our morning smile...

Just thought i'd share a photo from this morning... the girls were adorable singing to each other and snuggling. Isabel runs in as soon as she hears her sister waking up (Anaïs usually sleeps in a little longer than Isabel). The girls are both growing so fast it's as if I see time flashing by right before my eyes. I want to savour each moment and relish in the magic of it all. I want to soak it up and not miss a single heartbeat. The day we returned home Anaïs started sitting on her own... just like that; and she is now eating anything she can get her hands on... not sleeping much, but that's all part of the package, i suppose. She is also eagerly trying to crawl (and even walk) chasing after her sister. Unlike Isabel, Anaïs just wants to do it on her own... she has no use for my fingers and tries to pull away... promptly falling flat on her face and then eagerly up to do it again. Isabel is a star... she seems to have matured so much since we got home. She decided to start going to school on her own and loves it... it is wonderful to watch her own this decision as she gets up in the morning gets her clothes on (though she still likes me to help her with her socks... a little to tricky for her little hands, she says) and runs into my room to tell me it's a "Malaquita day" (that's the name of her school). She started off with the 2-3year olds, but was promptly moved into the older group. The teachers love her and she comes home beaming with pride.

She is always singing to her sister, and her sister responds by giggling and dancing (she is a mover). Isabel also has an incredible sense of what is going on. The other day I was putting Anaïs to sleep, and at the same time Isabel was looking for me calling "mama"... when she go to the door and saw that I was settling Anaïs she whispered 'night, night' and gently shut the door. Isabel loves that her sister is eating and helps to feed her. And, as usual, Anaïs lights up the moment she sees her big sister. We are exhausted, as sleep seems to be a rare treat and our days are full of activity with the energy of these little souls... but most days we do our best not to let it phase us too much. The charms far outweigh the challenges.

And now that we are back in Colombia, we are even more grateful for the time we were able to share with our family... though it was exhausting and emotionally charged. It was magical as well. It was a reminder of what is valuable, and for me, it also brought to the forefront what is important as we build our life here -- the friends that we make, the time that we spend with our children, the love that we share with each other... and as always, above all, trying to keep each moment in perspective. It is so easy to reflect back on something and laugh about it, or find the magic/joy in it... and yet at the time it is happening we are often so caught up in the various tensions around it that we miss the beauty of now.

So today, as I spend another beautiful day with my family... I am so grateful for right now. And my wish is that this feeling lasts through to the next moment.