Piper Finn Willow
Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans; it's lovely to be silly at the right moments. - Horace
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let your kids do hard things.
I am finding that it is so good to carefully place your kids in situations where something difficult is asked of them. (Certainly life does does that for all of us in giant ways – death of grandparents and loved ones, death of family pets, divorce, moving, friendships failing, broken relationships, change of plans, disappointments and more.) But I’m talking about smaller ways. Almost in preparation – it’s like we have an opportunity to provide a dress rehearsal of sorts. When the kids and I visited the corn maze last month we were kind of lost. Not hopelessly lost and not really dangerously lost as you could always call it…
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piper finnian says …..
Lying in bed one night recently, Piper Finn sits up quickly with a bit of a gasp. “Oh my word,” she says to me. “Underneath my silly bands is party of germs!”
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that time at the park when the wheels came undone
We’ve never really lived in a house with a concrete driveway that leant itself to safe bike riding for children. Therefore, the kids have always been late comers to the biking world. Piper Finnian still needs training wheels. And that’s alright with me. Recently, Bergen outgrew his bike and we realized it was a good fit for Piper. I bought some training wheels. Universal, the bag side. Fits any bike, the instructions read. With the training wheels attached and the bikes painstakingly crammed in the back of the Suburban, we drove to a large parking lot to practice before trying to hit the trail together. Otto is grinning and riding…
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swimmers!
Have you ever wanted to cry when you saw your children accomplish something that seemed kind of almost impossible to you but then as you watched them do it you were kind of in awe at their ability and you wondered why you had never expected them to do that before? This week. Swim lessons. That was me. I don’t mean sad tears. I mean – like really excited for someone you love happy tears. There was my girl, standing at the pool’s edge, arms stretched out over her head, hands across one another with adorable form and an intense and hopeful little look on her freckly summer face. She…
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what to give a seven year old for her birthday
Knowing that our little friend Hanna was leaving the country soon made the choice of a birthday gift harder than usual. No one wants to receive a toy you can only play with for a month or two before you have to give it away or sell it at a yard sale. And there just isn’t room in the limited luggage for another stuffed animal or book or Lego set, no matter how cool it really is. So I asked Piper what she might like to give Hanna. And she suggested an experience. I loved that idea. Another night of fun, a fabulous little memory, to share with your friend…
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explanation required
London has a calendar hanging on her bedroom wall. She loves to cross off the days as they are done. Big X’s across every day. I think she likes the way it looks – but for me, it feels like all these days disappearing in giant Xs. Anyway. I looked at her calendar as I was braiding her hair during our nightly routine. And there it was. Written in bold blue ink. Every Sunday for the entire month. BS. So I think this calls for a chat. What kind of BS is happening up here in this bedroom every Sunday this month? BS. I ask, “Hey girls,” I point to…
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Bedtime Questions
The blanket was pulled up over both of our heads. My seven year old and I stared at one another in the nearly dark in the makeshift privacy of her battered hand-me-down quilt. “Does Satan make you do the bad things Mommy?” This child. Where does her miniature mind travel? “Does he make you bad?” Bedtime theology. The little questions that are the big questions. I let my forehead bump against hers. “Oh Willow. We choose bad. God lets us choose. You know how you can love Jesus but still tell a lie?” “Yes,” she nods her golden head. “It’s like that. God says you can pick – you can…
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motherhood: impossible questions
Bedtime was half an hour ago. I’m standing in the kitchen surveying the day’s damage in stacked plates and dirty glasses. Popcorn kernels on the floor and shoes that should be in their proper homes. Little footsteps across the floor and a small hand on my arm. “Mommy, I’m just scared.” I squat down. Red cheeks. Wet tears. I hug this seven-year-old darling with the blue eyes and the freckles and I ask, “Why? Why are you scared?” “I just don’t know when I’ll die. I don’t know when you’ll die. Will you be old? Will I die in pain?” My heart bends and my brow wrinkles and I cannot…
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Piper Finnian. The Interview is Back.
You guys. I haven’t done an interview with the kids in forever. And they used to be so much fun. So I’m wishing you and yours a happy Friday and a stellar weekend and I’m asking mine a couple of questions and writing down what she says . . . . Finish this sentence – My name is Piper Finnian and I like to: Eat bubble gum. Okay. Bubble gum is good. How often do you eat bubble gum? A lot. But not mostly. Hmmm. That sounds funny. Let’s move on. Ah – tell me about school. It’s fun. My favorite subject is math. Why math? Because I love adding…
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Happiest of Birthdays my Little Piper Finn
You guys. Despite our absolutely telling her to stop – this kid of ours named Piper Finnian Willow Lacey has been growing up. Right before our eyes. It hurts my heart, I tell you. Hurts my heart something fierce. She is SEVEN. I know it’s the lament of every parent at every birthday. But I just can’t believe how quickly these years keep piling up. I was going to spend this post writing sweet things about my girl. But I got distracted when I typed her name in my “search” button and began reading the snippets of her life from this blog. She is so funny. Always has been. And so…
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Prairie Adventure: running on the prairie
Would it be okay if I just share a handful of sweet pictures of my girls running on the prairie? Okay. Great. Thank you.
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why I cry now at weddings.
Last weekend we attended a wedding. Both Bearer of the Ring and Tosser of the Flowers bore the Keigley namesake. It’s funny how age changes everything. (I do mean everything. Shape. Proportions. Patience. Tolerance. Ability to run fast.) But age does change other things too – like perspective. And perspective shifts and morphs and shapes you. I used to spend the wedding time watching the bride and the groom. Now I find myself looking to the mothers. Mother of the bride. Mother of the groom. I cannot help myself. It’s whom I am identifying with these days. I watch the sibling snapshots. I see the tears build up in the…
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Taking the Piper Show on the road.
Traveling with kids is generally amusing. It’s always about perspective. Piper Finn has been especially entertaining the last few days. Upon entering the handicap accessible bathroom at one night’s lodging her eyes grew very wide – “What?” she proclaimed with a shout and a pointing finger. “A chair in the shower? You can sit down in the shower? That’s awesome!”
