Bird Nest

Crawling To The Edge

Ah, such sweetness. Sitting on the bed, catching up with the peace as my wild Jbird is at a waldorf summer camp this morning. I feel happy knowing Jbird is digging, raking, and romping about in a garden full of children. And I have a moment to enjoy baby Sparrow, as he explores the room, crawling about, and for the moment entirely obsessed with the door jam thingy (what are those called?)

Let's see - do you really babyproof with the second baby?  I guess I should consider our needs.  Or just watch.  At this point, I feel I end up watching with those mama eyes on the back of my head all the time, mostly to protect from "big brother" being shall we say - "silly."  I guess those minor hazards seem less of a concern in the grand scheme.

We are standing at this edge of mobile baby world. Sparrow is crawling, standing, scooting under foot...And I take a deep breath, knowing how both exciting and terrifying it will be to watch as this second baby starts exerting his own energy onto our world.  It's incredible when you can see with clear sight these changes about to occur in your daily life - when you have a moment to realize how gorgeous and fulfilling this experience can be when you find the peace to appreciate it.

A baby and his chilled radish.  He would not let go.

Here is a daily scene in our lives.  Jbird making sandwiches and Sparrow moving about the floor.  That sandwich?  The dog ate it.  She didn't thank for us for the crazy expensive, organic ingredients either.

Birthday Part 2

So, after overindulging in cake, we headed out for an adventure - or an expedition as we often call it. 
First stop, Multnomah Falls in the Gorge.  Then on to Hood River for lunch, ice cream and general lolly-gagging-about. 

Headed off to a windy spot of beach where Rooster got fried to a crispy burn and Jbird played and splashed about.  Sparrow and I spent most of the time hiding out from the wind, watching the clouds go by, with a short exploration of the sand.
 
Then back into Hood River for a bit of park time and kite flying.  Finally we headed home, so tired from our long day. 

For now I savor that Jbird doesn't want or expect birthday parties.  I expect I'll wait until he begs to have a party before I pony up.  In the meantime, it's sweet to have family time and to create special days without too much planning.  Truth be told, I don't want to share the cake!

Looking forward to watching our Jbird navigate his fourth year.   It's certainly been a wild ride last year and I am so honored to have him as my guide.

He's Four

My.  Oh My.  So many pictures.  So many moments to document over the last few days.  I'll begin with the birthday morning.  Egg breakfast was followed by gifts and cake.

My little Jbird turned four last Wednesday.  We celebrated all day, but that day began with cake.  I baked a cake inspired by the Honey Cake recipe in this very inspiring book.  I added berries in the middle and went a little over the top with the late night cake decorating.   The rosemary might have been my favorite ingredient in this cake.  Oh, and I think we finished it off later that night.  It was that yummy.  (Or maybe Rooster and I just have that little willpower.)

After cake we headed off to many adventures.  Pictures to come.  I'm still in a bit of shock that my first son is four year old already. 

Sliding Into Summer

After a dreamy trip to Seattle we are back and sliding into the Summer season.  Today we joined our neighbors and friends for Sunday Parkways - a six mile loop of closed streets for biking (and walking in our case.)  It was so sweet to hit the streets and watch as crowds of bikers and walkers took over the roads.  The loop passed through multiple parks with events and music.  Most sweet was watching old and young out on bikes, and of course all of the super awesome family bike setups.  I've been so inspired by these and can't wait for our sparrow to be a bit older for me to feel safe strapping him aboard.

Sparrow and I awoke from a nap to find Rooster and Jbird setting up for dinner on the patio.  I am so thrilled to get back into the swing of patio dining.  We felt a bit rusty figuring out the chairs, the set up, but it was so worth it to eat outside and enjoy the fresh air.  I'd love to have it all be a quicker set up, perhaps something Jbird could handle on his own - so we would be more likely to eat out there every meal.  I recall so many fond meals when I lived in Belgium on foreign exchange as a teenager, my host family always setting up the summer meals outside, even breakfast.  So many things I'd like to "move closer to."  I hope it's the summer we fall into new patterns, new rhythms, new rituals.

 

Daddy

Watching Rooster navigate fatherhood is one of the most rewarding and inspiring gifts this family has brought to me.  I admire and adore him with all of my heart, and now I get to love him even deeper as he cares for our babies and partners with me in this crazy nest.  I am so deeply thankful that my boys have him to watch over them, to nourish them, to inspire them as they grow.

Happy Father's Day!

A Dandelion For You

It's not always frustrating.  Often it is sweet and heart melting.  Often it takes your breath away.

The Best Plan

What to say when you don't want to blog about how you are hating yourself for being one of those exasperated and yelling mothers you cringe over.  What to say when you don't want to talk about how hard it's been recently, even though it's not always this way, just sometimes.  What to say when you want to be hopeful and positive and give your children the benefit of the doubt.  Hoping that if you hold faith in them pulling through, they might just.  Of course they will.  It's just hard to see it in the thick of things.

Maybe I need to put down the camera, the laptop, and get back to reading my parenting books for more strength and inspiration.  That, or a nice big drink.  Or both might be the best plan yet.