double dutch

the things they say...

2012-02-09T00:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were at my parents house and my Mom made the girls some scrambled eggs. My Dad was sitting next to Adia at the table and he asked, "do you know where eggs come from?" Adia sat there for a second and said, "Yes! Eggs come from the grocery store! Target!"

Tonight the girls and I decided to go for a walk after the sun set. We were walking down the street and Rasa asked, "Where is Gramma Sue?" I said, "What do you mean?" She replied, "Where is Gramma Sue? Is she at home?" I said, "Oh yes she's at home". Rasa said, "I like Gramma Sue. I like Nana too. I like Nana's hair the best!"

my sleep terrorists

2012-02-08T11:39:00.001-08:00

My friend Lori gave me that term and it fits oh so perfectly with Rasa and Adia. Here they are at 3 with the same sleep problems they've had since we brought them home. Ok some of it's gotten a little better but not by much!

Royce and I readopted a process we tried before for sleep routines....and failed at.....but here we go again. We trap the girls in their rooms with a baby gate (seriously wish I still had the cribs so we could just kennel them in those...I mean keep them in those). We black out the room and turn the white noise on and tell them it's time for sleep. In theory they would settle into their beds, needing few threats, and go to sleep. In REALITY they talk to each other quietly at first, they laugh and talk louder, they get out of bed and hop the baby gate, visit with each other in each others bed, jump on the beds and throw toys at each other until one girl tells the other she's tired and goes to sleep. This process is about two hours at night and over an hour at nap time.

Today however they did all of the above with me going back to tell them in a very firm and serious voice "GO TO SLEEP!" about 20x. Fast forward 30 minutes and I'm on the phone but can still hear them up there moving around. I get off the phone and go up to find that they had trashed the freakin room! Every article of clothing is thrown across the room, some of it in a big heap on the floor and the flippin curtains are down! Neither of them is even in her own bed and one of them crapped her pants. FREAKIN GREAT!

I put a new pull up on one, put them both in their beds and threaten that they will never come out again if they don't go to sleep (why do I bother with empty threats? They know it will never happen but I've got nothing!).

Tonight I'm going to figure out a way to tie them into their beds............there has to be a way......

fun with photo booth and rasa's new hair

2012-02-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

Mac's have built in photo booth software that the girls love playing with. It's a low quality built in camera but it's fun to play with, especially when you're a kid. I should add these pics are from 11pm on Saturday night when the girls were on sleep strike.

You might notice Rasa's new hair. Yep I cut it, regret! Her hair was always in her eyes and she doesn't let me put it up or pull it back so I thought bangs might be her deal. You can't tell what a hack job I did in the pics but hopefully it grows back ok! I think I see a trip to the beauty parlor in her future. Today she was holding her hair and said, "You messed me up with the scissors!". Opps. Adia's hair is so easy to cut because it's crazy curly and I guess since I spent years cutting my own hair it was natural instinct for me....Rasa's hair....not so much. Sorry pumpkin!

Everyday Things

2012-02-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

Yep these are mine....

2012-02-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

Ah the beauty of having two three year olds. Warning: ya might want to crank the ol' volume DOWN

This was even after they ate lunch, but I could tell they were tired so I opted to do nap time a little ahead of schedule for obvious reasons........

Sometimes I think I would like a video of an entire "normal" day with the girls so I could play it in fast forward and then it would solidify why I'm exhausted at the end of the day. I can picture it.....me up and down the stairs, running to get snacks, toys, searching for the blue marker when no other color will due, mediating 100+ tiffs between the girls, keeping them from climbing onto the kitchen counters, the table, the washer and dryer, closing the refrigerator door fifty times as they leave it open constantly, potty accidents, pull ups, poop, spills, distraction, messes constantly everywhere, reading time, puzzle time, distraction time, quiet time, keeping lucy safe indoors, fielding the "i wants", meltdown mediations, answering the why what and who's, cuddle time, kissing owies, ice packs, water (not this cup, I want the princess cup, I don't like this cup), opps! mommy I broked it's, bundle up and outside times, loading into the car seats and out and back in, quick trips here and there because it can't wait 'till daddy gets home times, clinic times, waiting room times, book club times, play dates, grandparents visit times, bath times, flooded bathroom times, adia plugged up the toilet with five rolls of toilet paper times, flooded kitchen times, trying to make lunch while doing all of the above times, trying to make dinner while doing all of the above times.

I'll keep adding as I remember but this is sacred time.......nap time, peace for Momma time, quiet time....too bad it only lasts an hour.

Rasa Bea age 3

2012-02-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Rasa and I hung out for an hour while Adia napped today. I love getting one on one time with the girls probably because it hardly ever happens but it's good for us. It's good for me to separate the two of them and appreciate each of their qualities without comparison to each other and without thinking of each of them as a set. I'm sure it's a common dilemma for parents of multiples. You notice their differences all the time and similarities too but you don't have much of an opportunity to zone in on each of their own little beings. I'm making a conscious effort to do this a lot more often.

Rasa is a different kind of kid. She was a different kind of newborn, a different kind of baby and a different kind of toddler too. The more I work with other children the more I see that about her. I sometimes call her my Karma kid. She's detailed, obsessive, articulate and she knows what she wants, doesn't care if it's different than what we want for her and is EXPRESSIVE with her feelings....ALL OF THEM.

She's mature, extremely so. A true grown-up in training. When she isn't by my side watching my every move, she's off practicing it because she's learning when I'm not teaching. Learning from watching my hands, my arms and legs, my facial expressions. She knows how to operate my laptop, click, open and enlarge pictures she wants to view, only from watching me edit. One of these days I'm going to come down and she's going to have edited a session in my que (SWEET free labor!). She's got a little silly in her but catches herself quickly and is guarded about it. She is untrusting of new people but appreciates adult subtle humor. She seems to find goofy child humor obnoxious. She is so cool. So cool. I've worked with a lot of two and three year olds and none of them take direction well when it comes to me attempting to photograph them. It's all about me running in circles around them trying to guess their next move and shoot quickly before they get bored. Rasa's never been like that.

I used to try to get her to "lighten up" and be a kid......but then I realized she is a kid. She doesn't want to "lighten up". She wants to observe, to take notice, to comment, to take it all in and analyze it. That's who she is and I'm in awe of it.

I'm excited to see her grow. To see her discover and learn as she starts school. To find out what excites her, motivates her and where her passions will blossom. I know she will always be different and different is wonderful to me. It's what makes us exceptional.

I love you Rasa Bea. You have this extremely special place in my heart that belongs only to you.

Everyday Things

2012-02-01T13:56:00.001-08:00

Everyday Things

2012-01-31T15:36:00.000-08:00

favorite things....

2012-01-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

The girls pick out their own clothes every day and pretty much refuse to wear anything that I set out for them. I've had to do some major thinning of their wardrobe so at least what they do pick has already been pre-approved by me (Mom = 1) of course the combinations they choose leave something to be desired but whatever....express yourself in whatever means you have, right.

Adia is predictable. She always picks pink. If the entire outfit isn't pink it's mostly pink. She puts her clothes on and almost every day after she's dressed declares her love of pink, "I looooooove PINK!"

I hate pink. Go figure (Mom = 1 Girls = 1)

Rasa has this (*!&^$@&) puppy shirt that she has a deep love for. She cries when I have to wash it and will ask repeatedly while it's in the wash if it's dry yet. I usually wash and dry it at night and leave it out for her on the couch because when she wakes up if it's not ready for her she will wake us up by crying, screaming and or whining "WHERE IS MY PUPPY SHIRT?!!!" She must wear her puppy shirt every single day at least once, or twice a day. When we persuade her to try a different shirt she will, but minutes or hours later will resort back to that ugly puppy. It doesn't match anything that she has. It's got a huge poodle on it (I also hate poodles). I don't get it. I hope it gets lost in the move.....too bad I fear for our lives if it does. She will never let it go!
Here it is worn with pride....ugh

Royce and I have developed a deep hatred of the puppy shirt as it has robbed us of many peaceful mornings. I'm not blaming anyone, even though technically my Mom bought her the shirt.....and Rasa knows that.....so every time I tell her no she can't wear the puppy shirt she cries, "but Nanna bought this for me!!" Clearly that overrides anything I have (Mom = 1 Girls = 2). I lose.

Everyday Things

2012-01-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

my love of color

2012-01-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

I can't stop making these little wooden people. I love the bright colors, the shiny shellac and how natural they feel to hold in your hands. They are totally non-toxic all the way down to the glue that holds the heads on and I love that too. Last night I was painting them while Royce I were talking after the girls were asleep. He was probably slightly annoyed (although hid it well) because every time I'd do a new little head I've make him look at how adorable it was. The girls have twenty or so of these little folks and they love them. I need to start gifting them again before my house is taken over by wooden dolls! The little boy and the Dad I've promise to a friend. I just need to whip up a super funky Momma to complete their family :)

We had a great time at the little's book club this morning with the cousins. We're going to put off the zoo for another day (tomorrow maybe?) and the girls are heading over to Nana's when they wake from naps so I can get some shopping done. Being sick the later part of the weekend put a crimp in my grocery shopping/meal planning.

The sun is shining bright today and ice is melting into puddles. What a beautiful day!

Random ramblings you should only read if you are seriously bored out of your mind......

2012-01-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

Above are my little wooden toy making supplies that I refuse to pack up until the day we move out of here. I can't put it away because I'm too afraid I'll need it....and I probably would.

Creating art with 3 year olds is a little easier than creating art with 2 year olds but it's still a disaster mess. I hate that I feel that way but truth be told every time the girls pull out the art bins they want to either glue or paint and both end up in a sticky disaster! Sure we have markers, crayons, color pencils, and a whole bin of non-disaster making materials but they want to paint, almost every day.

Today, like most days, I let it go, let them pour their own paints (3 year olds must do EVERYTHING themselves!) and let them have at it. It took me an hour to clean up but it was a good reminder watching them create what a magic process art is. Kids need to get their hands in it, feel it, smell it, squeeze it and experiment. They do it with such joy and energy!

I should understand this more than most. I NEED to create nearly everyday and usually every night after the girls are in bed I'm in my own art bin (or camera bag and editing software). It's relaxing for me, exciting and therapeutic. I need art like I need food. I always have. I find it in many ways; baking, painting, photography, sewing, toy making.

I need a shift in my priorities to make a space and time for the girls to have the opportunity to do this more. Maybe for them a few times a week isn't enough. They need a place where the mess doesn't matter (a tarp on the floor?), their supplies are accessible and they are free to do what they need to do......

Rasa has been begging me to let her sew. I seriously think sewing is above her ability level so I'm trying to think of a project she can "help" me with. She wants to do another set of ABC's but I'm thinking maybe a set of RASA pillows or something she can stuff filling into and help me that way.

Adia has no interest in watching me sew. She likes to play with the pins because the colored balls on the tops enamor her. She also loves my vintage buttons but she throws them around along with the pins when she gets bored. I remember when I was little my Mom would sew a lot and I would sit in her sewing room and while Chrissy always wanted to sew I was happy playing with the pins and tomato shaped pin cushion :)

I'm struggling with staying fresh on the home based mom job thing. Spring, summer and fall are so easy. We spend most of the day outside in the water or exploring and the girls are happy and worn out at the end of the day. Winter is brutal. I'm tired, burnt out and don't like the cold and while I make myself take them out when it's not bitter cold, I'm not happy out there!

Tomorrow is a new day! We have book club with the cousins and the zoo. It will be a nice refresher to an otherwise rhymic week.

the things they say...

2012-01-25T09:43:00.000-08:00

When we picked up the girls from my parents after an evening out Royce asked Rasa if she had fun to which she replied, "I had fun because my papa came and picked me up" I said, well I came too and she said, "yes but my Papa came back for me!"
Clearly a daddy's girl!

Royce asked Adia if she missed him and she replied, "NO! I missed Momma!"
YES! One point for the momma ;)

Yesterday Rasa was hanging over the loft railing with a thermometer in her hand yelling, "Momma! Momma! Can we stick this in Adia's butt right now?!"

Rasa was dancing naked in front of the mirror. She turns around and shakes her booty at me while saying, "I have a big butt!". I said, "no you sure don't have a big butt!" and she turns around points to her front side and says, "Yes I do! This is my little butt and (while turning back around pointing to her back side) this is my big butt!"
Gotcha!

weekend wrap....

2012-01-23T07:13:00.000-08:00

I just realized I still have a live Christmas tree up in my living room. How bad is that? I took off the decorations the day after Christmas and it just sort of blends in. Hmmm can't believe I forgot about it. Should probably remove it from the house, or burn it in a bonfire or something!

Anyway, Momma and Pappa got to go out on the town last night! It was actually a belated birthday celebration, I'm not at all picky about when it happens.....it just needs to happen! We don't get out, the two of us, more than a couple times a year so it's always SO much fun and SO special. I love that guy! He's fun and sweet and it's great to be the two of us, separate from the four of us. We had dinner at Bulldog in Northeast Minneapolis and then stopped off at Keegan's for a beer. We picked up cupcakes for Nana and Poppa and the girls and even had enough time to swing into the grocery store and pick up a few things for the week (yes we're
old....we grocery shop on date night).

Thanks to my parents for babysitting!

We had a fun Saturday morning. Our neighbors came over for a photo session and I really enjoyed it. I LOVE taking pictures of people I know and love and they are a super cute, super sweet little family. Rasa was my "helper" except instead of helping me out she was trying to snuggle with me while I was taking pics.

We spend a good portion of the rest of our day in Richfield, at the new house and out to lunch. The girls are pretty excited! They loved checking the place out and exploring. Their bedroom has two windows that face the backyard. There's a big tree right out the window that doesn't have any leaves on it now but I imagine in the summer it will be full and green. I used to have a tree outside my window when I was little and I loved looking out and dreaming about climbing way up to the top of it. Royce and I are really excited. We can see ourselves and our things in this house. We can imagine our routine and our little girls running up and down the hallway with the old wood floors creaking underneath them. It's a super sweet little place that's about to be filled up with magic that small children bring into every room.

Happy Monday! Time to get to work!

letting it go....watching it happen

2012-01-20T12:23:00.000-08:00

I'm a natural born worrier. I've had issues with anxiety since I was a small child. I think part of it was that I was very sensitive and in tune with my families expressions and worries (spoken or unspoken). I see all of these traits in Rasa and our pediatrician told me last week he believes Rasa has some anxiety issues. That didn't trouble me at all because years ago I found this amazing meditation expert with a Ph. D in Psychology and she taught me the keys to a worry free life. It changed my life completely. I still resort back to worry and still work through panic attacks and anxiety but I know how and I know how to teach Rasa to embrase her intuitive nature for good, wonderful, compassionate and passionate things rather than letting it manifest into anxiety.

We weren't born to have a rotten life filled with hardships and heartache. We were born to be free, to be happy, to love and be loved, to reap rewards of our work and millions of other reasons.

My mantra is "things will happen exactly as they should" I can't tell you how true this is. Always.

When we tried to get pregnant, I knew it was meant to be. There was a plan and it happened exactly as it should have. A month before I had the girls I found out my company was sold and my department was going to be eliminated. My first reaction was to FREAK out! The plan was for me to take a 12 week maternity leave and come back to work full time. The timing of the acquisition was supposed to fall right before the girls were due and I was in a panic (hugely pregnant) wondering how I would get a new job in my state and how I would get the great maternity leave I had all set up! I'm not going to lie and say I let it go to the process. I flipped my lid for about two weeks before letting it go. The timing of everything ended up so perfect I could not have planned it better had I customized the entire thing myself. I had the girls, took 12 weeks off, went back to work to pack up my desk and say goodbye and got a fat severance that ended up paying me for a year at my full time salary. Seriously!

Well as you can see after we had the girls our plans changed and we decided to keep them at home but had this entire process not happened I'm not sure where we would be right now. It was a window that opened us up to a much better place! The cumulative effects of losing my job were that the girls are at home with me and I found a new career that I would have never imaged before!

Royce and I have hardships like everyone else. We choose not to focus on them. When we do we get in this nasty place of feeling sorry for ourselves and are unable to remember or see the amazing things that happen in our lives on a regular basis.

When I worry about getting work it only helps to give me anxiety! When I let it go I get bookings....every single time!
When I worry about money, I end up with a panic attack. When I let it go it just comes in. Surprise extra bonus at work for Royce! Surprise work for me!
When we started worrying about the house, where we were going to live and what to look for it almost ruined our Holiday's. We made a decision before Thanksgiving to LET IT GO and enjoy the holiday's. Guess what, a place fell in our lap that's more perfect than we could have dreamed up ourselves.

I could write a list of all the horrible things that have happened and not worked out but you know what, I don't really remember any of them because the things that count, the things that matter have all unraveled beautifully....not without blood, sweat and tears...but they have.

Things are meant to be. GREAT things are meant to be for all of us. Let it go.

workin weekend - hurrah!

2012-01-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

I've got a family session Saturday and a two year old birthday party I'm shooting on Sunday. We're planning a movie night with the girls tonight and Royce is taking me out for my (belated) birthday dinner. We're making a visit to our new place tomorrow after I'm done with my session. Should be a fun weekend for us! We should probably work in some packing this weekend too.....time is a tickin!

I'm shooting a family session at my house so I was playing with the light and post processing finishes getting things ready this morning. I bribed Adia to help me out with a handful of M&M's.

She's such a doll baby. I love having live in test subjects!

Everyday Things

2012-01-19T12:53:00.001-08:00

‎"the most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst beautiful things" plato

2012-01-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of refrigerator magnets keeping the girls busy while I cook dinner but well....they're usually really ugly and the plastic set I had in the past didn't stay on the fridge well and pieces always ended up getting chewed up by Lucy!

These are SO cute and were made using mostly what I had in my textile bin. They are two layers of fabric with quilt batting and a magnet sewn into each letter. I wrote my letters freehand backwards on the back of each so the pen lines wouldn't be displayed. No they are not perfect by any means but the more I messed them up the cuter I thought they were! The entire set took me about 3 hours to make from start to finish. Most of the time was in cutting.

Sew cute right? ;)

The tutorial on how to make these little gems can be found HERE!

Everyday Things

2012-01-17T17:08:00.000-08:00

simple pleasures....

2012-01-17T12:21:00.001-08:00

because each of you is SO special! Nothing makes my heart smile more than when you get overjoyed with simple pleasures!

I love you Rasa!
I love you Adia!

Adia was sick yesterday. She just had a high temp and was worn out and wanted to be next to me at all times. My little baby girl. She wanted Beauty and the Beast SO badly. They saw some of the movie at the clinic last week while in the waiting room. Royce volunteered to run and pick it up last night and when he came home Adia just lit up. She calls it "the princess movie". We watched it for about a half an hour until Adia couldn't keep her eyes open. I picked her up and rocked her in the rocking chair in her and Rasa's bedroom until her fever broke and she went from pipping hot to a puddle of cold sweat. I laid her in her bed and she stirred a little so I pulled up the foot rest next to her bed and sat on it until she was sleeping.

This morning we went on an art supply run and stopped at the grocery store so I could pick up a few things to make cupcakes to surprise them when they woke up from their nap :)

It's what's for dinner

2012-01-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

I get in grooves where I cook a lot, nearly ever meal and then I get busy and the grocery store with two little ones seems overwhelming and we end up eating out or ordering in. Yesterday I created a menu for the week and went grocery shopping to pick up all of my ingredients. My only rules are it needs to be as "whole" as possible, lots of veggies, as little cans as possible (yuck BPA!) and easy to prepare or toss in the crock pot.

As a former vegetarian and vegan family (for years and years) we started realizing that when we weren't on our game we ended up consuming a lot of processed soy and simple carbs neither of which is remotely healthy. I went on an allergy diet when Rasa was about 4 months old because she tested positive for a milk allergy and was breastfeeding. I had to eliminate all dairy and soy from my diet because the cows milk protein is passed on in breast milk and soy protein simulates milk protein and lots of babies/kids are allergic to both. I did the no allergen diet by Dr. Sears and started off by eating literally only chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper only, potatos with olive oil, sweet potatoes and then was later able to introduce squash, other root vegetables and fruits. I had never felt better in my life! My stomach felt great, I lost 10lbs in two weeks and had unlimited energy. With that in mind Royce and I moved to a similar diet but we do eat cheese and pasta in limited amounts (Rasa has since outgrown her milk allergy).

Last nights dinner was excellent. Super easy to make and Royce took the left overs for lunch today and said it was just as good day 2!

Don't worry, this will never be a recipe blog! But for my own purposes I'm going to post up the hits!

Chuck Wagon Pot Roast
2 - 2.5lbs of beef chuck roast (we used 2lbs of grass fed beef steak)
Salt and Pepper
1 24 oz jar of pasta sauce
1 cup of water
2 cups mini wagon wheel pasta
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans (we used frozen long green beans)

I cut up the steak into 1 inch cubes and boiled them in the spaghetti sauce for about 15 minutes to speed up the process (the beef seems really tough at first but after the time in the crock pot it was very tender). Then I transferred the beef and sauce into a crock pot on the high setting, added the carrots and frozen green beans. I let this cook for about two hours. 45 minutes before I wanted dinner to be ready I added the 2 cups of uncooked pasta noodles. The noodles cook in the sauce making them delicious!

Everyone loved it! It was tasty! The girls and I ate it with a dusting of parmesan cheese on top. I should add this cost about $12 to make if you don't have anything on hand. The bulk of it is the grass fed beef but you could do it for much less if you aren't as picky about your meat choices. I shop at Aldi for some food items which makes a difference. Their spaghetti sauce is $1.69 and has less than five ingredients in it. Carrots grown in the us were $.69 for a bag and their frozen vegetables are very good and inexpensive.

The slower method is to spray your crock pot with non-stick spray, add the raw beef cubes salted and peppered, add sauce and water, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Increase to low setting and add veggies and uncooked pasta for 45 minutes.

*tonights dinner is cheddar chicken casserole...sounds super yummy and if it's a hit I'll post the recipe!

Cuz that's how we roll...

2012-01-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

I hope I'm not boring everyone TO DEATH by my constant mention of packing and moving but since it's filling up all of our time I can't help it! It certainly wont be our last move by far so maybe I'll even find myself reading about it later on and learning from this move.

Royce and I devised a plan this week on what needed to get done today and we decided today was going to be the weekend we got rid of every single thing we won't be moving with us. Some is going in a landfill, some again to Good Will, some on Craigslist. I'm happy we now have every drawer and cabinet in the house emptied and we have half of the closets finished! Only three more to go!

The girls were literally driving me crazy this morning by getting into everything and then demanding one of us entertain them all morning (I NEED paper....I NEED paper....I NEED PAPER RIGHT NOW! I wanna color...I wanna color I wanna color I WANNA COLOR, I don't like these pants, I wanna wear these pants...I need my doggie shirt! WHERE IS MY DOGGIE SHIRT!! Momma what are u doing? What is this? What does this go to? I want it! I want that! I need this! I'm hungry...no I don't wanna eat that! I'm not hungry!.....catch my drift?).

I finally set up a stack of big boxes and said, "here ya go, this looks like a puppy house if ever there was one". They played with the boxes for an hour easily non stop and Royce and I were able plug away.

(PS Mom and Dad....please rest up in Mexico this week because I need to put you to work on babysitting duty when you get home :) :)

We needed to get out of the house and have lunch so we ended up at Chipotle. Highlight of my day for many reasons; first because Royce generally doesn't like their food so we hardly ever eat there, second because I LOVE IT and the girls eat it up and most importantly because my girls know how to have fun in public without being annoying, loud or rude.

We sat in the back and the music was blasting. Adia was quick to stand up and dance (that girl can dance!). Rasa and I joined in (semi descretely so as to not make a scene) and we all laughed and grooved. We have so much fun together doing the simplist things. Even on a day where we are knee deep in boxes, and dust and chaos it was fun to carve out a little bit of time to just be and have fun......cuz that's how we roll.

Oh Adia you are so you.....

2012-01-13T13:57:00.000-08:00

"Adia let Momma take a picture of your curly afro! It rocks!"
"NO!"
"I'll give you a treat :)"
"Umm OK"

First pic:

Hmmm, adorable but that's not really Adia. She looks sweet and quiet and innocent.

Oh what was I thinking.....I have a one picture maximum before she goes back to being herself.

Yep that's my kid.

Here's some good middle ground. Love her sweet cherub face and chubby cheeks.

I should add that this is Adia's hair natural. Aside from washing it today (no shampoo, conditioner only) it's wild and crazy just like my girl!

Family playdate

2012-01-12T16:03:00.001-08:00

Thank you Suzanne, Olivia, Josh and Owen for the Lalaloopsy dolls for the girls birthday!

*pardon the mess! We now decorate the house with recycled boxes **sigh* only for a month and a half at least. The girls prefer dancing on the dinning room table/craft table to their playroom which is why there has been an overwhelming amount of pictures in the same spot in the house lately!

Suzanne and the kids came over today to give the girls birthday presents (which of course they LOVE)! It was fun spending the morning with them. Owen is such a charming and busy little guy. I don't know how it's possible he's 18 months old. Olivia was delightful and the girls love watching her and look up to her. She's a helper which is very sweet.

We had a nice morning, a good visit and the kids expelled some energy. It's always fun getting the cousins together and next time I promise to take some pics!

die hard outdoor girls!

2012-01-11T15:14:00.001-08:00

Up until today we've been SO spoiled with an extremely warm winter. Yesterday was 50 degrees! The girls have gotten used to playing a lot outside and today when it was 20 degrees with a windchill of 5 they wouldn't take no for an answer! Their sandbox is semi closed in so it blocks some of the wind. I stood in the doorway most of the time (I'm always freezing!) and they played until I insisted they come in!

Everyday Things

2012-01-11T09:58:00.001-08:00

oyi!

2012-01-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

I'm slacking off having a beer and thinking about how I need to be upstairs, now that the girls are asleep, folding laundry and trying to take down that mountain. Six or so outfits a day that end up in a dirty bin thanks to the girls obsession with changing clothes multiple times a day makes for an overwhelming amount of laundry at the end of every week!

Royce and I are trying to come up with a plan for the big move and we've been looking around the house at all of the furniture we've accumulated over the past 11 years! When we bought this house it was just the two of us and we hardly furnished half of it. Add two bambino's and we're positively busting out at the seems! We've been doing a great deal of purging and no longer have any baby stuff left but even after a couple truck loads to Good Will it doesn't seem to have made a dent in our stash!

I'm overwhelmed at what needs to get done. My plan is to start tomorrow, one single box at a time. We have a month and a half (OMG A MONTH AND A HALF!!!) to get it done. It's challenging for me just to keep the house clean with the girls into EVERYTHING so I'm hoping by some greater force I can work at packing up while keeping my sanity about letting other things slide.

I need some serious positive vibes, good thoughts and prayers (whatever you fancy) to get this done. Please keep us in your thoughts for a smooth transition. The girls are tentatively excited about it but change can be hard for anyone and we want them excited and cooperative when it comes to packing up and moving on.

Cheers to new walls, new soil and new memories!

3 year stats

2012-01-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

The girls had their three year well check today. They are growing like weeds! Our clinic is all the way across the metro and it ends up being practically an all day thing. The love their pediatrician and that makes a huge difference! He's the same one they've seen since they were 9 months old and we adore him. After about an hour and a half Adia starts to shut down and go bonkers. Note to self she needs to be first next time. By the time her turn rolled around she was wild and wouldn't take direction or participate in her check up.......she wanted to crawl around on the floor, stick her tongue out and act "special".
Rasa was great, followed directions and acted like the intelligent little girl she is!

Rasa:
Height 38 inches 75% (2 inches taller than her two year visit)
Weight 32.5lbs 75% (5.5lbs heavier than her two year visit)

Adia:
Height 36.75 50% (2 3/4 inches taller than her two her visit)
Weight 31lbs 50% (6lbs heavier than her two year visit)

Rasa looks 3 inches taller than Adia, I swear! They've been about an inch apart since they were 18 months. Their weight is always within a pound or two even though Rasa feels so much heavier!

All in all a great visit. No issues, everything is great. The plan for their asthma is to try and get them off of the daily inhalers in the spring and summer and back on each fall and winter as cold season comes around. They've been great with their asthma for several months now but we won't know for sure until the first viral cold sneaks in.

Rasa was referred to a sleep specialist at Children's for her night time issues so I'll be scheduling soon and crossing our fingers we all may sleep at some point in the near future (YAY!). After three years of disrupted sleep I'm convinced I'm crazy and Royce is following behind me :)

Everyday Things

2012-01-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

Yep we're moving......

2012-01-06T17:28:00.001-08:00

Rasa couldn't be more excited!

She was jumping up and down saying,
"Lets go momma!!! Lets go!!"

She's excited to have grass and trees and a yard! Should make for a very fun summer!

Dare I say....Richfield is just about to get a whole lot cooler....the Steenerson Family is moving in!

More details to come but I gotta get started packing!

Everyday Things

2012-01-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me!

2012-01-05T10:21:00.000-08:00

Three years ago I spent my birthday in the hospital after having the girls. I went up to the nicu to breastfeed them and went back down to my room to rest. When I got there I saw a balloon and a card on my bed. The card said, "Happy Birthday, we love you! Love, Royce, Rasa & Adia". It hit me after reading it that we had made a family and I was about to get three times the love.

I love my family. Happy Birthday to me!

My girls hanging with me on my bday :)

Everyday Things

2012-01-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

Family Rules:

2012-01-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

The sweet strawberry 3rd birthday!

2012-01-02T16:46:00.001-08:00

I stayed up late after Royce and the girls went to bed last night and made pom-poms out of tissue paper and decorated. Even with the cake the cost was less than $50 and that included gift buckets filled with goodies (thanks to $1 bins at Target and after Christmas specials on party supplies! Benefit of having strawberry - green and red!).

This morning after the girls woke up we made them banana pancakes and shaped them into number 3's. Topped with whipped cream they were taaaaasty! The girls each opened a present from Royce and I that were a couple "cool" new outfits.

We piled in the car after breakfast and drove to Bylery's to pick up their special cake. It was the only bakery in town that offered a Strawberry Shortcake cake and since that was the only thing the girls asked for we went for it.
Adia pulled the cake off the counter about a half hour after we got home but luckily it landed flat, still in the box with minimal damage. Gotta watch that one every second!

We had lunch and the girls took naps. When they woke up Nana and Papa were here and we opened more presents, celebrated and ate cake.

Jill and Taylor came over after my parents left and brought the girls some sweet gifts and had some cake.

We had a really fun day. Most importantly the girls felt really special, as they should on their birthday!

We are so thankful for Nana, Papa, Skip, Jill, Karley, Patrick, Gabby & Isaac, Chris, Lee and the twins for the sweet cards and gifts. Thank you so much, they are treasured.

happy happy 3rd birthday Rasa & Adia!!!!

2012-01-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

baby A

baby B

3 year old questionnaire

2012-01-02T01:44:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine asks her daughter the same questionnaire on her birthday and I loved the idea so much I had to adopt it!

Each question was asked with the girls separately so they wouldn't just repeat what the other had said.

what is your favorite food?
Rasa: "I sleep by myself in my bed"
Adia: "pickles and fruit"

what is your favorite toy?
Rasa: "strawberry shortcakes"
Adia: "a rhino and a monkey" (neither of which she has)

what is your thing to wear?
Rasa: "strawberry shortcake shirt"
Adia: "a pink dress that fits me. A pink princess dress!"

who is your favorite person in the whole wide world?
Rasa: "Hello Kitty"
Adia: "Ahhh not anybody"

What is your favorite thing to play?
Rasa: "to help you cook, mama"
Adia: "I like to cook in my kitchen and eat some pickles too"

can you tell me your favorite song?
Rasa: "I like Twinkle Twinkle"
Adia: "a princess song is my favorite"

Where is your favorite place to eat?
Rasa: "Pizza Luce! We can't go to Luce without my pappa!"
Adia: "Pizza Luce!"

Who is your best friend?
Rasa: "Daddy"
Adia: "Pappa"
(Um what the?!)

What is your favorite part about you?
Rasa: "my nose"
Adia: "I like to wear diapers"

Whats your favorite movie
Rasa: "Baby Signing Time"
Adia: "Panda movie" (Kung Foo Panda)

What's your favorite color?
Rasa: "Pink"
Adia: "Pink!"

Do you know what love is?
Rasa: no answer, just a smile as she gave me a big hug
Adia: "huggin and kisses"

What is your favorite thing about having your 3rd birthday?
Rasa: "My strawberry shortcake party!"
Adia: "A strawberry shortcake birthday!"

Everyday Things

2011-12-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

My babies, my life, my heart

2011-12-30T12:13:00.000-08:00

Four days before you arrived!

Every year around your birthday your Daddy and I get back to a place right before you were born and we talk, in detail, about the days, hours and minutes leading up to your birth.

The world stopped, everyone and everything on the earth stood still in anticipation. Waiting and praying. Then in a minute you were here, one after another and every cell in our world celebrated with the greatest joy and love ever known to anyone!

You were meant to be. Each of you created by hand right down to your tiny eyelashes and the taste buds on the tips of your tongues. You were promised to me in my most desperate place and the idea of you overflowed me with peace and happiness instantly. "You will be blessed more than you can ever imagine" were the words of the most powerful spirit I've ever felt in my entire life. Then I let go of my worry, and I waited for you. It wasn't long, just a few months after that I was pregnant with you.

My life has been so profoundly changed by you. I WILL NEVER, EVER, BE THE SAME. Some people spend their lives looking for purpose. I don't have to. My purpose was to be your Mom.

I will spend the rest of my life trying to put into words the love, the deepest love, that I ever imagined possible for you.

My sweet, sweet baby girls I love you more than my heart can handle. I will always be overflowing with awe of you two. You are good, you are wonderful, you are magical!

Happiest 3rd birthday my loves. You grow more beautiful, more intelligent, more compassionate each day. I watch you in amazement! Look at all you can do! Look at all you say! Look at your own hearts and your own love and humility! You are so amazing!!!

Everyday Things

2011-12-30T08:32:00.001-08:00

my lil' kitchen helpers

2011-12-28T14:45:00.000-08:00

Every time I walk into the kitchen my two little chicas follow behind demanding I put their aprons on and let them help "cook". Today they "cooked" fresh fruit and cold sandwiches ;) They were pretty proud of themselves for scooping the fruit out of the bowl with spatulas and for placing the rest of their lunch on their plates....all by themselves! After they even helped me wash dishes....even though we have a dishwasher....and I didn't want to wash them. Lucky me! Although (almost!) 3 year olds have a way of making EVERYTHING silly and fun and they do provide me with a daily dose of hysterical laughter!

Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You - Nancy Tillman

2011-12-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

I wanted you more than you will ever know,
so I sent love to follow wherever you go.
It's as high as you wish it. It's as quick as an elf.
You'll never outgrow it.....it stretches itself!
So climb any mountain.....
climb up to the sky!
My love will find you.
My love can fly!
Make a big splash! Go out on a limb!
My love will find you. My love can swim!
It never gets lost, never fades, never ends...
if you're working...
or playing...
or sitting with friends.
You can dance 'til you're dizzy...
paint 'till you're blue...
There's no place, not one, that my love can't find you.

And if someday you're lonely, or someday you're sad,
or you strike out at baseball, or think you've been bad...
just lift up your face, feel the wind in your hair.
That's me, my sweet baby, my love is right there.
In the green of the grass...in the smell of the sea...
in the clouds floating by...at the top of the tree...in the sound crickets make at the end of the day...

"You are loved. You are loved. You are loved," they all say.

My love is so high, and so wide and so deep, it's always right there, even when you're asleep.
So hold your head high and don't be afraid to march to the front of your own parade.
If you're still my small babe or you're all the way grown,
my promise to you is you're never alone.
You are my angel, my darling, my star...
and my love will find you, wherever you are.

You are loved.

Everyday Things

2011-12-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning and Night

2011-12-25T20:33:00.000-08:00

Santa left a special breakfast Christmas morning!

Christmas Eve we spent at my parents house with Nana and Poppa, Auntie Chrissy, Mariah (Cousin), Shaylah (Cousin), Olivia (Cousin), Owen (Cousin), Uncle Josh and Auntie Suzanne. It was wonderful, lots of fun and great food. Thank you Mom and Dad for the wonderful spread, the company and all of the special gifts. The girls had a great time, especially Adia, who just like her cousin Olivia, believes in her heart of hearts that she is in fact a puppy :) Olivia even fed Adia some puppy food out of a bowl (cashews and peanuts). Christmas is always special to me. My parents, even when we had no money, made it so special and wonderful and exciting every. single. year. Thank you for the memories.

Royce and I stayed up late, really late watching a Christmas movie on Christmas Eve night and 3.5 hours later we awoke to the girls screaming, "Santa came!!!! There's presents!!!!!" So up we flew out of bed to let the girls loose and watch them tear open their gifts. It was pure joy for all four of us. About an hour later we all crashed out and caught up on some much needed sleep (thank God!).

Christmas day we spent together as a family, playing, napping, eating and really enjoying each others company. Royce and I put the girls to bed early, they were spent and Royce and I started a fire. The baby monitor stayed silent but all of the sudden I peaked in the window and on noticed the light peering from the loft (playroom) and Rasa and Adia dancing in circles at about 9:30!! We put their coats and boots on and brought them out to enjoy the fire with us. It was very special even though it didn't last long, I'm glad we did it.

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

waiting for snow!

2011-12-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

Rasa's cheaks were cold the other night when Royce had the girls outside after dinner. I was in (I'm always freezing!) and I hear a bang bang bang at the door followed by Rasa saying, "Momma! Let me in!". She had mittens on and couldn't get the door open. She told me she needed something so her cheeks wouldn't be cold. I wrapped her in my scarf all the way around her head and she reminded me of Randy, the little brother on the movie A Christmas Story.

She's been patiently waiting for snow. It's so weird a week before Christmas to see brown grass and not a spot of snow to be found anywhere!

After we went in she was happy to be unwrapped.

Back to her full time job of caring for her babies. The other day she was sitting on the kitchen table with her baby and she was trying to get her to sit up. The doll isn't made to sit so it would fall backwards each time. Rasa realized if she held her a certain way she could sit up assisted.

She's holding her up and then says, "Momma I'm tired of taking care of the babies".

I said, "Yes taking care of babies is a lot of work isn't it?!"

She replied, "Yes, it is!".

That day I was having a hard time because Rasa had been crying and carrying on all day long. She was SO crabby and demanding. I asked her "do you have a baby that cries and whines all the time?!"

She said, "No..."

I said, "well consider yourself lucky than"

sister....friend....what's the difference

2011-12-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

I was sitting downstairs and adia came sliding down the stairs. She was very busy.....doing.....who knows what.

Me: "Hi Adia!"

Adia: "I'm sorry Momma, I hafta go see what my friend Rasa needs"

the miracle of recycling

2011-12-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

Royce and I have been wrapping presents when the girls are sleeping at night and I've been putting the scraps of paper too small to wrap another gift with in the girls art bins. Last night Rasa discovered all of the folded pieces and pulled them out one by one excited like it was Christmas morning. After she had them all pulled out and layed neatly on the floor she exclaimed, "This is the best Christmas I've ever had in my whole life!!!"

downtown Macy's 8th floor

2011-12-15T11:34:00.000-08:00

My parents and I brought the girls downtown Minneapolis to do our annual Macy's 8th floor santa and display visit. As soon as we got out of the car Adia promptly asked, "Where is Santa??!!". I told her he was upstairs and we were going to visit him. Then she asked where the reindeer were because she needs to pet them. I told her they were probably parked on the roof eating lunch.

We did the display tour, same one as last year but the girls were so much more into it this year. Watching their little faces light up seeing the little details was so much fun. We did the puppet show this year and it was really cool.

When we went in to see Santa the girls were excited (despite their faces in the picture after I tried abandoning them on his lap). Adia told Santa she wants a pink bee (aka the pink butterfly pillow pet). She was quiet and cute. Santa asked Rasa if she wanted a baby doll and she smiled. How did he know that?!! ;) He asked what her name was and she wouldn't give it up. When he asked if her name was Billy she gave him her signature look that says "are you kidding me" and then smiled. They were slow to walk out, starring at him the entire time. It was sweet.

We had lunch again at the Skyroom upstairs. Good food and fun for the girls. They love salad bars!

We stopped in Candyland on our way back to the car and each of them were overwhelmed with the amount of colors and candies in the displays. I forgot what it was like to walk in there as a kid. Amazing! I got them each a rock sugar pop and they danced out with them in their mouths.

When I asked what their favorite part of the day was they both said Santa! Really? It doesn't look like it! Hahaha

Ah sweet perspective

2011-12-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

So I've been commiserating a lot lately about this destructive, get into everything, explore and mess it all up phase that the girls are in. It's exhausting some days, most days. They are so dang fast I can't keep up with their trail of terror.

I was sitting at my Sisters house and we were talking (over wine....the only way to properly talk) and she was telling me stories I remembered hearing a few years ago about Shaylah writing all over the walls, climbing the refrigerator and even the time she got into Mariah's room, which was in the process of being redecorated, and snuck a paint tray into her own room and painted the walls.

I was looking at my beautiful now 5 year old niece thinking about how well she listened, how well she took direction and how independent she is. I'm thinking she's SO easy to manage! Just at that moment she walked over and grabbed a raw hot dog out of the fridge, slapped in on the counter and said, "Lissa! Do you want a wiener?" I politely said no thanks, not a fan of unidentifiable meat, and she proceeded to hold it like it was her penis, swing it all around and dance up and down with it waving it in front of the dogs face laughing hysterically.

It's just a different kind of crazy at every stage. It's entertaining....that is for sure!

wrapping gifts

2011-12-12T14:40:00.001-08:00

Royce and I decided to pare down for Christmas this year and get the girls well thought out gifts that were handmade could last forever and grow with them. Aside from the new Waldorf wool baby dolls (that they will be over the moon for) I got them each an apron made by my oldest friend, Rachel. Her and I grew up together, were more like sisters than friends and even bunked up together for a few years in college. She's all over the world now and hard to keep track of but we stay in touch and seeing her brings me back to some of the most fun times of my life. She makes an apron a day (almost) and sells them for extra cash. She's always been crafty and resourceful and when she made one of these little owls I had to have it! I convinced her to make another and got them both (score!). They are special to me because the girls will love them, help me in the kitchen with them and they were hand crafted by my dear friend so they will always remind me of her every time I see them.

Before I wrapped them up I had to snap a pic. I'll get more when the girls are dancing around the kitchen in them. I simply love them! Oh and those little wings are actually pockets!! Love!

Thank you Rachel for the special gifts. Love you!

Everyday Things

2011-12-11T16:00:00.000-08:00

the weekend of destruction

2011-12-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

It all started with me leaving for a half an hour Friday night. When I returned I walked into the house with music blaring at full blast, Royce in the downstairs bathroom shaving and Adia running out with another electric shaver unplugged pretending to shave the locks off the top of her head. Where is Rasa???? I go upstairs and see the light on in the bathroom but the door closed. I open it and all of my families toothbrushes are in the toilet intertwined in a couple rolls of unspooled toilet paper. Ahem....Daddy daycare is in need of improvement!

Episode two started with an unlocked baby gate at the top of the stairs. Saturday morning, about 6 am Rasa hopped out of her bed and quietly made her way downstairs. At some point Adia joined her but we're unsure as to when. Since Royce and I were sleeping peacefully in bed the details are a little hazy. We woke to a sea of silver paint marker on the legs, arms and finger nails of both girls. A camera charger once black now coated in fresh silver paint. New sparky silver drawings on the wood floor under the kitchen table. A house heavily scented in enamel paint.

Sunday morning after the girls and I went out for breakfast I decide to pick up the playroom and leave the girls playing happily and appropriately in the living room downstairs. When I hear screams of glee less than five minutes later I decide to investigate. When I came down there is a sea of white and two girls making snow angels on the dinning room floor. Snow everywhere! Wait not snow....two new big bottles of grated parmesan cheese! I spent an hour vacuuming it up as it melts inside of my vacuum cleaner and the more I try to get it off the floor, the more it seems to spread. The girls are bottomless with parmesan cheese stuck to their butt cheeks. The couch is white and there are trails of it throughout every room and on every piece of furniture.

I'm tired man. I'm tired.

**updated Sunday night**
The girls were running laps around the upstairs and decided to hunker down in our walk in closet. They were playing quietly (will I ever freakin learn??!!!) behind Royce's hanging shirts. I checked on them over and over but they were hiding so I would hear nothing, go in and peek behind the clothes and leave. I got comfy on the couch and thought wow this is nice, it's quiet and I can relax for a minute before they go to bed. A millisecond later, Adia comes racing down the hallway to the loft with tiny quilting pins stuck all over her pull up.
"Oh *(&^!"
What the hell did they get into??
I walk into the closet and behind the clothes is an empty little Tupperware container that used to house about one thousand tiny quilting pins. They. Were. Everywhere. The floors in the closet are distressed hardwood - complete with gaps and knots etc. Each gap and each knot hole was filled with pins. They. Were. Everywhere. I had Royce grab me a magnet off the fridge and that helped with the clean up - those little buggers are hard to grab onto!

I think I got them all. I don't really know. They keep showing up all over the house now. I'm sure I'm going be pulling them out of the bottoms of my feet for weeks.

Sigh.

The girls are only two for like a few more weeks. If I make it out of the terrific two's without a mental breakdown or a drinking problem than I feel like there probably is a God.

Everyday Things

2011-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Peaceful Parenting

2011-12-06T13:35:00.001-08:00

This mission statement is from another attachment parenting momma and I loved it so much I had to share it.

Like all Mother's I am a work in progress who makes lots of mistakes and doesn't always know what the "right thing" to do is. I am committed to figuring out the best way to raise my daughters in a way that fills them with esteem and compassion and humility. I will not beat myself up for being tired, frustrated, or even at my wits end some days but I will promise to take time each day to stop, reflect and reevaluate.

A Parenting Mission Statement

I choose to raise children who are respectful and believe they are worthy of respect. To this end I will not force you to act respectfully, but rather I will treat you with respect, both modeling the power of respect and teaching you that you are worthy of it. You are a person, as valuable as any regardless of age. We all deserve respect. If you treat me disrespectfully I will tell you how it makes me feel so that you can grow as a person for these lessons.

I choose to raise children who are confident and who know themselves enough to be true to the song in their hearts. To this end I will not use shame or manipulation nor will I encourage conformity over free-thinking. I will instead support your dreams and desires and your hearth's truths. Your right answer and my right answer might not look the same. I'm good with that. You are your own person.

I choose to raise children who are kind and caring and see kindness and caring in the world as well. Because of this I will treat your feelings and needs with the utmost respect. Just because I am bigger than you doesn't mean I'll use power over you to get my way. I'll help you seek out and see kindness in the world throughout your childhood.

I choose to raise children who are honest and value the power of truth. To this end I will not use punishment when you act inappropriately but instead I will determine the need behind your behavior and help you find an appropriate way to meet every need. I believe that speaking the truth takes courage and should be encouraged with unconditional love - not discouraged by judgement or punishment.

And when I fail at these things (which I will sometimes) I will own my mistakes. I will apologize and let you know that I, too, am learning as I go.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

2011-12-06T06:34:00.000-08:00

Last night Royce and I were up until 1 am making little elves for the girls for St. Nicholas Day. The story is that children leave their shoes outside their bedroom door in hopes that St. Nicholas will come and fill their shoes with coins or candy if they've been good and naughty littles get a lump of coal. I remember being in grade school and having some kids find candy canes and other treats the morning of St. Nicholas and their excitement. Since we follow Advent holiday's I was excited to see it pop up and know that it would be a little taste of Christmas this early in December. Royce and I had fun painting them last night (his version was scrapped - scary monster elf lol!).

Adia came downstairs and was very excited to find her treats. She didn't care if St. Nic was real or not, who made what or where it came from. She was just happy to reap the benefits of it!

Rasa walked down and found her surprise and was very excited! She crawled in my bed with her little elf in one hand and the bag of M&M's in the other.

Me: "Oh wow! Look at what St. Nic left you!"

Rasa smirks and looks at me like duh

Rasa: "This is not from Santa! This is from you, Momma!!!"

&^$?!! Is this going to be a hard sell????

searching for blueberry muffin

2011-11-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

Rasa and Adia are really into Strawberry Shortcake dolls right now. I admit to loving them as well because I was all about Strawberry Shortcake when I was in preschool. My sister had Blueberry Muffin and I had Strawberry and I remember hours of play with them and the sweet, sweet smell of their scented hair that lasted nearly as long as the dolls held up.

When I brought home the girls first dolls Adia wanted Lemon and Rasa wanted Strawberry. They were so excited about them. They wanted their little shoes put on and to mess up...I mean comb...their hair. I would fix them back up while Royce would glare at me from across the room reminding me that they are the girls and not my dolls. Whatever.

I was leaving for the weekend a few weeks ago and wanted to pick up a couple new ones so that I could say good bye and distract them long enough to get out of the house without tears. I gave Rasa Plum Pudding and Adia Blueberry Muffin, they hugged and kissed me and said "see ya in a couple days!".

When I returned and settled back in after the weekend Blueberry was no where to be found! For two weeks we've been looking for her everywhere! At one point Adia told Royce she threw her in the garbage. I don't know if she actually did or if she means since we can't find her she must have gotten thrown away?

Last night I was sitting at the kitchen table and they were again asking where Blueberry is:

Adia runs up to me and grabs my hand and says, "Come on! Come on! We need to get Blueberry out of the garbage!" pulling my arm to get up and go outside where the bin is.

I said, "Adia it doesn't work like that. If Blueberry made it outside to the trash then the Garbage Man came and picked it up and she's gone. We can't go get her".

Adia got really upset, started sobbing and yelled "But Momma I'm really worried about her!!!!"

That was the sound of my heart breaking.

Stupid Strawberry Shortcake dolls!

my two puppies....i mean kids

2011-11-28T20:26:00.000-08:00

So Mom, don't be alarmed when you look at this. I know I told you last week the only way to keep my house relatively clean would be to kennel the girls. I didn't kennel them - they are infatuated with kenneling themselves (score!).

It actually grosses me out because Lucy is a grungy little turd and although she doesn't spend a lot of time in her kennel and the blanket in there is relatively clean....still....yuck!

Adia believes in her heart of hearts she is in fact a dog. She barks at me when I go outside, she licks everything (yes even still) and now she makes Rasa feed her treats to which she eats them out of her hand (see pic).

Tonight Rasa was crawling in the kennel and Royce (unknowing of this new infatuation of theirs) stopped her. She sobbed and ran through the living room with tears flying saying "I wanna go in the kennel!!!!!" Royce and I laughed and he put her in the damn dog kennel.

Is child protective services coming tonight?

Everyday Things

2011-11-27T13:41:00.001-08:00

the full circle

2011-11-26T14:46:00.000-08:00

Me: Adia, what do you want for supper?

Adia: How bout........a sandwich, juicebox, toy and apple sauce!

Me: No, that's what you had for lunch.

Adia: How bout a sandwich!

Me: No, that's what you had for snack

Adia: How bout a juicebox!

Me: No

Adia: How about lunch?

i am thankful for you

2011-11-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.“
H. U. Westermayer

Everyday Things

2011-11-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

Everyday Things

2011-11-22T14:50:00.000-08:00

Quotes this week from Rasa Bea

2011-11-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

"I'm going to have a baby brother. I'm going to call him Number Two"
I swear to God she's never seen Austin Powers!!!

"Adia lets go sit outside on the bench. We're going to wait for my baby brother"
Um I should note that I was home with the girls alone so it's not like she was thinking if she gave Royce and I some time alone.......

Jenn: "Rasa did you draw this picture?"
Rasa: "Yes!"
Jenn: "Is that a lady?"
Rasa: "NO!! It's my momma!" (in a loud and condescending manner!)
Jenn: "Is this you?"
Rasa: "No it's my baby brother! and that's a tiny baby!!" (again in a loud and condescending manner!)
*notice she captured my afro quite well!

This morning Rasa brought me the cap off of a brand new tube of lip gloss. I immediatly get irritated because she's been digging in my purse again and I say, "Go get the rest of this right now!". She says, "I WILL!" and walks away. I reply, "Right now!". She walks back over to me and gives me a teenage attitude and says, "Momma you need to relax!"

I'm dead.

Everyday Things

2011-11-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

daddy unicorn

2011-11-13T13:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday afternoon Rasa and I were downstairs and I called up to Royce with no reply. I walked upstairs and there was Royce in a deep sleep on the floor propped up against the couch with a Tupperware cup standing straight up on his forehead while Adia was dancing in circles around him smiling. Daddy unicorn :)

I would have taken a picture but I've been prohibited from taking anymore pictures of Royce sleeping.

"momma, your head is right here!"

2011-11-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

Royce went out with a friend Friday night and I was trying to get the girls settled down, in the tub, pj's on, teeth brushed etc about an hour later than usual (beware of the second wind!). The more I tried to hurry the more unorganized and frazzled I was getting. Rasa was standing in front of me and I was telling her to do this and do that and then I stopped for a second and said "ugh I don't know where my head is at". Rasa looked at me perplexed and then touched the top of my head and said, "Momma, you're head is right here!".

Everyday Things

2011-11-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

my little party girl

2011-11-10T07:11:00.000-08:00

So yesterday morning Adia woke up with a big bloated belly. She literally looked like she swallowed a cantaloupe whole. She is a tough kid and never cries after she falls or hits her head or actually really gets hurt. She was crying. She was screaming and didn't want to be touched. I called the clinic and couldn't get in with her regular physician so we made an appointment, got ready and left. Once in the lobby Adia's Pediatrician walked through, waved and asked if we were seeing him. I said "I wish! but we couldn't get in", and thankfully he told the receptionist he wanted to see Adia (seriously love this guy). Right away he said her bladder was distended meaning it was filled with urine but couldn't come out. He was guessing it was due to constipation, which an xray proved it was. They put a catheter in and Adia didn't even flinch for a second (told ya she was tough). Later had to do an enema and sent us home. Adia whispered "Mommy I don't have a tummy ache anymore" and then crashed out in my arms.

After we got home she slept for a little while and then woke up vomiting. Over. And Over. And Over. I should mention my good friend, Amy was over and probably traumatized at the sight of projectile vomit flying across the room. She was sweet, cleaning up and helping us out. Amy, I owe you a beer, girl!

Fast forward a few hours and there's Adia, Me and My Mom (thanks Mom!!) are sitting in a little ER room at Children's Hospital. They gave Adia some anti-nausia medication and did another x-ray.

She perked up quickly after the meds and by 11pm was literally dancing in circles in her room, slam dunking kleenex into the garbage can and giggling none stop. Yep that's my Adia!

On the way home we stopped so Adia could get a sandwich, after not eating anything all day she was hungry finally at midnight as we were leaving. When we got home she was excited to tell her Daddy all about the starts on the ceiling at Children's and how they changed from green to blue to yellow and PINK! "I love pink!!". Adia and I snuggled in at 1 am, turned on a movie and feel asleep.

She's my party girl.

Farewell Wordless Wednesday!

2011-11-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

I'll explain! I'm going to continue doing a photo post type thing weekly but it might fall on Tuesday, or Thursday or Sunday (its all starting to make sense now isn't it!). I love committing myself to pull out my camera once a week, mostly during the off season when it gets a little dusty but instead of simply posting pictures of the girls I want to capture for them more of what is around them, what they're into and what their daily life looks like. I'll still have tons of pictures of the girls each month because I have to have something to do with all of them!

So this week you will see Everyday Things and I can't promise you which day but it's coming :) Change is good!

For daddy :)

2011-11-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

"Well, you can’t never let anything happen to him- then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Nemo."

-Dori, Finding Nemo

She told me!

2011-11-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

This morning I was sitting on the couch with my laptop and the girls were wild, wresting and chasing each other. Every time they would bring it on the couch I would ask them to get down and away from my computer. Adia wouldn't listen and I told her next time she jumps on me I was going to have to put her in time out. Less than a minute later she stands on the arm of the couch and dive bombs me. I picked her up, carried her into her room told her she gets time out for two minutes. After I closed the door she started crying and I walked back onto the loft and started to pick up. Rasa was sitting at her table and I asked her to go and let Adia out of time out. Rasa said, "No Momma. She's asking for you, not me!"

So similar yet so different

2011-11-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

When the girls were newborns they had to stay in separate isolettes next to each other at different nurses stations. It wasn't until they were six days old that we were able to bundle them up and squish them up close to each other again. They loved it, both seemed unaware of each other but dependent at the same time. The craziest thing was watching them look like they were swimming with their arms and legs and how they would move in complete unison but with the opposite arms and legs. I figured they must have been used to having only one side of the womb that was theirs in utero. In utero their hearts almost always beat in unison and better yet sometimes even in unison with my own heart beat. I always thought that was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced.

Watching them grow and develop has always been interesting when we factor in the twin equation. They are so extremely different yet in their personalities and their looks yet physically seem to do things so much the same. They hold paint brushes and crayons identically. They push their bikes the same way (and in a way no other kid their age does). They sleep in the same position and cuddle the same. They sit in a crowded room and watch the same things, sometimes even turning their heads and eyes at the same moments. They are both observers even though they process the information differently.

I was playing with my camera with a slow shutter and noticed the girls needed to clean up their mess. I told them to put their shoes back in the bin and snapped a few pictures while they were doing it. After I took a look I thought this one was pretty cool seeing them in a millisecond in time both bending at the same moment to pick up in the same position......only opposite.

2011-11-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

"Some may think that the arts are frills. But they are important for complete brain functioning... Perhaps nowhere else in the entire curriculum do children get to see clearly that an achievement takes time and that it has a beginning , a middle, and a product. A vase starts with a lump of clay that is rolled, molded, and fired. A poem starts with a single word on a blank page. A dance starts with a first step. A violin starts with a squeak. There is a level of personal satisfaction in the arts that stimulates a child to learn and to want to keep on learning."
--Dorothy Rich, MegaSkills, (Houghton Mifflin, 1988)

Wordless Wednesday 87 - Autumn Day

2011-11-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat!

2011-10-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

It's 9:30 and we were surprised the girls are actually sleeping! Filled to the top with candy I figured it would be a long night (knock on wood they are actually out for the night!).

We had fun today. Carol from ECFE came by for a home visit to play with the girls and brought a bin full of rice and scoops. They were totally focused for almost 45 minutes! Carol suggested tracking Rasa's sleep habits and bringing up anything out of the ordinary with our Pediatrican. Rasa wakes up a few times a night still and then is up very early.

After Carol left we made pumpkins out of construction paper and decorated them with crayons, markers and stickers. We had lunch and naps and then a pizza party later on. Gabby and the girls played out with the other neighbors and anxiously awaited trick or treating. It was fun, not terribly long, maybe six or seven houses and then in to check out the candy stash. Rasa and Adia let Gabby do all of the work knocking on the door and saying "trick or treat". They mostly just stood there with their bags open and then whispered "thank you" lol!

It's fun to relive some of these childhood favorites as a Mom. I actually had fun trick or treating too :)

The girls with their candy stash! It's weird they almost look like twins in this pic : P
PS notice the chocolate ring around both of their mouths lol!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

The girls and I have been having fun all month doing different autumn/halloween activities when Daddy is away at work (sorry you miss out Hun :( ). We've been to a maze, a big swimming corn pit, the pumpkin patch, a small local farm (with piggies and cows - Adia's favorite!) and went on a hayride with Nana last week. The girls like Halloween and I was surprised a month ago when decorations in stores started going up that they even remembered from last year what it was all for!

Royce's work hosted a family halloween party we went to Thursday night. It was really fun, lots of little kids, treats, prizes and a pizza party. Some of my old friends and co-workers were there with their little ones too which was really fun for me as well.

Tuesday night we were pondering what the girls should wear since it was an indoor party and their costumes they have are made for outdoor trick-or-treating. Rasa spoke up right away and said "I wanna be a princess". Weird, I know. Adia agreed so off I went to find princess costumes. I opted to buy the dress up clothes instead since they were the same price but better made and could be used for years. I picked up a box of plastic heels and some sparkly hair clips and we were all set. When I got home the girls ripped everything out of the packaging and tried it all on so excited that we couldn't get them to sleep that night and little Adia slept clutching on to a pair of her plastic high heels!

Thursday morning comes up and the girls are asking every five minutes when the party is. After naps I started getting them ready and put them in white onsies underneath since the dresses were a little big. Adia's all set to go and Rasa is giving me a vibe that I'm starting to wonder about. I tell her it's time to put her dress on so we can go and she puts her hands on her belly stroking her onsie and says, "soon. not right now". I tell her we need to get going and remind her she needs to wear a costume. She said "No. I'm going to wear this". I was like the heck you are. I spent my Tuesday night fighting crazies at Target for last minute costumes and there is no way I'm bringing you to a party wearing a short sleeved onsie! I calmly tell her if she doesn't wear a costume than no one will give her candy. She thinks for a minute and then yells "put me in my dress!" Candy is the best tool. Of course Rasa's not having the princess shoes and makes me put her in her london boots but whatever. At least I talked her out of her pink baseball hat. Something about the hat with a snowwhite dress just didn't work!

We get outside and ready to load in the car and I tell the girls I need a quick picture. They run half way down the block before turning around after hearing me say if they don't let me get a picture we're not going hehehehe. Check this out lol!

I call it princess complex. Yes it starts early, even before age 3.

Then they lighten up and off we go.

Lullaby

2011-10-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

So my babies are going to be three in January and while they are still my babies I'm not oblivious to the fact they are little girls with opionions, wants and thoughts all their own (how could I be they scream it at me everyday!). Our sleep routing has changed slightly over the years but they still nap once a day and we still sooth them into their sleep. Tonight when I was sitting in the rocker in the dark holding Adia like a baby (she likes it that way!) Rasa was settling in on the floor on a pillow with a blanket over her head. I always sing a lullaby to them but tonight I asked if they wanted me to just to make sure. They both said yes and I sang, in the dark, rocking my baby while thinking loving and sweet thoughts about Rasa by my feet.

The song I sing most is a Music Together lullaby that I changed just slightly to include the girls names:

Sleep
Sleep
Sleep Rasa Bea
Sleep
Sleep
Sleep Adia
I will keep you safe and warm
So sleep
Sleep
Sleep, Sleepyheads

As I sing it relaxes me and the girls just float into a calm peace before falling fast asleep. It's this time that I'm so thankful for right now knowing someday, maybe soon, I wont have this time with them. Some night they might tell me not to sing to them. It gives me time to reflect on my heart and my love of being a Mom, being their Mom. It gives me a peace and happiness about my family even after the most frustrating and trying days.

Nights like tonight it makes all of the pain of being committed to helping them sleep night after night, during my own illness or exhaustion, after long days when all I really wanted to do was put them in their beds and close the door, so worth it because like the saying goes; they are only young one time and its gone in an instant.

Tonight I treasured the moment and my blessings and remembered that one time when I longed so badly for a baby that I was promised I would be blessed more than I could imagine in my wildest dreams. Thank God for Rasa and Adia.

Wordless Wednesday 86 - sleep, sleep, sleep sleepy head

2011-10-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday 85 - i almost forgot to add this one!

2011-10-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

Rasa, Rasa, Rasa

2011-10-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

Rasa and I were snuggling on the bed yesterday afternoon and when she sat up the light coming through the window just illuminated her and I asked her if I gave her some candy (yes of course I have to bribe my kids to let me take their pictures!) if she would let me photograph her. She was game so I grabbed my camera and a handful of hot tamales and knew I had no more than five minutes!

After I loaded the pictures on my computer I was shocked at how mature and grown up she looked. I actually teared up a little. My sweet little babe, the girl who is literally attached to me all day long (even as far as when I walk her grabbing onto my leg and hobbling along). Won't be long before she grows out of that and I long for her sweet touch.

*This is her signature "funny face" lol!

*Rasa set up this picture and then asked me to review the image after the first time I pretended to take a picture of the owl and then got busted for not having proof.

Good Morning!

2011-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

The girls get up really (really, really, really, really) early! Correction: Rasa gets up really early and then wakes up me and Adia (both of us could easily sleep until 9 every morning!). The loft where they have all of their play things is only down the hall from our bedroom so I left them with their breakfast to sneak back to bed hoping they would play a while before noticing I was gone. Ten minutes later Rasa wandered into my bed wanting to play peek-a-boo under the covers giggling, jumping and wiggling! Adia heard her laughter and came a running. It didn't matter that I was pretending to be asleep or that I tried to hide under the covers, they just kept on giggling and playing until finally I agreed to join in on the fun.
Tired or not these two make it impossible to have a bad morning!

(PS and off topic...that is Stockmar modeling beeswax in Rasa's hand that she's warming and not only is it waaaaay better than playdoh, it has the most amazing natural smell it's like something straight out of Aveda).

making life sweet

2011-10-13T12:37:00.001-07:00

My dear friend Mary came over yesterday afternoon for a cupcake happy hour with me and the girls. Nothing reminds me more of cupcakes than my friend Mary. Her and I used to work together and take turns bringing in sweet treats. We shared a love for cake, pastries and just about anything with a healthy dose of sugar. Both of us had our own candy stash in our desk drawers. Our jobs both ended around the same time but we kept in touch. Mary was a great source of support for me when we were planning our family. She made it possible for me to juggle the never ending doctors appointments, hormones, injections and even heartbreak. I remember sobbing in her office one time and not having to feel the slightest bit embarrassed or inappropriate. She took care of me like I was her own daughter. Eventually Royce and I chose ivf and she shared in the joy and excitement of our positive pregnancy test, anticipation of our daughters and celebration of their arrival.

Mary was gracious and caring and fed my sprit on a daily basis and I truly miss that but feel better and wiser because of the things she taught me and wisdom she shared with me.

She is family.

Thank you for making my life sweet, Mary and thank you for your friendship.

Wordless Wednesday 84 - farewell barefoot weather! I'll miss you!

2011-10-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

good night sleep tight Adia

2011-10-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

I was snuggling on the couch in the dark tonight with Adia layng across my lap at bedtime and she shouted, "I'm going to see piggies and cows!!".

Me: "Oh in your dreams you're going to play with piggies and cows?"

Adia: "Yes"

Me: "You can dream about anything, go anywhere and be anything!"

Adia: "Me going to see piggies and cows and, and, and ELEPHANTS!!! A baby and a baby kitty too! And you can come too Momma!"

Me: "Yay!! We are going to have so much fun in your dreams tonight, Adia!"

Adia: "Yes. And We are going to go to the beach! And there will be water and sand and we can walk in it and it will be easy. We will have to have our shoes on. We are going to get yogurt out of the fridge and bring it to the beach and Papa's going to come, I'm going to come, you're going to come and Rasa's going to come in her swimsuit. I'm going to wear my swimsuit too."

All I can say is that is some special zoo farm beach and I'm all for it!

art class! blogging done by daddy

2011-10-11T07:16:00.001-07:00

Lissa is always on the prowl for new things for the girls to experience. Whether it be just a trip down the road to explore a field or a car ride to a farm a few towns over. Via some of her recent searches, she found a place where they offered age specific art classes! I think the word Bingo comes to mind. Some time went by and we finally decided it was a go. There was a Saturday morning option and I thought what a perfect chance for me to get one on one time with the girls, and dually, give mommabird some quite time in the a.m. before her shoots.

I couldn't stop telling the girls about it! Rasa was very excited about the idea. Adia didn't want to go. She has been in a phase where she doesn't get to happy about going places. I wasn't worried, I knew once we got there she would have fun.

The Friday before was something else. I was so excited. As I laid with Rasa when she was going to sleep she said "we going to art class tomorrow?" I said, "We sure are!" and then she went right to sleep. Ms. Adia was still not excited about the whole thing!

Saturday morning arrived. Got the girls ready to go with Lissa and soon enough we were backing out of the driveway waving to momma. This was our first real just daddy and girls outing. I'm pretty sure momma took the whole thing the hardest.

As we rolled down the highway to class the girls and I talked about the songs that were playing on the radio. Our girls are very into music and love dancing. Both groove anytime music is playing. The car is no exception! I looked back in the rear view mirror and both Adia and Rasa were dancing and wiggling away in their car seat to the tunes. Im reminded with simple things like this why life is so good. My girls make me so happy.

Of course Daddy and his picky ways made us have to stop at a specific coffee shop for some coffee on our way to class. It worked out well, since the only way I could get Ms. Adia to agree to get the car was that we would stop and get a treat! The treat this morning was a fruit and cheese platter. My girls love apples and cheese thanks to my lovely wife! As Adia was munching away she was quick to say "I don't wanna go to art class!" in between bites. Rasa would follow up with "we going to art class, right papa?". We were off to our final and hopefully well accepted art class. On the last stretch to the city some rain drops hit my windshield! Oh no, not for us, but momma! She had a photo shoot this morning. It was some light rain and seemed to simply disappear the closer to the city we got.

As we came up to our final stoplight, there was a playground on our right. Of course the girls saw it blocks before. This playground would later prove to be a key to the success of this outing! We pulled up to building, it's located in Minneapolis so we parked on the street right in front. Of course due to my OCD about getting to places on time we arrived a half hour early!!! This could get ugly. The girls were still working on their treats and oblivious to where we were.

I called Lissa to let her know we had arrived and she was glad for the update and was heading out the door for her shoot. There were some neat benches out in front of the school so I asked the girls if they wanted to get out and see them. They were game so we were one step closer to class!!! I was doing my best to keep Adia busy until we could get inside and then she would have stuff to play with. The three of us sat on the bench together. Perfect fall morning, even on the warm side. There was a chance for rain forcasted so the good weather was another factor in our favor for this adventure.

Adia and Rasa played peek a boo around a street light and laughed like no tomorrow. I love their ability to just be and have pure true fun. I learn so much from them. Since this is the city there are always people on the move and this morning was no exception. The beauty of my little girls is they can make just about the hardest individual crack a smile. Adia is very observant and now comments on the things she sees. Her little voice is something very special. A man walked by us and Adia said: "That man was so nice" and "He had a mustache papa". I could see the man had heard her and smiled. Another man walked by with his dog and Adia said: "That puppy was big" and of course "That puppy was so cute!".

We were now about 15 mins from the start of class. I asked the girls if they wanted to walk around a bit. They were all for it. I feel so proud walking down the street holding the hands of my girls. There is nothing like it. As we walked down the street along the front of the school there was a window where we could see in the classroom! This excited Rasa and I, and Adia was reminded of the reason we were here, "I don't want to go to Art class!!". This is where the playground I had mentioned came into play (pun intended). The playground was now in plain site from where we were standing so I quickly pointed and made the girls aware. I told Adia that after class we could go there when we were done with class. That was enough to sway her! I was so happy for that dumb playground. With that last victory we were to class time!

As we entered the Articulture building it was plain to see why this place was for kiddos! The girls were instantly at ease and broke free from my side. There was a table with some toys, paper, markers and magnets! Adia started right in on drawing with the markers! I was so relived and happy this happened so quick and naturally. Rasa worked on puzzles, just blazing through the new puzzle like it was one she had done a million times. I walked around while the girls played and checked out the books they had. It was funny, the girls had almost all the books here! Everything was coming up millhouse for me today.

Our teacher noticed us and came out and introduced herself. She was a very nice lady and the girls seemed to really like her. She let me know the class was to have 6 kids total including Adia and Rasa. We continued to play while we waited for the others to show up.

As we waited I was still really just amazed on how well the girls were doing. One of the girl's first classmates showed up! A boy by the name of Miles. He and his dad Jon! I have to admit I was pretty excited another dad was in the mix. I always seem to be the only guy with things of this nature. Both Miles and Jon were very nice and greeted the girls and I and were quick to join us at the table to play.

It was just about 915 when our teacher said she didn't want to wait anymore for the others and have us miss out. This meant it was on to the ART ROOM! We all rolled into the art room and right when we walked into the room the girl's faces lit up! There was a huge table with chairs and chairs with booster seats! We found the seats we wanted and got started! The room was filled with natural sunlight since one of the walls was completely made of windows! Just awesome all around. I was having flashbacks from all my art classes from when I was child. Each of the girls had their own buckets filled with art supplies. One consisted of water color pencils, paint brush, crayons and markers. The other was water, a paint brush and a water dropper.

The water and paint brush became the favorite of each girl right off the bat. Our teacher was great in just suggesting neat processes and things for the kids to try. Making marks with the pencils and markers on paper, then using the brush to apply water and change the color was loved! Adia and Rasa just were in heaven. Since it was so nice out our teacher asked us all of we wanted to move the class outside for the last portion of the class. YES!

This is when the small portion of our adventure had a bumpy spell. In the entry of the Articulture is a small shop where you can purchase small toys and the like. As we were moving to the back door to go outside something in the shop caught Rasa's eye. She quickly b-lined to a small piggy finger puppet. Adia and I quickly followed her. I let her know that the piggy was our teachers and that she couldn't have it. She didn't like that statement one bit! Rasa sprawled herself out on the floor of the shop and cried! Our teacher was outside with Jon and Miles by this time. I quickly sat Rasa on my leg and explained to her I knew she was upset because she wanted the piggy, but it was our teachers and not ours and that we needed to go outside with everyone to have fun. I'm pretty sure I saw Adia crossing her fingers as I was saying that! As luck would have it, just as quick as Rasa was on the floor crying, she was saying "piggy isn't mine, it's the teachers" and "lets go outside!"

We quickly went to the back door and got our outside buckets that held an even larger paint brush! Of course the girls LOVED the even larger brushes and buckets of water!!! We sat outside with our teacher, Jon and Miles and drew with sidewalk chalk and then brushed what we drew with the paint brushes with water!!!! When I didn't think it could get any more fun, what did our teacher suggest? Dumping the water from our buckets on the tree by us! Of course the girls were head over heels about that idea!! We dumped out buckets and we headed back inside for the closure of our first art class! Once we were all back inside our teacher finished up by reading a book to us. It just so happened that said book happened to be one of the girls favorites! The Oops book! Once she finished we said our goodbyes and we were on our way home. The girls had so much fun we didn't even have to stop at the park!!!

Our first adventure to art class couldn't have gone better. The girls had a blast and really liked our teacher and classmate. Next week we get to work with clay and play DOH! We are in for some great times.

As we drove home we were all very excited to see momma and tell her all about it. It is funny the first thing we all think about when we get in the car is momma bird.

first day of art class!

2011-10-08T06:05:00.000-07:00

Royce and the girls just left for their first day of art class. They're taking a class from Articulture called Wee Grow Art and it's just for 2 year olds and their parent. The class looks great and the school is really cool tucked away in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. The school reminds me of my art department in highschool and the studios at MCAD all paint stained and stock piled with art supplies and the smell of oils and acrylics. I still feel inspirited by art on a daily basis and it's been one of the most important things in my life as a young child, teenager and adult. I think it's great the girls have an opportunity to be immersed in art and the freedom that comes from expressing yourself and telling a story that you create all on your own. There is no right or wrong with art, there is no coloring in the lines, and no mistakes to be made. It's a simple and beautiful thing that works so many of your senses and abilities all at the same time. What a gift to introduce to your children!

Adia was nervous and has been telling us for two days she doesn't want to go to art class. Rasa has been really excited asking to go "right now!" all week. Adia has been apprehensive lately about going to music class too but once she gets there she always enjoys herself. I think I messed things up by reading her Llama Llama Misses Mama because in that story the little Llama goes off to school and then his Mama leaves him there. I was telling Adia that Daddy would be there the whole time and she could stay on his lap or next to him the whole time. Even though the girls are growing, and ever so quickly, I get reminders from them that they are just babies still at only 2 years old.

So I'm sitting in a quiet house (too quiet!) drinking my latte and waiting to leave for a photo session (my own art!). Part of me feels excited for them and part of me is nervous too. I don't know why! I'm used to being the person doing new things with the girls and dragging them all over town. It's hard to watch them pull away and a little part of me feeling like i'm missing out even though I know they need time with their hero, their daddy. I'm happy Royce wanted to do this with just them to have some special time each week to look forward to. Him taking time to spend with the girls and giving himself to them makes him so special to each of them. They are so proud of Royce and like to show him off. Rasa said to her friend last week over and over, "wanna come and see my Daddy?!", "This is my Daddy" as she smiles and gives his arm a tight squeeze. The benefits of Royce being a hands on dad is that the girls love being around him because of how he makes them feel and in turn he loves being around them because of how they make him feel.

I can't wait to hear all about their morning and what they did and learned.

Wordless Wednesday 83 - Mi Familia

2011-10-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Autumn

2011-09-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

I'm back to making the girls blog a priority (fingers crossed!). I was looking through it tonight and noticed pretty much only wordless wednesday posts, which are great but what's the point if there's no filler!

Fall is here and it's always been a favorite season of Royce and mine. The girls are excited for Royce's birthday, Halloween costumes, pumpkin picking etc. Adia has been asking day after day if we can visit a farm so a trip to the MN Zoo is on my list before the farm exhibit shuts down for the winter and maybe a Hugo Farm trip as well if we can schedule it.

The girls are growing so quickly it almost feels surreal to look at this blog and see that all of the sudden they are approaching three years old in January. They love to learn and are learning every second it seems.

Potty training is coming along fabulously! Rasa almost never has accidents and Adia only does if I put her in a pull up. When they are in big girl undies they do exactly what they need to. It's very strange to be here with just the girls and hear the toilet flush! Of course that independence comes with a price.......like last Thursday when Adia flushed four or five rolls of toilet paper and then was playing in two inches of water that flooded our upstairs bathroom before I caught wind of what had happened.

Adia is obsessed with the alphabet and playing "house". She loves "grocery shopping" which consists of her loading up her grocery bags and baskets with her play food from their kitchen pantry. She loves playing with Rasa and they have SO much fun together. They play in every single corner of this house all day long. She knows all of her letters and every preschool puzzle and game to do with the ABC's she just immerses herself in. I don't push anything but just teach when and what they ask me to. She has such a great hunger to learn and read and know letters I hope I can continue to fuel that for her.

Rasa loves playing "house" too and is always the caregiver. She will go as far as to tuck Adia in bed, tell her she's sick and then run back and forth bringing her (play)food and things that she tells her will "make her feel better" or "it's good for you!". She loves puzzles and art. She will draw a picture and then hold it up and explain every detail of the story she's created on the paper. She is also showing some perfectionism tendencies. She wants puzzles to match up perfectly and loves to organize and when Adia marches in to tear things apart Rasa will yell that "you're messing things up!". Maybe she can teach me a thing or two about being organized?

Both girls love music. Good music (thanks to yours truly!) and we rock out all the time :) I love dancing with those girls. It's SO much fun! I'm spoiled.

Music Together fall semester started up today so we're still doing that every week. Last semester I was worried because the girls were running around out of control with the other kids but they seemed well behaved today like they usually are.

Royce is really excited to start art class with the girls each saturday morning at Articulture! They will be taking a 10 week class for 2 year olds and get to make 2D and 3D art projects! They are going to LOVE it, all three of them! It's going to be nice for Royce to have something to do each week with just the girls and they will appreciate the extra time with just him. Even better yet they get to trash the school instead of my dinning room! You want to paint? SURE! You want to use glue and glitter? HAVE AT IT! I'm envisioning my saturday mornings quiet with me by the fireplace sipping a latte in sweet, sweet, quiet peace. Will that actually happen......don't burst my bubble!

Needless to say the girls keep me busy fielding requests and balancing needs, wants, picking my battles and helping mediate theirs. I've semi given up cleaning the house. Everything under the mess is clean so I'm still washing, scrubbing and taking care of things as usual but I'm refusing to spend my day picking up the never-ending mess they make by pulling everything out of everywhere and stringing it all over the entire house. My life is so much more enjoyable this way! No pressure! Friends: when you come for a visit expect my house to have a less sterile feel and a more lived in cozy :)

Royce and I have been looking at houses and trying to figure out what we want, what we need and where it might be. There's a strange panic and excitement about it all. I hope my babies will adjust with ease to the newness of everything. Keeping the same daily rhythm throughout it all will surely help to make them feel grounded. I find myself reminding myself to let go, and hang on. We are moving in the exact direction we are supposed to and to the exact place we are supposed to be. What peace that brings me!

Tonight when the girls were ready for bed Rasa was in the bathroom with Royce getting her teeth brushed and I was making Adia squeal by ticking her legs and tummy. When I looked at her, even after a very trying day for the two of us (she has the Gordon German temper!), I thought to myself I am so excited and so lucky that she is all mine! I have the same affection for both girls and some days when we're out exploring I just look at them and can't believe how incredibly lucky I am. Indescribable.

Well it's midnight and if I hop in bed and fall asleep quickly I'll get just under six hours before they're up! Good night and Happy Autum!

Wordless Wednesday 82 - at the end of the dock

2011-09-27T18:11:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday 81 - security in a nuk

2011-09-21T00:03:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday 80 - car trouble

2011-09-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

Last shirtless evening of the summer!

2011-09-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday 79 - little farm hands, MN state fair

2011-09-07T18:49:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday 78 - My little painters

2011-08-31T22:20:00.000-07:00

"...3 minutes inside the head of my two year old"

2011-08-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

I thought this was such an accurate depiction of the manic and baffling demeanor of my two year olds that I had to share it here. It seems they are all the same after all and it's not just that I've already totally screwed up my kids!

The only thing I might add is to think of all of these items as being said with a really REALLY annoying whiney voice, repeating each one three times and another 2 year old in the background either crying, screaming or beating on the other one.

Ahh my daily peace. Welcome to my world and a nice flash back at some of yours :)

Approximately 3 minutes inside the head of my two year old
by JASON GOOD

Each of these “emotions” lasts about 3 seconds.
I wanna play with Daddy’s phone.
I wanna put on Mommy’s shoes.
GET MOMMY’S SHOES OFF MY FEET NOW!
I wanna open and close the thermostat.
I wanna turn on and off the light on the microwave.
Is there anyone here with a phone I haven’t played with yet?
I NEED TO PUSH SOME GODDAMN BUTTONS.
I wanna pick up the cat by it’s head.
I wanna throw all the toothbrushes in the sink.
HOLY SHIT I’M STARVING.
CHEDDAR BUNNIES.
I HATE FRUIT.
I want out of my chair.
I wanna play with the iPad.
I wanna go outside. No, I wanna turn the heat on.
I wanna take my pants off.
I don’t like the shirt I’m wearing.
I wanna play with Mommy’s phone.
I NEED TO PUSH MORE BUTTONS NOW.
I’m thirsty.
No, not for that.
Yes, perfect, juicebox. I’m gonna squeeze this damn thing all over myself.
Where’s Daddy?
Where’s the cat?
Where’s Mommy?.
SERIOUSLY WHERE’S MOMMY!?
Oh my God I think Mommy left forever.
Ok, there’s mommy. I want to play with her phone
Hungry again. Never mind
I just remembered not liking these pants. Get them off.
STOP TAKING OFF MY PANTS!
Wow, I’m starving. I want peas but I don’t know how to tell anyone.
Finally, peas. I like throwing these.
WHY DO I STILL HAVE THESE PANTS ON?
Oh look, a new person. I wonder if they have a phone.
Im tired.
IM NOT TIRED!
I wanna go for a walk but I don’t wanna go outside.
No, not inside either!
I need to push some buttons right now.
I hate this diaper.
My eyes itch.
WOW! Is this my toe?
STOP TRYING TO TAKE MY PANTS OFF!
I hate these pants.
This shirt itches.
I’m tired.
Stop asking me if I’m tired.
Where’s that toy that goes beep.
I wanna take a bath in my clothes.
Put on my favorite song.
Where’s the cat?
What is UP with my shirt?
Did I just hear a dog bark?
YOU DID NOT JUST TRY TO TAKE OFF MY SHIRT AGAIN!
I wanna see a dog.
No, not OUTSIDE! I wanna see a dog inside.
Is my penis still there? Good.
I peed.
I’m bored.

Wordless Wednesday 77 - last summer days

2011-08-24T18:40:00.001-07:00

Its Official! We're Moving!

2011-08-22T09:59:00.003-07:00

I have a smorgasbord of feelings about it: sheer excitement, sheer panic, anxiety and joy! I wonder the most how the girls will adjust. Where will we walk, play, visit with neighbors, find our place in a new community, buy groceries?! We are looking in a few different areas that stretch across the entire metro. We want to be closer to the city but the idea of being even further away is something we're not excluding right now. Room to run, explore and look at the stars are just as appealing as being in the city with all of the resources and culture. It's going to be a tough decision but we will figure it out in the next couple months. I believe we will be here until later this winter, early spring at the latest.

So my question is this.....How in the world do you pack up a home filled to the top with "stuff" and sort out what you have to keep and what you should really get rid of?! Insert [OVERWHELMED] here!

We are in for some tough work!

Please keep my family in your prayers or wishes that we will feel guided by the process and have peace with the area, house and community we decide on.

I'm sure you'll be reading much more on the topic as the months pass!

Wordless Wednesday 76 - sand, water and food dye = sensory fun!

2011-08-17T09:41:00.001-07:00

dog's barking, phone's ringing, one kid's crying, one kid's screaming

2011-08-15T21:37:00.000-07:00