“a portrait of my daughters, once a week, every week, in 2014.”

daaniya : she likes to hang out in her room while i shower and get ready for the day. sometimes she tries on her socks, sometimes she lays down and daydreams and sometimes she picks up her book of the moment and reads. this day i found her reading her one of her favourites, olivia, by ian falconer.
niyya : i’ve said it before, this girls expression when i get her from her morning nap is priceless. and the light in her room at this time of day is just so amazing.

i want to recall a conversation i had with an aunt of mine recently. this aunt is the gentlest, sweetest thing. her voice is gentle and sweet, her mannerisms are gentle and sweet and her touch is gentle and sweet. she is not my blood, but i have known her for a very long time, since i was a little girl. i think there have been times where there was not much to talk about, those teen years can be rough! i am very pleased that we now have motherhood in common. i remember een before i was expecting advice she had given my cousin about the necessity, or lack of, baby-proofing. things she says stick with me. anyway we were at a dinner and got to talking about motherhood and our kids and she mentioned that if she had to live any portion of her life again, she would relive the time her first son was born up until the last became a teenager. not her teen years, or wild and free young adult years, but these years submerged in mamahood. and not to redo anything, just to relive it. that is how much she cherished her time with her kids. i just loved that. and i will never forget that. what a gift they are.

she also told me a cute story that she remembers fondly about her middle son and how he would use the phrase “wha doin?” which is something daani uses all the time as well! these are the little things i do not want to forget and it gives me so much happiness to hear her recall this moment that happened over 30 years ago!