12 of 12 - April

1 - Story time at the library. Drew does the best puppet shows, and he's got quite a fan base. That place was packed!

2 - Gorgeous chartreuse blossoms on our maple trees.

3 - Nice day for playing outside and digging holes in the garden boxes.

4 - I finished it today! This is the completed quilt top for Lydia's bed. Now I just have to figure out what to do on the back, and it'll be ready to quilt.

5 - Arranging dinners for the missionaries.

6 - Flipping through the stack of cookbooks I got at the library. I need some menu inspiration!

7 - As long as the weather was nice, I decided to give Seth a haircut. And yes, I know we're in dire need of a new deck!

8 - I mixed up a smoothie to go with our quiche for dinner: strawberries, blueberries, banana, grapes, yogurt, milk and a big handful of spinach!

9 - Seth took this one of me pretending to be him falling asleep at the dinner table on days he doesn't take a nap.

10 - Tickle time with dad!

11 - It's hard to see because of the reflection of the window, but everytime Matt goes somewhere (in this case, back to work after dinner - boo!), the kids stand at the big front window and wave goodbye.

12 - Bedtime for these crazy kids!

Gender Roles

The other day, we brought Matt's lunch to him at work. While we were in the car waiting for him, a woman went into his office building, resulting in this brief conversation:

Seth: Mom, what is that lady doing?

Me: It looks like she's going back to work.

Seth: Hey, girls don't go to work! Only dads do!

What do I say to that? All I said in response was, "Both mommies and daddies go to work, just like I did before you were born and even when you were a baby." It was quiet, so I knew he was thinking about that. He was just being honest and speaking what he thought, but I have to say it stung a little bit, being someone who believes in and supports women working in whatever capacity they need or want to.

A few days later, we were dancing to music, and he said, "Only boys can dance rock n' roll, but girls spin around." (meaning ballet because he sees Lydia spinning around in her tutu)

We had a bit lengthier discussion that involved me asking questions, like what are other things boys and girls do. I'm understanding that he's at an age where he's starting to notice the differences between boys and girls and how he fits in. I'm glad he feels comfortable to ask questions and speak freely.

So, maybe he's trying to get a grasp on his little world. And maybe right now he doesn't see what I do as his full-time mom as "work" in the traditional sense of the word. I know as he grows, he'll understand more about how the world works, but until then, I'm content to keep him little, innocent, carefree, and asking questions as long as possible.

And there's a healthy bit of role-sharing going on around here too: