Grass stained knees

early morning excitement

So it's time to let you in on something super fun that's going on at our house right now.  

Last Wednesday morning at 6:30 on the button, my sound sleep was interrupted by a phone call that we had been eagerly awaiting... it was the post office letting us know that our "chicks" had arrived. Well, the peeping inside the box was actually 4 ducklings, not chicks, four Mallard ducklings to be exact.

Samuel and I got dressed and made our way down to the post master. My guy was bursting with excitement walking into the lobby. Sure enough, there on the counter behind the front desk was indeed our box and the sound of those little guys in there, peeping their heads off, it is a moment that I will probably remember forever.  

Here is a glimpse of the deluxe accommodations that hatch-lings enjoy on their way through the mail. Our ducklings made the journey all the way from Iowa. I called before I placed my order, curious if North Carolina would be too far of a trip. The nice lady assured me that they send birds all the way to Alaska and Puerto Rico. 

Here they are in all of their peeping sweetness, two males and two females...

It took about a day for the big brothers to decide on their names. The boys are Horten and Gribsley, the girls are Daisy and Blossom. Crazy enough, they have distinguishing characteristics and personalities to match that really do allow us to tell them apart.

It has been so exciting to have them with us. They are growing by leaps and bounds. I'm sure there will be a few update posts to share over the next few months as our duckling adventure develops. 

spring break

The neighborhood kids are all off for Spring break this week, so by extension, we are as well. I've learned enough by now to know that it makes very little sense to try to cajole small people into sitting down for lessons while their friends are all out the window happily playing .

 I'm feeling super off the hook and relaxed knowing we have 5 straight days of not needing to accomplish anything in particular. This morning after breakfast was all cleaned up, we grabbed our gear and headed down to the pond.  

Hurray for Spring and a long stretch of days to exhale as a family and just enjoy being with each other. 

I hope your week has gotten off to just as wonderful a start!

like a warm breeze...

I am going to fight the urge to wax poetic and talk about all the ways our little blog has been in a deep sleep through the long cold winter, and like this tiny bud above, the warmth of the sun is bringing it back to life.  

In all honesty, the dry spell here has been unprecedented and unacceptable if you ask my sister, and I will spare you all sorts of excuses as to the whys, because at this late date, who cares really, right?

So spring has arrived, it actually came quite a few weeks ago to our part of the world, and lots is going on but before we start focusing on that it is necessary for me to document what has been happening in the mean time. Feel free to skip this part and check back in a day or two. For anyone who cares about the last several months (Mom), scroll down the page and take a peek.

P.S. Happy Spring. Isn't it great to feel a warm breeze again?!  

in which we discover the beaver dam

It was another warm winter day that we ventured out with friends and walked in a new direction in search of evidence of the beavers who have changed the flow and depth of the waterway we know  so well. 

It wasn't long before we happened upon their lodge, which was quite an impressive sight to say the least. 

Not too much further down the trail we came upon the dam...truly amazing work on such a grand scale for such small creatures. 

It dawned on me this day just how big the babies really are. They walked independently for the whole hike through the woods, stopping along the way to stir the shoreline with sticks and peer into holes and fallen logs. They have really found their comfort zone in the woods, exploring and taking in all the wonder to be found. 

It's bittersweet, this growing up of the little people in our home.

winter co-op

We gathered to visit and exchange valentines with our buddies in the woods. 

February proved to be unseasonably warm and sunny and this particular day was no exception.

Even the smallest friends exchanged. I can't think of much that's sweeter than toddlers passing glittery handmade hearts about.

Hurray for warm winter days. 

Hurray for friends in the woods!

farewell

In January we said farewell to our very best buddies.  

It is nearly impossible for me to articulate how much we love this family and all the ways that we meshed so well. Our boys were so close in age and shared such similar interests. The mamas just felt totally comfortable with each other from the very first, and never, ever stopped chatting and laughing together. Countless afternoon play-dates ended with somebody's Papa walking through the door wondering what was for dinner and us just realizing that 6:00 had sprung out of nowhere. I for one, had not found such a like minded friend since my besties from high school. Even more important was the discovery of a mama who parented in such a similar way as myself, who I felt completely comfortable bouncing ideas off of without any fear of judgement or needing to offer explanation. She just got it. Ya know? What a gift to find a friend like that!

While we were thrilled with their opportunity to relocate to the place they had always dreamed of living, we were nothing short of heartbroken to say goodbye to these special beauties whom we had grown to love so very much.

These photos are from the day that we all gathered to help finish the packing and loading of their stuff.  

There was a little birthday cupcake celebration in the midst of the nuttiness. This picture makes my heart hurt with how much I miss seeing those little faces! 

Group hug for the camera while the scurrying and packing happened all around.

The overwhelming task of lugging boxes, disassembling furniture and packing pods to the gills in the span of about 4 hours allowed for a generous amount of denial about the goodbye that was inevitable.   

Surprisingly, it was a goodbye that might have proved most difficult for these little dudes. Harry and Caleb were fast friends from the start and over time proved to be soul-mates for sure.  The grieving and missing of these little people has been extreme and slightly surprising. Who knew at the age of 5 that one could form such a strong attachment for a friend?  

We are happy to know that they are settled and very much loving their new home. We are thrilled that their dream has come true and we continue to go on missing them every single day. 

Counting the days until we see you again friends!

winter at home

Once the holidays were over we really had a chance to settle in at home and hang around doing what we do best...being cozy and never getting out of our jammies. 

Here are a few moments that look like most of or days through the end of Februaury...

I have come to accept that Winter is one of my favorite seasons just because of the jammie factor...does that make me a total weirdo?

holiday visiting

We traveled home to Maryland to visit for a few days after Christmas.  As seems to be the custom when we find ourselves there, we were too busy relaxing and having fun to remember to grab the camera and say "cheese". 

I did manage to grab a little bit of cousin silliness, like Samuel raiding Luca's dress-up supplies. What is it about somebody elses dress-ups? Ahh, the possibilities that lurk in that box. 

The biggest cousins both seem to have a musical ear, here they are sharing a moment on my brothers new piano.

We had a little cupcake celebration to mark the babies 2nd birthday. How much longer can I call them "my babies" now that they are 2?  Dislike.

Finally, this is my mild mannered son trying to strike fear in the heart of his Aunt Tara...what a nut!

white christmas

What? White Christmas in the South? You don't say!

Granted the snow didn't appear until the afternoon, but it came non-the-less and coated our world with magic. 

We dug into closets for hats and boots, unearthed the sled and dashed out the door to enjoy that chilly beauty up close.  Some of us found it more enjoyable than others (read. babies were miserable and couldn't understand why they had been exhiled to this frozen misery)

Winter Solstice

We spent Winter Solstice with our Waldorf co-op families. The 21st of December was also a full moon. It was also the date of a lunar eclipse.  It just so happens that it was the first time a lunar eclipse has coincided with the solstice since December 21, 1638. I'm not much of a moon and stars sort of girl but this felt significant even by my standards. 

We had a wonderful celebration, crafting popcorn & cranberry garlands and birdseed pinecones for the birds and squirells. We shared potluck dinner and walked the advent spiral together under the light of that magnificent full moon. 

Bless this candle burning bright,
Bless it's shining in the night.

Bless the boughs upon the ground, 
Bless the path that spirals round.

Bless our tread, so strong and stout,
Bless our winding in and out.

After the festivities had died down, and the friends had gone home, the children were tucked into bed and I came outside and sat in the quiet for the longest time in the midst of the glowing lanterns, under the light of that full moon, and it was magic. pure magic.