Heidi Herrera Studio

The Sunday Evening Post - 3/27

 

I'm not sure what it is about having new babies in the house. Maybe it's just having two more little ones to snuggle, to make laugh and smile...but I have felt my heart swell with love since they were born. I feel like it's filling every little corner and crevice. I am so happy.

Which, in no way means that I don't get upset when little ones do this to their hair...

 

 

 

Until I had children, I thought there was some sort of perfect life waiting out there for me. I know that's also a young person's perception. I think without children I would have come to the conclusion that there is no perfection in life but it would have taken me a lot longer to realize it. I think it took me about 15 minutes to stop freaking out over Em cutting her beautiful hair before getting her in front of my camera phone. This is a moment I will give her a hard time about for the rest of her life. A moment we will laugh about. One she'll never live down.

What I do know is that there are perfect moments. They may be fleeting, but they are there. You just have to look. And in my case, you just have to capture them.

Our weekend's more perfect moments...

 

 

He looks a little grouchy, but he's harmless and such a fabulous husband and daddy.

 

 

Chunky sweet Elise.

 

 

Saturday evening sunshine calls for a walk!

 

 

Alina's watching the view finder...and more Sunday evening sillies...

 

 

 

 

  

 

How could I not LOVE this imperfect life?

The Sunday Evening Post

A little bit of randomness from my weekend to you...

At times it amazes me just how different my girls are. Seriously, day and night!

Lily at the dentist on Friday...SHY...

...Emma, NOT!

 
They both did really great. Emma even got x-rays...I thought for sure she'd move and they would never get a good image, but she proved me so wrong! Such patient girlies I have!

Saturday was CAKE!!!!!







My sister in law's birthday cake. Perfect opportunity to try this cake that's been on my "want to make" list for a couple years now. It's a keeper. The cake itself was very moist and tender, the frosting was smooth and creamy, I added the strawberries by special request and I think they really added to the finished product, and they were pretty...

...recipe here.

Today brought about a nasty day weather-wise. Being stuck inside, it was a good time to clean and organize and find areas of the house that I can love. It's been a bit of a trying week in this house.

The kid's art and learning corner, a little tidier...not sure how long it will last, but for now it makes me happy...







And who wouldn't love the artwork...

 

 

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!

Here's the cozy corner I love where my babies sleep...





I'm loving purple tulips on the dining table in front of great grandma's painting too. 

What Was in Those Eye Drops?

Seriously, what was is in those eye drops? We got home this afternoon and Alina was so happy! She was smiling at the walls, the ceiling, the fan, the mama, her sisters. She made me laugh!

Look at that right eye, super dilated! The left eye is the one we were worried about. You can see her pupil has a bit of an odd shape to it and you can't see the lighter area in her eye on camera, in fact, even the doctor had to look extra hard and get a special tool to see anything. He gave mama kuddos for catching it at all. As mamas we can't help but to gaze deeply in our babies eyes while talking sweetly to them. It's just what we do to enhance our bond with them. I feel like it would have been crazy if I had missed it.

 
The worst case scenario for Alina's eye would have been a cataract. Apparently a cataract at birth means that no signals have reached the brain so the brain doesn't signal the eye to function and there is little hope of gaining function in the eye. The best case scenario would have been a birth mark or a freckle in the eye.

I guess, in a way, we ended up with the best case scenario. The doctor explained to us that an iris strand didn't quite migrate to the place it was supposed to as the eye developed. Instead, it stayed in the upper portion of her pupil. He called it an iris remnant. Currently she has no issues with her sight. It's a little crazy to me, because he confirmed it was exactly what I thought it looked like.

There are three possibilities, two are great, one not so great but treatable. 1. The strand could be absorbed and disappear completely, leaving no trace at all. 2. The strand could remain in place and never be an issue to her sight (apparently this happens to to many people who find out as adults they have something like this). 3. It could cause stress on the lens of the eye and form a cataract which would then require surgery. So, we have opted for a follow-up in a few months to see if there are any changes.

All in all I'm relieved and I can now stop stressing and get onto the fun stuff with my baby girls.

Elise was in on the happy action after we got back from the doc's too...

 
So, now I think I'll go snugglebug them both! :)

It Looks and Smells Like Christmas Eve!

 
There's some last minute prep taking place over here tonight. First, the hubs took the girlies out "shopping" while "Santa" finished all the wrapping! Yay, finally done! Phew!

 
Except for the gifts the girlies bought for Baby A and Baby B while out on their shopping expedition! The presents, of course, had to be wrapped by the girls while sitting on top of the table. These are some of my favorite moments. Simple, fun and with the girls completely involved.

It's quite the foggy night outside and I suppose if we can't have a white Christmas then I will happily settle for some fog. Lily and I walked to the corner to capture some foggy-ish photos with our two grey kitties in tow.

 

And as we came back into the house, we were greeted by the scent of cookies baking in the oven. Cookies for none other than Santa of course!

Which we are leaving out for his arrival sometime this evening! I hope he enjoys them. They're Norwegian Christmas Butter Squares, I found the recipe on this lovely blog "here." This was the perfect recipe for me, super fast and it bakes all at once. This pregnant mama is thankful right now for recipes like this! I did promise the girls that we make and decorate sugar cookies soon though.

 

I can hardly believe it's almost Christmas tomorrow. We will have some family over to open presents and eat a bit and maybe, just maybe, the babies will decide it's a great day to make their appearance. After all, everyone will be here already and Christmas babies would be pretty cool!

Simply Thankful

This year I have so very much to be thankful for.

I am so, so, so, very thankful to still be carrying my baby girls. I cannot be more thankful, despite the discomforts, the weight gain, the couch sitting and hanging up my beloved home chef's hat...I would do it all over again and more just to get this far.

 
I am so, so, so very thankful for my husband. He is my superhero. He has not only picked 
up the chef's hat that I've had to put down, but he has worked constantly to keep the house picked up. He has researched items we need for the twins, he has done the shopping, the fetching, and most importantly the loving that our family needs so much right now. He is our beloved glue, holding us all together.

Our family! I couldn't be more thankful for my family right now. The giving, help and love they have for us is just as a family should be and more than I could have ever hoped for as our family grows even more. And (of course) they're feeding us our Thanksgiving feast and I don't have to lift a finger! Yumm!

And finally, simply, I am thankful for my knitting needles and the time I am being given to use them. I know, it's seems a little strange...but it has been my creative outlet for the last month or so. If it weren't for the needles I would be stir crazy by now. My girls aren't used to mommy being so limited. Mommy isn't used to mommy being so limited. My girls know that I am cranking out fun stuff for them and their little sisters and that makes it a bit easier to handle all the changes that are happening.

There is anticipation in so many aspects of our life right now. I am simply thankful. I hope everyone has many reasons for thanks today. I hope everyone has some wonderful family to spend the day with as well. Happy Thanksgiving!

Maybe I Should Rename My Blog to the Mishap Chef

Ok, I say that in the most humorous way possible. But sometimes navigating myself through the culinary world, that exists in my kitchen at least, becomes quite an adventure!

I have two little ones. One is four, the other is two. They continue to amaze me with their interest in the kitchen, they always want to know what's on the stove or in the oven. They always want to help in some way. As a mom who wants to share the wondrous fun of the kitchen, I try to involve them in any way possible.

Of course, I do the prep work like warming stuff, dicing, chopping...the typical dangerous to little hands and fingers type stuff. I really get a kick out of letting them play with their food though. So, last night, they topped their own pizza! Super fun for them and no danger to anyone...or so I thought!

First the cheese!

Then a nibble!

Then tomatoes, olives and mushrooms!

And another nibble! (That's the best part about helping mommy in the kitchen!)

Then bake in the oven at 500 degrees until the crust turns all brown and bubbly! But a word to the wise! If you happen to like to get your crust paper thin like this...

...please make sure your toppings are as dry as possible!!! i.e. use a very thin layer of thick sauce, don't pile the cheese and toppings too high! And most of all, make sure to remove those tomato seeds from those tomatoes!

I didn't remember to follow any of my advice and I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of the girl's pizza as I was taking it from the oven...the middle pulled right out of it on one side and cheese seemed to make it's way into the far depths of the oven. Oh, the pizza was still yummy and edible and we were able to salvage enough of a decent slice for a few pictures. But I gave myself a mentally forehead slap! Next time the girls help me make a pizza, I will be sure to keep the dough nice and thick!

That's the girl's pizza in the background, the parent's pizza up front...I forgot to take the tomato seeds out of our tomatoes too! Another mental forehead slap! Duh! Amazing how you forget things when you take a month or more off from making it. Perhaps a recipe card with tips for pizza making would come in handy in the future! :)

We rounded out our meal with watermelon topped with fresh mint, honey and rosewater...super yummy unless you're Lily and, well, she prefers hers plain thank you!

 
All in all, having the girl's help in the kitchen was the highlight of my evening. The pizza could have have been even more disastrous but it still would have been worth it to have those little hands helping. My goal is to get them involved a little more every day! Someday I might actually want to take a break from the kitchen and I'm gonna need a few little helpers to whip something up for dinner! *wink*

The pizza dough recipe I work with is from Fine Cooking Magazine's, Real Italian issue, and I love it because it rises anywhere from eight hours to three days in the fridge and is made all in my kitchen aid! With kiddos, fast and easy is best!

Cherry Pie Despite Me

I started cleaning like mad lately (nesting already?) and this morning was no exception. The kitchen has been my main target these days. So much happens in there, so it always needs cleaning! By the time I got to pitting cherries for my pie I think I was already a bit tired, but still determined. We have so many cherries, I can't stand to see them go to waste! So whatever we have post pie making is going in the freezer...for more pie of course!

Pitting cherries is tedious work. I tested out the straw poking method and that was a major flop and I could think of nothing better than cutting the cherries in half and pulling out the pit! T.e.d.i.o.u.s.! But I got to eat a few along the way and had plenty to share with the girlies.

My next major test came with the rolling of the dough, it just kept tearing...why oh why? Wetter dough maybe, better rolling pin pehaps, or just more practice and improved technique?

Then it seemed I didn't have enough filling...I think I could have doubled the cherries and still not filled the pie too full (I was feeling a little discouraged and thinking the worst at this point!). But, what's a girl to do when the dough is all rolled out and the filling all made? Well, I forged ahead! I poured in the filling that I had, topped it with my rolled out dough, crimped and baked!

And the house began to smell amazing!

And the pie baked beautifully!

And it looked amazing topped with vanilla ice cream!

And it tasted awesome! Just ask my husband! :)

Even I was impressed!

It truly pays to persevere! So, when you think it's all just gowing to fall apart or blow up in your face...you might come out the other side amazed and pleasantly surprised! I sure did!
  

There Are No Rules in I (period)

 

For the most part I stopped painting when the girls were born. Part of me felt overwhelmed that they required so much of my time. Moslty I felt like something had to give and, well, children don't just raise themselves, so I gave up painting. I think I may have painted a thing or two here or there but nothing consitent. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about painting during this time either. I was very angsty whenever I did paint, as if there were rules, guidelines I knew nothing about, a perfection to strive for. Hmmm, sounds a bit like my journey with photography!

As with photography, however, I've realized that there are no rules for "I", me, you or anyone else. There is just what comes through my lens, off my brush, through my keyboard, even in raising my girls. It is whatever feels right, right now.

Last week I challenged myself to finally get out those messy finger paints, that was followed by me pulling out my paint brushes and what followed that was even better. I inspired my girls into an art revolution of sorts!

First it was watercolor, Lily's favority! Then, I put a glue stick in the hands of my two year old and I have never seen a little one handle glue so deftly!!!

 

Lily decided it was a bit sticky, but still lots of fun!

So, we now have watercolor and paper collage masterpieces made by Lily and Emma...

...and I have never felt less guilty of the time that I am spending on the computer or with a brush in my hand. The times that I am not doing something for me, I am doing something with them. No angst or guilt on any level! It's amazing, like I've broken down a wall of sorts. It feels good. So off I go, a little jig in my step, feeling more dreamy the last few days than I have in awhile. It's good to feel free to...

How I Feel In This Moment

 
This was a painting I did last fall.

Sometimes I find myself being drawn in some artistic direction, whether painting, drawing or photography.

I'm feeling inspired by so many different things and so many different people at this moment. not sure where the journey will take me, but I'm happy just to go...

Squishy Promises Kept

Clean toes are generally the norm around here, but what fun is that?!?!?! In the interest of upholding promises, breaking out of our rut and spicing things up we got down and dirty yesterday!

 

Don't you just love the squishies through the toes!

Finally one of Lily's wishes came true! I dragged out all those messiest of messy finger paints!!! I had been telling her forever that we would play with them and it just never happened and never happened and, you guessed it...it never happened!!! But that's just not how we want to be doing things these days! So let's get messy!!!

I love that they both had their own ideas for colors and I love how they threw themselves into their artwork with such gusto and enjoyment!!!

 

  Messy is awesome!!!!

 

 

 And super-duper fun!!!

 

 

 
For me, it was spectacular, freeing, artisic, and I had to get my toes in too!

 

 
Now to figure out what our next spectacularly messy adventure will be?!?!?!?