UNSCHOOLING....

Do NOT freak out!

take a few deep breaths

the more i read about this form of learning the more i am certain that i want this for my girls.

there are MANY reasons why.....

i don't want this post to serve as a debate. i think each family should do what works best for them. i am in NO WAY trying to push my ways of teaching my children onto your children. NO, NO, NO! i promise:)

if you're curious and want some more knowledge on the subject, HERE is a great article on what UNSCHOOLING ACTUALLY IS and where it came from. i also like this PIECE

okay, carry on

just wanted to share this for some people that i love very much.

XOX, rachel

END OF A BIG WEEK

and we are feeling it.

EVERY morning this past week we went for long, intense, walks/runs.

lots of 5-6 milers

yesterday, the 12th, robert and i celebrated 9 years of marriage.

crazy-awesome to see how far we have come:)

profile photo of the infamous srunch-nosey smile!
there were storms this week. followed by bright sunny skies followed by more storms.

Lucy loved looking outside the window

Sky and i have been practicing rolling & crawling. she looks so suspect, above.

i love the different positions, below- the butt up in the air in particular. it's all a part of the process

okay, out to dinner to celebrate yesterday's milestone we go.....

after baths of course:)

XOX, rachel

Here Comes The Sun

i get it..... but i don't like it.
people see me with my girls and say things;
"uh-oh, double trouble!"
or
"2 girls? yikes! just wait til they are teenagers!"
i sometimes would like to back-hand these people
though i never would.
i will admit, sometimes i just snap back with
"i'm double blessed!"
and carry on about my business.
i know all the reasons why these people say the things they do but it doesn't change my feelings on the matter.
and i watch this little video i shot of my girls at the park, where they NEVER cried once, even though it's covered up by music, and i cannot help but think:
people are crazy. this is LIFE! this is LIVING!

xox, rachel, sky & lucy
who are all happy about being together- through every up and down:)

SA STEPHANIE CAME TO TOWN

my sister Stephanie came to visit this past weekend. it was a much needed visit:) she's growing up and getting all gorgeous. that's my muma and her above.
steph captured some beautiful pics of the girls, like this one below of Sky's eyes..... don't mind the drool pool- she's teething, guys- it's what kids do!! embrace it

i love how Lucy is TOTALLY checking her out. what is going on in her brain?!?!? CANNOT wait til these children can speak!

that tongue!
this last shot below is beautiful. they both light up the photo. there's a sparkle in those eyes:)

come back soon auntie Nay Nay. we love you, we miss you.
MWAH!
XO, the crazies

TIME.
don't even get me started on how it flies......
but if i get caught up in watching it do so, then life is just no fun at all.
(i collect vintage alarm clocks. i have at least 20. i only have 1 that is in working order.)
if i've learned one thing about time in this past year, it's that it does indeed HEAL.
i know, i know, we hear it all the time. but i'm so glad it's true!

Lucy took an extra long afternoon nap today, which meant i got some much needed one on one time with my Sky. she giggled and giggled and giggled......
more afternoon light poured in our living room today
i love our house and life is so FULL!
XO, rachel

NIGHT PLAY

see that dark shadow across Lucy's forehead?
that's the sun setting and casting shadows on her as she plays quietly with blocks & teething toys...... after a bath. this is only a big deal because around here we are schedule people. girls bathe at the same time every night, we put them in pajamas and then we rock them and put them to bed. well, throw off your entire day and pitch in some teething and you get some of the above. it makes for pretty pictures:)

scroll through the camera roll on my iPhone and it obvious the girls are teething- SOMETHING IS BETWEEN THEIR GUMS 99 PERCENT OF THE TIME! Sky (above) is chewing up a storm on her finger with daddy. we went to a wonderful couple's home this afternoon for a meeting/brunch about the mission trip that robert is going on next week. Lucy was given Motrin at the beginning of the day. i didn't even think twice about giving it to her, that's how miserable she was:( soooo, we found a cozy room in the left wing of the house to try and just chill out. we looked out the window, as the landscaping was something straight out of a magazine, and i got this shot of Lucy playing with her toes, very much in the shadows. it really captures the mood of today.

this pic of her bottle below, in the window, is again, a mood-catcher....

we came home, i caught a short nap, Sky wouldn't go down and Lucy needed ANOTHER dose of Motrin- yuck! the fussy hour came, which is about 5, and i decided to pack the girls into the van and head towards my latest addiction- Charles park. Surprise, surprise, they were in 7th heaven. look at those 2 sets of feet!

i'm WIPED! and i don't like teething. but i have so much to be thankful for so no more complaining.
Lucy and Sky,  you girls are the JAM!
XOX

ABBY BDAY & SKY WALKER

a happy saturday is what today was:)

a walk at Charles park, good naps, lots of iced coffee, headband wearing for the littles and topped off by a relaxing cook-out with our DEAR friends Zach & Abby plus their 2 boys, Kai & Judah- to CELEBRATE ABBY'S BIRTHDAY!!!

both of her boys are super sweet with our girls. i love the adoration in Kai's face above, as he tries to make Sky smile during her "fussy, teeth-cutting, pre-bath time". it's rough stuff being just 7 months old!

I captured a short video of Abby helping little miss Sky do some walking. it's gonna be a video that i look back on with great affection.

you can hear Lucy's voice in the background, the summer playlist is softly singing and Abby's encouraging words help my girl to put one tiny foot in front of the other.....

XOX, rachel

CHARLES PARK

yesterday we headed out to Charles Park (above- isn't it glorious?) to walk the shady trails with our friends:) it was Rebecca and just 2 of her FIVE awesome boys, Jamey & Will (pictured below).

even though it's super hot and ridiculously humid the shade was awesome and the breezes were a thousand times better than fans.

we spotted a little turtle and i couldn't stop staring at our surroundings.... light cutting through trees in all the right places and SOOO MANY SHADES OF GREEN!

my girls love to be outside- which i couldn't be happier about. they also took a little cat nap, as did Wilson. look at his cool hat!

at the end, Sky was up for some swinging and in a TERRIFIC mood, even though she had JUST cut her 1st tooth that morning- what a CHAMP!
Lucy was a total gem the ENTIRE time, however, you can tell by the look on her face in this photo that she was seriously lacking sleep. she actually looks a little irritated with me even taking this pic, which completely cracks me up!

i love every stage of these little girls life. it gets better every day.
But i really love that we are able to be a bit more flexible during the day and do fun things with our favorite buddies:) the girls are going to grow up surrounded by such great friends. Wilson was born 5 days after them. Rebecca and I couldn't have planned that better if we tried.
And just so you know, WE WERE NOT trying!
but i'm so glad everything turned out the way it did.
happy friday, friends:)

XO, rachel

THE 4TH ON THE 5TH.....

.....because i really just wanted to chill out last night after our big day with friends:)
my mom made the most INCREDIBLE gluten-free flat sugar cookie and used frosting to make an American flag. yeah, she pretty much rocks and ALL 11 kids that were there ate them and LOVED them. SCORE!

girls were decked out in their red, white and blues

we got to the Blunt's house and it was immediate business time for the children in the baby pool. Wilson had some serious matters to discuss with the ladies. Harvest was a bit shocked and Lucy was putting in her 2 cents, per usual. i'm not quite sure what they were talking about but i do know it was INTENSE!

After, Lucy needed to refuel with a carrot

Wilson went back to having happy times in the water and giggling like a champ

Sky arrived a little bit late to the party because she was in deep slumber, which we don't mess with because that girl NEEDS her naps, but she settled right on in with no trouble at all:)

JJ offered me a sip of his lime flavor-ice (so generous) and then posed with all kinds of personality for this pic. the kid's to cool for school.... love him
Lucy and i picked up some elastic headbands on the way home and then it was baths, bottles, music and rocking the kiddos to sweet, sweet slumber

I spent my evening sewing fabric rosettes & plan on making them with velcro backs so they can be interchangeable. i was against the headbands for a LONG time, particularly the ones with the LARGE bows atop. well, time changes things and i've slowly warmed up to the idea. these bands are relatively thin and the rosettes are no more than 1 inch in diameter so they aren't such a "statement piece". i'm excited about them:)
it was a GREAT day! i love my life. i love my friends.
XOX, rachel
(p.s. i used this tutorial as a guide for making my rosettes. i added my own personal touch to them but i think this video is easy to follow and can help to get you started, if you're interested)

THIS IS TODAY

this was our morning
this was our day
we didn't leave the house. the girls put numerous smiles on our faces and imprinted love on our hearts. it's true what they say, "you don't know love until you hold your child".
and your whole "YOU" is shattered into a million pieces of awe and wonder!
i'll never get over this feeling
i don't think the human brain can fully wrap itself around this inexplicable emotion, this connection, this bond.
this is TODAY
this is Sky.... grabbing at her toes....
XOX, rachel

I WAS SUSPECT....

i really was....... but then i thought about it & decided to buy it
brought it home this afternoon and brewed it to be half-decaf
because i cannot drink the FULL-caff or i turn into a raging insomniac monster!
i made it extra strong, poured it over a TON of ice, added a tablespoon of half & half and just like that
I'M SOLD!!!

today was a bit of a challenging day, courtesy of a really unfortunate night's sleep, but i managed.
i got to watch my girls swing back to back (more on that here) & i drank some DEE-licious coffee- not thrilled that it's artificially flavored but you gotta live life a little, right?
RIGHT!

XO, rachel

CURRENT

Girls have been doing so much growing and so much exploring!
they officially enjoyed the swings this past friday night. clearly, they each have their own style in which they "ride" in their swing;)

my mom and i bought this vintage dresser at the Goodwill (pictured above). it was originally white but had faded into multiple shades of yellow and had a hideous finish on it. we killed the finish and painted it a wonderful sunny yellow for her room. the technical color is "honey toast"
we're in LOVE with the way it turned out (pictured below). it makes us HAPPY!

that is all for today
a little bit of catching up here and there.... that's enough for me:)
XO, rachel

NEW LIFE

today i finally ordered ALL of the pictures from the girls birth! the ones the anesthesiologist was SOO incredibly awesome to take. she was running a circus act in that room. got pictures of EVERY thing. dad cutting both chords, me kissing each babe when they came out, robert kissing me and the girls, robert holding BOTH of the girls- she literally shoved a baby in each arm and was like "SMILE!"
and i'm so grateful she was so into capturing it all for me.
because i look at that picture above, and i'm in complete AWE!
of my little Lucy, with her arm outstretched, finally ready to meet this world and discover all the incredible things that God has created. and just a few moments after this photo was snapped, they pulled out a SECOND miracle..... Lucy's best friend for life, her sister Sky:)
i CANNOT believe they grew inside me for 38 WEEKS!

POSTAL PIX

THEY CAME!!!!
my first batch of postal pix, from all my instagram photos, came in the mail today and i cannot wait to start scrap-booking and putting 'em up all around my house on magnetic boards. I ordered photos from my entire pregnancy, the labor and the past 6 months.

the above 3 photos i want framed together in a row, exactly as seen, and put somewhere in the house immediately! i used a fun photo app for this picture, of the pictures, called qbro, so the colors are a bit off compared to what the photos look like in real life.... but you get the idea:)

it's been a busy week and tonight was our date night. so, the girls headed to the grandparents, as they do every friday night, for a sleepover.
but here i find myself, at 5 am, anxiously awaiting their return.
I MISS THEM!
they are my best friends.
i suppose i should go try for more sleep because they don't get home until 9am or so.
hope you're all in for a fantastic weekend:)

XOX,
rachel

i cannot breathe......

 it's the folds in your arms, the creases of your necks, your defined hairlines. your tiny feet and tiny toes

the brightest of eyes....

the lashes for days

the laughing smiles, the faces

the intensity of your concentration

and i really cannot comprehend
that i ever lived in a world
without both of you in it.
love, me
(your mom)