bedtime stories

In the ongoing attempt to find the magic routine that causes our children to quietly drift off to sweet slumber (hhhahahahaaahahahahahahaaa!!!!!), we started turning out the lights after reading stories and making up stories with the kids while they are lying in their beds. 

I have a couple of memories I hope I'll keep in my memory bank forever. One evening, the twins knew we were short on time. So, I think it was S, asked D to tell a super short story. Then she said, once upon a time...the end. And started cracking up. And so did R. And so did we. Perhaps her first joke!  We loved it. 

The other bedtime story experience I hope to always remember is that once D finishes, O also wants to tell a story. So he does. He is very imaginative. His stories are never similar to ours, which I would have thought would be the tendency. They're just spontaneous and random. They don't always have a beginning, middle and end. They're just his. And he doesn't hesitate or get stick and say he can't or have expectations and he doesn't care if they meet our expectations. He just shares. And I love that he shares his imagination with us. 

art appreciation

I enjoy visual art. As long as I can remember, I have. Checking out art with the Vassariños is even more fun. 

While away on our summer vacay, we had the opportunity to take our kids to see all kinds of fabulous art. Gaudi, Picasso, Dali, they had some really wonderful experiences. Since their humor is primarily focused on the unexpected, the wacky, these artists were perfect. We saw some really wacky stuff. 

And I enjoyed the experience more with them by my side. Seeing art through the eyes of kids is incredible.  And telling them about what influenced the artists and trying to understand how that affected their art helped me engage in the art more than silently observing, slowly following the patron in front of me through the rooms. 

So, upon our return, one of the first things we did was visit a local art museum focused on regional artists, Lawndale, run by our dear friend. It's show did not disappoint, with many wacky things that the kids loved. 

They also have a fun mural wall that is great for photos. 

And since the kiddos now enjoy taking pics, I even have evidence that I was there!  I exist again!

brotherly love

We're working on potty training the last kid!!!!!  Remarkable. 

After a successful trip yesterday, R turned to O, beaming with pride and said, "That's my big boy!"

Where do they get this stuff???

yoga

We found a great kids' yoga program that the kiddos love.

Great boat poses!

Who is the purest yogi in our house?

Namaste