another first

We knew it would happen one day. Rafa probably wouldn't have been the one I would have guessed who would have done it. Just keeping us on our toes.

me and my girl

I took S to run an errand and pick up our veggie share. And the truck was late. Rather than get stressed and leave and try to figure out how to come back later, I accepted the delay as an opportunity to just hang out with S without an agenda. And it was super sweet. I rarely have one on one time with the kiddos. And since we all have so much fun together, I don't really miss it. But, I'm certain S adored the attention.

And we got some wonderful selfies out of it. 

This is the only pic I took. 

Then S took over. And had a blast. 

She discovered filters. 

And loves playing with composition. 

Or just needs to work on her aim. You decide.  

the birthday party

We had one party for all the kiddos this year. We weren't going to do much for a theme, but then they asked for pirates and mermaids and it was fairly easy to make that happen. Everyone had a great time and O still (a month later) runs around talking (shouting) like a pirate.

We created a treasure hunt and separated the kids by ages to work the puzzles. 

The buried treasure was a hit 

Of course we had a piñata. We may need to blindfold the kids next year. They're getting good at piñatas!

Treasure!

What an adorable, surly pirate. 

And everyone got to decorate their own cupcake.

And eat them, of course!

Happy birthdays, Vassariños!

helpers

We decided to paint the backs of our built in bookcases. And all the Vassariños wanted to help. Never one to discourage their willingness to pitch in, I outlined a box for each to paint. Pretty soon, we can really get things done around here!

birthday fun

I'm a little late to posting about the twins' birthday celebrationS!

The family morning celebration on their actual birthday was going to be my first day at my new job, so we decided to celebrate the morning before. Which, was also fun because the cousins were staying over for a sleepover, so it turned into a party. 

Tía Sonja helped me make their fun cakes. S knew exactly what she wanted, a mermaid cake with candy rocks. R had no idea what he wanted, so I got to pick for him. Which was probably good, because I initially looked for Star Wars ideas and they all looked like things that I wouldn't have pulled off very well. 

little art teacher

S loves art. Anything creative is her favorite thing to do. She can color for hours. And even got left in the house once because we thought she had left with the others but was sitting by herself coloring in the play room. 

She also loves teaching others how to do things. So, it's no surprise that she came up with this lesson, but it still was impressive to me!

How to draw a star. Those little brains never cease to amaze me. Of course, as their mom, it's my job to be impressed. 

first day of school!

3!

Happy 3rd birthday, O!

The joy that emanates from O's smile melts my heart and brings joy to everyone around him. What a joy it is to celebrate this happy boy!

VBS

I have had the joy of teaching the twins' VBS class. I know I won't be able to do it every year, so I'm making the most of my time off. 

Of course, I particularly enjoy watching them sing and dance like the semi-coordinated 4-yr olds that they are.  I sort of chuckled to myself as S was all out of sorts from everyone. As the group followed the leaders on stage and moved left, S bumped into everyone as she moved right. And on. She always seemed to be a little behind. And when all the kids lifted their right hands to mirror the leaders, S lifted her left. I was super proud of her effort, though. 

Today, I got to sit near her during the song and dance time. We had just finished another song, following the leaders on stage and she was awkwardly out of sync, when she came over to me and said: 

S: "You think you're doing what they're doing, but you're not. When they lift this hand and you lift that hand, you should be lifting this hand."  

Me: you're right, but I'm mirroring them. 

S: [blank look...probably trying to understand what that means or why in the world we would mirror instead of actually doing what they do.]

No lie, I'm a little impressed that she figured out mirroring isn't copying. No lie, I'm also a little nervous about what this means about her future that she doesn't just do what everyone else is doing and enjoy it. Hopefully we can channel that energy for good. 

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

instrumentos!

The Houston Symphony has a great summer series in the community and we took the kiddos. A high school orchestra had an instrument petting zoo beforehand and it was super fun!

The concert was casual and about an hour, so perfect for families. They also chose really exciting pieces, mostly with great stories. 

When we listen to classical music in church or the car, I often ask the kiddos what they think it sounds like. At first we started with, is it happy or sad, is it slow or fast, is it a dance or a walk, does it sounds like the sea or the wind, etc. Now they come up with all kinds of stories, it sounds like a shark chasing a fish or two birds dancing and flying. 

So, since the symphony chose stories like Cinderella and the Pirates of the Caribbean, the stories really came alive in the music. The conductor introduced the stories and the music beforehand and I gave the kiddos a brief Cliff's Notes version (I think I just dated myself). Then, the kids kept asking as the music would shift moods, 'What's happening now, Mami?'  I loved watching their faces as they listened intently to the music, matching the story with the song. Seeing their curiosity mixed with amazement mixed with anticipation, all with rapt attention was incredibly thrilling for me. I cherish being able to help them learn to love and appreciate music. I hope it brings them as much joy as it brings to me!

here goes nothing!

We told O that when we ran out of diapers we weren't buying any more and he had to use the potty. Today is the day. And he's had one successful pee pee!  I am excited yet dreading these next days? Weeks? Months?... 

art cars

swim classes

It's time for the Vassariños to learn to swim. Mami needs to be able to be around water and not worry about three little souls who don't know how to swim. The class we registered for requires all swimmers go every day for 2 weeks before continuing on with weekly, semi-weekly or any other classes.

We have finished one week. They've been amazing. The instructors and the kiddos. The instructors have the perfect a balance of sweetness building trust and comfort of the kids in the water and their care against toughness to push the kids to learn and grow. I love watching the kids have a blast in the water and be proud of what they have learned.