march little things

it takes everything in me to go out and do fun things with my girls lately. by the afternoon, i'm shot. a little trip to the ER has made me slow down my pace a lot, and the girls now say things like, "i need to put my feet up" since that's my life right now. picnicking in the queen wilhelmina tulip garden in the peak months (february and march) has been on my to-do list and so i mustered up some energy to just do it. a comfy quilt, a tj's picnic, and some cute sidekicks were the perfect combo. it really is a magical little spot in golden gate park–giant windmill, closed in gardens, and no one in sight for a good 45 minutes the day we went.

as i watched sage and nora dance around smelling tulips and picking dandelions in the grass, i felt so happy. this is what i want to give them. the golden years of childhood. and then, of course, nora had to go to the bathroom right then and there wasn't anything in sight. a huge group of tourists had arrived so we couldn't pull the "outside potty" gig, and she wet her pants. home again! sage begged to go walking in the woods near our car because "i just need to explore, mom." and explore we did.

nate was out of town for almost a week (i'm tired just thinking about it), so i tried to plan fun things for us. we went to see rapunzel the play (far, far different from the disney-ized rapunzel s and n know) at the palo alto children's theater. there happened to be a french festival the same day. i mean, does the combo get better? french and theater, sign me up! we did face painting and practiced our french. 

sage is in two ballet classes right now and just can't get enough. she dances to the nutcracker and to swan lake on the daily, and nora is right alongside her. 

i loved the last few weeks of rain we've had because, well, spring: 

amazing flowers everywhere 

for better or for worse, sage is a perfectionist like me. can't do it perfectly, then why do it? (i'm always trying to un-learn this mantra). she is coming along so well with reading, but melts down if she makes too many mistakes, so we needed an incentive to keep her going. she very proudly earned a trip to yogurtland, or "frozenland" as nora calls it. 

nora's hair is long enough for french braids! big deal in our braid-loving house. 

 these two still love to match, especially on sundays. 

 nora has finally gotten faster on her scooter! our walking speed was pretty painful for awhile, so this is great news for all of us.

 we spent the last part of march in utah, where i had one extra hour after driving down from skiing in the mountains. we happily met the labrums at waffle love for legit waffles, but mostly for baby ellie. 

march flew by!

sage says...and nora too

to naughty nora: "i'm just tired of saying no to whatever things you are doing"

sage has had imaginary "children" for over a year now, but announced to me one morning: "i'm not a mom anymore. my children were stoled. i wanted to share them with other people who haven't had kids in a long time. i wanted to serve others."

when asked what she wants to be when she grows up: "well, a snowman builder, a scientist, a surfer, a cook, a swimmer, and probably a driver."(we raise ambitious girls over here)

sage's favorite game to play is always traveling. she packs a mean suitcase and builds a pretend airplane seat and knows the drill. overheard this morning: "nora, we need to get our passports. do you have your visa? because we're going to brazil. after we do security, i'll buckle your seat belt on the plane."

- - - - -

nora has really come into her own and her little remarks make me laugh daily. she can be snarky and stubborn, but melt you with her sweetness 1.2 seconds later. it's pretty skillful, actually.

me: "what did you learn about in nursery today?"

n: "things"

me: "what things?"

n: "bubbles, puzzles, blankets..."

randomly, in the car: "mama, what does exactly mean?"

when asked to put her clothes on: "unfortu-wut-ly, i can't."

me: "are you ready for a nap?"

n: "no, i'm ready for disneyland."

me: "how much do you love me?"

n: "uh....uh...um...um...one."

me: "did you snuggle with me last night?"

n: "yeah, but i really want to snuggle with grandma..."

me: "nora, are you going to be a difficult teenager?"

n: "yeah, but i'm going to be a teenage mutant ninja turtle. i'll be orange and you can be purple."