{this moment}

Eamon playing with his young cousin at a family baptism this week.

{this moment} - Joining Amanda in a Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A Return

It was a weekend of being home, full of games, reading, knitting, blog design, book groups, minecrafting and more. After the initial disappointment of not getting Minecon tickets, we rallied. Instead of a road trip to Florida with friends, Dave and I began the initial planning of a trip to visit Michigan in November. It has been years since we celebrated Thanksgiving with his family, so we decided this year was theirs. We mapped out our route, narrowed down the dates, and gathered input from the kiddos on what they want to do. 

With 100 or so days to departure I also relaunched my health plan. I have been very lax about my diet and as a result have felt sluggish. The heat has been too easy of an excuse not to go running in the morning or exercise at all. For the next 100 days, I am back on track. Back to our normal diet and a revamped exercise routine. Dave is headed back to the gym too. We know we will feel better after this return to healthy living and hopefully look better too!

Evening Promenade

For the last week, our family has resumed out nightly walks. After dinner, we put on our shoes and head out. It has been bliss. Some nights we are all in tune ready to explore. Others are full of complaints about scorpions, rattlesnakes and a desire to go home. Fortunately those worries are waning, and our walks are mostly full of wonder.

Last night we walked under a sliver of moon. Dave and Aine thought it looked like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. I thought it looked like a leftover rind of watermelon, which we have been enjoying a lot lately. We walked and talked about bats, cicadas, our new home, and the warming temperatures of summer. These evening promenades of ours are a fantastic time to refocus and connect with each other. I noticed the five of us holding hands the other night as we walked. My heart sung.

Staying Home

This weekend was one of amassing piles of books, eating yummy meals and no big plans. On Friday we headed to the library. Amid light hail and rain, we did some grocery shopping and book collecting. Since we took the car all bets were off on the book pile (usually we walk, and I caution the kiddos to only get what they can carry home). I think Aine had 28 books and Eamon 23; both definitely had large grins. Once home we were surprised when Dave came home early. The rest of the afternoon was spent reading, knitting, napping and dinner.

Saturday showed up overcast with more rain. We spent some time chatting with the grandparents via facetime. The kiddos got to see the tree Grandma and GrandDad are removing and the organizational mess that GrandDad is tackling. Four of us played cards while the fifth bounced around with Legos and other toys. We played Euchre and then Hearts. It was Aine's first time at hearts. She was getting a bit discouraged with her score until she ran hearts on the rest of us. Eamon had no idea, but Dave and I were warmed by her giggles and crafty eyes as she launched her plan. Lunch was followed by more lazing around the apartment. Dave did some work while I knit on my blanket.

Sunday was a gorgeous day after the rain. Temperatures were warm and while Dave took the kiddos to pick up something forgotten at the grocery store, I sat on the balcony listening to a new audiobook while working on the blanket border. We still stayed close to home enjoying each other. The kiddos sorted Legos and made all kinds of creations. The evening brought yummy ribs to our table as well much laughter and craziness. Post dinner we prepared for the week. The kiddos sorted out backpacks and clothing for Monday classes and date day. Daddy read books while mama fell asleep on the couch knitting.

It was definitely a quiet weekend full of family and laughter. Talk was made of plans to "do something," but everyone seemed content to just be. I really like those times, although I struggle initially thinking our time here should be "full." I forget that it already is.

Where I've been...

Almost a month without a post here. Of course, we have been busy, but it has been more. Initially I was thrown by the events in Connecticut. How to return to this space with tales of our creations and adventures with such sadness overshadowing the world? I wondered how such a thing could happen. Why children? What went wrong? How did we as a society fail? Is it guns? Is it mental health? It just seemed to be too much. So, I held my babes close, and we lived each day embracing our amazing life. Then it became more. We were busy. I was busy. Being present was the foremost thought in my mind. So, I stayed away. I wasn't sure how to return and plus, we were having so much fun.

We continued to make gifts for those close to us. We ventured into the making of salves and lip balm. I knit a last minute small animal gift for my youngest nephew, who has a penchant for putting things in his mouth (I realized the already wrapped watercolor peg people would not be good for him. I figured his parents would not like finding him with a stained mouth and tongue even if I assured them the products were non-toxic!). Aine made pipe-cleaner jewelry and other amazing gifts, while Eamon practiced and performed a dance as his gift.

We spent a lot of time with friends too. Eamon taught a Japanese marbling class to a small homeschooling group of friends. We celebrated Solstice with our homeschooling community. Our large group gathered to share gifts of the heart with one another in a festive celebration of gift-giving, food and laughter.

Our family welcomed a new nephew/cousin into the mix and heard tales of a new niece to arrive later this year. We tried capturing a multi-generational photo much to the disapproval of the three year old in the group. We went on a hike and took many bike rides. And we had, to quote my children, "the best Christmas ever." (more on that later!)

So now the New Year is upon our family, and we have many more adventures ahead. I am not sure where this year will take us, but I know we will be together enjoying one another and carving our path with laughter and fun.

Being Grateful

We spent the last several days enjoying time together and great food.
* Thoughts of gratitude and thanks adorned a wreath crafted by me and the kiddos
* Dave mastered the turkey and presented a delicious main course
* Everyone helped in the kitchen. Eamon helped make pie with Grandma while Benton and Aine made the deviled eggs
* The table was set with fewer plates, but the energy was still big
* Granddad shared his love of the game, Euchre. The kiddos were easily taught and played endlessly. Every evening now consists of the game or entreaties to play.
* Lights were removed from the artificial tree due to outages and replaced with new strands. Eamon misses our real tree, but this year Grandma and Granddad's artificial one will have to do.
* Pledges to never buy a pre-lit tree were muttered after removing the copious strands of lights.
* Ornaments were hung and memories surfaced.
* Peppermint ice cream graced everyone's plates after a scrumptious dinner of turkey soup

All in all it was a good weekend spent together. We look forward to more togetherness during this holiday season.

Friends and Family

It was a weekend full of friends, family and each other.
* I joined in a walk along side my good friends to support one of us and her teenage (wow!) son as they live, learn and love with epilepsy.
* Later an evening walk with the family. Two on scooters and one on a bike zipping and zooming along the bike path as the adults relished a few moments for talking. Everyone perfected pull-ups, flips, jumps and stretches at each of the exercise stops. The weather is cooling off and the evening was beautiful.
* Early morning decorating in recognition of a milestone birthday. Thirty two balloons were blown up and hung along with streamers and signs.
* Boisterous play with siblings and cousins filled the air. Forts were assembled, costumes were donned, wildflowers were planted and minecraft was played.
* A baby was cuddled and held as she slept making up for the time I missed when she was born. She is getting so big so fast, but is just so precious right now.
* Dave made the delicious meal. Leftovers were few. A rousing chorus of Happy Birthday was sung to the delight of all.
*The evening ended with a talent show complete with the Hokey Pokey led by the birthday girl.

It was a good weekend.

Helping

Helping GrandDad is a valid reason for being late. All three kiddos helped my dad in the yard and were so excited to do so. They raked pine needles which he blew off the roof, trimmed plants, fixed a trellis and rode in the wheelbarrow. An added bonus was new work gloves all around. No one worried about missing part of their park day. They were having too much fun.

Visiting the Cottage

For the last week, we have enjoyed the beauty and quiet of my inlaws' cottage. It has been a fantastic week. We all love going to the cottage. My kiddos count down the days every time we visit Michigan. From the moment we arrive to the time we leave the cottage, they are outside running. This year was no exception.

When we arrived last Saturday, the kiddos headed to the dock to search for frogs and snails. They uncovered their frog habitat and set to capturing as many as they could. They named each of them and studied their attributes. They had Huge-o, Gargantuan, Megatron, Betty, Froggy, Froggette, Ted, Tim, Sue, Midge, Maggie and many more. There were more frogs this year, but the snails were a bit tough to find. The kiddos would release the frogs and find many of them again. You would think the frogs would get a little wiser. While Eamon was looking for frogs along the bank, he also found a snake. He called me over and we deduced that it was a northern watersnake with the help of a spotter's guide.

With all the dozens of frogs they caught, one did not survive its capture and release. Eamon wanted to bury it, but we decided instead to build a raft and set it afloat in the water. Eamon and Aine wove together a raft and affixed the little frog. They set it into the water and watched it float away. They talked about the frogs life and how to ensure no more were lost.

Intermixed with frog catching was a whole lot of fishing. Eamon has become quite good at attaching bait and casting. He caught a sunfish and skillfully removed the hook and threw it back into the water. He showed Aine and Benton how to cast and then perfected his technique. No other fish were caught, but there was a lot more hook tying, baiting and casting. I enjoyed watching close and then from a distance as the siblings cast with arms interlinked. They really enjoyed their time together.

The rest of the time was filled with coloring, dock sitting, tree climbing and a whole lot of knitting. The latter part of the week had a drop in temperature intermingled with some rain. This limited the frog escapades. Instead we pulled out warmer clothing and ventured outside again enjoying the cool. They played tag, charades, hide and seek and fashioned a swing with some rope. I joined in for charades and tag laughing as they tried to elude my tag-backs. We ate good food which warmed our bodies and the cottage. We talked, laughed and really enjoyed our time away from the distractions of the internet and the busyness of life. There is talk of going again once Daddy returns before we head home. I think this may just happen as the colors and quiet of the cottage are perfect, and we all love it there. 

Traipsing through the Past

Although it has been quiet here online, we have been busy. The past two weekends have included excursions south to Ohio to visit with my dad's extended family. Over these weekends both sides of his family have held reunions. Since we were in the area it made perfect sense to attend.

The kiddos were delighted to see their grandparents so far from home. We exchanged hugs and caught them up on our adventures promising to be back in Arizona soon. It was so much fun to visit with my aunt and her family. I haven't seen my two cousins in a couple years. There was a whole lot of laughing and a bit of snorting. (Yes, I snort when I laugh). I spoke with my great aunts and gave best wishes for an upcoming 90th birthday. I was amazed that one of them remembered me and marveled at ninety people gathered to celebrate family.

The kiddos ran and played with distant relatives. They played on climbing equipment, conquered huge dirt mounds, caught footballs, shot baskets, played lawn darts and had all sorts of fun. Aine "found" an antler. Benton shot baskets on the shoulders of a new found friend. Eamon lifted bowling pins pumping up his muscles, hoping to improve his game. They even created a worm habitat with help from the older generations.

As the kiddos and I talked about the reunions, I started remembering the past. I recalled the last cousin picnic held in 1980. I played with twin girls who I thought were amazing. I had a trick for telling them apart - one had on an izod belt. So easy. They were at the reunion as well, only much taller. I shared the story of my dad's double cousins and how my grandparents' two families grew up close to one another. My grandmother's youngest brother told of riding the school bus together with my grandfather's sisters. I remembered those who were here in the past especially my grandmother and a special great aunt who could braid my hair like no one else. We looked at photos including one from 1980. Aine wondered who the little girl was who looked like her (and was surprised when I shared that it was me). I was amazed at how young my parents looked. And my grandmother. They were just babies!

We stopped by my grandmother's old house and then my old house on the way home. So many stories were shared. I loved my childhood in Michigan running around exploring and I am glad I could share it with my kiddos.

Whirlwind

Walking along The Freedom Trail, spending time playing in water at a famous pond in Concord and driving encompassed our weekend. Today the kiddos and I are winding down after a glorious, whirlwind trip to Boston.