winter days

the days are cold. the nights are even colder. the snow continues to fall adding inches on top of inches. and us, well we, are just trying to survive these long winter days indoors. this month has been hard. it has left us hibernating like the wild and leaving us a bit stir crazy, to say the least. we find ourselves snuggled in under warm quilts reading book after book, doing craft after craft, watching movie after movie, and playing my little ponies until our hearts are content. and let me tell you, our hearts are definitely content. not saying we don't enjoy doing any of these things, but we honestly wouldn't mind changing things up a bit. our energy is brewing inside, anxiously awaiting warmer days that i have found myself day dreaming much of spring. which i almost hate to do this early because it feels like it takes forever for it to get here. and since minnesota is known to having winters drag on for months and months, i feel all i will do is just set myself up for disappointment and frustration if i go ahead and dream too early. but oh dear is it ever so hard not to do. 

this winter we have taken enough baths to last us a summer. and you know how much kiddos bathe in the summer time, at least mine seem to do anyway. but for us over here, midday baths have become quite ordinary these days and i have to say i find it to be one of the most peaceful parts of my day. hearing the water running and splashing of little hands and feet sends instant vibes throughout my body relaxing.every.single.inch. i must say it is the very best. 

and the girls seem to like it too. kendi loves the water almost as much as she loves nursing. and kaia could play in the bubbles telling make believe stories for hours, until her entire body wrinkled up like a prune. there is something about this time of day that is very special. and no matter how much i would like to sprinkle magic fairy dust outside to change winter into spring, for now, these moments make my heart content. and ever so happy.

4/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014"

{ week 4 : 4/52 }

kaia: you started your first dance class this week. although you were a tad unsure and shy at first, by the end of class you were making new friends and twirling and dancing like it was your job. you loved it and had so much fun, you didn't want to leave. and mama most certainly enjoyed it too! 

kendi: your little world is getting bigger by the day. those days of just laying on your back soaking up the scene are gone. you are wanting to see things from a different perspective, sitting up. you are building balance and strength each and every day, trying to perfect this new stance. it is a great big world out there little love, go and get it.  

just dance

this is what i know... 

when my mood feels a little off. when i can see my internal fight to keep the balance of daily responsibility, while trying to fend off the anxiety that is seemingly creeping in affecting the atmosphere of the room and the temperament of my girls, stop what i am doing. and instead put on our favorite tunes, swoop up the little loves and dance. breathe them in. laugh. and dance. because everything else can wait.

it just can.

the past few days i have been battling trying to juggle the acts of life, while maintaining a healthy balance of motherhood and everything that comes after that... work, family, friends, projects, and massive 'to do' lists that only seem to be getting bigger. it is incredibly challenging sometimes trying to perfect the balancing act of parenthood. i think all us parents or care givers can attest to that. but something i learned the other day is to become a better listener when i am finding myself in that moment of "i have to get this done and it cannot wait." but my kids are not really allowing that to happen. rather trying to fight getting what i want done, done. drop what i am doing, put on that favorite soundtrack and dance.

. . . the results are magical.

the mood of the room changes. the anxiety subsides. and all is good in our little world again.

3/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014"

{ week three : 3/52 }

a girl who loves her tummy | kendi darling, you are on the move these days. rolling to get to where you want to be + trying to scoot your little body across the floor. it is amazing how fast this stage has seemed to enter your life + yet you seem to be embracing it in full swing + ever so confidently. we simply adore you. 

woke up to a winter wonderland + big smiles | we took advantage of the 40 degree weather + spent some much needed time outside, soaking up the warm sunshine that kissed our faces. we played + danced in the snow, explored the woods + even spotted a fox. kaia dear, you are my favorite little person to adventure with. i truly cherish the time together, just the two of us.

2/52

"a portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014"

{ week two : 2/52 } 

midday baths on cold winter days +  some serious bed head madness

happy five months kendi love | a new dress + five month milestone

on the mend + a new project

i think it is safe to say that our kiddos are finally on the mend to good health, thank God. after a week and a half of trips to the hospital, urgent care, regular clinic visits, and two diagnoses of pneumonia and a double ear infection, we are happy to be seeing smiles on their faces again and nights of better rest. i can honestly say, it was by far the most challenging week + a half of my motherhood thus far. having two littles so sick and wanting nothing else but their mama was difficult to balance. but some how, even when it feels like an impossible endeavor at the time, you find it in yourself, that mama strength that gets put on reserves for moments and times like these, to push forward because really there is nothing else you can do. and even though it was not the way we would have hoped to kick off 2014, we are certainly thankful for the hours of snuggling endured, for the fevers that broke, for the coughs that subsided to let their little bodies rest, for our nana and her amazingness, for the lessons we learned when it comes to advocating for your child's health, for antibiotics to help kick start healthier days, and for each other, because without some { or all of those things } i'd be sharing a very different story.

so here is a big fat C H E E R S ! to { hopefully } no more super sick days ahead and to a year we are calling "change". neither aaron or i are super big into new year's resolutions, but this year we decided to pick a word, or motto rather, of what we wanted this year to be about and "c h a n g e" it is. we are hopeful to bring about big changes for our family and ourselves this year. it is the year to stop talking about things and start doing those things that we talk so much about. so wish us luck... we may need it... but we are extremely hopeful and so ready to make big things happen this year!

and with that... one of the things i want to change or improve on this year is documenting our lives and the lives of our girls better. while i can honestly say that i take a lot of photos of them, the one thing i don't do well with is telling them the story behind the photo. instead of snapping a gazillion photos of them and allowing them to sit on my hard drive, unedited, not printed, and left with the hope that i will remember the story behind the image... i want those days to be gone and instead make what i have been wanting to do, happen. so here i go. . .

this year i will be joining others in the 52 week project. each week i will share one photo of my girls of them during that week. because, just like the thousands of others that have joined this project, i want to be able to remember this one life of theirs the best way i possibly can...

a portrait of my children every week in 2014 

{ week one : 1/52 } 

the week pneumonia left you couch bound | messy hair + jammies all day

your happy place | pretty light on sister's bed + playing with your feet