what fairytales are made of

sitting on the beach, i thought, how nice would it be to bottle up the perspective one gains while on vacation? 2 days into our mini-getaway and i'm fully relaxed and in a groove. the things that were so pressing on my mind and overwhelmed my psyche with their importance are now distant and take a backseat to life's true concerns, family.

we took a midweek detour to cambria. one of d and my favorite coastal destinations: rugged, relatively undeveloped and with close proximity to home. we were eager to share it with the girls. a plethora of whales,

otters, dolphins, elephant and harbor seals and evia's favorite animal zebras are wild and just outside your hotel door, available to see while just driving to dinner. mama and papa love to walk on the beach and we know the girls could spend  countless hours near the sea.but the icing on the cake was taking the girls to see a real castle. the majority of fairytales in our book collection are centered around grand castles. this trip we were able to show them one up close. it wasn't a royal castle, but what w.r. hearst built in 1919 inspired by his childhood tours through europe, had the grandeur, opulence and antiquities - so a castle it is! located in hearst's favorite place to visit as kid, san simeon (cambria's neighbor).

the girls were entranced by the magic of the hilltop castle, palace size living and dining rooms, gorgeous pools and the grounds that smelled of roses and jasmine. what did i take away, this trip? the intimacy we shared as a family. no obligations, no coordinating schedules just uninterrupted family-time. truly, our time together is what fairytales are made of.

oh the places she will go

nothing in this world brings me greater joy and makes my heart more full than seeing my children hit milestones. it doesn't matter what the achievements are. something that was once foreign, becoming comfortable and then conquered - makes this mama's heart beat just a little quicker. today marked a big day for evia, graduation from preschool. 

although evia went to daycare for six months before she turned 2. we started out this year, as if she had never been to school before. all the feelings were new and were met with hesitation and excitement all at once. we have amazing teachers to guide her and nurture her and for that we are so thankful. it made every school day so easy. every week she comes home with fun art and learned info she's eager to share. we have loved talking to her about social interactions she might be working through or join in her enthusiasm for a new song, a new friend or an upcoming theme day she will be participating in. 

it has been a wonderful precursor to elementary school. to top it all off, she's made her little sister beyond ready to follow in her footsteps. way to go evia. one leg of your journey complete...now on to kindergarten and beyond! oh the places you will go.

our grad reception theme "oh the places you will go"

 

room mamas for the butterfly class, photo cred lil'preston! LOVED working with these ladies, this year, such fun we had.

sitting with one of her favorite school buddies of all time.

entering into the ceremony

singing with her class, "the world is a rainbow, with many kinds of people..." tears!

when asked what she would like to be when she grows up "an ice cream seller." - she's stayin' true to that one...one year strong

she was asked about her favorite part of preschool: "looking at books in the book area."

receiving her diploma

mila watching with wide eyes

celebrating with auntie em and evia's self portrait

her precious teachers, mrs. soto and miss jenny - we love them so.

the one person she knew coming to a new school and how sweet miss p was. felt so fortunate little p was by her side.

 

signing p's grad-memorobilia

red velvet cupcakes are goooooooood

 

peace love food....baby cousin

i gotta say it was a good day. the firefighters offered to pull the truck around and let the girls take a ride!

 

finished off the day with some ballet. phew, they'll sleep well tonight.

cherished time :: emily's baby shower

my ladies

i've noticed since being a mama, that my time with women is sparse. i have lots of time with my little sweeties while hanging with other women with their children, but the social time spent is interrupted and child focused. i've learned that i cherish the moments i get to spend with other women, solo...just ladies. it seems to me we've become so much more solitary, in general, as a society. we communicate through social media and texts and i WELCOME those social gatherings where i sit with women...learn from them, laugh with them. i always walk away feeling whole. perhaps it's engrained in our human make-up, a practice lost centuries ago as our habitat and culture changed. this weekend, i had one of those special female experiences. it was my sister emily's baby shower. a few hours dedicated to celebrating her and the upcoming birth of her baby boy. it was nothing short of wonderful.

i co-hosted the shower with my sister anna, our life-long friend (more like sister) marisa and my mama. we came together in the afternoon for savory and sweet bites. everyone chatted and just enjoyed each others company. 

the only activity we organized for the shower, was interactive and exemplified the feelings about coming together as women and sharing with one another (while celebrating the mama-to-be!). we made a mobile for the baby with feathers, based loosely on the navajo tradition of a blessing way. each guest picked a feather from the jar and individually approached emily, presenting her with the feather as they gave her motherhood blessings, or words of advice and to inspire. often people shared what a bright light emily is. many of us were in tears while listening to all the love coming her way. it was truly magical and so reflective of who emi is.

i can't wait to meet baby h and be his auntie! love you em. 

anna assembled the mobile with polished driftwood and colorful string, tying each feather emi was presented with, with a ceramic bead during the blessing so it was complete to gift to mama-em at the end of the shower. each one of our wishes will dangle in baby's room for his gazing pleasure.

my mom hand painted each of these favors "bless this nest" and a feather, with oils on pieces of wood (talented mama!)

my sewing handywork these days. a blanket for baby boy h and a pair of leather moccasins

her besties of all time, marisa and elizabeth (beth coming all the way from the lone star state!)

we might as well all be related. aka, the pearson and elledge girls.