nightly rhythms

for the past few weeks we have spent time after dinner in the same way. i love the idea of getting into a spontaneous rhythm in our family, but am also getting more comfortable with chaos as well! I like what i heard eckhart tolle say about the natural chaos of nature, versus how as humans we like to place order upon it with our neatly manicured gardens and landscapes because this type of order can soothe the overactive mind. so i guess having children puts us in greater touch with the soul! anyhow, back to our rhythyms. liam and i have been spending our after dinner hours in the kitchen. liam really loves to play in the kitchen! i like that the boys are really developing different interests. tonight liam and i ground grains for flour. we are soaking some of the flour for tomorrow morning's breakfast to make pumpkin spice muffins w/ streusel topping--recipe found at my favorite food blog, the nourishing gourmet. we are also soaking flour to make homemade pasta--a first for us! recipe also found at the nourishing gourmet. will post pics and results tomorrow! patrick and matt spent their evening putting together puzzles. Patrick is on a puzzle kick. he loves them! he is feeling very proud that he now puts them together on his own while matt watches him.