My funny boy...

We found this awesome little bell the other day while thrifting, it says "shalom" on the handle...and the boys love to ring it....they run around saying "Shalom! Shalom!" Well other than just making a bunch of noise, we have put it to good use. I have found that they transition from one activity to another alot better if they can be a part of it, here is what I mean. Throughout our day we have lots of little pockets of time, so we have reading time, snack time, tidy up time, cuddle time...and so on...not in a very regimented way at all...just kind of as markers that every body is ready to move on to something else...

They even go and ring the bell on their own...just for fun to let me...and the whole neighbor hood know what they are moving on to. So today during reading time we had this conversation.

Daniel says: Mama, I used to be teeny tiny.

Me: Yup...you were my little tiny baby.

Daniel: Yeah, but now I am not little...I am soooo tall.

Me: Yes, you are very tall.

Daniel: Mama I was in your tummy huh?

Me: Yes you where in there before you were born. Do you remember?

Daniel: Yeah, it was nice...I was like this.( He gets into a fetal position)

Me: Smiling...how do you know...?

Daniel: I remember!

Me: oh...OK. what did you see? What did you hear?

Daniel: I had my eyes closed...But I heard noises...I heard talking.

Me: You did? who was talking?

Daniel: You guys!...mom and dad!

He cracks me up...

Like Capturing Clouds...

These days seem to be going so fast, summer has ended and we have happily welcomed Autumn here in the Munoz home and with it many changes. We have recently changed venues for Freedomhouse...and in a few weeks we will be moving once again...our 5th time in 5 years. When I look back on these last 5 years, so much has happened...it seems like a blur at moments...so much packed into a handful of years.

I am amazed watching my little babies develop their very own interests and personalities. I love hearing all about their new favorite heroes...Don Quixote and Sancho Panza as of late.(you can guess who is who!) There was a time my camera was filled with a greater variety of subjects. But these days...there is nothing more fascinating than the ordinary yet extraordinary moments of two little boys discovering their world...and themselves.

Daddy can fix it!

We are in the midst of clearing the house of all the things we have outgrown, no longer need, or could be of better use to someone else. I have packed 6 huge rubbish bags so far, and I have a feeling, I will probably end up doing about 6 more! I am being totally ruthless, partly because we are moving soon, and I don't want to pack anything I don't need to and also...because I really do have dreams of living in a totally uncluttered home. Although my thrifting habits might not exactly give you that impression...but really I think you would be impressed, I have honed it into a craft that is actually saving money...really.

It has been a bit of a crazy week, Tuesday....when I went to pick up Daniel from school, I found him, sitting sadly be the door, his teacher wiping off her shoes. The teacher said he had been just fine most of the day, but towards the end was looking a bit queasy ...when all of a sudden he just lost his lunch all over his teachers shoes...I felt so bad for the both of them it was a bit of a mess, so we came home and Daniel just sleep the rest of the day, meanwhile this nasty bug was reeking havoc with the rest of us...not fun. But we are recovering...

The kids were helping me today tidy up, and we were talking about what things could go to the charity shop and what could be tossed, so I left Jesse and Daniel to sort through their things, as I was in the other room I could hear them talking, Jesse would say "Broken!" and Daniel would say "That's o.k. daddy can fix it." The doll house has a huge dent...Daddy can fix it! The crocodile's tail is hanging by a thread...daddy can fix it. Their harmonica is coming apart from one intense jam...daddy can fix it. I hear them talking, from the next room...and I am happy. For now daddy can fix everything...that is how they see their dad, and it makes me glad...and reminds me we have a Father that looks out for us too!

My Lilly...

So this week was Daniel's first week of pre-school, and has been an awesome one! He goes everyday...from 12:40 to 3:10. Which has been a bit tricky since he is used to having a nap, and has gone without one all week...the first few days he was falling asleep before I got dinner on the table, but he seems to have adjusted and things are looking good.

The funniest thing has been Daniels favorite thing...well not really a thing...but a person at school. Her name is Lilly. The days before school even started he had been asking "Is my girl gonna be there? Is my best friend gonna be there?" Well he did not really have either before...but he sure does now. Daniel is just smitten. He talks about Lilly all day long...before he goes to sleep, as he is brushing his hair, on the way to school..."Is my Lilly gonna be there?" It is too cute, they are the best of buddies. The teacher says they play so nicely together, Daniel reports they play with the bikes, they dig in the garden and the play with the babies. Natalie, Lillie's mum, says lilly is quite fond of Daniel too, so we are all having a giggle. After school they say goodbye to each other about 3 times...yesterday when we got home, Daniel was playing on his own, just talking mumbling...and he was saying "Lilly you are so pretty...you are very nice...you are very pretty."

And by the way none of you better tease him and give him some kind of complex! Besides who know how long it will last...How will we deal with a broken heart at 3?



Daniels prayer tonight
"Thank you Jesus for food...for mommy's hair for daddy's hair...for eyes...for nose...for mouth...for trousers...for shadows...um...in Jesus name...amen.

Hello again...

It has been awhile huh? All of the traveling really took it out of us, and many things got put on the back burner...but we are back...getting ready for Daniel's first day of pre-school, Autumn and colder days ahead. Here is our summer in pictures...



The highlight for the boys was definatly seeing all their cousins...they talk about them all of the time, remembering all they did during their visit...& pray for them every night...





They are still talking about their uncle Axel, wondering if he is in the fire engines they see passing by...


Meeting of the Manes!



The BigBoy & Boochie show.



We had been considering getting rid of our T.V. for a while,for a few reasons really. 1. It just seemed to be on all of the time for backround noise, just wasting energy and clogging up our minds 2. We really did not want it to be ingrained in the boys daily routine, or for it to just be a default thing to do. Not that we are totally opposed to watching it, just that we want them to develop other interests, early on...things that they can be active in as opposed to passively watching.and 3. I think it totally shortens their attention spans...so we finally went for it in the beginning of summer and it has been really cool. When daddy gets home at night, they all get their instruments out and Jam for a bit, or read...or run around like crazy...at which point I do miss having a t.v. so I could just plop them in front of it...but really it has been tremendously positive . We are burning through books though...got any you can send?!?


I have been knitting...it is a really good feeling to hold in your hands something...that is evidence of your labour...so many things you do as a mama, have to be done again just as you finished doing them in the first place! So it has been theraputic...


We have taken the boys to a few street art exhibitions this summer...and they are finding art everywhere now...





The Kids woke up one day and decided they wanted a cat( which is not going to happen...) So they asked Brandon if they could build a cat house...they spent the day building and had a blast.

They later went upstairs to the Village shop and bought some cat food...Daniel is doing all in his power to lure a cat. He sits by the window in the morning and calls out "CAT!...CAT!...come...it's me Daniel!...CAT...where are you?"




"You don't say!"



Jesse's first sparkler...which he tried to eat...



While eating lunch one day I saw Daniel staring and staring at his food...we where having chickpeas...and he says..."Mama look! Little butts!" ...and they really do look like little bums.
So they sat the little butts in the car.


One of their favorite games, Daniel is the shopkeeper, and Jesse the shopper/shoplifter...should I be worried?


A few quiet moments...baby free in Arizona...

We made it...

Update:
*We made it safe and sound, we are now at my moms...having some coffee...no tea here.

*Jesse has so far had his belly stuck IN the seat belt clasp, fallen into rose bushes and had 3 thorns removed from his bleeding face, and has had an allergic reaction to some face cream...

*Daniel and his cousin Addy have gone orange picking in Nana Lucy's back yard...came back smiling and dirty with a bag full.

So we are off to the church now, gonna see Pastor Carl and the gang at church, yeah!
Off to have more fun...

You take the good, you take the bad...and the messy...

The other day as I was shopping for fruit and snacks for the kids, I noticed a little bin I had never seen before, it was a clearance bin for flowers hidden behind some balloons, there sat this sweet little bouquet of green buds, for only a few pence...so I treated myself to some flowers!

Just a moment of peace...until I spot whats happening in the kitchen...



That's Jesse in the back with 6 more ready to go...

Reminders...

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."


This scripture has been on my mind and heart lately, and I have been trying to understand what it really means for me at the moment...I know that it gives me comfort and that it lifts me when things get a bit heavy, so I just like to meditate on it. I found this in something I was reading:

"to enjoy a calm confidence" in regards to the "be still". I like that...
so I wrote a little reminder where I can see it everyday. I painted my little stool with chalk paint, and got a chalk pen...

...and another reminder along the same lines... here is a scarf I found in the charity shop...just added a little portrait of us as birds...being still.

Lucha Libre...

These boys of mine seem to never run out of fuel...I find myself trying to find ways to wear them out. We turn up the radio and dance to oldies, we play simon says...where simon says jump up and down about every other command, and we wrestle. Which is by far their favorite, I have stopped trying to get them to calm down...and our days are a bit easier that way...we seem to understand each other a bit more.

So here we are in our gear, getting ready to rumble.

Creature Workshop...

Now that Jesse understands that playdough is not food, we have been able to bring it down from the top shelf... here are a few of their latest creations. They where getting really frusterated that none of the things they made looked like what they where trying to make. So they pop on Mr.Potato head bits & bobs on and there you go...instant little creatures.

Oh yeah...

Forgot to put up this pic....doesn't it kind of look like Daniel?

Under a bridge downtown...

We had a great Bank Holiday weekend, the weather was amazing and it drew us out. I think it really lifted our spirits, and we totally needed just some time to enjoy this city and each other...it has just been a bit stressful planning the Pentecost Festival. Yesterday we went to go check out, the Cans festival, it was some kind of stenciling street party. The kids got so excited when the saw they could actually play on this art. It was such a strange thing to see, kids playing on some ghetto playhouse, people sitting on velvet couches next to a blown up image of the queen, and "police officers" walking around with jackets that said "polite" instead of police. Pretty random, but considering it was all under a bridge downtown, what are you to expect?




There was also some kind of food festival going on too, and they were giving out these huge Lolly's to the kids...they got so excited...until this happened...to both of them... overall a great time only these tears at the end.

Miscellaneous Moments...

Canterbury Cathedral


Too big for the baby chair...


...way too big!


Looking good for a party


Watching old Superman cartoons


Lean on me...

Tree

Brandon kept telling us about this tree he saw a while back, he painted such a picture, that we made a little family excursion to go check it out for ourselves. Pretty awesome! I have never seen anything like it in real life. It reminds me of one of Adams messages back in our youthaflame days, when he talked about roots growing through pipes...pretty crazy. I love seeing my little man next to this tree...he was so drawn to it...like it was some kind of riddle.