le galion in the evening

we arrived to le galion after 5:00.  with the tourists and lounge chairs gone and the sun going down behind the hills, the children played in the empty shallow waters while we sat and nearly shivered on the shaded sand.

the tide was so low these mounds of grass usually underwater rose out of the sea to be seen.

the children drew in the cool sand

and ezra sang while he drew - can you guess what it was?

"thomas the tank engine, rolling along!  thomas we love you! do di do da do!"

bianca said she drew zebras, cats, and dogs.

the sky kept changing color and cloud formations 

emma and melissa were enjoying it just as much as i was

cat held emma and remembered when bianca was so small.  the kids came over to all take a picture together and cat said she could pretend she had three beautiful children.

emma makes us all want babies again.

melissa and i

my last picture of the evening shows how much the colors changed from the first picture within one hour of our arrival.  it was a beautiful way to end the day and transition from day into night.

ilets de la baie de l'embouchure

yesterday we went out for a little island adventure with some friends. when we arrived to our destination, the islands of the baie de l'embouchure, we were welcomed by a herd of wild goats across the street on the rocky hillside.

after staring at the goats and being visited by one lone white goat in the parking lot, the children led us up the stairs to the lookout.  they immediately found this sign and were so excited to find this "treasure map."

baby emma was more excited to look out at the beautiful view from the comfort of her mama's pouch.

behind me in this picture you can see the larger of the two islands you can walk out to.  i am looking out at the neighboring island of st. barth's in the distance.

it was a clear and stellar view that day.

these two were raring to go so we made our way down

 to this perfectly shallow pathway for our little walkers.

they did quite well walking along the stony pathway and there was a lot of excitement in the air.

together we looked for treasure and found a sea urchin colony and some coral.

and once we were on the little island ezra spotted this "christmas tree" rock sculpture at the top.  the adventure continued at le galion for a lovely evening on the beach.  

this week i'm grateful for...

the chance to see these gorgeous boats from my balcony once again.  i think these images will leave a lasting impression on me and be something i retrieve from my memory banks for a time of awe, beauty and peace.  

our friend erica who has been not only a friend to us but to our sweet ezra.  living on an island far far away from family has taught me how important it is to surround yourself with people who not only love you but your children.  

finding easter egg dipping supplies early

and the joy the activity brings.

living 5 minutes walking distance from this beautiful beach and the late afternoon stroll we took down there with michael this week.

living at the hotel directly on this beach which has made a timely return before we leave.

this dear husband of mine and all the hard work he's put in to bring us on this wonderful journey together.

i am also so grateful for the blogging friends i've made since starting my blog the same time our island journey began.  it has been wonderful connecting with people all over the world this way and sharing our love of life, creativity, photographs, and the moments we are grateful for everyday.  i never knew the blogworld would enrich my life through meaningful friendships in a virtual reality.  for that i am grateful.

this moment

a friday ritual.  a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.  a simple, special, extraordinary moment.  a moment i want to pause savor and remember.  inspired by soulemama

my creative space...

my muse greets me everyday.  i keep my camera handy on the counter because the ocean view from our living room is always changing with different weather patterns, colors of the sea, boats afloat and planes flying overhead.  it is no wonder we are happy homebodies.  there are pictures to take, things to do and make.  have a look here at my creative space this week.  i was inspired to do this by cathie today.  

yesterday we did yoga for relaxation together.  i think it's almost a puzzle like activity for ezra who lays out his own pillows and blankets to look like mine in the different poses.  we follow this dvd that i've had and been doing for years especially on those days when you're too tired to do an active sequence.  

my knitting has me picking up a few projects depending on my mood.  this one is a little rose cardigan for stella.  since it is small and the yarn is a silk/linen blend i have been taking it to the beach with us.

here is a picture from the pattern book

i am working on the spring hoodie recently shared on purlbee.  it is a great mindless knit for movie watching.  michael actually had a spare night to watch "the proposal" with me and we laughed together.  it was so nice and i can't even remember the last time we did this.  

  

for ezra, i am still working on luigi to go with mario (who has been laying in a basket for two weeks).  i'm not working on this one as much as the others right now. but, every now and then when ezra sees me knitting he will say, "i want you to work on luigi first."  clever boy.  

ezra worked on his shape sticker book this morning.  i love sharing these high interest creative activities with him where he learns words like arch and semi-circle through our conversation.  

later today we dyed easter eggs and he held up the metal dipper and said, "this is a hexagon."  i just beamed.  

this is our march banner of watercolor paintings.  i drew on the paper first with white crayon and ezra watercolored over each one to see the surprise picture.  it was a nice way to get him to fill the whole paper with paint.  i love how the colors look like springtime.  

what does your creative space look like this week?  

michael passed the comp!!!

hours and hours and hours of studying.  countless hours.  no wonder you passed the comp!

ezra and i are so happy for you!  we are so excited!