boring you with motherly ramblings

my babies on a sunny day, with their new obsession, chapstick.  Genevieve's didn't make the frame, but she's got one... Rowan is a little more obvious about how much she likes it.

Today I danced with my girls until my arms gave out. There's something about classic jazz/blues that gets them all lovey-dovey... I put on some Billie Holliday, and instantly their arms go up to be danced.  So I scooped them both up. Genevieve immediately put her head down on my shoulder with a faraway look in her eyes, and Rowan wrapped her little arm around my neck and alternated between kissing her sister and me, very solemnly.  We made it through about 2 and 1/2 songs before I had to sit down.  Slow dancing 50 lbs of super-relaxed baby is work!

It was a banner day for hugs and kisses and general cuddles.  My usually non-stop 16 month olds actually sat on my lap and relaxed this morning for about 15 minutes straight (that's a lot)!  Maybe it was the chilly room, but I was loving it.  If I tried to relax my hold, a small baby hand would grab mine and pull it back, tightly round her warm little belly.  Oh, sweetness.

In other news, they are starting to really push their boundaries, testing me and Dan, seeing what they can get away with.  It must be because they are such geniuses!  No, really, the smarts on these kiddoes - Rowan is a bit more verbal, trying to repeat everything (her latest attempt is 'stinky' - she can't quite figure it out, it comes out more like sssssssst...kee!).  Genevieve is more mechanical, trying to figure out how things work - lids on jars, her zipper, moving the furniture around.  Total prodigies, honestly!  Not that they are ahead of any other babies I know... the important thing is that I feel this way about them, not necessarily that it's true!  It's just a great feeling to be so enamored of them, and to get to be the one they call Mama.

moving right along...

Rowan and Genevieve don't show too much interest in this piece. Mostly because they can't touch it... on the other hand, they love the one of themselves, and say sih, sih! and try to kiss it.

I'm not too sure if either of these are finished - it really is unusual to even have gotten this far on one, let alone two drawings, but here they are.  I don't really know if they are related; maybe I just worked on them simultaneously... ok, I hear some serious sadness coming from the bedroom.  If nothing else, it is good for me to see my work objectively like this, it really brings out all of the aspects that may need some help.  But for now, babies are calling.

trying to make work

This is a painting I did for Dan a couple of years ago, and it serves to remind me of the fact that I can loosen up sometimes.  I tend to get very rigid and tight when I paint, over working things, wearing it out.  It reminds me that I can show a little restraint and make a simple painting!  I have started work again recently, work for myself, and this is very exciting to me.  I haven't photographed any of it yet, but I will soon.  I am doing a figurative piece along side a more abstracted landscape, and I am hoping that the two will inform and improve upon each other.  I have been in love with line and pattern and color for as long as I can remember, and these new pieces will hopefully embrace that fully, while letting go of my uptight fears of imperfection!  My kiddies are still sleeping, so maybe I can still squeeze a little work in...

So now it's later, and I did get a bit of drawing in, and it really feels amazing, even though the carpet needs vacuuming and there are still baby toys all over the place. Dan and I took the girls to Denny's for dinner tonight - one of very few instances when we have had dinner out with the twins, and the first time ever that they have had their own meal from a menu.  I actually enjoyed it, but I think Dan felt a little stressed out by the whole scenario... cheerios on the floor, sippy cups banging on the table... he is now passed out, snoring on the floor of the living room.  Poor guy, he works so hard, he can't even enjoy his relaxation time because his body just shuts him right down!  Times such as these make me feel a little guilty for staying home all day, playing with my little sweeties, but I have to remind myself that as fun as it can be, being a mother is real and rewarding work.

a blog full of nothing

Soooo... here I am, and a bit unsure as to how I would like to proceed.  Dan has been prodding me to start a blog (even he has one, although he never posts anything), and writing has always been a healthy outlet for me, so here goes nothing.  

Really, this is gonna be full of nothing.  I had a book as a little girl called "A Bag Full of Nothing", and I loved it so much!  A boy called Pip (I think) takes a walk with his father, and finds an empty paper bag on the way. He picks it up, and as they walk, they navigate several situations in which the bag full of nothing is filled by their experiences, and turns out to be fantastically and heroically useful.  I don't claim that this blog will ever really help anyone, but maybe all my nothings could be of interest, or encouragement, or maybe a wee bit of entertainment to someone.  Or maybe to me, which perhaps is the whole point.