On weirdness…
Sometimes I think my kids are really bizarre. I mean, I'll just sit and watch them play and be so very themselves, and think "How did this come to be? Who are these amazing whole little people in front of me?"
He wanted to be naked, but wear the baby hat with the chin strap.
And in that same moment I find an old doodle in my notebook. It's of carrots, a fish, a couch, a walrus, and a daisy. And then I look around me, and feel intense solidarity with my children. Like we're all just these crazy bundles of creative energy and love… strange and vulnerable and yet something I really want to be a part of. 
I don't really know where I'm going with this. I guess we just laugh a lot. Today I feel like reveling in our collective weirdness. Earlier Vera was wearing one of her favorite skirts. It's ivory, but has been worn so much it's turned sort of a dusty gray. She put it on with no shirt and announced that this was what she would wear to bed. I was looking at something else, and not responding, and Jeff kept saying "Okay Vera, sure, you can wear the skirt." and after a few times she sharply replied "I know. I was tellin her, ya punk!"
Today my kids also brought out Jeff's yoga mat and rolled it out and did almost a full sun salutation together. It was incredible and my camera was too far away to catch it. This was complete with cobra and downward dog and everything. Asa was completely nude, of course.
Vera actually got some sarcasm today, which made Jeff and I swell with pride in a stupid way. Here she is jammin on the mandolin.
I have this friend who is so amazingly herself. I bet people who are too self-conscious would call her weird, but most of the people who know her think she's incredibly refreshing. She's even conscious of the fact that she *should* be self-conscious in certain situations, but she's just not. This, rather than conjure up feelings of judgment or irritation, merely encourages everyone to be more free and honest. I greatly admire her for this gift, and I meditate on the fact that her freedom to be herself does the opposite of what people fear. I mean, I get to witness this happen all the time with her. She acts outlandish and says exactly what's on her mind, and everyone smiles and relaxes. Is that all we need? Permission to be weird? It reminds me a bit of this TED talk (which is really worth the 20 min. Watch it!):
So anyway, here's to being an authentic human being. 
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They are beautiful. You are guarding and nurturing such gorgeous souls š
yay!
Jake and I were just talking in the car ride today about how wonderful and quirky and unique each of our boys are. Like, Ben said to his grandmother the other day “Gigi, you’re the last shark ever” while they were swimming. Often I’ll catch him making up songs or humming to himself.
Leo is just a character, always trying to make us smile or laugh, usually by climbing into precarious situations.
I said to Jake “This is just the beauty of sexual reproduction- you never know what you’re gonna get”, to which he replied “Just like chocolate… One-of-a-kind chocolate”
Such a wonderful thought/feeling to revel in: our innate weirdness! You are so right to celebrate it! Sometimes I catch my mother shaking her head or commenting on our kids “strange” behavior, saying something along the lines of how her mother would never have allowed that… Not in a negative way, just a comment. My grandmother was of the children should be seen and not heard (and beaten a few times a week) camp. This makes me so sad for my mother. I’m glad though, that she can live with us and help celebrate our children’s wacky behavior (and our own too!). It helps her to come out of herself too, in a good way.
And oh, that Brene Brown. You know I love her.
Here’s to Authenticity… and lovely neighborhood bloggers. š xoxo
i <3 weirdness!