Winter Walk 1/30

Inspired by my friend, Kristena, who added a video to her blog today, I decided to take a little clip of Luna while busy at play his afternoon. It is so awesome to watch her as she starts to delve into the Land of Make Believe. She spent much of the first few months after learning to walk focused on the physical. Walking, climbing, running, always very active (and tiring for Mama trying to keep up and keep her safe). Now, she is beginning to sit still for a while and play with little figures and toys. Of course I am biased, but it is just TOO cute!

(Hey, Mom! I put this up on YouTube in case it is too small here!)

Winter Walk 1/29

I rarely ever pick out what my older girls will wear for the day. Nico and Kaya both have their own distinct style and even if they choose something that makes my eyes cross, I usually just let them wear it. This morning, Kaya picked out an outfit that is typical of her own style. She loves to layer tee-shirts over long sleeved shirts. And, even in the middle of winter, she loves to wear tights (preferably *striped*) and skirts. So, here she is, striking a pose. Working the camera. Hahaha!

Winter Walk 1/28

Speaking of Winter Walks, how about we take a little walk down to "The Point"?
Our property is sort of triangle shaped, bordered by two gullies that meet at the point. It is a lovely walk and the old woman who used to live here claims that there is some sort of energy vortex there. I don't know about all that, but I do know that I get a sense of calm and peace as I walk down there. A place surrounded by nature, no houses or people or traffic to be seen. The further you walk, the sharper the land slopes off on either side. When you get right to the end, the gullies are far below.

Let's take a walk, shall we?

Winter Walk 1/27

We're in the process of trying to clear up a bit of our land. Most of the acreage is lovely woods, and we will leave most of it as it is. We did want a portion of it "cleaned up" a little, though. There's not a lot of yard and we thought it would be nice to have a little more space for impromptu games of soccer or bocce. Jay took down a few trees and cut back a lot of the brush. We also hope to clear a few nice paths and trails and sitting areas.

Winter Walk 1/26

Ok, so I am slacking on getting pictures up every day. I have the best of intentions and then some days I realize that it is almost bedtime and I forgot to snap a pic. Oops!

Here's a picture of the back of the cupboard where we put up recent art and learning projects. I try to rotate things on a regular basis and it is nice to have a spot where we can display the latest and greatest creations. The big poster in the center is what Kaya made when she was studying mammals. To the right you see drawings using warm and cool colors and the results we came up with after combining water that had primary colored food coloring added. To the left are bar graphs created by Nico and Kaya, showing the various types of weather and temperature ranges we've seen so far in January.

Winter Walk 1/24

Another Sleeping Beauty shot. Little Luna Blue is sporting one heck of a boo-boo on her cheek. A few days ago, she fell down next to a laundry basket and scraped a big patch of skin off. While not deep, it bled. And BLED. We went to the store yesterday and I was amazed at how many people had something to say or ask about her. Was she burned? In a car accident? No, just being a crazy toddler. This one keeps me on my toes, she does. Non stop action. She sure is cute though. ;)

Winter Walk 1/22

Here are a few pictures of the truss that Jay designed, built and installed. It takes an incredible amount of precision to build something like this, it always amazes me. With this project, he had to work with an entryway that was not completely plumb (or is it level?) so it took a lot of fine-tuning to make it fit and look right. Unlike most trusses, this one is not structural, it is "just for pretty", and that it is!

Winter Walk 1/21

Today's picture was actually taken last night. Jay had a long weekend, working through the night to get a "trimber"-frame truss ready to install. He finally got to lay down around 7:00 last night and was looking at bookswith Kaya one minute, the next I found them like this. Aw, cute.

Winter Walk 1/20

I skipped yesterday. It was a rough day, witnessing how this whole custody deal with Nico is affecting her. It is truly heartbreaking. A nine year old should never have to think about the things she has going on inside of her head or the things she thinks she has to say and do to appease people.

Today is a new day. Trying to look at the positive and keep my chin up. Here is a picture of Nico playing with the keyboard the girls got for Solstice. She loves it and plays it all of the time when she is here. And Luna Blue, even with a fever of 103, is up and at 'em.

Winter Walk 1/18

SLEEPOVER!!

Oh, what could be better than another Friday with our Nico? A Friday sleepover with a friend! The house is full of squealing and giggling girls ~ a flurry of dancing and dress-up, laughter and fun.

Winter Walk 1/17

Our sweet little kittens that we brought home in September are now 4 months old and nearly full grown. Sunny and Pepper are so much fun to have around the house. They switch from peacefully sleeping to furniture-tumbling, crazy hooligans in the blink of an eye. The first picture is of the pair of them (brother and sister) on the day we brought them home at 7 weeks old. This morning I snapped pics of them doing what they love to do. As I go out into the sunroom for an armful of wood every morning, they dash past me and climb up to play King of the Woodpile. Miss Sweetie Pepper Purrbox is a bit more timid and Sunny Bunny Boy is the crazier of the two.

Winter Walk 1/16

Today's home schooling art project was a still-life. I asked Kaya to find a few things around the house she might want to draw. She chose a small stuffed poodle, a trumpet jade plant and Luna's stuffed bear. She set them up on a tray by the window and got to work. Here's a picture of her drawing and a shot of the results.

Winter Walk 1/15

I am always amazed at how early on my girls become "Little Mamas". Luna Blue was drawn to babies by the time she was 6 months old. Now, almost every day, I find her taking care of babies. She feeds them, nurses them, hugs and squeezes them. She tucks them into bed and takes them for rides in her grocery cart. It's just so sweet.

Here she is feeding a baby and a bear a few little "cookies" that are really wooden pattern blocks.

Winter Walk 1/14

Monday is Kaya's favorite day. She *loves* gymnastics and just moved up to the "Super Fives and Sixes" level which means 1 1/2 hour classes and more in-depth instruction. Every day, she suits up in a leotard and practices around the house. I can't even count the number of times I hear, "Mama! Watch this!" as she shows me one more trick.

Winter Walk 1/13

Kaya reads a bit to Luna Blue, who sits and listens intently. Kaya amazes me with her self taught reading abilites, sounding out words I never thought a 6 year old could. Luna will sit and listen to her big sister read for a long, long time.

Winter Walk 1/12

Nico and Kaya take the opportunity to get out the watercolors while Luna Blue is napping. I love how they compliment and encourage each other while taking part in artistic endeavours.