I thought it would be nice to share some sweet blessings every Sunday.  Sweet blessings are about simplicity, love, light, joy; anything and everything that inspires and stirs our hearts and reminds us of the sweet blessings we are surrounded by every day.  Sweet blessings are the fleeting moments, that we should always remember.

My baby, I always want to remember your long eyelashes & thick eyebrows….

The way you pick out the raisins…and sit on a stool like a grown up.

Your joyful smile…and that stream of drool trickling down your chin.

and most of all your light, and the sweet connection that we share.

What are your sweet blessings?

During a visit with a dear friend and colleague Kristen, I mentioned that although she couldn’t see it on the outside, I was doing somersaults on the inside…to which she gave a full belly laugh…which made me even more ecstatic (on the inside)!   I realized that this is often the case, a deep joy resides within me, but I am not able to express it…especially when it comes to putting my work out there and sharing it with others.  This got me thinking, is it shyness, or introversion, or something more?

I started noticing the disconnect between what the heart says and what the mind says.  Like the heart says, “go!” and the mind says “waaaiiit a minute there, nooot so fast!”.  The mind tells us to live ’safely’, within the conceived parameters of the mind or within the confines of how big (or little) we think others can accept us to be.  The mind tells us to protect ourselves.  It keeps us disconnected from our heart, our trueness, our joy, our purpose, and our light.  In truth, we are each so much more than we have ever imagined…

Consider this:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”   ~Marianne Williamson

In the spirit of letting our light shine (thanks Kristen!)…

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I always notice the rhythm of the seasons…and look forward to summertime as a chance to breathe some fresh air of calmness. It gives some much needed space from the hectic demands of the school year and work, and time to gather myself and get ready for a new season of purpose. We just returned from a road trip to New England, where I was able to really connect with nature and with my family.

Amadou and Isa. They are really getting to a place where they actually have fun together! Getting a shot of them together, that’s a different story…

Everywhere was some kind of beautiful.

This summer marks the beginning of being a parent of a teenager.  Whenever I tell people that I have a teenage son, they are speechless.  I can see their minds tickin’ trying to figure out how that can possibly be!  It’s true!  I’m fortunate that my son is still really sweet at heart, and still loves his mama!

This was amazing, and the picture doesn’t do it justice.  We were at a high elevation here (our trusty 240 wagon, slowly but surely made it up the hill!), and every mountain top gave way to another, and if you looked all the way to the furthest mountain top, it’s a 60 mile view!
Sweet brotherly love…  


I had to share this one for Rachel and Juan, a Baye Fall moose!

This is big…during our trip, Isa turned four!  He’s quite a character.  Fun and silly at times, focused and determined at others.  He wants to strike out on his own and be independent, but also loves to hold hands and not go too far.  He definitely has a will in him to be a leader, but it’s often over-shadowed by his immense shyness when the focus is all on him.  It’s tough being a middle-child. I love to watch how their minds and hearts open and unfold at age four.

…and left alone in the kitchen near the sugar bowl.  what could be more wonderful for a boy of three!

and somehow…he had sugar all over his belly.  i think he was laying on the sugar, and quite pleased with himself at that!

This is my funny little guy.  He’s been the baby until just recently, and his personality has really been coming into full bloom since!  His latest antic is pointing at you with his finger and most intimidating face and saying quite seriously,  ‘futter fly!’.  He’s also been standing on top of anything he can climb onto and saying, ‘I’m King of the world!’.

He’s got a super sweet, gentle disposition and he’s known around these parts for his Kung Fu moves, which he learns from his big brother.  Here’s to being three and King of the World!

I love how present children are, and how they can find joy all around them…like yellow dots, for instance.

This image to me, really shows his sweetness…  It was about the only shot I got him to actually ‘pose’ for!

He’s really into running or hiding from the camera…I loved this series!

This is my most favorite picture of the two boys together…   I might just have to blow this one up or make a canvas out of it.

My oldest son, he’s my buddy… Sensitive, silly, insanely creative, generous, helpful, funny, extremely intelligent, thoughtful & independent. He’s a true original. One thing I love about him is that he’s principled. If something’s not for him, or if something’s not right, he walks away, or if he needs to, speaks his mind…even if it makes him unpopular in the moment.

I can’t believe how fast he’s growing up.

Who would think that someone so tiny and cute could pee and poop sooo much?! As much as I wanted to take those adorable photos of him in his birthday suit, he literally soils his diaper within 30 seconds of cleaning him…every time. I think he must be a modest fellow and it’s his protection mechanism from a photographer mama with a blog. And did I mention how often I’ve been peed on since he’s come along??? Too many times to count. I felt so bad the time he peed all over himself, including his face (!) (which my oldest son thought was hilarious)…and so I learned to take the diaper changing thing slow after that one…being very aware of subtle signs, if you know what I mean.

Well, on to more exciting things…for those waiting to find out his name…are you ready? It’s a long name, but we believe that the name a person carries, if chosen carefully can help develop beautiful qualities in the person…especially when you name a child after someone who has lived a remarkable life (our last child, Isa, is named after Jesus…). So without further ado, his full (long) name is Amadou Bamba Abdallahi Nural Deen Scherer. He’ll be affectionately known as Amadou.

Amadou is derived from the name Ahmad which means highly praised, implying one who constantly thinks of God. But there’s more…Amadou Bamba was a spiritual leader, mystic, poet, and monk from Senegal who led a pacifist struggle against French colonialism. His teachings, which emphasized the virtues of pacifism and hard work, were so universal, transformative, and full of peace that ultimately he was awarded the French Legion of Honor. Abdallahi means servant of God, and Nural Deen means Light of the Way of Life, referring to one who leads the way to God.

I know the topic of religion is taboo these days, and people are either fascinated with it or usually completely uncomfortable with it. For me, my relationship with God is imperative to my life and also a primary influence for how we raise our children…trying to instill in them a sense of goodness, compassion, community and an awareness and trust in God. So with the birth of little Amadou, I wanted to offer some small prayer for all children.

I pray that all our children grow up with a strong sense of who they really are, and a strong connection to ALL the people of the world…seeing each other as brothers and sisters and friends in the journey of life. And, I pray that our children develop the qualities and strength to live their lives courageously, making decisions based on love and truth…living life fully and presently, and going further with their ambitions than we’ve been able to. I pray that our children grow up as adults that are filled with love…so so much love.

Please feel free to add your own prayers in the comments section below. I’m off now to change a diaper!

I am so excited to introduce the newest little guy in our family! He was born Thursday night, and we’re all home now getting aquainted with him. He’s strong and healthy, and in my (un-biased) opinion, just plain cute! I think he’s still on his ‘inside’ schedule…sleeping during the day and awake at night, or he’s just a night owl like his mama (yikes!)

He was born on the same day as three (3!) very dear people in our lives, including the same exact day as our friends little girl…how cool is that?!

For those who are wondering about the name…we have decided to follow our spiritual tradition of naming the baby on the 7th day after birth…so no name yet, but soon!

I’m sure there will be more to follow…