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joy of LOVE 07: generations

Well it was hard to come up w something for this prompt, seeing as we are in Japan. I would have loved to get some kind of generational shot (& believe me, family, when you get here I will be) but it wasn't happening today especially since I also wanted to stick w the Monday me theme.
So I asked the girl, Do you want to take a picture w me?
Her, Can we wear hats?
Uh... do we need to wear hats?
Yes.
So here we are in our hats making some silly faces.

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joy of LOVE 06: who THEY love

This probably sounds corny, or untrue(!) but frankly, they love each other. Yes, the bigs fight all the time. All the time. But they also help each other out. The girl gives unsolicited hugs to the boy & proclaims she will one day marry him. He picks up her toys or draws her a picture just to make her happy. The one absolute thing the bigs can agree on is how much they love the baby. They adore him. When I was pregnant they day dreamed of what he would be, what we would call him & what they would do for him. The boy kissed my stomach every day bf school & once the baby was born, started saying, "goodbye, I'll see you in 6 hours" when I'd drop him off. They entertain him, cuddle him, they make him laugh & love nothing more than laughing at him. They were never jealous when he was born & they never got upset when he cried or took up most of our attention. The baby adores the bigs. He has a constant two man show, an endless supply of kisses & his eyes light up whenever he sees them. I'm just bidding my time till he gets on their nerves & all three are fighting but for now, they love to love him. I love it too.

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joy of LOVE 05: love to hate

So today I found myself rounding up all 3 kids to take to the aquarium solo. When I say solo, what I really mean is, even tho I was going w a friend, I was going without the husband. All morning I felt rushed. I was shouting orders at the kids, brush your teeth, pick up those toys, put your socks on, PICK UP THOSE TOYS, stop fighting, STOP SHOUTING! You get the idea. I hate mornings like this when I am the lone organizer, the lone packer, the lone... breast feeder. Not that I'd like someone else to feed my kid, I'm just saying, some days it can be maddening to round up a small army of tykes unless you have complete & total preparation & organization. Today I had neither of those things. Bottom line, they outnumber me.
The hour & a half car ride to the aquarium was filled w, stop fighting, keep your hands to yourself, share the snacks, your voice is too loud, STOP SHOUTING! Seriously, it's enough to make a person wonder why they would ever try & leave the house. So even tho some days I may hate everything abt trying to get out of the house & trying to have as smooth a journey as possible, I do so love them being able to do & experience as much as they can. I love watching them interact w the world.

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joy of LOVE 04: what they wear

I love these little booties for the baby, especially since these are hand me downs from the boy. It always makes me feel better when I can hand things down bc then I don't feel bad abt spending the extra money on quality stuff. This is the 3rd kid to wear these Robeeze so I'd say I got my money's worth!

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joy of LOVE day 03: then and now.

I have to tell you, I had a really hard time w this one. First, I like keeping to my one photo a day. It forces the indecisive me to be decisive. I didn't want to post an older picture & then take a new one to compare them. Not that there's anything wrong w that! I just knew the amount of time & searching & deciding(!) that would entail & frankly I didn't have the energy for it today. So I went kinda broad w this idea & while I did photograph something I love, it isn't a person. My persons were not in the mood to be photographed today. Especially after one had spent the previous night throwing up, another had a fever (teething) & the other had a potty accident (an hour & a half from our house). You can guess how much I cared abt taking any pictures at that point!
So my then & now are the cherry blossoms. They only come once a year. A few wks ago they were barren, naked branches. The sun hid behind the clouds for days & the sky rained & rained. The wind blew & the cherry blossom festivals commenced even tho sakura were few. Finally, over the last couple of wks the branches began sprouting sakura. Bright & delicate. Today we ventured up a slow mountain to take in their beauty as they canvased over the cars that motored below. Shocks of bright pink, hot pink, pastel pink & almost white. I love the cherry blossoms. They only stay for a few short wks so I hope to see them again before they are all gone.

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Joy of LOVE day 02: How they look

Well this is the look I get most days. Pretty much every day. He can't stand for me to sit him down & walk away, even if I'm getting his food! So this is the face I get once I finally get back to him. Crocodile tears, nose pouring, but oh so happy mommy is back. I keep telling myself, it's only a phase, it's only a phase...

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I'm doing willette's the joy of LOVE for 28 days of inspiration.
Today was: What they do.
What do my love(s) do?? They PLAY! They blow bubbles! I wish every day could be a sunshiny bubble filled day.
I'm also submitting this for CIUAN's weekly I learned bc this week I learned that in the winter, our backyard has the most beautiful set up for back lighting & bokeh! Get ready to see lots of pics taken here!

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