Date Day!

Today was a treat. Daniel and I got to attend our city's Philharmonic featuring Sarah Chang. She's an amazing violinist! I can't wait until the girls are old enough and we can introduce them to this type of beautiful music. Whenever I experience things like this it helps me think outside of the little box I live in daily. It helps me remember there's such a beautiful world out there that I'm so fortunate to discover from time to time. Nature hikes do the same thing for me. 

Anyway, Daniel and I got there right before the performance started. I began to relax, breathe in, listen, breathe out, listen. The auditorium was silent except for the beautiful music filling our ears and chests. Sarah Change herself was amazing. She wore this stunning dress with jewels all over it. It must have been made especially for her because I'm sure there's not other way she would have been able to get her perfectly mermaid shape into it. Daniel and I lucked out with seats in the middle of the second row. She performed directly in front of us. The philharmonic was great but she was easily a huge step above them. It was obvious I'll never begin to understand her connection and understanding of music.

Anyway, speaking of music, I was beyond impressed with Morgan this morning because she taught herself how to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the xylophone. Maybe it's standard for a 5 year old to be able to do this but I don't think I could even figure it out.

This morning while I was getting ready for my date day, Morgan came to me and said, "Mom, I figured out how to play the first two parts of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She asked me if I'd help her figure out the rest but I told her I wasn't sure how to. Then she showed me she'd learned a little more and then not 20 minutes later, she played me the above.

By the time we'd gotten home from our date day, she played this for us. 

Charlotte Is Fun!

Watching a human being learn their first language is amazing. Every new word is a thrill. Witnessing a little person start putting words together to make phrases and then short sentences and then longer sentences, is a gift. I love hearing Charlotte say her own name, “Shar-it”. She’s been using more words every day and starting to put them together to form phrases. I love when she asks “What is it?” I’ll say the name of the object and then she repeats it until she gets it right or at least close enough. It’s like we’ve stood by for the first year or so just watching this little girl watch us and explore her world and now we’re getting a clearer glimpse into her mind. Through experiencing Morgan, I know her vocabulary will grow and the thoughts that she’ll so eloquently express to me will be little gems. Little gems I can’t wait to experience.

Charlotte is a lot of fun...

Morgan still says a couple of things wrong and I just can’t bring myself to correct her. She still says, “somepin” instead of “something”. Oh, and she says “paw-corn” instead of “pop-corn”. The way she says it is adorable and makes me smile every single time.

Blog Life!

Blogs. I love blogs. I have a handful of them I read every day. They inspire me. I’ve always been a generally happy person but I don't know that I've ever truly felt things like inspiration. Blogs inspire me. I love getting to be privy to people’s inner thoughts and everyday lives. That’s why I lean towards reality tv. Yes, I know, they’re mostly staged and scripted BUT they’re a lot more real than a made up tv drama. Blogs are way better than reality shows though. They’re deep, they’re real (at least the ones I read). I like reading the blogs where the writers let it all out. The good, the bad and the ugly.

My fellow women in these blogs inspire me. I read blogs by women who are generally the same age as me and have little ones too. It helps me to know that other people feel the way I do and experience the same things I do. They’re so creative and talented, each in their own way.

I love my little blog. I visit my blog daily. It helps me get through my workday because I can reference it and see what I’m working so hard for. I hope to do more with it. It’s my creative outlet and I never tire of it. I hope I stick with it until it no longer feels right.

No Words!

Love spending time with these two.

Weekend Joy!

One of our recent weekends started out with pancakes. I love making pancakes for my girls. Charlotte LOVES them and watching her happily devour them does me good.

Having two little girls means life is full of fairy wings, princess crowns, make believe pixie dust, and brightly colored toys and linens. I love it!

 

Morgan has become more and more of a help around the house and with Charlotte. I'm proud of the role she's finding as big sister.

We attended a neighbors party at a nearby park. We had fun at the party for 3 and a half hours!

 I'm so happy we had the opportunity to discover this park because it's a great park. I have no doubt we'll go back with Daniel so we can let Morgan ride her bike. This park is perfect for it.

 You can see all the space behind the playground equipment in the back of this picture. This is where I think Morgan could ride her bike. 

This party consisted of pinatas and Happy Birthday sung in English and Spanish.

 Charlotte was the smallest child willing to take a turn. She didn't quite get the concept though. She'd take the stick and throw it at the pinata. 

This isn't Morgan's first rodeo. This is the third party of theirs she's attended so she knew what to do and was excited for her turn. I so appreciate that my girls are being exposed to different cultures. 

 It was a gorgeous day! Can you believe our temps have been reaching a high of around 65 to 70? It's gorgeous but not much of a "winter".

 I spent one weekend morning doing laundry, cooking and taking care of my babes while Daniel was at work. I've been continuing to try out new recipes as part of my quest for our family to eat healthier. I made a black bean and sweet potato soup that was delicious.

 We had a great time because we listened to kids music the whole time. My chores took longer than normal because the girls and I busted out with random acts of spontaneous dancing including lots of booty shaking and flailing arms. I have a blast dancing with them because I let loose knowing they're not old enough to judge me yet. Matter of fact they love it when I get crazy. They burst out with laughter and a look of "mom is crazy but we love it!" 

The girls did a great job of entertaining themselves. One time Charlotte was really quiet so I checked on her and "caught" her brushing her teeth. It was a pleasant surprise. 

The weekend was so full of joy. We spent hours cuddling, laughing and talking to each other. Spending time like this fills me up.

Family Walk!

I love going on family walks! I just like being outside together getting some fresh air. Of course the girls love it too. 

This was Morgan's first real chance to try out her new bike. She did better than we expected. It's fun watching her grow up.

Charlotte was beyond adorable during the walk. She was cracking Daniel and I up!

New Year's Eve!

We had a great New Years!

My favorite New Years to date was one a few years ago. Morgan was just a baby at the time. Daniel and I had fallen asleep and happened to be awakened shortly before New Years by Morgan's cry to be breast fed. I pulled her into bed with us as we watched the ball drop together in our warm bed with only the soft light of the tv lighting our room. It was so intimate and sweet and warm. I felt like I had everything I needed right in that very moment. I was excited about the upcoming year and thankful for the past. Since then, my favorite way to ring in the New Year is spending a quiet evening at home with the ones I love.

I had to work New Year's Eve but after I was off, I raced to the store to pick up the stuff for banana splits and dinner and then I raced home so Daniel could go into work for a few hours. While he was away, we did a New Year's craft.

I was impressed by how well Charlotte did. I need to do more crafts with her. 

Their masterpieces!

The banana splits were delicious! After I put the girls to bed, Daniel came home and we were able to enjoy a relaxing evening together. We cuddled in our dark, warm living room to watch a recorded television series we're enjoying right now. Our beautiful Christmas tree with it's lights softly lit our evening. It was a great way to ring in the New Year!