Always special

I was determined to get to bed before midnight tonight, but before doing so I automatically checked Google Reader. And then it happened. Sara made this post, sharing a video clip made by her friend Tiffani. She warned to have Kleenexes ready, but she didn't mention anything about needing a bath towel to wipe the puddle of tears off the floor. It's not hard for me to get slightly emotional over stories, clips or movies involving children. But this time it was different. It reached deep within me, stirring some emotions that I didn't have time or energy to face for a while. So here I am, doing my best putting those emotions into words...

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There are no words that can describe the moment you meet that tiny human being that had been growing inside you for 9 long months. First you count the wrinkles, then watch them smooth out as your tiny newborn turns into a crawling infant, walking toddler, running pre-schooler, dancing 1st grader... You know it was love at first sight, and you want it to last forever, always just as overwhelming and unconditional as you felt it in those first few minutes, hours, days, and weeks of your baby's life...

She was always my spirited child.

x10.

Not a day goes by when we don't butt our heads together.

She's fire.
I'm fire.

She's impatient.
So am I.

She is competitive.
I am not. But only because I had to make myself quit being competitive years ago, knowing how personally I took it.

She dreams and lets her imagination run wild.
I still do it too.

She longs to have more friends. Real friends. Not just friends she gets to see once a week.
And I feel her pain.

Her personality has been more explosive than ever lately. I'm trying hard to find or create peace in our home. But it's sparse, inconsistent, unpredictable. I end up getting lost in the chaos that rules our home these days, caught in the middle of daily fights, meltdowns, mood swings. And I often forget what really matters. I forget to look for those priceless and unique sides of her personality that make her shine. She means the world to me. Unforgettable, spontaneous, fierce, inquisitive, brilliant, intense, radiant, goofy, sensitive 6.5 year old daughter of mine. The child that opened the door to motherhood for me...

When You Are Six... from freeplaylife on Vimeo.

She's all that. x10.

To sum it up...

September has been good to us so far. Perfect weather, blissful and peaceful atmosphere at home, kids who help and listen, heartwarming meals every day... Well, scratch the last 3, but the weather is sure nice.

This past month and a half have been much harder than the first 2 months after Ivy was born, mostly because Anya stopped napping and the whole afternoon routine was shattered into pieces. To sum it up, now there's no 'quiet' or nap time. But there's plenty of loud, make-as-much-noise-as-possible-while-Ivy-is-sleeping time. Which translates into: me, frantically making lunch while Ivy is napping and the other kids throwing their requests at me (I think I grow 3 invisible arms during lunch time, just to keep up with the madness), then me trying to send kids downstairs to play so I can clean up after them and have a bite to eat (read: BREAKFAST), and ultimately, failing at the last task, because Ivy wakes up from all the noise in the kitchen. Afternoons are a blur after that...

Despite all the chaos, those 3 imps manage to melt my heart every day in one way or the other. And then they make me pay for it with another blur of a day...

So speaking of September...

What a perfect month for getting back into the bread baking groove. Kalach never tasted better (maybe because I never accidentally overdosed on butter until this last time)

Elijah got his first black (or green and yellow?) eye from close encounter of the third kind with a very aggressive door knob. Bad door knob, bad.

...and then he got his second ever haircut by grandpa. Both times without parent's (mine) consent. At least this time I can still recognize my son :)

Speaking of hair, Anya let me make her first pony tail ever. It was sloppy and all, and my hands were shaking from disbelief, but I did it, that's what matters (and I left it in for 2 days, not knowing if she'd ever let me put her hair into a pony tail again)

and here's her signature hair:

Ivy's been growing like a weed. Rolling over from time to time for the past 3 weeks, laughing and giggling for just as long (and Maya is a pro at making her laugh), sucking on her fists like it's the best tasting food in the world and just plain growing way faster than I can admit to myself. I think she'll get her driver's license sooner than I will.

(this one would look cute as a driver's license photo)

And Maya... This girls amazes me with her creativity and curiosity as much as she amazes me with her talent to test my patience to the limit. She's a true gem - Maya with a Y. And here's the peaceful side of her, reading Charlotte's Web from start to finish in just a couple of hours (priceless, peaceful hours).

As for me, I'm trying to keep my sanity by consuming insane amounts of chocolate (hey, if I'm gaining weight while nursing anyway, I might as well make it fun, right?) and producing impressive amounts of knitwear. Can my life get any better?

sisters

I'm still not quite used to the idea that I have 3 girls (Ivy was 'supposed' to be a boy, remember?), but when I see them together, I can't help but smile. I'm not trying to leave Elijah out, his connection with Ivy is quite special on it's own. But this post is about sisters, and the love they share together (now, if only Maya would stop using Anya as a 'squeal button').

first photo of 3 of them together

Just a couple of 'Maya' moments

That girl never ceases to amaze me. Recently I got her an embroidery hoop and a blunt needle, just for the sake of letting her learn something new. Saying she was thrilled with this new activity would be a criminal understatement. She could.not.put.it.down.

And here's a new gem that came out of her mouth today:

me: Maya, what are you going to wear today?
Maya: You. I'm going to wear you out.

I guess that's what comes after all that practice with 'knock, knock' jokes.

August days are for...

:: playing in the backyard dirt (digging tunnels never gets old) ::

:: getting cleaned up afterwards ::

:: play dough making ::

:: finishing projects ::

:: celebrating Annie's Birthday ::

We're loving August here!

July 4th :: part two ::

Our packing for the trip is not going anywhere right now, so instead of running around in circles, without actually getting anything done, I'm taking a break and trying to finish my second post about our 4th of July weekend...

Did I mention we made some pretty awesome strawberry jam while visiting Mark's parents? I'll shamefully admit that the thought of making jam myself was quite overwhelming, up until we discovered the genius of freezer jam. Thirty minutes, no boiling, three (!!!) ingredients and 12 jars of jam. ADDICTING. I'm itching to make more, but must resist, or it would be a bit too obvious how much I try to avoid the packing.

note the Maya's 'layered' fringe. she did it herself. more than once. too many pairs of scissors in the house.

And of course, we went to watch fireworks that night. The new quilt walked with us as well.

July 4th ::part one::

Yesterday we went to pick up Maya and Elijah after their week of stay at Grandparents' house. We wanted to finish a few things before settling back into our usual chaos.

:: so we tried to fold some laundry ::

:: and then I tried to finish the binding on my quilt (after staying up till 4 a.m. the night before, working on this time consuming, yet extremely fun project) ::

our tray usually stays folded down, but as it turns out, it's perfect for storing my notions. and that iPod and phone are sitting in what I now call my yarn ball holder :)



my new scarf. after almost spending $20 on a summer scarf several times (which I couldn't bring myself to do after all), I came across some pretty amazing gauze fabric during an emergency run to *cough* walmart. my $2 and 2 minute scarf (second half of yardage is waiting to be overdyed)



Mark, with his blue and skinny arm. well, bluer and skinnier than it normally is

We spent some good relaxing time at Mark's parents. Our kids seemed to have grown at least 5 inches in just one week. We tried to enjoy our honeymoon/reunion day as much as we could, knowing that all the sweetness and pleasantness would wear out quickly (they are back to 'normal' today). Maya had another dozen of love notes waiting for me and she even picked out a candy bar for her mama during one of the trips to the grocery store with Grandma. Our time flew by quickly, either due to the fact that I kept working on hand sewing quilt binding all afternoon (which is a surprisingly relaxing activity) or because I had a headache. I don't regret having that headache as much as I regret not having enough time to roam around those farm hills like Mark and I wanted to. I guess we will have to wait till our next visit...

the land of freedom for wild flowers, they are weeds no more