July is nearly over and it's been the hottest month in Washington. Because of all the sunshine, our container garden is doing quite well. We harvested early bird and cherry tomatoes, green beans, jalapenos, English cucumbers, lemon cucumbers, rosemary, and bell peppers. We've really enjoyed eating all the fresh produce, especially Ella. She loves the tomatoes. She eats them as fast as I pick them.
A couple of weekends ago Ella got to spend some time with one of her favorite people in the world, her cousin Vivien. They played at Gramme and Grandpa's house running around outside in the summer evening.
Gramme bought Ella and Vivi matching pink Adirondack chairs for the deck. Ella really loves hers. Gramme will have to buy another one soon, because Ella is going to have another cousin this December, a sweet baby girl! We are all thrilled!!
A week ago, I finally got to go to my first paint night. Many of my friends had been to one and I always thought they looked like a lot of fun, so when my friend, Leslie, invited me to hers, I was super excited to attend! We painted beautiful beach scenes and the best part was that the artist leading the class, let us choose our own special object for the painting. I painted a palm tree, while others painted beach chairs. It was nice to be able to personalize ours just the way we wanted. I met so many nice women and had a great time! Thanks Leslie!!
One of my dear friends, Katie, is a nail tech and she's so good at what she does. Recently I found a photo on Pinterest of some pretty nail art and she replicated it for me. The filter on this photo makes it kind of hard to see, but I have three coral colored nails, the middle nail is gold glitter, and my ring finger is white with gold stripes. Simple things like pretty nails can really make a gal happy.
Last week Ella participated in a week-long wilderness camp. It was four hours each day of swimming, hiking, crafts, picnics, sing-a-longs, and park play.
The best part of camp was that her buddy, Dash, joined her. They greeted each other with hugs each morning.
Ella came home each afternoon with a jewelry items made of beads. She said it was her favorite thing to do at camp.
Uncle Brett came for a visit last week. He was in Bend, OR the week prior for his buddy's wedding, and then he spent a week with us before taking the train to Seattle to spend a week at Radar Lake for work.
Ella is obsessed with her Uncle. She wanted to spend a much time with him as possible.
Last Saturday, after learning of the death of such an inspirational, amazing little girl, I walked out to my parents' deck and witnessed this amazing sky. It was just what I need to give me some peace and calm after such an emotional day. You can read about Gwendolyn's much-too-short life with SMA, her amazing parents and sister, and the wonderful charity they've created for their daughter and every person affected by Spinal Muscular Atrophy HERE. The world will not be the same without Gwendolyn. Fly free, beautiful butterfly.
Brett's birthday is August 3rd, but because he spends nearly every birthday at Radar Lake (which doesn't sound too shabby) we celebrated early with brownies and Mexican Train.
On Sunday, before Brett boarded the train for Seattle, we had a family hike. Ella was happy to walk Moco (Eric & Tina's dog) who we watched overnight while they were in Seattle.
Bon voyage, Brett! Until next time...
The moon last night was glorious. Beautiful, shining, almost full. Ella was inconsolable at bedtime. She misses her dad. She misses her brother. She's only four-years-old and her world has been rocked. We phoned Jeff (who is in another state working night shift) and she told him about the beautiful moon in the sky. It was the only thing she could say though her tears. Jeff said, "You know what, sweetheart? I see the same moon. In the same sky." My heart melted. I saw her face relax and her tears stop. Her daddy knew exactly what she needed. I couldn't help but think of how much Nicholas loved the moon as well. I am sure he placed pace in both their hearts.
After Ella went to bed, I went outside and gazed up at the night sky. My eyes fell upon the moon and I sobbed. Because it's usually cloudy in Washington, summer time is the best time to see the moon. Nicholas used to love to stay up late and lie on a blanket in the grass of our backyard and look at the moon. It enchanted him. He thought it was amazing. Last night it enchanted me too. In a way it never has before. I felt like Nicholas was looking at that moon. Him in Heaven. Me on Earth. It gave me comfort, but at the same time, it filled me with such profound sadness. I would have loved to gaze at that amazing moon with him by my side, holding my hand, listening to his voice tell me how pretty it was. I stood outside on the grass with bare feet, in my pajamas, in our front yard for quite some time. I cried and looked up at the moon and talked to my first born. It felt good. It felt cathartic. After awhile I began to see a cross of celestial light in the moon, one horizontal line, one vertical, with the round moon in the center. It was a magical, spiritual experience and in that moment I felt close to Nicholas. I could see why he was so mesmerized with the moon. I was mesmerized too. I saw the moon with new eyes, the eyes of a grieving mother of a boy gone much too soon. A boy who loved the moon.
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