boyhood

Odin,

You're very quickly becoming a little boy. The first year went by so quickly but every so often I catch your newborn smell as I nuzzle and kiss the top of your head. Sometimes the newborn days already seem so far away but often I get heavy flashbacks to moments from just last year. I cannot believe how perfect you are and how lucky I am that you've chosen me to be your mumma. You have growing interests. You enjoy looking at books now and even browse through my magazines. You have favorite toys, one being your papa's childhood "blue kitty." You recognize more and more words each day and you sometimes tell me a new one that you've learned. You love people, everyone really. When a guest visits, you warm up within seconds and jump in their arms to say hello.

You are so perfect and everyday you grow increasingly more so.

I love you with all of my being, with all of the fire in my heart. You fill my heart so full that I often fear it will spill over (and when you smile at me, it usually does).

I love you so much my boy.

Love,

your mumma

xo

blueberry picking

When our little Einstein bed-headed boy woke up next to his favorite ball, he was immediately up and ready to adventure. We've been planning to pick blueberries for some time now and it was nice that today worked out just perfectly and we were able to get out to Millbrook. We picked up our friend Rob on the way and after parking, ventured out to some of our favorite locations. Zak, having grown up on island, knows some of the prime spots. As a rowdy teenager, after having left his mum's house, he lived in a tent with a friend out in Millbrook and would feast on blueberries during season every morning. This spot in particular is sentimental to him for that reason, but it's also sentimental to me. My first year on island, I picked blueberries with a couple friends and it was the first time I had done anything like it. I had picked oranges from our backyard orange tree when I was very little, but berries seem different, more exhilarating? 

I'm so happy Odin was able to enjoy it this year, spending some time in the sling and some time on his own. Of course, picking blueberries with a one-year-old who's favorite food is blueberries made the event a 'two steps forward, one step back' sort of ordeal. He would eat the blueberries from the jar as I picked them and eventually ate most of what I had collected. 

I want to make a pie and Zak wants to make mead so we'll have to make a few more trips out this week to forage for more, but I think overall (with the blueberry monster in tow) we did very well! I'm so excited to make a locally harvested blueberry pie. Maybe if we collect enough, I'll be able to try my hand at jam too!

bed

Odin loves playing on the family bed. It's like an in-home trampoline. He runs around in the day with Paloma and then rolls around right before bed. I've always assumed it was because he was born at home in our bed that he loves it so. He's always been happiest there and it's the go-to place when we're having a rough day. Our pre-bed routine involves the typical dinner, toothbrushing, and book-reading, but it also involves lots and lots of rolling around, giggling, and dancing. Our bed plays a very large role in our daytime routine and it's definitely a happy place!

Also, his dance moves are pro.

 <3

cloudy day, outside play

I love our new place. I love it, I love it, I love it. The field is huge and our garden is bigger than our apartment. I have my own separate art studio space with it's own door (that's huge when you have a 15 month old and have things to work on while papa watches him). Our house itself is a little tiny, but I normally like smaller living arrangements. The only thing I would change would be to have a slightly larger kitchen as I have newly discovered a slight love for baking and cooking. Our most utilized space (the babies and I) is the courtyard outside of our front door. It's huge and has a giant raspberry patch. It has tons and tons of flowers and has quite a few trees covering a small walkway. It's absolutely divine and the babes and I adore it. My favorite bit is the fact that it's entirely fenced in. It's so perfect! I can open the front door and prepare lunch inside while the little ones run around outside playing, not that I don't peek my head out every minute or so just to check. 

It was very cloudy today and I was afraid to pack the babies up and venture off, just incase it began to rain. Normally Paloma hops in the stroller and Odin rides in the sling. I really didn't want to be caught out in the rain so we decided to stay home. Of course they had ridiculous amounts of fun anyway and discovered loads of new things. Paloma really wanted to catch a bumblebee although I continuously insisted she shouldn't. They played peek-a-boo with each other from behind our big barn storm doors. They climbed up the steps and ran down the walkway. They feasted on raspberries fresh from the earth.

Although we were stuck at home, I think I would call today a very good day.

birthday parties and toddler toddles

These babes are pretty precious. As always, Odin's favorite toy is a ball. His cousin, Evelyn, is visiting and they had the best time running around Meme's house. 

Family BBQ

With summer time comes all of Zak's family! We were so lucky to all be able to hang out together and have an amazing barbecue dinner. I am so lucky to have been welcomed into this amazingly sweet fam, and everyday I'm a little more grateful. Here are some photos from the summer celebration.