sunday photo: a sister act

 

for the sisters that don't always act like they love each other;

your endless hours of play will turn into endless hours of talking.

your incessant fighting will turn into an abundance of thought-provoking discussions.

you will hug each other, you will punch each other, you will do each others' hair, you will tease each other. you will teach each other the truth about love, forgiveness and acceptance.

you will continue to cry because of each other but you will begin to cry with each other.

 you will learn to shout at each other with your lips shut tight, but you will cheer each other on with voices louder than your most angry, toddler-intense scream.

you will tell each other your deepest pains and celebrate your most menial feats. 

you will love and embrace each other like no one else can. not even me.

you will be the best thing you have in the world.

little moments

when their toes start peeking out from their jammies and teeth emerge from the gummy smile.
when their tongue starts twisting to form new sounds and the bangs grow over those mischievous eyes.
when the simplest upset brings a high-pitched scream that makes your hair stand on end,
and everyone's lucky to be alive when it's over.
legs grow longer, fingers grow more nimble, humor grows more sophisticated, tantrums grow louder, and will grows stronger.

but each night it's nearly the same.
eyes closed, heavy breathing, body sprawled over the mass of blankets necessary for slumbering companionship. the door slides open and the hall light illuminates the cherubs safely sleeping.
we look on and like to think we have something to do with their brilliance and beauty.
the door slides closed and dreams take the little souls away until the sun wakes up.
and we do it all over again.
for moments like this, i'd do it forever.

liza lu

ten months -
ten times the fire
ten times the tantrums
ten times the ferocity
ten times the opinions
and ten times the love.

this girl can't get enough of her mommy's lap to sit on or her shoulder to lay on; she's not going anywhere anytime soon. but she also can't get moving often enough and fiercely complains when i move her toward the car seat, stroller or crib. she is so full of humor and personality, it's all i can do but burst with explanation of her intricate workings.
and so we remain, overwhelmed by her cheeks and her vibrance which roll over us like a ton of bricks.

Liza Lu

sea blue eyes and whisps so wild
cherry lips spread wide, my bright child
round and soft you snuggle in
hearts melting under my chin

ooh ooh ooh, my Liza Lu
love is all i have for you
from above you came to lay
and heaven is not far away

laughing all the sadness gone
from my arms don't wander long
tell me your fears
i'll wipe all tears
softly

ooh ooh ooh, my Liza Lu
love is all i have for you
from above you came to lay
and heaven is here
to stay

today's shoot

i love this porch. we're lucky it's right outside and facing west, perfectly out of the direct sunlight for gorgeous photos when the girls are happy in the morning. for all these reasons, you may see this porch again. 

eliza is officially mobile. crawling forward with less and less halting movements every time she tries it. that girl has "no in between" as auntie lynn put it so appropriately. she goes from happy as a bug to angry as a hippo in zero seconds flat. her siren complaints often warn me that a large, deviously looking two and a half year old is approaching. i'm comforted to know she can hold her own. 

jade gets smarter, sassier, more funny and more grown up with every passing day. she is no longer a bundle of joy but a nebula of brain and curiosity, bursting at the seams of her own horizon. i don't think my duty is to build a safe cocoon wherein she can safely reside from the risks and perils that may beset her; my duty is to build stairs, towers and mountains that she can climb so that once on top she will see the power, wisdom and strength that is her. climb high my beautiful girl and fly your flag with pride.

fall

thought i would share this journal entry tonight

I feel like every day I am falling. Continually falling. Sometimes I can't even put one foot in front of the other because I'll just trip and find myself flat on my face once again. I cry, I pout, I shout, I exasperate. And I have a mirror that looks mysteriously like my two and a half year old... and that mirror reflects back at me with disconcerting clarity.
I imagine that it would be easy to see all the bruises covering my elbows and knees and the callous on my hands from clawing my way back to a wobbly but standing position over and over each day. When does this poor mama rest? "Between heartbeats" says my Dad. But my baby looks up at me with her deep blue eyes and doesn't let go for a second. I often think of what she sees; I know it's not the imperfection that I so readily identify with. She sees every need and every comfort her little soul could ever ask for.
I must not be falling in her eyes; I must be floating.

eliza plays

7 months

15 pounds

she gets longer and chunkier every day. believe me, you wish you were a fly on the wall of this little life. so funny, so chatty, so ferocious; i can't recall what our life was like without her. 

the other afternoon, she wasn't crying to sleep as quickly as normal. i went in and found her sitting up, both legs stuck out of the slats of the crib (under the bumper, mind you) and hands holding to the crib edge, crocodile tears tumbling in every direction. poor little 'liza doo. 

crawling and scooting in every direction but forward. good thing she doesn't take it personally; just yells about it and promptly tries again. 

i envy the fortitude of babyhood.

5 days overdue

little eliza was just taking her sweet time. this girl must have been hanging on to constant mommy time as long as she could because it took the doc breaking my water to coax her into this world. that little gem sucks on to mommy with love and devotion night and day. at 7 months she lays her head on my chest and remains still while i stroke her marshmallow cheek. she would sleep in the crook of my arm all night if she could. where jade harbors her sensitive and intriguing little soul, eliza holds passion and zeal and is in no hurry to hide it.
these pictures were taken two days before she arrived. 7 months ago exactly. late pregnancy is so unforgettable yet it's so fleeting. not a day goes by that i don't look at our little wild child #2 and acknowledge how happy i am she is here.

photos by jared medley

dynamic duo

we recently learned that aaron's nick name as a baby was "poop" so, obviously we have come to call eliza "poop jr."

eliza is a mommy's girl and is not apologetic about it. daddy has gone to great lengths to win her over but her crocodile tears and heaving sobs abruptly turn to cheerful bobbing and cooing when mommy rescues her.

eliza, i appreciate that you openly acknowledge what i mean to you. just don't forget about daddy's tender little heart. 

love these two.

fits, futures and feats

fits

jade turned exactly 2 1/2 yesterday. the sass that comes out of this girl is uncanny. she took her first fishing trip with daddy and grandpa hone saturday and found the greatest entertainment was in throwing the collection of fish on the stringer back into the water, then pulling them back to the shore "i got a fish!" 

apparently you can the same fish twice.

and when she was done, she got up from her chair and started walking back toward the parking lot. "where are you going, jade?"

"i'm going home, daddy."

apparently you can drive yourself home at the age of two.

she never quits, and we wouldn't have it any other way. 

futures

daddy makes us laugh each and every day, which is a good thing for three overly-emotional, young ladies. he's working so hard to finish up school and work his way into the park system. the future has so many possibilities; our adventures have only begun. 

feats

our blue-eyed girl - well, blue-eyed for now. we'll see what the next few months bring us. 

rolling over, grabbing, jabbing, poking, pulling, whining, screaming, laughing, joking.

these are only a few of the things that make us all smile and drive us crazy. 

we welcome this little passionate and vibrant spirit into our circle. 

she fits right in.

5 months and not stopping

14 pounds
27 inches

she's a monster of emotions and a queen of complaining - or rather, a queen of communicating. this little one's got an agenda all of her own and isn't afraid to let me know when her big sister is crowding her space. she's got an insightful little sense of humor and laughs at daddy's jokes at the drop of a hat. she snuggles, gazes, kicks and grabs with fierce determination. welcome to the world i enjoy everyday. 

someone's eating solid foods

4 months

12 pounds

25 inches

laughs, coos, voraciously eats anything in her path, nearly rolls over

she's got as much perseverance as jade has personality

jade just bursts with love for her little sister. "uh-WHY-zuh!" i do my best to not spend the whole day telling her to stop touching and grabbing and poking and squeezing and kissing and hugging; she's never at a loss for attention to give ... or demand. jade is a bright little cookie and i'm starting to seriously worry that eliza will have no problem keeping up with her in every way. i better strap in for the ride!

i love these little rolly-polly bodies more than anything in the world. when their tough demands and lively attitudes melt into puffy cheeks and their big eyes finely hide under long, dark slivers of eyelashes, i stare and i stare some more - and it is never enough. different tears come to my eyes when they are quiet and asleep. despite how i felt just hours before, these tears are now wishing i could live this day over once more, just in case i missed any breath, any heartbeat. they are each so fleeting.