And We’re Off!

After lots of down time chilling out with the “chicken pops” as Declan calls them, we are all systems go! here in 2008!

This week…
– Declan and Quinn were finally able to resume playdates
– We began the prep work for our new garage
– Erica went to Florida to visit Grandma Chandler

Enjoy the pix!

D sledding with buddy Liv

Dan-dan (Daniel, Liv’s brother) playing peek-a-boo with Quinn

We are building a garage! It’s basically a space for Mike’s tractor, motorcycle, tools, and workshop, but with the design we’ve agreed on, now there’s a second floor where I will be able to use some space too. Our builder is George Abetti. Olga saw an article about him in a local magazine and it turned out to be just the structure we were looking for! You can check out some of the work he does at Geobarns.com

Photo 1 of the garage series — this is the spot where it’s going

Photo 2 — digging the trench for the foundation while Papa and our friend Mike look on

I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to visit my Grandma Chandler in Florida this week. I figured that since I’d drop everything and go down if there were a problem, why not drop everything and visit while she’s fine? My mom was down there too, and it was lots of fun to spend time with her as well. Grandma told some great stories, made us yummy meals, and received some energy-healing. My mom and I did some shopping at some favorite area thrift stores and outlets, and the weather finally warmed up enough for us to enjoy some awesome pool time.

I made the brief, overnight trip to the Sunshine State alone – Mike and the kids stayed home. I missed them so much! But in addition to being able to spend some quality time with Grandma and Mom, I felt lucky to be able to catch up on some reading, watch lots of episodes of “What Not To Wear,” and take advantage of some special oceanside meditation.