Daffodil Moments

Last year I wrote about daffodil moments, and my blog is full of them. Here is the story of the origins of the phrase.

Teacups: 2011

Two and a half years ago I was standing in line with my kids waiting for our turn to ride the Teacups at Disneyland. It was February and we had driven to the Magic Kingdom from Iowa. Iowa is miserable in February. If there is any redeeming quality about Iowa during the month of February, I never found it. Iowa February is bitter cold, icy winds, and snow on my lawn that has been there since Thanksgiving. Needless to say, the blossoms and blooms that abound in Southern California's early spring were a delightfully uplifting reprieve. Even the older boys were finding joy in the splendor of spring.

2011: Stella had no interest in meeting princesses (believe me, I tried) she just wanted to meet the classic characters

Where was I? Oh, yes, the teacups. I was standing in line at the Teacups shuffling kids along their way so that we didn't let the space in front of us get so big that it started to bother the people behind us. That was where Stella noticed the daffodils. She started tugging on my jacket and pointing out the yellow trumpets and before I knew it she was reciting the poem "Daffodils" by William Wordsworth.

From memory.

I couldn't believe it. My little first grader had taken it upon herself to read and memorize poetry. Oh be still my heart. If there was ever a moment that I felt justified in my book-buying habit that was it.

2011: Love these kids

I think about that experience a lot. I return to it again and again. Since then, she and I have coined the phrase "Daffodil Moments" for times when we feel joyful and grateful. Sometimes we look at each other knowingly and one of us says with a smile "daffodil moment." Daffodil Moments are times that we don't want to forget, moments that we want to file away in our memory so we may access them when we are feeling "vacant" or "pensive" so that our hearts can be filled with pleasure and "dance with the daffodils" just like Mr. Wordsworth's.

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils. 

William Wordsworth

Life Happens

Thoughts and ideas float around the edges of my days, waiting to materialize and find their way into the universe. This record of my family, my children, and our daily life is more important to me than is evident by the attention it gets. 

We have been busy living and enjoying life.

However.

I don't want to be so busy living my life that I neglect to record just how fantastic life is.

And it really is. Fantastic.

Lucy Pearl was born on April 25. She has changed our family in many wonderful ways. She has softened the edges of my surly teenager and she has forced the five year old to look beyond his own needs.

Lucy Pearl Rose on her birthday 

 On Mother's Day, we revisited a favorite place: Cathedral Gorge. I took a Geology class last semester and bored delighted everyone with fun facts as we explored this Nevada State Park. The kids were excited to give me all their handmade gifts which included a cheese board from Jack, a coupon book from Stella, a card from Creed and I can't remember what George's gift was. Give me a break! Lucy was barely two weeks old and I was still in zombie-state. It was probably a picture that he drew.

Mother's Day 2013: Cathedral Gorge

Jack was in 8th grade this year. He was in the Math Club. Every Wednesday he woke up super early and went to school to practice math. They made it all the way to the State Competition! I love it when he gets his guitar out in the evenings and plays for us. I'm excited that I'm not "heavy with child" anymore so that I can let him whip my butt on the tennis court, too. Also, his shoe size is 11 1/2 and he is super tall. He wants his own room. He qualified for all the Honors classes at the high school. Yikes.

Creed. Oh, my little man. Every single day he arrived home from school with a huge smile on his face. He loved 6th grade. Science is his favorite subject. He is still passionate about art, dragons, and Benjamin Franklin. He entered a film in his school's film festival and wore his Hobbit Cloak to the viewing event. He got contacts and was able to put them in and take them out on the first try without any help. He played on a soccer team with and against kids twice his size. He still wears the same shoe size that he wore a year ago and he refuses to stop wearing his saltwater sandals. He is who he is and he makes no apologies. Oh that we could all be as self-assured as Creed.

This year Stella was in 3rd grade. She is still taking Ballet class and she even auditioned for the Nutcracker. She played the role of "Party Princess" and she was so confident and graceful onstage that we all cried when we finally saw the production. She was also the "sister" in the school play and probably did some other stuff too but I have a horrible memory and this is why I need to sit here more often and make a record. Oh, yeah, she works hard at piano and read all the Harry Potter books this year.

Georgie was my first child to officially attend preschool. He also spent a few days every other week at a babysitter's house while I went to school. Her name is Mabi and she is fantastic. It was in her home that he discovered his love of Chiuauas, the game "Jenga," and prepackaged fruit gels that I can only buy at the Latino Market. He is an attentive and kind big brother. He is a great reader and thinks that calculators are a viable substitute for playing on an iPhone. He still loves to snuggle me every chance he gets, but is willing to make room for Lucy when she needs to eat.

We had spaghetti for dinner that night, apparently George needed to save some for later.

Last but not least is my baby girl. Oh, Lucy. She is absolutely adorable. What can I say? She eats, she sleeps, she poops. Sometimes she smiles at us. She has a wicked case of baby acne. Everyone loves her hair. She is 8 weeks old and already she has been to the beach and flown in an airplane to San Antonio, Texas. We know she must be a Rose because she loves road trips. 

2 1/2 weeks old

And there you have it.

I want to paint a more complete picture of what life was like this year, but I don't have the time right now. It was pretty hectic. I was terrible at balancing motherhood, student life, church callings, pregnancy, and everything else in between (like writing on a blog or taking pictures.) I didn't make dinner very often and I missed a few school performances/obligations. In fact, right this moment, I remembered that I was supposed to send sprinkles with Stella to school during the last week for an ice cream party . . . and I didn't. I completely forgot until RIGHT NOW. 

Oops.

(I am on Instagram, are you? @rosiedays, let's follow each other.) (I'm looking at you: tynruby, sarita, sissy, chrissyp, shalise, amy, auprielle, michonne, michelle, becky, and anyone else who is still around but maybe not commenting. Some of you went private and I can't seem to keep up with your blogs. Instagram is far superior for staying in touch.)