Annie showing off her Birthday gift...

and seems to be a happy woman!

Annie's been here!!!!

And she was kind enough to hook me up with some color. Here's the new look!

Guatamalan worry dolls...

Kade found this craft on activity tv.



We didn't have the trash bag ties (can you say Ginger's too hippy?) but we did have pipe cleaners. This makes them a tad bigger than they were on the show...but still well worth the effort.


These two were made by Kade's hand. After he finished these, he was done and asked if I wouldn't finish his 'family' for him. He wanted two more. A girl and a Mama. Here's how they turned out.





I did a few for myself and hope to get back to them soon.




I also finished gifts for Annie...she is wearing the belt of bells, so I didn't manage to get a picture of that. I did, however, get to take a picture of her new hat! I made it out of cotton. The colors look weird on the camera - it really is raspberry and lime. Too cool. I may have to make one for me!





Annie is officially 21! I'm so happy for her!

Maybe it's a great time for those worry dolls, after all! Life is so big and full. The kids grow up so fast. Now it's time to meditate and try and keep up!

Just a thought on time...

In 23 days, Annie will be the age I was when I met her.

Kade will be the age Annie was when she met Kai.

Kai will be the age Annie was when she met Kade.

Time is fleeting and precious. I love the changes it has brought and the people that these three are. It just seems to have gone by faster than I thought it would.

If you are looking for me...you can find me snuggling with one of them.

Fun. Pure fun.

for all ages :)

Annie challenged Kai to a war.



Personally, I like the fact that Annie had a sniper in the candle.



Kai was winning, even still.

Gotta love big Sisters!

Especially when they eat you.

Rainsticks and the car accident

After we got home from our road trip, we slept! By Thursday we were ready for some friends and fun. So we headed out to Gardenia's to take a class. Gardenia is great at finding cool things to do...and to help her she has her brother, Luis. Luis is offering many classes on native american art forms. This particular Thursday we made rainsticks. The boys want the end product, but really aren't crafty if there are friends they can play with. I look at this as a great way for me to provide them with cool crafty things I truly enjoy making - and they truly enjoy playing with! Kai stayed and listened to Luis talk about the rainsticks and how they were used in different native groups, as did Kade. Kade started his then flew off to play. They turned out great, though. We made them out of cardboard tubes with pipe cleaners inside to break up the fall of some beads. Simple, easy and fun. We ended up decorating the outside with wooden beads and feathers. Too cool. Loads of friends and fun - a perfect mixture!

The next day, though, is what started my own personal spiral. Thursday night Hannah, Annie's friend and fellow cosmetologist, came to stay for an extended weekend. Having Hannah is great...and her birthday was this particular Friday, so we were in planning mode. The girls have class on Friday, so they headed out in Hannah's car. Annie loves to drive, so she was behind the wheel. Well, I got a call at 9:30 or so. It was Annie. The front left tire of the car had blown while they were in the fast lane. She was able to keep control of the car, signal and start to go to the left off the road to slow down and stop. While doing so, they were rammed by someone going about 85-90 mph. Not good. They had the police and a witness to the accident there. Reports were filed and the tow truck picked up the other car. Hannah's car seemed to be ok, so they let them drive it. In hind sight, I don't know if this was the best idea, but at least it turned out ok. Annie was calling from Starbucks because her phone had died and she didn't have enough charge to call without it being plugged in - and they needed a bit more time before getting back on the road to get home. Thankfully we were able to get them in to see the Dr. that same day. However, in between that 9:00 hit time and the 4:00 appointment time both girls were in some serious pain and were definitely stiff. Hannah seems to have been injured worse than Annie was, or at least Annie's body handled it better than Hannah's did. By Sunday, Hannah was in really, really bad shape. She had been to the emergency room already once (and went again before she was able to get home). The meds she was given didn't go well with the meds she is already on, so she ended up sick to her stomach and spitting up blood. Not something any of us were comfortable with...and her folks are in Stockton. Once she got home on Wednesday, her personal Dr. was able to do a lot more for her. Come to find out her jaw was dislocated and so her pain went down tremendously once it was put back into place. She also got the right meds and seems to be back up and running.

Annie is doing fine now. She's back to wearing her back braise (something she's been working on getting off of for a long time), but the healing is happening. But the drama/trauma was entirely real for all of us.

Thankfully, it seems we are all doing better now!

Jeff and Annie

had a go on photo booth, too. We all ended up joining in on the fun!

A new photo shop movie

Well, I was able to cobble together this new video. At then end, there are some videos of Kade and Kai exploring the photo booth options and learning. I really enjoyed watching the boys do these. I also found some adults who joined in the fun! Enjoy it!


Photo booth part 2 from Beachbum on Vimeo.

The longest post ever, continued.

I can't say enough how much I truly appreciate Prana. He has helped me so much along this healing journey. If you are looking for someone who can use essential oils, massage and cranio sacral work, he's truly amazing. Shazia is a wonderful woman, as well. I am grateful to have them in my life!

As an aside, they are looking for someone to buy their storefront. They are still going to provide the healing services (both restorative yoga and Prana's list of healing arts) and wish to sell the store part of their business to allow them to focus more on the afore mentioned healing arts.



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There is a discussion about love and understanding going around with a few friends of mine. It brings up an interesting point. Are we ever truly understood? We were talking about this statement someone made :

"No one will ever understand you. Realizing this is freedom. No one will ever understand you—not once, not ever. Even at our most understanding, we can only understand our story of who you are. There's no understanding here except your own. If you don't love another person, it hurts, because love is your very self."

We progressed and a friend said :

"I was thinking that so many people's ideas of marriage includes feeling "understood." However, what if this idea is an illusion? What if we are working with a false dynamic?....What about love? Love, for me, goes beyond pheromones, lust, parental attachment, shared interests or even mutual respect. I have always believed that love was a choice, actually a series of choices made each and every day. As each day is filled with more gratitude, awe and joy-- I find it more and more difficult not to love. Love no longer feels like a decision, more than it is a daily certainty."

Heavy stuff. But important to think on once in a while. I wanted to put here what I wrote. More to explain how I operate and to show where I am on this journey through life. Here is what I responded :

"Two things on this.
First, I don't think we understand anything. For me it is about accepting and allowing a fluid-ness to that accepting. Understanding isn't a part of what I do, I guess. I can see progressions of things and see how someone got from point A to point B, but I don't understand it. Does that make sense?
Secondly, for me, love is just a part of me. It doesn't come from loving myself. It doesn't even come from my choices (for I can and do sometimes hurt those I love without even knowing/intending it). Sometimes my acts of 'love' are not good for other people. I don't feel like I choose to love. I do choose to follow it, or not.
Loving people has always been an amazing phenomenon to me. As I said, I can't control *if* I love, I can only control how I respond to it. How much I allow my thoughts to concentrate on it. How I interact with it. I have always loved everyone I see, first thing. I don't *understand* why. I just have accepted that it is. Sometimes I see that someone is unhealthy for me to be with, or who's choices I can't accept. My love is still there - it just is in a holding pattern, so to speak.
Maybe this is connected with my 'cup is half full' - usually more than half full personality? Don't know.
What it has meant in my interactions with others is varied. Many disbelieve I actually love them, that I am truly this happy a person, and sometimes they react in fear. Some have said they see it as a 'glow' or as just happiness showing through. I'm sure some see me as the 'princess' of insufficient light.
Thankfully, Jeff sees it as a good thing!

No matter how you see love, it is real. Understanding can be varied in so many ways. We all see things from our own perspectives. This allows for so many versions of the same thing. Emotions are real. How we describe emotions will be as varied as those who are asked to describe them.



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Jeff and I were talking about my blog a bit back. I have been meaning to write down here how I feel about our discussion. Jeff was saying he expected this blog to be more about unschooling.

I have purposely left out the 'definition' of unschooling simply because I feel there are many others out there who have defined it. For more in-depth information one can look through Joyce's page or Sandra's page. They have spent years collecting unschooling information.

I haven't felt the need to define it here on my blog. But I consider my blog to be about unschooling. I talk about our passions, our pastimes and about how we live or lives. I show how involved we are in each other, how happily we support each other in our pursuit of what we love to do and I feel as if I have shown how following my own passions help my family members see that it is an important thing to do. I read in front of my kids, I knit in front of my kids, I blog in front of my kids, I henna in front of my kids. My kids follow their passions in front of me. Annie even dyed my hair! We are all a fluid part of each others' lives and we get involved in the excitement and joy of each other. Is that not what unschooling is truly about? For me it is. I can see the world get bigger for my kids every day. I see more of the world through their eyes. We each learn something everyday. Our life brings never ending possibilities.

So, in essence, this (to me) is very much an unschooling blog.



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We need to see Auntie Mary. It has been far too long. Kai was saying this week how it just is not good for us to go this long without a visit. We miss her so much! So...the calendar will just have to clear enough so we can go!



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Jeff has to go out of town on business every once in a while. We miss him much when he goes, but also know it's just part of the corporate game we play right now. Jeff and I are different in so many ways. I have a love/hate relationship for how he prepares/packs for things. He is a last minute packer. I am not. So I have a tough time when we pack as a family to go places. When he is traveling alone, I truly love to watch him buzz around packing at the last minute. I find it quite precious that he has me clean his glasses for him and how he needs to get the tiny screwdriver out to tighten the glasses hinges before he leaves for the trip. These are endearing things.

Mainly I love counting down, with the kids, the hours until we get to see him again. Kai started the hour count when we had 9 hours left. The minute count started 3 hours before. I'm sure he would have included seconds if there was a clock that showed those readily!

It's nice to have everyone under our roof now.

I have been known to say that even if Jeff was home 24/7 it still wouldn't be enough time for me. Crazy in love still after all this time.



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Kai went to a karate seminar this week. I love his passion for this. He came home saying it was the best seminar he has *ever* been to. How cool is that?! I didn't take the camera, but saw Sensei Michelle with one. As soon as they post pictures on their site, I'll see about getting some for here, too.

These seminars are a great way for Kai to learn more about his art. He is loving every moment of his learning. So cool.

There will be another seminar in March. I'll be sure to take the camera to that one!



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I have started knitting again...watch out!



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Annie has now passed all her tests for completing core! She is a happy girl. I was able to go down and sit and be her 'test subject'. We were both worried that my hair (although nice) is very thin. However, she has played with it before, so seemed to have no trouble dealing with it during the test. She started out with the dying testing. They were given shaving cream to demonstrate the application of dye. She did great on the parting and the actual application. After showing she knew how to do four types of tinting/dying, she went on to rolling for perms. She mentioned afterwards that she was glad I had a straight cut, because there were only the wispy parts of my hair to deal with and not layers, too. Plus, since I don't have a ton of hair, she ended up not needing all the rollers! How cool is that?! Anyway, after the "perming" I was treated to a hair washing/massaging and then, was gifted to a blow dry and curling session. All in all, it went from 9:30 to 1:50. It was a long time to test, and it was only the hands on testing that she had to do. Yesterday they tested the written stuff. So far, she seems to be happy with the results. And I'm proud of how well she did.



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I wanted to post a follow-up mehndi picture. Here is the last design I did a full week after application. I am so pleased with how well the stain stayed. I am getting comfortable with how I like to mix it and what I like to add. Hopefully it wont change a lot when I get another bag of henna powder. I am liking how well the sifted henna applies. No lumps!

Lots happening. This may be the longest post ever.

Well, as you may assume, we are doing things. The play-doh has been worked well. Games have been played. Kai read a book in one day. Kade drew pictures and even arranged his pokemon cards to make a 'boy'. The boys have wrestled and played. The boys have also been playing Stickicide 3 where they have been enjoying watching the stick figure get mangled in many ways. Basically suicide for stick figures (if it wasn't clear). Not for the faint of heart, but definitely a boy game! The boys have also found the big jugs we get water in and have been using them for drums, as a bazooka, and as a chair (only Kade can do this and he loves to try and balance.) Annie has been going to school, hanging out with friends old and new, and she dyed my hair for me. I have put on some mehndi. We have taken Annie to the chiropractor and dentist. We have gone to park day. I have spent lots of time on Facebook - especially since finding my brother, Andy, and my good friend, Beth Winslow, there.

There are many, many thoughts I want to put down in this blog post, so it's going to be all over the place!



Oh, before I forget. Here is Kade's boy made from his pokemon cards...note the pokemon comic book on the couch that Kade had been "looking at" (reading really, but he wont call it that).


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We have been doing something similar to Ronnie (see her #5) and have been shutting off the computers when not in use. Since we have been home so much, it is mostly at night. Anyway, the boys really enjoy being responsible for the whole 'shut down' routine.

The other night as we headed into bed, Kade pauses at the door and says, "Mama, wouldn't it be funny if tomorrow when we turn on the computer it tells us to, 'Shut up'?"


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You know when this normally preferring to be neat person has been busy following many pastimes (her own and helping facilitate others') when the laundry space looks like this:




There are as many clothes on the top of the washer/dryer as there are in the dirty basket and there is a load both in the washing machine and the dryer. Notice the pile of things on the floor? One pile is bedding and in the other pile are the socks that go in the basket by the door. The clothes hanging either need to stay as wrinkle free as possible (nice that they are slammed on that tiny hook!) or need to be ironed for Jeff's work. Ideally, I like to do a load of laundry a day. Fold it and put it away. If I do this, then we all have clothes to wear...in our cubbies. Otherwise...it's to the piles. I have to admit something here...I waited to take this picture until *after* I folded all the clothes. Before, we had been weeding through the absolutely huge pile of clean clothes on the floor in front of the dryer. So huge, in fact, that we had to push it aside to open the door to the bedroom then had to move it back to get to the bathroom! Yikes, you say? Yes.

Another sign is when you fill the dishwasher 3 minutes after you unloaded it. There may even still be dishes left to hand wash because they simply didn't fit in the dishwasher with the rest. There may even be enough to hand wash that when cleaning them you wind up not having enough room in the dish drainer!


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Happy news for my Bro, Andy. He and his family will be reunited in less than 3 days! This is indeed incredible news. Their house sold in northern California and Diane, Mads and Nick are headed to VI to be a together family! Andy is very much enjoying his new job with benefits...and I can't wait to go see them!


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There is this baby meme going around on Facebook. I thought I'd take Ronnie's lead and post mine here on the blog. I have included some pictures, just to make it a bit more personable and us.

In honor of Beth...

WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes.
WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? No. Had fun finding the wedding dress while 8 months pregnant...knowing full well I wasn't the first woman - nor will I be the last - to get married with bun-in.
WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Pure joy.
HOW OLD WERE YOU? 29



Kai bun-in for about 6 months.



HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Had missed two menses. We found a cartoon with a stone age couple choosing the name of their child by putting papers with letters on them on the wall and throwing darts, blindfolded, at the wall. What ever letters they hit, they were writing down. "Drup" was what they came up with. So, Kai was Drup until we found out his sex through the ultrasound.
WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Jeff
DUE DATE? April 1st.
ACTUAL DATE BABY WAS BORN? March 29th. We found out he was going to be a boy and thought it would be the best April Fools joke if he came out a girl. Maybe this is why he chose to join us earlier?!
DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? One week, but just the nausea.
WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Bean Burritos.
WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Microwave pop corn. I still have a reaction to walking in that aisle of grocery stores. Also, Target was a nightmare to go in.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy. I remember the day we found out. Jeff was stricken. He vowed to start the emergency fund for hospital visits that very day. :) Oddly enough, Kai isn't the one who hurts himself in his daring things. Kade is more likely to.



Our precious boy.



DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope!
HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? A whoppin' 50!
DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, friends at work held one for me. Diane organized one up in Yreka for friends and family.
WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? They told me when and where...
DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Spotted in the third month. Was in the Army at the time. I went in on a Saturday, very concerned. The Dr. on duty told me I was "just aborting" and that I should come in on Monday to fully complete the job. Nice weekend it turned out to be. I was distraught the whole weekend. I went to the OB/GYN on Monday and he said I was fine.
WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? Water broke 12 hours before contractions even started. So, I was induced. Didn't want to be, though.
WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Jeff.
WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Jeff and my Mom, Dr. Walker and the nurses.
WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Vaginal.
DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Yes. I waited a long time, though. The pitocin was more than I could handle on my own.
HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7 lbs. 4 oz.
WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? 7:04pm. The night the UCONN Huskies won the NCAA.
WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Kai Sebastian
HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 9



Dr. Walker argued with Jeff about whether he would take this picture with Jeff wearing the ears. Jeff wore them throughout the whole labor. It was a great reminder to smile and breathe. I couldn't ask for a better man.









In honor of Beth...and because I wanted to include my second birth.

WAS YOUR Second PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes. We charted and planned very closely.
WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes.
WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Elation
HOW OLD WERE YOU? 32



The day Kai heard Kade's heartbeat.



HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Since we charted, we knew when my temps didn't go down. We had to wait for the tests to work. Was difficult to wait!
WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? The man waiting at the door of the bathroom...Jeff
DUE DATE? August 30th
ACTUAL DATE BABY WAS BORN? September 7th. The midwife didn't tell me that the birth would naturally be delayed if there was still a nursling. It wouldn't have changed how we did things, just would have been good to know. I tandem nursed them for over 2 years. Best decision I made - fit very well with our family.
DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? I couldn't cook *and* eat what I made. So, the first months, Kai and I went out for breakfast. Jeff did the cooking from then on out so that I didn't have to cook dinner. I did get to the point of being able to fix breakfast for myself, though....eventually.



In disguise...



WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Had bacon every day for the first few months. When I could fix myself food I had a sandwich made of toast with cream cheese and a fried egg with spicy mustard. This I craved every day. Chocolate, too, but I'm not sure that was related to the pregnancy! Especially since I still have that craving. (Are you reading Jon?)
WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Microwave pop corn. I still have a reaction to walking in that isle of grocery stores. Also, Target was a nightmare to go in. Cooking meat.
WHAT WAS YOUR Second CHILD'S SEX? Boy. By this time Jeff was pleased with it. We had our girl in Annie!
DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? I knew they were who I was intended to have, so no.
HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? A whoppin' 50 again! I was thinner straight on than when I turned sideways.



Ready at 8 plus months.



DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, friends held one for me. In hind sight, though, I would have just had the party without having friends gift. It was very sweet of them, though, and we did appreciate it very much.
WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? They included me in the plans, somewhat.
DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? We were blessed to have a complication free pregnancy.
WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? We welcomed Kade into our lives in our living room. I would do a water birth again. Right now!
HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? Water broke 12 hours before contractions even started. This time I wasn't worried and trusted my body to take care of things. I had an awesome Midwife team in Tosi and Claudia of Birthstream Midwifery. I went from 3 cm to birthing in 3 hours. I didn't really start laboring until I let go...which is when I stepped into the warm water. Things moved quickly after that.
WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? They arrived with the trough (yes you read right) around noon.
WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Jeff, Claudia and Tosi.
WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Water birth and vaginal.
DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? No. I didn't feel pain until his shoulders got stuck. Then, for only a few minutes.
HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7 lbs. 2 oz.
WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? 4:00 in the afternoon.
WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Kade Nathaniel
HOW OLD IS YOUR Second BORN TODAY? 7



A sweet kiss from Kai to Kade.





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After much time, we rented Love Actually. I so enjoyed this show! Jeff was good enough to watch it with me the second time, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy it. We are still laughing at some of the scenes. It's been a great conversation piece! We especially liked the deleted scenes. So, if you haven't seen those, I recommend them. I especially like the deleted scene of Liam Neesen and Thomas Sangster.

This is a movie I will enjoy sharing with others. There is something to be said for watching other people laugh and enjoy something.


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Gratitude is something I try and express at least once a day and trying to make it last as long in the day as I can. I find this makes life so much more enjoyable! I don't know, often, what the day will bring. Gratitude helps me weave in and out of the projects and responsibilities I come in contact with on a regular basis. So why am I writing about it now? Because I feel so much joy at having these wonderful kids that challenge me, I am grateful for the friends in my life that spice things up and nudge me to see a bigger world, and I am grateful I have a soul mate who loves me and wants to be with me. Yes, gratitude is good.



Along these lines, I try and feel the gratitude for other, simpler things. Somewhere in my blog following I came across a post that talked about having a window they enjoyed sitting by when the sun was warming the spot. I have a window like this. It's in the kitchen, and I love to sit here in the afternoons. I'm including the picture for you. Soon it may become my little garden window.

I'm going to publish this now, even though there is more to say. If I don't I may never get something posted!!

kids of all ages

play with these fractiles. They are cool!

Today and more...

OK, so I can't say enough for our Dentist. Dr. Baha is the best. We all had our teeth polished last week. Well, the digital xrays they took of the boys showed Kade had 2 cavities in between 2 sets of teeth - making 4 teeth total involved. Before we left, Dr. Baha pulls out these cool race cars and lets Kade know he'll put his name on them (big gifts go for the big jobs, and stickers for the polishings). Anyway, Kade was really excited about getting the race cars, but not too keen on the 'spicy' gel they used last time. So, Dr. Baha said he'd try it without the gel and they'd take it step by step. Before he did anything today, Dr. Baha talked about how if Kade was nervous and tense that he would feel a lot more pain. If he was relaxed, then he probably wouldn't feel any pain. He explained that if Kade raised his hand, Dr. Baha would know he was feeling something more than the vibrating the drill would do. He also made sure Kade was cool and comfy watching Sponge Bob (get this - *with* headphones on!) before he started. Kade lifted his hand 3 times. When he raised his hand, Dr. Baha just switched to another tooth. When we checked with Kade, he said he wanted to continue. Dr. Baha checked to make sure after each set, and let Kade know when he was done with the drilling and was then just sealing and adding the composite. When the tooth is hot, it may hurt, so that is why he moved to another tooth to work on. Tooth cools, no pain! Anyway, Kade made it through the entire drilling/filling without any numbing stuff! Wow, I say. We have played with the race cars (it was a package of 2)...

When we got back, I wanted to put some henna on my hand. So, here is what I did. I like the modern/traditional combination of this design. I found this one online. However, I had to skip some 'rings' simply because either my hand is smaller or their lines are smaller than what I can do with the tip I have. I like how it turned out. The paste was only on for about an hour and a half before life called me back to play. Still, it is darker now than it was when I took the paste off. Crazy.























Annie came home earlier than we expected today and I was able to do this on her back. She wanted the center design (made by a stencil that came with the last bag of henna powder) in the center of her back. I asked if I could do some more and she was nice enough to let me. She was laying down for this, which is easiest for me. Next time I know to lean over her back to do the center so it's straight!





Last week I snagged these from Annie's facebook page so as to have a log here of what she is practicing. The mannequin heads are a bit creepy for me, but I will just have to hang. She will finish 'core' mid February. Right now they are touching on all the things they will need to know and they will go over them in more depth later.


Annie, Hannah and Merissa working on their mannequins.
























Annie's french twist.




















Annie's, Hannah's, and Merissa's handiwork.

















Annie and Hannah

Henna baby belly

Well, I was gifted today. Honored, actually, to be allowed to henna a mama to be. Baby is hanging out for the full 40 weeks and is welcome to arrive any time. Anne mentioned she thought of birds with this bun-in, so she wanted one on her belly someplace. Since I hadn't planned on what I was going to do, I did this. I am so thankful it turned out so well! Thank you, Anne! Blessings...



























Thanks go to Anne for being such a beautiful expecting mother, to Mandy for taking the pictures of the design in progress and to Annie for putting henna on others while I was doing this, for pushing Kade in the swing (which he does to connect) and watching the boys play.

There were other henna designs, too. I didn't get all of them, but here are a few.



Juliet with her beautiful butterfly.



Lizet's sun.

The boys had fun today, too. Here is Kai finding a nook to be with friends and swinging.





Then we have the happiest girl in the whole world right here:


Zippy is patiently waiting her turn to get Annie...






"T" is looking the cute pixie fairy girl and talking to Annie. Annie is in heaven holding this little one. I know Jeff saw these pictures and is j-e-a-l-o-u-s, yup, Jealous. He even said that although he may not be taller, he is still bigger, and therefore should get to hold the baby more than we do. Heehee. I think Annie will be on this baby holding high for a while. Maybe enough to last for, say, almost 2 weeks. Almost, so that she will want to come back to the Monday park days!

Kade brought his bike and was happy showing it and riding it around. Here he is riding along the path and with our friends.





Last, but certainly not least, Kate and Jonas :



These are, once again, just samplings of our park day. What a truly wonderful group of people. We had many new families come today, which is very cool. New friends! Who can ask for more?

Once again, I am taken to Kade's level of pleasure : "I LOVE MY LIFE!"