Oh What Fun!

Don't let the season pass by without seeing this play...


















We received free passes to see Ken Ludwig's "Twas the Night Before Christmas" at Adventure Theater. If you've never been to Adventure Theater, let me tell you....there's not a bad seat in the house. It's small and intimate which fosters a strong connection between the audience and the performance.

The play opens with a reading of the famous Clement Clark Moore poem,

"Twas the night before Christmas,
When all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse"...

but it is interrupted by a mouse stirring cookie batter. The mouse argues that the poem is incorrect because we can plainly see that he is a mouse AND he is stirring. The audience was overcome with laughter.

We soon learn of a plot to steal Santa's Naughty & Nice list and we are whisked away on a wild and hilarious adventure to save Christmas. The acting is superb. The sets are lovely and simple. It's fast paced and funny and will keep children (and parents) laughing from start to finish.


‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
November 18, 2011– January 2, 2012

Thinkering

Think left and think right and think low and think high.
Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try! ~Dr. Seuss

LEGO family day at the Smithsonian is Nirvana for Satch...

It was surprisingly quiet in the Luce with all the thinkering and tinkering, imagining and inventing.

During our stroll through the museum, Satch was drawn to Nam June Paik's piece. "LOOK at THAT" he exclaimed.

















Later, I told him how I met Nam June and what a character he was. How he invited me to his reception at the Guggenheim. How I practiced saying congratulations in his native language. It sounds like "choook hah hop nee dah", I said, "and I remember how he hugged me for that. I remember his laugh".

For a moment, I felt as though Nam June was standing right behind us and as my son looked at me with wide eyed rapt, I imagined I heard a distinct laugh.

Before we left, Satch spotted a guest book on a stand near the wall and decided to draw a picture in it instead of writing his name.

Feeling inspired by the magnificent art, the following day Satch went to work on a painting in my studio. "Mama", he said, "scan this and give a copy to the art museum, but keep the original, okay?"

Come Into the Peace

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. — Wendell Berry

A trip the mountains...

and a hike to the falls where we crossed paths with a black bear.

Gravity Sprinkled Upward

It's one of those magical places wise people
like to talk about.
One of the things they say about it, that is true,

is that, once you've been there,
you're there forever.
Listen, everyone has a chance.
Is it spring, is it morning?

Are there trees near you,
and does your own soul need comforting?
Quick, then— open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song
may already be drifting away. — Mary Oliver

(Such Singing in the Wild Branches)


This was a beautiful weekend for our family. We took a trip to the mountains for a celebratory Spring hike. Something happens when you're looking down from 3,385 feet in the air, something shifts, you gain new perspective and feel such a sense of peace.

Satch in his usual fashion turned over logs and stones to discover their mysteries. He was smitten with this millipede. At least, we think it was a millipede because it had mighty short legs and a whole lot of 'em. 

We found some small bones and claws and nearby, 2 very weathered owl pellets which we took home for dissection.

It was also the weekend of the Perigee Moon. We celebrated with a moonrise picnic of cheese and crackers and glow sticks, of course.

 

Neighbors and friends joined us, sharing Moon Pies and conversation as we watched the Perigee Moon glow orange, then white as it rose higher.

In the morning Satch went straightaway to dissecting his owl pellets while his dad and I sipped our coffee. The pellets had clearly been exposed to the elements for quite some time we so decided it would probably be safe. Nevertheless, there was careful washing of hands and equipment afterward. Satch was excited by his haul of small bones. Some info on owl pellets here.

We are feeling very inspired by TWO new books that we had the honor to review!

Seasons by award winning author/artist, Anne Crausaz. This book explores the 4 seasons through 5 senses. I love the illustrations and color and the underlying message of fully experiencing the unique beauty of each season.

Around One Log by Anthony D. Fredericks is a rhymic story that explores the ecology of a rotting log and the community of creatures that make their home there. The story celebrates the interconnectedness of life on our planet. There is a section of field notes that contain facts about the animal characters in the story as well as a section filled with nature activities and projects.

These two lovely books make perfect springtime reading!


On Sunday we'll be attending a Native American Drumming Circle in honor of Springtime. I can't think of a better way to celebrate a season of re-birth and new beginnings. Oh Spring, thank you for another chance to break free from all that inhibits our growth.

What's Worth

"You can tell what's worth a celebration because your heart will POUND and you'll feel like you're standing on top of a mountain and you'll catch your breath like you were breathing some new kind of air." - Byrd Baylor (I'm in Charge of Celebrations)

Sometimes we just need to. We need to drive to the mountains, especially in Autumn when the colors are so many. We need to stand on 1 billion year old rocks...

and watch the sun set, and celebrate the glory of it with dinner at 3,000 feet...

and feel all swirly when the sun disappears completely and the lights from the towns in the valley turn on and it looks like the stars are shining above and below and we're just floating there.

Sometimes we need to feel our hearts soar like they did at Cirque du Soleil's Ovo. Sometimes I need to watch you soak it all in, cautiously releasing your sensory related concerns that someone may touch you, hiding your face then relaxing into wide eyed awe - unfolding yourself like a leaf. Sometimes we need to celebrate wonders and unfoldings and eat veggie burgers at the National Harbor with your school chums - riotous laughter engulfing the kiddie table.

Sometimes we need a little merriment and mirth at the renaissance festival, and watch the glass artist make a goblet from a glob of melted sand and play Drench the Wench and yell HUZZAH to the talented, witty actress who made us laugh, shouting mild insults at the crowd for a dunk.

Sometimes you need to push past your SPD and ride a pony for the first time. Sometimes I need to hold my breath and wait for your expression to change from fear to joy.

















When you cheer at the joust, I cheer for you, for your closed fists opening to touch...






















and for the tilt of your head looking up at the stilt walkers...

and for saying that you can't wait to do it all again next Autumn...and for seeing you in your robot pajamas clomping around the dining room table on your green monster stilts, imagining!

You sense this world, this life more sharply than most - every sight, sound, scent, taste, touch, texture received deeply without filters. And the rest of us? We seem to sail more calmly, our perceptions dulled with our own experience and illusion of time. Perhaps we could all use a smidge of your awareness.

Unreluctant Soul:: All It Beholds: Birthday Weekend Part One

Let the eye enlarge
with all it beholds.
I want to celebrate
color, how one red leaf
flickers like a match
held to a dry branch,
and the whole world goes up
in orange and gold. - Linda Pastan (Autumn)

It was my birthday weekend and there was the hayride to the pumpkin patch...beauty alighting everywhere..."and one more for our spirit cat", he said...then the swift passing rain shower that blew across the blackberries...and over the barns...until the sun poked through and sparkled the bejeweled grass, to the delight of the chickens...and the wee little piggy who likes to be scratched...and the boy who loves all of this...and pans for fossils...and celebrates the seasons, the moments, the colors, this earth, this life.

Muchness

We all had a rockin' time at the Billy Jonas concert in DC on Saturday and you can watch the whole show right HERE! After the show we shared pizza, and laughter with friends. Our collective four kidlets bonded straight away, then played 'til they dropped.

On Sunday, we went to the Lego Festival. NOISY, CROWDED, but lots o' bricks!

It was the perfect ending to a perfect week...

S had a terrific time at Nature Camp and he was so proud of himself for this new milestone. He also completed the next level swimming course. However, he was not able to swim the full 15 feet on his back so he did not pass his test, but he received a lovely gift for his effort from his swimming teacher, 2 beautiful chunks of jade stone that he picked up on his trip to Brazil. How cool is that!

I had a soulful time creating with the Mighty Girls and witnessing part of their becoming.

Full Soul & Water

That summer all the world
was soul and water, light glancing off peaks...
And I learned to stand and wait
for you to swim to me. - Michael Simms


This is the boy who once screamed over a drop of water on his face.
This is the boy who just learned how to swim under water.
This is the boy who went down "THE BIG SLIDE" in the deep end.
This is the boy who passed his test and got his swimming certificate.

It's been a full week.
Full of achievements.
Full of excitement.
Full of adventure.

Full of joy.

Babysitting for our neighbor's boys and having a grand time of it. The hike to the pond and playground. The domino rallies and fudgesicles.

A playdate with a cherished old friend...two boys finding their rhythm and laughing wildly about who knows what.

Day tripping with newish friends to the National Aquarium to visit the sharks and jellies.

The exciting and powerful storm that came out of nowhere.
Making it home safely.

Joyful Moments (and a winner)

"This moment contains all moments" - C.S. Lewis

There were many moments of joy last week. There was the moment where we wrangled some neighbors to join us on our weekly walk to the farmers market, then getting crafty with our friends from At Play Cafe next to the peaches. Watching S ride his balance bike back and forth through the puddle. Making it home before the rain. Seeing his little hands shell peas and how he said, "shelling makes NO sense, it should be called UN-shelling". When the doorbell rang and in bounded the neighbor's sweet kids (one with a fistful of clover flower) and how their mom sat on the kitchen floor with me to finish shelling. And then eating those delicious fresh peas for dinner with pasta and spinach ricotta pesto...

The Solstice picnic at his future school. The cool peeps there. The fun and challenging scavenger hunt with cryptic clues. The honey colored light. The one with the potato canon whose perfect imitation of some dismayed ducks brought me much laughter. The beautiful wee babe with the long toes. The boy who said, "you're really nice". Watching the kids catch fireflies while wearing the glow rings that I gave them. S pulling me in the wagon before sunset. The way he smelled of summer, warm cotton and sweet grass. When he spotted two planets in the sky on the way home and correctly identified Mars.

Making Father's Day pancakes with S. His excitement about flipping them all by himself. The carnival at Town Center. His first time on a Ferris Wheel. The moment when his expression changed from that of apprehension to one of joy.

*Because of his sensory processing, he's wary of new experiences...he wants to try them, but it takes him awhile to let go and have fun - the expression on his face (below) when he's in struggle is altogether heartbreaking for me, but his proud smile after facing his inner conflict and choosing joy is worth it.


















How he wanted to sample some carney-confections, especially the one that looks like insulation.

And that moment, unsure of the textural experience, yet wanting to say something positive he declared it, "very pullable".









His first time trying a snow cone and how LIME was the color of antifreeze. He said, "refreshing".



















His face as he came down the big slide and when he went back THREE more times. 

Saying YES to the dart game that he so wanted to play. When he popped the balloon on the first throw and won his prize!




















And how my mind flooded with childhood memories: Riding the Ferris Wheel with my grandmother. When my daddy played darts to win me a prize...how I was afraid of the sharp darts and the loud pop of the balloons. Riding the Merry-go-round, waving to my family as I rode by, and the loud music. My grandfather winning me a goldfish with a ping pong ball. My mother eating cotton candy on a paper stick.

Speaking of winners and joy...it brings me great joy to announce the winner of the Time to Remember Giveaway (drumroll)