DeLappenings: Second Annual School Art Night!

Well, peeps.

I’ve been so ding-dang-thrilled to have all three kiddos IN SCHOOL and not home sick these past two days (knocking on a GINORMOUS piece of wood, here), that I’ve been riding high on the energy of that vibe! Getting a lot of stuff done, attending really rigorous Barre classes, knocking out a ton of cleaning and errands and volunteer to-dos.

But…I think I kinda sorta lost steam around mid-afternoon today, and the past couple of weeks finally caught up to me a li’l bit.

All is well; it’s just a cumulative effect of more poor nights of sleep than solid nights, LOTS of busyness, LOTS of evening-time intensive parenting and activities, and just a general sense of: Spring Break can’t come soon enough!

All that said…tonight was the second annual Art Night at the kiddos’ school, and though I knew it was looming, I moderately hoped my three crazies wouldn’t show an interest and we’d get to bypass it, ha.

No such luck!

I’ve made it a practice to always share with my kiddos when I’m feeling tired or overwhelmed or just plain not up to something, because I think it’s good for them to know that ALL humans feel that way sometimes. So I warned them I might not be able to muster the energy.

But I rallied.

We went.

And they all had such a happy time with their buddies that Chicklet’s face here pretty much sums thing up, tehe:

We were working on this really coolio bubble/grass/flower landscape canvas situation, and though it was difficult, and the kiddos sort of went off-script at certain points, it was really nice to do something creative, as our intensive project time has been lacking over the past few weeks!

When we arrived, each of the kiddos immediately zoned in on their little friends and scattered to their happy places. Luckily, Chicklet and Little Man’s buddies ended up nearby one another, so I parked myself there—also near some parent friends—and let Chica flit off with her group.

It’s a really, really beautiful thing to see all three of my babies connecting with their friends and so comfortable and content in their school environment.

In fact, it was one of those nights (and I seem to be having these types of experiences more and more, these days) where I could literally see the seeds that we’ve planted here in San Antonio, and how they’ve bloomed so beautifully.

In my experience, it takes a shite-ton of effort to connect with parents, to ingratiate yourself with various social groups—both for yourself and your kiddos—to show up for school or church or neighborhood events and work on those relationships, to correspond with school teachers and key personnel, to make friends, gosh darn it! It’s all hard, time-consuming stuff! And honestly, it’s vulnerable stuff, too!

But we’re finally in the years here when I can see that effort coming to fruition before my very eyes.

It’s exactly the sort of validation that helps me volunteer for one more event, text a friend to reach out and connect, schedule that play date with someone new my kiddos enjoy.

Sometimes, being an isolated homebody is exactly what a person needs (at least for me, ha). But a room full of familiar faces is a beautiful thing, too. And I’m happy my kiddos have been here long enough to experience that. :)