Lately, the weather has been suddenly amazing and we are spending all day every day outside.

Almost.

Every once and a while we have to clean up the inside of our house, which is the opposite of amazing. Ultimately, I think it’s worth it.

We have been able to spend a lot of time with friends lately; last week Ellie visited us four afternoons in a row. We played in the garden all the time and even did some outside art. Edie has a hard time lately with stressing out about where Mama and Daddy are all the time (and if they will ever come back from where ever they have gone off to), so it was especially helpful to take that time to deliberately be together outside and push her comfort zone a little, and since there was a friendly buddy all the time it was easier to do. Her idea has clarified of what I might be doing in the garden if I happen to be a few feet outside of our house when she wakes up from nap. The girls had such sweet play, calling each other sisters and doting on baby Rory together… who wouldn’t?

On Monday we kicked off the week with a beach trip with a lot of friends. I was really encouraged by how many people showed up. It can be hard for mamas to get together, but we have a fun group of friends right now and it worked out for almost everyone to be there! We were at the sandy beach at Chinese Reconciliation Park, and the kids frolicked around the sand piles and water, working out their own little social world, for a few hours while the mamas got some much needed grown up conversation and social support themselves.

Sometimes it’s hard to hold on to the good things, but we’re trying to make as much good life as we can fit into our swirling seasons flinging around the sun. Exciting things coming up: lots of gardening, Edie’s birthday train ride to Portland, and not too far off, a family vacation with Aydan and Drake!