This morning while I worked on my next series, The Adventures of Ella Bella—yes, you heard it here first, my second series inspired by my little girl is in the works. I couldn’t be more excited. These books are funny and spunky, just like she is. But more to come on the series later. As I sat creating a rough draft, my kids were building magnetic tiles. Still one of our favorite toys! They get to a point where they either want to work together to build something magnificent or are competing and knocking each other’s buildings down. Unfortunately, the latter was true today. So, I said, “That’s it. Leave this mess, we are going outside!” It was a gorgeous Fall morning. Not quite crisp, but cool with a slight breeze. That mixed with the sunshine and coffee really made me crave a pumpkin bar. (Sorry, not sorry—I just really don’t enjoy pumpkin spice lattes.)

What was more incredible than the weather was the instant change in everyone’s moods. From the last whispers of summer peeking through the remainder of our wildflowers to the fluttering butterflies randomly resting on our butterfly bush—there was an instant calming effect. Do you know what a change of scenery does for children (and adults)? It opens the doors to creativity and imagination. I love watching their minds at work. They started getting their pirate ship ready…aka the swing set. They told me I was a pirate too. They instructed me to get my life jacket and get buckled up. I guess this pirate ship had top-of-the-line pretend seatbelts! My son climbed the rock wall and let me know he was repairing the sails. The captain, my little girl, got us through the rough seas—and luckily out of the way of the ferocious sea monster that seemed to look a lot like an octopus. I received a dirt pile breakfast that was supposedly a pirate favorite. And when I responded as a grumpy pirate, they let me know that they prefer traveling with kind pirates. Who knew?

I hope you can remember to be a part of your kids or grandkids' playtime sometimes. All these sweet nuggets really want is a little bit of our time and attention. The moments are fleeting, but the memories will last forever. The moments that I get to witness with my kids are precious. Although my backside is still numb from sitting on the uncomfortable hard wooden planks or the ship, I’m grateful. I’m grateful that they want me to be a part of it. As they age, they might not want me to be a part of every game or want my pretend input, but even if they ask me to sit nearby, I’ll be happy. I’ll be able to smile as I picture them swinging on their bellies and yelling, “JET BOOST” as they push each other higher and higher. I’ll chuckle thinking about Tucker saying the winds are picking up and Ella needs to swing the steering wheel hard in the other direction. I’ll remember the next time they start arguing that maybe all we need to do is just go outside…

Now, who is excited about a picture book series geared towards little girls going on their own adventures??

Have a great weekend and as always, happy reading!

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