Last Warm Day at the Beach

The ocean captures my mind and energy in such a powerful way. So following my 4 step program meant happily packing up the kids and taking off to the beach on a beautiful November day where it felt as warm as early September.





Both kids had a day of wild joy and that made me very, very happy.

Lifeless Ordinary

I will admit, it rarely happens to me but lately I have been feeling blue. We have so much going on, so many uncertainties and such chaos that I was flying on an unhealthy energy. I always try to see the glass half full, to embrace the chaos, change and lack of certainty because that is LIFE (and what an amazing journey it is!), but these past few weeks I just haven't been able to pull up my bootstraps and keep swimming. I decided to take a step back from it all, stop trying to do everything, take a breath and think about what was really bothering me. I ended up making a list (and yes I actually had to WRITE these four simple things down!) to remind myself what I need to do for myself (and my family) to keep us trucking along. Here is my list:

1. Eat healthy

2. Sleep well

3. Exercise

4. Be happy.

Seriously. I had to write it all down to remember because I was doing NONE of these things. So I have a sticky note on the kitchen counter that I see as I walk past it 100x a day and it has really, INCREDIBLY helped these past few days. When I go to bed each night I know I have made each person in my little family happy, I made healthy meals and now I am going to sleep for hopefully a good long time (please Kasper) so I am happy. I am trying to focus just on this important list for a whole week and then let it all come back in and see how it flows. What is YOUR list?

All Hallow's Eve

Our Halloween weekend was filled with a lot of treating and very few tricks. AnaSofia is incredibly fascinated rather than scared by all things spooky - I think she rather likes the thrill of fright! Kasper was so very excited by all the excitement in the house and around town. We did a lot of decorating outside and inside (I LOVE decorating during nap and having them wake up to something new and exciting) for our annual party with many marvelous kiddos...

AnaSofia drew the face on the pumpkin and then I cut it out for her (after an initial revision when the first tiny face she drew would fit on a quarter...).

Posing with a special little Linus mouse!

The afterparty blur, whew it was a big one with a big mess but OH SO MUCH FUN...

Then Halloween day we headed to the Audubon center to build bat houses, see some live owls and try our best at a maze. AnaSofia LOVED the maze, I didn't know a three year old would get it but she really had a fun time with it.


Running down the street on Halloween night, she and Kasper were so excited to see everyone out and in costume. Her favorite "treat" was a leaf that must have blew into her pumpkin ("WOW, momma LOOK - someone gave me a LEAF!!!!!"). So I didn't feel so guilty eating all her candy over the next few days...

Our lone trick or treater, AnaSofia accidentally lured him with a spilled bag of sunflower seeds. He wasn't afraid of the camera at all!