We Are...

 Our children LOVE the ocean!  

Noah elated to see the beach in Corsica!

 

We Are….

We are ever so grateful we made our trip to Mallorca despite not feeling 100%.  

Happy to report our health is being slowly restored!

Happy to have played, swam and soaked up as much of that gorgeous ocean and sun as possible!

Grateful to Robert for his hard work each and every day - both at work and outside of work.

Enjoying our last week of “school” before summer officially begins.

Working on so many projects and trying not to feel overwhelmed.

Happy that Noah enjoyed his trial Kindergarten day.

Thrilled to see Noah drawing, trying to swim, and tying knots!  Well done little man, well done!

Cannot stop ourselves from smiling each time Tessa uses her impeccable manners.   

“Thank you, Danke, Please, Excuse Me, Sorry.”  Too sweet!

Looking forward to summer visitors!  Welcome Oma and Opa!

Listening to Alexi Murdoch and enjoying his relaxed tunes.

Enjoyed the movie Away We Go.

Saddened by all the plastic we saw in Corsica and Mallorca that has washed up on the shore and remembering what my father once said, “Plastic might just be our demise.”  

Feeling that his thoughts might just ring true and doing our best to think before we purchase.

Looking forward to a great week and remembering to Keep Calm and Carry On!

 On our way to Corsica...check out our other blog for more details of our trip.  

What a gorgeous and rugged island!

Thanks for making it all possible Robert!

 Collecting shells and enjoying the water!

 The town of Porto Vecchio, Corsica

 Poor Robert - the pack mule!

Noah soaking it all up in Corsica!

Great photo Robert - thank you!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!

Today we thank our father's for all of their love and support over the years.

We quietly recall memories from childhood and adulthood and smile.

Father's are special people for the love they give, the time they share and the work they labor over.

We are grateful to our Father's today and I send up a prayer to my own Dad.

And to Robert - thank you for the being the best father to our two incredible children.

Sharing this journey with you makes life all the sweeter!

Much love to you all!

 A little snowy train shot for you Jacques.

We Are...

We Are…

Listening to the rain fall and enjoying the cool temperatures before they begin to rise.

Listening to Peter Bradley Adams and loving the song Keep Us.

Wondering how this parenting gig can at times be so overwhelmingly difficult?

Looking forward to seeing the Alps and praying for good weather.

Working on projects big and small – fun and well, hmm…not so fun.

Proud of Tessa for graduating Kindermusik today and grateful for the time alone with her.

Believing that Noah might just need a well deserved break from his regular routine.

Hoping that whatever is in bloom that is playing havoc on my eyes and nose falls out of season soon. 

Hoping Robert feels better soon. 

Feeling the need to quietly and slowly retreat.

 Noah and Tessa loving the ocean despite the windy weather.

We Are...

 

We Are…

Grateful for the shining sun.

Reading Millie’s Marvelous Hat to the children.

Listening to Pink and Nate Ruess sing Just Give Me A Reason and loving, truly loving this song.  Oh, and did I mention it is the perfect song for spinning?

Looking forward to a short trek to the Alps soon.

Hoping my mom had a great birthday celebration.

Wishing allergy season would be over…sigh.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all that is currently on our plates.  Oh, the joys of adulthood.

Laughing each time Tessa says, “Never, never, never.”

Winding down the school year and feeling ever so busy with events, make – up classes, meetings, etc. 

 Looking forward to a beautiful weekend!

We Are...

 

We Are…

Unable to believe Noah is now riding a pedal bike!  He loves it and is having a blast!

Not sure what is happening with the weather…lots of gray clouds and rain.

Loving the delightful sounds of the Lumineers and especially enjoying Ho Hey!

Had a blast at Noah’s slide show night at school and so very happy we can give him the gift of nature.  Forest school is an incredible opportunity and we are grateful to his wonderful teachers for providing such a well-rounded educational opportunity!  Oh, and Noah received his Kindergarten assignment for August…a short block from our house will be his school! 

It is wonderful to read words that resonate so loudly, such as the following from

The World’s Religions by Huston Smith found on page 37,

“An examination of the anatomy and physiology of human bodies discloses an interesting fact.  All organs of digestion and respiration serve to feed the blood with nutritive materials.  The circulatory apparatus delivers this nourishing blood throughout the body, maintaining bones, joints, and muscles.  Bones provide a framework without which the muscles could not operate, while joints supply the flexibility needed for movement.  The brain envisions the movements that are to be made, and the spinal nervous system executes them.  The vegetative nervous system, helped by the endocrine system, maintains the harmony of the viscera on which the motor muscles depend.  In short, the entire body, except for the reproductive apparatus, converges on action.  “The human machine, a physician writes, “seems indeed to be made for action.””

And so let us move, dance, run, walk, hike, swim…as we were intended to.

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home.

Wishing my mom a beautiful birthday and a magnificent year!  We love and miss you!

 Picnics in the park.

 A BIG week for Noah - bike riding, school assignments and forest school slide shows!  Oh my!

 Climbing and playing!

 Noah with some dear friends at the zoo.

 Tessa enjoying the ducks in the fountain my the Münster.

 Noah taking in some street music and what a lovely little concert it was!

Art, art and more art.  Thanks for the clothes Oma and Opa!

We Are....

We Are…

We are ever so grateful that Robert is back home after a very productive meeting in Italy.

Looking forward to seeing the sunshine over the next few days.

Truly enjoying circuit training!

Listening to Gregory Alan Isakov.

Reading Religions of the World by Huston Smith and learning so very much!

Enjoyed a spontaneous hike with some friends over the weekend.

Wishing Poline a happy birthday and a wonderful year to come!

Grateful the botanical gardens are so close to home and enjoying all their gorgeous flowers.

Happy Robert's sister and husband has such a memorable time in Ireland and amazed at how well she captured the country!  Well done Mary!

Loved the movie The Intouchables a French film that made us laugh and cry.  Great film!

 Enjoying the fish in the pond.

 Tessa enjoying the smells of spring.

 Noah and Tessa loving Robert's new friend in the botanical gardens.

 Noah running on a recent hike we lead for the BCT.

Happy Mother's Day

 

If I weren’t a mother it is certain that I would look a good ten years younger. From the moment I found out I was expecting, the wrinkles began to meticulously etch themselves on my face. And each time one of my children cries out in sadness, or pain the lines around my eyes deepen with sorrow for them.

But because I am a mother, the lines that surround my mouth are deep and true – for each time I hear my children giggle in delight, their laughter is contagious and I cannot help but smile with them. And though I am certain I would appear far more youthful had I not been blessed with children, these lines imprinted deep within my face are my memories. Memories of all the elation and the empathy I feel for my children. So each line represents a birth, a year of accomplished milestones, an illness, a hospital visit, the first day of school, the collection of days that incredibly turn into years. Though I wouldn’t mind a more youthful appearance, I have learned to wear these lines with pride, as they are the stories I have created.



If I weren’t a mother, I might not observe dear friends in amazement who have more than two children and wonder how on earth they ever manage to shower, have a real conversation, make a bed, tidy a room, be a wife and fix a meal while their little army marches on in the background. Those ladies are the true heroes.



If I weren’t a mother I would never not truly understand the meaning of empathy. No doubt about it, it is hard work to raise another human being. Most of the time I wonder, doubt, cry and seek advice from others regarding my parenting methods. I frequently ponder whether or not my tactics are creating the type of people I wish to associate with - the kind hearted, hard working, honest to goodness genuine people that I have come to admire. I wonder how on earth I missed all the demands of raising a child when I observed my own mother, her friends and relatives when I was growing up. Gosh, they all seemed to make it look so easy.



If I weren’t a mother I wouldn’t truly embrace what it means to be exhausted. I now understand when I gaze into another mother’s eyes and realize that she hasn’t slept a full 8 hours in years. I can stare admirably at other mothers who have their clothes neatly pressed, hair perfectly arranged, nails freshly manicured and wonder when and how that all happened and when that will ever happen again for me?



If I weren’t a mother I would not know what it means to embrace humility. On more than one occasion I have left my house in utter shambles. Whether it is food in my hair, vomit on my shirt, dirt or another brown substance strewn across my pants, I have been there. I’ve been shit on, barfed on, bitten, hit, and flooded with tears until my own face was wet. I have often wondered when I went from a human being to a pack mule – carrying a child on my front, a backpack on my back and a toddler in my arms. But with my newfound humility I have learned many a lesson from my children and the word preserve means ever so much these days.








If I weren’t a mother I wouldn’t have ever realized that sometimes a four year old can teach us far more than any classroom ever will. From the ability to share, to speak unfiltered and brutality honest, to realizing that sometimes a simple hug will fix almost any bad situation. If I weren’t a mother I might just have forgotten what fun it is to let go every now and then – get dirty, chase butterflies and build sandcastles. I might have also forgotten the warmth of being tucked in and read to each evening. Maybe all of life’s greatest worries can be solved from a four year old. Be kind, listen, share, sleep well, read, run, laugh and play – often.



If I weren’t a mother I would not have a life that has been riddled with tremendous joy. I would not know the connection that one can share with another human being as deeply as I have come to connect with my own children. I would not know what it means to hope, pray and wish that the lives of my children far exceed my own life. I wouldn’t know the way it feels to breathe in another person, hug so tightly, cry so vulnerably and love so utterly uncontrollably.