorgeous. I mean, look at that face! But, even if you were not gorgeous you would still be worthy of being loved and appreciated by others. Our culture places a huge emphasis on how girls and women look, and it undermines us every step of the way. I want you to know that there is so much more to life than that. So.much.more. Most of us will never look like we’re “supposed” to look, and that’s why makeup, clothing, and diet companies make so much money; they use our “flaws” against us and scare us into believing that the only way we can be loved is if we use their products to improve ourselves. And, that’s total crap. But, instead of assuming nefarious intent, the best thing to do is to be an informed consumer: YOU get to decide how much time, energy, and money you want to spend on their message and their products. “Purchase” wisely, and know that there are no “have to’s”…ever. I can’t promise that you are going to feel awesome about yourself every day; it takes a lot of inner strength to fight back against a culture that constantly asserts that you are not good enough the way you are. But, as long as you regularly take time to remind yourself that you have intrinsic, indestructible value no matter what you look like, then you will have more good days than bad.

Zane: This week has been awesome! We have had so much fun! Spring is finally here and we have been playing outside a lot. We’ve taken lots of walks to the village, and you have so enjoyed schmoozing with the old people at the post office, meeting friendly dogs, and observing every drain hole in the 03608 zip code. We are really hoping that the ice on your sand box will melt soon, because you have been waiting so patiently all winter to use it. Another plus to all of this outdoor time is that you have been pretty angelic this week, and you have been taking good naps and going to bed at night pretty easily. I’m grateful for all of the above.

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

Lillia: You’ve been very physically affectionate this week, and I have no complaints. Someone pointed out to me once that, unless they have a significant other, most tweens and teens experience very little in the way of physical contact with others. That makes me really sad! I have made it my goal to hug you as often as you will let me.

Zane: It is FINALLY warming up, and we are starting to spend more time outside. You are very, very excited about all of the birds that have returned. You’ve already figured out that spring birds = nests = eggs = baby birds, and there is nothing you love more than nests, eggs, and baby birds! In fact, I often find you pretending that YOU are a mother bird. There is a part of you that is incredibly nurturing; someday you’ll be a great dad.

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

Lillia: Last night when we drove by the elementary school (for grades 5-8) you told me, “I can’t wait to go to the big school…but, I’m also a little scared.” I feel like this perfectly summarizes where you are in your life right now. I so clearly remember the feeling of wanting to grow up, and yet not feeling confident that I’d be very good at it. Most of the time, I still feel like I’m faking it!

Zane: Well, this week has been challenging. You’ve developed a not-so-awesome habit of throwing things and hitting when you’re mad — 100% developmentally appropriate, but still incredibly frustrating. Having already raised one toddler, I know that this is just a phase and pretty soon you’ll probably (hopefully?) stop. Still, I think I’m going to put all breakables under lock and key and perhaps invest in full body armor for the time being!

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

Lillia: This week you are really starting to understand your math work. It was so awesome to watch you tackle that long division paper without a single moan, groan, or tear. You’re the kind of person who really thrives on success, and conquering something difficult often creates a positive feedback loop for you and gives you the boost you need to take on more challenges.

Zane: There are no major injuries to report this week (thankfully), but you’ve been having a heckuva time falling asleep at night. I’m still working on finding the right combo of naps & sleep that will work for us. On a less challenging note, you really enjoyed that ONE warm day we had (curse you, weather!). You got to splash in all the puddles and watch the water pouring down the storm drain. I have fond memories of doing the same thing when I was little — I hope that remembering these small pleasures will bring you happiness, too.