A new addition!

We've been waiting at least 8 weeks to find out some very exciting news! Something we were hoping for but didn't know if it was the right timing. 

Now we know it is. 

We're very excited to announce an addition to the family coming soon! 

My younger sister Sarah has decided to dip her toes in the unknown and join us in Peru! 

(I cant believe you would actually think I'd be crazy enough to get pregnant...again...well at least not right now..teehee)

So a few weeks ago I received a face book msg that read:

~

"Hey Shell! So...you want an extra pair of hands down in South America? I would love to come down and have an adventure with you guys for a while. I am saying this in all seriousness. I would need to give 2 weeks notice and my job, and mom/dad have a couple concerns, but if you want some help and if something can be worked out I really want to come spend a month or so down there with you guys. I obviously don't want to mess up any of your plans and have money to pay my own way. So ya know tell me what you think and be frank, cuz if you're up for it and it can be worked out I would quit my job tomorrow, and it doesn't need to be right away either if you guys are deep in the jungle now I could wait till you only have a month or so left on your trip, whatever works. What do you think? -Sarah"

Each sentence had me wiggling in my seat with excitement as I read this little gem. We had told Sarah before we left that she should totally come out and stay with us for a while once we got to Peru! Sadly it seamed she had her heart set on other plans to go to school in Seattle. I though "ok I will let it go and wait to see if she ever changes her mind". Now here we are with two full months left and I get the fabulous news Sarahs mind has changed! During the remainder of the time here in Peru I get the privilege of sharing this beautiful experience with my 18 year old sister! Sarah arrives here in Cuzco Peru on Sunday the 28th. I have nothing but excitement and admiration for my little sis. What I would have given to of had an opportunity like this right out of high school! Although I was a lot more reckless then Sarah at that age so I very well may have gotten into some big trouble. Maybe its better I didn’t. Luckily I wont have to worry to much about Sarah, she's a lot more mature then I was. Anyhow endless opportunity awaits her in the way of beauty, enlightenment, friendship, exploration and memories to be made. She’s a beautiful girl with an adventurous heart, ready to explore the world. I'm sensing she will touch many and have a beautiful impact on this planet. I’m so glad we get to be part of her first ever stamp on the passport! See you soon sister.

A diamond is forever...in some cases.

So what happened to "Part 2 of the budget breakdown here in Peru"? I can sum it up in five words.

We. Ran. Out. Of. Money. 

Many factors play into this scenario. Many factors that were unforeseen and unplanned for, many were mistakes, some big mistakes, some decisions were made out of desperation and there were many misunderstandings and overlooking critical points needing adjustment. However, we have learned a whole heck of a lot and let me tell you the next big adventure will have far less bumps in the road after what we have experienced here.

As our budget continued to dwindle and thoughts of actually running out of money approached  I realized one thing of great material and heavy loaded with sentimental value was my wedding ring tucked in our file box in Utah. The thought entered my mind every now and then "Could I actually sell my diamond ring?" After selling everything we own it's literally one of the last things left of value we posses!

Since being pregnant for what seemed like the last three years and having to chubby of fingers to have worn it, the thought of it glistening on my hand had become somewhat of a distant memory anyway.

A week or so latter, when charges to our debit card caught up and we realized we had far less then we thought, a bit of panic set in for Sean. Here we are in April with the real possibility of running out of money and plane tickets that dont depart until July! For the man of the house I can see how this would be quite alarming. I'll admit it was quite the shock for me as well but the shock wasn't followed with the anxiety you would expect. I felt fine. I guess embracing the unknown had rooted deeper within me that I knew, or maybe the looming thoughts of selling my ring had given me a feeling of security. Anyhow at this point I knew now the ring was as good as gone, I just needed to amp myself up to say goodbye.

Some good friends helped me take a look at the situation with a different prospective. Here I have this beautiful ring back home just collecting dust in a file box. Would it bring me joy to think of it actually full filling it's purpose gleaming on the hand of a new bride!? Why yes it would!!! Actually, that thought would bring me joy envisioning it on any hand! Becoming married is a beautiful milestone in life and that ring represents the beautiful union and commitment I have with my husband. Why not let it continue to be a visual reminder of someone else's union and commitment? Let the romance continue!

Next words of comfort were that of a wonderful old friend who reminded me of why we embarked on this amazing adventure as a family and that selling the ring only allows us to continue on and go deeper into our journey together. This is the truth. It would be a beutiful sacrifice to sell my ring only to further this journey. So in that I will always remember the joy this ring brought me and always be thankful for the gift it will be to us as we further dive into this adventure.

I pray the right girl will fall in love with this ring with as much joy as I did and will have years and years ahead of her with her new husband fulfilling all the wonderful aspects of marriage and beyond. God bless the girl who loves this ring for she will be blessing us as well. 

My first and probably last Diamond Ring.

So my sister has found my ring and handed it off to my mother, who took it to get apraised, and what do ya know? Its worth a lot! Hmmm...do I still want to give it up? Its really the only option so ya lets rip the bandied right off! Now we wait.. Putting good energy into this sale and love to those who buy it. 

I'll take this opportunity to throw in a few more of those old wedding photos we never do anything with. 

Amongst the panic of realizing the money is almost gone, Sean posted an advertisement here locally on the Sacred Valley Face Book page: 

Hello friends! 
My name is Sean Davis. I've been living here in Pisac with my wife and three babies for a couple of months now. I'm looking for some work and wanted to let everyone know that back home I was an interior and exterior painter. I do clean, nice work and would love for you to hire me if you need a hand with any paint jobs. I'm open to any other work you may need help with as well! I speak just a little spanish but that wont stand in the way of me doing a good job. If you know anyone who could use a hard worker, please pass my info on. I would be grateful here from ya.
Thanks, Sean.

The add did generate some intrest and even a couple jobs. Yahoo! We knew we could expect far less then what he'd get paid in the states and as it turned out, the bottom line ended up being very humbling. In any case Sean was very, very grateful for the work and generosity of those who hired him. One was a two day job that ended up being a generous 100 soles. Even though thats only about 40 dollars, thats a week worth of food (cooking at home only, which we have finally begun to do somewhat well!) diaper wipes and moto taxi here in Peru for our family of five. The other job was a few days, working out to be 15 soles (6 dollars a day) with the first day just in trade for meals. The meals were fantastic though and I even got to pop in the kitchen for some mini cooking lessons that I've been putting to good use! I would explain the yummy pasta dish but I cant remember the correct way to pronounce it. Petitie or something dainty and delish like that.  I also learned a couple great salad dressings! This is so invaluable to me because they dont sell bottles of dressing here and we have really been missing our greens (partly because I have been to afraid to prepare salad in fear of becoming deathly ill, which did happen to a friend of ours in Lima). Anyhow Maya the home owner inspired me to go for the greens and we have been finally enjoying a delicious salad with our meals. You know It's probably ridiculously easy for most women to throw a few ingredients together and whip up their own home made dressing, but for me thats sooo not the case. I'm a deer in headlights when it comes to making up my own concoctions the kitchen. Luckily Maya showed me a thing or two. I was beyond ecstatic to successfully remember and prepare a yummy dressing on my own. We havent gotten sick yet, and probably wont! However I still wouldn't touch a salad with a ten foot pole in Lima!

Just finished my awesome batch of dressing and mixed it in with joy! Ps. I have no idea what kind of dressing it is...it's just good.

Ok love this one of Zara with her hands over the salad sending it her energy! We dont only pray over our food now, we also "give it LOVE"! Another tid bit we adopted in our friend Maya's kitchen!

The kids are still loving our new place, growing up to fast and melting our hearts with their curiosity and love for the culture and people here. 

Sean and I are bonding and loving each other a lot lately, working on enjoying the journey in the moment and showing gratitude. We're still making spiritual practice a part of our every day and looking forward to more medicine cerimonies soon!

This is a freakishly yummy, pudding cake thing Sean discovered at the bakery. 

I also have some big news coming up soon in the next post! Until then, like 

always, 

Love, Light & Song Dear friends&family~

This sweet lady is frying bread on the street corners every day. The bread is seriously divine! If we pass but dont buy any, she always begs us to come over so she can give Zara and Pax some for free. After she does so the kids never fail with their sweetest "Gracias!" and we offer her what it would have cost. She always refuses telling us "she" gave it to them pointing at herself. So on Sunday Market days we be sure to buy a handful. 

Riding home in the moto taxie enjoying their fried bread.

Beautiful creatures. The cows here are stunning!
...and intimidating as they often rome free! 

Seany getting us a Moto.

The Bull right outside the kids room
window. They check him out daily.

Hallelujah We Moved!

Lets get the past outta the way. We had wonderful fun and adventure at Hotel Inka Pisac but in the end it was just to hard to keep all our close "single, NO kids" neighbors happy by being quiet. We "Sssshhhh'ed!!!" you kids one to many times for you to handle and the time had come to go. Here are the last few photos of our fun at Inca Pisac. 

Sojern, Imajie, Simone, Fraunswa (beautiful names, not sure how to spell)
This is a wonderful family from BC Canada, we had the pleasure to spend some time with when they moved into our hotel for a few weeks. I'm not sure if they know it but all four of them were a beautiful blessing to our family! After weeks of feeling like we were alienating everyones quiet space around us, these people embraced our chaos with open arms, loved us and especially loved our children. Each one of them had a unique personality that connected with us in different  wonderful ways. We are so grateful to have met them, learned from them and witnessed the beautiful family dynamic they have. 

A friend said we could have been the subjects of some controlled experiment, all five of us cramed into one tiny room with no bathroom or kitchen, living sholder to shoulder for 2 months in our previouse hotel. At what point do we loose our minds and go ape shit on the place? (excuse my french, not sure if some readers will know what "shiz" means.)

Many friends view our blog and comment that we "look so Happy". And honestly we actually are the happiest we've ever been. I've found a way to embrase the unknown, at least the majority of the time. In the unknown ANYTHING is possible and for us the future looks so bright! However no one thinks to snap a photo in the hard times. To plaster a shot of a pissed off mom as she yell's at her kids across the front page of her blog. To think, "Oh ya, this family melt down is definitely worth documenting." So in effort to be authentic I'll admit that amongst the many joys we choose to see, are days still full of anger and harsh words we soon regret. Especially being cooped up in such restricting living arraignments and a dwindling budget, the stress is high. Just about every morning the kids wake up fully amped and ready to paint a new colorful day. However at six o'clock in the morning, our neighbors aren't quite ready to paint theirs. At the point when little signs start popping up in common areas that read something like "Residence, Please respect and observe this tranquil environment we enjoy from 9pm until 9 a.m." we sink a little knowing who those signs are ment for. Next thing you know we are completely abandoning our "Peaceful Parenting" ideals (or what small use of them we do manage to use) and start letting the shiz hit the fan. So what happened to the "ever so enlightenment" mentioned in previous post? Thats what we ask ourselves. As we ponder this lost feeling and why its so hard to stay in our hearts at times, we begin to remember our breath. To stop everything we're doing and do NOTHING until we can come back to our breath and be grounded in the pressent moment. In this moment we can find clarity thats not clouded with angry attachment and projections of the past and how we think things should be different in some way. One particularly hard afternoon for me I found myself snapping at everyone around me weather they deserved it or not. A wonderful moment fallowed when thoughts of things I've heard and felt in ceremony began to flood my brain. It was the expanding consciousness we've been working on, manifesting to me in the very moment. The ceremonies we've been continuing to attend weekly, open us up to all the possibilities we can become and shows us the deepest depths of healing, change and layers of ego that can be shed. This enlightenment comes in a different way for everyone. Some people have vivid, colorful visions, some have a conversation or deep life altering thoughts impressed, some have a lot of releasing. The different ways we can learn in the ceremony are countless but it's just how it should be for each individual. Anyhow with this awakening to these true possibilities it's our job to be conscious of them beyond the ceremony and in day to day life.

In the midst of my snapping that afternoon, and suddenly having the gift of remembrance with this glimpse into my soul, I decided to turn on some of the medicine songs we here in cerimony and began to feel my heart melt away. I started crying tears of joy and pain. Pained by my angry words I had been projecting and joyed for the change of heart that was happening right now under the warmth of the afternoon sun as my little children whiteness this transformation. This is all we can do. Be pressant in each moment, remember your breath, breathe, and practice this every sigle day, especially in times of trial. So as the days continue to come and go we continue to practice. Some days are better then others and some days are beyond beautiful. However one thing that keeps growing more concert is the life changing feeling of realization and gratitude for this beautiful journey we are on as a family. So again it's easy to observe ouselfs and safly say we are the happiest we've ever been. We know the more we release what holds us back and rely on our divine above, we will find infinite happiness yet awaiting. Each day we're grateful to learn more, attach to less and realize our highest vibrations a little at a time.

Some good friends we met here in Pisac are traveling Italy for the next three months and asked if we would like to rent their house while they're gone. We were so beyond thrilled to have this opportunity. Like I said our last place was really the only "kid Friendly" place we could find although it was way out of our budget and turned out still not as "kid Friendly" as we needed. Here we are paying much less for MUCH, much more! It's hard to believe but it's true! Sean's going to paint some of the interior so we we'll get one month free bringing the rent down to about $200 U.S. a month plus utilities and gas. Not only do we have our own room for the remainder of our stay in Peru but we have a whole home fully equipped with kitchen and...how can I even express this in a way that will excite you as much as it does me, I guess I cant...its a WASHING MACHINE! Pretty awesome not to have to waist so much money on laundry services weekly. Of course now we'll have an electric bill, but we think the trade off is well worth it. We're getting to know the ways of hang drying everything out on the lines and I dont think we'll ever go back to using a dryer. Dont quote that though. The kids feel more free then ever. Compared to what we were in, this is a machine to them. Mornings are spet exploring every nook and cranny or running wild in the enormous front yard. We are more then content here. This house and the light and airy energy it possesses makes me want to stay in Pisac forever. And I'm so happy to report that the "SSHHushing" of the kids has substantially decreased. 

Our first day here.

The new castle!

The front yard.

Our back yard and the fabulous Laundry Services brought to you by my own profesional hanging and pinning talents.

~So what is this thing called "naked" my toddlers seem to love?
I sort of feel like it's a primal part of them not yet snuffed off by society and what is expected of them. At any time in the day you can catch them stripping themselves of those itchy, binding, annoying things we call cloths and running free through nature. Connecting their tiny toes to mother earth below and reaching their hands up to father sky. Being here in this lovely house has helped me see the beautiful nature in my kids again. Run free little sprites. Laugh and love as you teach me how to find my inner child once again. I'm so grateful for these children. They are precious. They are free to be themselves. I dont own you, rather I'm lucky to have the privilege to whiteness you grow. 

We have continued potty training Pax ever since this first poop in the potty totally initiated by him! Making progress slowly but surely.