snack time and nap time...

today the weather was rainy and cold. a good time to curl up with a yummy snack and some good books. 

and then a long nap with papi. i hope everyone is enjoying some nice, cozy winter days!

yours on a cozy rainy cold day here in texas,

shelley

to jack...

happy birthday to my dear brother-in-law, jack ~ we love you!

happy birthday papi...

if i had a single flower for every time i think about you, i could walk forever in my garden. ~ claudia ghandi

to the sweetest, most loving and giving husband and papa on the face of this earth...

happy birthday, papi!

we love you!

maya and mama

audrey...

happy 8th birthday, audrey!  we love you!

shelley, wesley, and maya

credit where credit is due...

i just received my winter 09 issue of living crafts in the mail yesterday. and i must say, it's quite a thrill to see something you've created in print (my ornaments are in the 'good finds' section, and my doll sweater is in the 'ready to wear' section, as a companion to the girl's red holiday cardigan). i just love this magazine and eagerly await each issue. i was a charter subscriber and definitely feel a special bond to it. and now it holds an even more special place in my heart.

and i also want to give credit where credit is due. to a very special person who inspired me to make the two things that are featured in the magazine - my twin sister, shannon. she is the one who taught me how to make the ornaments. and also inspired my doll sweater pattern when she made this lovely little sweater for maya's special baby. thank you, shannon! you are an inspiration in more ways than you can imagine and i love you very much!

yours in thankfulness and inspiration,

shelley

for rowan...

~ happy first birthday, rowan ~

yours on this special happy birth day,

shelley

today...

~ for hannah and rowan ~

...smile, breathe and go slowly...

~ thich nhat hanh

yours in thankfulness for health and healing!

shelley

a sweet birthday moment...

wesley came into our lives when caleb was only 7 years old. so the majority of caleb's life and memories include wesley. and caleb was really the first child wesley had a part in raising. here is a sweet birthday moment between the two of them...

yours in the moment...

shelley

caleb...

today is your special day, caleb.  18 years ago i gave birth to you at home and welcomed you into this world. my only boy. the biggest of my babies at 11.5lbs and 24 inches long, you couldn't even wear the newborn clothes i had laid out for you. and how your two sisters adored you. i wore you constantly in the sling and i don't think your feet touched the ground until you were 2 years old. what a joy you have been every single day. your gentle spirit and sweet soul bring such joy to my life. how proud i am of the young man you have become. i love you so very much!

yours on this very special birth day,

shelley

us...

here's one of wesley and i together.  we celebrated 10 years together in june (9 years of marriage).  :)

yours in love,

shelley

papi...

how do i say all i want to say here? you are the most amazing and kind person i have ever known. strong. sensitive. beautiful. tender. loving. sweet. fun. affectionate. gentle. caring. giving. with so much integrity. my soulmate. maya's papi. a gift beyond compare. my best friend. what an amazing journey we are on together! how thankful i am that we found our way to one another. and what a gift you give to our daughter in the way that you love and care for her. and for me. happy papi's day!

yours forever,

shelley

my naomi...

today is my second born's birth day. my naomi. my strong-willed girl. who has taught me so very much. 22 years old today. independent. strong. self-disciplined. always with a mind of her own. the one i knew i would never worry about when she was out there in the world. she was my longest nurser. and nursed together with her little brother. my precious girl. how much i have learned from you, naomi. i admire you in so many ways. and i am so proud of the beautiful and creative person you have become.  i am so very thankful you are my daughter and i love you more than you could ever know!

yours in thankfulness on this special day,

shelley

for micah...

~ happy third birthday, micah ~

yours on this special birth day,

shelley

my hannah...

today is my firstborn's birth day. my cinco de mayo girl. my hannah. who taught me so much about being a mama. about who i am. and who i want to be. she is 26 today and has two babies of her own now, but it seems only yesterday i gave birth to her and was holding her in my arms and nursing her. she's taught me so very much. and was the guiding light on my path to all of the personal, albeit alternative, choices i've made in my life. child-led weaning, family bed, waldorf homeschooling, homebirthing, attachment parenting, baby wearing, and so much more. i love you, my sweet hannah. i'm so happy you chose me to be your mama! and i am so proud of the person and now the mama that you've become. you are an inspiration to me every single day and i love you more than you could ever know!

yours on this very special day, 

shelley

february ten...

inspired by amanda's post on saturday, here are ten little joys that are making me smile this february week...

1.  witnessing the amazing love and joy between my sweet daughter and her devoted papa (papi).

2.  listening to my daughter's voice go high and then low as she 'reads' to her babies or to her papi and me.

3.  beholding the beauty of the handmade toys we choose to surround our daughter with.

4.  the sweet smell of my little one's breath as she wakes up each morning in our family bed.

5.  running across an old picture of our sweet baby girl napping when she was 19 months old.

6.  knitting every day.

7.  the calm, warmth and serenity i feel in our home.

8.  holding, snuggling and nursing my 3 year old toddler many times throughout our day.

9.  the way my sweet husband plays endlessly and tirelessly with our girl.

10.  the happiness and thankfulness i feel each and every day for this beautiful life that i am living!

yours in february joy,

shelley