Cuties

Yes...my kids are cute. Especially when they are enjoying themselves. This time, however, I'm talking about these boxes.





I have enjoyed making origami with Kade. He's made something similar, but this is my first time making these. It might have helped me fold if it was actual origami paper, too, instead of scrapbooking paper. But I somehow made do!

And for those waiting for cute...or at least news of what we are doing...here's just a moment.

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!

If I'm not here...

then I'm working on my Etsy stuff, or playing with friends, or doin' stuff with Jeff and the boys.

Just know, I'll be back!

What happens when you say 'yes'?

Yes...exercise your right to think for yourself. So true.




Fun ensues.

Knowing that learning is natural...

for kids is a big thing for me. People who are unfamiliar with our chosen path to schooling ask me how I know they are 'learning'. I just smile and say, "I just have to look around me and see it. It's everywhere, all the time". Take this, for example:



Yes, you are seeing it right. Here is a closer look.



I found this on the counter a couple of weeks ago. It was left there sometime while I was busy doing something else. And I took a double take when I walked into the kitchen.

Now, you could say that it is just a quirk and that kids do strange things. Well, yes. Sometimes kids do quirky things. But I see it differently. First, one of them (and I am not sure who did it) had to think of trying to put the can on it's edge. Then, they had to find the right volume of liquid needed to balance. There must have been some trial and error before they go it just right. There must have also been some awareness of mass, weight, shape, angle and so forth.

Who says science has to be anything but a soda can, some water and a brain?

I am amazed by the thoughts of my children...

My Auntie has given me a task.

Chet and Dorrie Shelden. Taken sometime in the mid 1980s.

The memories of these fine people who I miss so terribly makes it bittersweet. What an honor it is to have known them, been loved by them and be a part of a family who is so loving - in part because of them.

The task is to recreate the pattern for these :













It will be great to actually make some stockings in this pattern to help keep them in our hearts and minds. Now if I could just stop crying long enough to actually see the stitches...

Trip planning

Well, planning trips in general hasn't been my forte. I love to go, though. Mainly, I like to see new places and do new things. I think that is the spirit in which we will venture out on our newest journey.

We have had fun with Gardenia and her crew. Gardenia's brother, Luis, is organizing and giving instruction on native people's art. He provides all the supplies, talks about the reason the native people made the items and then shows us how to do them. We missed the dream catcher making, for which I am sad. However, we have cool medicine bags now. So I guess that makes up for it. Now, I look forward to getting more supplies and making some myself.

Luis read a book about the medicine bags which was his favorite children's book about the medicine bags : called Coyote Medicine Bag. It was a bit long for the littlest of the group, but still a good story.

Both Kai and Kade have the bags now. I look forward to seeing what they put in them.

Next time we will make rain sticks.

While at Gardenia's, Kade was racing and his knee popped. He landed pretty hard on the floor, in pain. I don't know what exactly made it pop, but it was definitely sore. He finally managed to gimp around and stepped outside...right on a bee. He had been looking forward to playing with his friend Cameron so much and it was sad to see him experience things that made him ask to go home. He asked not to go to the doctor, so we waited. The next morning he was still gimping and was still in a bit of pain. I asked again and to the doctor we went. Thankfully, the x-rays turned up nothing, but he did hurt it. The Dr. advised him not to run until he can walk comfortably. He hasn't run yet, but is definitely getting closer.

I have found a good way to treat the bee stings! Lavender oil directly on the sting and Apis homeopathic treatment. It worked well incredibly fast. Yeah!

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!!

Gifts

Now that Baba has received her birthday gifts, I can post the picture of them in the process of being done. I love the rice socks, and Kade and I (sometimes Kai) enjoy the warmth they provide us nightly. I also like them when I can't seem to get my foot warm - these work almost as well as hot water, but without the pressure of the water on the foot or the after shock of the cool air. Anyhoo, they are easy, easy to make. Take a clean men's crew sock. Fill the foot half full of rice and knot the top. Decorate with markers. For added interest, you can add an essential oil of your choice or dried herbs inside the sock itself before you knot it. These are great for a kid project as it takes so little time and they can put as much effort into it as they feel like (even decorate it in shifts) and still get something they want. When new, one of these will be warm enough in about 30 seconds in the microwave! Can't beat the speed. It's pretty much the only thing we use the microwave for. Hope you try it out, those of you who crawl into a cold bed at night might like this ever so much!


The blank sock ended up having a few flowers and a few thin petals on it. A great henna design gone wild on a sock!


It's fun to see the pictures that are arriving on our computer. Now that she has her own computer up and running, I'm sure I will find less and less of these on here. Too bad for me and you.

For those of you who have now seen the big pictures of the dream shoes...well I have been trying to think of ways to see this foot thing in a positive way. I think I have been thinking too much about healing and not enough about living. All my focus has been on what I need to do to get back to health and not how I'm spending my time. I had a major energy shift on the 7th, of which I have only lapsed back into a funk once since then, and the 7th is the day I decided I would just start living my life and putting my focus there.

While at dinner with Jeff the other weekend, I noticed one of the employees had on a gorgeous pair of heels. OK, so if you know me, and have known me for the last 12 years or so you may find it funny that I want to wear heels at all! Truth is, I hated them when I was required to wear them every day. However, now that I have stopped resenting that time (heehee), I find I would truly enjoy dressing up and wearing heels again. So, to honor that thought, I have posted the pictures of my favorites here so I am reminded of how cool they are! And of how I will put a pair of heels on every day I am pain free...and take advantage of the time I can wear them when I get it again. I think I told Jeff I'd wear them every day, but that may be just a tad of an exaggeration...

Mainly, though, I am giving thanks for the new shoes I have made for myself and the fact that I am living this fabulous life I have with my now family of 5. I thank this universe whole heartedly.

It is also wonderful that I was able to see a movie with the man today!!! A date, you say? Well in the 10 years we have been together we have now seen a total of 8 movies in the theater without our young ones there. Most of those eight times were before Kai was born! Maybe we can rectify the lapses of time between since we both truly enjoy that time seeing the shows. At least I hope to go often enough to remember to bring a tissue with me - since it seems I will always cry during every movie I see! Wet hanky gal that I am.

I am also grateful to the friends who entertained our boys while Jeff and I got a whoppin' 5 hours of today to spend together...THANKS!