a day of firsts...

Anaïs flying high with a big smile

Today Isabel ate cotton candy for the first time with her good friend Morwyn at Andres Carne de Res restaurant in Chia (just outside of Bogota). In the evening after Anaïs went to sleep the rest of us all watched the first 30-minutes of mary poppins together (a first for Isabel). Having mastered crawling and tired of walking around attached to mama/papa, Anaïs is now practicing walking. She does so with a lot of hand movement (perhaps thinking that if she 'flaps her arms like a bird' that will somehow help her walk) and very wobbly knees thus usually ending up falling on her bum or forward into a crawl (or mama's arms or the bed...and occasionally a harder surface). Anaïs now boasts four teeth, but not in the expected order, making for a very cute and lop-sided smile as she waits for the third top tooth to come out and balance out the large front tooth and smaller side tooth already filling her mouth. As the girls move through the various stages of their development the old saying that 'time flies' becomes very clear in my mind. I am amazed at how quickly the phases pass by, and yet at times the days seem neverending. I am not sure how that can be so... when something difficult appears on our path and I feel overwhelmed or uncertain it feels as if the challenge stretches out into days when only a few moments have passed. And then as I reflect on the many changes I am at times almost surprised that before me stand a three year old and ten month old. I am, as always, reminded of how precious each moment is... and how fruitless the feelings of doubt, fear and frustration are that often creep into my mind and my heart. Even in the most difficult moments there is a ray of light and a sparkle of hope... and it always passes by in a flash, so long as we let it go. As Anaïs takes her first steps and begins to form words; I see her walking into the world with passion, determination and enthusiasm - for this is how she approaches each task - and laughter in her soul. As Isabel watches her first movie, enjoys tasty sweets, gets her face painted and dances with her friends, I see her embracing the world with an open, tender heart and a charming disposition that lights up a room. And in the moments when I am frustrated with the unending series of what seem to be constantly repeating questions, or the on-going nightly wake-ups and false-starts to sleepyland... I am also inspired to remember that healthy doses of laughter and patience can help to keep even the most difficult situation in perspective.

Isabel & Morwyn getting ready to dance at Andres (restaurant in Chia)