Being a full-time mom again to Peyton and Conner has been exciting for me. I feel like I went on a long vacation from them. Trek and I were in our own world for the most part for the last 6 months. He only liked me to hold him and I was immersed in soaking up every ounce of him knowing I had so little time to do so. We had a whole lifetime of love to give each other in only a few months.
my little buddy
Those 6 months were also a special time for Jarrett and the boys to bond. Before that time I was the one to lay with the boys to put them to sleep and to meet their every need. Jarrett, Peyton and Conner have created a very deep and trusting relationship. The boys feel comfortable going to either me or Jarrett for anything they may need now.
Jarrett helping the boys into their ninja costumes in Japan
Now that Jarrett is writing more (he is almost done with his first book!) I am back into full mommy mode. Cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, and playing. I forgot how much energy it takes to mommy young boys! They are not like a little baby that just needs to be held and fed, they need entertaining! So yesterday we snuck out of the house while Jarrett wrote. We invited our new neighbor to come along and we headed down to the creek, well its really a canal. There is so much rain and water flowing around here, there are permanent canals and streams on both sides of all the roads.
our new friend and Peyton racing down the drive to play
some exotic and beautiful flowers on our drive, Conner even picked one for me and we put it in the kitchen in a tea cup
it took us a while but we found the perfect place to play where the water flowed slowly and the grass was short on the banks. Orion jumped right in since this is his home and he is comfortable, it took the boys a couple minutes to take the plunge
racing toys down the canal
the starting line
Peyton was in charge of seeing who won
Conner and his new friend
Peyton sprinting to start his turtle at the beginning
Conner and Orion are the same age, so it has been nice for Conner to have a new playmate
We were had so much fun and the water felt so good, but we ended up leaving after about 20 minutes of playing. I noticed that even though the water was not strong if the boys were to fall they could get pulled into the concrete hole at the bottom of the stream, so we went down the road to find a safer place to play in the water.
we chanted the lines from the book “We are going on a bear hunt” as we walked
you can’t go over it, you can’t go under it, you’ve got to go thru it!
the boys stopped to touch the ferns and watch them close up as they did. We all thought this was evidence that plants do indeed have feelings and we must be kind to them
This cool bridge was the abrupt end of our adventure. As we were searching for the perfect stream we heard much barking down the road. We did not think too much of it until we heard them get closer and what sounded like a dog being attacked by other dogs, there was so much barking and sqealing. We ran across the bridge to get out of the road. We watched as a dog pack of 15-20 large and very mean dogs ran down the road. It was pretty intense and I was getting into mama bear mode to protect the boys. Thankfully they passed by and paid us no attention. That did not stop us from high tailing it back home though after they passed!
Peyton’s face says it all!
We decided that we would definately have to go back again and race more turtles. We know there is a perfect bend in the stream a little ways up the road and we really want to go. We will just bring a big stick next time.
Looks like so much fun! Reminds me of the times our boys play “pooh bear Sticks” over bridges. They drop a stick on one side, and then race over to the other side to see whose stick goes down stream first! Water + Boys = Fun day out
i will have to teach the boys the pooh bear sticks game:) they would like that! and yes boys and water is totally fun!
It’s the merry hearted boys that make the best men! – Irish Proverb LOVE to see them having so much fun – those grins! Thanks, Chelsea!
i love that quote-I will have to write that one down:)
Oh my goodness! A pack of dogs would have sent me flying home too! I so enjoy your blog. Each new post is a little escape for me to places I have never been. Thanks for taking your readers along!
thank you Elizabeth for reading with us! and haha about the dogs, it was pretty intense for me-i don’t feel very comfortable around dogs anyways so it was a little much to see all those mean ones!
Dearest Chelsea and Family,
What wonderful stories you have posted about your new home and this adventure w/ the boys! I love how even the boys took a little while to think about jumping in the river and how you all quickly got away from the pack of dogs! What adventures!! I hope your days are full of adventure, hope, and overflowing with love.
thank you Leslie, I know I thought it was cute how they had to check out the water first-i would have too-it was squishy on the bottom:) I hope to have many more adventures flowing with love too-xoxo
wow it is beautiful, soo green! ok the dogs would have freaked me out! What a handsome new friend they have:) and Conner looks soo different now that his hair is longer, they are both soo handsome! I miss them more and more with every post! You are such a fun mama! You and Jarrett do a fabulous job at everything for your boys, they are soo lucky:) miss you love you!
thanks amanda, it is soo beautiful here-we are loving it! and thanks about the boys-I think they are soo handsome too:)
So glad they’ve met a friend! Does he speak English? You’ll need to get some type of spray along with your big stick so you’ll have more than one defense against a pack of dogs! My very first concern when I saw the pics was the drain because you hear of horror stories all the time of children getting hung in them. In fact, Shawn’s cousin died like that, so please avoid the ditches/canals/streams that have these! Glad you realized that and moved on down the road. Lots of love….keep havin’ fun!
yes he speaks English-he is 1/2 Thai so he is bilingual and so sweet:) oooh I will totally get some spray! like what kind? a water bottle, cleaner? does that scare them away-I heard them in the middle of the night last night! so I am not sure I will go walking again, maybe we will take the moped. That is so sad about Shawn’s cousin! I had never heard of that,but as I was sitting there my mind was going crazy with “what ifs” and finally we just moved on:) love you too!
I would get any kind of spray can or bottle that will spray far & something that will burn their eyes. My first thought is wasp spray, but I’m not sure what they have over there. Wasp spray sprays a long, hard stream & would surely make the dogs back off if you sprayed their eyes. Just a thought ~ I don’t mean to be cruel, but you gotta protect those babies
Their friend’s name is Orion? I think there’s a telescope called Orion Atlas.
Love love love your photos! But my favorite is that one of you and your handsome little buddy. 
My son was tugging on my Embrace Life bracelet this morning and giggling as he stared at the ceiling. Made me feel like Trek dropped by for some playtime. Much love you guys!
that is so sweet about your son! thanks for sharing that story-xoxo
Hi Chelsea! I’ve been on vacation… just catching up with all of you
Is that plant that closes up called a Mimosa? I did a project on it the Mimosa when I was in elementary school and remember being fascinated with the fact that it seems to ‘feel” . If always been on the look-our for one in real life! Your boys are lucky!
I will have to look up that Mimosa plant! that would be a good homeschooling project-I will let you know;)
Chelsea, I have been following your blog since Jarrett offered his book free on the kindle – it was just before Trek died. I found out about your family from my friend Andrea Taylor. I likely met Jarret at she and her hubby, Aaron’s wedding! I read your blog almost every day, myself having done some travels and enjoying living through you in that respect. I live in Virginia and my former roommate, Glenda and her husband currently live in Thailand. If you should ever need something and need some American help (they have been there almost 4 years) – I would be happy to send you their info. I mostly wrote to you because I am a veterinarian and must give you a little more to be worried about with those dogs: Rabies is an issue in Thailand. Don’t get bit. Carry a stick, indeed. Thank you for sharing your life with the world – you are a beautiful person and your family is an inspiration.
Thank you for offering your friend as a contact-that is so thoughtful! I will email you if we ever need anything! and thank you so much for reminding me about rabies, I have heard and read that often and that would be a very bad day! We generally avoid dogs like the plague anyways since most of them are pretty mangy here and we are not dog people, but I will remind the boys b/c sometimes they are just too cute for them to resist petting:)
The pictures are so beautiful – especially the flowers! The boys always seem to have a great time being boys:) What a cute little friend they have. Sounds like you’re having fun being back in full mommy mode again:) And I love the picture of you and your little buddy. Love and miss all of you!
love and miss you too