Big L Little L

Sometimes when I look at all the wineries on the map that are within a 30 minute drive of us, I think “how will I ever get a chance to visit them all???”.  Not such a bad dilemma to have, but knowing the many locations where we could be relocated in the future that are cultural deserts, lacking even a decent store to find good wine, I hate to think I left a stone unturned.  I feel like a kid at a birthday party when the pinata breaks and candy is falling from the sky and their eyes start to bug out…okay, Tim just read this over my shoulder and said “did you know you are kind of neurotic?”.  Just trying to say I love driving through the country, the rolling green hills, seeing the cows and sheep grazing in the fields and the rows of neatly pruned vineyards lined up as far as I can see and nestled in the middle a quaint little tasting room…it makes me happy.

So when some new friends asked if we wanted to join them on a wine tasting outing to the Foxen Canyon area of the Santa Maria Valley we said YES!  They had two sitters from Cal Poly…one watched the kids and one chauffeured us.  Brilliant.  We hadn’t been to this area before, and it was just gorgeous.  Weeks of rain and sunshine in between have made the hills an amazing emerald green…it looks like Ireland around here.  The first winery we visited was on an old ranch from the 1800’s, and the man who started it built a chapel for his wife on the property where Sunday mass is still held.   We dodged the rainstorms between our other stops but it made for some beautiful rainbows.

I don’t think there is anything that can make a mother’s heart swell more than seeing their child growing up to be a person that they are proud of and showing character that we hope for them to have as they grow into adulthood.  While I have noticed Liam growing up and maturing a lot this year, this past week there were two different events that so clearly demonstrated this that I just marveled at what an amazing boy he is.

He went to a birthday party a few months ago and picked out a toy for his friend and has been talking about it ever since.  So when he got some money from both of his grandparents for Valentines Day he decided that is what he wanted to buy.  We went to Walmart and he found the toy which was $15, but next to it there was a bigger one that he decided he wanted instead but I explained it was $30 and he didn’t have enough money for that one.  I mentioned maybe he wanted to wait and save up some more money to get the one he really wanted later, hoping to plant the idea of saving money, but not expecting him to choose that option.  But he did.

We walked out of Walmart with no toy and a list of some chores he could do at home to earn the rest of the money.  The moment we walked in the door at home he started on the few chores I mentioned.  He made up this chart so he could keep track and over the next week he folded laundry, took out the garbage, swept leaves off the patio, and dusted.  He earned his last dollar on Saturday morning and we filled his wallet and Tim took him to buy his so well earned toy.

I am so so proud of him, and it filled my heart with joy to see his pride and happiness when he walked in the door with his new Ben 10 toy.  It meant a thousand times more than if we had just bought it for him.  Delayed gratification is a value I myself seem to forget sometimes…there aren’t many times that I can recall showing the same restraint and maturity when I wanted something as badly as he did.

Also this week we received the most wonderful card from his kindergarten teacher that I will save forever and ever.  She is a wonderful teacher and we are so thankful for her as I know much of this growth in Liam is a result of her taking the time to understand him as an individual and to positively encourage and motivate him.  I am so proud of his compassion and when we have challenging days down the road, I am confident and comforted to know that with his big heart he is going to continue to grow into a wonderful young man.