boy power

A little note to say we are still here and fine.
Busy (and tired) but fine.

Oh, did I mention a little thing like a few weeks ago we found out that we were having boys?
Yes. TWO BOYS!


Phew! No wonder I'm tired.
There is a soccer match going on in my womb.

Hurray for little brothers. This big sister can hardly wait!

avocado and lime

A few weeks ago Mayumi decided to name her two siblings in utero. Avocado and Lime.

A few days later this hand "family" made an appearance amongst her artwork.

My apologies - I know it is so obnoxious when parents are so tickled and amused by their own offspring, but I couldn't help but absolutely fall in love with the entire scenario. I love this kid. I have great hopes that her siblings will be just as adorable and entertaining.

Happy Mama's Day!

To all you beautiful mamas, mothers-to-be, and motherly women-

Hope you have a beautiful day and know that your influence on this world is a treasure.

Happy Mother's Day!

May Day

Oh, how I adore the month of May. I can understand why, in some cultures, people put up a May pole and dance joyously around it with colorful ribbons streaming. There is something about the fecund emergence of color and life that is so energizing and delightful. We've been spending some happy moments in the garden these past few weeks. Every time we walk by our beds there is an exultant gasp as we discover some new emerging seedling or blossoming bud. Such simple pleasures!

I realized rather recently that I seems to be quite drawn to purple and blue flowers. They are making an appearance all around the yard; they make me so happy! We finally filled and planted the new raised bed and trellis - it looks quite imposing from the sidewalk, but I'm hoping that once it covered in greenery it will soften the effect.

Dance Around the Maypole

In and out, in and out,

Weave the ribbons tight;

'Round the Maypole we will dance

To the left and to the right

Happy May to you - hope your days are warm and filled with all sorts of inspiring natural beauty!

communication difficulties

In addition to general fatigue and nausea that accompanies the first trimester, I have another really good excuse for not blogging regularly. 

A certain pet rabbit that shall remain nameless chewed through our telephone and modem cords last week.

Finding replacement AC adaptors proved more difficult than one would imagine. Especially when one happens to be the kind of hoarder that saves all sorts of electronic cords and plugs and things that are all jumbled up in a box on the top shelf of the guest room closet, purposefully saved for times like these. 

And of the 6 AC adaptor cords that were in there, not a single one fit either the modem or the telephone. 

A quick call to the telephone maker, Uniden, revealed that they no longer carry spare accessories to our outdated model. A trip to Best Buy to purchase two different universal AC adaptors was only minimally helpful; we found one that worked for the modem, but alas, not for our phone. Which meant we went ahead and purchased a brand new telephone for our landline.

But now we are back online and in communique with the rest of the world. Let the blogging begin!

{this moment}

A Friday ritual (inspired by Soulemama).
A single photo--no words--capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your "moment" in the comments for all to find and see.
Have a wonderful weekend!

It keep getting better and better. Not only am I finally pregnant (after 5 cycles of IVF in the past year and a half!) but I am carrying twins! Here is a recent sonogram showing the two placentas (Baby #2 is hiding, but s/he is there, don't worry!). 

We are beyond excited. And definitely starting to show!

Happy birthday MamaQ!

A birthday wish for MamaQ from her two nieces:

{this moment}

A Friday ritual (inspired by Soulemama).
A single photo--no words--capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your "moment" in the comments for all to find and see.
Have a wonderful weekend!

To be fair, this is really a moment from two months ago when we found out the happy news, but we're choosing THIS moment to share it with you!

party time!

Gorgeously decorated theme parties abound on Pinterest and other blogs. Just this morning I received an email from Mothering Magazine advertising creative parties for toddlers. I am always amazed when I see those perfect Martha Stewart layouts and sometimes I fantasize about throwing an organized, beautiful party like that. When Mayumi turned four I tried to keep it simple with a playdate party at the park with a theme to help tie it all together: ladybugs. It was a far cry from being something that gets repinned on Pinterest. MamaM was way more successful when she put together a fantabulous party for Olive's second birthday around the theme of O's airplane obsession.

They're so lovely to see, but all those lavish table decorations and fancy decorations and pressures to be witty and creative can be a bit overwhelming. And yet, when you're celebrating a special day it seems appropriate to put some love and effort into the project, right? Ah, what a dilemma.

Then along comes Naturally Fun Parties for Kids: Creating Handmade, Earth-Friendly Celebrations for All Seasons and Occasions by Anni Daulter.

Right away the book appeals to me because it is gorgeous! Inside, Anni offers ideas for 12 uniquely-themed parties, organized by season and inspired by nature. No mass-marketed plasticky-looking clipart printables here; maybe that's why is seems so laid-back and do-able. Not to mention the way she organizes all the information, with a list of projects and materials needed, as well as a timeline of preparations beginning 2 weeks (sometimes even 3-4 weeks!) prior to the event. Granted, it's not something you can just download and print off your printer the night before the party, so in that way it is not simple. But true to Daulter's conscious parenting style, she encourages thoughtful preparation that is nurturing of a child's creative spirit, as well as respectful of nature's bounty and fragility. Instead of plastic water bottle labels and fancy cupcake decorations she offers nature-inspired art projects for the kids to participate in at the party and yummy-looking recipes like rosemary-lemon cookies and cheesy faerie wands to fill their sweet little bellies. These seem like the type of party that would be pleasant and fun for both child and parent and are about so much more than fancy layouts and table decorations.

I'm thinking the strawberry-picking and jam-making party idea is in our near future. Either that, or the forest faerie dress-up party... and for my daughter's 5th birthday party next fall? The gratitude party. Just about melts my heart thinking about it! I highly recommend this book for it enjoyment of perusal, ease of understanding and planning, and un-daunting inspiration.

Let me know where you get your inspiration for hosting parties. Do you go all out? Is it the thing to do? And let me know if you check out Anni's book and what you think about it.

yarn along: Christening dress and ...

Joining Ginny over at Small Things for the regular Wednesday Yarn Along!

Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? ~ Ginny Sheller from Small Things

Knitting

A while ago I came upon this little gem of a book at a thrift store: The Family Knitting Book by James Norbury, copyright 1969, London. And I fell in love with the darling Christening Robe featured on page 166. I finally got to use a stash of creamy antique Patons 3 Ply baby wool that I picked up at a yard sale. I dutifully followed the directions and cast on with size 13 needles... and thought oh dear, this doesn't look quite right. My dear friend Ginger was on hand to let me know that British sizes are definitely NOT American sizes. Thank you handy dandy conversion chart for letting me know that I actually wanted to use American size 1 needles. Makes a huge difference! And I realize that this will take me some time, considering the rate I'm going. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be finished in time...

Reading

I recently read The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz, recommended by my dear friend, Nancy. He is funny and observant and fills my need to hoard information about beautiful France. And yet, there is something about his sense of humor that reminds me a bit of my dad... not that it's necessarily a bad thing. But still.

Truthfully, for the past few weeks I haven't been reading at all (somehow seems to take too much energy) and have been indulging in a little discovery: Downton Abbey. I know I'm a bit late hopping on the bandwagon; it seems every woman I know has watched the past two seasons. But thanks to Amazon I was able to catch up. A fluffy historical soap opera with good writing and excellent acting? What's not to love? And I admit that there were a couple afternoons that found me too exhausted to do anything by watch a couple episodes on the computer using headphones while I let Miss Maya watch an episode or two of Diego on the TV. Admirable mothering, I know.