A brief slice of our Joyful lives.....

For me, this one picture conveys a thousand words.....

While you can't fully view the lack of walkable floor space in the room, the room is pretty much covered with remnants of Kathrynn's activities from the day: markers spilled out all over the room, her little piano for impromptu performances, the tape for various projects, pieces of paper here and there, and a barrage of coloring books, blank pieces of paper, and coloring calenders.

The majority of said day was spent working on 2 coloring calenders that she and I have been working on - together (but mostly Kathrynn) we had colored the boarders on the various months, and now it was time for the central pictures to be drawn. Kathrynn went to town and drew pictures for all 12 months. She took intermitant breaks to play tunes on her piano and do other various activities.

There are plenty of thing *not* conveyed by this picture, but the main and pretty much all encompassing reality that is not explicitly stated is the freedom Kathrynn has in her life. Because she has the freedom to pretty much spend her days as she wishes, her creativity pours out of her in a way that is both passionate and joyful. Kathrynn has both the time and space to follow her passions, and there is no value placed on what she chooses to do with her day, whether it be watching a show, coloring or drawing pictures, writing letters to friends and family, playing with her littlest pet shops, star war, or super hero characters, doing math worksheets, playing with friends, reading, or whatever else interests her that day.

While occasionally the "mess" does annoy me, I also love how it fuels her creative passions. Is having a room clean throughout the day really all that important, in the large scheme of things? When the end of the day comes, sometimes we pick up everything, and other times the room stays pretty the same, ready for the next day of creative surges, however they manifest. :)

I am fully appreciating the spaciousness Kathrynn has these days, to be who she wants to be, to do the things she wants to do.... I am honored and blessed to be a witness to it all.

Kathrynn's "Everyone's Birthday Party"

Although I've taken a long hiatus from posting lately, our lives have continued to be filled with amazing wonderment, and i continue to be filled with such deep appreciation for the amazing life that we have!

One of things that I continue to love and appreciate about Kathrynn is her immense creativity. A few weeks ago she came up with the idea to have an "Everyone's birthday party"- where we would celebrate each person as if it were their birthday! Kathrynn spent a lot of time planning for this party- in fact, it was more planning and effort then any of her "real" birthday parties!!!

The afternoon was filled with fun activities that the girls moved through at their own pace.

First up, decorating cupcakes. Oh my! The girls had so much fun with this!!!!!



Eating was equally as fun. :D



After this they decorated hand puppets using some lunch size brown paper bags, beads, markers, buttons and yarn.


I think we had sequins on the floor for over a week-- I had so much resistance to vacuuming up all the sparkly remnants. :)

Next, pin the tail on the monster! Kathrynn drew the monster. :P



Next up was a fun version of cooperative musical chairs--- instead of taking a chair out and then a person sitting out when they didn't find a seat, the girls would sit on each others laps.







Last was the home made version of a pinata that Kathrynn and I came up with. :)
The idea of this pinata was not to destroy it, but just get it to tip over so the candy and goodies could come out. :)




Lastly, the girls opened up their "goodie bags", which kathrynn had decorated the front of with each girl's favorite animal, and we filled with various goodies we'd found around the house. :)




One of the best parts of this party was watching all the fun that all the girls seemed to be having throughout the party. They were all so creative and in their joy as they moved through the various activities! It was a great afternoon, and a great idea for a party! :)

Boundless Joy....... and entertaining our neighborhood :)

I've mentioned before that for me, Joy is not just about being happy.... it is about Feeling whatever you are feeling in that moment, and being authentic with that feeling. I find that young kids can often demonstrate that authenticity, and for the most part I'm finding that Kathrynn has been able to maintain that authenticity of being.


Earlier today she was so angry about certain things not going a certain way.... so passionate in her feelings, is she....

It used to be that her authenticity was too overwhelming for me.... it left *me* feeling uncomfortable. It led to many struggles between the two of us. As I began to work through my own issues, I learned how to be a witness in such situations, rather then a victim. Today, I was able to be a witness for her- just Being there for her, and connecting with her as she needed. When she was done, she jumped out of my lap, and was onto something new.

Today I was witness to the "unhappy" kind of authenticity, AND so much of the other kind too.
Our day ended with her deciding to put on an "act" for people who were walking and driving by our house. She made a couple signs and was ready to go!





We put the signs on either side of our property. She was sure people could see them when they were driving or walking by, and would lead to her having more "customers." She was so filled with excitement when cars were headed our way. It was interesting to watch the people in their cars- most of them were smiling, taking in the joy of this child doing acrobatics on her front lawn!





Tonight, when I reflect back on our day, I am left having such appreciation that i can (usually) offer her unconditional love and support, and and hold the space for her so that she can feel whatever it is that she is feeling *freely* as she moves through her process.
For me, holding the space, and being a witness is all about being in the Now. There are no past stories of victim-hood, or worries of the future. All that exists is that moment, in its perfect unfolding. This perspective has brought such amazing beauty to my life. I am able to look into her eyes and just move into a timeless space where only Love lives. It makes everything so much more amazing to me. The mundane becomes fragrant with the essence of what is life.

It is in the moments of her authentic joy that my heart enlarges- no matter if that joy is one of happiness or not........ and my True Being radiates.

Appreciation Thursday!

Officially making the jump from gratitude to appreciation....... I've loved the word appreciation ever since reading Michael Brown's discussion of that word, and yet the word gratitude felt good too while blogging. Now i'm moving on over to blogging about appreciation! :P

1- I'm appreciating finding the areas in my life where I have judgment. I've realized how much judgment gets in my way of experiencing true connection with others, and more importantly, myself! If i am weighed down by judgments, then my body literally feels out of flow. When I am able to process through my judgments, I am left experiencing true Joy of the Now.

2- I'm appreciating my connection with my mother these days. I have been doing some deep integration work, and feel as though there is a clarity of connection that exists now that I've never felt before.

3- I am appreciating the greens from my lawn and garden. 'Nuff said on that! :)

4- I am appreciating the sweet friendships my child has. It is lovely to see her immersed in her joy with her friends. These days much of that Joy is sparked from The Warriors series, by Erin Hunter. Kathrynn loves to play "clan cats." :)

5- I am appreciating the ability to say yes to myself, which might look like a no to others. :)

Another awesome wonderlab day..... :)

We were there the day before, and Kathrynn had such a good time, I thought of making it a blog post. But i've posted about Wonderlab so many times before!!!
But after the great day we had their last week, i really just couldn't help myself!

We went to an AWESOME presentation by Silly Safaris out of Indianapolis. They guy was really very good..... I laughed throughout the entire program!!!!!

You can see the various animals he had that day..... An owl, bullfrog, boa constrictor, cockroaches, a rabbit.... and his sweet dog, named Bear. :)
Kathrynn thought this guy was absolutely fantastic and also laughed throughout the whole show. :P









All the kids lined up to see the animals at the end....


Some random shots of her having fun. :)




This place just seems to get better with as she ages. :)

Gratitude Wednesday!

Gratitude Wednesday!

1- Grateful for the opportunity to attend a wonderful women's crafting night on Sunday. It was pure loveliness to be creating among women folk. :)

2- Grateful for the beautiful warm weather that has come our way this week. I've been getting out in it as much as possible, and sitting on our front deck has become one of my favorite things to do every afternoon!

3- Grateful for the wonderful greens coming from our garden and yard!

4- Grateful for authentic connections with my husband, my daughter, my friends and my on line peeps!

5- Grateful for knowing, honoring, trusting and love my Self. <3

xoxoxo

Words / communication authenticity.....

I have been known to say that Kathrynn is not the "best" of communicators..... What that means for me, is that she does not communicate the way *I* always want her to: with "clarity" and words. :)

When Kathrynn is particularly emotional, or feeling something strongly, her ability and/or willingness to communicate using words, can sometimes be almost non-existent. This is not to say that she is not communicating, because she clearly is. Sometimes she is communicating via her hands or feet. Sometimes she is communicating using her tears. Sometimes she yells. And sometimes she goes into her room, and wants no one to be near her.

The other day she had a very intense response to some information, that was so disappointing for her. She was so filled with anger! She was not interested in talking about it, or being comforted by me. She went into her room and slammed the door, sobbing. I wanted to connect with her, so i opened her door, to let her know I loved her, and to get me if she needed anything. This was met with "GET OUT OF MY ROOM" at top volume. Although at one time I would have become offended by this, or taken it personally, I knew it had nothing to do with me. A few minutes later she came out of her room looking for a picture of our family. Then back into her room she went. I heard her playing her favorite lullaby, and saw her through a crack in the door holding onto the picture of our family, as well as an herbal pillow.


Eventually she came out of her room, and she was done being angry and sad, and ready to play. Later I asked her if she wanted to talk about what had happened. She told me that she was so disappointed in X , and that she tried to make herself feel better by listening to the music and holding the picture and pillow. She told me that she wasn't sure if those things made her feel better or not, just that after awhile she did feel better.

I share the experience because her way of processing her emotions might make many people uncomfortable. Her "non traditional" methods might not even be acceptable in some households. In our household, we are learning to respect each person's journey, and how each person processes emotions differently. I absolutely love Kathrynn's process. Sure it might have made me feel uncomfortable at various times- but those are my issues to deal with. Kathrynn is not responsible for my issues.

Something else that occurred to me this morning:

Words/communication can be a tool that can lead to clarity, to authentic relationship, to connection. And words/ communication are also good for Control. I can use words to control on a variety of levels. I can try to demand the use of words, in a way to control too.

This is a very interesting concept for me to realize. Kathrynn has a friend who is quite verbal, and at times this friend gets so upset when Kathrynn is not willing to "use her words." In some ways, yes, this girl is wanting to connect via words. And in other ways, yes, this girl is trying to gather a sense control with words. I think this is a normal thing in our society- to gain a sense of control about ourselves, or our world, using words.

Ultimately, what a wonderful mirror for me!

I think at some level I have realized my part in using words as a form of communication sometimes, and control other times, which is why I no longer expect Kathrynn to communicate in a certain way, and why I have changed the way I communicate with her. And I also see that there are times when I continue to use words, and perhaps want her to "use her words", as a way to gather a sense of control about what is going on. Ultimately, that is about *my* needs, not hers.

Food for thought..... what is this communication stuff all about? Connection and control for *my* sake? Lots of yummy stuff there..... :)


Thanks to my peeps over at the miracles list whose posts led to this blog post! <3

Comic joy!

Kathrynn came home last week from a friends house with comics in hand- comics she had made! This was new for us, and became something she and i started to do together. :)

When a friend came over last weekend, they decided to make some comics, and then sell them the next day at a comic stand! This is exactly what they did. :)

I have to admit that I was thinking to myself, ohhhh I really don't think they're going to sell any comics..... And I started to feel a bit anxious about how Kathrynn would feel if she didn't sell any comics. Then I realized, if anyone could sell comics, it would be Kathrynn and her friend Virginia! And I decided not to worry about it any more.
Sure enough, within minutes, I rounded the corner of our yard, to see this:
They were making their first sale!!!!

They were so very proud of themselves!





They had great selling tactics, which at times included holding Kathrynn's guinea pigs as an enticement for people to stop! :)

It didn't take long for them to sell out of their comics, and so back to work they went!!!
They sold nearly all their comics, and then decided to sell some stuffed animals too....

We decided to walk to the park near our house, and the girls tried to sell their remaining comic there, and a few stuffed animals, with no luck. It was a beautiful day and everyone was too busy playing! They were satisfied with their sales for the day- $8!- and had fun in the park. :)

Camping joy!!!

Our first camping trip!
Some may be shocked that I have never taken Kathrynn camping before...... Believe me, I've been waiting patiently for the experience! And I also decided that I knew it had to be when Kathrynn was truly interested and ready. :)

When Uncle John asked me if we'd like to go, I talked with Kathrynn about it and she was so excited! Our opportunity had come!

Kathrynn had a lot of fun helping to set up the tent. It was a wonderful location that John had scouted out for us. We were situated on a little peninsula and so could basically see water from 3 sides. Behind our tent were acres of trees, that led to the lake. It was peaceful and not busy at all so we had lots of land to ourselves!




Kathrynn built a fairy house the first afternoon we were there, and visited it a few times during our stay. Because the trees had no leaves, we could see her visiting this special place from our camp site. :)

The head lamp was a big hit.....
As was the picnic table on its end.... lots of climbing opportunities!

The comforts from home...... Great for Kathrynn, and great for John and I. :P



Kathrynn was really excited about having a fire. She worked hard at helping John with all the necessary branches and leaves, ect, and then helped him set up the fire.
They did a great job! It provided some lovely "hippy tv" for us.....


as well a way to roast some marshmallows!

I love the shots with and without flash. :)


Good morning! Kathrynn was hiding behind me. :)
Note the hat- it was in the high 30s or low 40s that morning!

With the sun out, it quickly warmed up, and we spent a few hours playing various games, including I-Spy Bingo. :)

Kathrynn spotted this hawks nest near our camp site.... We saw the mom and dad hawk, and are pretty sure that's who woke us up that morning!







After we got our site torn down and packed, we headed to the beach. Kathrynn is facing the peninsula where we'd stayed the night before.



We had so much fun on our first trip! I am so glad that John asked us if we wanted to go, and also glad that the weather was perfect for camping!

More library joy :)

I have sung the praises for our local library before, and I'm back to do it again!

The children's department closed for 3ish months, and were we so happy to see all the changes they'd done!

I didn't get many shots of the changes, although here a shot of Kathrynn putting on a puppet show using the new puppet show frame they had in the play room.



What actually brought us to the library that day was a program on birds. Our library offers so many great programs! This program was on birds and included a craft of making a bird feeder!



The woman leading the class did such a great job talking about birds and their habitat, and how we can help protect their natural habitats.

She even led some fun bird yoga!!!


Kathrynn went up to help with a demonstration of how birds and the land and trees co-exist together. :)

And here she is working on making the bird feeder, which now is in a tree in our back yard! :)

I have so much appreciation and love for our local library! :)