It must have been a really good episode

I came into the living room a little while ago to find all four kids squished in front of the TV. I don't know why they were sitting so close - and no one really had an answer - but it made me laugh.

And this was dinner last night. It just looked so pretty in the bowl that I had to take a picture. Yay, food!

Pretzels

Field trip to Auntie Anne's...

Learning the ropes:


Happy in her baker's hat:


A gaming break with some friends:


Making our own:



Delicious!

Seasons Change

2010 has brought with it a shift. Things are changing, and I'm thankful that our fluid homeschooling lifestyle allows us to not only ride with the tide, but to embrace it.

While the latter part of 2009 was spent largely and voluntarily on our own, at home, we are now enjoying the call to come out of hibernation. We're signing up for field trips, making more playdates, and meeting new people.

After 3 seasons, Paxton has decided not to play baseball on a team this spring, instead just continuing to enjoy the sport on his own. He's happy with his choice, and seems to look forward to just being Paxton for awhile, instead of Paxton-the-ball-player.

Everett is currently taking an opposite track, and wanting to do, see, and try more more MORE. He's about to start his second season of baseball, and in one week will be taking gymnastics as well. At home he's been immersing himself into one project after another, from origami to sculpting to baking to studying the human body. He's the happiest when no two days are alike, when each day brings something new. It's a feeling I can fully understand at the moment, as I've been on my own similar quest.

Last week I enrolled in school, for the first time since Paxton was a baby, and will - God willing - finally finish my certificate in Holistic Nutrition, before moving on to Natural Health. My vocabulary is not large enough to explain how excited I am, both to start the new program, and to see what else the next 11 months are going to bring.

Out With the Old

A few posts ago I shared a picture of Tegan's new stroller. This kitchen is another favorite. I adore this kitchen! Tegan got a few beautiful sets of wooden food, a lovely tea set made from recycled plastic, and some pots, pans, and utensils. Which meant that the kitchen was fully stocked, and we could finally get rid of the big, yucky and cracked plastic bin that was filled to overflowing with old plastic food... food that was lovingly played with for a long time, and that was worn, dirty, and otherwise cast aside. Everett went through it this weekend, picked out the few pieces he wanted to hang onto, and the rest found a new home in our recycle bin, plastic tub and all. Everything they're left with fits wonderfully in the kitchen, with plenty of room to organize it however they'd like. I love it.

Few things give me such a natural high as getting rid of any sort of clutter! That one simple act has inspired me once again to continue the progress in the rest of the house.

In other current news, I snapped a couple of pictures of Spencer working on one of the cases in his new forensics lab. Very cool. I love the way their heads are bent together here, reading about the suspects.



And this is Paxton holding Leonard...


I am in love with this snake, and can't believe we didn't get one sooner.

One of those days

I felt like this today:


When I wasn't feeling like this:


I don't know why really. Just one of those days where I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and couldn't right myself now matter how hard I tried. I was stressed out, irritated, sad, and well... just plain grumpy.

I tried for a little perspective, tried to get out of my own head for a little while. God knows there are people dealing with real problems and heartaches. The devastation in Haiti right now is horrific.

To that end, I donated my $10 to the Red Cross's relief efforts. (If you haven't done this yet, please do! Just text HAITI to 90999, and your $10 will be charged on your next cell phone bill. It's only $10 and it takes 2 seconds.)

I tried to share about it on Twitter, but accidentally typed the number incorrectly - still haven't gotten used to that touch screen keyboard - and I was of course corrected by several well-meaning people. With the state I was in, even that made me feel worse.

We walked to the playground this afternoon, but the warm Arizona sun wasn't cheering me up today. The kids ran and played for over two hours, and I enjoyed it through them, yet that small part of me still wanted to just go home to crawl back into bed.

In a crazy way, I feel like days like today help me to be a better parent. It's a not-so-gentle reminder that we all have those days. Those days when we're frustrated with the world, and ourselves, and life, and we inadvertently take it out on everyone around us. How much harder it must be to do with those feelings when you're a child! Days like today reaffirm my resolve for patience when Tegan is grumbling around, saying "No" to every question that's asked of her, and throwing herself on the floor. Days like today remind to be kind when Everett has burst into tears for the 3rd time, for reasons that even he doesn't quite understand. Days like today make me more understanding when Paxton wants to retreat into his computer game, without any disruptions from his younger siblings, or when Spencer needs nothing more than a nap at 2:30 in the afternoon.

For that awareness, I'm thankful for even the bad days.

"You never see the bad days in a photo album but it’s those days that get us from one happy snapshot to the next"

Birthdays and New Plans

Last year, my birthday was.... well, it was weird. We spent the whole day grocery shopping. Not just picking up a few things, but multi-store, several hundred dollar, stocking-up-for-a-month shopping. That evening we bought a used fridge for our garage from a neighbor, and wheeled it home down the sidewalk on a dolly. For dinner - and for reasons that have completely escaped my memory - we had hot dogs, one of my least favorite foods. It was a good day. Just weird.

This year started with Spencer making me coffee, and Mike making me chocolate chip pancakes. I did yoga while they cleaned up. I played Spongebob Operation with Everett, and read books with Tegan. Mom, Dad, Sandi, Mitch and the kids all came over in the afternoon for cake and icecream. The girls laughed our way through one of the workouts on my new Wii game, and the guys watched football. We played outside and pushed the kids on the swings. Everyone held the new snake. The kids raced through the house playing one made-up game after another. We saw the Cardinals beat the Packers in an awesome overtime moment. It was truly a great day.

Hot dogs were replaced with pasta with Mike's own scampi sauce (one of my favorites) as a late dinner, followed by even more cake and icecream.

I was having entirely too much fun to take pictures, but Mike snapped a couple of me with the cake...



Yesterday seemed to mark the end of our little season of rest. The rest of the month is fast filling up, as is February, and even this summer. We've planned a busy spring, and possibly an even busier summer. I'm once again reminded of living in the moment, and finding that ever elusive balance.

Another Year Wiser.....

Tomorrow I'll be 36.

If New Years makes me all introspective and philosophical, birthdays make me even more so. I always think about where I am versus where I thought I'd be, what I've done versus what I thought I'd do, what I've learned versus what I thought I'd learn. I think about the surprises that the past year held, both the good (becoming friends with someone with whom I thought a friendship would never be possible), and the bad (being hospitalized and tested and anesthetized yet again)

I love being in my 30's. I'm a happy mom, and I'm a happy wife, but beyond those things I'm just more me than I ever was in my 20's. If you have known me long, or even read my blog for any length of time, you have likely heard me say this before: I didn't have a single opinion in my head when I got married. I really didn't. The lightbulb moment came for me about ten years ago, when Spencer was still a toddler. Sure, I'd discovered many things about myself as soon as he was born, but it wasn't until a couple of years later that I finally felt that feeling of "OH. This is who I am. This is who I want to be." And if it was true then, it's even more true now. This is who I am.

This year, I'm thankful for a husband that doesn't just love me in spite of all the growing I've done over the years(I want to say "changing" but I really don't feel like I've changed!), but loves me because of it. I love that he patiently listens as I pontificate about my newest passions, reads what I ask him to read when I just can't put it into my own words, and supports whatever it is that I want to try/see/learn/taste/touch.

I'm thankful for the friends I have that truly let me be me.... not in a condescending, pat-on-the-head, kind of way, but in a true, accepting, and loving way.

I'm thankful for the people that get it.

I'm thankful for the ability to surround myself with resources that support attachment parenting, breastfeeding, baby-wearing, unschooling, natural living, non-circing, non-vaxing, life learning, free thinking causes.... and the freedom to distance myself from the resources that do not.

I'm thankful for my babies.

I'm thankful for what God has done in my life. This year, I feel truly blessed.

And finally, here is another picture of me as a little girl.


Anyone else think Tegan looks just like me?

Jesus Take the Wheel

One of Tegan's favorite Christmas presents was a nice double stroller. She puts her dolls in it occasionally, but she just as often uses it to push around her toys, books, or shoes. Last night I noticed she was pushing baby Jesus from her nativity set, and I had to snap the picture. Notice that she even strapped him in. :-)

Easing into the New Year

The kids and I have not left the house yet this week, and it has been wonderful! We've been playing new games, relaxing, and just being together. As much as I'm appreciating it, I know that it's fleeting. Soon we'll be out on field trips again, baseball will begin in just a few weeks, and life will take over. For now, I'm enjoying the tea parties, the science experiments, the games of Chinese Checkers, and hanging out in the sheet tent in the living room.



Happy 2010.