february

I can’t believe we’re nearly in March. Between article deadlines, parenting hurdles, travel, illnesses, and preparing for Lent, we’ve been quite busy. But finally, I’ve had enough time to gather my scattered thoughts and put them in a rambling blog post.

Two of my articles have been published in HERLIFE’s February issue, including the cover feature! I’ll link them here and here. It was a delight and honor to tell their stories.

Our family took a trip to Hawaii to celebrate my 30th birthday. It was a lovely time. Beatrice did a great job on the airplane, and Michael loved watching movies between Grandma and Grandpa. Kelsey came along too, and the kids were thrilled to have “Aunt Felsey” to play with as well.

Both kids spent hours every day in the pool — swimming for as long as we’d let them before pulling them out to eat or rest or reapply sunscreen. Michael became a much stronger swimmer over the week we were there, diving to the bottom of the pool to pick up sinkers, learning to float and paddle, and much more.

It was a lovely vacation — we all got some much needed rest and relaxation. We went to one of our family’s favorite restaurants, Leilani’s, to celebrate my birthday, and another little eatery later in the week called Aloha Mixed Plate.

We also took turns snorkeling off the beach: the wildlife in the coral reef is absolutely stunning. We saw about six sea turtles and so many tropical fish. When I held my breath and dove down a few feet, I could hear the whales calling to each other. We also saw several whales (both adult and babies) jumping and surfacing.

But mostly we just swam and read books, enjoying the warmth and the sound of the surf. While travel with two kids is definitely not the easiest thing, I was grateful for all the helping hands as we navigated airports with tired children.

Unfortunately, all of us got ill when we returned from our vacation (I blame traveling with children who touch everything and then touch their mouths). It also rained for several days straight — so we spent a lot of time indoors, watching more television than was healthy for us.

Earlier this month, we finally finished a project we’ve been dreaming of a long time: a rock climbing wall for the kids’ room. Michael absolutely adores it, and it’s wonderful to have an indoor outlet for all that energy when it’s cold and wet outside.

Beatrice hasn’t quite got the hang of it yet, but Michael climbs up and down with ease. We have been trying to make their room into a little whimsical sanctuary, and this brought it a step closer to the vision I have in my head.

We’ve had some pretty funny quotes recently as well.

Michael: Everyone’s sick. I’m moving to a different town.

Michael: I’m going to have a lot of kids!”

Me: How many?

Michael: 11 or 28.

Me: *offhandedly to Jake* I have to pee —

Michael: Just go on those rocks over there!!!

Me: *smelling something* Did someone fart?

Bea: *waking from a dead sleep* No!

Michael: I’m a SPACE HEATER!

Me:……you mean a space ranger?

Michael: YEAH!

Michael: Bea, you get a YOTO player for your birthday!

Me: Michael, that’s supposed to be a surprise —

Michael: Yeah I know! I’m just telling Bea!

Michael: I want to move AND sit at the SAME TIME 😭 (as he was still struggling with his injured foot)

Michael: Why do butts have cheeks?

In making news, I finished knitting this handspun cardigan for Beatrice. It’s so soft and squishy and colorful, and will be absolutely perfect for spring days.

I also finished a new skein of handspun yarn. I love its moody jewel tones. It was my first time finishing a spin on my E-spinner instead of my traditional wheel — it was a learning curve, so there are some parts of this yarn that are pretty rough, but that’s part of the charm of making things by hand.

Something that is bringing me a lot of joy right now: coffee. For my birthday, my parents got me a small espresso machine, and it has completely transformed our morning routines. It’s one of the first things. I look forward to in the morning now. Jake and I are obsessed — and he has become quite the barista, weighing out the grounds and playing around with latte art. Sometimes it’s the smallest joys that are the sweetest.

The pace of life has been pretty intense, but there’s much joy in the midst of the busyness. The constant life lesson for me this year has been flexibility and fluidity: learning to hold my plans with an open hand, and being willing to shift and adapt with grace when things change.