Gavin

When I last left Nosara, Costa Rica I thought it was anything but the “Pure Life.” I had two ninos under the age of 3, was recently recovering from a 2 month bout of some sort of parasite, and was covered in layers of dust mixed with sweat. It’s been exactly 5 years since we … Continue reading Pura Vida

Whenever I start getting run down or spread thin and actually listen to my Soul, it tells me “Wake up before everyone else, Emily! Set the alarm for 5 AM & Enjoy the quiet house, write, meditate, breathe. Get grounded and ready to greet the kids with a peaceful mind and magical ideas!”… In fact, … Continue reading A Hala Mat of Trust, Peace and Connection

Gavin turned 7 today. I turned a “mama of a 7 year old.” I just spent 7 days celebrating three birthdays. I have three boys in my life and they all have birthdays in the same week. I am checking myself into the spa tomorrow. For a week. haaaahahahah!! Just kidding. But not about any … Continue reading Gavin’s 7th Birthday

Christmas night: Gavin and his bike slide on driveway in slow motion right before dinner. I go into Mom mode. The mind is spinning. Conner needs to nurse. Gavin needs something. What? Leg hurts. How bad is it? Where do we go? Whom do we call? Which emergency room? Ice. Children’s tylenol. Arnica. Breathe. Conner … Continue reading There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy. — Zarathustra Part I, Chapter 4, On the despisers of the Body (1885)

Spencer and I got to have dinner with Martin Hubbard the other night. He is the master thinker behind a book on thoughts called Reversing the Senses. My experience with him turned out to be very inspiring, thoughtful, and humbling. I was explaining in an entertaining, dramatic, humorous way about how each child has represented something in … Continue reading Thoughts on Being- In Pursuit of Magic, Balance and Surrendering to the Mystery

I’m in the kitchen tonight getting ready for Deia’s 3rd birthday party tomorrow. Pregnant, yet again. Licking the batter from a Betty Crocker Confetti Cake Mix. Eww? Yum? I don’t really know at this point. The truth is, you can’t judge unless you’ve been pregnant with a baby that rocked your world. Let me … Continue reading Betty Crocker Turns 3!

Sweet Deia turned 20 months on June 1st. She definitely keeps all of us laughing. And on our toes. One minute we are all laughing and having a good time, and the next she might be screaming and biting. I like to think of it as passionate!:)….. Deia has a zest for life and wants … Continue reading Deia at 20 Months

Tia Kristin just moved out here to live with us. In exchange for living with us, she is going to help with the kids. We are all so excited and grateful that she is here. It’s so special for the kids to have their Papa’s sister here and to really get to know her and … Continue reading Leis With Aloha

My friend Annika is so good about keeping up on her blog(s) and she writes about/ to her kids so frequently. My goal is to write about my kiddos once a month on their day of birth (for Gavin it will be the 20th and Deia the 1st). It’s nice for me to document it … Continue reading Gavin 4+ years old (50 months)

I haven’t written on here in so long. I chose to put my energy, time and thoughts into the moment for several months. I new that I needed to concentrate on strengthening our roots, getting settled and tending to our foundation before I could reflect and share our experiences. Basically it was just about taking … Continue reading An Invincible Spring!

The last couple of months have been full of ups and downs and all arounds!….. But through it all we’re where we need and want to be….ebbing and flowing, inhaling and exhaling. Home. Here are glimpses into some moments that make me smile.

We got a wonderful and HELPFUL 2 1/2 week visit from my parents. When Gavin first started talking he couldn’t say Grandma and Grandpa….and the words that came out were Manga (for Grandma) and Vaca (for Grandpa). This went on for about a year. And the classic part was that we were living in Costa … Continue reading Manga & Vaca are Here!

One of the best parts of the enormous yard, is the swing Spencer put up. It’s exhilarating. and baby Jaguar and Diego like it, too.

That’s right! Coffee from OUR yard! And yes, we got to drink it!…. Over the weekend Spencer and Gavin picked coffee beans from some bushes that border the back of our property. Next, we laid the seeds out in the sun for a day. Then we had a bunch of Gavin’s friends over to hull them- … Continue reading Cafecito

Yes, Carma with a “C.” That’s our mail-woman. And she usually comes every morning before 9. And we usually can hear her mail truck, and Gavin screams, “MAAAAIIIIIILLLLL” and then we get up from the breakfast table and ruuuuunnnnnn out through the house and to the mailbox. This is just one of the biggest and … Continue reading Carma

At the beach, while Gavin was eating his lunch, I was mesmerized by his lashes. He definitely got the goods from Spencer. Lucky kid! And so I pulled out the camera and started snapping away…..apparently getting too close and too many. and then he threw out a “Mama, you are distracting me. Can you please … Continue reading “Oh Really, Gavin?”

At the beach yesterday (while we were waiting for our bread dough to rise), I was blasted from the past while Deia ate her banana. Check out these pictures of Gavin (at 1 year) eating a banana in Key West, Florida. Who’s got who’s teeth? Eyes? Funny smile? Hair growth? And who is enjoying their … Continue reading Banana Blast

My cousin in Mallorca, Spain always make fresh bread. She came and visited us in Costa Rica a couple years ago, and she couldn’t believe that I had never made bread. ANd then once I saw how “easy” she made it and how cheap it is to make, I felt so silly! I should be … Continue reading Hands On (Learner)

We don’t have a TV, but we do have a monthly membership on Netflix. When Spencer and I are needing a minute or 60, we let Gavin watch TV or movies on the computer. His favorite right now is definitely “Cat in the Hat,” and I love to hear him giggling at the Cat. And … Continue reading Busytown

A couple streets over from us, there are two little fruit stands outside of some properties. One usually has papaya. And the other has avocados, papaya, coconuts, pomegranate, guava, grapefruit, bananas and more! Both have a little box with a spot to slip some money in if you want. We pass by both on the … Continue reading True Abundance