The amazing colors of fall..

Fall here has been an amazing show.. the most incredible clouds I've ever seen, wide sky, incredible patterns that change every half hour, sunsets like i've never seen.. we spent the day at a farm in North Boulder today, feeding apples to a horse and some sheep. The hillside views are are beyond the beyond..

Crazy Pumpkins..

We searched on the internet for ideas.. mom roasted the seeds and we ate them all week.. the boys had a blast carving their pumpkins and then turning them into scary scenes.. we lit them up on the mantle and enjoyed the glow..

For Halloween we went to Kate & Matt's and trick or treated with Max & Zane, they live on a golf course community and the boys got enough candy to last for months and months..

The rest of October..

So many fun things.. we saw the musical Suessical with our homeschool group and played on a 100 foot long dragon whose head is 9 feet high, we celebrated Timothy's 7th birthday and played 3 games of laser tag (the boys said it was the absolute best birthday party ever!!!) We went to another birthday party for a girl grace and got to dress up in our Halloween costumes (yes Reese dressed in a devil costume as we went to this nice Christian family birthday party - so lovely), we met several times with our new tween group, had a swimming party at our house and hosted a sword making workshop (better than guns).

We made several trips to the aquarium and the children's museum.. and i still had time to read my ballot and vote (by mail) and attend 8 or satsangs, do a little spelling with Reese, read a great book Arthur & the minimoys with Reese, take 12 or so yoga classes... and...
oh yeah btw.. I did a 25 day detox on the advice of my Natropath/chiropractor/nutritionist and eliminated sugar, flour, cow dairy and caffeine from my diet. For 20 days i did not even eat fruit in an effort to get off of all sugar. So as of today it's been over 30 days and I am still mostly eating chicken, fish, salads, rice, fruit and veggies. I feel great, i've had no coffee, only decaf tea, no sugar or processed foods, only whole grain flourless bread and goat cheese. I've eaten a lot of nuts and nut butter, when you want to get off sugar, fat is a good substitute. A few less nuts and a bit more exercise and i'll have it down.. I am not sure what i'll actually do when I get it all together.. not worried though, probably will never happen!

Red Rock Park & Ampitheater

Our Roots & Shoots group (nature club) took a field trip about 45 minutes South to visit Red Rocks. Nestled in the Rocky Mountain Foothills fifteen miles west of Denver, there stands a symbol of nature's unparalleled majesty. Red Rocks is a geologically formed, open-air Amphitheatre that is not duplicated anywhere in the world. With Mother Nature as the architect, the design of the Amphitheatre consists of two, three hundred-foot monoliths (Ship Rock and Creation Rock) that provide acoustic perfection for any performance.

The area of Red Rocks, originally known as the Garden of Angels, has attracted the attention of musical performers since before the turn of the century. The majestic setting of the Amphitheatre, along with the panoramic view of Denver, makes for a breathtaking scene.

And we took a tour and got to go back stage to where the artists hang out before and after gigs.. many of the biggest music acts had sat in this room, in this massage chair, and there we sat, imagining that Tom Petty and Sting were hanging out with us..

The moms were more thrilled than the kids of course.. everyone is a fan of some sorts! And did I mention that you can't actually climb on any of the rocks at this park.. no this was not the best field trip for the kids.. check out these awesome rocks.. no climbing though.. thank goodness for the massage chairs!

Connor is 9!!

Just like family (without the drama), our favorite activity is hanging out at Martha's and playing with Ryan & Connor. Reese & Connor met when they were 3 at Manhattan Beach Nursery School and were fast friends, as were Martha & I. Martha in fact was my Leche League leader and here we are almost 6 years later still so grateful to have each other in our lives..
So what a blast to celebrate Connor's 9th bday (he is first, our other best friends Kaia next in November and Reese turns 9 in January).
Reese drew Connor a picture of a Pokemon card (he has been drawing for all his gifts lately, so awesome) and Karina made a homemade cake that everyone raved about! Martha got him his favorite gift, a skateboard and of course padding for every inch of his beautiful body!!

It just keeps getting better & better..

What luck, another great friend has come to live in Boulder!! Rebecca arrived in October and we were so happy to have her here. After a few weeks with us, she found a place to stay and we've been having lots of fun ever since.. playing on Pearl Street, visiting a farm in North Boulder, going to Kirtan & satsang (without the kids of course) and lots of laughing..
One of the highlights was the annual Open Studios in Boulder, it's a 4 day event where local artists open their homes (& studios) and show all their work. At many of the studios they had activities for the kids to paint, draw, and even work on a weaving loom.

The best job in the world..

I do often wonder about going back to work.. yes my mind does take me there.. wouldn't the money be nice? some nice breaks away from the kids, a chance to use any number of my gifts and talents, coaching, therapist, teaching, many jobs I could do..

Then I wake up from the dream.. I look at my amazing angels, so big yet still so small, and I count my lucky stars that I get to spend everyday with them, read with them, play games, go to the park, museums, classes, endless discoveries & adventures. I get to be with my children, everyday, exploring the world together, watching them learn, bloom & blossom. They are so alive, so passionate, so amazing and I get a front row seat.. yeah it's the best job in the world.. a homeschooling mom!

Our new best friend Sam

The little Entrepreneur decided he needed more spending money and mom was not indulging him as she used too, so he got himself a dog walking job, a sweet little 10 month old Boston Terrier puppy. It was the best, we had our very own dog for 2 hours a day 3 days a week, we got to liberate him from his crate and run him at the park and bring him home and like all puppies he licked and bit whatever he could.

A few months later, Reese has a few new games that bought with his own money!

Fall visit to Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park

We've been in Boulder for 8 months or so and not yet visited Estes Park, only 45 minutes away,
the entry point to Rocky Mountain National Park. We found out that we have access to a
timeshare there and so we booked a stay and invited out friends Lora, Joey, Miranda & Tim
to join us. It's great hanging out with other unschoolers, easy to chill out, we played games
and of course played in the pool & jacuzzi. We did get into the park, we played for a few hours
at the creek, pretended we were beavers and built an awesome dam, ate our picnic, and
went for a hike in the rain. We also saw some very comfortable with being photographed Elk,
and remarked about how many girls each male had to manage.
We walked a bit through the town of Estes Park, great for shopping, eating and browsing,
we avoided the shops and hung out at the park and the Dairy Queen! Just 2 days away
but it felt like a vacation just as well and an overnight with the MIller's was great!

September 08

Very exciting news.. some of our best buddies have moved just 40 minutes south of us from Palos Verdes..
more homeschool friends.. Kate & Matt and 3 kiddo's Zane, Max & Charlotte are back in our schedule..
We got to attend their homeschool park day and play at their house after.. the boys rode their electric
scooter.. they loved that, of course they played swords and battle and Luc even got knighted by King
Zane in a very official ceremony..
There is nothing like having friends around that you've known for years, camped with, been to their
birthday parties, had sleep overs with, folks you really feel comfortable with.. yes it's a gift..
it's like family without the drama.. feeling very grateful for old friends and new friends..