The First Day: LA, Santa Barbara, Cambria

We're back. It was fabulous. It was refreshing. It was beautiful.

I hate that it is over.

And yes, I'm blogging already because I took 500 pictures and if I don't start doing something with them, I'll get hopelessly behind. And being behind makes me anxious.

I'd like to hang onto that refreshed feeling a while longer.

So here goes.

The First Day

Our plan to wake up very, very, early and miss the LA traffic flopped when we all woke up at 7.

Oh well. It made it all the sweeter when we finally got here.

I felt my shoulders relax as soon as I saw water, sun and wide open spaces.
We stopped in Santa Barbara for breakfast.

Aaron thinks vintage restaurant chains are OK. Just not new ones. And you know what, Sambo's pancakes were fantastic.
Were you fascinated by those tiny tubs of jam when you were a kid?
We burnt off some energy with a boardwalk bike ride before we get back in the car.
The pier in Santa Barbara has no railing at the end. Just a straight shot down to the water.

The boys loved it.

And this is why we have only 2 family pictures from our whole trip. Do people even look through the lens when they take a picture? Just wondering.

The drive north from Santa Barbara is one of my most favorites in the world. Aaron and I took it together for the first time on our honeymoon, 11 years ago. We've done it 3 times since and the beauty never ceases to amaze me.

It is even better when all 3 kids are asleep!

Finally, we pulled up to our cabin in the pines.
"We're staying in a lincoln log cabin!" Jams shouted.

Yep. This cabin is over a 100 years old, was taken from the Hearst estate, and is a 600 square foot, 1 bedroom. It was perfect. Even for all 5 of us.

Mere moments after our arrival, William jumped off the bed, slammed his head into a glass table and and got a huge, purple bump right next to his eye. Ahh, vacationing with kids is so relaxing.

So Aaron unpacked the car, while I held an ice pack to William's head.

Then we headed into the forest.

At the end of the road, a few steps away from our house, were woods. It was quiet and calm.

(except for James and William yelling with glee as they raced ahead of us.)
It was a wonderful way to start.
At the other end of the road, down a long, steep, hill, was the ocean.
It was getting foggy and cold by the time we got there, but still so beautiful.
We made a fire when we got back to our cabin and went to bed early.

Yes, it was a nice way to start.

Off to the Beach

We're going to be gone for a week.

We'll be staying in a little cabin on the Central Coast of California.

There will be lots of tide pooling and rock climbing, seals to see, maybe a hike in Big Sur, farmers markets and beautiful drives.

But no blogging.

I'm taking the week off.

Looking forward to sharing lots of pictures and stories when we return.

Lil and Will

Oh these 2. They grow more alike every day. They look alike. They act alike. They are developing their own language. They play chase. They wrestle. They are becoming the best of friends.

It is sweet. But, it is also scary.

Because, Lil + Will = double trouble

On Sunday afternoon I walked around the corner of the house and found this. They were giggling and having a grand time. Lilly was rubbing mud all over her own legs and William's.

When I asked William if he was having fun, he said, "yes, with Lilly."

He sounded so happy to be playing, really playing, with his sister. How fortunate he is to have another playmate at the ready. Life is good.

Lil + Will = double the fun

Science Experiment

James loves science. I found this book about magnets and I knew he would love it. It is actually a California state text book from 1962. He had me read it from cover to cover. As soon as we were done reading, he was already planning the experiments we would do.

(find out where I got this cool book here)

He told Daddy what supplies they would need and then the 3 boys hit the hardware store. This was the first experiment.

They were going to build an electromagnet.

The great thing about home schooling, is that everyone can be in on the action.

Lilly was in charge of the wire.

William was in charge of the pliers.
James told Daddy what to do. They wrapped the wire around the nail 25 times, attached it to the battery, and....
does it work? Yes!
The boys began to experiment themselves, seeing how much their electromagnet could pick up.

The boys were so excited as they experienced a real science experiment. They are 3 and 5 and they just learned about electricity creating a magnetic pull. It didn't need to be dumbed down for them--their little minds are ready, and waiting to learn.

"The education has to be self-education. The child's mind is as good as the adult's mind. Our task is to provide nourishment. We neither undervalue the child nor the knowledge. We provide a personal relationship, the source material, and the framework for this growth. He does his own learning, living, responding."

Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

You Belong in the Zoo

Last week my Mom and Dad joined the kids and I at the San Diego Zoo. I love the zoo. I have been going there for as long as I can remember. My parents went there when they were kids. It is fun for us all to be together. Especially since Dziadzi likes to do the "rides". First up, the double-decker bus. William was just saying, "someday I want to ride on a double-decker bus, Mommy." Well, William, dreams do come true.

After a visit with a macaw, we hit the sky ride. The boys rode with Dziadzi.

And he let them stand up to wave to me. Thanks Dad.

I am not even afraid of heights, but the sky ride makes me a little nervous. The views are beautiful, but it goes really high.

Return trip, just William and Dziadzi. And there he is standing. Thanks again, Dad.
The zoo has amazing plants.

The 3 amigos checking out some fish and turtles.

Notice how Lilly has the wire in her mouth?

Nice Lil.

We had the most fun watching the gorillas. They were really active. One of them kept running around in circles and rolling in the dirt like the Tasmanian Devil. He reminded me a little bit of William.

Happy Anniversary!

It has been a year! One year ago I wrote my first post and Lilly and the Brothers was born.

It has been so much fun. It has made my life richer, fuller and more beautiful.

More than anything I am so very, very happy to have a record of our sweet, little life to savor for years to come. I plan on reading these stories to my grandchildren.

Lilly, James, William, you are the greatest gift I have ever been given. I thank God daily that He allowed you to be my babies, my friends. I love you more than I could ever tell you. I hope that these pages are a reminder of that. You make me smile everyday. You also make me crazy, but we won't talk about that right now!

Year 2

What wonderful adventures are waiting around the bend?

I can't to discover them with my 3 favorite people.

James--One Year Later

My Sweet Baby James

I can't hear that song without my eyes filling with tears. I can see him, my smiley little baby, with a head full of hair and those big eyes that were taking in the whole world. I can feel him in my arms as I rocked him in his tiny bedroom, and sang to him, my sweet baby James.

He is so big now. I tell him that in my heart, he'll always be my little baby, even when he is a man. And as much as I love to see him growing and becoming more and more independent, more big boy, less little, I hate it too. He doesn't fit in my lap anymore. He's too heavy. I can hardly pick him up. He was in the 95th percentile for height and weight at his 5 year check up. "This boy is solid," said the doctor.

Sometimes I feel like he grows overnight.

A year ago he was shorter. His face looked more babyish. He was skinnier. He was only 4.
But now he is 5. And he is not afraid of anything.

If he sees someone else doing it, he will do it too. And, at least according to him, he'll do it better. One thing James is not lacking in is self confidence. The thing of it, though, he is able to do just about anything he sets his mind too. Even if he is afraid, he conquers the fear and goes for it.

There are 2 things he's afraid of: squash and playing games. But he's only afraid of playing games because he might lose. This summer at VBS he told me he didn't play the games. When I asked why, he said, "because I might not be the fastest and then I might lose."

When I told him that if he never played he'd always be the loser, he was quiet for a long time. It is not easy to stump James. That boy might be a lawyer someday. He has an answer for everything.

I think it sunk in some, though. Here he is learning how to play football with his cousin. He even did the 3 legged race with William at church a few weeks ago. He likes to be the best, but perhaps he is learning that sometimes it is OK not to be.
He loves tv. As much as he loves being outside, riding his bike, running, jumping, swimming, drawing, reading and talking, if the tv is on, all those things are forgotten. If he doesn't watch it, he forgets that he likes it. That is why it is very carefully monitored in our house. He knows that too much tv is bad for his brain, but its siren song is very strong. "Mom, do you know if we lived in Fallbrook, we could have the Disney Channel?" (We have no channels at all, but both grandparents do and they live in Fallbrook. Lucky."
Far greater than his love for tv is his love for his buddies. James makes friends every where he goes. He does so easily. Every time we are headed to the park, beach, church, even the store, he wants to know, "will my buddies be there?"
James loves life. He has an optimistic spirit and he finds fun in everything. Well, except for picking up toys or going to bed. He is always ready for an adventure. He loves to learn.

He has lots of plans. Plans to be a scientist, an astronaut, an artist and an builder. "Will you be a daddy too?" I asked him. "How can I be a daddy if I have all those jobs? I won't ever be with my kids. Maybe I'll only do 3 of those jobs, so I can see my kids."

That's my Jamers, he's always got an answer and he doesn't let anything keep him down.

Oh how I love my sweet baby James.

William--One Year Later

Sweet William

William the Destroyer

When he was a baby, we called him bulldog

For his 1st birthday, we got him the book,

Wild Thing

He's a man of mystery. A man of extremes. A man full of passion that often overflows.

He burns up the few calories he ingests because he is never still. He paces. At mealtimes, he takes a bite, walks around the table and sits down, sort of, for another bite. Then he's up again. He likes snacks better than meals because they are quick. From the moment he learned to get up on his hands and knees, he hasn't been still.

A year ago he was potty training. He was learning to sleep in a big boy bed. He became the middle child. He was trying to find his place in the world.

He had these beautiful golden curls.

He was still such a little baby. There is a such a big difference between 2 and...

3!

You better not make the mistake of calling him a baby. Or even a little boy. He'll quickly correct you. He's not cute either. He's handsome. Or cool. He's also mischievous.

Look at those eyes. He gets this twinkle in them and you know he is up to no good. That's the thing about William; I never know what he'll do next. Often it is something I wish he hadn't. But he doesn't do it to be naughty (most of the time) He just doesn't think ahead of the now. The, "hey, I think I'll see what happens if I use my hand as a plug in this sink. It sounds fun!"

His big brother is his best friend. William adores James. He doesn't much like to play by himself because he has always had a big brother to play with him. He's getting better at it.

He is stubborn as all get out. It's my way or the highway with him. See how he is holding his pencil. That is because he refused to let me show him how to hold it correctly. Finally, he became so frustrated that he couldn't draw anything, that he allowed me to help him. And he was so happy, so, so proud of himself for getting it.

When he is happy, the whole world just glows. His smile lights up his face, and makes his eyes disappear just like mine. He is so beautiful. (Don't tell him I said that. I'd be in huge trouble.)

He really loves to be silly and make people laugh.

And for all his busyness, and wildness and stubbornness, he has a very soft little heart. He is so tender. He is our most cuddly child. He loves to be held close. To be stroked, rubbed and touched.

My favorite time of day is laying in bed with him, right before he falls asleep. He often holds my face in his hands and says things like, "you're beautiful, Mommy." A few days ago, Aaron spent the afternoon with him and as they walked back to the car together, he said, "it was nice to be with you Daddy."

I forget sometimes that he is just 3. He is trying so hard to be a big boy that I forget he is still a very, little boy. Just don't tell him I said so.

He is my sweet, sweet William.

And he still has great hair.