Pilgrims at Oak Creek

This is my look exactly "Are we crazy?!" as we abandoned are oven home to shades of cool green.   Zander and I were both grumpy old men.  Especially, him.  He had a rough week at work and couldn't shake it, not quite yet.  Two weary parents packing up and leaving feels ridiculously hard.  When we arrive at Junipine, Ender finally caught on that we were tired and he reacted most annoyingly.  It was my turn to take the high road and let Zander go for a walk. Meanwhile Ender and I hunted tigers, climbed "mountains", and watched the Berenstein Bears. 

When Zander returned from his walk, you'd think he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.  He was a new man.  He did, indeed, walk with God, but then he mentioned something about an herb... say what?!  that apparently took his migraine pain away. Um... lets just say the rest of our vacation was groooovy.  :)

No, he didn't smoke this herb.  In fact, I think it was just a random creek plant he rubbed between his fingers and smelled the fragrance.  However, now our fall garden is going to be stuffed with medicinal herbs.  Zander suffers from migraines and he wants to lower his Ibuprofen intake.

It just seems like the two of us basking in solitaire and love.  Really, a healthy dose of our family is also meandering around the orchard.  This explains why Cora and I are so happy.  To spend the golden hour with living, breathing treasures who on the majority justify picking peaches and apples when in the back of their minds they know better.  Its one of those gray areas in life where we seem to find some color. 

I'm not going to lie.  It takes me a hundred photos of Cora to get one where she is not blinking, smirking, cross eyed, or succumbing to the lazy eye.  But I should just probably post those anyway.... authenticity, right zander? 

Im getting so excited for this girl to grow up.  She loves to swing and spin and be thrown in the air.  I have big plans for us involving theme parks.  Ender can come of course.  We need someone to hold our purses and snow cones while we plummet and hurl our way down the rollercoaster rails. 

Cora: my dolly girl in a cabbage patch cap.
Ender: relaxing & looking a lot like zander.

katie is a big girl now.  she is officially a teacher and I am so impressed, but not surprised by her accomplishment.  and if you want to have the most creative and thoughtful pen pal, she's your gal.  katie lives here in arizona now, but I loved it when she went back to Chicago for the summer to visit her family.  I would spend hours of my day preparing homemade packages and letters to her.  We would send our penpal love back in forth to each other till she came back for fall semester.  she knows the lost art of letters and handmade gifts and encouraged me to preserve it in my own life.  I usually don't give gifts unless I'm "inspired" or motivated (?).  So when an idea is seen on the horizon of my very tired and busy mind,  I force myself to chase it down even its simple like a care package to a cute girl.

I found out how to do an embroider stitch that agrees with my impatient fingers.  I will probably be stitching everything in zander's closet now with his name or a desert animal and maybe throw in a little heart here in there.  I got to leave my mark on him when he goes out and I don't wear perfume.

When big brother naps, its our one on one time.  She is a delight and I love smearing her gooey smiles into my neck.

 

Zander says that she is a pretty cute kid.....when she doesn't smile.  "That's absurd, you monster!"-said the mother gushing with love and pride and pure devotion. 

Above is my "aha!" moment:)  Yes its true.  Her smile reveals her inner and true nerdiness.  But that's just okay.  I want our kids to be ultra nerds like their dad :)  And can we just use nerd and magical interchangeably?

6 months

Cora's jammies are drenched in wine color.  And if you could feel the material, have mercy.  Like a second layer of gossamer baby skin.  They are hand me downs from her cousin Isla, and I said "I must have her whole wardrobe in this material.  I'll pay anything!"  Well...almost anything.  I researched.  KickeePants brand would break the bank. 

Enough about money.  I'm in love.