Calling All Ladies

Friends, family, womyn, womin, womon, and women -- any advice on raising a girl who likes, well, girly things? Like this headband (Thanks Cousin Alli!) that Jorja insists on wearing nearly EVERYDAY.



Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy make-up, shoes with a bit of a heel, purses that have the potential to pass as mini-messenger bags, and sparkly jewelry now and then, but when it comes to 19 month old girls insisting on sporting pink, floral headbands on a regular basis I start to wonder what's in store for the future.

Wednesday

The kiddos' newest discovery -- climbing into and hurling sliding out of their beloved jogger. This task provided a solid 45 minutes of unabated amusement for them and 45 minutes of unabated relief for me. Finally, a reason to celebrate our jogger being parked in the living room -- instant playground material.

A moment of stillness, just sitting, in the jogger.



Jorja enjoying the camera. Anders initiating his exit.



Jorja checking out the handlebar console (and all the goodies I stash in there). Anders looking (go ahead and select from the options provided) guilty? terrified? cunning? adorable? other?



Check out my lunch date this afternoon. Ain't she just the cutest little 3 month old thang?

Rock Collectors

Anders and Jorja have taken an interest in collecting and storing rocks. This past week they commandeered one of the kitty litter pails that I tote around the yard to collect pruned clippings and converted it into their own rock collection bin. I cannot begin to describe the pure joy in sitting back and watching 19 month old twins totally amuse themselves, without adult intervention, for lengthy periods of time. Ahhh...


Inspecting and determining the suitability of a rock for potential collection.



Heading for the collection bin with a handful of parking pad gravel bits.



Bound and determined to make a rock deposit in the collection bin.



Another successful deposit.



The results of Day 1 of The Rock Collection.


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The Furry Member of the Family

Zeek, my rescued cat from the streets of Taiwan, is an integral part of our family. Despite having only two teeth, half of a tail, and a bit of excess weight around the middle, this guy spends his days protecting our turf. When he isn't inside eating, snoozing, chatting, terrorizing our dog, or being terrorized by the kiddos, he's out and about kickin' cat, squirrel, bird, and rodent booty.

Here he is in all his Rough and Tumble Glory:

Forget Toys...

my children are obsessed with books. Actually, any type of print rich material will do -- books, magazines, art, how-to manuals, bits and pieces of postal mail, and on and on. A great example of early literacy in action!

And so, our first (embarrassingly over-due) family trip to the library occurred this past weekend. Anders and Jorja were absolutely stunned -- so, so many books at such accessible heights -- oh my!

Our gorgeous 4 blocks and 1 pedestrian bridge from our house library.



Jorja getting eye-to-eye with a selection of books.



Anders whizzing by headed to another shelf of books.



Ah-ha! Anders discovering the joy of pulling books from the shelf -- All By Himself.

Lazy Afternoon

Doin' what we do best -- lounging in bed with the sun streaming in through the windows.

A Place to Romp Around

G, A, J, C, and I love the outdoors. This past weekend we spent some time exploring one of our local parks. We had intended on making an appearance at the playground, but with so many trees, rocks, puddles, and insects to discover, we never did.





Anders finds time to relax after our afternoon at the park.

The View From Inside

With all their height nowadays, the kiddos are able to stand at our bedroom windows and watch the world go by. Their continually expanding "Awesome Things to See From the Window" List includes school buses, construction trucks, cats, squirrels, airplanes, dogs, people, trees, snow, bikes, birds, and cars. Basically if it moves, it's amazing. Who needs toys when you've got an ever-changing view from inside?

The Great Outdoors

The kiddos and I did laps around the house this afternoon -- headed in different directions. These laps included...

finding figs,



touching moss,



playing with Chloe,



hanging out by the front gate,



and gazing up at our enormous pine tree.

My Babies Aren't Babies Anymore

Don't Anders and Jorja look rather grown-up?



Except when someone smears yogurt in their hair, ahem, Anders.





Or when someone reads books without their pants on, ahem, Jorja.