Trippy

We took a little trip down to Anaheim for a church conference. They decided to make the annual Vineyard Pastor's conference open to everyone, and had kids activities and childcare, so I figured it was too great to pass up! It was a great conference, and since there were sections of the day that didn't have kid's activites, I was lucky enough to get in some time with my good friend, Brooke, and her daughter Mikayla (just turned 1!). They drove up from San Clemente two of the days we were there and we had fun with the kids together. These pictures are of the day we went to Irvine Park. It was great because they had a zoo, a train, and pony rides! We did it all, of course.

The pony rides were really exciting, because Elliot chose to ride the "trot pony" rather than the little ponies where they just walk in a circle. So he rode on a pretty big pony/horse and the girl rode on another horse in front of him. His pony followed the other one. At first I thought he was going to cry because they were trotting, and he was really flopping around quite a bit, but when they came around the track, he had a huge smile on his face! I was proud. The next picture is of him telling how he rode on the big pony.

Then there was the train. Elliot loved it, but Mikayla was scared by the loud narration of the conductor, so she kept trying to get away from the speaker by coming back with me. It didn't really help, and she cried most of the way. Poor thing.

It was a really fun trip. Good conference, and good to see friends! Elliot overall did really well with the travelling and had a great time with the kids activities. He never wanted to leave. Although the week was a success, it always feels great to be.... Home Sweet Home. :)

Sweet and Sour

Life is sometimes like a rhubarb pie. Sweet, sour, and tangy-delicious. To me it seems like life comes in spurts. One day you feel like everything is great, and you can't even remember the last time there was any drama. Next thing you know, you step on a nail, your husband will only be home for about two weeks of the remaining year, family gets all in a swirl, etc. The part that helps is the sweet moments that keep coming along. Predictable blessings, like Elliot coming in to snuggle with me in the morning. New roses blooming, berries, rhubarb, and squash, and peas ripening. The combination of the sweet and the sour is what gives our lives their unique flavor, and from this we gain wisdom, and learn better how to love.


Some choice quotes from "Sweet Old World" by Lucinda Williams:


The breath from your own lips, the touch of fingertips
A sweet and tender kiss
The sound of a midnight train, wearing someone's ring
Someone calling your name
Somebody so warm cradled in your arm


Millions of us in love, promises made good
Your own flesh and blood
Looking for some truth, dancing with no shoes
The beat, the rhythm, the blues

Independence Day

Now, that's pretty independent for a three year old, don't you think? All the kids at the fourth of July party had a great time in this little power tractor. They thought they were the coolest for getting to drive, even though they were crashing quite a bit. Luckily it didn't get up much speed, or someone could have been run over, as was a very unfortunate tomato plant. I love these little guys. They run around like at little pack of wild animals, and have a great time together.

Just Reviewing

These two boys just happened to both be taking swimming lessons last week, so when they got together, they had a great time in the pool and on the slip and slide in the back yard, as well as in the bath! Elliot's second week of swimming lessons was much more productive than the first week. Although he made it through week one of Skippers with no mom in the pool, he didn't like it much, and didn't learn to do much except be in the pool without crying. So for the second week, I decided to join him in the pool with the parent child class, which I found much more appropriate for him. The other kids were closer in age and abilities, and he was able to branch our much more having me there with him. Though it was still quite a process, he was able to blow bubbles in the water, learn to kick, learn to jump in, and finally on the last day, he figured out how to hold his breath. Before that, he was so stressed, he would always gasp under water and breath in water. But he had been practicing out of the water all morning, and he finally was able to do it. His favorite part of the week was getting in the spa after swimming lessons. He never wanted to get out of that one! But his friend, Gideon, has a much more adventurous personality, and Elliot was inspired by him. They ended up doing back floats in the bathtub. Sounds like no big deal, but this is something Elliot had NEVER done in swimming lessons, and had NEVER done in the bath. Normally he hates even getting his hair wet. It was so great to see him being motivated by his friend, and he was so proud of himself that he did it for about 2 hours till the water got cold. And, he has done it every bath since!