Cows and Pigs and...Elephants? Oh my!

December was jam-packed over here, one I'd like to think broadened everyone's horizons a bit. The month was kicked off by three days of animal admiration. Big B's first grade class took a field trip to our local dairy farm. I was so grateful to be invited to chaperone this one, as we use their delicious farm-fresh cream to make butter and I've always wanted to visit the source.
Such sweet and gentle animals.
It was amazing to watch them move as a huge group into the milking area. The cows knew which stalls to turn into, and seemed very polite with each other--no shoving, single file, etc. Hmmm, perhaps this was a subliminal message to the first graders?
The cows were given ample room to freely range.
The children were taken on a very malodorous hayride,
watched a piglet race,
and took turns bottle-feeding baby calves.
This little guy won my heart.

The next couple of days were consumed with Christmas decorating, us in our homes and the City outside. Our home has a rich circus history, and this year's downtown holiday parade welcomed two special guests: elephants, trucked in from Gainesville. We were able to get a sneak peek of their arrival, a special treat for which we were all very, very grateful. After much kid-patience, the elephants finally emerged from their chariot, in all their magnificence.

We are so grateful for these moments that allow our boys to open their eyes a little wider.

The Greatest Gifts

I have not posted here since December 1st. For me, that seems an eternity. It isn't for lack of material--goodness knows we've been a busy family. It just felt like the time to post and write about the things that bring us joy simply wasn't there. There has not been a moment's pause, a deep breath, a sit-and-relax hour in a very, very long time.

It is amazing how the universe works.

Today, just as things are spiraling a bit too chaotically for my comfort level, I receive the sweetest, most grounding gift imaginable. My twin sister, Aunt S, created a beautiful, 400+ page, hardcover book, comprised of all of the posts published here in this space over the last two years, as my Christmas present. Its slight belatedness added to its reception, as I was able to spend still moments looking through its gorgeous pages, remembering small details about my children, their papa, our creations, our adventures, our color walks, our love.

...and now, ironically, all I can think about is chronicling the wonderful things we did over the holiday, and rediscovering my pride in being the keeper of this family's story. I am so grateful to Aunt S for this gift, and can already feel my roots sinking deeper into the earth.

BONUS GIFT: as if that wasn't enough...a few hours later I received a surprise visit from The Voice of the Village, with the sole purpose of gifting me a bread machine--something I recently coveted at Aunt S's house. A full circle indeed. If there is anything that can help get one back to the basics, its breadmaking. And that's just what I intend to do. Live, laugh, love, create, write--and bake bread.

Thanksgiving 2010: An Ode to Trees

We tiptoed onto Papa's Grandma's land in the darkness, and were greeted the next morning, the day before Thanksgiving, by this magnificent tree. It was the perfect beginning, the perfect reminder to give thanks for the beauty that surrounds us. We celebrated it by adorning our trusty Vagabond with Andy Goldsworthy-esque devotionals.

Big B, little b and their Georgia kin experienced the joy of jumping into a huge crunchy leaf pile, making leaf angels, and basking in the shade and raining leaves of the changing trees. We read The Giving Tree a lot during the trip, resonating deep in the heart of our eldest, who called his favorite climbing tree "Mama Tree" and talked to her every day.
More tree love: deep into the swampland on a brisk four-wheeler ride, we found this incredible cypress wonderland.

At our family reunion on Saturday, we hosted a children's craft table. I braided raffia throughout the trip in preparation for more leaf crowns. Papa and the boys went on a leaf-hunting expedition and collected the most beautiful fall leaves I've ever seen. The kids were crowned, created leaf rubbings, and wrote their gratitudes on paper leaves.The most beautiful tree I saw over the weekend: the family tree. I am so lucky to have married into this family, and so thankful that my children have this kind of history and sense of home to revisit, connecting them to their roots.

After the reunion, we visited a dear friend's property, one of the most beautiful pieces of land I've ever stepped foot on. She took all of us on a magical four-wheeler ride just as the sun was setting. About twenty minutes into the ride, when all daylight was gone, she asked us to turn off our lights and engines. She told us about the forest fairies that help the trees grow and the flowers bloom. The fairies only come out on chilly nights when all is quiet. She told the children to watch out for them, glowing in the trees. We continued our ride, and sure enough, as we neared the creek, there they were--and our children were mesmerized. I am forever grateful for this sweet woman.

The morning we left, we helped Papa's grandma with another special tree, infusing us with Christmas spirit for the long ride home.

Driving away, we passed the orchard of pecan trees that finds its way into Papa's retirement dreams. Such a sense of peace is found between these branches.

Another Thanksgiving, come and gone. And I have never been more thankful for the gifts of my life than I am at this moment. Hoping you all had a restful holiday filled with pause enough to count your blessings.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Game...

There we were, all packed up for the football game and heading north on the highway, when we just decided it didn't feel right. We were late as it was, wouldn't have gotten there until halftime, and Big B and little b were taking turns wanting to go and not wanting to go (and there was never a time when the two were in sync). We decided to head home, when just at the right time, we got a phone call from a dear friend who told us about a fruit farm having a family festival. It was very close to where we were, and made a happy destination for four flustered folks.

We bought a fistful of tickets and let Big B and little b have their run of the place. They spent quite a bit of time in the Butterfly Garden, exhibiting rarely seen patience and caution.

They each tested their physical boundaries through various exploits in bouncing, climbing, springing, jumping and sliding.
We had a lovely picnic on the ground and saw lots of lovely things.
When it was time to go home, we had a few tickets left, and spent them on homemade donuts from this lovely woman. They were divine, and the boys were enthralled with the process.

Sometimes the best things happen accidentally. And sometimes, I believe, there are no accidents. The afternoon found us in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time. And all four of us were happily in sync.