Clean Room

Look at this clean room!  

Mama must be dreaming again...

7am Sunday

What does 7:00 am on a Sunday look like at your house?

In Our Bedroom

Everything is "twin size"

Here's a quick little story for you...

We assembled Anakai's "new" bed recently.  

"Can I sleep in your new bed, Anakai?" asked Lola Beth.

"No." Anakai replied,

"That's MY new bed.  

You sleep in your old bed.  

Because you're old."

Staying Cool

...Is serious business around here.


Rule #1. Gotta wear shades.

Even if its the only thing, and upside down.

Rule #2. Gotta always be camera-ready.




Rule #3. Gotta be buoyant.


Rule #4. Gotta make it look easy.


Papa shows the twinkies a little frog. "Hello Mr. Frog!"


"Goodbye Mr. Frog."

Girls Girls Girls

Six girls on the rocks, please.


Just us girls - mom, her three daughters, and four grand-daughters.

Sheila, Ashley, Brittany, Xenia, Anakai, Beth, Darlene, and Kacia.

Summer Smiles

Cousins who sit and eat together...


are happy cousins who get to have ice cream together!


“I doubt whether the world holds for any one a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream” ~Heywood C. Broun

Mowing The Lawn

Who knew it could be THIS much fun?!?!?

"Papa-Skills"

That's how Anakai says 'popsicles' (which is an improvement from her 'pop-up skulls' phase.)

Thanks to my handy dandy ever ready mama-cam, this pic represents the first this spring season to enjoy delicious 'papa-skills' outdoors on their frog-bench beneath the Japanese maple tree.

Kacia loves walking across the log and along the rock wall.

Which reminds me... I need to stock up on all sorts of skin protection from all the itchy woodland creatures.


Here is Anakai in pure awe of how much fun this tree provides. Just so you know, its also the same tree that we saw Mr. Snake slither and slide around. He was about 2ft long, was black with yellow stripes along his sides. Kacia said, "Hi Mr. Snake" Anakai gleefully hissed.

Magnolia Tree

The temperature went from being in the mid 40's on Thursday, to 90 degrees on Friday! So typical of the New York rat-race... even the seasons are in a rush.

Bye-Bye Winter, Hello Spring!

Time to get outside and do some gardening...or at least push the wheelbarrow around.


The weeping willow tree is budding, the forsythia's blooming, Anakai is growing...

Out Back

By "out back" I mean, out back behind our house...

The Potty Club Presents:

Kacia Roo! Here she is after finishing her "Kacia pee-pee in the potty" dance.

I feel like I've been trying foreverrr with double potty training, and this is what I've come up with. It isn't 'double potty training' at all... its just 'potty training' provided she, or she, is ready. In this case, she [Kacia] is ready (with a score of 5/7 PP's yesterday, 3/4 PP's today. Poopie score is 3 for 3) While she [Anakai] is less ready, but not far behind.

So in effort to help encourage Kacia's success, she gets to choose to wear whatever she wants (which above, is my nighty. So I think to myself ~if it weren't for her, it would still be in the lingerie drawer~) and have another graham cracker with nutella, as I'm not above using tricks and bribery.

Hanging Out

Here they are with Uncle Shaun.

Yoga At Home

Everyone now has there own yoga mat and cushion. Which means, to me, we now each have our very own seat in this universe; our very own peaceful place on the planet to always retreat to and 'be at home'...right here at home!

Kacia's "giggling girl" pose.
Anakai's "I'm happy I'm me" pose.
A little bit of yoga yields a room full of smiles (: I bet you'd smile too if you were wearing a princess nighty :)
Look, even the view is smiling!

Being Home

The grounds have been covered 'neath thick layers of white snow since Christmas, and cabin fever is knockin' at the door. But lucky for us, the twinkies have replaced all boredom with mischief and adventure.

Here is Kacia assembling the universe. A gift from Tita Lia. She often grows frustrated when re-assembling the universe.


Anakai's interests are typically different.


She loves my Japanese blossoms card and enjoys drumming in her spare time. Both from Tita Lia.


Here is Kacia catching up on her flower fairies (you guessed it - also from Tita Lia) with her beverage. I think she might want to address them properly when she speaks with them again come Spring.


With this random selection of activities to choose from (and we've got lots) I understood it to be the twinkies' subtle way to give a shout-out to Tita Lia. Come back soon and help us re-assemble the universe!

Learning Balance

Here's a perfect present for 3 year old twins - a teeter totter from Tita Xenia and Rocco.

Watching the twinkies figure out how to use this contraption marked a huge shift in my personal understanding of being a mom-of-twins. Up to now, I've been trying to find the balance between them, when really what they need to do is learn how to balance each other. "You (two) are the twins, mama is not." That there must be some innate twin gene that will forever remain a mystery to us 'singletons'. To see them 'get it' is precious, but to hear their heart melting giggles while figuring it out is just priceless!!

Heaven's Right Here

Come on over to my yard,
sit around
let your troubles all disappear.

Come on over to my yard,
because right now
Heaven's right here!

Kacia plays gently with mama's hair.

Hip Hip Hooray!! Two smiles for mama!

Here are some of our favorite visitors - William, Christian, and cousin Ashley (underwater).
The twinkies LOVE Christian!!!

Wills and Ash playing ball in the fire circle.

Gaze into the fire circle and tell us what you see...

Christian, aka the bench.
The outdoor living room. Beth, Brits, Tony, Linda, and Wills.
Grand Den plays with Kacia's little piggies....wee wee weee, all the way home!

Happy the dog visits often.
Mr. Turtle also stopped by to say hi after a huge rainstorm.

So did this thing.

Sister love!

(-_-) (-_-)

As mama (quietly) pumps her fists with victory into the air... they're napping!

(If I were smarter, I would've neatened up their bedroom a wee bit before taking this photo :)~

This is how Kacia naps - with blue ugly doll and all tucked in.

While Anakai prefers being swaddled in her pink blanky, usually like a turban. Hey, what everrr it takes! :)

Thanks for coming by, we love visitors!!