fergit agin

i almost forgot i started this blog....i could use the excuse that some of the letters on my keyboard are broken and its too frustrating to type anything anymore...or tell you that ive just been travelling all summer and couldnt remember my ogin information...or that facebook is my new blogspot? well, im here ready to post some love up for you family and fer me hearties...this week has been filled with laughter because India is talking up a storm and she says the funniest stuff...today she explained how carrots grow and frogs hop and why and whatfor and whatever and it took a really long time and it was hilariously inaccurate. Scarlett is in her second session of ballet and shes so sweet...she sings and dances everyday and just loves folowing her teacher around and walking on her tippiest toes. everyones hair is longer...our farm share is almost over...the heater gets turned on every morning now...the time change will afford me some moments for blogging. there really is so much...love

bringing the old

i am amazed at the feelings i process when someone is dying...like a cross between overwhelming release, deep old love, pure joy and appreciation for transitions. Spring is such a time of transition...what a beautiful time to pass...as the green and baby fresh new push their way up and open.... the older, wiser and ready are slowing, sleeping and ready to become earth again. I see images of dear auntie pat before i was even born...running around with three boys, so young beautiful and witty. black and white memories with polka dot dresses and short mowed lawns. faces that look like faces of all of us. freckles, laughter...and such appreciation she had of love and the hearts of people. surrounded by flowers. surrounded by friends. living in beauty and reaching out to family. i will miss you sweet soul!

tomorrow may rain...

i'll follow the sun. wow almost a whole month since ive posted. ive been so neglectful....but not to my life, interests or kids. here are a few words and you can play word association with them, or just put them together in or out of order to peep into what all we've been up to the last 3 weeks

loops.hoops.singing.painting.pastel.body paint.banjo.synthetic organ.pawn shops.mirah.pink lady.beach.yarn.washing wool.alpaca.sparkle.shoebox.jew harps.spring flowers.marmalade.pastimes.miracles.cleverness.lending trees.psychic plants. lable making and beet soup. and im sure much more...but now for something completely different. scarlett self portraits...and her seed project

bike about

we had a great bike about today...which is my new term for when you know you gotta get the kids in the car, go send some mail, go to the bank, get loads of groceries, and play at the park...but normally we get in the car to do this...but not today...we biked it...it was great! too bad i dont have any pics of the cute littles in the bike trailer...all snuggly and dry while mamas legs burned up that hill to get to union street, which leads to the park...oh my!

pumpkin time

October was beautified with orange pumpkins and we made our way to the patch, rode on a truck with hay and drank hot cider! It was great to watch the girls just run all around the pumpkin patch. We brought home a few tiny ones and some biggies to carve. They are so pretty i want to keep them around all year!

scarlett found some horses to feed
india was very excited about the huge orange pumpkins

scarlett wanted one of every variety

this is the pumpkin she finally picked!

fix and figs

sown snails that saved a paint schmeared dress....scarlett now calls it her slug dress...felt and ribbon slime trails....then figs figs figs...wow! Last week when i saw baskets of figs at the co-op i got so excited because figs, like pomegranates...are a favorite rare treat. i only like fresh, i only like real...and they were sooooo delish! Recent photos of India and Scarlett...little sisters!

let them eat pie, too!

Grandma is visiting us from Oregon. Naturally, we took her to the blueberry farm to pick berries. We made out with 3 lbs in 20 minutes of picking! Plenty for a little pie...and then some! India made a friend, and fed him more blueberries than any one-year-old should eat, while Scarlett picked. Scarlett by far ate the most berries. Funny enough, she was stealing handfuls from my bucket while insisting that hers were "special pie berries, not for eating" ooookay. Pie today, scones tomorrow...grandma is going to gain 10 pounds this week, easy!

another candy festival

yippee...Easter! This year Scarlett really enjoyed hunting for eggs and finding little candy treasures...painting and dyeing eggs, and wearing bunny ears. We also had a nice dinner and felt very thankful for all the miracles! Oh the sweets. Well, luckily, it wasnt a repeat of Halloween...she is getting better at having a little piece and moving on till later...instead of trying to shove it all down her throat before it gets taken away, like some sort of rabid animal...holy moly! It was a mellow day...what with my broken toe and all, i didnt feel like doing a whole lot. haha broken toe...it sounds so silly, but it is such a bother! A complete inconvenience...simple things like carrying the baby, or sweeping a floor have become skilled acts of balance and i have a new fear of breaking a toe on my other foot. anyway...

truckin' (part 1)

In the beginning, the idea of a roadtrip up to Oregon to visit my mom for a few days seemed simple. That was in January. In February, I decided to add Portland Zoo and Children's Museum. In march I added Ikea and visit with good friends. At the last minute the Aquarium and so much more. To put it lightly, we had a GREAT time. Scarlett (a seasoned tripper) was well packed with snacks, books, toys, potty and the DVD player...so she was fine for the 8-10 hour long hauls. India was a greenhorn. Overall she did great...after the first 3-4 hours it became apparent to her that she was going to be strapped in for long periods of time...this always makes them cry a little. That little tired whimper kind of cry, awww so sad. Before we even left she had already started protesting her seat, even for a quick trip to the store...ya know the whole stiff like a board thing? So with that behavior on board, i was prepared for the worst...im glad i brought the harmonica. Between it and Scarlett saying "mama" every 2 minutes i was in tears...from laughter luckily. Just imagining anyone else sitting with me in the passenger seat dealing with the "mama's" and the "im hungry" (even though you just ate a whole sandwich) every couple of minutes seemed enough to drive any sane person completely mad...but me, i was just laughing and enjoying myself. Did i mention that i forgot music hahahahaha that was a real knee slapper! We stopped to picnic by the beach, in local parks and found great places to eat and use the bathroom...thanks mostly to my phone. Oh yes, verizon texted me a message saying that i could try out the GPS on my phone for a month...free...a few days before we left...it was awesome. I located all the drive thru Dutch Bros. so i could down mate whenever i liked...and looking for a great taco shop or natural foods grocery was a snap! So...for truckin part one we have pics from the oregon zoo!

It was super! we rode the train...saw the bats...licked the giraffe, waved at elephants, played with penguins, followed a leopard and stared at a crocodile. great zoo!

cat grass fever

scarlett is so proud of her cat grass (sprouted oats). She planted it herself, and filled the pot with soil, watered it...and waited for something to happen...meanwhile we learned all about seeds, pollination, spring, bees, cats with upset tummies, photosynthesis, etc and luckily cat grass grows so fast...we saw shoots in 3 days! what fun! now she checks it everyday, waters it and cuts it down occasionally. she loves gardening. we also planted some strawberries...i cant wait to see what happens with them.

hit the road, jack

we are gearing up for a little road trip up to Oregon next week. I am so excited, and a little nervous. I have not driven that far with the girls yet and India is so young she could just sleep the whole time (please please please) or wail and hollar...grrrr. Scarlett was a fine road tripper...so maybe she will follow in her big sisters footsteps? But, oh wait...there's more...we cant have any sugary snacks ("i'll give you a popsicle if you get into your carseat") because S needs to get her teeth cleaned, and she has the beginning of a cavity in her molar. We have been to the dentist twice in the last month, but she wont let them get into her mouth. Its really silly. She has them wrapped around her finger...if I were the dentist the whole thing would be over...but since we got Mr. Bubble and Miss Gas Huffer scooting around holding a water pic and a big scary stuffed animal asking S to open wide we got NOWHERE! duh! do these people even have kids? I swear the dental tech was talking 500 words per minute and the dentist was so over-the-top "nice" it was downright creepy. Im about to order my own set of instruments so i can pick her teeth clean for goodness sakes! Maybe we can just take a trip to Mexico and get her all fixed up..hahaha, you know i kid!

But, oh yeah...oregon...I am going to visit my mom...who has not met India yet (awww) and pick up my Dad's ashes. He has been camping at my moms house for a year now, and I really need some closure, so I am making a plan for his final resting place. Its fun to plan it out...i keep getting all kinds of goofy ideas about dispersing his ashes in the bay...scattering them from the golden gate while no one is looking...yeah right!!! I will know what to do when the time comes...Im taking him to SF in May and I will know what to do then. For now its fun to think of crazy ways to scatter his ashes.

I wonder how many hours it will take me to get to Corvallis? I might just leave at 2am, so that they sleep the whole way...then i can be a zombie the next day instead of having to stop every hour.

Road trip must-have's:

dvd player

cooler with lots of snacks ready to go!

baby bjorn potty

big mug for caffeinated bevies

driving slippers

fairy moon cd

toy cars and trains

Things you might think are great, but are really lame to bring:

coloring books and crayons: they spill and you have to keep reaching back to get them..also kids get irritated trying to color when bumps and car turbulence happen...also, S will hand the crayons to India who will cry if she cannot try to eat them.

peanut butter and jelly: such a huge mess! not worth it AT ALL! cucumber and cheese, or tofu and cheese, or even hummus and carrot sandwiches are way better!

water bottles: i think its way better to drink water when stopped, otherwise too much water means lots of potty stops, and this way they dont get squirted out from the backseat, yay! plus the caps are a choking hazard, and the baby will cry if she cant have it-so again, not worth it!

well, im sure it will all be great...and good thing we are in no hurry so we can take our time cruising on up to grandmas.

spring, teeth and reptiles

the boa


headband!!

oh sweet lovely spring...you are almost here and I welcome you with big open loving arms!
except that i will lose an hour of sleep, and i guess its worth it, but really i dont have an hour to spare, so cruel...so cruel.

T'was a beautiful sunlit day today...wind was a bit chilly, but sporting short sleeves in the warmth of the sun while in the car, complaining of the heat (unheard of, really!!) we rolled our windows down and set out for the natural history museum...reptile day...whoo hoo. I guess I was half expecting Scarlett to fear the cold blooded ones...in the past she would hide her face in my arm as we passed the snakes, etc while visiting aquariums and the zoo. But, oh no...she's not afraid anymore...she's thrilled! She held lizards, geckos (3 diff kinds), a boa, a skink...you name it. If a reptile was out of its "habitat", scarlett was right there, hands neatly opened to hole the creature. so gentle. so brave. Something comes over her when she is the self appointed guardian of the tiny gecko...her face changes...i can see glimpses of her older self...she talks quietly while holding them and feels so proud. It was as much fun for me to watch her as it was for her to hold them. I could have taken so many amazing photos, but alas...the batteries, darn!

and now for the teeth...so here is what has been happening around here...india got some teeth...the usually 12 hour fever, snotty nose, ear pulling, etc...then i got sick...headache, snotty, mild cough, then Scarlett got sick with the same...then India got it, while still teething...so loads more snot and more cough...plus tiny get it worse than us. Then I got better, Scarlett got better...India got worse...she was so miserable...and another fever...then i got snotty again, and achy...then Scarlett got really snotty and another croupy, yucky cough...what the?? and now im feeling great, Scarlett on the mend with a lingering cough, but india still with cough, and 4 more teeth trying to bust through her little tiny gums...poor babe...teething is serious business folks. Hopefully with this sunshine and resting, we will all be able to go out and play without toting handfuls of hankies and warm chicken broth. big sigh.

bikes to the beach

ohhhh beautiful sunny winter days. bike trails right next to the beach. we are grateful for beach picnics and beautiful trails and sandy discoveries. Scarlett is getting so fast on her bike, im about ready to pack india into a jogger so that i can catch up! Its perfect...lord knows i need a little jog here and there...ha! India is crawling crawling...faster and pulling herself up to standing on chairs, tables, her sister...you name it. More fun for scarlett who now loves to call her over to play, or run from her laughing, screaming and yelling..."aaaaah she loves me, look mommy, she tries to get me!" and she is teething, big time...poor girl...4 teeth at once, just like scarlett...couple of tops-couple of bottoms...soon im sure she will be trying out her new power:the bite! look out scarlett! and sweet india is getting bigger...now wearing mostly 12 month size...some of which scarlett just outgrew last spring...oh my! i have been using bits of my spanish and french with the girls...hey who knows, maybe they'll catch on? we are also loving the winter greens and veggies, thank you lovely friends and local market!!

rhythm, baby

rhythm...i kept looking at the typed word, thinking that it was misspelled. But thats it, I guess. We like rhythm...we thrive on it...if we skip a beat...we feel like square blocks in a round peg world, and nobody want to be that. Our day usually looks like this:
(or you can skip right to pictures of the week)

6:30-7:30 Scarlett wants breakfast...mommy blinks with heavy lids (because i was up too late reading, again!) and stumbles into kitchen, lights fire under kettle...first thing is first! i cook up some oatmeal with raisins or frozen mangos or chocolate chips...wait those looked like raisins, dang!! No wonder she's so excited for breakfast. Mama drinks yummy mate
8:00 baby wakes up. nurse. potty. crawling time...straight to the pile of wool or dollhouse, her favorite place in livingroom. mama washes dishes and gets dressed (maybe a shower if im lucky)
8:30-9 chase scarlett around to get dressed. bribes of visits to museums and beaches if she gets dressed. ill give you vitamins!! "ok mama, ill get dressed"
9-9:30 dress sweet baby who smiles and laughs at me while i wiggle her little body into whatever...maybe give her a little bite of rice cereal after nursing.
9:30-10 make pb&j's throw apple, orange, water bottle, crackers into bag with diapers, wipes, etc and head out! Park, hike, beach, appointment (drat!), friends house, playground, etc
play and run and enjoy outdoors...or if rainy: museum or library or grocery store or thrift store or zoo (which is actually great when rainy), or pet store (fun) or any other option that sounds fun. nurse..hand out snacks, etc
2:00 home, for resting! baby needs a nap in a bed, even if she has been sleeping at park or in car or in carrier...scarlett needs a book, snack and paint or playdoh or handwork (wool, water, sand)
3-4 depending on weather and energy...out again for 30-45 minutes, maybe just in grass...or on an errand...listen to music and dance...sing abc's read books
4:30-5:30 making dinner. nursing. scarlett helps measure and mix...makes a big mess while im in kitchen...India crawls around grabbing scarletts toys that she just made a mess with
5:30-6 light dinner candle...thank you...eat dinner, yum!
6:30-6:45 bath, brush teeth...baby in pj's and nurse...mama reads good book while nursing (yay!) scarlett plays quietly until she crawls in bed for a book (7:30)
baby out (yay)! Read Scarlett a book with no pictures...3 pages and shes out! Double yay!
8-midnight or longer (oh my!) mama reads, cleans, check email, blog, talk to a dear friend if lucky, make lists, put clean clothes away, toys away, great ideas for crafting, spin some yarn...or process some wool for spinning...read again then zzzzzzzzzzzzz
masterpiece...scarlett is drawing great spirals, eyes, mouths, noses, faces, polka dots, etc...this is her and her daddy...he has a beard.

yay! fun with wool!

yummy peace dove tartlett!