March Snapshots

Here’s a quick photo round up from our latest adventures in family. 

Clara was thrilled to take an orange flower in for sharing.

Ben just keeps on growing—he can eat six pancakes in one sitting!

Our tired ballerina.

Our ballerina wishing mommy would put the camera away.

Westmont hosted an incredible community event, Dias de Mexico. A festival filled with art, music and demonstrations celebrating the rich Mexican culture. Ava and Lily, our favorite sidekicks, came along.

Sassy the Wonderdog (and Judy-thank you!) came to preschool for sharing and was a big hit with the kids. 

Mark and the kids were in a car accident last month. Someone hit them, totaled our station wagon but thankfully, everyone was pretty much okay. It also meant we were unprepared and reluctant car shoppers. The stars aligned and we bought a very gently used 2004 Lexus that we love.

Both kids are on the verge of reading (Ben is a couple steps ahead) and it's exciting to watch it all start to come together.

For St. Patrick’s Day the kids left out shoes for a sneaky leprechaun to come fill with candy. A friend told us about this tradition last year much to the kids delight and Leah’s utter horror—she has a big thing about feet and the thought of candy being in your shoe, even wrapped candy—but what are you going to do?

Mark looking good in the new car (and he fits in it!).

Thanks for loving us and sticking with us. We are blessed.

Symphony & Sunshine

There are many interesting and beautiful succulents here. Ben saw this today and said, “Take a picture and put in on the blog because maybe our friends in North Carolina have never seen this.”

This weekend was gorgeous, as in the embarrassment of riches variety. Blue skies, warm sunshine, shimmering ocean, wildflowers blooming along the roads, hang gliders drifting down the mountainsides and that heady fresh buzz of spring.

On Saturday we headed to the zoo where the SB Youth Symphony held an afternoon concert. Ben and Clara sat astonished watching and listening to these talented kids play. In a moment making their daddy proud, about thirty minutes in Leah asked if they were ready to go and Clara looked up at her and sternly said, “We need to hear the drums.” The best part of the event was the instrument “petting zoo” where kids come try out all sorts of instruments. The volunteers were so passionate and patient and the kids enthusiastic and well…loud. Clara’s favorite instrument was the violin while Ben’s top vote was for the drums.

On Sunday after church we headed to Summerland Beach to enjoy the sunshine. Our work schedules have been all over the place and it was the first true family day we had enjoyed together in a long time. Mark and the kids worked hard on a sand castle, proclaiming in the grand tradition of childhood, “we might be making the best sand castle ever.” Leah snuck in a solo walk on the beach and soaked in the sanity that only waves can bring. Ben asked Leah to run in the waves with him, “like we did in the old days” and Clara proudly carried and set-up the umbrella mostly by herself and tried to sneak an extra round of kettle corn.

It was a true weekend of recreation and restoration, giving us the energy, peace and strength to tackle another week and most of all, to be thankful. Our world may not be perfect and whole, but it’s filled with so many perfect and whole moments we just don’t want to miss.

Nana Nemo

Doughnuts in bed— an “only with Nana Nemo” treat.

We hosted our first North Carolina guest in Santa Barbara— Miss Lynda or as the kids call her “Nana Nemo.” When Leah was going through her cancer treatment and recovery Lynda worked for us helping to take care of the kids and everything else. People often asked how we made it through that challenging time while having “two under two.” Our answer is always the same, “Lynda.” She is the epitome of the strong, sweet southern woman. We’ve all been blessed by her love, care and friendship. Lynda started with us when Clara was just six weeks old and the bond the two of them share is incredible (just look at Clara shining with joy in the picture at the airport).

It was fun showing Lynda California for the first time and it was a comfort to have her with us— she is a wonderful touchstone of a special place and time in our lives. The kids were taken back by her accent when they first saw (and heard) Nana Nemo again; it stirred something within their little hearts, a longing for a faraway home. We are grateful that Lynda ventured all this way as an ambassador for their small-town southern roots. She was a bridge linking then to now, a world that includes both Bojangle’s and In N’ Out, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Nana Nemo, William, Miss Jeannie along with Gigi, Brayden and Jasper.

We were sad to say good-bye, but comforted by the reminder that the home we keep in our heart goes beyond time and space. It’s a collection of our most favorite places, people, memories and dreams. What lucky kids to already hold such a rich collection of treasures.