sukah baby turned one last weekend and i have been in a rather reflective mood this week- i have been thinking about how we smile more, we laugh more, we love more because of this sweet boy- how he is pure joy to behold….how beyond blessed we are to know the sweetest of happiness.

a friend once told us that our 4 year old has a lot of prana- it is the most beautiful word i have ever heard used to describe him! it is the perfect word and so true!  he is full of life and so.much.love. 

last week he graduated from swimming school earning is frog badge (the other being seahorse, which is a higher swim-level status). he took the class with his bestie luisa, also known as the princess (photgraphed above as they settled the argument, who is taller). we are so proud of him.   

{day 20 of august break}

i cannot say for sure because i have not actually counted but it would not be an exaggeration: i must smile 100 times a day…every single time i look at him. who wouldn’t? i love that sweet face!

{day 9 of august break}

i have been busy chasing the sun with my boys, staying cool in the proper summer that the end of june and july have generously delivered, and shortening my  to do list of projects…..

i will be back next week with more.

p.s.  i found this as i scanned headlines earlier this week.  i’m in. it is going to be good.

(more…)

is he not beautiful? i am busy enough planning activities, menus, in the middle of projects, and the list goes on…..but i just had to post this first polaroid of my bebe {polaroid week 2010 submission} .  he is so, so adorable! i don’t think we had any  idea how much he would change our existence. we smile more, laugh more, love more because of him. it is an incredible feeling.

we just finished a late, slow breakfast. it is a beautiful morning here in our part of the world. the sun is shining, the birds are singing…..quite hard to believe that we had freezing conditions yesterday with over 10 cm of snowfall- there is not a trace of it left. it is the begining of a four day weekend, i have all my boys home with me, and i am feeling happy.

one of my favorite things to do is to read, or learn about the way christian holy days coincide with nature and the turning of the seasons throughout the year. i discover more and more every year and there are so many- even certain saint’s days.  i may throughout this year share here the ones that i find to be really interesting.

eastertime celebrates the light of god, jesus, and his triumph over darkness (death) as spring begins,  the season of rebirth and the reawakening of nature.

flowers bloom, birds lay eggs, trees and plants are renewed. it also marks the beginning of the farming season.

this year i became curious about the symbols of easter after my son brought home his osterpalmen (easter palm, pictured above) from kindergarten. they made them to commemerate spring equinox and palm sunday.

they planted what he calls easter grass in plant pots, there is a cross in the middle of the pot that has a rooster or cockerel sitting at the top, in the center of the cross is myrte leaves (evergreen bush), and on either side of it is a moon and sun ( i assume to represent the equal balance of day and night), and of course there is a bunny made out of wool sitting in the grass.

what do the rooster, myrte, summer wheat grass, and bunny represent? easter eggs too.  well, according to the nature corner and all year round  (nightstand staples),  all of these symbols represent  and celebrate the emergence of new life, whether from nature’s renewal after winter or christ’s renewal through divine resurrection.

i love the correlations, the mutual relations. here is a brief summary: 

rooster- a natural symbol to proclaim or promise the coming of christ, the new covenant, new life, new season.

the myrte- an evergreen used instead of palm, as a symbol of “welcome”. 

grass- new growth, new life.

bunny- fertility

eggs- new life, rebirth

also, this year the coptic or greek orthodox and gregorian calendar easter happen to fall on the same date.

so happy easter to everyone!

i was home alone with my sweet bebe boy while my other two enjoyed skiing in the austrian alps over the last week.

we were lucky to have a few sunshiny days which of course prompted us to immediately go outside. 

i carried him in a wrap sling, pushed him around in his kinderwagen, soaking in the sun and its warmth.  

we checked out the new displays in the little antique shops in town,  browsed in bookstores, and shared lunch at a café with a breathtaking view of the swiss alps.

it felt like the whole world was smiling at us too-  or perhaps it was just the weather.

8 weeks old,  4 years old 

it was such a wonderful winter.

despite sleep deprivation , and despite the countless blizzards that left us with cabin fever and dreaming of spring.

it was honestly a wonderful winter.

thank you for all the best wishes. all the thoughts, prayers, gifts, and calls.

our spirits soared, raised so high by everyone’s collective happiness for us- what an amazing feeling.  thank you so much for sharing our joy.

it was truly a wonderful winter.

gabriel arrived january 22nd

into our hearts

currently being showered with love as he is passed along from the eager arms of one to the other

his big brother is so proud

and our hearts full of graditude and happiness

more photos here

hanging out with my sweetheart: playing king of the castle, enjoying orange spice tea with honey on cold, wet, afternoons

candlelit mornings:  starting cold, dark, days with a warm heart

girls night out: a friend’s brilliant idea/invitation to a bookbinding workshop evening

the weekends: staying in bed late playing and talking with my boys, i love late, slow, breakfasts with fresh bread from the bakery, i love not rushing to get the them out of the house

being let in on happy secrets: knowing plan details to a marriage proposal

~ these are just some of the simple things that have made me smile/happy this week ~

enjoy more simple things:    christina at soul aperture