A Year With Her

June 4th marked one year home for our darling daughter. A year!!?

Oh, how much a part of the fabric of our family she has become. I have gained so much perspective this year. It has been a year of struggle and great joy as I wrestled to overcome anxiety from and with my daughter. She and I have come so far. I think back to last June-August and the daily setbacks we had. Days when I thought she would never be happy. Days when grief was her MO. Days when I thought I could never be the mother she needed. Days when I wanted to just curl up and pretend that I didn't have three kids under 4. I remember a friend of mine telling me that a year from now it would be totally different. Oh, how I wanted to believe her, but I really didn't. I thought things would never change.

But they did. Life with Bereket is good. She has let me into her life, and I've let her into mine. She (mostly) trusts me now. She loves me to hold her and cuddle with her. She gives me kisses. Her smile is freely made. She continues to find solace with her daddy. Her brothers are ever at her side. Sure, there are days when things are rocky--but that's a 19 month old for you!

Maui 2011

We returned  from a pretty dreamy trip to Hawaii, a month ago and I'm finally getting to blogging about it. This was our first plane trip as a family of five, and it truly could not have gone better. I think having Mark's sister and brother along, was definitely one of the secrets to our success. Last summer when we tried taking a couple of weekend getaways, we crashed and burned. No one slept well and things felt out of control. Now that the boys don't nap anymore, they fall asleep when they hit their pillows at night, and Bereket is a sleeping superstar. The plane right went off without a hitch. All three kids slept on both flights and we avoided red-eyes at all cost. They even let us take Bereket's carseat on even though she was a lap infant (no ticket). 

We stayed at a family friendly hotel on the beach. Our days of adventurous travel and roughing it are temporarily on hold, replaced by our need to meet three preschoolers needs in a comfortable location. The best vacations with our kids are ones where we are very unscheduled and slow paced: Where days consist of swimming, eating, swimming, eating some more and playing on the beach and watching cartoons early in the morning.

The kids LOVED every minute of this vacation and have been asking to go back ever since. The boys can "swim" if they can touch the bottom of the pool and were content to walk around and splash for hours on end. The bigger pool was the perfect depth, and both of them were able to touch the bottom and have their heads peeking out above.  Bereket loves water too, but stayed closer to the edge and played with buckets which she would endlessly fill up and pour out. All three enjoyed the waterslides on the pirate ship, and Bereket was brave enough to go alone. 

We stayed close to the hotel most of the week, but took a couple trips out: to explore Lahaina, snorkel in a protected bay, and to search for whales (unsuccessfully). Mark and I even celebrated his promotion (last Fall) and my new job with an amazing dinner out one night. A huge treat for us. Bereket and I had some time alone one evening while everyone else was relaxing inside, and stayed outside to listen to live music by a local artist who was smitten with her...it was a really sweet time together.

This was a much needed break from our very busy pace we've been keeping lately. We don't take it for granted, but are grateful when opportunities like these present themselves! 

Why We have Chickens

Someone recently asked me, "...and, why chickens??" This woman was a friend of my neighbor's and was from San Francisco (where apparently urban folks don't raise chickens?) and the question caught me off guard. "For my kids," I replied. And for the eggs, of course (that was the driving reason, but it turns out that even when they don't lay eggs (yet) their value is clearly demonstrated by the smiles on my kids' faces). Now, if these chickens live to lay eggs, it will be quite a feat on their part. They are not always 'gently' handled--but they're learning. They're 10 weeks now...hopefully less than 10 to go until we can enjoy their delicious eggs!

(mid-hairdo...not necessarily trying to mimic the chicken's do)

Surprise Watercolor Portrait

I'm not sure that I ever shared this surprise gift with you all. Last year, my aunt told me her friend, Fay Kahn, had seen a photo of Ashen and wanted to paint it. Then she gave me the painting. I love it. It needs to be framed. I just found it in a closet while searching for fabric to make something(s) for an upcoming event...can't say more about what I'm making yet because it involves many of my dear readers.