Wiggles and Giggles

Last weekend, we finally bought a small pool for the girls to cool off in. What is it about water-play that entertains so well? Hanna spent many hours during the first two days sliding, rolling, splashing, making friends with orange ladybugs that flew in to say hi. Of course, having a playmate or two would have made it tops, but she was pretty much in water heaven! Raya doesn't think it's too bad either!

(Hanna hamming it up for me)



It was right around the time of the bottom-right shot that I stepped out of the pool with Raya, and Hanna simply said, "Your bottom is wiggling." Oh, that was good! It was very matter of fact and innocent; that was it. I couldn't stop laughing to myself. She noticed; she said. And thank you for sharing with me! It's true, no denying it, but little by little, we'll be pumping up the discussions on "tactful" vs. "untactful" comments. I love these girls even when they remind me of my less-than-firm body parts!

Very soon we'll be taking off to play as a family. We are going to where the corn fields grow, and life moves pretty slow. I am enjoying many of Lenka's songs right now, so the music here is changed up for the time being. Hope you are doing well and finding fun, special ways to celebrate the start of summer! Look forward to catching up with you soon!

The Music of Aurelia

Mom shared some surprising news with me during her visit in May. As she was working on making a lullaby CD for Raya's birthday, her friend shared with her that our daughter's name is the title of an old hymnal tune. And the spellings are just the same!

Wanting to know more, I stopped by the help desk at our library several weeks ago. I expressed what I knew, and after a short search, the man confirmed that "Aurelia" was the name of a hymnal tune that has been used for many different song lyrics. He shared that one song set to this music is "The Church's One Foundation." I was trying to retrieve that tune from my memory and mentioned that I couldn't quite remember how it goes. Next to me this little, old lady chirps in, "Yes, 'The Church's One Foundation'!" and sings me through the first couple lines. She was so cute, and the song came right back to me. I was so excited; I put several library CDs on hold that included that song!

Now I know that the tune "Aurelia" was written my Samuel Wesley, a grandchild of the famous Charles Wesley, in the 1800s. This tune apparently was used for many hymns, including a well-loved Japanese and Korean song.



Sweet Aurelia! One of my aunts who is a gifted pianist and teacher noted in a congratulations card after Raya's birth that her name sounds very musical. Now it makes me wonder if my aunt, with all of her experience playing music, unconsciously knew there was a tie.

Sharing

With our visits from Grandma and Abuela in May, Raya seems to have just come alive with communicating, imitating, pulling up, standing. She has become much more expressive, and it is fun to see. She adores her sister. Nobody makes her laugh like her sister! Here the girls are sharing a fruit pop on the deck. Raya is giddy to have more. You'll see her signing "more, more" and noddling readily for another taste. Hanna is good with her.

Quiet Time

Our Hanna, dressed like Cinderella, looks more like Sleeping Beauty wedged inside a coffin during her quiet time today. She is sound asleep here! Yes, that is a barn owl on her toy box that she brought inside and seems to find endearing.

Hello, World

("hello out there!")

Sweet and a bit crazy, Espi and I are expecting again. Espi is 40, and we decided if we want more children, sooner sounds better than later. In March the pregnancy test was positive. The first trimester has been good with a little nausea, tiredness, extra sensitivity to coffee and foul smells, and computer-time grossed me out (I had this with our second, too; I know it's strange). With the second trimester beginning, it seems like much of that has subsided. My first doctor's appointment was last week at 14 weeks. All looks good so far. Espi hoped to make the appointment with me, but we had an appraisal scheduled for the same time. As I sat and watched the monitor during the ultrasound, I was asked if I was interested in looking at the sex "early." Sure--let's see what you got! All signs look like a boy is on the way. We will confirm the sex (if Baby cooperates) in early July though. In the meantime, we are having fun playing around with different boy names.


(my appointment was on my dad's birthday; so an extra touch was added to the image)



I felt the Little One move for the first time this week, as I smashed my belly into the tub bubbling-up the girls. I didn't know better with our first, and I felt her move around 17 weeks. With our second, I felt her around 14 weeks, too.


With a thankful heart, ready or not, here we go again!