Merry, Merry

When we landed in Santa Barbara a year and a half ago we saw it as a temporary landing spot, never imagining that we would be living long term in our “hometown.” Thankfully, God’s imagination and creativity surpasses our limited perspectives.

After ten months (!) with David and Judy, last spring we settled into a little cottage in Montecito. What it lacks (dishwasher, closet space and square footage) is made up for in quirky charm, proximity to the beach and an excellent school district. Santa Barbara has offered quite the homecoming-- it’s healing our hearts to be surrounded by great friends, our Elmo church family and experiencing the adventures of this special city as a family.

Mark works with Visiting Nurses and Hospice (a well respected S.B. non-profit) as a hospice chaplain. It is a good match for his gentle, listening heart—he provides calm strength and security to his client’s transition to the other side of life. He just completed his fiduciary coursework in record time and will test for certification this spring. With a couple of clients he has already started working with, Mark looks forward to building this business of guiding and protecting those in need.

Leah continues her work with Eat Drink Garden (www.eat-drink-garden.com), the position is a mix of everything—project management, editing, marketing, organizing and yes, a little taste testing. This season is about learning to balance, re-balance, set priorities and just let go of trying to do it all (basically every mama’s mantra). Even with work she truly enjoys, Leah’s most peace-filled, joy-filled moments are when she is at home just being mom. Now that we’re more settled, the hope for the new year is to have the time and space for reading, writing, baking and beach walks.

Ben loves kindergarten-- computer lab, art class, science, reading, music and mime class (yes, you read that correctly)-- he has jumped into every new experience with gusto. Daily he grows taller and wiser, but still wants Leah to sing him “You Are My Sunshine” at bedtime and will hold our hands crossing the street. His favorites are karate, Legos, Star Wars, boogie boarding, negotiating for “screen time” and wrestling with his baby sister. He will forever be our little, bald cutie-pie, yet we watch in wonder as he transforms into a hardworking, enthusiastic big kid.

Clara continues to be a study in contradictions. Her most requested items are Pellegrino and BBQ sauce. Part scrappy tomboy, part cuddly comforter—we try to step back, let her lead the way and watch what happens next. She loves dogs, dinosaurs, arts and crafts, hanging out with big brother, baseball hats and has fallen hard for horses. We’re trying to figure out a way for her to pursue this equestrian passion without resorting to bank robbery. Her thoughtful kindness, love for all things chocolate, resilient strength and those denim blue eyes seem to hold our hearts captivated.

Our life looks different that we ever anticipated; yet we can’t imagine it any other way. There are many moments (some large, but mostly small) that feel like bright signs declaring, “You are in the right place.” It’s far from perfect, settled or even peaceful, but day by day we are given small confirmations that our job is to keep taking steps forward and trust God to show the way.

Any update would be incomplete without a huge thank you to all of our friends and family. Starting over requires a stripping down to the barest part of your self and security. You’ve wrapped around us with the warmth of true love, friendship and encouragement. Our marriage, family, personalities and dreams have your beautiful fingerprints all over them.

Merry Christmas with love, joy and gratitude,

Casa Watson 

Big thanks to the talented Evan Janke for these family photos.

October Round-up

The biggest news of October was Ben turning into a six-year old! 

Ben hosted a Legos Guy’s Night. Well, the guys plus Gigi and Clara.

The birthday boy is a true Lego Master. Ben was the winner of guess how many Legos in the jar, being off by just one number.

One of our favorite brother/sister pics of all time.

Artist at work.

Clara found a flat rock and turned it into her phone. She then proceeded to make a few “very important” calls.

Leah's fifteen year Westmont reunion weekend, including a stop at the Westmont art museum where Judy had an installation and Clara made sure to get plenty of cuddle time with "Auntie Nise."

Clara rode in her first horse show over Halloween weekend. She dressed up as Indiana Jones, rode Sprinkles and loved every minute.

Feeling the Force

Our dear friends AJ & Valerie know how to throw a party unlike any other; it’s always delicious, incredible and fun. When the invite came for a joint birthday bash with a campy seventies theme the costume choice was obvious.

Leah has a mistress of disguise on speed dial (also known as Adena, Westmont roommate extraordinaire) giving her an instant princess ensemble. Enter in a couple kiddie blasters spray painted black (this is a serious operation, people) a black vest and blow-dryer for Han and we were ready to fight the forces of darkness— or at least eat some mighty fine fried chicken, drink Champagne and dance for hours.   

Our party partners, Matt and Kristi!

The Eat Drink Garden Crew: Valerie and Julia.

The best part of the night was being total rock stars to the kids. I don’t think they ever wanted Leah to take that wig off…except when Clara wanted to wear it.

Winner's Circle

Part of the legacy of the Watson clan is a strong sense of fairness, kindness and compassion. You’re taught to try your best, play fair, be a good a sport and think of others first. We aren’t an overly competitive crew, which comes in handy considering we aren’t exactly athletic powerhouses. So, it was simply a nostalgic heart of remembering his own Boy Scout days that Mark signed the kids up for the Pinewood Derby at the YMCA.

Leah’s dad, “Pop-Pop” was in town the weekend before the big event and we charged him with the task of taking these blocks of wood and turning them into race worthy machines. Pop-Pop admitted his pinewood derby skills were a bit rusty, so he asked his brother for a few tips and set to work with the kids. Ben and Clara were proud of their cars and started counting down to race day.

Every day we would stress that the main point of this was to have fun and prepped the kids that their cars wouldn’t win every race (secretly praying that they would each win at least one round). Driving to the Y that morning we practiced the art of lowering expectations, lectured on good sportsmanship, the whole drill.

Let’s just say there were some very competitive dads on race day. The other race cars were souped up, streamlined and weigh-in was serious business. Ours were strong, simple, sturdy— reflecting good Scottish sense. We did a few rounds of test racing Ben against Clara, with Ben always just beating Clara out in the end. With our eye on the fancy racers and serious dads we smiled and prepped ourselves for disappointed kiddos.

But then the race bracket began and our cars kept winning— EVERY SINGLE TIME. Car after car they left in the pinewood derby dust. We were totally amazed and everyone else was totally frustrated. Pop-Pop had engineered speed machines. The only time Clara lost was in the final round to Ben. This was after they both had beat out a multiple-pinewood-derby-champion.

It was great. We cheered, we jumped, we text messaged updates to Pop-Pop the whole time. And here’s the thing— even nice guys like to finish first once in awhile. Every now and then, your team just needs a win. And a win that comes so unexpectedly reminds you what grace feels like and you want to share that lavish joy and love to others. 

But we won’t be sharing our pinewood engineering secrets— those are reserved solely for the Smith/Watson tribe, that's only fair. XOXO

School Days

Ben met the first day of kindergarten with enthusiasm and a dose of nervous excitement. The three of us left in the doorway as he walked into his classroom were a little bit of a mess…it's a bittersweet marker of time, independence and change.

Clara was out of sorts without her brother by her side (they met every day at preschool lunchtime to eat together) and we were out of sorts those first few days wanting to make sure he was settling in and making friends. We had no reason to worry— Ben has jumped right into school, loving everything and everyone. Clara found her groove once preschool started and it was her chance to be the big kid on the playground.

It’s been a bit bumpy finding our rhythm and remembering everything that needs to go in and come out of that backpack. Our favorite part of the day is sitting down to dinner with both kids filled with new adventures and discoveries to share. It’s both really wonderful and really hard to watch our little world grow bigger and more complex. 

Summer put Clara in major tomboy mode. Ben insisted that for his first day of school she wear a dress and then picked out his favorite (Yellow, of course!). When she put it on, he said accusingly, “See, Clara you look pretty.”

Baby girl moves from being a “Butterfly” to a “Bear” at All Saints by the Sea.

First day of school outfit for Clara, chosen by Mommy.

Second day of school outfit, chosen by Clara.

Knock, Knock

After living for five and half years in a small southern town, where everyone had known everyone else for generations and we were the perpetual “newbies” (there was never a chance of running into an old friend at the grocery store) it is absolutely wonderful to be back in a place where we have history, connections and many dear friends rolling through Santa Barbara. 

This summer has brought a steady stream of people knocking on our cottage door. We now carry a deeper appreciation for those faithful connections. Ben and Clara have become our official greeters— they love all the visitors and the side benefit of mom making lots of desserts.

We were lucky enough to have the Gernhardt family with us for dinner as they made their whirlwind trip down the coast. We hadn’t seen each other in nine years and every moment was treasured. The Bussells’ joined us and it became an old school El Montecito Presbyterian reunion. Melinda and Leah cried as they said good-bye, because after years of only e-mail, phone calls and Christmas card to have a friend with you in the flesh is incredible and bittersweet.

The “Blair Boys” along with the fab Miss Heidi have mythical status at our house. The kids are always in awe watching three boys running around and playing. Clara is very conscious to give Heidi extra cuddles because she “has all those boys and no little girl.” An afternoon at the Natural History Museum followed by a segregated dinner (kids in the house, parents on the patio) made for a great day. Chad and Heidi are always an inspiration because they have figured out how to be present parents while pursuing their own passions and interests. I guess we all kind of have a crush on the Blair Boys +1.

The kids trying to be statues so a butterfly will land on them.

A little butterfly whoopee.