Christmas 2008

And what a Merry Christmas it was!!

Thank you for our Christmas outfits Gra-Nancy and Bob!

Cleveland's Christmas 2005

The Twinkies first Christmas 2005They were just so wriggly and small!

Peace On Earth...

...Begins with peace in our hearts and homes.

We visited Tita Lia's 'new' home to bake delicious things and just be together...

T'was the monday before Christmas, and all through the kitchen,Mommies were baking, and daughters weren't (begins with 'b', rhymes with kitchen :)

Lia teaches me the finer points for making her mom's seriously authentic baklava.


Among the things I'm so grateful for this holiday season is re-uniting with Lia, my best friend from way back when - in Tappan Zee High School, class of 1987. I remember those days when we would wonder about the world together and had yet to discover our Selves. I remember dreaming... what it would be like when we grew up, and had children of our own. What would they look like and be like, and how cool it would be if our children liked each other. Now Lia's daughter Anastasia will be graduating from the same high school we did. Last night, I watched Ana as she gently corralled my twin daughters... and it brought me straight back to that dream. For this moment, my heart melts just a little more. Now THATS the Christmas spirit!

Phyllo, butter, phyllo, butter, phyllo, butter...nuts. Repeat.

Below is a Christmas card I painted dated 1986. Thank you Greg!

Peace to your heart and home this holiday season.

And this is our Christmas Tree's point of view... cool, huh?!
(We've strategically calculated that Santa's sleigh path
should be coming from over those hills yonder :)

Kacia's on the look out for Tito Nick, while Anakai has another delicious treat.

Let It Snow

Playing in the deep fluffy snow on winter solstice day. Here's Kacia, Anakai and William.

Kid with a plan.

Kid with good aim.

Kacia loves to play in the snow!

One of these kittens has lost their mittens, and she began to cry.

There's Anakai's mittens!

Change

Change. It's the theme across the land and our home this week.

Out with the old toddler size tiny beds; in with the kid size bunk beds. And Dora the explorer duvet + beddings, of course. They've already learned how to climb over the railings without any help from the ladder, much to mama's dismay. Here they are with their favorite past time: books! Anakai reading with Toby, Kacia on the top bunk. And what a picture perfect view of the kingdom out the window!

Halloween Parade 2008

Mama's Angel Drives A Motorcycle

Something exploded beneath the hood of my car that made it start spewing smoke and bleeding green. That's when the lady in the fast-food-pick-up-window (whom I just handed my last $20 to) said, "You need to move your car ma'am... NOW!"

So now I'm in the parking lot with the hood open, no money, two hungry girls and no food. At least it was a gorgeous autumn day.

That's when Joe entered the picture and approached my convulsing car. He had pulled off the road to answer his sons phone call when he caught glimpse of my collapsing universe. He had set out to go for a lovely motorbike ride and take pretty pictures of the spectacular fall day.



As it turned out, Joe was an angel sent to me from the heavens above! He was able to easily diagnose my predicament to be an old blown out hose leading away from the radiator. Then go to 3 different nearby auto stores in search of a replacement for said hose, and a gallon of antifreeze. And also happened to have everything necessary for an emergency roadside repair with him on his motorcycle, at that very moment. To him, the tool he had was a simple, ordinary, screwdriver (to clamp the hose at each end) and the timely call from his son. (I have a many screwdrivers, and NOT ONE ever bailed me out of such misery like Joe's did.) To me, however, Joe was my shining savior fully equipped with the right fatherly/traveling-mechanic demeanor, and fundamental knowledge of what happens when old cars and new moms toting twin toddlers combine.

He let Kacia play on his motorcycle while he finished his repairs.



He wouldn't take ANY money from me, nor even exchange information! He told me that the way to repay him was to watch the movie "Pay It Forward" and then I'll understand.

Thank you, Joe. I so sincerely appreciate your unconditional compassion. Namaste~

Lorca's Birthday Party

Lorca is now 3 years old, and what a happy day it was! So many beautiful little children.

another visit to the monastery

What a beautiful autumn day in such a peaceful place.

First Haircut

Merry-Go-Round

Kacia (in pink) and Anakai (in purple) got to go on their first merry-go-round! Kacia loved saying "Giddy up! Yeee-hah!"

Bear Mountain Zoo

Kacia (purple shirt) and Anakai's (green shirt) first visit to Bear Mountain State Park.

Chuan Yen Buddhist Monastery

Grandpapa's Autumnal Equinox Visit

Grandpapa Terry came by to visit us all the way from CA, and he had a very relaxing time (riiight... :)

digging and gardening...

sanding and painting the hall bathroom...

and making dinner - for eight.

We did manage to go hang out with James et al, sans twinkies, one night.

At least you can't hear them crying in photos.

Grandpapa dissuading Anakai from going swimming.
Time ta goo (inflected with a Jamaican lilt). Kacia and ugly doll patiently wait for grandpapa's train.

Another lovely visit from Terry :)!