why buy pretzels...

when making them is so much fun!

spring brings...

the first corn on the cob of the season...

...and a little bit of happiness between two crazy girls.

the lure of wood

we have been around wood a lot lately. the kids love it and find so many cool things to do with it. sean recently found this stick and after he sanded it down, we both thought that it looked like it had ancient writing on it. it is really cool.

so, we decided we needed more wood! we went in search of some big logs to use as campfire seats but they had disappeared. that didn't stop us. ben decided for us that he needed out of the car so we parked and got out for a little exploration.
ben was so happy to be out of his carseat!!


more wood was was right around the corner as the kids found a really awesome climbing tree!

here's ben finally content enough to head back home.

we even had enough wood to have our first bonfire of the season.

forts and fun

sean loves to build forts. he loves to take apart our whole living room and make forts out of every pillow, cushion, and blanket. he has even started bringing down our blankets and pillows from the bedroom. the mix of dog hair and sheets and often spilled plants gets to me at times but i try to be supportive. he now has a new partner...ben is not quite sure what he is doing but knows it must be cool if sean is doing it. they spent so much time this day working together and building many forts. it is good for them. it is good for sean. i can wash the sheets and blankets once again.



lila was not feeling inspired by all of this and decided to head outside. all it took for her was a bucket of water and soap and some seashells to get started. she washed and scrubbed seashells and in between the work, would get up from her seat and just twirl. life is that simple and happy for her. i have no idea what her thoughts were during those moments. she was somewhere else...just twirling and dancing and smiling. she went back and forth scrubbing and twirling all morning. it was wonderful seeing such happiness in all three. some days are just great like this...

open your eyes...

our lesson plan for today...explore!!! we set off on a journey today. we had our book bags packed and our minds open.





as we were crossing the bridge into the woods i stopped the kids and told them to keep their eyes open. they asked why. i told them that there is a world of possibilities if they do. i noticed
some skepticism. however, our first turn around the bend was all the proof they needed...



a real live snake!! lila wanted to run at first but soon got in the spirit and we moved on, now keeping our eyes wide open! we found some cool things on our journey...



the sweetest duck couple who never left each other's side...



an ancient burial chamber discovered by sean...

and 2 super sweet kids who told each other all day how much they loved the other one...




my favorite was seeing sean find peace and contentment in his day. something not very easy for him to do.


this was a good day.

morning rock

the other morning i awoke to sean already in full swing playing rock band. for some reason he looked like a crazy british rocker to me...



...and i think the look kind of suits him.


when we left to explore some other areas of the house, i saw ben sneak in. he thought he was all alone and was excited at his chance to finally play guitar!

sweet girl

they play so hard and they try to act so "big" but at the end of the day they are sweet and innocent. one day she will be her own woman but i will always have this moment in my mind.

taking time to enjoy the day...

benjamin has turned one!!! what a great weekend of celebration. two parties and lots of family. ben enjoyed himself greatly and seemed to love all of the craziness. the more people talking to him the better! while getting ready for the party i decided to take a break and spend a little time with ben. we turned off the vacuum and went out front to sit in the grass. there were birds everywhere and the sun was shining. i am so thankful for moments like these...
here's a little clip ofhis happiness...



nana came out too and these are ben's smiles after seeing her. he had pure joy!

his party was great. nothing like a room full of friends and family all gathered to celebrate life. we are so lucky.
and as his birthday fell right on easter, we got to have another day of celebration. more fun and family and gifts so unbelievable...of memories and strength and realizing just how wonderful life is.