Princesses, bears, and pirates

Dear Maya and Emi,

So, what was once a weekly blog about you two has turned into just about every three weeks. To be fair, mommy has been blogging more regularly than ever on her website, so that evens it out, right? Come time to make your annual birthday photo books it's going to be a challenge, though, because there are also a lot less photos of you two lately. I knew the day would come when I'd stop taking out the camera at every funny face and new happening, but I didn't expect it so soon. Sigh...

Aside from the pirate pics, all today's blog photos are from my cell phone.
Now that the weather looks a little less like this I hope to take out my real camera more often!

This is the way our days have been going lately (at least when you have school, Maya--which with all the snow we've had lately isn't always the case--see above!) Emi, you could play dress up all day long, either with costumes and props or by mixing and matching your own clothes. And your vocabulary and grammar has suddenly exploded and you crack us up daily. The other day when daddy was talking you replied, "Oh, Baba! What am I gonna do with you?!?"

Along with all that cuteness, Emi, you drive us pretty crazy, too. You avoid the potty at all costs, though today you actually used it for the first time in ages. And you've gone several naptimes and even a night without needing a diaper. Fingers crossed for more news in that department!

Maya, you have been doing so well at school. You blew through that second box of Bob books in no time flat, even reading "polliwog" when you didn't actually know the word! And the sentences you create at school, not to mention your illustrations, always surprise me with their accuracy.

Happy bunny

Ice cream truck with music notes and customers!

The three buildings of Shimabara Castle with plum blossoms, plum trees, a red carp, and a yellow tatami mat!!!

The other weekend, Maya, you came with mommy to "The Music Man" at one of the local high schools. I really didn't think you'd be able to stay awake through the whole performance since it started at your usual bedtime. You did, though, and have been singing "76 Trombones" ever since!

Well, back to potty training and book reading and dinner making and business emails for mommy. Love you both!

Real days, real life

Dear Maya and Emi,

Tonight's post is going to be real. Probably more real than mommy's usual posts. We've all felt a little stressed lately. During your week off school for mid-winter break, Maya, you and your sister fought a lot. Emi, your potty training is going absolutely nowhere. And in general the fluctuating temperatures and weather outside and occasional colds/bouts of asthma/etc. inside have got us all feeling a bit of cabin fever.

A few days ago mommy realized I'd not taken out a real camera to photograph you guys in ages. Part of that is having a new camera that I was afraid of using around you, and part of it was not being able to go outside for 'pretty' pictures because of the weather. So, I just started documenting our real life. The messes, the stained shirts, the awful stye on your eye Emi, the screen time stare for you Maya, and in general the trials and laughs of our daily lives. Here goes:

Superhero day at school--thanks for the shirt, Rhi!

She's just about through the next box, too!

She prefers the bread, but will eat the veggies, too. Meat she's not too fond of, though.

A nice walk on the Rail Trail with Maya the other day helped break up the monotony.

She will sit on this little potty forever and not produce. Note the finger in the nose, the bedhead, the stinky pillow that she loves, the cardboard tablet easel made from a stapled wine box. Yup, that's parenthood. 

You guys are certainly cute, though, and when you get along it's really sweet. Let's have more of that, huh? Love you both!