Beyond the Fence

5/1

On days like today, I love having twins. The first few months I don’t think I could have said that too much. The days and month blurred into each other; my senses seemed to dull with each passing day. Today, when I see them wrestling with each other, flipping over the arm of the couch, collapsing on the floor on top of each other and exploding into giggles, I know that those sleepless months were worth every bit of joy I now receive.

It was a pretty decent day today for a change (we’ve had quite of bit of rain and cloudy weather lately), so we rushed outside while we could. They headed for the sandbox and stayed there for a while. By now, they’ve spilled most of the sand on the concrete or shoveled it up, walked over to the recycling bin next to the house, and dumped it in there. Alexa poured the little bit left in the bottom over her arm and rubbed the sand into her skin. Jared tired quickly of this and headed out to the bushes in back by the fence. Our bushes are pretty high, probably 12-15 feet or so, so they must seem like trees to him. He loves to weave in and out of them, pull on the park, gather up stones and stare at the sky.

Between the slats in the fence, I can see past the empty lot and into the field of the schoolyard where the kids are playing. I see the youngest kids rush out of the building like they have finally escaped their cages and are trying to make the most of their freedom before they are caught again. I cringe when I see the teacher herd them back together to do proper exercises and make sure they follow all the rules in an organized game of kickball. Looking back at my children’s faces, seeing their intense concentration and freedom to explore their world, I feel blessed beyond belief to share this moment with them and give them a life where they can continue to live this way.

A quick note: they watched an episode of Bill Nye the Science guy today on Ocean Exploration. I wasn’t sure how they would like it; the back of the DVD cover said 4th grade level, and they are obviously a bit under that. However, they (especially Jared) soaked it all in. We were able to discuss underwater pressure, marine life on the bottom of the ocean and land formations. They also saw a few scenes from Reading Rainbow about a cranberry farm, how to make a fiddle, and clogging.