May 16, 2007
Tuesday, May 16
We really are out here in this big world, even though I never get around to sharing our glorious lives on here as much as I'd like to. Everyone's sound asleep and I wanted to post a few pictures of what's been taking up some of our time lately.
I'm enjoying volunteering at the Breadroot Co-op on Friday mornings, and Mary has been so gracious in offering to let the boys come and play at her house while I do so! Thank goodness for such giving friends! We went to Reptile Gardens last Thursday with Mary and her boys, spent many hours there seeing all the exhibits and watching the snake and crocodile shows (twice!). An employee even stopped by as we were lounging around on the path that leads to the croc show, quite left in the dust by the boys who had booked it over there. He said he just wanted to tell us how cool it was that we were spending so much time there, and that it seems to him most people come in, rush, rush, rush to get through things and on to the next. Oh, not us! He also shared lots of great information on good first reptiles to have as pets: corn snake and bearded dragon. We also had a great conversation about how he came to work there. I was wondering if there were all kinds of brainiac herpetologists and botanists working there. He said that he didn't go to college to earn a degree (he works with reptiles) in working with reptiles, rather, he just started working with reptiles and learned everything he knows by working with reptiles. Ahhh, what a concept!
So, after our long day at the Gardens, we grabbed a quick bite at Burger King and then Haakon invited us to come watch him play soccer. So, we did! After the official game, Haakon's dad, Al, had 6 boys out there running around playing an 'unofficial' game of soccer. It was so fun to watch all the boys just giggling and having so much fun. Well, after that, Saylor wanted to spend the night with Haakon & Henry. Ok, sure! Well, now Stone wants to spend the night, too! (I know at this point that this means a late night trip to retrieve Stone as he still needs his mama at night.) So, Mary jokingly says, "Well, come on Karen and Sage, we do have an extra king-size bed". So, yep, we did! We all had a slumber party with the Anderson's. Did some night jumping on the tramp, played some go-fish, ate some popcorn. Good times...
Now, it's Friday. I'm putting in my 5 hour volunteer shift at the co-op and my mom calls and tells me about two cockatiels that are listed in the paper. (side note: we've spent several hours over the last couple weeks visiting many-a-pet-store looking at birds, parrots in particular, holding lots of different kinds of birds and asking a zillion questions about all of them. So, the kids have been on a bird crazed quest to actually acquire one, or two?! :) Long story short, we met the birds, they fell in love with the boys and the feeling was mutual and we brought them home to live with us. YumYum and Quill are sweet and cuddly and tolerate lots of holding time! Just what we were looking for!
Saturday we went to the Hemp Hoe Down and ended up camping there. I almost slept! No, really, it was one of those nights in a tent where you wake up just as you think you might be dosing off, finally! Uggh. Needless to say, I was exhausted on Mother's Day, which didn't make it any easier to be alone (I mean, without John) on my special day. He's always great at doing something, even if it's cooking me a nice meal, that's my favorite and he knows it! I did make a strawberry shortcake for my mom (and me!) and got to see her a for a bit on Sunday. Sage and I took a nap in the afternoon and we all ate dinner outside, which consisted of pizza and guacamole.
Monday found us back at Reptile Gardens. The day was cool and somewhat drizzly, but that didn't stop us from seeing everything we'd intended on seeing. Sage had been talking about the Komodo Dragon since our last visit, so we saw him right away! It was urgent in his little world! So cute! And he can say it too! Big words for such a little guy! Monday night Dale (John's Dad) spent the night with us, so I made a big pot of hearty chili and some cornbread, and the boys visited with Grandpa and snuggled up while they all watched part of a movie together.
Ok, so if you are still reading this absurdly long marathon post, thanks! Your sweet! I have so much more to say, so many thoughts and feeling to share, but REALLY, this has gotten too long already! Hopefully, I'll do this again soon!
Enjoy the pictures and Embrace the Joy! :)
(***And check out the Flikr badge, just uploaded 102 new photos! ***)
I'm enjoying volunteering at the Breadroot Co-op on Friday mornings, and Mary has been so gracious in offering to let the boys come and play at her house while I do so! Thank goodness for such giving friends! We went to Reptile Gardens last Thursday with Mary and her boys, spent many hours there seeing all the exhibits and watching the snake and crocodile shows (twice!). An employee even stopped by as we were lounging around on the path that leads to the croc show, quite left in the dust by the boys who had booked it over there. He said he just wanted to tell us how cool it was that we were spending so much time there, and that it seems to him most people come in, rush, rush, rush to get through things and on to the next. Oh, not us! He also shared lots of great information on good first reptiles to have as pets: corn snake and bearded dragon. We also had a great conversation about how he came to work there. I was wondering if there were all kinds of brainiac herpetologists and botanists working there. He said that he didn't go to college to earn a degree (he works with reptiles) in working with reptiles, rather, he just started working with reptiles and learned everything he knows by working with reptiles. Ahhh, what a concept!
So, after our long day at the Gardens, we grabbed a quick bite at Burger King and then Haakon invited us to come watch him play soccer. So, we did! After the official game, Haakon's dad, Al, had 6 boys out there running around playing an 'unofficial' game of soccer. It was so fun to watch all the boys just giggling and having so much fun. Well, after that, Saylor wanted to spend the night with Haakon & Henry. Ok, sure! Well, now Stone wants to spend the night, too! (I know at this point that this means a late night trip to retrieve Stone as he still needs his mama at night.) So, Mary jokingly says, "Well, come on Karen and Sage, we do have an extra king-size bed". So, yep, we did! We all had a slumber party with the Anderson's. Did some night jumping on the tramp, played some go-fish, ate some popcorn. Good times...
Now, it's Friday. I'm putting in my 5 hour volunteer shift at the co-op and my mom calls and tells me about two cockatiels that are listed in the paper. (side note: we've spent several hours over the last couple weeks visiting many-a-pet-store looking at birds, parrots in particular, holding lots of different kinds of birds and asking a zillion questions about all of them. So, the kids have been on a bird crazed quest to actually acquire one, or two?! :) Long story short, we met the birds, they fell in love with the boys and the feeling was mutual and we brought them home to live with us. YumYum and Quill are sweet and cuddly and tolerate lots of holding time! Just what we were looking for!
Saturday we went to the Hemp Hoe Down and ended up camping there. I almost slept! No, really, it was one of those nights in a tent where you wake up just as you think you might be dosing off, finally! Uggh. Needless to say, I was exhausted on Mother's Day, which didn't make it any easier to be alone (I mean, without John) on my special day. He's always great at doing something, even if it's cooking me a nice meal, that's my favorite and he knows it! I did make a strawberry shortcake for my mom (and me!) and got to see her a for a bit on Sunday. Sage and I took a nap in the afternoon and we all ate dinner outside, which consisted of pizza and guacamole.
Monday found us back at Reptile Gardens. The day was cool and somewhat drizzly, but that didn't stop us from seeing everything we'd intended on seeing. Sage had been talking about the Komodo Dragon since our last visit, so we saw him right away! It was urgent in his little world! So cute! And he can say it too! Big words for such a little guy! Monday night Dale (John's Dad) spent the night with us, so I made a big pot of hearty chili and some cornbread, and the boys visited with Grandpa and snuggled up while they all watched part of a movie together.
Ok, so if you are still reading this absurdly long marathon post, thanks! Your sweet! I have so much more to say, so many thoughts and feeling to share, but REALLY, this has gotten too long already! Hopefully, I'll do this again soon!
Enjoy the pictures and Embrace the Joy! :)
(***And check out the Flikr badge, just uploaded 102 new photos! ***)
May 9, 2007
Busy, Busy
We've been so busy since we returned home, visiting friends and otherwise finding plenty to do. Last Friday I volunteered at our local food co-op and had a great time. A dear friend watched the boys, and with her 3 boys, had 6 boys to look after! Whew! Sage freaked out about the last 20 minutes, just as I was on my way home. I won't be staying as long next time! But, it was fun to be in a different environment and chatting with people who come and go. I love the feeling of community I get from being there, and from being home in general. A big part of me loves it too much to leave again, but then there's John who's all alone and bumming way out in Sacramento.
We've decided that one way or the other, we'll be back together again by mid June. Whether that means we go there or he comes home, we're not sure yet. It all depends on his work situation, but I'm really pulling for the latter. But, there I go again, forcing things and thinking "i know what's best for me" I guess Fate will take me where she sees fit! :)
After my 6 hour gig at the Breadroot (co-op), we came home and a friend dropped her 3 boys off here so she could get her husband to his surprise 40th b-day party she was throwing for him. So, now I had 6 to look after, and they all had a grand time together. We popped up some popcorn and ate about an entire bag of licorice while we waited for their Grands to come collect them and take them home for bed. Of course, they all thought it'd be cool to spend the night! :) I might need to recruit the other mama if we're to have 6 boys for an overnighter!
And then, on this very same Friday, our good good friends Diana and Hayden rolled in on their way back from Oregon. So, it was a beautiful friend filled day for us all!
We all went to the Cinco de Mayo festival that the Pennington County Democrats were sponsoring on Saturday. It was pouring rain, and after the boys nibbled some authentic Mexican grub, they headed outside where they were soaked to the core. Didn't stop them from requesting a trip to the mall, though! We headed there, browsed around and this and that and nothing, and played a while in the arcade. Sage was heading into his "i'm angry at you, so now I'm going to bite you" stage, so he and I headed for home and Diana brought the other 3 when they were all finished. We spent the evening talking and laughing and sipping wine and eating spaghetti and enjoying our time together.
Sunday morning, we all went to church, then out to a quick lunch and then they had to head back to Sioux Falls. It was fun and we get to do it again when they return out here for the May 27 Amy Steinberg show!
Damn, I love my life!
We've decided that one way or the other, we'll be back together again by mid June. Whether that means we go there or he comes home, we're not sure yet. It all depends on his work situation, but I'm really pulling for the latter. But, there I go again, forcing things and thinking "i know what's best for me" I guess Fate will take me where she sees fit! :)
After my 6 hour gig at the Breadroot (co-op), we came home and a friend dropped her 3 boys off here so she could get her husband to his surprise 40th b-day party she was throwing for him. So, now I had 6 to look after, and they all had a grand time together. We popped up some popcorn and ate about an entire bag of licorice while we waited for their Grands to come collect them and take them home for bed. Of course, they all thought it'd be cool to spend the night! :) I might need to recruit the other mama if we're to have 6 boys for an overnighter!
And then, on this very same Friday, our good good friends Diana and Hayden rolled in on their way back from Oregon. So, it was a beautiful friend filled day for us all!
We all went to the Cinco de Mayo festival that the Pennington County Democrats were sponsoring on Saturday. It was pouring rain, and after the boys nibbled some authentic Mexican grub, they headed outside where they were soaked to the core. Didn't stop them from requesting a trip to the mall, though! We headed there, browsed around and this and that and nothing, and played a while in the arcade. Sage was heading into his "i'm angry at you, so now I'm going to bite you" stage, so he and I headed for home and Diana brought the other 3 when they were all finished. We spent the evening talking and laughing and sipping wine and eating spaghetti and enjoying our time together.
Sunday morning, we all went to church, then out to a quick lunch and then they had to head back to Sioux Falls. It was fun and we get to do it again when they return out here for the May 27 Amy Steinberg show!
Damn, I love my life!
May 1, 2007
For My Mom!
Because she was giving me *crap* about not posting here lately! So, this one's for you! :)
We had a lovely, long day at the park today, with many friends. Saylor caught a gardener snake and it already making plans to go back to look for more sometime soon. The kids ran and played hard all day! The weather was nice, quite windy, but warm and sunny. And of course, there was food galore. Mary brought some delish rice wraps, always a hit, and everyone else pulled out a contribution or two upon arriving. It's always a feast with The Mother's Collective! We all joked that it's sometimes the only time we really take to *nourish* ourselves, since we're usually busy doing for our kids. So, when we get together, it's like we're feeding each other...stomach & soul. Yep, it's that nice!
After our park day, we went out to Grandma's. Barb had plans to go out to color mom's hair, so mom called and asked us to come out, too. We had dinner together and got to spend time with our most precious little cousin, Emma. She and Sage were born 12 days apart and are such little buddies. It was so great to watch them together and sneak in as many hugs and kisses as I could manage!
On our way back home, John called and chatted with a few of us. Stone fell asleep and needed to be carried in and up to bed while Saylor entertained Sage for a spell with his new laser light. Now, everyone is sleeping, and I should be too! We're meeting some friends at the tennis courts tomorrow for some impromptu tennis playing time. Better get my beauty rest so I'm ready to chase balls!
Much love...
We had a lovely, long day at the park today, with many friends. Saylor caught a gardener snake and it already making plans to go back to look for more sometime soon. The kids ran and played hard all day! The weather was nice, quite windy, but warm and sunny. And of course, there was food galore. Mary brought some delish rice wraps, always a hit, and everyone else pulled out a contribution or two upon arriving. It's always a feast with The Mother's Collective! We all joked that it's sometimes the only time we really take to *nourish* ourselves, since we're usually busy doing for our kids. So, when we get together, it's like we're feeding each other...stomach & soul. Yep, it's that nice!
After our park day, we went out to Grandma's. Barb had plans to go out to color mom's hair, so mom called and asked us to come out, too. We had dinner together and got to spend time with our most precious little cousin, Emma. She and Sage were born 12 days apart and are such little buddies. It was so great to watch them together and sneak in as many hugs and kisses as I could manage!
On our way back home, John called and chatted with a few of us. Stone fell asleep and needed to be carried in and up to bed while Saylor entertained Sage for a spell with his new laser light. Now, everyone is sleeping, and I should be too! We're meeting some friends at the tennis courts tomorrow for some impromptu tennis playing time. Better get my beauty rest so I'm ready to chase balls!
Much love...
April 23, 2007
Monday, Monday
Wanted to blog quickly while Stone finishes up Shrek. (Halleluiah is playing right now, oh, I love that song!) Saylor and Sage are sleeping at present.
Anyway, we had a good weekend. Spent most of yesterday at an indoor water park here helping a friend celebrate his 7th birthday! Of course, when we do anything, we do it ALL THE WAY! We arrived at the party at 2'sh and kept on swimming until close to 9. We all left with smiles and fun stories to share with each other on the drive home. Sage fell asleep for about the last hour we were there, so I finally got to try some of the slides with the boys. I had lots of offers from friends to watch Sage while I went on the slides, but he wasn't about to have any of that in his conscious state!
We spent some time today with friends from the Mother's Collective; the hostess made scrumptious enchiladas with tofu. I really need to do more with tofu. I just feel intimidated by it, for some reason. Time to find my courage! After our gathering, we stopped at Albertson's to look for some different goggles for Stone. He's decided he needs the face goggles, the ones that cover your nose. He was doing some serious swimming yesterday, complete with underwater flips and everything! Cool!!! We also stopped at a couple of thrift shops to scout out some new toys. Stone picked up an Operation game, and Saylor chose a tiny 1qt. crock pot. Hmmm, wonder what he'll do with that! I'll let you know!
I think the rest of the week looks pretty slow and relaxing for us. That's a good thing, given our last week of driving and the excitement of returning home. I think it's taken a bit of a toll on Saylor. He's my sensitive one, and has found his way to tears quite easily the past few days. I know we're all tired and re-adjusting to "life in a house" after many months of "life in a bus". And, we all miss our daddy-o, of course.
I've been doing a little "Experiment in Messiness", mainly to see what I can learn about myself. I crave order and tidiness in our home. Not to the point of being anal, but I do like clear, open spaces. So, since we've returned, I have not been cleaning (much). Just doing the bare necessities, like keeping clean dishes so we can eat. I'm trying to be more mindful and present with the boys throughout the day. It's easy for me to start one little chore and then get distracted and onto something else, which leads to something else, and on and on and on! So, I'm practicing just walking on by. I've been doing a good job of it, too! We have toys all over the place and it's fine by me! Now, tonight, right before I got on here to blog, I had a few moments to spare and so I did a very quick 5 minute tidy. I'm realizing it's all about **Balance**. A happy medium. A messy house is fine, but I truly find joy in giving my family the gift of a clear space to start anew. So, the floor is empty and inviting...beckoning to the boys to come on down and play!
Anyway, we had a good weekend. Spent most of yesterday at an indoor water park here helping a friend celebrate his 7th birthday! Of course, when we do anything, we do it ALL THE WAY! We arrived at the party at 2'sh and kept on swimming until close to 9. We all left with smiles and fun stories to share with each other on the drive home. Sage fell asleep for about the last hour we were there, so I finally got to try some of the slides with the boys. I had lots of offers from friends to watch Sage while I went on the slides, but he wasn't about to have any of that in his conscious state!
We spent some time today with friends from the Mother's Collective; the hostess made scrumptious enchiladas with tofu. I really need to do more with tofu. I just feel intimidated by it, for some reason. Time to find my courage! After our gathering, we stopped at Albertson's to look for some different goggles for Stone. He's decided he needs the face goggles, the ones that cover your nose. He was doing some serious swimming yesterday, complete with underwater flips and everything! Cool!!! We also stopped at a couple of thrift shops to scout out some new toys. Stone picked up an Operation game, and Saylor chose a tiny 1qt. crock pot. Hmmm, wonder what he'll do with that! I'll let you know!
I think the rest of the week looks pretty slow and relaxing for us. That's a good thing, given our last week of driving and the excitement of returning home. I think it's taken a bit of a toll on Saylor. He's my sensitive one, and has found his way to tears quite easily the past few days. I know we're all tired and re-adjusting to "life in a house" after many months of "life in a bus". And, we all miss our daddy-o, of course.
I've been doing a little "Experiment in Messiness", mainly to see what I can learn about myself. I crave order and tidiness in our home. Not to the point of being anal, but I do like clear, open spaces. So, since we've returned, I have not been cleaning (much). Just doing the bare necessities, like keeping clean dishes so we can eat. I'm trying to be more mindful and present with the boys throughout the day. It's easy for me to start one little chore and then get distracted and onto something else, which leads to something else, and on and on and on! So, I'm practicing just walking on by. I've been doing a good job of it, too! We have toys all over the place and it's fine by me! Now, tonight, right before I got on here to blog, I had a few moments to spare and so I did a very quick 5 minute tidy. I'm realizing it's all about **Balance**. A happy medium. A messy house is fine, but I truly find joy in giving my family the gift of a clear space to start anew. So, the floor is empty and inviting...beckoning to the boys to come on down and play!
April 21, 2007
Home, Again...
We made it back Wednesday afternoon and stopped in to see Aunt Barbie and Grandma at their respective places of work. I slowly started pulling things out of the suburban, which was packed full while the boys were excitedly pulling out ALL their toys that they hadn't seen in nearly 5 months.
My sweet girlfriend, Pam, came by with a bottle of Merlot, a loaf of artisan bread and some pesto for a little 'welcome home' toast and snack. Another friend swung by yesterday with her 2 youngest (of 6!:) and presented the boys with a fun bubble blower. We also spent some time yesterday at Kendra's, with her and her 3 boys. They were all happy to see each other again, we all were! And Mama Kendra had cupcakes fresh outta the oven, so that was a bonus! The boys have been playing most of the day today with our neighbor boy, they adore Robert!
The weather has been beautiful, and on our first night back in the king-size bed, I was awakened by a spring thunderstorm, complete with thunder, a bit of lightning and some pretty heavy rain. I smiled in dark of our room. We've even fired up the fireplace a few times, and it's as wonderful as I remembered it to be. Not that it's been COLD, mind you, but hey, when the sun goes down and everyone is fresh out of the tub, is there a better time to sit in front of the fireplace?
I'm feeling inspired to show our yard a bit of loving kindness this spring. We certainly don't have a pristine yard, by any means! We have a yard that gets used all day long. Evidence of busy little bodies abound throughout! However...I would love to plant some things, and just do some sprucing up. The boys will still have their little area of mud to play in, gotta have that! I'm sure I won't do much, I just feel the need to get my hands dirty, I guess. Maybe a bit of Sue and Steve rubbed off on me, with all of their gardening genius!
Well, we've mostly been playing in and around the house since we've returned. Had to do a few errands (which I did without the two bigs, who went with G-pa to watch a cousin at a track meet) to pick up some essentials like another espresso machine! How I love my daily breve...
Oh, and the boys have taken about a thousand baths in 3 days! I kinda knew that was going to happen! We're going to a friends birthday party tomorrow, and then Monday we have our weekly Mother's Collective get-together. That's about it from this tribe for now. Sage is snoozing on my lap and beginning to stir, so until next time... Namaste...
My sweet girlfriend, Pam, came by with a bottle of Merlot, a loaf of artisan bread and some pesto for a little 'welcome home' toast and snack. Another friend swung by yesterday with her 2 youngest (of 6!:) and presented the boys with a fun bubble blower. We also spent some time yesterday at Kendra's, with her and her 3 boys. They were all happy to see each other again, we all were! And Mama Kendra had cupcakes fresh outta the oven, so that was a bonus! The boys have been playing most of the day today with our neighbor boy, they adore Robert!
The weather has been beautiful, and on our first night back in the king-size bed, I was awakened by a spring thunderstorm, complete with thunder, a bit of lightning and some pretty heavy rain. I smiled in dark of our room. We've even fired up the fireplace a few times, and it's as wonderful as I remembered it to be. Not that it's been COLD, mind you, but hey, when the sun goes down and everyone is fresh out of the tub, is there a better time to sit in front of the fireplace?
I'm feeling inspired to show our yard a bit of loving kindness this spring. We certainly don't have a pristine yard, by any means! We have a yard that gets used all day long. Evidence of busy little bodies abound throughout! However...I would love to plant some things, and just do some sprucing up. The boys will still have their little area of mud to play in, gotta have that! I'm sure I won't do much, I just feel the need to get my hands dirty, I guess. Maybe a bit of Sue and Steve rubbed off on me, with all of their gardening genius!
Well, we've mostly been playing in and around the house since we've returned. Had to do a few errands (which I did without the two bigs, who went with G-pa to watch a cousin at a track meet) to pick up some essentials like another espresso machine! How I love my daily breve...
Oh, and the boys have taken about a thousand baths in 3 days! I kinda knew that was going to happen! We're going to a friends birthday party tomorrow, and then Monday we have our weekly Mother's Collective get-together. That's about it from this tribe for now. Sage is snoozing on my lap and beginning to stir, so until next time... Namaste...
April 18, 2007
I Know it's Late...
but I wanted to let everyone know the trip home to Rapid City is going great! We left Sacramento early Monday morning, the same time John was leaving for work. He helped me carry armloads of sleeping children to the car, gave everyone smooches, and we were on our way. Of course, the sleeping children all promptly woke up, but fell asleep again after about an hour.
We drove through the Sierra's at sunrise. It was so beautiful...reminded me a lot of our own beautiful forest, the Black Hills. The roads were all dry and clear, but there were some lingering snow piles here and there, and it was fun watching the thermometer on the mirror keep going down, down, down. It was in the low 30's. (oh, and I got a speeding ticket just inside of Nevada! Dang-it! I guess the air patrol clocked me...I didn't even see the air patrol, sneaky petes) We made it to Ogden, UT on Monday night, about 7'sh. Uncle George and Aunt Rita cooked up some grub and the boys had a great time playing with their new little puppy, Stags.
We left Ogden this morning (tuesday) around 9:30...no, correction...we said good-bye to Rita (who lovingly took the morning off to hang with us a bit longer, she's so sweet) at 9:30, then made a quick stop at Albertson's, because we had big plans to swim tonight at our hotel room, so we GOTTA have GOGGLES!! Saylor was pretty sure he'd seen some at Albertson's once upon a time. Well, he was right! The boys each got a pair of goggles and some glow sticks, then we gassed up (the car, that is), grabbed a sandwich at McD's and headed out of Utah at around 10:00.
We arrived in Casper around 5:30, checked in to our room, changed into our swimming clothes and played in the pool for a couple hours. Then, back to the room for some room service, a speaker phone conversation with Dad (who we miss already, of course) and a few minutes of the Discovery Channel before the boys could no longer resist the heavy weight of sleep. We'll get up in the morning, go swimming again, order some breakfast, hop in the car and be home by mid-afternoon.
I'm just tickled at how well this trip went. No one cried, there were a few disgruntled moments, like when Saylor had to help Sage find his snake/lizard/bear for the umpteenth time. But, overall, they did so great! Natural-born-travelers, they are! They were even good sports (albeit giggling sports) this morning when I felt the need to belt out the whole of Amy Steinberg's cd! Man, I love that girl!
So, all's well! We're happy, having fun, looking forward to our return home to see friends and spaces we've been missing. And when it's time again to head West, we'll know we can do it!
We drove through the Sierra's at sunrise. It was so beautiful...reminded me a lot of our own beautiful forest, the Black Hills. The roads were all dry and clear, but there were some lingering snow piles here and there, and it was fun watching the thermometer on the mirror keep going down, down, down. It was in the low 30's. (oh, and I got a speeding ticket just inside of Nevada! Dang-it! I guess the air patrol clocked me...I didn't even see the air patrol, sneaky petes) We made it to Ogden, UT on Monday night, about 7'sh. Uncle George and Aunt Rita cooked up some grub and the boys had a great time playing with their new little puppy, Stags.
We left Ogden this morning (tuesday) around 9:30...no, correction...we said good-bye to Rita (who lovingly took the morning off to hang with us a bit longer, she's so sweet) at 9:30, then made a quick stop at Albertson's, because we had big plans to swim tonight at our hotel room, so we GOTTA have GOGGLES!! Saylor was pretty sure he'd seen some at Albertson's once upon a time. Well, he was right! The boys each got a pair of goggles and some glow sticks, then we gassed up (the car, that is), grabbed a sandwich at McD's and headed out of Utah at around 10:00.
We arrived in Casper around 5:30, checked in to our room, changed into our swimming clothes and played in the pool for a couple hours. Then, back to the room for some room service, a speaker phone conversation with Dad (who we miss already, of course) and a few minutes of the Discovery Channel before the boys could no longer resist the heavy weight of sleep. We'll get up in the morning, go swimming again, order some breakfast, hop in the car and be home by mid-afternoon.
I'm just tickled at how well this trip went. No one cried, there were a few disgruntled moments, like when Saylor had to help Sage find his snake/lizard/bear for the umpteenth time. But, overall, they did so great! Natural-born-travelers, they are! They were even good sports (albeit giggling sports) this morning when I felt the need to belt out the whole of Amy Steinberg's cd! Man, I love that girl!
So, all's well! We're happy, having fun, looking forward to our return home to see friends and spaces we've been missing. And when it's time again to head West, we'll know we can do it!
April 12, 2007
I am Soooo Behind!
playing in the little pool by the river, searching for tadpoles and minnows...
at Nimbus Fish Hatchery...
fun time digging in the sand...
at Fairy Tale Town
Aunt Megan sharing Easter gifts...
We have had some great stuff happenin' around here lately, so much so that I just haven't had the time (or more likely the ENERGY) to post about it. We're 5 days away from taking off on our cross country trip home, just me and the boys and the dog. Leaving our man behind, but it's all gonna work out just fine!
And, got the BEST BEST BEST news today! Y'know that pesky Sioux Falls house I'm always griping about? Well, it went back on the market last week, and today, we had 2 offers come in on it. So, now, each party is 'strengthening' their offers, because they were both very similar, and I'm waiting to hear back from our realtor in the morning, when we'll decide which way to go. This will be such a Blessing to bring closure to this deal. It's time.
Also, we had a very playful Tuesday and Wednesday with the SUN-Network folks! I found them when I googled 'unschoolers' and 'sacramento'. They are a fantastic group of people! We spent alllll day at the park yesterday, and then today at a game day (hosted at someones house). It's super cool when there are 13+ teenagers hanging out and mingling around with all the little (or littler) ones! Saylor has decided he "doesn't really want to go home now"! At least we have a group here ready and a waitin' for our return!
Gotta go now... John's getting grumpy at the sound of my clickety-clacking. He's gotta be up by 3 (a.m. that is, yikes!) Such is life lived in 35 feet...
good night..............
at Nimbus Fish Hatchery...
fun time digging in the sand...
at Fairy Tale Town
Aunt Megan sharing Easter gifts...
We have had some great stuff happenin' around here lately, so much so that I just haven't had the time (or more likely the ENERGY) to post about it. We're 5 days away from taking off on our cross country trip home, just me and the boys and the dog. Leaving our man behind, but it's all gonna work out just fine!
And, got the BEST BEST BEST news today! Y'know that pesky Sioux Falls house I'm always griping about? Well, it went back on the market last week, and today, we had 2 offers come in on it. So, now, each party is 'strengthening' their offers, because they were both very similar, and I'm waiting to hear back from our realtor in the morning, when we'll decide which way to go. This will be such a Blessing to bring closure to this deal. It's time.
Also, we had a very playful Tuesday and Wednesday with the SUN-Network folks! I found them when I googled 'unschoolers' and 'sacramento'. They are a fantastic group of people! We spent alllll day at the park yesterday, and then today at a game day (hosted at someones house). It's super cool when there are 13+ teenagers hanging out and mingling around with all the little (or littler) ones! Saylor has decided he "doesn't really want to go home now"! At least we have a group here ready and a waitin' for our return!
Gotta go now... John's getting grumpy at the sound of my clickety-clacking. He's gotta be up by 3 (a.m. that is, yikes!) Such is life lived in 35 feet...
good night..............
April 5, 2007
80 Degrees and Sunny
The weather has been warm and sunny here. The boys and I are doing lots of bike riding and playing in and around the river. It's snowing lightly at home right now, and I REEEEAAALLLY hope that Mother Nature reserves one big snow storm for us when we are tucked safely away in our cozy little house. We'll be arriving home around April 20 and I'm starting to feel very excited about it. For a while, I wasn't sure how I felt about going home and leaving John here, but now that he's working more like 6am until 6pm, it's feeling ok. His hours will only get longer from this point on, so it's sensible to me to go home to spend long days with friends and all the other summer activities that keep us so busy.
A bunch of us from The Mother's Collective are putting together some plans for a shared garden this summer. I would love to garden, but our yard is pure shade, so this will be so much fun to do with other moms and children! We're sure to find ourselves spending whole days at the Lake and others hiking our beautiful Black Hills. I'm feeling more drawn to spending lots of time outside, in nature, rather than the city pool. However, if the boys feel strongly about the pool, we'll do that, too. A good friend of mine has asked to be at her homebirth this summer, so that's always a huge thing to look forward to! I've put an offer out to our neighbor to hang out with the boys about 10 hours a week, so I can work out and otherwise re-charge my batteries for life-on-my-own with the boys.
Saylor has been making smoothies every day and is currently standing at the stove whipping up some eggs for himself. Gotta go get this gang ready for our day! Peace and Love....
A bunch of us from The Mother's Collective are putting together some plans for a shared garden this summer. I would love to garden, but our yard is pure shade, so this will be so much fun to do with other moms and children! We're sure to find ourselves spending whole days at the Lake and others hiking our beautiful Black Hills. I'm feeling more drawn to spending lots of time outside, in nature, rather than the city pool. However, if the boys feel strongly about the pool, we'll do that, too. A good friend of mine has asked to be at her homebirth this summer, so that's always a huge thing to look forward to! I've put an offer out to our neighbor to hang out with the boys about 10 hours a week, so I can work out and otherwise re-charge my batteries for life-on-my-own with the boys.
Saylor has been making smoothies every day and is currently standing at the stove whipping up some eggs for himself. Gotta go get this gang ready for our day! Peace and Love....
March 30, 2007
She's Coming to HOT SPRINGS!!!!
I can barely contain my excitement, and May will be here before I know it!
I'll be collecting up a big bunch of friends and we will drive the beautiful drive to see the beautiful woman whose music has become my favorite!!!
If you scroll down on her myspace page, you'll find the date, the location, did I mention HOT SPRINGS!!! Click on it for more info, see you there!
I'll be collecting up a big bunch of friends and we will drive the beautiful drive to see the beautiful woman whose music has become my favorite!!!
If you scroll down on her myspace page, you'll find the date, the location, did I mention HOT SPRINGS!!! Click on it for more info, see you there!
March 29, 2007
A Bit of a Run-Down
Since I haven't been present online for a while, I've been unable to blog about what we're doing, so, in order to spare you every DETAIL about every THING we've done, I'll do a short run down of the last couple of weeks. (I'm sure I won't manage to remember it all, I am a mother of 3 and you know how that zaps the brain cells!)
My dad was out here for a visit, drove out from Custer, SD. While he was here, he brought a whopping huge chunk of tuna over and we grilled it up here at the bus, with some brown rice and a salad and a nice bottle of vino. Megan, Dad, John, myself and the boys all shared a lovely meal together. The next night, I had a movie date with Dad and Megan! Yippee, I enjoyed that a whole lot! Megan had some free tickets to see "Blades of Glory" as part of a pre-release showing deal. It wasn't my favorite movie, but it was free and I got to nibble popcorn and chocolate covered raisins with my dad and sis, so that was much enjoyed! The boys and I took a drive with Grandpa to see the house where he used to live out here in Cameron Park. We got pictures of him and the boys by the 2 redwoods he'd planted there. He was jazzed to see how big they were.
The boys had their first ever drive-in movie experience last weekend! There aren't any of these left in SD, so it was such a treat! It cost $6.50 each for John and me, and kids 11 and under are free! AND...they show 2 movies! We saw "The Last Mimzy" and "Music and Lyrics". Saylor and Stone fell asleep during M&L, but Sage held strong, even for the drive home and finally crashed only when we crawled into bed together. Crazy baby! The first movie started at 8, and the second at 10:15, so it was past midnight by the time we got home. Can't do that too often, we were all pooped the next day! But, it was fun! The boys started off the night on top of the suburban, curled into their pillows and a comforter, but then decided to join us inside for the remainder.
I've got some funky allergy irritation right now, so am popping the homeopathics and managing to get through the days. John is enjoying his job very much, and it seems all the guys he works with are quite nice. I'm taking the suburban to the chevy dealership today so they can look at our ac and the transmission while it's still under warranty. Hoping the dealership is close enough to target, so the boys and I can play with toys while they look it. I am THOROUGHLY enjoying each and every Trader Joe's shopping experience I have, and believe me, I have many! Why is it that you can load up on what you think will be the weeks worth of groceries, and then, literally, 3 days later, have a list of 8 things that you need already! Sheesh!!! Maybe I just lack some secret organization skill or something? Oh, well.
Alrighty, I think that I've made you read enough of my rambling for one sitting! Have a Blessed day, remember what you are Grateful for and take good care of You!
My dad was out here for a visit, drove out from Custer, SD. While he was here, he brought a whopping huge chunk of tuna over and we grilled it up here at the bus, with some brown rice and a salad and a nice bottle of vino. Megan, Dad, John, myself and the boys all shared a lovely meal together. The next night, I had a movie date with Dad and Megan! Yippee, I enjoyed that a whole lot! Megan had some free tickets to see "Blades of Glory" as part of a pre-release showing deal. It wasn't my favorite movie, but it was free and I got to nibble popcorn and chocolate covered raisins with my dad and sis, so that was much enjoyed! The boys and I took a drive with Grandpa to see the house where he used to live out here in Cameron Park. We got pictures of him and the boys by the 2 redwoods he'd planted there. He was jazzed to see how big they were.
The boys had their first ever drive-in movie experience last weekend! There aren't any of these left in SD, so it was such a treat! It cost $6.50 each for John and me, and kids 11 and under are free! AND...they show 2 movies! We saw "The Last Mimzy" and "Music and Lyrics". Saylor and Stone fell asleep during M&L, but Sage held strong, even for the drive home and finally crashed only when we crawled into bed together. Crazy baby! The first movie started at 8, and the second at 10:15, so it was past midnight by the time we got home. Can't do that too often, we were all pooped the next day! But, it was fun! The boys started off the night on top of the suburban, curled into their pillows and a comforter, but then decided to join us inside for the remainder.
I've got some funky allergy irritation right now, so am popping the homeopathics and managing to get through the days. John is enjoying his job very much, and it seems all the guys he works with are quite nice. I'm taking the suburban to the chevy dealership today so they can look at our ac and the transmission while it's still under warranty. Hoping the dealership is close enough to target, so the boys and I can play with toys while they look it. I am THOROUGHLY enjoying each and every Trader Joe's shopping experience I have, and believe me, I have many! Why is it that you can load up on what you think will be the weeks worth of groceries, and then, literally, 3 days later, have a list of 8 things that you need already! Sheesh!!! Maybe I just lack some secret organization skill or something? Oh, well.
Alrighty, I think that I've made you read enough of my rambling for one sitting! Have a Blessed day, remember what you are Grateful for and take good care of You!
Generosity on the Road
Within the past 2 days, we have had 3 generous acts bestowed upon us.
The first:
A lovely little package arrived with the 3 boys names on it, return addy from our most wonderful camp hosts in Lake Elsinore, Nile and Lynda. Inside, the boys each find a die cast car, in egg shaped packaging, and a little ball shaped (soccer/football/basketball) egg filled with jelly beans. They also included a picture of themselves for each of the boys. The thing that almost brought tears to my eyes was the message in the card. It read: "We miss you guys!! Hope you are having fun in your new home. We love you- Nile and Lynda" Wow. I was so touched. When we left there a few Saturday mornings ago, we all unloaded out of the bus to give them hugs, the kids were so fond of them, and it appears our boys found a spot in their heart, as well. Looking forward to seeing them again on down the road somewhere!
The second:
We were outside playing (in the wind!) yesterday and our neighbor, Doug was on his way somewhere, but then noticed us outside, so popped back into his 5th wheel and then came out with 3 Chevron collector cars, 1 for each of our boys. He said they'd been collecting them forever, but have recently decided to get rid of them and start giving them to the grandkids, etc, and so wanted to give some to our boys! Cool! We've chatted quite a bit with Doug, who seems to be outside often with his lab while we're outside, too, so, as neighbors tend to do when they are outside at the same time, we visit. He's a very nice gentleman, and his wife is lovely, too! It's always a good thing to be parked beside such people!
The third:
Last week, we met Deborah, Hannah, and Tim. Deborah is in sales, so they have been traveling full time for 12 years or so. Hannah is 7, so when Deborah saw me, she "stalked me" (her words!) because she noticed I had some similar aged kids and her daughter was longing for some play time. They were here for a day last week, and then a day this week, so we did manage to get in a little time with them. Deborah and I hit it off rather quickly, and although we are living entirely different lifestyles (she's the breadwinner), we still had many things in common and it was interesting to keep finding things that made us more and more alike. Anyway, they were leaving yesterday, so as we were outside playing (in the wind! hehehe) she pulls up to say goodbye and hands me this bag and said "this is for your boys" and then she hands me this piece of 'spanish cheese' (that's what it was called at the deli) and said "and I got this for us". Spanish cheese tastes to be a mixture of dried fruits and nuts, it's very rich, but tasty.
So, life on the road goes on. People are wonderful, generous souls and I'm always so grateful to have met them. It's been one of my favorite parts about traveling like this, meeting all the amazing people that pop up along the way! Grateful, indeed...
The first:
A lovely little package arrived with the 3 boys names on it, return addy from our most wonderful camp hosts in Lake Elsinore, Nile and Lynda. Inside, the boys each find a die cast car, in egg shaped packaging, and a little ball shaped (soccer/football/basketball) egg filled with jelly beans. They also included a picture of themselves for each of the boys. The thing that almost brought tears to my eyes was the message in the card. It read: "We miss you guys!! Hope you are having fun in your new home. We love you- Nile and Lynda" Wow. I was so touched. When we left there a few Saturday mornings ago, we all unloaded out of the bus to give them hugs, the kids were so fond of them, and it appears our boys found a spot in their heart, as well. Looking forward to seeing them again on down the road somewhere!
The second:
We were outside playing (in the wind!) yesterday and our neighbor, Doug was on his way somewhere, but then noticed us outside, so popped back into his 5th wheel and then came out with 3 Chevron collector cars, 1 for each of our boys. He said they'd been collecting them forever, but have recently decided to get rid of them and start giving them to the grandkids, etc, and so wanted to give some to our boys! Cool! We've chatted quite a bit with Doug, who seems to be outside often with his lab while we're outside, too, so, as neighbors tend to do when they are outside at the same time, we visit. He's a very nice gentleman, and his wife is lovely, too! It's always a good thing to be parked beside such people!
The third:
Last week, we met Deborah, Hannah, and Tim. Deborah is in sales, so they have been traveling full time for 12 years or so. Hannah is 7, so when Deborah saw me, she "stalked me" (her words!) because she noticed I had some similar aged kids and her daughter was longing for some play time. They were here for a day last week, and then a day this week, so we did manage to get in a little time with them. Deborah and I hit it off rather quickly, and although we are living entirely different lifestyles (she's the breadwinner), we still had many things in common and it was interesting to keep finding things that made us more and more alike. Anyway, they were leaving yesterday, so as we were outside playing (in the wind! hehehe) she pulls up to say goodbye and hands me this bag and said "this is for your boys" and then she hands me this piece of 'spanish cheese' (that's what it was called at the deli) and said "and I got this for us". Spanish cheese tastes to be a mixture of dried fruits and nuts, it's very rich, but tasty.
So, life on the road goes on. People are wonderful, generous souls and I'm always so grateful to have met them. It's been one of my favorite parts about traveling like this, meeting all the amazing people that pop up along the way! Grateful, indeed...
March 14, 2007
Just a Quickie
The Wild Tribe has landed in Sacramento and after a few days of searching around, settled on the Cal Expo RV Park. It's not as 'wild' as we've always been lucky enough to find, it's rather quite 'citified'. However, it's nice and quiet and clean, so it'll do!
We are right beside a long and winding bike path, that runs right along the American River, so as you can guess, we'll be spending our days there dipping our toes in and searching for anything that moves!
John has had a couple of days off in the transition, so we're trying to enjoy having him around rather than panic about the lost income! :) It's a learning process for me all the time! Growth, growth and more growth! It's all good, right?
We are only able to access the wifi if we're in the office building here, so it'll be short and sweet posts and e-mailing for me for a while. We're planning on being here for a month and then the boys and I will head back to Rapid City for the summer, having John fly back a couple of times for visits. Trusting that will all go as it's meant to, and that we'll all do ok without each other.
We're off for a long bike ride now to seek out a spot to settle for the day by the river. Hope you all are having as much fun as we are!!!
We are right beside a long and winding bike path, that runs right along the American River, so as you can guess, we'll be spending our days there dipping our toes in and searching for anything that moves!
John has had a couple of days off in the transition, so we're trying to enjoy having him around rather than panic about the lost income! :) It's a learning process for me all the time! Growth, growth and more growth! It's all good, right?
We are only able to access the wifi if we're in the office building here, so it'll be short and sweet posts and e-mailing for me for a while. We're planning on being here for a month and then the boys and I will head back to Rapid City for the summer, having John fly back a couple of times for visits. Trusting that will all go as it's meant to, and that we'll all do ok without each other.
We're off for a long bike ride now to seek out a spot to settle for the day by the river. Hope you all are having as much fun as we are!!!
March 9, 2007
A Few Days W.O.S.
Or, With Out Service...
So, we won't have an on-line presence for awhile. Our plans are to head out of here early tomorrow morning and park in John's new yard until we find that perfect spot that speaks to us, which are (in our case anyway) most easily found by just driving around and checking it out in real life!
We're planning a quick visit with Heather and River early this afternoon, and then we'll head over to Sue and Steve's to spend some time together and say our goodbye's (sniff...), but actually it'll just be 'see ya later's' as we know we'll spend more time with them somewhere along the road of life!
I'm squeezing in every last moment of e-mails and blogging and bill pay and tax form printing while I can as "the guy" will come soon to take away my box that has provided us so beautifully with 29.95 high speed internet while we've been here!
But, now I must say "Adios" and join my boys outside for some fun in the sun. (a few of us got some color yesterday)
Until next time my friends....
So, we won't have an on-line presence for awhile. Our plans are to head out of here early tomorrow morning and park in John's new yard until we find that perfect spot that speaks to us, which are (in our case anyway) most easily found by just driving around and checking it out in real life!
We're planning a quick visit with Heather and River early this afternoon, and then we'll head over to Sue and Steve's to spend some time together and say our goodbye's (sniff...), but actually it'll just be 'see ya later's' as we know we'll spend more time with them somewhere along the road of life!
I'm squeezing in every last moment of e-mails and blogging and bill pay and tax form printing while I can as "the guy" will come soon to take away my box that has provided us so beautifully with 29.95 high speed internet while we've been here!
But, now I must say "Adios" and join my boys outside for some fun in the sun. (a few of us got some color yesterday)
Until next time my friends....
Our Girl & Good-bye Southern California
Yes, she's definitely a GIRL!!! I've gotta have some other Goddess energy around here! My mom took this really cool picture of the bus on Monday morning with the moon on it's way out. I love this picture, mostly because I know who took it! Thanks, mama!
We'll be leaving this special, peaceful place this weekend, heading up to Sacramento. I have so enjoyed my time here in this campground. We had *the* spot! So private and spacious and all to our very own. The campground is about 100 acres (I finally asked), and the whole time we've been here, it's been nearly deserted. We have loved our late night walks, our pecan harvesting, our lizard hunting, our sprinkler running and other many wonderful times we've had here. I will surely miss it, we all will. That's the thing about being somewhere for any length of time, you start to make connections, and plant yourself, whether you mean to or not. We now have connections with lots of great people from this area, and some very deep connections with new forever friends. We are counting down the days, only 1 more full day to spend here and then we're off. I've been avoiding that reality. It sort of feels like leaving home all over again. However, I am and will always be grateful for the time we spent here, for the connections made and the memories etched forever in my heart.
We'll be leaving this special, peaceful place this weekend, heading up to Sacramento. I have so enjoyed my time here in this campground. We had *the* spot! So private and spacious and all to our very own. The campground is about 100 acres (I finally asked), and the whole time we've been here, it's been nearly deserted. We have loved our late night walks, our pecan harvesting, our lizard hunting, our sprinkler running and other many wonderful times we've had here. I will surely miss it, we all will. That's the thing about being somewhere for any length of time, you start to make connections, and plant yourself, whether you mean to or not. We now have connections with lots of great people from this area, and some very deep connections with new forever friends. We are counting down the days, only 1 more full day to spend here and then we're off. I've been avoiding that reality. It sort of feels like leaving home all over again. However, I am and will always be grateful for the time we spent here, for the connections made and the memories etched forever in my heart.
Swimming with the Whales
John's head is on the left, and you can plainly see what's just in front of him! We are extremely grateful to the gifts given to us that day by those generous whale souls!
Fun Sunday Pictures
Grandma and the Big Boys
Me and my three
Whale parts, as seen from shore!
Whale spray!
Way Cool Whale Watching!
Sunday was a big, full, fun and exciting day. We woke early to head to Long Beach for a whale watching tour (thanks again Mom and Curt!) We were on a nice big boat, so no icky sickies for any of us! whew! We were out for about 2 1/2 hours and just ready to head back to the dock, resigned to the fact that we weren't to see any whales. We saw lots of dolphins, some very close, and a couple of sea lions though, that was cool! We were all happy with that.....when, suddenly! Ahoy! A whale had been spotted. The captain cranked the boat back to the right and followed the whale's 'footprint' to see if she would resurface again. After a few long minutes, we did see just the tip of her back surface, and then her big tale come up as she descended again. It was so beautiful! We were all thankful to see it! The day before our tour, a whale was spotted and breeched (jumped out of the water, landing on its side) 22 times in a row. That would have been amazing to witness, but we were grateful for just the tale!
After the tour and a quick stop at Trader Joe's for a few things, including hummus and tortillas, which I am now addicted to, we headed to the beach to get our toes in the sand and surf. We'd been there just a short time, long enough to get everyone's shoes off and pants rolled up when I looked out a bit, probably 200 feet offshore or so, and noticed something bobbing up and down in the water. I pointed it out and asked John what it was and we all realized then we were looking at a mama and baby WHALE!!! We watched it for probably half an hour, just rolling around, seeing fins and backs and bellies and noses and blow spouts of water. A few people approached us, concerned that they were stuck there. They weren't moving out of that space at all, so we thought it might be possible? Long story short, John and 3 or 4 other guys walked out towards them. At one point John was probably 20-30 feet from them and only chest deep in the ocean. They stuck around for a while but then suddenly were gone. It was absolutely incredible and I was giddy watching them. (the boys watched them for a couple minutes, and then took off running some more! but every time a part of them came out of the water, my mom and I just squealed with delight!)
We all returned home to the bus pink cheeked and gleaming after such a fun day of cruising on a boat, seeing astonishing sea life, checking out the great homes around Long Beach (while listening to some authentic Long Beach music) and sharing in good conversation and laughter. It was a good, good day.
And my day just kept getting better! Sue offered me a massage so I dropped everyone off and hit the road to Temecula for a lovely massage at the hands of an even lovelier friend! (thank you again, Sue!) I returned home to an aromatic dinner (prepared by my mama-god love her!). Like I told her, it was a perfect end to a perfect day! Life is so dang Good!
After the tour and a quick stop at Trader Joe's for a few things, including hummus and tortillas, which I am now addicted to, we headed to the beach to get our toes in the sand and surf. We'd been there just a short time, long enough to get everyone's shoes off and pants rolled up when I looked out a bit, probably 200 feet offshore or so, and noticed something bobbing up and down in the water. I pointed it out and asked John what it was and we all realized then we were looking at a mama and baby WHALE!!! We watched it for probably half an hour, just rolling around, seeing fins and backs and bellies and noses and blow spouts of water. A few people approached us, concerned that they were stuck there. They weren't moving out of that space at all, so we thought it might be possible? Long story short, John and 3 or 4 other guys walked out towards them. At one point John was probably 20-30 feet from them and only chest deep in the ocean. They stuck around for a while but then suddenly were gone. It was absolutely incredible and I was giddy watching them. (the boys watched them for a couple minutes, and then took off running some more! but every time a part of them came out of the water, my mom and I just squealed with delight!)
We all returned home to the bus pink cheeked and gleaming after such a fun day of cruising on a boat, seeing astonishing sea life, checking out the great homes around Long Beach (while listening to some authentic Long Beach music) and sharing in good conversation and laughter. It was a good, good day.
And my day just kept getting better! Sue offered me a massage so I dropped everyone off and hit the road to Temecula for a lovely massage at the hands of an even lovelier friend! (thank you again, Sue!) I returned home to an aromatic dinner (prepared by my mama-god love her!). Like I told her, it was a perfect end to a perfect day! Life is so dang Good!
My Sweet Mama
Grandma spent a week here with us in our happy hippy bus! We all fared great, even finding a place for her suitcase that was convenient and out of the way. We all had a great time while she was here, the boys especially enjoyed lots of cuddle time and playing with her. There are many things I thought about writing, always in the moment they were happening, but it's never easy to find the space to get to the laptop and put thoughts into words. So, I'll do my best to offer a bit of a re-cap of her week here with us.
We took a couple walks in the dark, under a beautiful full moon and starry sky. (Although this is usually lost on the boys who are happy running around like crazy people, even in the dark! But I always love to look up, when I'm not busy saying 'watch out for Sage'!) We spent some time digging in the old wood pile here looking for lizards. We saw many, but were only able to catch one, and GRANDMA was the one to catch it! :) She's so cool! We brought it home and it lived with us for a couple of days, then decided to make its way out of the lego box and back to the wild.
We had a full moon drum circle on Saturday night, inviting Sue, Steve and kids over. We ate, the kids ran (surprise, surprise!) we sat and chatted around the inviting fire, admired the full moon over the lake and did some drumming. The kids joined in off and on, but it was mostly the big people that were into it. It's always magical, how random rhythms created by many different people can create such beautiful noise. I love it, anyway!
We did a short hike the day before Grandma left. Our intention was to hike to the water fall, but we only made it as far as the first water crossing that was abundant with tadpoles and frogs. We'd brought our nets, and the boys were happy hanging there and exploring for hopping, squiggling things. The drive to Tenaja Falls was pretty. It's always great to see some wild places, especially around California where it seems to be swarming with people. Glad to see those places still exist. We played 20 questions on the drive back in from the hike, and did a lot of laughing together. We stopped at Sue and Steve's so mom could check out their pad and the nifty creek in their backyard, then headed back to the bus.
Grandma sprung for a couple movies, so we got the boys all set up with Open Season in a cozy little tent under the kitchen bar and we watched Babel, snuggled side by side on the fold out bed, dipping into the big popcorn bowl, and munching on chocolate covered almonds and cranberries that she'd picked up at Trader Joe's. Oh, YUM!!! As the movie was beginning, I was sensing the sadness from my mom that she'd be leaving the next day, just as she put her arm around me a gave me a kiss and a hug. I tried to remain cheerful, saying we didn't have to be sad when we said goodbye. And then I said "I can't blame you, though, who *would* want to leave this **partay** (giggle, giggle)!" That made her smile.
(as you may have noticed, John was missing from the above scene, he was in bed as he started the day shift when my mom arrived and has been working very long days since)
Of course, there were lots of other memories made while my mom was here, if only I could transmit them as they happen directly from my mind in to blogger. ...sigh... I guess they don't have any thought reading technology yet.
We took a couple walks in the dark, under a beautiful full moon and starry sky. (Although this is usually lost on the boys who are happy running around like crazy people, even in the dark! But I always love to look up, when I'm not busy saying 'watch out for Sage'!) We spent some time digging in the old wood pile here looking for lizards. We saw many, but were only able to catch one, and GRANDMA was the one to catch it! :) She's so cool! We brought it home and it lived with us for a couple of days, then decided to make its way out of the lego box and back to the wild.
We had a full moon drum circle on Saturday night, inviting Sue, Steve and kids over. We ate, the kids ran (surprise, surprise!) we sat and chatted around the inviting fire, admired the full moon over the lake and did some drumming. The kids joined in off and on, but it was mostly the big people that were into it. It's always magical, how random rhythms created by many different people can create such beautiful noise. I love it, anyway!
We did a short hike the day before Grandma left. Our intention was to hike to the water fall, but we only made it as far as the first water crossing that was abundant with tadpoles and frogs. We'd brought our nets, and the boys were happy hanging there and exploring for hopping, squiggling things. The drive to Tenaja Falls was pretty. It's always great to see some wild places, especially around California where it seems to be swarming with people. Glad to see those places still exist. We played 20 questions on the drive back in from the hike, and did a lot of laughing together. We stopped at Sue and Steve's so mom could check out their pad and the nifty creek in their backyard, then headed back to the bus.
Grandma sprung for a couple movies, so we got the boys all set up with Open Season in a cozy little tent under the kitchen bar and we watched Babel, snuggled side by side on the fold out bed, dipping into the big popcorn bowl, and munching on chocolate covered almonds and cranberries that she'd picked up at Trader Joe's. Oh, YUM!!! As the movie was beginning, I was sensing the sadness from my mom that she'd be leaving the next day, just as she put her arm around me a gave me a kiss and a hug. I tried to remain cheerful, saying we didn't have to be sad when we said goodbye. And then I said "I can't blame you, though, who *would* want to leave this **partay** (giggle, giggle)!" That made her smile.
(as you may have noticed, John was missing from the above scene, he was in bed as he started the day shift when my mom arrived and has been working very long days since)
Of course, there were lots of other memories made while my mom was here, if only I could transmit them as they happen directly from my mind in to blogger. ...sigh... I guess they don't have any thought reading technology yet.
March 2, 2007
Hallelujah!!
Maybe we *ARE* doing something right!!!! ;) Not that I need proof, I know my children are amazing human beings and will do amazing human being things now and as they grow older! I just love this powerful Scott Noelle message, I hope you see the truth in it, too!
THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove
:: The Wild Child ::
Domesticated animals confined to farms, zoos, and
similar unnatural habitats lack a certain "spark"
found in their wild counterparts. They've been bred or
trained to live apart from their nature. They've
adjusted to their lack of freedom.
Put a wild animal in a cage for the first time and
behold the fury! What else would you expect from a
creature who still knows it's supposed to be free?
Children are born free and wild, and they don't
readily submit to "domestication." And thank Goodness
for that! Because those who retain that spark are the
ones who will uplift humanity in generations to come.
Today, look for evidence of the spark of wildness in
your child... and *celebrate* it! Trust that s/he will
civilize in due time. And meantime, let that spark
ignite the flames of an authentic, passionate life.
THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygr
:: The Wild Child ::
Domesticated animals confined to farms, zoos, and
similar unnatural habitats lack a certain "spark"
found in their wild counterparts. They've been bred or
trained to live apart from their nature. They've
adjusted to their lack of freedom.
Put a wild animal in a cage for the first time and
behold the fury! What else would you expect from a
creature who still knows it's supposed to be free?
Children are born free and wild, and they don't
readily submit to "domestication." And thank Goodness
for that! Because those who retain that spark are the
ones who will uplift humanity in generations to come.
Today, look for evidence of the spark of wildness in
your child... and *celebrate* it! Trust that s/he will
civilize in due time. And meantime, let that spark
ignite the flames of an authentic, passionate life.
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