Living, Loving, Learning

She was very interested in the neighbors. The Darobas came up on Sat afternoon to celebrate Griffin's birthday with us. John and Bruce Lisa and I Wild Child - she spent the entire weekend on the playground! Griffin and Logan Alexis and Lottie Poor Bruce now has to do both mine and Lulu's hair...not a bad job but she was not happy about it! (Mostly because this is his fourth try!)

Sooooo, I severely sprained my arm when i slipped and fell in some mud while camping. But, the show must go on and we headed straight back to the campground from the ER. It ended up being a great weekend, all things considered. it is pretty hard to type one handed so i may be just posting photos for a while! Take care y'all! Big Love to you!

I can hardly believe it myself. You all know I get super sentimental around my wee ones' birthdays and this one is no different. In fact, I found myself tearing up at the dinner table while listening to him talk about how he is negotiating playground politics. It just so shocking that he is old enough to have to deal with such mess. I have an equal love for the baby he was, the boy he is, the future he will step into. I am TRYING to live in the now with him...to never have to look back and feel like I missed a step, that I missed seeing who he was at 2 months or 5 or 13 or 27. And who is he now, you ask...well, he is a sweet boy, a rambunctious boy, walking that tightrope between asserting his strength, will, and Independence but still needing comfort, cuddling and assurance. He is funny and likes knowing he is funny. He is friendly and out going, talking as easily with adults as he does with children. He is CRAZY about Star Wars and Spiderman and most recently, Batman and ninjas....

This is Lucy's new napmat. We are going to have occasions...like this weekend, where she will need a place to sleep, so it was time. She is just too darn big for the pack n' play now. I gave her about 6 choices in the fabric store and this is what she chose. It is hard to see but it has white outlined dragonflies all over it. All h er choices were yellow, she is yellow CRAZY !! Since this was my second one, it only took me about 4 hours on Sunday afternoon to whip this baby out...BOOYAAAHHHH!

Lottie is so sweet with Lucy, letting Lucy mess with her. All. the. time. This moment, playing vetrinarian, checking out Lotties, ears.

I recently checked out a new grocery store in our area, the Brumfiled Farm Market . I am sooo excited to have this store to shop in. I was able to purchase fresh milk (in GLASS jars!!!!!), strawberries, bread, eggs, tomatoes, cheese, ice cream, jam and butter. All of it is sourced relatively locally. There is such a huge difference in flavor and shelf life by cutting out the warehousing and shipping chain. And, of course, I love seeing my dollars support local small business owners. Good for the earth, good for our community, good for my family....this makes me happy!

As many of you know, Bruce's contract with his current hospital is coming to an end this summer. If you had asked me a year ago I would have told you that we were OUT OF HERE, ASAP! But, a year of memories have been made, a year of friendships deepened, a year of roots thickened and now we would really, really like to stay put for a while longer. We were not sure that was possible as Bruce really is looking to advance in his career and salary, and with hours being cut at his current hospital, things were looking bleak. He sent his resume out into the cyber world and has been talking with recruiters for the past 2 months about the opportunities available. In short, there are not many positions out there. The medical industry, while slightly more insulated, still is feeling the pinch of these economic times. We were starting to feel a little scared that we might have to move to a less desirable location. About that time, Bruce found out about a job in a city about an hour ...

Ok...turn up the speaker volume and push back your chair. Join me for 3 minutes of Dancing, Joy and Peace on this beautiful spring afternoon. After y'all get past the 2:50 mark, you won't have to ever again ask me why it is that I desire to have dreadlocks so badly!

OK, this post has nothing to do with Lottie, but I had to post this super duper cute picture! I have become convinced that I need to develop a daily practice in my life that I am willing and able to commit to. By daily practice I mean a 20 -30 min block of time I spend each day, alone, that's only purpose is to enrich my soul. With Lucy down to only one nap a day and the welcoming of Lottie into our home, time is once again a precious commodity during the day. Laundry, house work, gardening, sewing projects, blogging and correspondence all fight for that hour and a half of nap time each day. Lately, I have felt so overwhelmed that I end up wasting it cruising the Internet , watching garbage t.v. or getting lost in a book. I think this is because I am not taking the time I need to each day to become centered, to BE. I think a daily practice would help keep me focused on each moment, on the big picture, on my priorities for each day. So here is my question for you today, and I...

The kids had some time to wait for their pancakes yesterday morning. I love the dip! And then, because he loves to make videos, Griffin needed a solo. Being their Mama brings such intense moments of sweetness to my day.

Last Sunday and Monday, Griffin was feeling pretty icky and spent most of those two days sleeping. On Sunday, Bruce or I would realize it was too quiet...oh no where is Lottie??? This is where we always found her, curled up below Griffin. Already, she knows it is her job to keep a watchful eye on and offer the amazing comfort of companionship to my two babies. I am so thankful that this amazing little puppy signed up for the job.