keeping up with my quick little bunnies!

i swear, i spend so much time looking at the backs of those two babers, just trying my best to keep up with them! they make me so sooo happy every single day, and they keep me on my toes, for sure!! seriously… on this particular afternoon, i looked away for mere seconds too long, and rocco had crawled underneath the fence of the pony pasture to visit little red. haha. now, red is so sweet with kiddos, and rocco has gotten really used to being up and around him… but still!! i had to stick my arms through the fence, flip him flat, and drag him back under as red sniffed at him like, “i thought you came to bring me food?!?”

anyway, life is moving way too fast these days! one of the biggest discussions in our home right now is… dun dun dunnn… the S word! school!! gosh, this topic has come around way too quickly for my liking. where, oh where did my baby girl go?! i’ve been praying about this subject for years now, and i’m never going to feel like i’m ready for it, i guess. on one hand, i haven’t entirely stopped toying with the idea of homeschooling early on. aside from me totally not wanting to get up and hustle off to school every early morning for the rest of my young-ish life, and not at all wanting to spend all day away from them… i also love the data on how well children do when they are homeschooled, as i have always disliked the notion that intelligence should be tested one way and one way only. so. there’s that. however! i do question my abilities in that department… and we would also really love to see maddalena at the small christian school where i went for elementary [and middle and high, eventually meeting stevo when he started there :*]. i have wonderful memories from that age, myself! naturally, i loved my set-in-stone daily social life… i’m an extrovert at heart and crave social interaction [hashtag: why i blog!], but i also know that i thrive in a smaller, more intimate setting, and i see the same qualities in my little lady baby. the bottom line, though, is that it’s been my experience that the principles upheld at an early age there were really good for who i’ve grown to be over the years. little hearts are so receptive, and if my babies can’t be with me all day, i very much want to ensure that they’re in an environment that carries the same priorities as i do. that’s just a feeling i can’t seem to get on board with sacrificing! but wherever she is, i just want her to feel safe and comfortable and prayed for… and that’s where we are with that, basically. whirlwinds in my head, wheeeeweeee!

soooo! yesterday, the little ones and i took a morning tour of the pre-k and lower elementary school, and it was honestly really fun for me to walk those halls again. a lot of it felt just the same as it always did for the 13 years that i was there. [even though it’s grown and changed a ton!]  and the smell of lunch being cooked! oh my gosh! exactly the same! i almost cried. i still have dreams about lunch in that cafeteria. haha! then, maddalena got to sneak a big hug from her little bff as we checked out the preschool, which was so so sweet. and when we visited the kindergarten classrooms, she just could not believe it when the children stood up together and enthusiastically recited her ABC bible verses!! the fact that i can still say them, myself, is where i got the idea to start teaching them to maddalena, of course… but they do a much more fun job of it there, it seems! it was so cute!! and sidenote: i could tell steven was prepared for secondhand embarrassment when i told him about the kindergarten kiddos reciting the bible verses, and he asked, “did you say them, too?” i said “NO!! of course not!” buuuut… okay. i may actually have mouth-whispered a little. just the first one! 😉 anyway, i could talk all day about the rest… but!!! another day, another day. maybe over a glass of wine. 🙂

and on a compleeeetely unrelated topic, though actually, quite related to my own potential embarrassment… at one point last summer, i dug around in my closet and pulled out the only athletic shoes i owned: a pair of new balances that had been given to me after the flood. and don’t get me wrong, i appreciated them a lot at the time. we needed all the help we could get! but um, that was 7 years ago. haha! 7 years! so, i showed them to steven and we had a good little chuckle… aaaaand the general consensus was that maybe, just maybe! it was time to update my sensible footwear. the thing is, i generally like being barefoot. or in sandals. or in flats. [give me all the leather ballet flats!!!] or in wellies for mucking or gardening. or all bundled up in boots if it’s cold! so, i don’t know, i just haven’t really liked myself in athletic shoes in a long time. but there are sooo many cute options out right now! and since i’m always, always, always on my feet… typically chasing a couple of quick little bunnies! something in me just needs to feel both caffeinated and athletic, i suppose. so, i literally debated the rest of the summer long over which athletic shoes i could potentially love on my own self… and came down to two ideas that i couldn’t seem to choose between: vintage style new balances or nike frees [preferably pink]. and yaaaay! as luck would have it [aka. christmas] i ended up with both! the nikes went on my official wishlist [obviously, i had to narrow it down for practicality’s sake, as you can see it’s my nature to have 1 pair of athletic shoes per decade. so, thanks, in-laws!!!] but my dear darling husband, knowing that i have previously been offended by the entire notion of athletic shoes, decided to snag me some fancy gold new balances for christmas and i absolutely love them!! thanks for prioritizing my fanciness, babe!!

and to round out this little chat on new chapters all around… our minnie fluff has her first ever grooming appointment coming up this friday! okay, no, i have never had her groomed before… i’ve always loved taking care of her myself! it was relatively easy for a long time, plus i probably needn’t mention my need to do absolutely everything i can possibly do on my own. 🙂 but!! she’s 9 years old now, has finicky skin, and just deserves some extra care! i talked on the phone to the sweetest people about my sweet minnie and her fluffly little needs, so we will see how it goes. but i can’t wait to have a freshly fluffed up minnie girl!! she sure gets dirty romping all over her favorite farmlands. <3