I [Heart] My Life

Crisp Days, Clear Skies

One of the things I always forget about the fall / winter on the coast is the clear, clear skies and how absolutely stunning the beach is! We may not have tons of fall folliage and snow, but we have our own way of marking the seasonal changes.

... this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama. You can play, too!

Mina & Nia

Sweet, sweet girls.

Birthday Weekend

Our sweet girl turned 3 on Friday. Three! 

We celebrated all weekend long. Friday was just Joe, Nia and I. We all slept till 9, and then kicked off the day with almond waffles (with candles, of course). Later we went to the Boardwalk to go on a few rides and to stop by a photo booth for a picture strip of the three of us, something we've done each year on Nia's birthday (once I scan it, I'll post it).

Saturday was Nia's party. Anna & Zomina, George & Dale, and Phil & Pam joined us to celebrate. It was a simple, relaxed party. On the menu: Rye Soda Bread to be topped with olives & brie, or herbed butter, or roasted strawberries; Mixed Green Salad with almonds and strawberries; Tortilla Soup; and Carrot Cake. And I incorporated my latest sewing project. Note the banner. I used a bleach pen to write "Celebrate!" on it, too. My first banner project & my first time using a bleach pen = fun! (Seriously. I'm really happy with the banner and look forward to using it for lots of different types of celebrations. Nia kept saying, "Preeeeeety!" which is gratifying!)

And Sunday we continued to celebrate at Zoe's birthday party (Zoe is two days older than Nia). Karah was so sweet to put a "3" candle on Zoe's garden/bug cake for Nia!

Road Trip!

Calistoga for a little pre-birthday merriment with Jackson's family. We stayed at Dr. Wilkenson's, which turned out to be great -- 3 mineral pools of varying degrees and walking distance to anything we could want: Food, park, coffee, ice cream, etc. Ahhhh, sweet mini-vacation and a lovely preview for birthday celebrating this coming weekend.

Times when families laugh together are among the most precious times a family can have. -- Mister Rogers

 

Celebrating Spring... With Goslings!

This weekend, Nia and I, along with our friends Meadow and Irene, went up to the Waldorf School for their May Fair. It was a beautiful, warm day and it was so fun seeing the 6th graders dance the May Poll dances. There were lots of activities, too, like garland-making, cake walking, face paining, puppet story-telling, etc. But the highlight for Nia & I was a flock of goslings in the garden!

Happy Big 3, Maya!

We had a lovely time helping Maya celebrate her third birthday on a hot beach day. Hard to capture two running, giggling girls on film, though!

 

 

Amber Fields of Grain

They've started cutting the tall grass over in the Arana Gulch, creating huge mounds of clippings... perfect for impromptu grass climbing by two little mountaineers! It is a great lesson for us adults that play can happen anytime, anywhere... even in an ichy 'ole pile of weeds!

The best part of the following video is Jackson's off-camera commentary, so be sure to turn up your speakers!

 

 

Girlfriend Giggles

One-on-one time with my little Bug is so precious, but there is something especially magical about watching her truly enjoy time with a friend close to her own age. I love how Nia and Vivi crack each other up, inspire each other, call to each other, chase each other... It is the beginning of truly playing with a friend, as opposed to just playing near to a friend. The interaction is so fun!

A Flooded Jose Park, cont'd

When Nia and I went to Jose Park today for a picnic in the fleeting sunshine, we found the playground completely flooded. Shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was! So here are more pictures and a video of the fun Nia and Vivienne had in the mud puddle lake. By the way, it really wasn't warm enough for shorts. Nia chucked her leg warmers when she decided to go in the water. 

Jose Park Flood ~ Mar. 2011 from April Stearns on Vimeo.