Beach Days

After hours on the beach, I pile all the gear into and on top of the car, rinse off shivery bodies, pull out the dregs of the snacks from the bottom of the bag because everyone is STARVING, soothe the cranky and teary meltdowns , and try to hold it all together myself, not lose my patience, and end up saying things like, "if you don't stop crying, we are NEVER going to the beach again!"
And then we get home and it's quick! make dinner, get them bathed, and into bed because they are so wiped out.
It is always kind of frantic and crazy, and everyone is on the verge of hysteria.
Beach days end hard.

But those long, long, hours at the beach are worth all that.
Every. single. time. they are worth it.
Today William, Davy, and I spent an hour kneeling in the shallow water hunting for tiny, darting, fish that hide in the sand until our hands stirred them up.
William caught one with his quick little hands.
He was so proud.
What fun we had, spying on that quiet world under water.
Today the boys built a city of sand with their buddies.
They were building Stonehenge and Hadrian's Wall, and some other British landmarks they've learned about in history.
I loved listening to their conversation, "how did they get those stones up anyway?"
Today Lilly floated around in a little, green inner tube that someone left on the sand.
She is far too big for it, but was happy as a clam, as she floated along, booty dragging on the sandy bottom.
Today Davy romped around with all the big kids, and loved his life.
Today they spent hours in the water on surf boards and boogie boards, talking and laughing, and hanging out in the water with all their buddies.
Today they swam to the wall, jumped off the dock, and braved the swarm of boats being piloted by novice sailors.
Today, they lived a beautiful day.

Sure there were moments that weren't so perfect.
Sand in the face and sun screen in the eyes.
Toddler fights over sand toys, and water bottles.
2 pooping trips to the public restroom, where I wanted to barf rather than stand there waiting for them to finish, and have to tell my 2 year old not to touch anything 5,000 times.
I really, really, really hate public restrooms.
There is no such thing as constant bliss--at least not on this earth.
This quote really fits those kind of moments, don't you think?

As the sun sank lower and the beach grew emptier, my heart was full from our time there together with friends, and with each other.
Time in the sun, in the water, and enjoying God's glorious creation.
It blesses us so deeply.
After the tedious job of loading everyone in the car, we pull away from the curb, and I say the same thing every time, "I had such a great day with you guys!  I love being at the beach with you.  I love you all so much."
And it's so true.
Even if there is chaos when we get home.
At 9 pm I am still wearing my damp bathing suit and cleaning up the kitchen from our slap-dash dinner.
I am tired.
But it was worth it.
The good things always are.
I love summer time.

Hope your summer days are treating you right.--little stupid things and all.

Love from,

Greta

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.

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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

Remembering This Moment: Lunch With Friends

Remembering This Moment: capturing a moment in our day that I want to hold onto.  It doesn't have to be anything special, just one of the myriad of small, beautiful moments that make up our life.  I know someday the memories of these moments will fade.  This is my way of hanging onto them.  

Read more here.

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I haven't done one of these posts in a while.

But I've been going through my pictures from the past 2 months and there are just so many of these little moments that I don't want to forget.

Nearly every day I capture one of them, or 2, or 4.

I know I won't remember them all in 20 years.

It's only been 2 months and I've already forgotten some of them.

My moments won't mean much to you.

Or anything.

But they are my everything.

These are my stories.

And I do hope they inspire you to remember yours.

Lunch With Friends

One Saturday afternoon William and I found ourselves alone at lunch time.

Davy was asleep, and Lilly and James had gone on an errand with Aaron.

I don't often get alone time with any of my kids and I always cherish it when I do.

The last time William and I were home alone, we made pretzels for his brother and sister.

This time he just wanted lunch.

His choice?

Brie cheese, crackers and an apple.

While I got his lunch ready, William disappeared for a bit.

I set his lunch on the kitchen table and turned back to the veggies I was chopping for soup.

When I looked back at the table, I saw William had brought some friends for lunch.

He melts my heart, this boy of mine.

Earlier in the week his Dziadzi (my dad--that's grandpa in Polish) had taken him to the Zoo.
I told the kids they were not allowed to ask Dziadzi for a stuffed animal.
"But if he says he wants to buy us one then it's OK, right?"
Right.
They all came home with new stuffed animals.
William picked this parrot because it was so soft and colorful.
He loves it.

And I love this little boy with Saturday morning hair at lunch time.

This boy who brings his stuffed animals to eat lunch with him and asks when he can have an animal sleep over.
"What's that?" I ask.
"It's when all your stuffed animals sleep over in your bed."
Oh, of course.

William, when you are 15 and these animals are long forgotten, I want to remember the way you were this day.
This moment.

I love you, my little boy.

Love from,

Mommy

Remembering This Moment: Date Night With Davy

Remembering This Moment: capturing a moment in our day that I want to hold onto.  It doesn't have to be anything special, just one of the myriad of small, beautiful moments that make up our life.  I know someday the memories of these moments will fade.  This is my way of hanging onto them.  

Read more here.

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Friday night was our date night.

It had been a while, what with Aaron traveling, Thanksgiving and all.

Date night is essential.

We can complete sentences without interruption.

We can even tell a whole story without once saying, "hang on, I'll take care of this one," and leaving the room.

Or we can hold hands while we walk and just be quiet together.

We can focus on each other.

I love date night.

Aaron suggested we go to LA for something new.
We went to Monsieur Marcel in the Farmer's Market.
I love the Farmer's Market.
I'd go every day if I lived nearby and had endless pennies for eating out.

Monsieur Marcel's reminds me of when we were in France.
Those chairs are in every cafe.
I love them.

But what I love best of all about date nights right now, is dating Davy.

We don't get a lot of one on on time with our kids.
There are 4 of them.
And because he's the baby and usually so chill, Davy can get  a bit lost in the shuffle.
That's why I love the nights when it's just the 3 of us.
I don't begrudge having a 3rd wheel on our date.
He's the sweetest little 3rd wheel around.

And yes, we keep him out late.
We're now the kind of parents I used to judge.
"I can't believe that baby isn't in bed.  What's wrong with his parents?  Don't they even know what time it is?  Don't they have him on a schedule?"
Yeah.
Those were back in the days when I had 1 kid and I was perfect.
Now I am so not perfect.
Now I know that if Davy stays out late with us it will not mess him up for life, or even for a couple of days.
He rolls with it.
So do we.
Because I know our date nights out with this baby are fleeting.

He's already reaching for our food.
See how he's looking at Aaron's beef bourguignon?
He wants it.
Bad.
He grabs at everything on the table.
He almost spilled my coffee.
Twice.
And before long he'll be wanting to run around and not sit on our laps, chewing his Sophie giraffe and grabbing for our forks.
We have to enjoy these moments while we can.

It's funny.
With our other kids, we couldn't wait to get a night out without them.
But it's so different with Davy.
People ask me all the time if it's he that is different, or me.
And as mellow as Davy is, all my babies were mellow at this stage.
I think it's really more about me.
I have finally learned to relax.
I have learned to just sit back and enjoy my baby.
If it's late and he's getting tired and fussy, I'll nurse him.
I don't worry that it's not "time" yet.
I don't worry that he's almost 6 months old and still sits with us in church.
He's only 6 months old!
Does he really have to go in the nursery?
Nope.
I don't care that some guy in the mall said, "wow, this is sure a late night for such a little guy."
Before, I would have worried about what that stranger thought of us.
Now, I don't care.
Now, I'm just enjoying a date with my baby.


And my calm transfers to him.
At the restaurant that night, 4 different people commented on how mellow Davy was.
Our waiter asked if we were giving him wine.
Another lady told us we were hipster parents (ha!  it's the glasses we were both wearing) and so "together" in our parenting.
(doesn't that sound like a very LAish thing to say to someone?  it made me smile)
Ironic, when we were doing just the thing I used to think was terrible parenting.
Each day that I parent my kids, I am learning the value in making the most of a moment instead of making a lot of rules to live by.
Yes, there is a time for schedules and routines and organization.
But there is also a time for bubble baths in the middle of the day, cuddling your 5 year old to sleep and keeping the baby out late.

After dinner, we walked around The Grove.

Davy loved the lights in the mall.

10 o clock at night and he was wide-eyed, taking it all in.

We loved watching his wonderment and sharing a little Christmas magic with our smallest boy.

He won't remember it, but I always will.

Davy's first Christmas.

Great.

Now I have totally made myself cry.

We really don't know when our last day will be.

Will you be here to enjoy next Christmas?

Will I?

Don't think I'm trying to depress you.

I'm not.

I'm encouraging you to live each day fully and enjoy the people you love instead of being too busy for them.

It's Christmas.

There's no easier time to tell people you love them.

Or show them.

Do a little of both.

Today while we were driving, a Christmas song by Mannheim Steamroller came on the radio.

Their music reminds me of the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland.

It makes me laugh.

It also makes me think of my dad.

Because he loves Mannheim Steamroller.

And he always tries to make the rest of us like them too.

And we just laugh at him because we just can't get past the Main Street Electrical Parade vibe.

So I told the kids, "this is some of Dziadzi's favorite Christmas music."

(dziadzi is grandpa in Polish)

And then I called my dad and told him that I just heard his favorite Christmas music and it made me think of him.

And that I loved him.

It only took a minute.

I know I am not the only one who gives into the temptation to feel frazzled and stressed about getting it all done in the 18 days until Christmas. 

(crud.  really?  18 days?) 

But I am trying not to.

Remembering instead that it's all about relationships and not "getting it done."

Remembering it's about this:

"JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD IS COME!"

Love from,

Greta