Viva Mexico

We had such a wonderful time in Mexico with my parents and my brother and Kim. I felt so relaxed lying in the sun watching my kids enjoy themselves.

After a rough winter of the soul I was starting to emerge into the daylight when I was slammed with two months of physical sickness. Our time in Mexico allowed my body to catch up with the wellness of my spirit. I feel deep seated peace when I place myself back in these pictures.


Nothing quite as precious as little feet...


...except for maybe the beach baby they belong to.


The boys were like otters wrestling in the water. I love when their affection for each other is showing. They already have secret words and inside jokes. They even have this crazy (many would say, quickly annoying) voice they call the Hermes Brothers.


Enjoying the waves with beloved Aunt Kim.


Moose and BiggiE took turns catching some waves with my dad and Os. BiggiE surprised us all by deciding to stand up on the board. We didn't get any pictures because he quickly decided that wiping out was even more fun than standing up.


Here's my surfer boy. I think in heaven Os will surf and rock climb every day.


Headed to the beach (my parents house is in the background of the left). Jelly Bean was like the Queen of Sheba being pulled along. One time when we were loading up to walk down to the beach Os reminded BiggiE that Jelly Bean would be riding in the wagon and BiggiE replied, "I know my spot, Fool!" He said it so happily and emphatically that is was impossible not to laugh.


Talk about a crowded beach. Only on the weekends is there anyone within 50 yards of you.


Jelly Bean loved the beach. She would have spent all day out there if we had let her. She had very specific ideas in her work of filling buckets with sand. She would grab a bucket, take off for the wet sand, fill the bucket and come back for another one to fill. She also had specific ideas about shells. If you handed her a shell she would either put it in her bucket or toss it back in the water based on some sorting system known only to her. This was work, people, not play.


Grandpa teaching the kids the art of War.


Grandma and Jelly Bean. Jelly Bean is wearing one of my old outfits a friend of the family made.


Peter and Kim brought several Nerf guns and inside the house there seemed to be a continuous gun battle going on. Jelly Bean is a little low on ammo in this photo.


Ahhh, a nap in a hammock with the ocean breeze...


Uncle Peter taught the boys the basics of fishing.


Then off they went to try their luck.


Success! Two amber jacks and a rock bass.


There is something about growing your own food or catching it yourself that inspires even the more reluctant eaters to try new things. BiggiE is a decent eater, but probably the least adventurous of the three kids. Os jokingly asked BiggiE if he wanted to eat the fish head and BiggiE said, "Sure!" He then proceeded to eat most of the fish head, including the eyeball (which made it difficult for my mom and Kim to finish their meals). Now with a new food we can say to him, "Someone who eats fish heads would certainly try this!"


Jelly Bean dancing on our night out in town.


Uncle Peter and Jelly Bean arguing over the menu.


Aww... My parents love this picture because the kids playing behind us is life right now -- our love in the midst of the throng.


Adios, Mexico. Hasta luego!

Comments on a 10th Century BC Monarch

BiggiE's my kid who is always thinking about life from a different angle than most people. Moose is the linear guy who can outline his thoughts with bullet points, but with BiggiE you never know what you're going to get. It is one of the things I love about him.

For example, a few months back he and I were talking about memory and remembering. I asked him what he remembered about his last birthday. He paused for a moment and then replied, "But if it was my last birthday I would be dead." While most people enter a house through the front door BiggiE is libel to come in through the upstairs window. Often he'll make a statement and I have to do some mental gymnastics to figure out what idea he has entered and from which direction.

All of this is to preface his comment at dinner the other night. Os was working late and the kids and I were enjoying one of our favorite meals -- pizza and berries. In the midst of the munching and chit chat BiggiE announces, "Rehoboam was a lousy king."

My turn: twist, leap, roll, splits, "Yes, yes he was."

(Incidentially, BiggiE's comment was prompting by watching their new found love Jelly Telly.)

Go Muckdogs!

We've entered into the world of team sports this spring. Moose is thrilled to be on a team and seems to have really enjoyed T-ball. It has been especially fun because Os is one of the coaches. Os's mom enjoyed watching a game while she was in town. She said life comes full circle when you see your son coaching his son's team. I can't really comprehend how many games she must have gone to while her three athletic sons were growing up. A labor of love I tell you.



Moose, we are so proud of you!!

Ingredients for a Great Hike

...a waterfall, great friends and the chance to meet poisonous plants and animals.


We went on a great hike over the weekend with some friends. The man who owns the property next to them had told them about a hike to a 100 ft. waterfall.

Malia and Sadie came along with us on the hike. These sisters are the kids' favorite! Malia is hands down their favorite babysitter and she blesses me by watching the kids a few hours a week for free. (I keep telling her I hope she has someone do the same thing for her when she has kids so she will know how truly grateful I am.)


Sadie was the only one brave enough to really get wet.


We have had so much fun getting to know the Terrell family. Tyler met Jake and Deana in Paso Robles a few years back and they just moved up here last summer. It has been grace upon grace for me to meet friends that are in the wine industry and are Christians.


On the hike down to the waterfall Jake took precautions to point out all the poisonous oak. I, as always, was on the lookout for rattlesnakes. When we reached the waterfall there were all these cute little amphibians swimming in the water. We thought they were salamanders and the kids were all very interested.

When we got home we were looking up animals in our area on the internet and decided to find out what these little guys were...turns out they were Rough-skinned Newts. The description said , "Warning: The skin secretions of the Newts of the genus Taricha contain toxins similar to those found in pufferfish liver. These are among the deadliest natural toxins yet discovered. A healthy adult will die from eating just one Newt. Care should be taken to wash hands thoroughly after handling Newts."

So while were vigelent about some of the poisonous flora and fauna we unknowingly let the children pet the most danger of them all.

Bird Clock

I had been looking for just the right clock to put in our kitchen when I found this:

The Audubon Singing Bird Clock

I told Os he was getting a preview of what I am going to be like when I am eighty because this clock amuses me to no end. Os informed me he had known two people (both under 40 at the time) who owned this clock, so I guess I am not starting any new trends.

The Audubon Bird Clock sings a different birdsong for each hour, so naturally I am not the only one enthralled with the clock. The boys stop whatever they are doing when they hear the birdsong and have been pouring over the Audubon Bird book that came with the clock so they can learn each bird.

I was tucking the boys in bed one night -- mind you the clock had been up and running less than 24 hours -- when Moose said to me, "Mama, can you be quiet when you leave the room so I can hear the 8:00 bird." I assured him of my silence and he added, "Eight o'clock is the Eastern Bluebird." I couldn't believe he had memorized them already. I still don't have it down and we've had the clock over a week. I think Moose might have a future in the World Series of Birding.

Now that the weather has been warmer we have opened the skylight upstairs. One morning just before daybreak I was laying in bed when I heard a birdsong. Then I heard another birdsong. I dreamily thought to myself, "That is so strange that another hour just passed so quickly." Then, as I heard a third birdsong I realized I was hearing real songs coming in the open skylight of our bird friends living in the redwoods.

I've Been Waiting For This My Whole Life...

I LOVE pigtails on little girls, so it's not surprising how thrilling it is to me that Jelly Bean now has long enough locks for such cuteness.


The other day I had an experience that once it happened I realized I had been waiting for it my whole life and hadn't even known it was something I wanted.

I was reading a book to BiggiE and Jelly Bean when one of her pigtails brushed my check. My heart skipped a beat and I had to stop reading for a moment and get my bearings as I was swept up in a wave of love and gratitude that I have a little girl.

Sesame Street and Lava Frosting

The boys and I had so much fun making Cookie Monster cupcakes for BiggiE to take to preschool for his birthday. If I had a scanner I would love to show you a photo from 30 years ago with my dad posing just the same way in front of similar cupcakes for my preschool.


We had a great time at BiggiE's birthday party. I think it was my friend, Michelle, who mentioned the idea of using dry ice to have a steaming volcano cake. Whomever it was, we thank you -- the cake was a huge success. Uncle Drew took a video and the oohs and ahs are very enthusiastic.


Each kid made their own mini volcano and we made them erupt, or as BiggiE says "interrupt", with vinegar and baking soda. There was so much excitement with every eruption it was like they were seeing it for the first time over and over again. Hilarious!