punkins

Out of Nana & Pawpaws' garden this year, came two ginormous pumpkins! Perfect for what I had in mind :) A few years ago, a super friend, Sara, stuck her little girl in a hollowed out pumpkin...I saw that picture too late to stick Mia in one. This year, we've got a little babe. She got the honors.

this one HAS to be my best shot! :)

click on over to Tracey's for more bests

what's in a name?

On a rainy Friday afternoon, Mia and I made Mind Jars...meditation jars with sparkles. Shake up all your worries, anger, frustration, sadness...breathe and watch it all settle down. We had the most fun making these together and I'll post all about it later, but today I'm in awe of my 3 1/2 year old daughter...she can write her NAME! Where did my baby go? Mia was beaming when she said, 'I can write my name just like you, Mama'. Then she pushed our two jars together and smiled. My best shot is of one of the most beautiful names in the world written by an extraordinary child...she even dotted her 'i'...the little details :)

for more little details, visit Tracey

fiddleheads

Years ago, my mother gave me a few starters from her own garden. Since I've been renting pretty much my adult life, the ferns have been stuck in pots. What's special about these ferns besides being from my mom, is that for some reason, I just can't kill them. Not that I've been trying! I just forget them out in the icy winters...don't remember to water them in the droughts of summers. I end up having to cut them back to almost nothing. They keep coming back..more beautiful and lush than before. This past summer was one of the hardest, but they survived and are now thriving again, because we've been getting rain, rain, RAIN! There's been a LOT going on in my life lately, and like these ferns, I seem to be able to weather it all and keep thriving.

less than a day

here is Anja with her newborn son, Arjun

i love them both more than i can say

grace & love

Last Friday, on Lily's 4 month birthday, the girls and I had an impromptu photo shoot. It started off with me NEEDING a shot of Lily chewing on her play mat, but then Mia wanted to get in the act and started loving up on her sister. I know that Lily is smack in the middle of this shot, but it's Mia who draws my attention. The remnants of a glittery tattoo that used to be a dolphin frolicking in the waves, flower on her thumb from her last mani-pedi with her mama, slight bits of peanut butter on her nose and around her mouth...whispering in her little sister's ear. This photo makes me flash forward in my mind to nights of staying up late, doing each other's nails and whispering into the night. Sisters. The birth of her little sister sure has rocked Mia's world, but she's handled it with such grace and love. The way she just 'is' in the world is my idea of perfection.

for more perfection, head on over to Tracey's

still as air

Mia (in the party hat) and one of her best buddies, Izzy. Together, they can tear a house apart or be as still as air. Amidst the chaoticness of a kids' birthday party, they chose the latter.

More Best Shots at Tracey's

Mia meet Lily

Two days after Lily was born, Mia came home from Nana & Pawpaw's house...ready to meet her little sister. I'll write more about it later, but for now here's a SOOC shot of the first time Mia and Lily met. Yes, Mia's fingers are in her ears! :)

For more Best Shots, hit Tracey's

The Bilibo

Mia received a Bilibo for her birthday this year. She likes to sit & rock in it...and to wear it on her back like a turtle. The other day, she was sittin' in it all cool and stuff, then all of a sudden she tipped over...it was not a graceful moment for this little girl, while she laughed...I could tell she was a little embarrassed by her sudden lack of control. She's the sweetest ever.

My Best Shot: that sweet little embarrassed look

For more Best Shots, hit Tracey's

Taco Bandit

Pretty much every weekend, Sat or Sun, Daryl and Mia take off on their Taco Run to let mama sleep late...I usually get woken up as soon as they come back with Mia calling out, 'Mamaaaaaaa I've got a taco for youuuuuuuuu'. My usual order: 1 bean & egg taco, 1 potato & egg taco. Mia LOVES to set the table and grab the taco bag...she then passes out tacos to everyone...doesn't check who got what, just 'taco for Mia, taco for Mama, taco for Daddy'. Once Daddy gets all the tacos to their rightful owner, Mia asks for some 'spicy'...a dab of salsa to dip her taco in. In our home, we LOVE taco runs, and all the fun that comes from them.

For more Best Shots, pop over to Tracey's

Fairy Kitty

Daryl and I took our little fairy out to the Greenwood School Spring Fairy Festival yesterday....I'll post more later...this is about our facepainted Fariy Kitty, who couldn't get enough of herself :)

For more Best Shots, hit Tracy's

Outta Mama's Bag

Last week, I joined some O'Mamas & their kiddos for No Tour Tuesday at the Austin Children's Museum...what? no tours? Not PACKED with kids and teachers? It was AWESOME! Our kids got to explore everything and we mamas got to relax a little...even when a tot went out of our sight for a bit :)

Then a short walk for lunch on the patio at Jo's...Mmmmm the BEST cheeseburger & fries. Next time you're in downtown Austin, you MUST try them out. Ok, so we waited a bit.. it always seems longer when you have hungry kids. What do seasoned mamas do in this type of situation?...dig deep into their bags, and pull out objects of desire. In my case, I made two dreidels appear...from our learning about Hanukkah playdate last December :) Lora delivered a sleek blue car. I soon want to blog about all the things that can be found in my mama bag of wonders, but until then, I'll leave you with my Best Shot....a cup of watered down pink lemonade, two dreidels and a car...all that helped make our wait for some tasty cheeseburgers bearable.

For more Best SHots, head on over to Tracey's

Lil Miss Fix-it

Mia was playing with some of my jewelry, and while doing so, a hook came off an earring. This super cool earring was made for our Cinco de Mayo party last year by a super creative and crafty friend Jasmine. It was so not a big deal, I could fix it in a flash...but Mia wanted to 'do it'. She sat there and very painstakingly tried and tried...I felt so bad for her. Those little fingers working so hard, but the hook just wouldn't get back on. I hated to say this, but out came, 'hey Mia, let mama have a try'....just then she exclaimed with GLEE....'I GOT IIIIITTTTT!'. And she did, beaming with pride. Just one more example of why I should just sit back and let her 'do it'.

I just LOVE her concentrating so hard (below)...it's gotta be my Best Shot




hop over to Tracey's for more Best Shots

Caution: Wet Paint!

* I just commented on Tracey's blog post, and I really like what I said...so I'm adding it to the front of today's blog...just a few hours after posting :)*

What's been on my mind a lot today is in 10 short weeks, I'll be a mother for the second and last time. It's hitting me hard today what all that means...as a woman, a wife, a mother...a person of this world.
That's not what I blogged about, though :) Just how my first child is so into the 'process' of everything...not the outcome. 'wonder what will happen if I paint my whole hand red...hmmm'

On our first non cold, wet or windy day Mia finally got to paint outside! She knows that if it's outdoor painting, pretty much anything goes...she gets to explore to the fullest and messiest. This day was no exception.

My only problem is that I can't pick my Best Shot! This has seriously been the hardest Monday for me...ever! They are all my 'best's' for one reason or another, but I'm going with the first one...but feel free to pick your own. If you go HERE, you'll see there are more that didn't make the cut, but came in sooo close!

It was a perfect afternoon....Mia got to paint, and I got to capture it all :)

My choice for Best Shot

For more colorful shots, go see Tracey at Mother May I

Heart-bakers

This is Liam.

He and his mama had us over to make, bake and ice cookies for Valentine's Day. It was very hands-on for the kiddos. They got to, with a little help, measure, mix, roll, cut and decorate...oh, yeah, and EAT cookies. Besides being a morning loaded with fun, the cookies came out SUPER TASTY! Lora, I NEED that recipe :)

I'm picking the following shot as my Best Shot because I love this little girl, her eyelashes, her pigtails and her ability to want to try and do everything. She wants to be elbows deep in cookie dough....and life.

for more delish best shots, hit Tracey's