Summertime... I love this time of year, the sun is shining, pace of life slows a little bit and makes you feel a bit more relaxed in general. We celebrated Independence Day on USA soil for the first time in five years and what better place to be then near our country's capital! Of course, neither the girls or Dana and myself stayed awake to see the fireworks (with a 2.5 year old and baby, probably more terrifying then entertaining for them), but we still had our BBQ outside on our deck and toasted to the birth of our nation, reflecting on all the great attributes that makes America "the land of the free".
We have so many freedoms here that we take for granted. We are blessed with the freedom of speech and our government does not control our media or sensor our publications, we can voice our opinions and political views as we see fit and challenge those in authority if we are unsatisfied with their leadership. We are free to practice any religion without being persecuted or restricted in anyway. Our early countrymen founded the United States' government based on a checks and balance system in such a way so that we will never be victims of a tyranny or dictatorship. Regardless of gender, class, race or sexual orientation, we are are all granted our fundamental human rights.
Not everyone in this world is born given the right to "life, liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness". We must remember those like Aung San Suu
Kyi, Chen Guangcheng, Wangari Muta Maathai, Nelson Mandela
and Desmond Tutu, just to name a few, who have dedicated their lives to
fight for basic human rights to be honored and upheld by the governments
of their home countries.
To bolster our national pride further, following the 4th of July holiday, the Summer Olympics have been a pleasure to watch. It's inspiring to see the top athletes in the world performing at their peak after years of training and focus. I can't help but feel so much pride for Oscar Pistorius, his story is so inspiring and really embodies that bright spirit of Ubuntu from South Africa that we fell in love with there. I am also proud to say that Michael Phelps just happened to be born and raised outside of Baltimore, so who knows what our girls could aspire to one day. The way Sophiya was watching the female trampolinists jaw dropped, I'm beginning to think this would be an event that would be perfectly suited to meet her daily energy burning needs.
At this point, I'm not sure what my oldest daughter's future holds, there are so many tracks for her. Sophiya is becoming a comedian, a negotiator, a heart melter, a blood pressure riser, a singer, a thrill seeker, a show stopper... Independence Day is every day for our child, everything is on her own, on her terms and very little room for compromise. Of course, as her parents, we too are learning the art of compromise and negotiation, and finding the delicate balance of setting limits and boundaries for our little firecracker, while giving her the independence to learn and grow through doing and exploring.
Her sentences are blossoming and vocabulary continues to grow rapidly. She's learned to tug on our heartstrings at bedtime after we've tucked her in and left her bedroom, by silently escaping to find us and say "I miss Mommy and Daddy" She'll say things like, "How you doing Daddy?" when she's picked up from school and genuinely waits for a response. When we've made plans to do something fun for the day she'll exclaim with pure joy, "I'm so excited!" When her little sister is getting fussy she lets me know, "Mommy, Enna's tired and hungry". She lets us know by standing on her tippy toes, "Iya's SO big, see? See?" Her "pleases" "thank yous" and "excuse me's" coming out now without reminders, which is pleasing to hear after drilling them into her head for the past year. She also shares her mother's sentiments when something is broken, even beyond repair she will suggest "Maybe Daddy fix it?"
Little Siena is such a sweetheart, she really makes our family feel complete. She is such an easy going, happy go lucky little baby, now six months old and growing so quickly. She is so physically strong and sturdy and already biting at the bit to start moving - and I'm not ready for that yet!! She's sitting steadily on her own, with a few "timbers" here and there, but getting more and more grounded as each day.
She wants to reach out for toys out of her immediate surroundings and is preparing to crawl, I would guess she'll be on the move in a month or so! She is dying to keep up with her sister. She's also eating all kinds of foods now and absolutely LOVES it. How refreshing after Sophiya, pickiest child EVER, to have a baby that will happily accept anything I give to her - especially when it takes time and extra effort to make it all by hand!
Her personality is really starting to come out now and it is so fun to see her and Sophiya interacting. Anytime Siena starts getting a bit fussy, I summon Sophiya over and a couple games of peek-a-boo and anything else she comes up with will normally do the trick! I love how much they are bonding already even at this young age. The minute Sophiya comes home from school, she asks where her sister is and as soon as Sophiya is home, Siena doesn't take her eyes off her. They are so enamored with one another in fact, that there are time either notice Dana and I are in the room.
Sisters certainly are a wonderful thing.
At this point, I'm not sure what my oldest daughter's future holds, there are so many tracks for her. Sophiya is becoming a comedian, a negotiator, a heart melter, a blood pressure riser, a singer, a thrill seeker, a show stopper... Independence Day is every day for our child, everything is on her own, on her terms and very little room for compromise. Of course, as her parents, we too are learning the art of compromise and negotiation, and finding the delicate balance of setting limits and boundaries for our little firecracker, while giving her the independence to learn and grow through doing and exploring.
Her sentences are blossoming and vocabulary continues to grow rapidly. She's learned to tug on our heartstrings at bedtime after we've tucked her in and left her bedroom, by silently escaping to find us and say "I miss Mommy and Daddy" She'll say things like, "How you doing Daddy?" when she's picked up from school and genuinely waits for a response. When we've made plans to do something fun for the day she'll exclaim with pure joy, "I'm so excited!" When her little sister is getting fussy she lets me know, "Mommy, Enna's tired and hungry". She lets us know by standing on her tippy toes, "Iya's SO big, see? See?" Her "pleases" "thank yous" and "excuse me's" coming out now without reminders, which is pleasing to hear after drilling them into her head for the past year. She also shares her mother's sentiments when something is broken, even beyond repair she will suggest "Maybe Daddy fix it?"
Little Siena is such a sweetheart, she really makes our family feel complete. She is such an easy going, happy go lucky little baby, now six months old and growing so quickly. She is so physically strong and sturdy and already biting at the bit to start moving - and I'm not ready for that yet!! She's sitting steadily on her own, with a few "timbers" here and there, but getting more and more grounded as each day.
She wants to reach out for toys out of her immediate surroundings and is preparing to crawl, I would guess she'll be on the move in a month or so! She is dying to keep up with her sister. She's also eating all kinds of foods now and absolutely LOVES it. How refreshing after Sophiya, pickiest child EVER, to have a baby that will happily accept anything I give to her - especially when it takes time and extra effort to make it all by hand!
Her personality is really starting to come out now and it is so fun to see her and Sophiya interacting. Anytime Siena starts getting a bit fussy, I summon Sophiya over and a couple games of peek-a-boo and anything else she comes up with will normally do the trick! I love how much they are bonding already even at this young age. The minute Sophiya comes home from school, she asks where her sister is and as soon as Sophiya is home, Siena doesn't take her eyes off her. They are so enamored with one another in fact, that there are time either notice Dana and I are in the room.
Sisters certainly are a wonderful thing.
It is hot here in the mid-Atlantic, really hot this summer as is every State in a America experiencing rising temperatures. We've been taking full advantage of our pool membership and taking the girls swimming every chance we get to cool down. There are some pretty amazing kid friendly pools and mini water parks in the area, so Sophiya is in heaven. She's slowly learning to swim with a life vest on and loves to jump into our arms. Siena also loves the water and enjoys coming along for the ride!
Finding it a challenge to get both girls to smile at the same time!
Really exciting trip ahead and blog post to follow....
