Constant Beginnings

Oh Claire and Mya. If only you had an idea of just how much you are loved, cherished and how proud we are of each of you. You are the most beautiful girls--inside and out. While the words below are not my own, they could just as well be. I found this letter online and it eloquently summarizes what is on my heart and in my mind each day. Despite the hustle and bustle of life, I try desperately to "live in the moment." While I desire a well organized, calm life, I've come to the realization that one day I will look back and long for these days. Days where we are running to and from activities,  a house filled with noise--laughter, arguing, chatter, time of play, watching your magic shows, concerts or plays, watching you dress up in princess dresses asking to wear high heels, jewelry and makeup, watching you and listening to you sweetly ask your brother if he wants to play outside with you, watching the games you play on the trampoline while your brother laughs his boistero

I told Chris the other day this has been a hard year. His response, "what do-ya mean?" Obviously, he doesn't really share the same perspective. As I reflect, each year or "season" in life is tough. Different from others. This one was tough as we had a mobile 1 year old, not yet able to verbalize his desires, not yet able to truly PLAY with siblings, but 100% dependent on us. We had an eight year old and six year old, both incredibly brilliant girls, but clearly each needed space--from each other. They had their moments of love, but each trying desperately to figure out how they fit into our family life, trying to figure out their own likes/dislikes, etc. As if we weren't crazy enough, we welcomed a puppy into our madness. This cranked up the level insanity a million, but she too, is figuring us out. In the midst of it all, Chris and I were trying to engineer our lives and orchestrate the greatest composition ever.  It was tough. We've gone back and f

Henna tatoos at the Desert safari. We had a boat chartered in Dubai where we snorkeled just off the King's Palace property.  The King's new palace.  Checking out Dubai. Outside the Atlantis Hotel. Atlantis. My happy place---Cheesecake Factory! Aquarium inside the Dubai mall. Checking out the souks. Twins! Sand dune bashing vehicle? Yes it is! This crazy thing drove us over and down sand dunes in the middle of the desert. People had to pull over so they could vomit. It was insane! Can't believe we did this with our kids! Such fun. Ready for the dunes! One thing we've desperately missed since moving to Europe from Asia has been sunshine and heat. Don't get me wrong, we do have bouts of 80+ degree weather, but that is typical