Growing up

One of my Favorite Things....
Abby comes out of her room after finishing a book and she finds me, " Mom, you have to read this book, you will like it."
Over the next couple days she checks in with me to see where I'm at in the book and what we both liked about the characters.
I love the conversations that happen, what we both pick out about the people, some things surprise me, sometimes we like different characters better, sometimes she picks out things I missed.
A moment when I get to take a break from being the authority and her mom and we just get to be two girls reading the same book and getting to be just exactly who we are.
Love.

Mama's Day at the Beach

 

Sunday afternoon at the beach, saw grey whales right away, close in.  Some campers that come every mama's day say they always come, do you think they know its Mother's Day?

Breakfast at Mom's that they guys all cook for the Mom's.  So lucky to be surrounded by this amazing family.

Joe going in post surgery, his smile so shiny.
Abby looks at me while we watch him go in and says, "Papa is really happy here huh Mom?" Yes Abs, yes he is.  :)

Spring Magic

Magic....

To put seeds in the ground, some so small you can hardly see where they are in the dirt and soon....

with some sun and water, they grow into green plants, that my kids can go out and pick when they are playing, becomes dinner in the summer, veggies we take to parties and cook for friends.  Gives me reason to say thank you to Joe again and again as he monitors the watering, I may have the soil/planting gene but the watering one I do not. How many times do I look out my kitchen window and see the progress...pure love.

Soul

Welcome Home. I have missed your light, your optimism, and hope. Cycling round and round....close but falling off again. A cord bent by protection and love doing damage without intent. No more. Healing radiates in every direction. Pure light bathes them all. The corners of your mouth and the shine in your eyes. Welcome Back.

How Big is Your Brave?

My Favorite kind of night.
Impromtu dance party in the living room, both my kids dancing their booties off.
My girl singing with as much gusto as she can muster, "I want to see you be brave. How Big is Your Brave?" Her mama I don't think could be smiling any bigger while she videos her lovely children whom she gets to share this time of her life with every day in and out, the good and bad.  I am looking at them with tears in my eyes and am so damn full that I feel like I'm going to burst.....
then mama has to stop videoing and go DANCE!!!

Beautiful

Post by Wild Woman Sisterhood.

First Day at 5 Acre

This boy had his first day of school today. The morning started out rough, he was tired, cranky and didn't go until noon so wasn't sure how the 2.5 hrs short day would go.  Abby was so excited for him to have his first day, showed him where his cubby was to hang up his backpack and lunch box and showed him in.  He's been going his whole life to drop his sister off so finally he got to stay without me there. When we were about to leave, he just gave us a shy smile and waved and I asked if he could hug us and he gladly raced over and bear hugged us both and he was off. Didn't hesitate at all.  When I picked him up he was TIRED but looked at me and said, "can I please go 5 days a week.:) Sorry little man, soon enough...

Almost 4

Tonight at our house.....
Wes: Momma come see what I made!
Me: Wes, you are awesome, you just made your first lego creation out of random pieces, not from directions! Can I take a picture? (of course it is something with wheels with a trailer attached. This boy loves to tow things.)
Wes: Sure mom. I made it with my imagination right?
Me: right Wes, how did you know that word?
Wes:... silence.... a few minutes later. I think I'm going to make the United States now out of legos, ok mom?

His first truck/trailer build to the U.S.A why not? Funny boy.
Hard to believe he is almost 4, how can it go this fast?

Lovely

Kiss The Earth

by Thich Nhat Hanh

Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Bring the Earth your love and happiness.
The Earth will be safe
when we feel safe in ourselves.

So Awesome!!

O.....m......g....

Something I like

Something I like......about love.

And I said, “Oh, I’ve never known where all of this is going. I just know how we’re going to get there.”
Okay, she said. How are you going to get there?
“We’re going to do the next right thing- one thing at a time. We’re going to take good care of ourselves and each other. We’re going to keep our collective sense of humor. We’re going to be kind and brave. We are going to remember that We Can Do Hard Things and that We Belong To Each Other and that Love Wins. We will do the right things for each other and that way – wherever we land- we’ll have no regrets. Our means will justify our ends.”
-Glennon Melton

Love this, would love to take all the girls, maybe the Rose can get it.....

Sounds and Thank You

We mothers of small children hear so often from mothers of large, grown, on their own- children
"enjoy this time.... you'll want this back when you are older and your house is all quiet." - right?
So when you have not slept a night without getting woken up by one of your children in years, you are cleaning up puke, poop, or waking up in pee (K!) sometimes this statement is met with mild hostility in the mind of said mother with small children as we are seriously contemplating just how bad it would be if we left for a few days and didn't tell anyone where we were going or when we'd be back.
Having had all these thoughts multiple times... the scene this afternoon in my kids bedroom. Abs and Wessy are all curled up in the bottom bunk under the covers, both chewing gum, snuggling each other and the cat, and Wes is belly laughing like he ONLY does with his sister.... I had that pang. I will miss that laugh and that visceral physical closeness we all share in this small house. 

Just off a week of work in which the documentation system is all changing, a week of mornings without my kids...
Thank you SO much to Kali, Anna and Kristy for having my back, loving me and our kids so much.

Thanks for the New Song K!! :)