Books and Mr. Happy Tree

January 11 2017:

Library day for Team TLC!! Feeling so grateful and blessed by the amazing librarian folks. We’ve been going to this library every 2-3 weeks for the past ten years. They kind of know us!

Thomas and Lillian got to look through the return cart for any wanted books. And we get our pick of which two months in 2018 we would like to have a Team TLC art showing in the small gallery at South Valleys Library. I’m thinking we’ll take May/June 2018.

Library Day 1.11.17

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January 13 2017:

It’s been a curious day … So, I’m bringing out Mr. Happy Tree with which to end the day. Lillian created him in 2015. Lillian and I will be deciding in the next two weeks about her first published book.

Should it be a mindfulness themed book with Mr. Happy Tree as narrator, using the “Mindfulness with Animals” series she wrote on her blog? Or a compilation and expansion of her short stories and poems? Or expanding one short story into a longer, deeper story? We are open to wherever this leads …

Thanks Mr. Happy Tree … xoxo

Mr. Happy Tree 2015

Biggest Little Photographer Enters Reno Stores

January 4 2017:

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Top 10 Countdown Continues! The Number TWO 2016 blog post on CamillaDowns.com with the most views: “Biggest Little Photographer Arrives – We Did It!”

“This book represents the fruition of a desire. Yet, within that is the message that the steps along the journey of ones desire are what comprises life itself.

It’s sure to inspire with great quotes; almost all of which were chosen by Thomas ….. for ages eight to eighty and beyond!”

Biggest Little Photographer Arrives – We Did It

I Love You and Hugging

**THROWBACK POST**

May 2 2014:

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“I just wanna walk up to people, tell them I love them and give them a hug” –Thomas Darnell

Told him that is so awesome and beautiful. He asked if it was okay to do that. I told him absolutely … but be prepared for some possible strange looks from people as they are not used to this.

Then we talked about the song “What a Wonderful World” and the line “When people say How do you do? they’re really saying “I Love You” … I suggested he could do this and the meaning is the same as long as that’s what’s in his heart.

I LOVE LOVE … My heart is so full of love ….. LOVE!! xoxo

Thomas’ favorite version of “What a Wonderful World” …

You Are So Comfortable

December 9 2016:

“You are so comfortable”, Thomas says to me as we’re reading in my bed …. I am deeply and incredibly blessed by this soul I get to share life with.

He was also the catalyst for deciding about a month ago to take one day a week off of facebook. So far, it’s been every Thursday; which is why it’s quiet on my timeline the past several Thursdays. Thomas takes the day off of minecraft … so it’s something we are doing together. Love, sweet love …. xoxo

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South Valleys Library Art Gallery and Incline Village Library

October 23 2016:

…. And, coming in 2017 at the South Valleys Library’s rotating art gallery ….. a Team TLC showing. I think it will be their first family showing!! The date will not be set until we reach 2017 so we’ll share when we know.

Featuring a few of Thomas’ photographs from his book, Lillian’s abstract art (and her book if it’s ready by then), and we shall see what appears from me.

team-tlc-july-2016-damonte-ranch-trail

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October 26 2016:

Field trip today!!! Incline village library ….. Beautiful drive up and down Mt Rose. Such a great library!!!! Books … for the Love of it! xoxo

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Just Start Doing It and Keep Doing It

October 8 2016:

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Tonight I go to bed tired and exhausted …. a blessed and good exhausted. I end this day full of gratitude. I am grateful to so many people, for so many things, and for magical and miraculous happenings over the past 3 months.

For the past 3 months I have worked on completing one task and fulfilling a promise I made to the T in our Team TLC. I have hardly “worked” on anything else.

For the past 3 weeks, I’ve helped Thomas get ready to show 2 of his photographs at the Young Blood exhibit and be prepared for the Kids Business Fair today.

I was so tired when we got home and unloaded everything, all I could do was run a hot, epsom salt bath, and slide my tired body into it. And, it was amazing. I cried tears of gratitude, joy, and knowing.

I have many stories to share via blog posts that have been patiently waiting for the completion of Biggest Little Photographer for Thomas. One being that I had no idea how I would make this happen when I made the promise to an 8 year old Thomas (10 years old now). Yet, I knew in my heart it was what I was supposed to say to him.

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When the time came to fulfill that promise, I still had no idea how I would do it. What I did know from my past experience is to just start doing it and keep doing it and it will happen.

What I also knew is that this came from my heart and nothing from one’s heart is ever the wrong thing to do. And, it ends up being not about the end result, it’s about all the “doing it” leading up to the end result.

I simply started taking steps to create a book with Thomas’ 365 day photography project. Many times not even knowing where and how my foot would land. Not knowing how to put it all together or who we would have help with final steps of making it into a book.

I checked out a couple of books from the library to use as inspiration, looked at some books online, and just started. I did back up once and start all over, deciding to go about it differently and am so glad I did.

We aren’t completely done yet, as we’ll be having book signings around town and are available to speak as a Mom and Son duo. I will take a brief break to catch up on my own writings …. and to fix the driver’s side mirror that has been held on with duck tape since July!

Then, it’s on to fulfill a promise to the L in our Team TLC …… For now, I know what I know, what I know, what I know …. xoxoxo

tlc-shadows-summer-2016

The Most Refreshing Feeling

July 30 2016:

This was one of the MOST refreshing feelings ever! It was nearly 100 degrees yesterday and we went swimming! Felt so good!!! Thomas loves floating in the water … being still and quiet. There were a few really cool clouds to give us brief breaks from the gorgeous son! xoxo

Blessings,
Thomas, Lillian and Camilla = Team TLC
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

Wonderfully exciting news! We’ve completed the first book trailer for Thomas’ upcoming book, Biggest Little Photographer. You can learn more and pre-order here.

Sand Dunes and Spiders and Beetles and Bones

Gallery

This gallery contains 23 photos.

Washoe Lake adventures Sunday, April 24 2016. Car picnic followed by a walk through the sand dunes and collecting rocks. Crazy wind too! We saw spiders, beetles, bones, horses, dogs, rain, and a few people. Lillian liked hunting for rocks, … Continue reading

North and South Pole and Pluto

I am just blown away by the dinner conversations with Thomas …. “Mom, I know why it’s always cold in the North and South Pole. It has to do with how the Earth rotates … (and then he demonstrates it for me).

What’s in space past all the planets? Does it just go on and on? Has man been to Pluto? Have there ever been any space emergencies? (I started telling him about the space shuttle that exploded …) He says oh, like what happened with the Titanic in the Ocean. If disasters were like family they would be cousins …”

And much more that I can’t even remember!! WOW!! Love that little dude!!

6.25.12

Blessings,

Team TLC
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

Did you know Camilla wrote a book? It’s titled “D iz for Different – One Woman’s Journey to Acceptance” and you can read more about it here.

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Intentions and Stairs and Sun Tea

Lillian had a great day at physical therapy yesterday. She said, “yes” to getting on the ladder and went up one step … FOUR times! YAY!!

She also told me that she going to use the stairs at least one time at the Chromosome 18 conference in San Antonio. We’ve been to this hotel before and she already knows what it’s like. There are stairs from the lobby to the 2nd floor meeting rooms and 4 years ago we had to take the elevator every time.

On Sunday she told me that in May or June she will start crossing the foot bridge (on the trail around the lake) without holding onto my arm so that she can practice for doing it along the riverwalk in San Antonio. Also, she wants to walk the entire Damonte Ranch Loop (about 4 or 5 miles) a few more times before going to San Antonio so that she can be prepared to walk as much as we’d like while there.

Then, we had a wonderful session with Alexa, her psychotherapist.

During the appointment I shared about what we’ve been up to these past 2 weeks and how it’s been going. The stories and words I shared brought tears to her eyes and she commented how much it touched her.

I am grateful and blessed that I have chosen the path of facing my own fears, becoming intimate with my emotions, traveling the path of a simpler life, and have learned the art of mindfulness … so that I can allow Thomas and Lillian to learn by example and involving them every step of the way.

It’s certainly not always joyful and I fall flat on my face at times; yet, I get up and keep going as this is the path of the heart and I am compelled to walk it.

Came home and I got tea ready to brew in the sun – rooibos and honeybush! YUM!! Picture of it brewing below.

After lunch we had Lillian’s craniosacral appointment. While there I changed this to a once a month appointment (instead of twice per month) as I just knew after her last session that this was the thing to do. Here’s a picture of Lillian outside the office.

We decided again to wait on swimming and cooking out as there were a few people at the pool and the wind was blowing. It had cooled down quite a bit too.

So we had a breakfast dinner! We LOVE our breakfast dinners!

Thomas chose the family activity last night. He chose one of the mindful activities we’ve done before. One person makes movements and sounds and the other 2 family members have to copy that person. He LOVES this one! We did this for about 20 minutes and had so much FUN!


Blessings,

Team TLC
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

Did you know Camilla wrote a book? It’s titled “D iz for Different – One Woman’s Journey to Acceptance” and you can read more about it here.

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