Sammy Turns Four

I almost can't believe I'm posting. Does anyone even follow this blog anymore?

It's been hard enough for me to post on the other blog once a week that I've completely neglected this one, to the dismay of picture-seeking family members (I don't manage to post them on FB either). And now, with #3 less a month away, serious nesting instincts, a studio of violinists to look after, real food to prepare and a house to clean 24/7, and drenchingly hot weather, the impulse has returned. But you have to see how cute this kid is dressed as a cowboy.

Sammy turned four last week. His wish was to be a cowboy all day, so his first surprises of the day were a cowboy hat, belt, and bandana to go with his beloved boots. He was in heaven.

He also found a gun (train track piece) for his pocket
and a lariat (old piece of homemade rope).
Didn't let go of them all day.

We took a surprise outing to Griffith Park for pony rides and a little playground time.

After naps, we met some friends at the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena. It was the monthly free family night, and turned out to be very crowded. But the kids enjoyed it.

Sammy and Samantha

For dinner, we had our same friends over for a cowboy cookout. We had baked beans that sat in our Sun Oven all day, cornbread with butter and honey, salad, cantaloupe and watermelon, chips and salsa, and roasted Applegate hot dogs over an open fire. Is that what cowboys eat? 

Yes, yes we did burn the already-suffering grass under this funny
old oil drum (?) we found in the backyard. Keenan has since
patched new grass there,  and it's the prettiest spot of the yard.

Sammy's friends gave him some thoughtful
gifts that all the kids enjoyed.

My biggest contribution was the "mud cake." Every bite was SO icky! I used a great online recipe, but modified it so drastically (using ingredients like sprouted wheat flour and rapadura, omitting the glaze, and baking a bit differently) that I hate to claim it's the same thing. But it sure was good, especially along with our favorite homemade raw ice cream.

Then we had a cowboy campout. We blew up the air mattress, pulled our old crib mattresses out, and rolled out some cowboy bedrolls. This is what it looked like after being abandoned in the morning.

For how crazy it was putting it all together (mostly the cookout part), it was a huge success in the mind of the birthday boy, and that made it all worth it. Here are a few birthday highlights. Forgive the footage of him falling (harmlessly) at the playground. I thought it was quite funny, and we try to laugh at ourselves around here.

It's been a delight to have Sammy as my son. He is my treasure #1.

Daniel's birthday is coming up in three weeks, and a new baby will make an appearance sometime in the next month as well, so perhaps more again soon.  Fingers crossed...

Our Daily Legacy, the new blog

A couple years ago, my sister (-in-law) and I decided to start a blog together.  We thought of a name, drafted a mission statement, figured out logistics, brainstormed post topics, etc..  But we never started it.  Well, no, we just never posted anything.  That was about when the action on this blog took a terrible lull.  Every time I had an idea for a post, I wanted to put it on this great new blog, and I started keeping a list of all my ideas for "the new blog."  But I wanted my very first post to be special, and I just couldn't get it together.  So it stagnated.

Well, while my family was in Canada last month, we decided to invite a couple like-minded sisters to join in the fun and get it going!  That was the catalyst we needed.  Now we're all trying to post once a week.  (I gave up on putting my thoughts together for that first inspiring post. Maybe it will come up one day.)  

The blog is called Our Daily Legacy.  The point is exactly that: to share ideas about making each day worthwhile.  How can my choices make a positive difference?  How can I better look after my God-given stewardship?  In my opinion, everyone has the same core stewardship: body, family, earth.  After that, it varies from person to person.  For example, I also have some violin students and Mia Maids to look after... And of course, we should all be looking out for each other.  That's why we're here together!

The scope of the blog is very broad.  You'll see ideas regarding natural living and healing, order and organization, going green, real food and nutrition, pregnancy and childbirth, spirituality, and anything helpful and edifying.  We are dedicated to giving the best we can to our families and the earth, often with limited resources and budget.  

My sisters have such great ideas so far, and we've barely scratched the surface!  I've loved Ariel's posts on journaling and decluttering.  Melissa taught me something new about nutrition here and issued a sweet reminder on how to treat others here.  And Meredith completely inspired me with her maiden post on order in our homes.  I've posted my recipe for homemade deodorant and also a list of the natural sweeteners we use in place of refined sugar.  

As the possibilites are endless, I can't wait to see what emerges from day to day!  We are writing to share our ideas with each other, but we are anxious to glean what we can from others, so keep up with us and share your ideas in the comments.  If there's a subject you'd like to see touched on, please let me know (better yet, do a guest post!).  The more we share, the more we all stand to benefit.  I am grateful to have this new outlet for the whirlwind of ideas spinning me off my feet, as well as this terrific resource to learn from others.

Maybe I'll be able to pick things up on this blog now. :)

By the way...

Aren't they great?

Adventures in the North Woods

My ENTIRE family just spent six days together, all 21.5 of us. It gets better: we were all together at one of the most incredible places I have ever been: my Uncle Scott's lodge, nestled at the mouth of the Kipawa River on Lake Temiskaming in Quebec. We met there for Sammy's third birthday. Haha. Really, it was to celebrate Abby's return home from Brazil! It was so wonderful to see her again and hear some of her stories. We are so proud of her!

Our time at the lodge was indescribable, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves (mostly). The smaller pictures are Cameron's (or Meredith's). They speak better.

AUGUST 7, THIRD BIRTHDAY

Favorite colors

The conductor got a pocket watch.

(He's worn it every day since.)

Birthday wish: canoe ride.

WATER TIME

The dock was a flurry of activity all week:

swimmers, boaters, fishers, skiers, kayakers, sauna jumpers, etc.

Captain Keenan

Love this view of the lake and the sky.

Some of the fam ready to brave the lowest rapids of the Kipawa.

Grande Chute

Keenan's highest jump ever. I was so proud.

With Uncle Scott (he backflipped off the cliff, at almost 60!)

Finally got up on slalom. I just wasn't leaning back enough!

Keenan's first time up on skis! He's a natural.

How he liked it.

Our nice fellow visitors gave Thomas and me a ride around the lake!

Sammy, Aunt Kate, and Rose, (another lodge visitor)

FAMILY TIME

Meeting Aunt Abby

Welcome home, Abby! We love you!

The nephew charmer

Aunt Pat, Grandmama, and Sammy

Winner of the lumberjack show.

Storm crawling in.

(What it really looks like.)

Kiss it, Amanda!

The sight of this still makes my toes tingle.

Pretending not to love it.

True Julia

A little Maple Sugar

An old cistern on the property

(they own 274 acres!)

Benjamin's smiles are worth a million.

Wild raspberries!

Best cousins

Needless to say, we wish we were still there. We loved being at such a serene place with the whole Marshall clan. Hoping for a next time!!!

Originals

Enhanced version

P.S. For a very good time, visit Scott's blog.

P.P.S. For an incredible read, read Scott's book, Kipawa River Chronicles: Adventures in the North Woods.