This was always one of my favorites as a kid:

So it was pretty neat yesterday, when the sun came out, ladybugs started swarming all over my house.  Not just 2 or 3, like 20 or 30 or 50.  They were everywhere.  All different types — bright red, pumpkin orange, lots of dots, or just a few.

Doesn’t legend say that it is good luck when a ladybug lands on you?  So why are both twins sick (or still sick) again?  Why was I up with one or the other all night long?  Why couldn’t I fall asleep during the one hour that they slept this morning?  What’s up with that?  Maybe you ladybugs better fly away home.

For a few days we had this:

But yesterday we were back to this:

and this

See more Best Shot Monday at Mother May I.

Change is never easy or simple.  Our transition here is still ongoing.  We are all learning how to stretch our legs in this new place.  But each time we have just a moment to look around and really see what we have found, we are grateful.

My honey gave me his blessing to run off this afternoon … to take pictures.  I went for a little drive and got to do some exploring (and I didn’t even use the GPS!).  I was amazed to find a lovely country road.  I was so excited to tromp off and explore and try new things with my camera.  The air was crisp, the sun bright and beginning to set.  Aside from risking my life walking down a twisty little country road — it was perfect.  To top things off, I found even more places to visit on my ride home, all only a few minutes drive from our new house.

So, here is my Best Shot Monday:

You can see some of my other shots here.

This is one of the views from my new neighborhood.  The moonrise, not bad, huh?

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m finding each subsequent year of parenthood harder and harder.  When we had the twins, everyone comments about how “you’ve got your hands full.”  But the fruit babies are easy compared to a 6-year-old boy.  The challenges seem endless.

But then there are moments, now and then, where I am struck by what a crazy time it must be for him too.  We had “back to school” night this week.  The Snake’s new teacher, an enthusiastic new graduate, gave us a Parent’s School Year Survival Kit.  Those that know me know that I’m not exactly the weepy sort.  But that night, after things were quiet, I read this list.  And I was teary.  I think I will post it in my kitchen to try and remind myself of how much help 6-year-olds still need.

I give you a rubber band to remind you of hugging your child when he gets home (It’s hard being away from your family for the day).

I give you a tissue to remind you to dry your child’s tears (Children can get frustrated with themselves).

I give you a toothpick to remind you to “pick out” the good qualities of your child (Everyone is good at something!).

I give you an eraser to remind you that your child will make mistakes and that’s alright (Some of our best learning comes from mistakes we have made in the past).

I give you a band-aid to remind you of healing your child’s hurt feelings (Children can sometimes say mean words to each other).

I give you a sweet treat to remind you that everyone needs a treat occasionally (Reward your child for what he can do!)

I give you a sticker to remind you that we all need to stick together (Home and school).

I give you a tub of play-doh to remind you that if we work together we can help sculpt a young child’s mind into a beautiful piece of work!

I give you an apple because there is more than one teacher in your child’s life.

Arches National Park, Moab, UT

Don’t miss the upcoming Ken Burns documentary on our amazing National Parks starting Sunday, September 27th on PBS.

I am here (on the east coast) and safe.  The trip across country was crazy.  Our things were delayed a week by a truck breakdown.  Family came to visit.  School started.  Basically … it has been a whirlwind.

We are settling into our new town, and like it quite a bit.  Substantially smaller than LA, but friendlier and greener.  There are many adjustments to be made and we are working through them.  I am still trying to figure out what this blog should become.  In some ways we are no longer spending life in Eden; many might not call this area paradise.  But we are hoping to make it our own special garden.

I’m not sure if this blog will be a place to keep in touch with family, a place to share my photography, a place to worry about parenting our brood.  Maybe all of those.  But for now, I might be on a bit of a break while we figure out the lay of the land here.  I’m reading about your lives and will be around for sure.

Here in So Cal we are trying to soak up as much sun and beach as we can before the big move east.  Only two more weeks to go before the movers load up our stuff and we head to a new home.  It is getting tough to balance all the chores of such a big move, with packing the schedule with all the museums and amazing places we’d like to see but haven’t.  But we will keep trying.  We still try to balance it all out with simple everyday activities too — like a walk to the local park.  There is a house we pass on the way there that always has beach towels hanging out to dry.  This weekend I finally had a chance to catch it.  Here is my BSM, and this is SOOC too.

This weekend we started to check off our list of things to do in Southern California.  The Snake has been dying to go the local aquarium, and it was a great day to do it.  This summer has been stressful.  Planning for our big move back east, buying a house, dealing with illness and chaos.  It was nice to have a family day out.  The Snake was super excited and focused.  Number one items were the octopus and the sharks.  Sadly the octopus was hiding, but he finally got up the courage to touch the sharks and the sting rays.  I had a great time testing the limits of my new camera.  So here is my Best Shot Monday, along with some other shots of our great day.

Despite being in the stroller most of the day, even the babies had a good time.

Hope your summer is wet and fun.