Christmas spirit

Christmas spirit is alive here, despite a nasty stomach virus. 

On our tree is the spirit of my "someday".

With everything going on, home for the holidays never sounded so good...

Sigh.

Merry Christmas! I hope this season brings warmth, fun, and peace to you and your families!

 

Father's Day goodness

Yule logs and ukuleles

Christmas was amazing.
I was literally catered to after working an 18 hour shift the night before. Got to see my family, got overloaded with amazing gifts, and got to see my little love open her presents. This year was fun.
So magical.
We spent the following few days relaxing, loving and playing with all our new toys.
What's better than that?
I hope your Christmases were merry!

Trick or treat!

Sweetest little Red Riding Hood I ever did see!

Home

Love is home, for some.
I have learned that much in these times of sadness, uncertainty and doubt.
Everybody wants a safe place. A safe place to love, and be loved. Learn and teach. Thrive and make mistakes.
Everybody wants safety love.

If you are struggling these days, let this post remind you to open your heart, let go of the little things, look at all the good around you, and make yourself a safe haven for your loved ones. Be the best person that you know how to be. Settle into your bones, feel your own skin...and remember what you love about your own people, be it partners, or littles, or soul friends. And breathe a deep sigh in that safety.
Be a haven. Let go of the expectations, to-do lists and blueprints. Live in that love. Soak it in. Breathe it deep. And remind your people that they will always have you for their shelter.
There is safety in that. That is what home is.
Love is home.
Not four walls and a roof. Not a mansion on the water. Not an apartment in SoHo. Love.
That's all there is to it.

NH

The girl and I took a mini trip up to visit our family.
These pictures are not in order, for some reason they don't post in order on my phone.

But we spent the time with family, snuggling and enjoying each other. Then headed to the county fair where my girl had herself a grand time. Mama too. :)

Give a little bit of your love to me...

This is love....This right here.

Happy Valentines Day to you and all of your loves from me and mine!

XOXO

Above the Waves

Today is a new month. I had great hopes for January. But the tragically devastating loss of a dear friend on New Year's Day has sent my little family reeling and spinning off its stable axis.

Today is a new month, but the loss is still so great. So many unanswered questions makes it hard to overcome. We feel not only her loss daily, but also her presence, the two playing tug-of-war in our hearts. The weight is still so heavy to bear.

There are nightmares.
There are tears once the sun sinks low, and the little is asleep.
There is anger and confusion and anxiety.
There is the weight.  The weight is. so. much.

I am white-knuckling the rope to my anchor-sister so she doesn't slip beneath the waves. There will be no drowning. There will be no more drowning.

I haven't forgotten the good that January has brought: the fresh starts, the new plans, the love. It is the sunshine to focus on when the days are clouded.

I will keep our heads above the water. And this grief will subside like the tide. We will roll with it.

February is a new month, and there are calmer seas ahead.

Hold me closer, tiny dancer....

The girl had her first ballet recital mid december. She was *that* kid....the one who forgot where she was supposed to stand, and was too busy looking at all the other little girls to remember her routine, and then went the wrong way off the stage at the end. But not before her ah-mazing "ta da!!!!" moment that I managed to snap...she was the cutest one there. I mean, I might be bias...but man....I had my proud mommy-moment that night!

TA DA!!!! :) I'm pretty sure life doesn't get any better than this! <3

Christmas is coming.....and we are a'lovin'.

There's no place like home....

i cannot believe that i missed all of november without blogging. it has been a crazy month with me hardly even going on my computer at all. Been hanging with my little, working on puppy training, working, and loving. oh, there's lovin' going on here.... thus, i am behind. as usual. so here is the lil miss on halloween. we worked up halloween like nobody's business. we read stories, visited pumpkin patches, went on hayrides, ate apple and pumpkin EVERYTHING, sang songs....i even decorated. halloween was big. she knew she wanted to be dorothy for 2 months. i ordered this sweet homemade costume on etsy.com. she loved it. paired with some consignment ruby reds, and Nooney contributed a little basket and a teeny toto...and voila! dorothy! we had a freak snowstorm the day before halloween, resulting in no power for over a week. the town cancelled halloween. not postponed....cancelled. so, you're damn straight i dressed up my girl and brought her to her grandparents during the light of day for some trick-or-treating. and you're damn straight i brought her to target dressed like that just so she could get the attention she was so excited for. cutest. thing. ever. next year will be bigger. snowstorm shnowstorm. i can't wait!

A Faery good time

On a beautiful fall day, the boy and I took the girl to see some fairy dwellings at a local park. Although we were a little disappointed with the amount of fairy homes, we still had fun with our cranky toddler. Of course, you would never guess it from these photos though.
There is something magical about the woods on a beautiful day....so many tiny treasures to find and explore. And the faeries? Well, no, they weren't home...they were having a faery harvest party, all together in the woods. If you listen closely, you can hear their whispers and giggles....




a tiny faery bench for a teeny tiny faery friend...


a happy turtle basking in the sunshine...







I love how this boy loves my girl. It makes moments like these even more magical...




I know, I know...I forgot my polarizing filter, and was cringing as I took some of these photos. But the end results are magical to me. I am loving the artifact, and believe I see some faeries fluttering past....don't you?

A day at the park

We started the day sleeping late, then headed over to the park to some bullfrog watching, catfish spying, and doggie dodging before heading out for ice cream, napping, and then ending our glorious day at Nooney & Papa's house. This little monkey has been a happy, happy girl this week....great listener, full of fun and energy, using her words to fend off frustration, going on the potty, and hasn't gotten a single 'time-out' yet. Thus, the ice cream reward. :)