Firsts...

Amaani rolled out her very first rotli this week.

 I about cried I was so proud of her. Both kiddos often join me while I'm cooking, but this was the first time one of them produced a passable rotli.

 I have so many wonderful of memories of doing the same thing with my mom, grandmothers, and a passel of aunts.

 We fried them up....

 These tiny roti's were just the perfect size for a perfect tiny little girl.

Then we packed up the extra, and delivered them to grandma and great grandma.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Dates With Dad

I came across this photo this morning while Kartik was out with the kids. I hadn't seen it before because it was taken on Kartik's phone ages ago.

I absolutely treasure the Sunday mornings that Kartik takes the kiddos out alone... but I didn't realize until now how much he must treasure them as well.

And yes... About half an hour after the kids leave, I end up looking at photos of them on my computer. What can I say, they are easy to miss.

Overheard...

We've been trying to get the kids to help out around the house a bit more as they get older. To that end, Ishu and I just finished having this conversation about 10 minutes ago:

Me: Ishaan, could you put your shoes where they go please?

Ishaan: Mama, I don't know if I could put my shoes up or not. If I couldn't, that means I can't, but if I could, that means I can. 

Me: *speechless*... 

Needless to say... the shoes are still there. I'm not giving up!

Getting Ready For Summer

 In this heat...

You can't  forget your shades...

 Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!!!

Easy Monday Mornings...

Post breakfast, pre nap...

Can't think of anything better. I love these moments where the kids are playing together nicely and peacefully...

Sometimes, though, it's more like this:

Well... at least they're learning!!!!!

Self Indulgence....

I came across these pictures of a pre-walking Amaani today and just had to share...

 Look mom-- no hands!

 Even though she's all grown up now, her smile is just the same!

Flashback Friday (ummm... Saturday)

So lately I've been going back and looking at some old pictures of the kiddos.

These aren't the best quality pictures...

But they are some of my favorites. Look how tiny he was!

Have a great weekend!

Being One With Nature....

One of the fun things about our little town is the small wildlife.

We have squirrels, rabbits, ducks, and even geese. Sometimes it's fun to get a closer look.

Sometimes the goose feels the same way... run!

Phew.... we got away!

Just Keep Climbing...

Our little Amaani is quite the climber-- and always has been.

Lately, I've been getting a bit better at stepping back and just letting her go. Up, up, up and out of my arms.

It's a bit scary, especially when I see how much she's concentrating. I can see her trying to work her mind and body in concert all while 6 feet off the ground.

But the look of accomplishment on her face when she reaches to top is well worth it. (for both of us)

Happy Friday everyone!!!!

Six Daughters

One of the best things about the blog is being able to look back and remember things I may have forgotten. The flip side of this is is that I actually need to write all these things down. One of those things that I want to never forget, but likely will is Ishaan and his 6 daughters.

Ishu has been talking about his 6 daughters (who live in Australia, which is why we haven't met them) for months and months now. When Valentines day rolled around, he was absolutely insistent that they needed to get a Valentine too. We cut and glued, and finally perfected a little construction paper heart, and marched down to the mailbox to send it off to Australia.

He made sure to tell me that we needed to put the flag up-- and then looked around expectantly for the mail truck.

Although we always giggle when Ishu brings up his foriegn daughters, I also know that these days of imaginative play are short lived. We are in a tiny, beautiful bubble between babyhood and childhood, where we can have conversations but they don't need to make sense. And the very best part is that not only is Ishaan in the bubble, but he pulls us in as well, until we find ourselves making his imagination more real-- like sending mail to Australia.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

It's been too long, I know. So much has happened in the past month--the most important of which is this:

Yes-- it's a decorated Valentines Day shoe box. In case the significance is lost on you-- it means that my biggest little has now started school. He attended his first Valentine's Day Party this week, and brought home a box full of treats to share with his sister.

Everyone is taking Ishu's transition to school really well-- even me! I must say though, it is an odd feeling to leave part of my heart at the preschool 2 days a week.

But Amaani and I are enjoying the girl time, and the kids love seeing each other after the school day is done.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Overheard

Now that both kids are talking fluently; they crack me up every day. For example, I recently overheard this conversation between Ishu and Kartik:

Ishu: Papa, Amaani's bothering me!
Kartik: She's not even near you. She's on the other side of the room.
Ishu: Yeah-- but I can see her!

I know the sibling rivalry will get worse before it gets better. I hope everyone is having a great Monday!

Too Many Cooks...

Have you ever wondered why my Mom's salsa tastes so good?

It's because everybody helps.

 Just like raising great kids, making great salsa is family effort.

Well... that, and the limes. 

Thanks for babysitting, Grandma and Dada!

I hope everyone is having a good week. I know I haven't been posting much-- but I have so many cute pictures to share! I'll be back soon!

Our Diwali Pictures 3

I promise that this is the very last Diwali weekend post. This year we put up Christmas lights on Diwali day!

It was a lot of fun-- and we realized a few of our neighbors were doing the same thing. The kids were really excited!

But not that much of a help-- they spent most of the time running around, I spend most of my time trying to keep them from running around, and Kartik ended up putting the lights up himself.

Here's a what the lights look like at night with broken shapes.

Our Diwali in Pictures 2

I often joke that one of the reasons I had kids was so I could do crafts with them. Although we don't paint everyday, the kids and I had a fun run up to Diwali doing projects all week.

We painted some diya's; put up lights and painted some more. 

Ishaan takes his art very seriously, but Amaani had fun with it!

And over the weekend we attended a paat at my mom's house. There was lot's of singing and music....

But even more food!

hmmm... which should I eat first?

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!