Wish You Were Here 4/52

Wish You Were Here ...virtual postcards from around the world Dear Friends, We had an action-packed sports week. Ry had a hockey game Saturday; he started with group 1 & gets to move up to group 2. He's pretty excited, since he just started three weeks ago. He gets better & better on the ice. Covey & him have decided to have rollerblading lessons at home, so Cove will be ready to play next year. He's also talking about trying soccer & tee-ball this year; Ry seemed so old when he started playing sports, & now Covey seems so young to be starting them. We also won the superbowl! Well, the Seahawks did; when you're a fan for so long, it feels like we did, too! What a (not-so) exciting game- it was admittedly boring, but since it was our team, exhilarating is a better word. In other news, we got another duck. The boys decided on naming her Snow White, since we already have Snowball & this new one is also white. She's a welcomed addition to our flock. The kids seem to be fighting off colds; never fun, but  seems to be a side effect of these winter months. Life is good. xo

Kids Were Here

'If you must look back,do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is be present in the present... gratefully.' -Maya Angelou

Remember the microscope you got for your 7th birthday, Ry; both you boys loved it. That day we found a dead fly, you both were quick to rip off his wing & stick it under the scope...eager little scientists.

Remember that day we walked to Holiday Beach, us five & your cousin Myla. It was so refreshing to be outside, you guys all running around & soaking up that sweet salty air. 

Remember when our chickens started laying eggs, shortly before Christmas.  Their production increased little by little & before long, we had a dozen eggs. Ry, you're always so excited about those eggs & have told us a few times, "it's like they're giving us a gift!" 

Remember your 7th birthday, Ry, filled with parties, friends, family, cakes, cupcakes, lots of snacks, sushi & presents, along with seven polka-dotted balloons.

Remember that scooter you got for your birthday, from Nanny & Papa. You were so excited- you proclaimed,  'it's just I wanted!'

Remember all those lollipops that littered the house, post-birthday party. Ella, you thought they surely must all be for you- & then we'd find piles of opened lollipops. It was sticky. 

Remember that Skylander sticker book you got, Ry; you've looked at every single day for the past month. The stickers cover your desk, telling us exactly who these Skylander's are (but really, I still have no clue). 

Remember that day I came home from grocery shopping with all that yogurt, all three of you dug into it quicker than I could put it away...by the time you started your third one, Covey, you'd had enough. I'm not sure how many half-eaten yogurts I consumed. 

Remember how you always wanted to be in the bathrooms with your brothers, Ella...& then while Covey sat on the toilet, you quickly emptied the q-tips.

Remember that unicorn I got you Ella, to spray paint for a decoration in your someday room. Instead it's been sitting in the hallway as your necklace holder, & every time you see it you shout 'Nay!!!!!!' so excitedly!

Remember your dream catcher, Covey, you desperately wanted it; we all hoped it'd help with your bad dreams. At this point, I'd say results are 50/50. 

Remember that day we went to the beach for lunch; Covey, you & I found 'treasures' & decided to make faces out of them. You were so excited about it, & so determined to have happy faces on them.

Our January

When 2013 came to a close, so did my 365-project.I swore I'd never do one again. I was anxious to put my camera down; perhaps it'd be slightly freeing, I thought. Then January 1st came & I needed to take a photo. I couldn't help it. As the first days of 2014 rolled by, a picture a day kept happening. It's as if the camera became an extension of myself. At some point- each day, I pick it up. I don't 'have' to, but  I want to- because my life is happening before my eyes; it's a little bit wild, rarely quiet, a lot of happy & it's ours. The best part of this adventure? We're home. My idea of a big adventure has changed- it's not big backpacks, foreign languages, new cultures & long bus rides. Now my big adventures are trips to the grocery store, juggling nursing & dinner, refereeing the boys' wrestling matches, getting three kids out the door on-time, & wondering if I'm completely screwing up my children, or setting them up to be hardworking, honest, loving, creative, respectful little (& one day big) humans. There's a time when I may have thought these adventures would seem boring & lifeless.

Today, I watch it & participate in it, & it's the best yet.

The Dreamcatcher

Sleep. Most nights, he says he doesn't like bedtime.All nights, he's beyond tired. And when he needs to sleep, he needs it. All twelve hours of it. But right now, he's in a nightmare phase, & he doesn't want to sleep in case he has a bad dream.

It's heart wrenching- knowing they feel this way, thinking of all the ways to comfort them. Trying so many different creative ways to make them feel safe, yet knowing once again it's not working. That it's a 'normal developmental stage.'

Because even when the full hour of bedtime is calm & relaxing, it just takes that one sentence, in that one minute, 'I don't like bedtime, I have bad dreams,' to rip your heart out again. Even if a minute later, he's slumbering, even if he sleeps all night long & wakes up happy; words are a powerful thing.

'The Dream Catcher is to be hung by the window or at the head of you bed. Traditional beliefs hold that dreams come from outside ourselves. Thus the dream catcher is meant to act as a spider web & catch the good dreams to ease us through the day. The bad dreams pass through the hole in the center to be burned up by the rays of the sun. The feathers symbolize air or the breath of life.'

Wish You Were Here 3/52

Wish You Were Here ...virtual postcards from around the world Dear Friends, The weather here is getting stranger. Perhaps that's not the right word, but the little snow we had a week ago is now completely gone. Instead we're working towards the wettest January on record. We've been spending lots of time inside watching the rain fall, then it seems to lighten up in the afternoon- just long enough to get outside for some much needed fresh air. Every time we're outside, the kids are quick to let the chickens & ducks out to roam the yard. They love getting out in the muddy lawn; we watch them play, & monitor for eagles & neighborhood dogs. There's an eagle nest quite close to the house, we can hear them talking to each other; hopefully they don't discover we have a quick meal. Life is good. xo

The Winterless Winter

I once read an article that suggested you only talk about weather if you're bored. It probably was in Cosmo, or something; this was years ago. It always stuck with me, mostly because we always talk about weather here. 'We' as in those who live in Kodiak. Weather is such a central part of our every day- planes don't make it in & out of our island on a regular basis, which impacts a lot of lives on a regular basis. One day it's mid40s & raining, the next day it's 20 & sunny; followed by 70mph winds & rain. You just never know what you're going to it. This winter has been a little bizarre weather-wise. If I didn't have photos of us playing in the snow, I'm pretty sure I'd forget there were two snow days in the past two months. Instead, we're moving into weeks of rain. With four days left of the month, & the rain pouring hard as we speak, we may break records for the wettest one yet...& then we read online about the freezing temps elsewhere, or the drought in California. Who would've thought you'd need to escape to Alaska, to escape the cold? 'A great, great deal has been said about the weather, but very little has ever been done.' -Mark Twain