Shifting Ground

I have always loved this Peter Simpson painting - shifting ground. This is also what is going on around here lately. We are in the midst of some big transitions, all for the better of our family. DN has been visiting more and more lately, so we are trying to find the balance of the new flow within our home. Trial and error, along with lots of cleansing, discussion and asking for guidance! It will take some time, but I am sure it will eventually all work itself out!

KM is moving swiftly through her summer lessons and will be completed in the next two weeks. I decided to have a lighter load year and I have rearranged our schedule a bit for the fall which will allow for a good deal of creative, spiritual, family and social time ~ not that we didn't have this before, but it has felt as though we still needed to add some more. We will be adding a lot of yoga and meditation time into our routines, as well as learning some more about energy and alternative healing methods - which I will be sure to post more on as this all comes to fruition.

I have been getting lots of questions and I am trying my best to keep up with them, so please forgive me if I am slow to return your emails or reply to comments.

Back from Vaca - but no time to do anything!!!

It always seems like when I get back from vacation, I have soooo much to catch up on! I am sure for those that check back here often, this is not the first time that you have read this!

I have little time to post, but wanted to get some pics up at least! We all had a great time and the kids want to go back next month...we will have to see about that one...

Beach Days of Summer

During the summer we spend a lot of days by the pool and some at the pond, but the days that KM always seems to remember best are the ones we spend at the harbor with our extended family. In my grandparents family there were 12 siblings, so when I say extended, I mean extended. It always amazes me how most of these cousins don't see each other more than once maybe twice a year, but they talk about things that happened last year, or the year before, as if it was yesterday!

Besides getting to see each other, the best part for the parents is remembering playing with our cousins in the same way and being grateful that our children get have such a wonderful experience and make great memories!

A Day of Remembering

Every year it gets a little bit easier when Noni's birthday rolls around. My sister and I always try to make sure that we spend the day together and celebrate in some way that we think she would want us to. So this year we took the girls to the cemetery and brought balloons,

then headed to the beach for the afternoon with one of our favorite aunts. This was GC's first trip to the ocean, but she settled in quickly and we all had a great time.

I know it is a cliche, however you truly can never imagine how much you will miss someone until they are gone. I feel sad for the babies, that they will never know the love that they would have received from my mom, but know in my heart that she is watching out for them each and every day. We make sure that they know who she was and how incredible she was. KM is constantly showing SC pictures and telling her stories about her all the time.

If Noni taught me anything in the 27 years of my life with her was that no matter what happens family comes first. You must push through the hard times, stick together and be there for one another. This last year has pushed some of us in different directions, but we are staying to the principal and sticking together.

Happy Birthday Noni!

We love you and miss you EVERYDAY!

Not quite quiet time!

Although we have been taking a break from "lessons" things have remained busy around here. Lots of projects, visits, birthdays and more! Here are some highlights -

Playground day with the Littles -

A Sewing Project -

GC had her 1ST birthday!!!

Lots of Gardening -

SC had her 3RD Birthday!!!

A trip with OR to the children's museum...

Lots more to come.....we have a new sport to discuss a bit about as well...see you all soon!

New Traditions!

Over the last few years, as our family lifestyle has changed and shifted, we have moved our holiday focus from Christmas to Yule. We have always celebrated Yule, but now it is more about OUR family and celebrating what is important to the three of us. Then we spend Christmas with our extended family. We had the Littles so SC and I made pancakes, bacon and sausage for breakfast and let KM & CJ stay snuggled in bed a bit later than usual. Then SC and KM opened up some presents for the classroom...

then played with the Moon Sand before heading out to the SNOW!!!

I have to clarify that SC is walking on about 18 inches, it was just so cold that she didn't sink... here is a picture of what CJ spent most of the day doing....
After the Littles went home KM and I made a cake to call back the sun:
and finished off a braid loaf - three strands coming together to make one - just like us!
Then we finished up with presents!!!
CJ's favorite gift was his Stewie shirt from KM....
KM's was her MP4 with touch screen...
and mine was my new phone for the classroom!
We had a fantastic day! It was so nice to all be together and have fun! Hope you are all enjoying your holidays as well!