Perspective

I am going to have to post more images in a separate post. Blogger is having issues, I guess. For the meantime, here I am in front of a seal-covered rock along 17-mile drive in Pebble Beach. Had just eaten a 3 1/4 lb lobster while overlooking the golf course!
This one was taken in the Julia Pfieffer Burns Park in Big Sur. We went on a hike that was pretty strenuous and very uphill. The redwoods were fantastic, the woods were so crisp and cool, and the trickling stream was cold and clear.
It really does take a little break to give you some perspective on things. I came home to some very verbal and loving children. Al did a wonderful job taking care of them while I was away. They were happy and bright, and I was very glad to see everyone.

I enjoyed our normal morning routine a little more today. Their take on life is so refreshing.

"We had honey water while you were gone, Mommy." hmm, okay, maybe it was tea?
"Bees love honey," quipped Graham.
"Well, bees make honey for people" corrected Paige.
"That's good Paige, where did you learn that? At school?" I asked.
"I learned it from myself." She replied.

Studying the orange juice carton, this was the conversation:
"That picture of an orange looks like a butterfly!" said Paige with sharp "t" sound that I'll attribute to her music teacher, Ms. Cheng. I had to agree with the assessment, it was a very bright and detailed image, with orange sections shaped like our gulf fritillaries.
"What's the juice pouring into?" Asked Graham craning to see the front of the box.
"It's going into a glass, like we pour it into a glass," I said turning the image to face him.
"Oh! A big glass. A wide glass. It's a very, very wide glass!" he added this last part with wide-stretched arms.

A few minutes later, "Okay guys, shoes on, then we need to go outside and wait for carpool." I called.
"Yes, except I have not gone tinkles yet, Mommy," Paige reminded me. "I went all by myself already," beamed Graham. So many reasons to smile.