catching up and ditching colds

Augustus telling Sunday all about it

savasanah, Magdalena-comfy style

I cannot imagine where to begin. The kids got over their colds last week and I thought I had escaped unscathed, not true. Having a cold sapped all my late night online time so I have been remiss updating the universe to the wonders of life at Casa Rosita (what I just dubbed our heavenly little slice of dusty rose house in a dripping green world. it could evolve).

Augustus, however, has been busy schooling Sunday in some kind of important lessons, as always. This particular day he was actually sprawled out on top of Sunday, as if the cat were some kind of crazy purring fur blanket.

Our home yoga practice has taken on epic proportions. Magdalena spends more time preparing for savasanah than actually doing asanas. There are blankets, pillows and snacks. How very yogi of us. Nothing distracting during our practice, no way no how. The tail end of this cold is calling me to sleep. Better soon!

ode to Maya

Jessica, about 5-6 mos preggers, living it up at the beach with one kid

Today Maya slipped out of her saltwater world and into Jessica, Mark, and Ben's eyes hands arms hearts. We welcome her! We sing a song of praise and thanks for Jessica's knowing body, Mark's abundant love, and Ben's curiosity. Rings of joy and heavenly bliss ripple radiate out from a little house in North Carolina and we are bathed in the expanding joy of Maya's new life.

un paseo with abuela, random fried yummies and garden art

nothing like fresh fried fish from your local fish shack

MAKE ART NOW!

Magdalena in her element, painting

Augustus reveling with paint

Sunday it was so hot. Phew. My mom called and said come to the beach, it's so hot! I couldn't, having spent the last week neglecting my AOR (area of responsibility), I Had To Do Chores. Magdalena piped up a few minutes after I hung up and said can Abuela come over here? Who could resist that? So I said give her a call and invite her. Ever tell a four year old to go get the phone, a usual that's-not-a-toy-please-put-it-where-it-lives item? So exciting! She dialed the numbers and invited Abuela over herself and was thrilled when my mom said yes. Again, who could resist? So after Abuela arrived she hung out with the kids and read books while I handled my AOR, then we ventured out into the heat of the afternoon for a paseo down to the river with the kids. No stroller, everybody walking, and glorious it was. We found treasures of acorns and wildflowers and watched a striped honey-bee collecting pollen. There were wild-looking hard tree mushrooms and weird growths on the ancient oaks and a canopy of twisting trees leaves branches and dripping Spanish moss above our heads. Heaven.

Monday I had to retrieve my camera from Artoga, Magdalena's last week camp, so we went for a random lunch at this fish shack out at the beach. Did someone say deep fat fried fresh fish? Oh Heeeeellll yes. And french fries. And conch fritters. yum. And oh yeah, sweet tea. Pure Heaven.

Tuesday we met our buddies Donna and her boys Jake, Liam, Cameron and Ace at the Cummer Museum and Gardens to beat the heat with an indoor playdate. And maybe get some culture while we're at it. The museum was fun but really it was the gardens that rocked. On the way out the back of the museum to the gardens is a kiosk with little clear plastic lunch boxes that have bright yellow signs on them: MAKE ART NOW! So we MADE ART NOW! Each art kit came with a little bottle of h2o, water color paints, a water color paint brush, cut paper, paper towels and directions/instructions for the uninitiated. We needed no direction. We sat down by the river to attract what breeze there was and hunkered down for some making of art. Now.

Life is to perfect to pass up the details, the little moments of Cameron's blue car painting, the zinnias trying to out-burst each other with color, the devotion of a four year old girl, the fun of running up and down a museum hall that echoes, squealing with delight. Who can resist that?

inversions

Magdalena and her big girl buddy Andrea rockin the inversions.

So many firsts and traditional headwear

Magdalena as River in the Artoga production of an adapted African myth.

Augustus with traditional headwear

So many firsts. Magdalena's first day camp, first adapted play, first performance, first bevy of big-girl friends (every day when as we arrived I would hear shouts of Magdalena's here! Magdalena, come over here! Magdalena, come do handstands, Madalena, Andrea's *her best big girl* in the art room), first broken heart at the realization that camp would actually end. Magdalena lives NOW. Friday night, snuggling in for sleep, she just cried and cried with complete abandon because we weren't going to camp on Saturday. Then she stopped, and said can we see Abuela tomorrow? I always heard my children would be my greatest teachers, I just didn't realize that they would teach me on every level, in every aspect of living.

And Augustus, well, he thrills us daily with his innovative grooming and accessorizing habits. He favors the off-the-shoulder overall or tank top, multi-colored markings for his face and hands (good for his petroglyph reproductions) and brightly colored skirts or scarves or material on his head.

Life is so so so delicious.

unexpected Burque blessing

Ron, Ethan, Augustus and Magdalena after our impromptu feast

We had an unexpected dinner guest and how lovely it was! Ron called from Orlando around 2:30 asking "how far is it to your house from here?" and then here he was. What a gift a blessing a lovely meal and company all the way around. A little taste of New Mexico on Gable Lane. I don't realize how baby/toddler/child centric my life is until I catch a glimpse of it through someone else's eyes, notably Ron's. We were eating and it hit me that I am in total baby/toddler/kid mode 24/7/365. And for me it is a good thing.

emerald green light and elephant ears

Augustus and Magdalena under the emerald green elephant ear

lush green and the lovebabes

Sigh. I wrote this post in the wee hours last night and Poof! it disappeared between "publish" and "you have successfully posted, view post".

Anyhoo. Me and my man got to go on a bona fide date Saturday and divine it was. We saw the super blockbuster Bourne Ultimatum and it was a fabulous thriller we loved it. We stood around Ethan's truck after the movie talking about the movie talking about stuff not kids not bills not career not the guard/school/active duty conundrum not life partner/husband/wife Stuff, but stuff with a little "s" and who knew how great that could be. Then off to Barnes and Nobles for good coffee and expensive magazines and oodles of kid-free grown up mellow at the coffee bar time. So so so good. Now we're recharged for another year or so. HA! I don't want to wait that long again.

Sunday showed up resplendent verdant green in our little corner of River Forrest (I found out that's the "historic" name of our neighborhood) with the man trimming back the jungle that is Florida and the chirrens creating magical misty green gardens. Huge elephant ear leaves fell over from weight and Augustus and Magdalena had sunshades to sit under and mats to sit on. Add water and outside kid furniture and all is carefree goodness no worries and freeplay.

Sea sky and sand

found treasure

two peas

We went to Hanna Park yesterday for a playgroup of two, I guess three if you include me, and the wonders that awaited us! There was a splash park and playground (two of them! as Magdalena recounts each and every time) and swings! We brought snacks for a small legion and water for 10 so we were set for the afternoon. After snacks and a break from the action, we packed it in from the inland activities and headed to the beach for late afternoon tidal pools sun and breezes.

Magdalena recently finished a 6 week kid yoga series and she is forever doing poses, everywhere and anywhere. And you know, I mean come on, it must happen, that Augustus is the perfect mimic so there were my babies, in the little pools, in down dog, up dog and boat pose.

Sigh. Who knew?