freeze

frozen

The river flows with fresh crystal coverings. Mother nature is twisted here.  Seasons completely missed. A blink of autumn has submerged into a long winter. whiteness  pure and clean. Hiding the reality of what lies beneath....but stabbing  at our  fragile thin layers....we hide inside, in layers, protecting what is and will be. bundled we slide through, a bond too strong to break....And then the sun shines and the snow melts again.

Time past and Time rolls on



This just 6 months ago in our new home, with our new chicks! Time before and time today...two years of catching up seems much too impossible. If I could I would tell of the day we decided to leave our mountain home after 11 years.  How I posted a craigslist for it as a rental and the rest was a blurrrrrr back in March of 2012. How we rented and packed in 15 days. How we moved from an acre with a condo in Lyons, Colorado!

I would tell of the summer or 2012. We played baseball. We rode bikes for ice cream and played everyday in the river.

I would write for days about our first fall in town. Our love for Hippie at The Stone Cup that we visit everyday...not for the coffee but the community. I would tell all about 'Feet on the Earth' a primitive woods program the boys began that season. How Cedar still reminds me how thankful he is we ever found these kind folks and such amazing land.

How exactly 1 year ago Cedar did 190 burpees in 12 minutes leaving me in the dust! I would tell of our dear friends we meet at parks, and on romps while the leaves fell. I would take the time to be in all the holidays celebrating life amongst COMMUNITY!!! I could write about our amazing winter skiing and snowboarding with all the Eamonn's. Truth took on the skis, cedar on a board and Orien cruising ski style! I would write about our first Hut trip and how amazing it felt to be surrounded in a forest with just us for a couple days.

I would take the time to describe the intense and stressful sell of our mountain home. And the emotional transition of buying or sweet home from the Manzellas (our dear friends). How we moved in April in so much snow. How the kids immediately felt at home and remembered what it was like to have a yard! I would add the story of Ruby, our silly New Mexico Mutt! Our new chicks and new neighbors. Our alley of kiddos that kept us busy all summer.

I would write of the loss of friends who moved far and near. How we traveled to MN for a great summer getaway...and returned with Bedbugs. Bedbugs that's a whole nother story that taunted our late summer....How we heated a home not once or twice but three times to escape that part of our life.

I would pause and write of Truthy's first day at K. Orien's first day at AppleSong school. How I cried when I walked away from them knowing they were happy and ready for the adventure. And then the

FLOOD

That was all before the flood. On Sept 12 at 2 am everything changed. A book cold be written about this part of our lives. Our sweet town was flooded. We were told to leave and there wasn't a return time. I lost my job in an instant. How we drove out with a pop-up, 2 cars, animals, and a freezer full of food. This part will forever have changed us. How we moved in with the Manzellas who were no longer friends but family. How sweet people lent us a RV. I could write about the adventures of going away only to end up in a hospital with Cedar for 3 days with phenomena. How that forever changed him.  How his anxiety heightened to vomiting at any given time for a few weeks. I could write about the first night out of the hospital in a FEMA hotel, my son attached to oxygen for 10 more days. How we needed my Mom to help is get through. I would write of the school blessings. Both schools re-located and kiddos were so thankful to return.

I could write about Starbucks, and others who were so generous to us. Who put us up, sent caring notes and gifts. How strangers were friends. I could write about Salvation Army and their amazing organization. After almost 2 months we returned home with sewer, water and gas. How I laid in bed that first night and cried myself to sleep with such mixed emotions for being home while so many can't return.

I remember when the neighbors came home. The kids began playing. Cedar relaxed. I had no clue just how much being home really changes everything.

And then that brings us to today.

The town is in fixing mode. It will be for a long time. The Holidays are amongst us. We celebrated Halloween here and next week Thanksgiving.

I call this the year of transitions. We have one more. One that makes my heart hurt. We have decided to transition away from public school to AppleSong. We attempted school and Truthy feel in love. We didn't. We love her teacher and class. We can't wrap ourselves around the race to "reading" before Truthy is ready. We don't want to see her bright light and love for learning diminish as she tries to keep up. And so with our hearts heavy for Truthy we have said our byes to her teacher and entering her new school after Thanksgiving. I know she will once again find happiness in her new school. It kills me to see her sad to leave her class.I am ready to put 2013 to sleep.

I am thankful and exhausted after this last year!

winter wonderland!

The woods bring us laughter, love, light, unity, community, cooperation, chills, heat, and much much more. And I'd lie if I did this all for my kids. There was a reason 12 years ago that  I graduated from college with an Outdoor Recreation Education degree! I do this for us. Whenever in doubt of the "why were homeschooling?" I just remind myself of our forest time. When Cedar began a Options (home school/school day once a week) the teacher asked him to draw about his favorite part of home life was. He drew a picture of the forest. I was filled up to see how much our time in the forest means to him. At times I need the woods to remind me that this is the foundation for all of our homeschooling or more simply put living.  I am most connected to my family, friends, myself, while amongst the snow caped mountains and  with chilly fingertips! This year has brought change. We have spent 2 years being in a decent rhythm with our school rituals. This year we have been religious with our forest time and a bit "unschooled" with our home time. We still enjoy Enki. We have begun our second grade curriculum We have spent the last few weeks working with Stalking Wolf and Native American Trickster Tales. I hope to capture all if this in a blog soon! As for today  it was a magical winter wonderland....we played with our dear friends in the fresh snow at Bear Lake. We built, re-built, and played in the igloo with my favorite peak in the distance.

We are thankful to have friends willing to romp. We are thankful for our Forest School community. We are so thankful to live in these beautiful Rocky Mountains!

 

Boy Friends

There isn't much I have to say about them that isn't already being shown. They are pure love. They are Soul mates as Guthrie's Mama said! They are full of love, life, fires, police, silly conversations,  no conversations, laughing, smiling. I love their Love! I love them. I'd love to have a friend that I could put my arm around all the time and know they wanted to as well. Friends that simply understand each other. I am so thankful that Orien has friend like this.

Little Girls

just a normal moment for Little T! Dressing up, playing with babies, and talking talking talking!

Soccer and Endings all too soon

Another week is amongst us. A week Cedar is definitely not ready for to end.  Fall comes, heat depletes, and were luckily left with green fields. Free to laughing, wrestling, running, kicking, guarding, happy 5-7 yr old. I am sad for us as a family. Saturday rituals of watching the Tigers play games. Chatting with other families, being apart of a friendly community.  I'm  the Mom on the sidelines, yes the loud cheerleader, the  one excited by every kiddos attempts!  Surprise I know! At times I try to keep my mouth shut but can't. It's those moments where I realize this is who I am ...I  am the one yelling, laughing and encouraging. (sorry parents who I am annoyed!!!) We will miss this fall tradition as the snows start falling and the fields turn brown. Where else can we watch kids soccer while Elk rutt and bugle feet away! Where else can we turn and see snow capped mountains while sipping hot chocolate and finishing another chilly soccer day!?

My boys Love soccer.

Cedar loves everything about the sport. From the endless running, dribbling, passing, and of course scoring goals!!!!  He is a team player. He is a talker and planner. He seems to get that at times better to do then expect others to do! He is a leader. A position I haven't seem his in until now. He has strategy, gets his teammates on the same page and goes. I have really enjoyed watching him bloom during this season. I stand strong  in our decision to keep him as a 1st grader this year. He has had the season to build self esteem, mature not only as a boy, but athlete and student.  He has gotten to feel old, and big Something he rarely feels wearing his baggy size 6 pants!!! I love seeing Cedar yell  out to us from the field  when he gets another point, showing with his fingers the score! Then he skips back to the middle for another kick off. It doesn't get any better for a Mama then seeing sheer bliss across my boys faces.

Orien has become a soccer lover as well. I expected no more then a free, happy Orien out on the field. I was shocked at the first practice when he had control of the ball and looked ever so confident cruising down the field. He scored his first goal in a game and is still grinning weeks later. He has strategy and confidence and I couldn't be more happy for him. He can stand in the goalie box  not intimidated, while I close my eyes as the balls come cruising near him! He knows the game, plays the game and ends everyday saying "Mom, I like Soccer!"

Winter came fast this season. After a week of frolicking in a carpet of colorful fallen leaves came this beautiful winter wonderland. It's funny how the forecast for snow mad me feel robbed of a full autumn, when my family awoke to fresh falling snowflakes there wasn't anything thing but pure joy!!! King winter made  a guest appearance with Autumn still shining, piled heavy, wet, snow and then escaped within a half days work! He had soccer cancelled, kiddos outside roasting hot dogs around a fire, and me finding the love for warm winter boots. So now with only a few hidden piles of snow, may we return to autumn! There is still piles of leaves to jump in, colors to collect and stash away for a grey midwinter day, and loose cool clothing to be worn! Welsome King Winter and good bye for now.