july little things

a little bit of life from my phone because i just don't have the time or patience to process my real photos these days! july has been slow and wonderful and busy all in one.

i have such happy childhood memories of reading everything e.b. white. we finished stuart little last month and finished charlotte's web this month. try reading the last few paragraphs of charlotte without tearing up. it's just so good. sage has requested a second reading.

we took the kids to the newly renovated sf moma. sage was so into taking photos and talking about all the art. nora...wanted to touch everything or beg for a snack. her cute personality makes up for the trickiness of this age about 90% of the time.

^^ sagie took this one! 

as much as i'd love to hibernate with the baby and have quiet days, i've got to entertain the two bigs! we've been back at it with outings. we met friends in the park for the sf botanical garden's special installation of pianos all throughout the gardens. it's so idyllic to be romping through the great meadow picking daisies while listening to beethoven. the girls loved stopping at each piano to play, but there were some musical treats with ahhmazing pianists playing that day.

found a new little beach park 14 minutes from our house, met up with the dials at the los altos farmer's market, and still are into snapchat (sage especially). 

we celebrated sagie's cute friend's birthday with a circus party on a beautiful day in the city. had to stop by a favorite place, zero zero, for avocado bruschetta and fresh panzanella on the way home.

and we snuggle this baby as much as possible. 

i laid him down next to me and he slowly wiggled over and nuzzled his face into mine. 

i could stay here all day...

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."

the little things of january

my girls are growing up so quickly, but our days are slow and quiet more often than not as my pregnancy continues to be...not easy. they love to play together, and i love watching them. it still feels so foreign to me that we'll be adding a boy to these tea parties.

i ran out of diapers and decided to just go for it and potty train nora. she's slowly catching on. we reenacted a tea party from a pinkalicious book, and sage held a coronation for our unicorn.

dress ups come out first thing each morning, but i'm pretty strict on wearing real clothes outside of our house. nora only chooses to be snow white or the cowardly (hilarious/sassy) lion. most of our costumes are handmade by my mom–amazing.

we adore books in this house. my library hold list is usually maxed out, and that's the way i like it.

while i took a rare nap one afternoon, sage left love notes under everyone's door. she's very into writing letters and notes, and we've started journaling every day with a different prompt. she's just such a good girl, and always looks out for me and for nora.

at a recent doctor appointment, i was asked if i stay home with my children. "you're so lucky. i wish i could stay home with my daughter!" was the tech's reply. and it's true...i can't imagine not being here for these little things that will make up their childhood.

sage says

today sage spent a solid two hours of quiet time "reading" (she really does read simple books, but i love when she pulls out magazines and scriptures and "reads" them) to her dolls and just looking at books. this girl adores books, and nora is following suite. it makes me so happy. sage is passionate about dancing and music and singing and frozen and joy school and changing outfits and french braids and scootering and pancakes and her grandparents. she is a solid helper and a rule follower. she is usually patient and gentle with nora. when she is sad, a tight hug and a good snuggle can solve any of her problems. i love watching her interpret the world. some moments from the last six months...

as she takes a bath with nora: "mom! there's too much water in here! nora might drain! (drown)"

looking up at mt. rushmore: "i like the man with the mustache on his chin," referring to abe lincoln

as we slowly drive through yellowstone national park: "peel your eyes! look for animals!"

saying a prayer: "and we're thankful we can go swimming after church...wait, mom, do we swim after church?"

chuckling to herself: "i hung my goggles up on a hanger. it's like the funniest joke i've ever seen!"

pretending to voice text into her fake cell phone: "melissa. period. i'll be down there in ten minutes. period. okay, bye. period." (another confirmation that she watches everything i do)

after school: "mom, we had a lesson in honesty today. nora is going to get jam all over her face if she eats that sandwich. i'm being honest right now."

one i hope she'll never grow out of: "mama! did you saw that?!"

playing with nora: "if you don't play the game, you WON'T GET A TREAT FROM GOOGLE." (the ultimate punishment apparently, since nate often brings home candy from his office)

and lastly, sage was assigned to recite the fifth article of faith in primary a few months ago. but, the way sage memorizes is by song, so instead she sang it for everyone...and then received a standing ovation from the other kids. hah! it was a good show.

oublié

i have taken on the gargantuan task of organizing our photos (so many outtakes i never deleted!). in that process, i've come across some gems that never got recorded. thus, oublié (forgotten, in french)–travel memories i don't want to forget.

sage at 14 months on her second trip to bangkok, thailand. it was a scorching day at the grand palace and that water bottle was her entertainment as we trekked through nonstop buddha sculptures and temples. we were traveling with friends, and i remember sage being so easy. she didn't talk much yet, but she babbled away in what we called "sagenese". thai and sagenese...not much difference to me.

nora wore this exact same outfit yesterday!

easter

nate checked NCAA championship game off his bucket list over easter weekend, with duke playing in the final four then taking the whole thing with a huge win over wisconsin! we have such gracious friends in indiana who let the boys crash in their basement and spend easter with them.

the girls participated in four egg hunts this year, which is good because on the actual morning of easter, i...forgot to do anything. i had grand plans of hiding baskets and whipping up a fantastic breakfast. but the greatest thing about little children is that they don't care! they didn't need any more trinkets or candy, so we ate cereal for breakfast and hunted the real eggs we'd dyed earlier that week (in our pajamas, because that's what i did as a kid). as is tradition, we got together with the other lds mba families for an easter brunch and egg hunt on easter sunday. 

my mom sent us darling dresses and eggs with little objects inside representing the story of what really happened on "easter". i still love that the commercial side of holidays hasn't totally invaded our life yet, and sage is so interested in all the details of why we really celebrate easter and christmas. 

easter is easily one of my favorite holidays

i surveyed the disaster zone that is my living room (and bedroom..and hallway...) last night. it feels hopeless to pick things up when it will return to this tornado state tomorrow too. among the mess is our easel with a banana pudding finger paint masterpiece drying. among the mess is sage's suitcase + six other purses, packed to the brim of any odds and ends she could find. "i'm ready for the airplane!" she declared in preparation for our spring break trip. among the mess are stacks of library books--they both stress me out (due dates!) and make me so happy. it may take a lifetime for me to learn the balance between play and everything in it's place. but among the mess, i am thankful we have an easel, thankful we can travel, and thankful for our little library that we frequent.

nora's behavior resembles an ewok these days. she toddles around everywhere, growling, grunting, and tilting her little head to the side with a smile.

sage eats, sleeps, and plays with this sparkly crown on lately. and insists on choosing her own outfits...can you tell? i love how her brain works. "mom! i have polkadots and polkadots. perfect match!"

 marjorie hinckley sums up home nicely:
“home is where you are loved the most and act the worst.”
oh, so true.

sage says

as she walks in to go to the bathroom: "uh, mom? can i, like, have some primacy (privacy) please?"

s (telling me the names of her stuffed animals at grandma's house): "and this is mulan the wolf, bitty baby, and lucifer." 

me: "lucifer?"

s: "yeah, lucifer the bear"


"here's the deal, mom. i want to watch a movie. if you're being a great listener, we can."

as she's jumping on the bed: "i'm getting my injury (energy) out!"

me: "wouldn't it be so great to be eating pain au chocolat in paris right now?"

s, chuckling: "ahhh, yeah. and hot dogs..."

and one more: "my throat is so soggy (sore)!"

this girl keeps us on our toes. she hears and repeats everything, has multiple imaginary friends (she refers to them as "her kids"), and loves music more than anything else. her most constant song request? harder, faster, stronger by daft punk :)

halloweeeeen

nate and i would prefer to skip right to christmas decorations, but i will admit that halloween with kids is so. fun. sage has been talking about being tinkerbell for the whole month. i was prepared to make mediocre fairy tutus for the girls when my mom generously offered to make the costumes herself. my girls are so lucky! multiple people asked me where we bought the dresses--pretty cool that they are handmade, and with a lot of love.

aunt madison sent a darling halloween package, complete with matching leggings

sage's preschool class had a little costume parade and presentation. she's such a sensitive soul and burst into tears when the little boy behind her put on his darth vader mask.

we invited some other mba friends over for soup and trick and treating on halloween night. it was hilarious and fun to walk around with this pack of little kids. they suddenly started walking faster to each house when they caught on to the candy. 

nora would rather crawl than sit for pictures

at the end of the night, tink had a little meltdown about which pajamas to wear, and her pixie sidekick happily went in for the goods. we thought nora was just playing with the candy, but later found a rolo in her mouth...so, hope you liked sugar, kid! i was way more neurotic with your sister. sage has declared she wants to reprise her tinkerbell role next year. maybe we'll dress up as something different than tired parents next year too...