Loco!!

This morning the girls were crabby and whining about everything. They'd ask for something to drink and I would run downstairs and get it for them. I'd no sooner hit the top stair and they would ask for something else.....and back down I'd go...... back upstairs and then they'd need something else......and back down I'd go.

After the last request I headed back down yet again saying, "You two are making me crazy!".

Just when I hit the last stair I hear Rasa shouting, "Mama's CRAZY! Mama's CRAZY!"

Wordless Wednesday 30 - CHEESE!

It's potty time!

Both girls have been telling me when they have to poop so I had been thinking I should just pick up a couple potty chairs. I read the list that supposedly tells you if your toddler is ready to train and both girls met every one of the marks. Tonight I ran out and bought two potty chairs just before bed so when the girls had their naked run around and screams time (is that a normal thing in a toddler home??) they could see if they liked their potty chairs. I had to pay twice as much for a potty chair to NOT make noise, light up or further annoy me, seriously!

Adia didn't have to go but still liked sitting on it pretending (or trying) to poop.

Rasa went potty on the potty! Shake it around and do the potty dance yay!!!! She was oh so proud smiling and saying "i went potty on da potty!"

To be very honest I don't wanna potty train yet. All of the inconvenience involved with making sure you're close to a bathroom everywhere you go for the next 8 months and having to worry about accidents with not one but two tiny tots! HARD! At the same time it doesn't matter what I want when they are ready it's time to surrender to the fact that when things get comfortable, it's time to change.

Meh.

Lord help us all.

Shoe shopping & Happy Autumn!

We woke up late Wednesday and ate breakfast slowly. I could smell fall in the cold breeze that was sneaking in through a window we had open just a tiny bit. The girls in their fleece footsie pajamas made it look like fall too.

My Mom, the Girls and I drove to a shoe boutique in Uptown Wednesday morning to get Rasa fitted for comfy new shoes. Shoes you find in the superstores and mass retailers don't fit her feet right and she'd been complaining that her toes hurt. It was a blast and an adventure as you can imagine with two tiny toddlers in a jam packed shoe store! We pretty much just let them rip and they had a glorious time. Other little toddlers were in and out and they all seemed to make friends with each other over their excitement of new shoes and promises that they'd run faster or jump higher. The store was in an old house and was packed full of trendy name brands I thought only came in adult sizes. Right away Rasa grabs onto a pair of shiny black Ralph Lauren mary janes and clutches them tightly. I was worried - they didn't look super comfy and not exactly what I had in mind! The store owner managed to trade her for a bright orange balloon (smart guy) and we successfully got her sized (after a few tears - sizing must have reminded her of getting measured at the clinic and only BAD BAD things go on at the clinic!). We picked up a couple of pairs of darling, super comfy shoes and let her wear a pair out. She was so excited she couldn't stop smiling and ran down the sidewalk stopping every so often to look down at them in amazement. After shoe shopping we stopped at my favorite co-op and picked up lunch and goodies. The four of us really know how to have a good time!

I'm so thankful to be home with my darlings each day and that my Mom and I are so close. The girls love her so much that even though they see her easily four times a week they dance and shriek and are beside themselves with excitement the second she comes in sight. It's a blessing for me to see her love for them in everything she does and I know how profoundly special it is to be loved by these two little girls so the exchange is something you almost have to witness for yourself.

Wednesday was the Autumn Equinox which means we had equal parts day and night. Had it not been raining and overcast we would have been able to see the super harvest moon, orange and glowing and amazing. The girls delight in the moon and I can only imagine the wonder in their faces if they'd seen it. They simply love the moon.

We went for a family walk and both Adia and Rasa made it half way around the block which is the current record (before asking to be carried). It was a nice night regardless of the clouds and sprinkles. We kept things low key after all of the excitement of the day with Nana and did our normal good night routine: snacks & books, then cuddles or rocking until they're ready to sleep.

I've sort of made it a tradition to pause and be mindful as the seasons change. The changes in each of us in my family seem to move seamlessly with the seasons. As always I am filled with excitement as I anticipate the new season and the changes I'll witness in Rasa and Adia each day. I am blessed that we shared such a beautiful summer full of adventure, fun and closeness. I'm thankful with how fulfilled I am and the things I've learned about myself by parenting my daughters. My life has never felt so full and I'll gladly take every frustrated cry or tantrum because they don't begin to touch the wonder that my heart feels with each smile, hug or beautiful expression that they make. We are so completely in love with our little girls.

I pray that with this new season comes new experiences, new relationships, growth for us all and pure joy in the simplest little things.

Happy Autumn to you and your families!

Wordless Wednesday 29 - the last day of summer!

The Parents Tao Te Ching

‎"Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is a way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand and make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.

You will constantly have to contend with the pressure for ever more, and even bigger, that culture seeks to impose on your children and you. It takes... courage and discipline to go slow, live simply, and see clearly. But the rewards are great. What ordinary thing can you do together today?"

- "Make the Ordinary Come Alive" - The Parents Tao Te Ching, William Martin

Au revoir summer!

Tonight was so magical I didn't want it to end.

After dinner, Royce, me and the girls all went out to play. It was rainy, windy and cold all day today but around 3 pm the sun came out and the wind went away and all of the sudden it was 70! We brought the girls to one of their favorite parks after dinner even though the sun was setting and it was getting dark. The girls have grown up so much over the summer. The playground equipment that they would stumble to climb up they are now running up and through and down the slides and back up again like second nature. Around and around they went with both Royce and I chasing one all the while the girls smiling and giggling filled with simple happiness. There was one bright orange light above that cast enough of a glow for us to see where we were stepping but that was about it. When Adia and I switched to the swings she wanted to try each one and have me push her higher and higher. When she settled on one swing she pointed to the one next to her and said "it's Sissy's". I called for Rasa to come over a few times and then Adia called, "Rasa, Rasa, Rasa" enunciating her name perfectly. It sounds so beautiful to me when they say each others names, I don't know why. By the time Rasa joined us it was so dark all I could see were the girls shadows as Royce pushed them and I swung next to them. We were alone in the park, singing as loud as we wanted, happy and having fun. The moon was almost full and keeping the girls attention, they love the moon. Rasa said, "I wantta touch da moon Papa".

What a perfect closing to a perfect summer. School starts tomorrow and we couldn't be more excited.

Au revoir summer 2010.

Rasa pic

I recently purchased another new camera lens and when it arrived on Thursday all I wanted to do was play with it. The girls are a handful and into everything so I was only able to snap one photo. Rasa looked too cute taking her sock off her foot to put it on her hand - hahahaha. I can also see how in love with this lens I'm going to be! The photo is unedited with the exception of changing it to black and white from color.



(as always, click to view larger)

Wordless Wednesday 28 - a nap time disaster! Twin wreckage!

Wordless Wednesday 27 - everyday

Wordless Wednesday 26 - Sisters Forever