Tea party with seaweed as a snack

Scappoose

Some of our best friends in Portland moved to a beautiful place about 45 minutes from here. They have such an amazing forest surrounding their home on the mountain. Little Phoenix looks like he could be Adelaide's twin. We have known him since birth, and are so blessed to have him and his parents for our friends. We love them.

Rapunzel knows best!

Adelaide's Half Birthday

Because both of my girls have birthdays so close to Christmas, I have decided that while they are young we will celebrate their half birthdays as well. Not a big party like we do on the real birthday, but still, a fun day. Adelaide turned 3 and a half, so to celebrate I took her to Baskin Robbins and let her get her first clown cone. I didn't have the camera there, so missed out on the photo...but she had a blast and loved the sugar rush. I remember getting the clown cones when I was a kid, so wanted her to have that memory too. Then I let her do anything she wanted to, and she chose to go to Target (her favorite place on earth, sad to say) and pick out a gift. She has really been wanting a Rapunzel costume for many months, so I decided she could finally have it. Doesn't she look just like her?

Teenage Anarchist

Snorkle

Mothers Day Hike in the Gorge

We live in the most beautiful place on Earth. I am so blessed to be able to drive for a short time (30 min??) and get to this place that makes me feel renewed and alive. I love our home, and I love Oregon. I hope my babies love it too!

We forgot to bring the baby carrier, so I carried Emmylou for the 2 mile loop. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, and I think she felt just fine about it! It was her very first hike!

Back to Dance class

Precious Mornings

Painting a picture for Aunt Jessie's birthday

Reading 'Pat the Bunny' to Emmylou

Emmylou photoshoot ~Organic

Adelaide showing Emmylou her braid

This video is much too short, I wish I had the camera sooner. Adelaide was talking to Emmylou and telling her about her braid. Adelaide finally agreed to let me braid her hair, and it looks so pretty. I'm sure Emmylou agrees!

Play Date with Fallon and Jacory

Don't you wish you could join them for cereal?

Jacory

This little guy is very special to us, especially to Adelaide. I'd have to say he is her current best friend. I don't need to say anything though... just look at her face!

Beltane ~ also known as May Day

Thanks to the inspiration of our amazing friend Jenny, we were able to prepare and celebrate Beltane. Because of Jenny's amazing blog and recommendations, I bought the book called Celebrating the Great Mother by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw. It's such an amazing book, so full of fun activities to help children be more connected to our Mother Earth...I really love it. Our personal celebration was very impromptu, but we pulled it together and it was a fun day for us girls at home. I don't think Adelaide even understands what the Earth is...but I tried to at least introduce her to the idea. We kind of made the day our own, and decided that this year we really wanted to focus on making an Alter, and our own goddesses to have in our gardens at home and our community garden, to bring their magical energy for healthy crops.

Adelaide started the morning by drawing goddesses on paper with her oil pastels. I was really amazed because one of them was done with lots of bright Red, a beautiful face, and then a big black scribble of a baby in her belly. It as perfect! Too perfect to hang outside actually, so we had to come up with more. We started outside with her basket to gather rocks, sticks and anything else that reminded us of a goddess or looked like a goddess to us.

We also gathered some of my FAVORITE lilac flowers, as well as some of our blooming wisteria, and some fresh herbs. Once our basket was full we made our way back inside. It was COLD and rainy. Emmylou came along, snug in the Maya wrap.

One we had our supplies we got out ribbon, paint, clay and some sequins to adorn them. They were beautiful!!

Once our goddesses were all ready, we got our alter together and added them to it. We hung the goddesses painted in the morning, we added our flowers, all of the little goddesses that we had hiding around the house, and all of our red and orange candles to represent fire. We even made the alter on top of our wood stove, also to represent fire. Once everything was ready, Adelaide rang the singing bowl bell, and we lit our candles.

We then held hands and danced in circles singing our own songs about goddesses and our Mother Earth. We talked about what was "blooming" in our family, and then Adelaide rang the bell once more, and blew out the candles.

 We then marched our goddess out to their gardens to bring us fertility in the coming harvest season.

Two of my most beloved goddesses, both given to me by goddesses themselves. Thank you! xox



And our goddess in the making....