Where I'd rather be...

Sigh... Honestly, I NEVER saw myself wanting to me a stay-at-home mom. I enjoyed working, found it fulfilling, and was SO thankful to have a job at a great school in an amazing school district. And I am definitely still thankful! But I guess it goes to show how much having kids can change you. Because, ever since Nikos was born, and even more so since Maya was born, I feel like my heart breaks a little bit every day when I drop them off at daycare. I never really let myself think about it too much, though, because the cost of living where we do is so ridiculously high-- we both NEEDED to work. But now that there is a very high likelihood that I am going to become a stay-at-home mom in the next 4-6 months, well... I am pretty darn excited! I have such huge plans for this new lifestyle (and yes, I know what they say about best-laid plans, but still!). I can't wait to start this new chapter of my life!

Anyway, this afternoon was a great example of the sort of day I love spending with my kids. Maya was looking cute in her new outfit, so I set up a mini photo shoot in the kitchen. I mostly wanted to experiment with some equipment, but I had two willing subjects. And gosh, they were sweet!


After that, I put everything away and we headed out back to enjoy the mild weather. As usual, they absolutely attacked the play equipment! Within seconds, Nikos was pulling on his bike helmet and rushing to his tricycle, while Maya immediately climbed into the swing and started swinging and laughing. They played basketball, they pretended to be pirates, they went down the slide, they sent toys down the slide, etc. They don't need me to guide their play anymore-- they play together so well, and really feed off of each other's energy and enthusiasm. It's tiring to watch, but hilarious! Anyway, they were so cute that I had to run back inside and grab my camera for a few more pics...


I can only imagine what fun adventures we will have together when we aren't limited to afternoons and weekends!