Late night tub time

Lots of tickling and kisses happened during Brooks and Ava's tub time last night. You would have never thought they were driving each other cray-zy allllll day yesterday. ;)

Fresh out of the tub...

Jumping on the bed, fresh out of the tub...

Playing with the animals their Daddy played with when he was a boy...

Stealing kisses...

Awesome half-wet hair dos...

Telling Mama what the gorilla and lion both say...

...all made up a small part of an afternoon that I never want to forget.

Moon Park + a video

Our afternoon at Moon Park today was the best we've had in a while. I'm so glad I decided before hand that I'd get some video...because goodness, Brooks and Ava were as sweet as honey to each other, which isn't always the case. ;) From watching them share apples and gold fish crackers, to helping me draw stars with sidewalk chalk, to playing in the sand and cracking each other up, I couldn't help but feel oh-so grateful to call them mine. It's afternoons like these that make up for the grocery store tantrums, the sleepless nights, and the silliest fights over not wanting to share the silliest "toys" (kitchen utensils as of late).

The song on the video is "I Take Flight" from Mindy Gledhill's new album Pocketful of Poetry...isn't it just magic??  I can't help but hope that my children always know that even though they'll be my babies forever, I also relish in their daily moments of taking flight to learn and grow. 

Snow Cone Kisses

We've been home sick alllll week...so I'll just satisfy my snow-cone craving and itch to get out and drive somewhere by sharing these photos from a few weeks ago. It was such a sweet afternoon out with Brooks and Ava. I tell ya, 90 percent of the time, those two are either doing their own thing, or they're driving each other ca-razy. But the other 10 percent, are filled with moments like sharing snow cones and giving kisses covered in the snow cone juice. ;) They make my heart burst.

Being a brother

Goodness I fall more in love with Brooks every time I see him engage and take on his role as big brother to Ava.

Sure, he thinks sharing with sister means giving her the crumbs from the last of the "go-fish" bag... 

And if he covers his eyes he disappears from the, equally sweet and messy, predicament the cinnamon sugar got him and Ava in the other day...apparently they thought it tasted just as good on the couch as it does on toast.

But he has a magic touch with her.

Clapping and patting her hands in the bath tub the other night made her laugh so hard that she got weak in the knees and couldn't stand...so plop and splash went her cute bum in the bathtub, and they both continued the laughing fest 'til they were out of breath.

Or today when she was crying in the car, he reeeeached over, and calmed her by holding fingers.

Yea, I'd say that being a brother is definitely better than being a superhero.

Magic

Magic is...watching my two little ones love on each other, especially because lately these sweet moments have seemed few and far between. Brooks is so easily irritated by Ava, and the poor girl just can't seem to resist pulling his hair or grabbing anything he's playing with. We're working with her to be more soft, and especially with him to be more sharing and understanding "she's just a baby" (we say that A LOT).

Magic is...what I'm going to need to cross the finish line of the sprint triathlon I'll be doing in Oregon this April with my Dad. I registered for it last week and I'm equally pumped/excited about accomplishing this, as I am terrified/anxious that I'll pass out in the middle of my swim.

Magic is...mornings that I wake up and realize Ava slept for a solid 8 hours. And then snuggling in closer to Adam before getting up and out of bed.

Magic is...hearing a boy in the Sunday School class I teach laugh out loud, like really laugh, when I haven't heard him speak more than a few words ever.

Magic is...holding the fresh, not-even-a-day-old baby girl of one of my best friends, and hearing about her incredible birth.

Magic is...a long back rub from Adam. Heaven I tell you!

Magic is...the new Vine app. I've had a little to much fun making little videos with it! And when I'm checking out my feed of "moving photographs", it makes me feel like I'm at Hogwarts. :) Anyone else have the magical app?

Magic is...making fresh whipped cream with Brooks. Then eating giant, fluffy spoonfuls straight from the bowl, and sharing some with sister...another magic moment! :)

Swimming with piggies and penguins

Yesterday Brooks and Ava enjoyed one of their Christmas gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Kjar...they love their penguin and piggy bath time pals. :) It was the only thing that would cheer them up while feeling so crummy. I mentioned in this post that we all had a little bug on Christmas Eve but were starting to feel better Christmas day...well, the symptoms have boomeranged and are back with a vengeance. I hate seeing my littles be sick, and being sick myself while trying to nurse them back to health is as ironic and tiring as it sounds. I'm sure I'm not only one out there who feels like a bully/torturer with the bulb syringe...but it sure helps my baby girl breath better. Cheers to more baths, movies and books, and some essential oils (thank you Mandy!). 

Learning to love...

"Dear Human:
You’ve got it all wrong. You didn’t come here to master unconditional love. That is where you came from and where you’ll return. You came here to learn personal love. Universal love. Messy love. Sweaty love. Crazy love. Broken love. Whole love. Infused with divinity. Lived through the grace of stumbling. Demonstrated through the beauty of… messing up. Often. You didn’t come here to be perfect. You already are. You came here to be gorgeously human. Flawed and fabulous. And then to rise again into remembering. But unconditional love? Stop telling that story. Love, in truth, doesn’t need ANY other adjectives. It doesn’t require modifiers. It doesn’t require the condition of perfection. It only asks that you show up. And do your best. That you stay present and feel fully. That you shine and fly and laugh and cry and hurt and heal and fall and get back up and play and work and live and die as YOU. It’s enough. It’s Plenty."
-- Courtney A. Walsh

I really, really like that. Those littles in the sink are two of my favorite people on the planet (along with their sweet Daddy) and they teach me daily how to love, and be loved. It takes constant effort, and it's not always pretty, but we're working together. How did I get so lucky?

Brooks and Ava enjoying some skinny dipping (more like chunky dunking) in the kitchen sink over the weekend. ;)

Snow and Snuggles

It's cold and insanely beautiful outside

with a thick blanket of snow covering everything in sight.
So today we're inside snuggling, taking warm baths,
and drinking hot cocoa with every meal.

Happy Saturday!

"Too tight!"

Yesterday I thought I'd take some photos of Brooks and Ava similar to the ones I took back in April...to compare how they've both grown. :) Well this little photoshoot  definitely didn't turn out the same. But I adore it nonetheless. Can't get enough of my toe-chomping girl and extra-snug-hugging boy!

Rainy afternoon

Showing little sister the "wain" through the "code window".

Wearing cozy jackets.

{ Thanks Steve & Jill for Ava's North Face jacket! I absolutely adore it. }

Pumpkin painting with metallics. 

Sipping hot cocoa jazzed up with pumpkin pie spice.

Oh how I loved today's rainy afternoon.