Remembering This Moment: James Does Palm Springs

Aaron had to deliver some paintings to Palm Springs this weekend. (see them here)
It was supposed to be 65 and sunny, so we thought we'd make a family day of it and go for a desert hike.
I found some amazing sounding hikes described here.
We planned on doing hike #4.
(Aaron and I hope to do #1 on our own first, and see if I can manage it with Davy on my back, and also if the kids are ready to do a slot canyon hike yet.  It sounds really great--I'll let you know when we do it)
I was looking forward to the day.
Alas, Davy and Lilly were sick in the night and it didn't seem like a good idea to hike with a feverish baby, who'd alsobe dripping snot down my back the whole time.
I was kind of bummed.
But James went with Aaron.
And they had a really, really great time.
I'm so glad it worked out the way it did.
It would have been so different for him with all of us along--more chaotic and less relaxing--that's just the nature of doing anything with 4 young kids.
Instead, James got to soak in the environment, architecture, art, and even the food in a way that he really appreciates.
He got to spend the day with his Daddy, who understands him so well because they are so much alike.
They understand each other in a way no one else does.
He's an old soul, that 8 year old boy of mine.
And, no surprise, he's turning into a real mid century aficionado.

When they got home, I asked James if he liked Palm Springs.
"Oh Yeah!" he replied.
He loved the store that's selling Aaron's paintings, Just Modern, and told Aaron, "Just Modern is different than I imagined it would be.  It's a really cool store."
Aaron took him to see this bank, a  famous piece of mid century architecture in Palm Springs.
James was blown away and described it to me with great excitement.
He also loved the visitor center.
He loved seeing the snow on Mt. San Jacinto and was pretty sure that after about a 3 hour hike, he'd be in the snow.
The giant windmills intrigued him.

Yesterday he was still thinking about the trip.
"It was such a clear day in Palm Springs.  We could see for miles.  I still remember everything.  I can just see it in my mind."
One of my favorite things about James is his love for discovery.
Whether he's learning a new idea, hearing a new story, or visiting a new place, he's always interested.
Because it was just he and Aaron, they could take their time and really spend time soaking in this place he'd never been before.
It was the perfect kind of day for James.

After delivering paintings, and driving around a bit admiring mid century architecture, my boys went to the ACE for lunch.
True to form, James wanted to check the whole place out.
He also wants to go back and stay.
"There are 2 pools there, Mom," he told me.  "One is for parties and playing ping pong.  And the other is just for relaxing.  It's really cool."
He really appreciated all the interesting details at the ACE.
That boy is just like his Daddy.

This is my favorite picture of the day.
He's 8 right now, but looking at this picture I can see him at 20 or 40.
And also when he was an infant, eyes wide open, taking it all in.
Oh my James, I do love you so.

His review of the food and drink at The King's Highway:
"Mom, the ACE hotel has reeeally good chocolate milk."

Since I was missing out on the trip, I asked for a souvenir.
My men did not disappoint.

This may be my favorite photo booth strip of all time.

There's such a tug of sadness on my heart as I watch my babies grow up.
But there is also something pretty wonderful about watching them turn into real people, with their own thoughts and ideas, interests and the things that make them who they are.
When James was only a couple of months old, a checker at Trader Joe's looked at him and his eyes wide open take on the world.
"He has an artist soul.  I can tell already," she said.
I think she was right.
How fortunate am I to be married to, and now mother to, such creative men.
It makes for a really interesting and beautiful life.
Happy days indeed!
Love from,
Greta

*All the pictures were taken at the ACE hotel in Palm Springs.  Including the photo booth strip, because they have a photo booth there.  Which makes it one of my favorite spots.

Remembering This Moment: Rainy Day

I have not done one of these posts in a very long time.

(here's one from quite a while back--look at how little my Davy is)

But as I looked through these pictures I took today, I thought, "I want to remember this."

I want to remember these moments with them, because I am sure there will come a day when it won't be like this anymore.  

And the craziness of it all will grow dim.  

I won't remember how many things happened in one, half hour block of time.

I won't quite remember the noise.

Or the energy.

And I want to.

I want to remember how much I laugh when they make silly videos and shake their bootys at the camera and giggle like it is the best thing ever.

I want to remember rainy days when I let them run in the house, and play chase, and how loudly all of us are screaming every time we nearly crash into each other.

I want to remember that we were all getting grumpy and cabin feverish, and that doing jumping jacks, skipping around the house, and dancing to the music turned up real loud, made everything better.

I want to remember when our life was this simple.

I want to remember these moments.

By taking the time to photograph and write about these moments of my life, I hope I can look back on this time and say, "really?  My life was really like that?"

And then I can congratulate myself for surviving.

Ha!  

Just kidding.

Kind of.

Because, really, it's gets pretty crazy up in here.

................................................................................................................................................

After 2 days of grey, rainy weather, and being mostly stuck in the house, some of us were, literally, climbing the walls.

Aside: am I the only one who has the house rule, YOU CAN ONLY CLIMB THE WALLS WHEN YOUR FEET ARE CLEAN?

Yes?

I thought so.

Lilly refuses to believe that she cannot do what her brothers do. 

So she's been working on her wall climb.

Today, she mastered it.

Going up.

Almost there.

I didn't get the shot, but she made it to the top and then slid back down the wall like a fire pole.
Tada!

Feeling all the pent up energy and being unable to send them outside to climb the tree, I decided to take charge of the situation.
We all needed a break from school and to move around the room.
We needed to shake the grouchies that were growing in all of us.
So we did crunches, side stepped around the house, did push ups, skipped, and did lots of jumping jacks.
They were all smiling and laughing the whole time.
It's pretty funny when your mom makes you do jumping jacks to get out of a bad mood, right?

Even David got in on the act.
Look at him jump back there.

 After a bit, they collapsed on the floor claiming exhaustion.

 The tickling began in mere seconds.

And the next thing I knew, clothes were off and there was a full blown wrestling match going on.
This was no surprise.

After they tired of wrestling (or before some of them tired of wrestling) I suggested a dance party.
They asked for Rock Lobster, and we started dancing.
Apparently weapons are needed while dancing, and weapons can be had in the kitchen.

That's where they headed.
They quickly found what they were looking for.

 James led the charge around the house, weapons in hand, and hips shaking to the music.

Our play list included, The Love Shack by the B-52s, Darth Vader's music from Star Wars, Mr. Roboto by the Styx, Sister Kate by the Diddy Bops, and I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash.
We like to mix it up.

Then William put on a little Glen Miller and did a show for us.

Lilly was next.

And that was all in less than an hour.
Everyone was smiling and happy.
We watched the videos we took of ourselves dancing.
We laughed a lot.
Then we ate lunch.
David went down for a nap.
And our after lunch reading and drawing time was calm and enjoyable, just like it should be.
As crazy as they might be, I love these little people to pieces.
Wishing you a weekend full of many moments that you want to remember.
Love from,
Greta

Dreaming of Robin Hood

It was a beautiful day under a big, blue sky.

We headed to El Dorado Park for archery class.

They are completely smitten with archery.

It took 1 class.

And now they are dreaming of the days of the knights and of Robin Hood.

They put on their quivers, arm guards and finger tabs.

They found their bows and waited for the whistle.

Then they straddled the line,

placed their arrows in the nock,

drew their bows,

and let their arrows fly.

Archery is a quiet sport.

It's meditative.

It requires a lot of hand-eye coordination--a lot of things are happening at once.

There was a lot to learn at their first class, and it was a bit of a slow start.

But they were anxious to come back.

And this time they knew just what to do.

William is the youngest in the class.

Usually the instructor requires kids to be 8, but she let William try it out.

It definitely takes him longer to get his arrows on his bow, to get the right hold with his fingers, and even to pull back on his bow, than anyone else in the class.

But he just stays right up there, alone on the line, and takes his time.

Because he takes his time, he's actually got much better form than James.

But don't tell James I said so.

James just wants to let his arrows fly.
After all, what little boy doesn't want to shoot real arrows, with a real bow, at a real target?
As far as they're concerned, it's amazing!

And what's even more fun than shooting targets?
Shooting balloons!

At the end of class they blew up balloons, pinned them to the targets, and cheered each other on as each one was popped.
It was a lot of fun.

So what do the littles do while the big brothers are busy with their bows and arrows?

Ideally they stay on the blanket and play with toys.
Lilly does a great job.
4 is a pretty awesome age.

Davy, however, is another story all together.
Yes, this picture looks like I'm enjoying a nice cuddle with my sweet boy.
But in reality I am just trying to keep my very busy, very adventurous, very determined little 1 year old from getting hit by an arrow.
1 is not my favorite age.

It's a long class.
Even Lilly gets a little restless.
She went exploring with my camera.

The boys tried for the last balloons.

After class, they put away their gear, helped take down the targets, and roll the line.
As soon as we got in the car, William asked how many days it was until our next archery class.
It's so much fun to try new things.
I love making their world a little bit bigger.
It's also going to make reading Robin Hood for school this year that much more fun!
Love from,
Greta

Dyeing Eggs

Dyeing eggs is one of my most favorite holiday activities.

Of all time.

Long before my sister or I had kids, but also long after we were done being kids ourselves, we still dyed eggs together.
It's just so much fun.
Watching those white eggs turn all sorts of bright and beautiful colors is magical.
I do love color.

I've done it every year with my kids since James' first Easter.
There would be rebellion if we missed.
This year was the most fun time yet.
They are all big enough now that I can just set them loose and let them create.
Which is just what they did.

I let each kid have their own dozen to dye.
I know, it seems like a lot, but the fun they had was worth every penny of that $1.49 per dozen.
We did the dyeing outside so there was no stress about dye getting on table, chairs or floor.
It makes for a much more fun experience.

Don't you love the way the dye fizzes when you add the vinegar?
We left some with just vinegar and dye, no added water, to get really bright eggs.
And we used some brown eggs to get those jewel tones we love.
This yellow and green one are brown eggs.

I snapped picture after picture while they dyed eggs.
I just couldn't get enough of all the fabulous colors.

And I love to watch them interact with the process.
I love the way they experiment with the colors, letting them sit a long time, or mixing them around.
It's such a great art project.

It's messy.
We always have some remnants of dye under our nails on Easter morning.
It doesn't matter.

Every single egg is different.
Even if they go in the exact same cup of dye.
They love seeing how each carton of eggs is unique.

And what does a little, almost 10 month old baby do while his big siblings dye eggs?
He crawls around on the ground and gets into mischief.

He tried to eat a lot of succulents.

The kids spent the entire morning dyeing eggs.
We all agreed it was more fun this year than last.
And we know next year will be even better.

I love this tradition.
I hope they'll indulge me when they're in college and I ask them if they want to dye eggs.
Say yes, OK kids?
Because no Easter would be complete without the egg dipped in every color.
We must have the muddy egg.
It just wouldn't be Easter without it.

Only 1 more Easter post left, folks.

Or, maybe 2.

I aim to get them done before the week ends.

You know, so we can get ready for the 4th of July.

Happy Easter!

Love from,

Greta