Boat Harbor

One of my favorite parts of our California trip was strolling around a boat harbor and watching the sun set:

That crazy kid was thrilled when one boat filled with party goers honked and waved. I love that it totally made her day! She loved looking at the boats and generally running amuck, which after all the pomp and circumstance of a fancy wedding feast, I was happy to let her. I like the brief respite we had sitting on a bench and soaking in the California goodness. With all the other wildness going on that trip, that peaceful moment on the bench was golden! I hope that's what I can remember most, it was so beautiful!

What do you do to recharge?

California Wilderness

We are lucky enough to have family in California, so when we went for a visit recently, we got to tromp around enormous back yards full of laborious landscaping and lovely wilderness:

I imagined back yards big enough to hike around existed, but it was another thing to experience such a thing. They exist, guys, and they are marvelous! We loved the space and it was pretty fun to watch children in their natural wild habitat. My mom always says that dogs and kids were meant to run free. (We think a cactus patch is a pretty good place, apparently. Don't worry, no children were harmed in this adventure.) And, I agree with my mom on this one...mostly.

Where do you like to let your kids run wild and free?  Or where did your favorite roamings take you when you were a child?

Messenger by Lois Lowry

To break up the onslaught of California adventure posts, here's a tasty literature treat to chew on. I recently finished Messenger, by Lois Lowry:

This is part of a series of books that correlates with The Giver, one of the greatest adolescent literature books of all time. It also ties together the stories of the characters from The Giver as well as Gathering Blue. (See thoughts on both here and here.)

Messenger is one of those overtly religious texts with Christian symbolism and parallels, but I find it refreshing and insightful. This book is more entertaining and also has more substance and weight than Gathering Blue.

Have you read this book before? If yes, what were your thoughts?

San Diego Temple

We didn't just go to sunny California for the beach, although that was a plus. The whole reason we went there in the first place was to support a cousin, who got married in the San Diego LDS Temple. If you haven't been to that temple, you need to go! The architecture is stunning and the grounds are so peaceful.

We got to be on the grounds for a while, waiting for the ceremony to start, and then waiting for the newlywed couple to come out and greet us. Luckily, the weather was perfect and we got to visit with family we hadn't seen in ages. (So glad we live closer now!) Plus, sunshine. It's an important thing to have on the daily.

First Beach Trip

We took that crazy kid of ours to the beach for the very first time a couple weeks ago, and it was a big hit! It was perfect weather for splashing and sandcastles:

P-double-B loved jumping over the waves, climbing on the beachy boulders, and playing in the soggy sand. I loved listening to the waves and walking barefoot and calming my spirits. It was a good day, indeed.

So, I know there are strong feelings about these things. I must ask: beach, mountains, both, or none?

Family Art Classes

That crazy kid and I spend a lot of time in the art studio, and I mean a lot of time every day. We draw and paint while we jam to our favorite records and discuss anything that comes to mind. Lately I've been introducing her to new ways of expressing herself and we've been playing around with different media and techniques. (It usually blows her little mind in the best ways! Love it!) I look forward to our daily art classes together!

Because I've been so busy getting things ready for the Beehive Bazaar, we've been spending even more time together in the studio than usual, and we both have the stacks of artwork to prove it. You can see more of my artwork on my business blog or on my Instagram account, if you'd like.

Arting together is some of my most treasured moments with my daughter, which have been even better than I imagined they could be when I was picturing motherhood before she was born. I love seeing how her imaginative little mind works and it makes me proud to watch her skills develop. It's nice to have an art buddy to get feedback from, too (even though it makes no sense most of the time...she is only three, after all).

What kinds of things did you most enjoy doing with your parents when you were younger, or what do you like to do now with your kiddos?

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

I recently finished reading Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry:

If you liked reading The Giver (a Newberry Award winner for adolescent literature), you will probably like this alternate future tale of a youth discovering an inner gift and ultimately a better way of living.

Although it seemed to end abruptly, I enjoyed the exploration of love vs. duty, what it means to contribute to a community, the value of creatives, fresh starts, and improving surroundings.

Have you read it? What did you think?