A Playgroup In the Woods

The fort pictured here is something I built together with Rafael, his cousins, and his grandma and grandpa the past couple of weeks. We would stop there on our walks in the woods to eat little picnics, always adding more sticks and leaves. We were there so often that a little path formed leading up to it.

While sitting there with Rafael and his best friend Flo the other day, I thought of how nice it would be to share this spot, and the experience of playing in the woods, with other children. I quickly created a website, set a date, and invited all the local mothers I know. And on Tuesday, a freezing cold autumn day with blue skies, 18 of us gathered in the forest to play. 

This will be a weekly meet-up, year round, rain or shine. I am so happy that I went ahead and quickly organized this....usually I weigh the pros and cons about things for ages before taking action. This time, I just figured I have nothing to lose. 

I have many ideas for things I would like to try out in the future; games, snacks, rituals. 

But the kids were really happy just being out in the elements, and having a little tree fort as their base. 

It's definitely fall here. Freezing cold temperatures (we had our first frost this morning) and leaves turning yellow and red. I am craving baked goods, soups, roasts, and frothy hot chocolate. You too?

xoxoxo

Fall Begins

Mornings are cold and crisp. Bushes and branches are edged in pink and gold. There are fallen acorns and beechnut hulls along the path, and everything is glistening and wet from night rains. Rafael loves to go on what he calls 'adventures,' off of the main path and up little cleared ways into the wooded hillside, where he 'works,' with a toy saw and hammer, mimicking the lumberjacks he sometimes sees in the forest. He also likes lifting heavy fallen branches and tossing them into a pile down in the ditch.

Sometimes Raffi's two cousins join us on our nature walks. Together we built a little stick-house, which we decided was either for a hedgehog or a gnome, and filled it with acorns and a walnut shell bowl with wild flowers for whoever moved in to eat. We caught a little golden frog and put him in the house, and he did stay there for a while (probably to hide from us). I always check up on our stick-house and add moss, ferns, and bark to the walls. We made big plans about constructing a whole village of stick houses before winter. 

The forest smells strong of mushrooms but I've only found a few small ones so far. I really hope to finally discover and photograph some amanitas this year. 

So now begins the most beautiful season of them all, and what always seems to feel the shortest: Autumn, gorgeous savory delicious misty colorful cozy autumn! 

xoxoxo

My New Daily Rhythm

A while back I began getting up early and taking jogs, as often as I could. As a result, combined with dieting, I lost thirty pounds. I have since loosened up a little on the diet, as I am currently just trying to maintain my weight and not lose any more. But I still get up regularly to have some active time for myself.

Up until now, I headed out alone, and jogged around town, sweating and blasting upbeat music in my ipod. And then, a few days ago, a combination of things changed my daily rhythm. One of these things was the fact that, after 9 in the morning, it was already sweltering hot, and walking the dogs at that time with Rafael was not very enjoyable. The second thing was that, Raffi was getting a little bored with our morning routine, and our friends kept asking if we wanted to join them on morning trips, which we couldn't go on because of our long, slow walks with the dogs. The third factor was, I really missed taking photos in peace. I had a big Canon macro lens just sitting in it's box, because it was too heavy for me to lug around when Raffi was with me.

So, the other day, instead of jogging alone on the sidewalk, I put the dogs on leashes, hung my camera with the macro lens attached around my neck, and headed into the woods. It was a gorgeous August morning, and early enough that the air was still comfortably mild. I power walked up a steep wooded hillside so that I would also get a little bit of a workout, and then took my time snapping photographs. Not only was I happy, the dogs were absolutely overjoyed, running and sniffing and exploring paths that would have been impossible with a stroller. 

Our morning walks in the woods aren't especially long; depending on when I wake up they are between 20 and 45 minutes. But they make a huge difference in my day, and for the dogs, and also for Rafael, who can now go to the zoo or the playground in the morning as a change of pace. 

Now that I have reached my fitness goals, I am so glad to be pursuing my creative ones; taking photos in nature is one of my favorite things in the world, and I have missed doing it regularly for quite a while now.

I also finally have a bicycle! After a pretty serious bike accident in my teen years, I was afraid to ride, but with the encouragement from my husband and friends, I hopped on again during our vacation in Salzburg and loved it so much that I got a bike when we came home. So, on cool mornings when there's a breeze, I take a nice bike ride to neighboring villages for a change of scenery. It has given me an amazing sense of freedom.

These are some photos I have taken the past few mornings. 

In the cool, shady forest on foot:

And in the sunny fields on my bike:

What a big difference this small change in daily schedule has made in my life!

xoxoxo

5 Days A Week, Week 3

hat: H&M :: green onesie: Gap :: sweater: Mexx :: jeans: H&M :: toy: Jako-o

dachshund onesie: Gymboree :: organic pants: Jako-o :: teddy bear: Strolz

shirt: Gap :: vest: Gap :: corduroy pants: H&M :: small teddy: vintage

shirt: Gap :: jeans: H&M

blue and white striped suit: Next Baby Boutique (a gift from Morwenna) :: hooded sweatshirt: H&M :: wooden mushroom rattle: Selecta

Every day Rafael shows us something new. Lately he has begun doing something like sit ups when he is lying down, lifting his head and upper body to look around (mostly at the dogs). He kicks wildly in the water at bath time. He takes my face in his hands when I lean towards him. And he loves to talk. Sometimes he will look at me with such a serious expression on his face and talk to me as if he is explaining something very, very important to me, which maybe he is.

His hair is growing thicker, his body longer, his legs straighter. He is getting so big!

Tomorrow we have our appointment with the heart specialist. Pray with me that all is well.

xoxo

5 Days A Week, And Raffi's New Reading Nook

shirt with striped arms and hot air balloon: Gap :: jeans: H&M :: yellow elf stuffie: Jako-o

v-neck with moped print: Gap :: striped body suit with hood: H&M :: wooden teething caterpillar: Haba

grey and red striped sweatshirt: Gap :: jeans: H&M :: book Hallo Kleiner Hund!

cotton body suit with doggy print: The Organic Baby Company :: giraffe teether and squeaky toy: Sophie Le Giraffe by Vulli

striped sweater: ZARA kids :: jeans: H&M :: F is for FOX pillow: robin and mould on etsy

First I want to thank you all for the amazing notes you left for me after my last post. I can't tell you just how wonderful it has been to read them all and feel my body and mind relax with each message of encouragement and advice. Your stories are so comforting for me. Thank you!! I am so glad I wrote that post, because the responses I received from all of you have been an enormous comfort to me!

So, here is my little/big boy (I always call him my big boy, even though I know he is actually still so little), throughout the week. Maybe you noticed, starting on Wednesday his sitting area changed. That's because we took the big armchair that was meant for breastfeeding out of his room and replaced it with a cozy little mattress, plump with clusters of pillows. I noticed that I was always nursing him in bed anyways, and soon he'll be sitting up and crawling; I wanted a space for our quiet time together, for reading (I read to him even though he doesn't understand yet), cuddling, talking (well, me talking to him for now), looking at our hands and into each other's eyes, and impromptu cat naps. It was important to me that it's relatively flat, so that once he starts rolling around, he won't hurt himself.

His room is becoming more and more functional and we are in it a lot throughout the day now. It was becoming somewhat of a storage room, a place where I wrapped presents, or had piles of gifts and clothes and empty boxes. Finally I came to the point where I realized I want Rafael to be comfortable and happy in his room from the beginning on, so that when he starts sleeping in it, it will be a familiar and welcoming place for him. 

Soon I'm adding a set of children's table and chairs for when his older cousins come over to play, and we'll be installing a little library for his books in the hallway outside of his room. I'm really excited to share these with you all once it's finished. 

For now, here is Raffi in his tiny reading/cuddling nook:

This corner, just like all of his room, will be evolving over time...there is still some decor missing. But I thought I would show you our new, comfy little nest, even if it's not really finished.

Thank you all again for making this place so special...a place where I receive so much love and positivity! I hope I am able to give back somehow!

xoxo

5 Days A Week

The other day I looked at Rafael and couldn't believe how big he has gotten. I decided to start taking a photo of him 5 days a week, Monday through Friday.

It has become one of my favorite parts of the day: Raffi wakes me up at around 6:30, when it's still dark and my husband and the dogs are still deep asleep. Rafael and I kiss and nuzzle, I change his diaper, and then we go to the bathroom where I brush my teeth while he sits in his car seat by the heater and watches me with curious eyes.

Then we go to his room, which feels so warm and quiet, and while he swats at the wooden rings on his baby gym, I pick out the little outfit for the day. At some point, we hear the tip-tip-tip of doggy paws on the floor, and they join us in his room, with tail wags and sleepy stretches.

When there is a little sunlight, I sit him on the plump white chair, give him a toy, and take photos of him. He looks out the window, looks at his toy, looks at Boston or Kiki, sometimes looks at me.

Wherever he looks, he always looks CUTE.

shirt: C&A :: wool pants: H&M mouse: Powell Craft, a gift from Rachel

plaid shirt: Gap :: corduroy pants: H&M :: teddy bear: vintage find

striped shirt: cosilana :: jeans: H&M :: double decker bus: vintage find

striped onesie and sweat suit: H&M :: wooden toy: Walter

plaid jacket: Gap :: jeans: H&M :: sneakers: Nike :: crocheted bear with red scarf: Ana Paula Rimoli :: alphabet pillow: loop loft

Our tiny daily photo shoot has quickly become a morning ritual and I am so happy about it. I am so excited to watch him grow, picture for picture, day for day! So, I hope to keep this post series going every Sunday. 

Thanks for stopping by, lovelies!

xoxo