Back from the Beach

My apologies for the lack of entries lately. We just returned from a week at the beach.

The beach vacation was a lot of fun. We went to Emerald Isle this year. Truthfully, while we like to go to a different beach every year, we always seem to return to Emerald Isle. So far, we prefer that beach to all the others. Well, Ocracoke probably is a clear winner if we went without the children.

We asked Simi and Asher to list their favorite bits of vacation. Number one for both of them was the aquarium. It just re-opened and it's absolutely awesome. In fact, the boys loved it so much that we went twice. One of the exhibits of the aquarium is a very large tank filled with fish and sharks. At a specific time of day, a pair of scuba divers swim into the tank and talk to the children, who assemble in front of the tank to watch the divers. For Asher, the divers was, hands-down, his favorite part of the vacation. He was both terrified and awed by them. And he hasn't yet stopped talking about them.

For Simi, the next best part of the trip was making a shape from a penny. I'm sure you've all seen the machines where you plop in two quarters and a penny and the penny comes out all flattened with some sort of print on it. For Simi, that flattened penny was one of the highlights of the trip.

Leila looked absolutely stunning in her bikini and sun hat. The beach didn't excite her, nor did the divers in the big tank. Her favorite thing was having her brother Simi make silly faces at her all week long.

Asher gets goofier by the day. I think anything would have been fun for him, as long as he had all of us with him. He's such a goofball.

For me, the best part was spending time with my wonderful husband and sweet children. The second best part was viewing all the phenomenal photos Raj took. Perhaps we'll be able to share a couple of them with you here - soon.

Sweet Dreams

If I could, I think I'd be one of those moms who sleeps in bed with their children all night long.

Truth is, we have a house rule: everyone sleeps in their own bed. Except for the Leila, because her bed is our bed. And now, it seems, except for Asher, who quietly sneaks into our bedroom in the wee hours and quietly climbs into bed next to me. And then when I find him, I'm just so tired and it's so nice to cuddle with him and smell his sweet smell...I just can't resist. And then along comes Simi, who finds out that Asher's no longer in his bed and runs in to join in. And then we all have to get up and go back to our own beds again....

Brag

I try not to brag about my children, but sometimes I just can't resist:

This brag is about Asher, age 2. Without any help at all, he's managed to figure out how to play with his brother's Leapster (ages 4-10) and play all the games in it. Since my 4 year-old needed instructions, it's quite the accomplishment that a 2 year-old could figure it out on his own.

While we're on the subject of brags, please allow me to continue. This one's about Simi, age 4. We pulled into the gas station to fuel up and he says, "Mommy, I know what that sign says: Stop Engine, No Smoking".

And since I'm on a roll, let me tell you about the Leila, who does a really great job pooping and having it escape her nappy and go up all the way to her armpits. Now THAT's talent!

Phew, I'm glad I got that out. Thank you for allowing me to brag...

The Leila

Leila is 3 months old now. With each day, we begin to see more and more of her personality.

When I was pregnant with Leila, we had gone through Asher's EE diagnosis and Simi's open heart surgery. I had also gone through an extraordinariy stressful time at work. It was stressful all around. I worried that my stress would affect her "forma de ser", her way of being.

Leila is the most easy-going, happiest baby on the planet. She is seemingly unaffected by stress while in utero. Phew!

What's Up With This?

In the past few days, I've found about 10 gray hairs on my head. Now, what's up that all of a sudden my hair is turning gray?

Harumpf!