Oak Tree in an Acorn: Springtime Fun in the 'Hood

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Springtime Fun in the 'Hood

A couple of weeks ago, our neighborhood had a get-together to celebrate springtime. The girls loved the petting zoo, and I did too. This wasn't some cheesy petting zoo with a couple of goats. They had bunnies/rabbits, piglets, chickens/roosters, ducks, a donkey, a baby calf AND goats! ;)

The girls love going to the pet store, but it's pretty much hit-or-miss if they get the opportunity to touch an animal there. This petting zoo was very much hands-on, and you can see the girls' delight in the pictures.

I fell in love with the piglets and afterwards did some research on having a miniature piglet for a pet, but when I mentioned it to Brian, the look on his face told me "Are you serious?"...which I WAS! ;) Well, I guess I'll just have to read *Charlotte's Web* to the girls again to get my cute little piglet fix!

Our little niece Celeste, and parents Brad and Nicole came out with some of their good buddies. There was also a bouncy house (which the girls liked to jump on much better than our bed!) and Easter Egg Hunt (which the girls declined on so they could have extra time in the petting zoo. "Good choice!", says Mom.).

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Why the title, "Oak Tree in an Acorn"?

Well, really it's all about perspective when raising the girls. It helps me to think about the grand scheme of parenting and remember that what we do now affects how our little acorns will grow. Like an oak tree, we want them to be strong in their words and deeds, be able to withstand life's storms, set and reach their goals, and be people that others can lean on and trust.

We have an oak tree planted in our yard that came from an acorn my dad planted in a pot. This acorn came from a huge oak tree that was planted in the backyard of my dad's childhood home. My dad's father also planted this tree from an acorn he found on his hunting lease in the early 1960's. Our tree is thus a family heirloom, a "family tree".

It was the year of Olivia's birth when we planted our little sapling. It looked so very sad that winter with no leaves; it was, basically, like a stick rooted in the ground. Five years later, though, it stands 9 feet tall, and we continue to nurture it and watch it grow. We hope one year it will produce acorns of its own, and we can continue to pass on this family heirloom. We hope to remember it's example of how each acorn has the potential to be an oak tree, and how our acorns, Olivia and Genevieve, will one day, with help from God, become mighty oak trees themselves.