prom portraits

To be eighteen years old with your life just beginning to take off.   What a blessing, what a time.  Sky and I had fun finding the perfect ensemble for her final high school dance, just in the nick of time.

It was a low key night for her, but it was just fine that way.  That's how she does things these days.

She is a true beauty, my Sky, beautiful inside and out.  

I adore my girl.

twelve

Happy birthday to my adorable, fun, loving, feisty, hilarious, generous, goofball, good natured, huge hearted, humble, baseball playing, cool as beans, awesome boy. You are a class act.  You are the best.

I miss the little baby you once were.  I love the boy that you currently are.  I can't wait to see the man you will become.

Shawnie, you make me so proud, and it is an honor to be your mom.

You are the light in my heart.

for my children~talking things out

I know it can be really hard but sometimes it's so very important to talk things out with people.  Many times there are misunderstandings that need to be cleared up. Also talking and listening with each other helps us understand where the other person is coming from.  We all have unique ways of seeing things based on our particular mindset.  Past experiences, moment-to-moment moods, physiological influences such as if we feel sick or well, hungry or full, tired or rested, and other people's opinions can highly influence how we act, and how we perceive reality.

The bottom line is this.  If you are out of line, and things need to be worked out, then wait til you are calm, and then stop, sit down and talk. Remember all the practice you have gotten at our family meetings.  Don't be afraid to feel emotions or shed a tear or two.  It just means you are human.  And human is good.

Believe me, once things get talked out you will feel relieved and lighter.  Then you can go have a day.

this baseball season

This year Shawn is playing in the major league for the first time.  This is the serious league and he is learning the ropes.  Three games a week now.  No more pitching for my boy, now it's outfield or occasionally infield -- first base, second base.  He may pitch at some point.  The league pitchers are really fast and can throw some mean curve balls.  Still my boy has had some solid hits this season off of these pitchers.

He plays for the White Sox, although their uniforms are red and their socks are blue. But hey.

Shawn's team was on a losing streak - they were the underdogs and morale was low, coaches were stressed, kids were stressed.  One of the coaches at one point lost his cool with the kids.  I decided to try and offer support.  I approached the other coach to see if they would be open to me teaching the boys a relaxation technique.  To my surprise, he was.  I worked with the boys for five minutes before practice that same day.  I tried to make it as nonweird as possible, but I was basically teaching them a simple meditation technique.  I taught them to breathe and relax and focus, to calm their minds and their nervous systems.  Later the coach told me the boys were more focused during that practice and he felt it helped. Moral improved for everyone.  I did the same technique with the boys in the dugout right before their next game and they played way better, beating the first place team!!

Since then there have been two games, they have not asked me to work with the kids again, but then both games have been losses.  Still they are playing much better and losing only by one run versus getting creamed.  And they are happier kids.

Tonight the game was played at night under the lights while a man played amplified guitar in the distance. Hawaiian music.  It was a sweet scene.  

Sports have so much to teach kids, and parents, on so many levels.    

a hike day with my girl

Last weekend Shawn had a baseball game and Annabel needed to go upcountry to work on her astronomy research with her mentor.  So I dropped off Annabel. Sky joined me -- we spent the day up on the mountain with our cameras.  We went to a random yard sale.  We took a leisurely hike down a sleepy street dotted with just a few homes, and caught glimpses of the ocean view.  We visited the school where Sky went for kindergarten (the photo with the green building and jacaranda trees in bloom, which is actually her old classroom). Isn't it idyllic? It is a Waldorf school...notice the fairy house with food left for the fairies?

Sky and I had so much fun being surrounded by so much beauty and walking down memory lane. Annabel was happy to crunch numbers and analyze data.  Shawn had a good hit but they lost their game.  Oh well.  Still, all in all, a great day.  

new beginnings

This is all of us back in December.  It's our very first family selfie.

Today is Easter Sunday, a day of new beginnings.  It seems apropos to think about new beginnings now.  Sky will be deciding about college this month.  Then in a few months we will be embarking on a big adventure, moving the family to a new place in California for the fall!  We found a great housing situation in an area with top public schools. The colleges Sky is considering attending are all in California.  I am going to start a new travel blog soon.  I will continue writing this one as well.  We will be releasing Annabel's first album of original songs very soon.  Shawn is now playing baseball in the major leagues.  And...I got a brand new computer, and I love it.  My old one was so slow, this one is so much faster.

Life just keeps evolving.  Cheers everyone, and Happy Easter!