Sunday, December 23, 2012

Merry Christmas!

 
We are very much living in the spirit of Christmas. We are jolly happy souls sipping vanilla steamers, peppermint mochas, eggnog lattes and overall indulging in all things Christmas-y.
 
Sometimes on those cold afternoons, underneath the rumble of the furnace kicking in, I hear the faraway jangle of Santa's sleigh. Either my imagination is running wild from watching all those Christmas movies, or it's from drinking too much eggnog mixed with Sprite. Either way, merriment is in the air.
 
We can hardly believe that tomorrow will be Christmas Eve! The girls are filled to the brim with joy and candy, and they mostly can't wait for Christmas. This overwhelming desire to wake up on Christmas morning to toys and games all shoved under the tree and stuffed into stockings is almost too much excitement for them to bear. Alex is marking off the days on her calendar while Sammy is turning more cartwheels than ever before -- they are bursting with anticipation. I too am anxious to see their astonishment on Christmas morning.
 
 
And so tonight, on this eve before Christmas Eve, I'll sit with my children to watch yet another Christmas flick-- The Santa Clause 2, and in between laughing and eating popcorn, I'll be secretly savoring the moment and plotting the perfect time to start wrapping the remaining presents. I fear that I'll be up late tonight doing Santa's work, but it will be worth it.
 
Merry Christmas, friends!  

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Gift of Life

 
My daughters mean the world to me.
 
My girls are small, full of wonder and mischief, and possess a seemingly endless appetite for treats. Together we sometimes argue, and sometimes we laugh. We often snuggle and tickle each other. Sometimes the two of them screech, or wrestle or stick their tongues out at each other. More often than not, they play together, happily. They eat breakfast together and do their homework together. They go to bed at night in the same room, bunk beds. They are almost three years apart and yet they share many of the same interests in toys, movies and food. They both have a love / hate relationship with their long hair. They both enjoy shoe shopping a little too much. They love each other.
 
My children, like most children, are incredibly honest. They are unafraid to say what's on their minds.
 
The other day I wore a short skirt, knit sweater, tights and ankle boots. I asked Alex what she thought of my outfit and she said, "Mom, no offense, but... those are really weird looking shoes, and no offense, but I would just change out of the whole thing." Wow, that stung a little. 
 
Sammy is blossoming into a spunky tween. She wants to experiment with fashion, listen to music and watch popular TV shows. Sammy wants a cellphone. Well, think again Missy because that's not gonna happen. 
 
I'm grateful for the small moments that we share together, happy or sad -- be it Sammy pleading for a cellphone, or Alex commenting on my weird shoes -- these girls are my heart. I want to protect them and keep them alive. I don't want their happiness and joyful spirits to be extinguished by news of gun violence, bombings, or planes crashing into buildings. They're much too young to be burdened by these atrocities.
 
I am so heartbroken and angry about what happened to those small children of Sandy Hook Elementary. Those beautiful, curious, wide-eyed children of Sandy Hook Elementary... I'm so sad. The parents and siblings and friends and grandparents and all those who loved them unconditionally will forever be changed by this horrific event.
 
What I wish for most this Christmas is that my children be given the gift of longevity. I want them to someday see the world not how it is today, but how it might be in the future. There might possibly come a day when the world truly is a better place. I have to believe that something will change or have been learned as a result of what happened in Connecticut. As a society, we have to quickly make a unified decision about what we want the future of our nation to look like for our children's lives depend on it.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Gifts From India

Last week Jon was super busy working in India along with several of his colleagues. We missed him terribly and longed for him to return home. We skyped every morning and every evening. When he said, good-morning, we said good-night. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of time considering we were on completely opposite schedules. Isn't technology wonderful? Were it not for Facebook, Skype and text messaging the distance would have seemed far greater than it was. Even though we missed Jon's physical presence, he was around... albeit from the computer screen.
 
When he got home, he of course, showered the girls with gifts from afar...
 
...beautiful bracelets.

... camels.

... a lesson in geography.
 
We are so glad to be a family of four again.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Welcome Home

Jon returns home tomorrow after having been in India all week. We've missed him so much. Sammy said, "It just doesn't seem right without four people in the house." I couldn't agree more. 

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Wailea


 It felt a little chilly on our walk to school this morning. The golden morning sun failed to shield us from the biting cold that whipped through our thin summer sweaters. To keep warm, I thought of the ten days we spent in Wailea this past July and while it didn't much help to stave off the cold, it did warm my heart.
 
I thought of Sammy and Alex enjoying what was left of their Shave Ice after most of it had fallen to the ground. I pictured vividly the time we spent on the beautiful beaches of Wailea and Big Beach -- sand in our hair and in our swimsuits -- we didn't care. We drank fresh coconut water purchased from a roadside stand. Picking fruit from the hotel orchard was tremendous fun -- we feasted on fresh tropical fruit every afternoon.
 
I miss summer already.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Happy Birthday, Alex!


On Wednesday my sweet girl, Alex turned six years old. She had a lovely birthday with about 18 of her closest friends. HA! Here are a few images from the day.

   

These little suckers are NOT easy to make. It was a challenge trying to get those marshmallow petals to stick to the lollipop so I finally gave up. Instead I just stuck the remaining lollipops in the cupcakes with a few marshmallows strewn about the platter. I never frosted cupcakes so fast in my life. It got a bit messy, but in the end it all turned out great.  



Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Seabrook II


Seabrook, WA. Such a lovely escape, especially when we need to take deep breaths of fresh ocean air and the kids need to roam free. On one of the nights, Jon and the girls were outside at the fire pit roasting marshmallows and getting to know the other vacationers in the area. I felt like I was being anti-social sitting there alone in the cabin. I was experiencing allergies whenever the front door opened and feared going out would only exasperate whatever it was tickling my nose. Jon however was right at home chatting away with strangers who just so happened to live in our neighborhood in Seattle.

 

We arrived at our cabin confronted with a steep ladder that led the girls to the sleeping loft where there were two cozy beds and an old steamer trunk for which to store their clothes.



At times I felt the ladder was a bit too steep for the rascals.

Isn't it interesting how pictures reveal personalities? In the image above you see Alex front and center -- Alex is not shy. Then, in the background is my cautious, shy child, Sammy.

 

We love it so much here. We hope to come again this summer.

 

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Family, Food and Flowers

I'm still gushing over Easter weekend. It was sunny. My tulips sprang to life. I didn't wear rain boots. Jon mowed the lawn. I pulled weeds from the flower bed. The girls rode their bikes. I sat on the front porch. We visited with family and friends. The girls rode their scooters. Sammy wore sandals. Alex played in a sleeveless dress. The girls were given too much candy. The girls ate gobs of candy. Me and Jon ate gobs of candy. It felt like spring. Here are a few images from our weekend.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Alex pretending to reject a hug from big sissy. You should know that Alex is actually loving the attention.

The girls think the Easter Bunny hides baskets for them to find on Easter. Although this year, Alex said, "I like the Easter basket that YOU hid for me." I think she and Sammy are catching on. Gulp.