My “almost” Spring Break

by Kristi Van Dyk in


It's crazy how fast the tempo and tenor of your life changes with a toddler ... I'm so used to my routine that any breakage in the daily rituals makes me feel so off balance! Kayleigh typically wakes between 8 and 8:30, so to be sitting on the couch with kitty on my legs, looking at the sun play off of the windows ... hearing nothing but the hum of the fridge at 8:26 ... is a rare moment indeed. I have my 32 week appointment in two hours and Steve took Kayleigh to Zeeland for some errands. After the appointment, we're moving in to Ipema's to watch the pets over Spring Break. But for now, it's a lazy, slow start to the a.m. for me. I couldn't be more grateful. I probably have very few of these left for quite some time :) ... I think today might be the first day in almost 20 years that I feel oddly "left out" of the Spring Break excitement (I changed my email theme to a sandy beach in order to help me feel a little "slice" of the fun). There's nothing quite so refreshing as getting to Spring Break as a teacher/student. You know that afterwards it's a straight up adrenaline rush (at least it was in 8th grade) until the last day of school in June. You hardly have time for a breath, so Spring Break is literally the first step to summer. As a stay-at-home Mommy, I find my calendar is geared up quite differently. I'm not so much looking forward to Spring Break, but sunshine, warmer temperatures, the pleasures of being OUTSIDE! Kayleigh just learned this word and is such a fan. In fact, yesterday, I asked Andre if he wanted to go outside (aka play in the garage) and Kayleigh toddled to her room to get her coat, slung it over her shoulder and kept repeating OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE ... I can't wait for consistently beautiful days so we can take walks, play in the park, spend time in the backyard, and enjoy being in the fresh, open air. Tennis helps us get plenty of fresh air and outside time, but there's something about an early morning walk that makes life that much better :). Soon ... Soon ... I believe MY spring "break" will be coming :) ... And very shortly after, Lord willing, another little treasure.

Well, I believe I've used enough of my blissful morning reflecting on what makes me smile ... time to get Kayleigh's goodies packed up to spend the night somewhere else. Enjoy Spring Break and the beautiful beaches my friends :) (or the short wait you have because your week is next week). I'll enjoy my extra time (tennis practice free) to get caught up on work :) ... Looking for my Spring "break" soon.

Here's a photo of Kayleigh, enjoying one of the unseasonably warmer days. She's exploring the backyard ... sipping on a Dew (she never had it full, she just loves carrying it around because that's what Daddy does) ...

[caption id="attachment_112" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Kayleigh's first trip out to her own backyard"][/caption]