Happy Friday--Now What Do We Do?

The Bear's main mode of transportation

We've made it through a full week of our new schedule and things are already starting to feel normal.  It helps that Audrey is much more flexible than I give her credit for.  John and Audrey leave together every morning at 8am and hold hands on the way to school.  Bailey and I finish eating breakfast (something that takes an incredible amount of time) and tidy up the house a bit or sit and read books before heading out on our adventure.  Adventures usually entail something Mama needs to get done and searching out a park, playground or spot of nature that Bailey can explore all on her own. In the fall, we'll be enrolling her in some music classes so she can interact with more kids her own age, but for now she's pretty darn happy with herself.  We usually come home for lunch and then head out to pick up Audrey.

Bailey chasing pigeons outside Karlskirche

What has shocked me the most about all this solo time with Bailey is how much of a positive influence she has on basically everyone she encounters. And the shocking part is not that people like her, but how MANY people just open up.  Her jolly demeanor seems to charm anyone we see in the store, on the train or even waiting for the elevator.  I cannot count how many smiles she has put on people's faces this week.  She makes friends wherever she goes and its all through her cute sly smiles, her flippy skirts and pigtails, her easy chatty ways  or the inexplicable way she reaches out to pat a stranger on the shoulder like she knows with a wisdom far beyond her years that person is in need of a lift. I'm in continuous awe how God uses children to bring joy into the world; being able to see it first hand is just an unspeakable blessing.

And we haven't even made it half way through our day yet.

Taking a pastry break on the way home

Audrey has been doing really well in school.  Her teachers say that she's opening up more--talking (at least with them) and playing more freely with things in the classroom and playground.  She thrives during circle time (when they read books or dance to music) and is a bouncing ball of enthusiasm when we come pick her up.  On our walk home, she regales us with tales from her day at preschool, most of it, a bunch of whoppers about going down the big slide on the playground or the names of kids (all from her old preschool class) who she talked with about her sister and her mama.  It's good, though and we indulge her because some day she'll work up the courage to do everything her imagination is capable of. 

Most afternoons we come home and watch a movie, then spend the rest of our day playing and cleaning up, waiting for Papa to come through the door so we can pepper him with kisses.

Today we're watching The Sound of Music and getting a light dinner ready so we can celebrate the coming weekend in style on our big walk downtown.  The girls are singing the words to Edelweiss.  I could cry it makes my heart swell so much.

And it reminds me: as I was walking out of our apartment this morning, I saw a man wearing a shirt that said: "We're happy.  Now what do we do?" and I couldn't help but laugh.

We are happy.  Not much can change that as long as we've got each other.

What we do now is enjoy it.

And, are we ever.