I've been to Panama City Beach once in my life. Adam drove me there during one of our Destin stays. It seemed seedy. Maybe I am jealous for never having a remarkable beach visit, childhood Spring Break.
Fortunately, these Spring Break days are still simple. I am relishing it. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am having more fun right now in my life than ever before. Not discounting some of the very good times gone by....just saying...it is nice to just live in the moment as unhindered as possible by the past and as unassuming as possible about the future.
I abhor downloading pictures to my blog because it loads them in reverse...which means I would need to exert some thought and effort into posting them backwards to have them laid out as I desire, and I am just too damn lazy......and I try to speed through posts these days, because, well, I am a busy. I have a husband and 2 4 year olds and 2 stinky dogs and a house and adult responsibilities. My plate is full.
Ongoing love affair with my kitchen window.....I seriously just stand and look at it wistfully sometimes....it is just so.....perfect....and I love changing the items in the window....and I adore that I can watch my kids out it if I must be inside while they are out....and I love that it is part of my home. (boooooo sappy)
Daddy and Ben at the twins' first baseball game!
Mommy and Alya (see Ben in the back preparing to nose dive.....this was why we sat low...)
Alya...less in "cheer" mode and more in "performance" mode....
Brown clown in Daddy's sunglasses.
And again with the inability to contain herself. (Let me sidenote here that we have become a bit taken by the fact that Alya is increasingly spastic and goofy. For Ben it seems natural and boyish, but, for Alya it seems almost as if she is spasming from an inability to contain all of her imagination...because she is in a constant state of imaginative play...and she is just a ball of insanity....but do not worry. I assure you she can go into vegetative mode as well - to come.)
What???? I let these kids make a mess of themselves with sugary things like nutella and sit limp and listless in front of cartoons??????? The horror. :) Surely, they are being damaged beyond repair!
Now that you have taken in the display of slothness, let me account that for 30 minutes after my children wake from an afternoon nap, it is important not to look at them or talk to them. This actually began when they were babies. At certain times, it was important not to make direct eye contact with them, because they were demon babies who wanted to be left alone......now let's be honest that 99% of the time they want to waller and writhe about on us, to which we give in readily.....and we do enjoy piling up in the bed or on the couch or anywhere we can all waller together, because wallering is good. But, be very, very aware that no contact should be made for 30 minutes post nap. It makes the natives angry. Just serve the requested snack and video without comment and everything will go as planned for the remainder of the evening. They come by it honestly. I am not sure that Adam and I ever speak to each other in the mornings. It just seems natural to hate the world briefly after waking.
Ben and "Nemo".
Ben working on another "infinity" composition. They are obsessed with Sleigh Bells "Infinity Guitar" right now....and Ben has been making up songs and performances that involve both his ukulele and his big guitar. I need to Flip these performances, because he names them things like "infinity jump" and it will involve playing/strumming a while, and then standing the guitar upright and running around it, or some other fashion of performance. It really is creative....and I think he might be ready for guitar lessons.
A fresh jar of Nutella...marred by a graham cracker....
And, so it begins, the beginning of the end my friends. The big piece is ready to go. Hold your breath.....it's coming!
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ReplyDeleteI want to add a footnote that I am, actually, one to err of the side of attachment parenting....while I was never able to be fully dedicated to baby wearing or co-sleeping, I did it as much as possible with the two, and I advocate it far beyond a hands off, cry it out approach. I do also fully advocate (for me) baby beds and routine sleep situations, because it is what worked for us. That is all. My comments about avoiding the babies when they were little is a little "inside" family joke....Alya was a mean baby, and, she'd oftentimes wake from a nap, and we'd say, "don't look at her, she smells fear." And, of course, before the sentence was even completed she was nursing...so it was always a lighthearted joke. That said, the reality of not addressing my kids after a nap is critical. It is critical to the point that I'd give spoeaking to them post a nap a threat level midnight. A threat level who? Michael Scott. Talk first thing in the morning - fine -talk first thing post nap - you can deal with the consequences. Trust. You have no idea what does or does not work in someone else's home until you try it.
ReplyDeleteI thought I had commented on this post....i mean.....OMG...how much cuter can The Twinkees get???? Alya should be the Nutella Pin Up Girl!!!!!! Ben...Ben...Ben...in that ball cap and those sunglasses. He is the epitome of precious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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