the new year

the year is still young enough to be doing a new year post right...?

a few things have been on my mind...

*learning...all the time...letting children be children

*great friends, the kind that you can share anything with, the kind that help you work through your "stuff" and let you laugh along the way

*talented sisters, I have many of them (check out Silken wrapped in the most gorgeous blanket from her amazing auntie! - below)

*reading, wishing i had more time for it and making time for it (enjoying a book club with my mother-in-law and her friends!)

*food, making and enjoying nourishing, real food ( my new years resolution was to make sourdough starter and bread - done and done! and it is yummy!)check out my first bear roast below, with apples and garlic, it was delish! praise God for generous friends!

*sleeping habits, bed time, the family bed - and what it all means

*winter. some days i go out....some days i stay in.

2012, welcome~

a weekend of art

this past weekend the kids attended a stage production of Aladdin with their dad. I didn't go, staying back with the little ones, but it is still the main topic of conversation in our house 4 days later. It was a children's cast and we knew 8 children (all home schooled)in the play. The kids have been singing the songs and recounting the evening over and over.
what a thrill!

Our little red head said that it was "the best play I have ever seen, 'cause it's the only play I have ever seen", quite impressing himself with his own wit(speaking of wit, don't ever ask your children to "clear the table into the dishwasher" lest you be challenged by your 9 year old- "wow, that's going to be hard...how do you think we can fit the table in there mom?")

back to the art-filled weekend...

we were also entertained by a steam punk art exhibit put on by a 15 year old home schooler. We didn't know this boy at all. His mother advertised on a homeschooling forum i am on that all were welcome to come and it seemed like a neat idea. We were expecting some paintings hung in a garage or some such thing - well, let me tell you...this talented young man had transformed his family's garage into a world! a hallway led us past a full wall mural of a Victorian street scene and we came around the corner into a laboratory full of candles illuminating sketches, bones, bugs, birds and beakers (that alliteration was unintended). nothing was grotesque or creepy, this wasn't a halloween haunted house, but rather a chance to go back in time, and to imagine. As we left the lab we found ourselves back out side where the artist had posted photos of the process and was waiting, leaning on a picnic table, to say hello and answer our questions. He explained that most of the wood was salvaged from skids and the walls built with old election signs. He was approachable and pleasant. Not at all a horribly awkward "home schooler". oh, and a red head to boot! we thanked him for sharing his talent with us and after a quick photo by the exit got our kids out of the cold. It was a great night. I loved that he had worked so hard, had such a creative vision, and had been given the time and support to pull it all off!
Yay for homeschooling/unschooling families.
and yay for the performing and visual arts! how they enrich our world!!

outside

today was one of those days...
the weather has been amazing (for November) and I knew I should be outside.
the kids spent a lot of time outside soaking up the incredible fall day, the gorgeous sun...
but I kept making excuses for not heading out.
even when they had lunch outside, I didn't join them. I felt I had too much to do.

finally, once my love was home from work, I knew it was my last chance, the sun was going down - fast!
so I slipped on my shoes and headed out.
my sweet girl joined me, and I am so glad she did.

we walked to the end of the street, not far, but just far enough to breath in the fresh air and get the restlessness out of my legs.

then, what a gift! at the end of the street where it becomes forrest was a gang of turkeys.
16 wild turkeys.
it was gorgeous!
This wasn't the first time we have seen them, they have wandered on to our property before, but it was the first time we got so close.
of course they didn't like us there nearly as much as we liked them, so it wasn't long before they gobbled off into the woods in a big long row.

the sun was warm on my face. We walked back holding hands, she and I.
I am so glad I forced my self outside today.

some thoughts on parenting

Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause.

-- St John of Kanty


this quote rang so true to me today...my children are my treasure...but i am human...often weak. and i have been known (*ahem*) to not be patient, kind or loving at times...this quote from St. John of Kanty reminded me that even good intentions in our parenting can go askew when presented with harshness. a harsh word...an unkind look...they don't hear the message...but they do learn to be harsh, with each other, with me...
praise God that i have a husband who loves the Lord, fears the Lord, and knows me...so well. he is so strong, so loving. helps me to stay balanced...helps me to know that i am loved, and only through loving do we properly teach and guide our children.




as for life around here...things are well. the baby is unbelievably gorgeous and getting wonderfully chubby!
we had a fantastic and challenging week away at a family retreat.
now that we are home we have a lot of thinking, talking, and praying to do to process all that we heard and to continue to build our family in Christ.

this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual from SouleMama. 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.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

it is august

july was one of the longest months of my life, and yet, now that it is over it seems to have flown by.
we had Silken baptized last week. at a week old she was our youngest to be baptised. usually it is somewhere around 6 weeks. but it just worked out this way and came together easily, so we just went with it.
thursday was full of preparation and visitors.

we enjoyed a beautiful hour with our dear friends from pembroke. with 4 girls in their family cakie was always in heaven at their house. now that she has joined the "sister club" she was excited to introduce Silken to her friends. Silken was given a beautiful dress to match her adorable soon-to-be-best-friend Little S.
I would love to post a photo but I haven't cleared it will Little S's mom...so I will stick to only putting my own babies on the internet...

Later that day a bunch of my family showed up and we all enjoyed a chaotic pizza dinner before heading to the church.
it was a lovely baptism. Cakie and Daniel read the readings and there were plenty of children to make the whole evening "lively" ! and Jesus said "Let the little children come to me"

my sister and Darryl's brother are the Godparents, and we know that Silken will be so blessed to have them share this important role in her life.



this was our attempt at taking a "kids" picture...Zac really wanted Mama in it.




we are going on a family retreat this week. our summer has been wild busy, baby aside...so I am really looking forward to some time away. Getting to Mass each day, spending time on the beach... it will be just what we need I'm sure.

Have a beautiful week everyone! xoxo

picture time

our little Silky is almost a week old and as much as I would love to be on here daily posting and updating - it's not happening. Lots of other things are though...our house has been busy with visitors welcoming our sweet girl, endless sibling cuddles, lots of skin to skin, our amazing midwife checking in on us every couple days, yummy meals from friends - life is good!

a very happy, and tired family welcome our newest! (Zac woke up about one minute before this photo)







when they wake up they remember what came in the night





Darryl calls them her baby boxing gloves





nothing like a newborn to make your toddler look like the most giant baby in the world...the cutest, but giant none the less...







the family with our wonderful midwife - I can't say enough good things about this beautiful woman...



checking out every perfect part of her.



gorgeous girl



big brothers



sleeping bliss



so there you have it, a peek into our home...come by if you can!