Repeat

Nyah @ 1 1/2

Elsa @ 2 1/2

I love this shirt on our girls, it has to be one of my favs. I know it's just a shirt but this ol' thing lived a long life in Nyah's closet and now has a secure spot in Elsa's, courtesy of Aunt Ali. It's just so nice to see it again.

Long live hand-me-downs.

My Hair Education

So here is how the 'ol hair routine is going around here lately. Elsa and Nyah have drastically different hair types (if you haven't already noticed). Nyah has silky corkscrew curls and Elsa has zigzag curls that love to entangle themselves. But, in my eyes, both hair types are equally amazing. 

The 'ol go to detangler method I have been using to fix Ny's hair just wasn't doing the trick one Elsa's. And please let this serve as an instruction manual for Elsa's hair care in case I am ever not capable of caring for her hair.

We wash Elsa's hair on Sunday, and just stop right there. She bathes daily but her hair gets washed just once a week. By mid week her hair is a tangled mess and aside from leaving it up or braided all the time, nothing seemed to be working to tame her mane, and George loves her hair big and beautiful and free. Her hair has also been breaking off around the front of her hairline adding to the frizzy mess. 


I knew I was doing something wrong in caring for her hair. So I went on a mad Google and YouTube search to educate myself on her hair type so I could in turn teach her and hope that she will always love her hair and never turn to chemicals to straighten it. Not that chemicals are bad, I just happen to think her curls are super special. And little did I know that there is a whole natural hair revolution out there. 


My go to website has become UrbanBushBabes. One of the co writers happens to have Elsa's exact hair type so I have learned so much from this woman.


So here is Elsa's routine on wash days.

• Finger comb through her hair to remove any major mess.
• Wet hair and add clarifying shampoo- no sulfates! Distribute shampoo to create lather by pulling straight down on hair to avoid more tangles. (We use Queen Helene Stay Clean Shampoo- Whole Foods.)
• Add deep conditioner or leave in conditioner and let sit while she plays, pours, splashes, and bickers with her sister.
• Rinse.
• Lightly dry hair with towel but not too much, water makes combing easier.
• Add Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl and Style Milk (Target), give her her blankey and comb through hair with wide tooth comb. Never use a brush. Work in sections and be gentle. Though her hair looks big and bad, it is actually pretty fragile.
• Apply flax seed gel and comb through (recipe below).
• Seal the deal with an oil mixture.
• Kiss her cheek and send her on her way.

Flax seed gel is by far the coolest product I have discovered from my search. I picked up some whole dark flaxseeds (linseed) at Whole Foods. You can find the entire flax seed gel recipe here. 


It was so fun to make this product and I had no clue the potential of flax seed. But if you mix flax seed + H20+ heat, a perfect gel is released that holds curls without the crunch or product build up feeling. Here is a photo as I strain the gel from the flax seed after heating the mixture. Pretty thick.

I also added tea tree oil, lavender oil for smell, and aloe vera gel. It makes all the difference in Elsie's hair. No more frizz! I will most definitely be using this on my hair for curly days.

Life in the hair department is so much easier for Elsa now that I know what I am doing. Combing is less painful and it is so much easier to mix up her style mid week now since the tangles aren't as bad.


Finally, I tried to tie their hair with silk scarves last night to avoid tangle buildup during the night but the novelty wore off and the scarves came off.  I will be picking up some silk or satin pillow cases to avoid tangles or breakage of hair at night.

And there you go. Elsa's new hair routine and evidence that I give her hair more attention than I have ever given my hair, but she is totally worth it. 

Summer Love

Time is moving so fast, its hard to keep up. And hard to keep up with these kids. We are having so much fun with them, everyday. They are growing and changing at warp speed. Here is a little catch up of recent happenings. 

We made Nyah's universe and took her to Disney Princess on Ice, or in her eyes, The Greatest Show on Earth Ever. She was wide eyed every minute of the show and man does this girl know her princesses. Elsa enjoyed most of the show but lost interest towards the end and resorted to cheering and dancing. 

I now have three kids at home during the day because Nyah graduated from preschool! Though she will return a bit this summer to help her sister adjust to starting school (and don't get me started, I am already having anxiety about Elsa "leaving home") it is onto bigger things for this one. 

Jude is all over the house and is into anything and everything he can get his hands on which is ok with me. I love a curious kid but while I want to give him freedom to roam and explore I can't take my eyes off him for a second. Because if I do he is always moments away from disaster.

It is so hot here in Louisiana so we can really only get out to play in the mornings and evenings. When we bought this house we never dreamed this faucet would be such a hit. Hours of entertainment for the girls and me on repeat ever minute saying, "Girls, turn the water off. You're wasting water. Thats enough." I just can't help myself. But they love having their own water source.

And just a little warning-you might see this dress on Nyah for the majority of the summer. She scored the homemade dress on a recent trip we took from a sweet woman and she hasn't taken it off since because as she says, "Look, my back is out." George is less than amused, obviously, so this is another dress for home use only.

Since Nyah has been home she and Elsa have been going non stop pretending and fixing hair, and chasing, and screaming, and arguing. I am just so glad they have each other. Their bond is awesome.

These photos were taken as George and I were relaxing on the porch admiring our family just moments before this duo headed inside, alone. A few moments later we decided to take Jude inside to cool off. But when George tried the handle the door was locked along with every other door and window in the house. These sweet little girls locked us out of our house. 


We banged and rang the door bell but they would just scream and run around the living room then return to jumping on the bed. My idea was to return to the back porch and ignore them, they would miss us eventually, right? Well, turns out they were having a party and forgot they had parents so George knocked again and used his Dad voice and as soon as, "Early to bed!" came out of his mouth the door opened. Then the tears started flowing. They had fun while it lasted.

To celebrate Nyah's first day of vacation we put our swimsoups (as Elsa calls them) on this morning and headed to the water park to beat the heat and burn some energy. 

I am so looking forward to a summer of art, baking, playing, bugs and sun with these three and just getting back to the good life. We've missed you summer.

The Chase

There are the funniest little bugs flying around here in Louisiana. They come out after a good rain, fly low to the ground, and look like a big, slow, lanky mosquito. And trust me, I know my mosquitoes. But the best part is, they don't bite. I am sure these bugs have a name and I should look that up, but I won't.


Nyah has been into bugs lately. Not into them as some, but into watching them from a distance and making characters out of them. This morning as I was walking inside, she was low to the ground looking at something and said, "Wait! You're going to step on my prisoner!" She had found an ant.


So, as we were enjoying the warm afternoon yesterday, Ny found one of the mosquito like bugs and began following him, but only mustered the courage to touch him with a stick. 


Finally, Elsa caught on to what Nyah was doing, walked over, grabbed the bug, examined it and in just a split second realized her power. She quickly looked at her sister, held the bug out and began chasing a screaming Nyah around the drive way, while George and I looked on laughing. 


And this, in a way, sums up the drastic difference in personality of these two sisters. Both so uniquely, both so wonderful. 

*And for the record, George and I aren't really that cruel. Nyah soon realized the humor in the situation and joined in our laughter, without loosing much speed.

Goo Goo Gaga

I was lucky enough to overhear the following conversation as Jude and the girls were playing on the floor the other day.

Nyah: Jude, say goo goo ga ga.

Elsa: Jude, Lady Gaga.

Nyah: Jude, say goo goo ga ga.

Elsa: Jude, Lady Gaga.

And saga of being the little brother of two older sister continues. I am sure there is so much more to come for this little guy.

Re-Giving

I guess I would call myself the opposite of a hoarder. I actually probably give away/throw out a little too much out at times but a lack of clutter just feels so good to me. With that being said, after returning from the islands and moving this go around, I naturally came across a ton of my old stuff. 


It seems I have secretly been stashing things away my entire life in anticipation of something. That something was always a mystery but I remembering saving little things here and there, knowing always that saving items that meant something to me was a must. Luckily, my Mom graciously let me store all my extra stuff in a closet at her house all this time. Now that I finally have a home of my own (on the mainland) I am finally able to get it all out and give her her closet back. 

And then over the weekend as I was unpacking some more stuff and doing a little more decorating in Nyah's room, I suddenly realized that this is what I have been saving each little trinket for. This is it, this is the now, this is the time, this is my life. This is what I have been saving for. 


So I did it. I busted the dolls out, which I was given as a girl from my great grandmother, Katharyn, some twenty-one years ago, and gave them to my girls. Finally, a new life for the dolls, out of the boxes, out of the closet and to their new rightful owners. It just felt so right.

Most of the stuff like old jewelry I will save until they are older and more responsible but it just feels so good to know that all of my hidden treasures finally have a home with my children. The children I must have been waiting for.


My girls love the dolls and especially Angelina, from Mexico, who just happens to carry her own pinata.

I did a little research to see if I could find some more dolls from this collection for Nyah and Elsa but I guess they were discontinued. So no Caribbean girl or African girl to add to the collection but maybe we can find something similar someday.

Size

We had our first big pediatrician visit in Louisiana earlier this week.  A lot of the usual check up stuff with the dreaded shots, weight, height, etc. I was excited to get Elsa's height and weight because this will be her last appointment before she turns the big 2-0, just kidding, she will only be two. 


When Nyah turned two, I read up that this was the best age to determine what height the child will be as an adult. There are several formulas out there but I guess by doubling the child's height at the age of two is a good indicator of what their adult height will be. Another is based on parents heights, and the child's height and weight at a given age. An awesome and fun little parenting tool, I thought, like guessing the sex of a child during pregnancy by peeing on Draino (have you heard of that one), or doing the Chinese gender chart. 


Well, the height predictor put Nyah at a statuesque 5'9".  And as I ignorantly put Elsa's information in yesterday, excited for the results of my child's future, it predicted her at the age of eighteen to be...5'3". And though I think these are both beyond the perfect heights for our girls, I couldn't help but feel sort of jipped, robbed of the sheer delight it must bring to watch your child physically grow and grow into the beautiful adult they are meant to be, without knowing when they are finished. 

I immediately wanted to give the information back, permanently erase it from my memory because what business of mine is it to predict these girls futures? I mean what if this info lingers in the back of my mind and then the next thing you know I'm steering Nyah away from becoming a jokey and Elsa from being a runway model or volleyball star because I don't want them to get let down or fail? I don't want to let the knowledge of their predicted heights allow me to put them in a box in life because that is a total rip off and completely unfair to my children because the journey and dealing with and overcoming let downs and failures is what building character is all about.


So thanks to modern medicine and simple math equations we are now being way too invasive in our childrens' lives. I mean we look at them in the womb, their protected little world without second thought. And though the medical benefits way outweigh the weirdness of it all, hello, we are not supposed to see in there.


So does height matter in either direction? I think absolutely not, especially in matters that deal with the brain because knowledge is power and that is what I hope they depend on most in life. And as George so kindly reminded me, there are those that defy the odds in life each and every day. 

So wether I will be stretching up to kiss their beautiful cheeks or bending down a bit my heart will remain confident that these two girls will be capable of anything they set their minds on because on the inside, they are both giants.

The Rough Life of a Little Brother

 

So much love for such a little guy.

Wheels of Her Own

She has been getting by on a seven dollar plastic bike I picked up for her from a garage sale down the road. She couldn't reach the pedals, but I guess it served its purpose. 

Indiana is the place for garage sales in the summer. Opening your garage door and spreading all your junk on your driveway with little price tags on everything is the thing to do 'round here. There is bound to be one just around any corner on any given day, with the regulars scouring for that gem of a bargain, hunting for their treasure. Pretty amazing if you are into that type of thing.

But, the other day I realized that she needed the real deal. Needed to keep up. Was eager and ready to learn and that the seven dollar piece of plastic wasn't anywhere close to becoming a treasure. So we splurged on a classic and it fits her like a glove.

 Now if we could just get her to pedal.

But she isn't worried with things like pedaling because there is always someone around to push her, and she likes the helmet much better anyway.

And I am sure someday, after he takes his first steps and gets that itchin' to keep up, he will inherit this bike and will ride with the best of them, but today just wasn't that day.

Oh. And for the record, I don't typically dress my children in Disney clothes, but I came across this shirt for Elsa the other day and Ariel happens to be a big player in our house lately (not from the movie but stories). So we went there and it absolutely made her sister's day. Totally worth it

Jude Photos

It has become my new life mission to get a good photo of Jude. Its hard work I tell ya. I don't have one of those fancy quick shooting cameras so by the time the focus and multiple flashes go off on my old camera, Jude has already looked away, the moment long gone. Believe it or not, he is smiling. I will try my hardest to get some proof soon because that smile. Oh my. It's so adorable.

So, in pursuit of my mission, I decided to lay Jude on the ground in the living room yesterday to try to get some some shots. 

I honestly can't believe that was his first time I laid him out to relax on a blanket, kick around and explore his surroundings. But after about one-second of having him out on the ground in the wide, unprotected open, I now know why. 

Our girls, they are amazing. No matter where they are in the house, the moment Jude hits the ground, they come a running. I think they have the ability to sense an unprotected baby who needs to be mothered and smothered to the max. And smother they did, oh how they love their baby bruder. 

It actually took two grown adults to take this photo. Me snapping and my grandmother with all hands on deck, protecting Jude's precious head from unintended blows from well meaning little girls who are always going in for the full mouth to mouth kiss. They want to kiss him on the lips and will settle for nothing less. It was little stressful but I got a few shots (thanks Nan). 

And big sister was too busy in iPad-ville to participate in the photo shoot, but she is never too busy to mother her bruder (thank goodness).

Sharing Memories

How it warms my heart to see my girls run and play and ride in the same exact spot I did for so much of my childhood. 

Though the trees we used to climb are a little bigger,

and a bit more magical...

 ...the girls are still finding their way, facinated by pine cones on this particular day. They collected tons. 

Nothing better than (great)grandmas house. Kind of our Indiana equivalent to this special spot.