Yesterday Charlie turned 7. How is this possible that he has grown up so fast? He was just born. He is such an amazing boy-so honest, thoughtful, funny, spirited, brilliant, loving, forgiving, adventurous, athletic, caring, handsome, cool, stylish. I mean really, Charlie, you really impress me and I love you sooo much, more than you will ever know (but I hope you do know so you can feel good knowing how loved and admired you are).
Halloween was so much fun. Pizza here with the Wollins, drinks at the Leahys and trick or treating with friends all over the neighborhood. Nelly came up with the genius and adorable idea of being a carrot so Scottie and I joined her with Scottie also a carrot and me a bunny. Charlie was a Pokemon, shark and like skywalker all in the same day and Teddy an adorable orange Pokemon guy. I let them eat all the candy they want for two days and then trade them money for it and let them go buy toys. Seems like the best of both worlds.
“Lamb la shoot!” Scottie trying “I love soccer!” In French.
They LOVED Paris. Went everywhere, drank so much hot chocolate, are so many croissants, played with their dear friends Kaia, Noa and Shen. Charlie learned a few French phrases and had fun ordering for himself in French and buying things in stores. Palais de Tokyo, Eiffel Tower, Centre Pompidou, Luxembourg Gardens, Deyrolle, the Marais…
Scottie “I’m putting my secret in Nelly’s heart and then she will put it back in my hear later.”
Nelly “Yes, I am.”
Such a sweet explanation of sharing a secret.
Just returned from mini tour of Europe with mini traveling circus…
Here is London
Scottie sitting on a chair in the National Gallery of Scotland yelling out “Queen of Scotts, everybody, I’m the Queen of Scotts!”
Yesterday
Edinburgh Castle
Coke in the Cafe
Spoon of Scorn
National Gallery
Old town and New Town
Bridges
Grefriars Bobby and then all day talking about which dogs are dead and which are alive
Dinner in a Gastropub
Sleeping at The Knight Residence
Today
Leisurely breakfast
Tour around Moray Place
Scone Palace- inside, I Spy, cemetery, peacocks
Beatrix Potter Garden at Birnam- dressed up, played school, puppet show, loved it, had hot coco
Drove through Pitlochry
passed sheep, cows, horses, “land formations”
Got to Kingussie and the Greystone B&B (that has a grey dog and grey cat), saw the chickens, walked over fields and hills, Scottie yells out when lagging behind “Wait for the Queen of Scots!”
Had dinner in a pub
Kids all sleeping in the same room. Nelly says “I don’t want to sleep next to a fireplace filled with porcupines. ” and I said “Oh those are pinecones and then come from trees and won’t hurt you.” Taxidermy is everywhere here. And we saw a sign advertising the World Porridge Making Championship.
I haven’t been writing for a while because I’ve been so busy living life and because I’ve been wondering how best to organize this blog since there is so much I want to say and so many ways I want to say it. I figure it’s time for a little blog adjustment and tweaking. This blog is mostly a journal for me to write to my children about me and them and the world and so that I can reflect upon the wonderful wonderful life I’m lucky enough to live and all the joy and wonder that goes along with it (as so sappy and goofy as that sounds) so I can share the thoughts I’m fortunate enough to have with my children.
I am not totally sure how to organize this, but I will start with writing each day and posting “Loves (objects, high or low that are cool, people that I admire)” “Littles (about my children and their world)” “Lessons (what ” “Learning”
I’m also tossing any attempt to write in any certain style out the window-actually, not that there ever was a style-and just going total stream of consciousness.
So children, I love life. I love all of it. Every bit of it. It is awesome and so cool and beautiful and perfect in it’s imperfections. I hope you love life as much as I do and can help others to love it to. I feel that part of my purpose in life is to make other people love life. And most of all, I love you.
On hunansofny instagram account today, there was a post from a lady in Jerusalem, who said of her life “There have been very good parts and very bad parts, but in the end, I love life. Every night before I sleep, I ask God for three more years, so that I can make it an even one hundred. Then I recite a blessing that my mother gave me when I left her in Poland. It was the last time I saw her. The blessing is much more powerful in Hebrew, but it says: ‘Wherever you go, may people always recognize that you have a beautiful heart.’” Could there be anything more beautiful? I want that for my children too…
I haven’t written in a while
Because I’ve been looking for time to sit down and type so much information and because we’ve been immersed in back to school fun but I figure something is better than nothing. Fall has been so great , all the children happy to be in school, me happy to be at the schools with them and watching them be so happy, fun activities, new and old friends. I love it. All my little learners are eager, enthusiastic and engaged. What more could one want?
