This is Part 2 of Mazzy and Harlow’s self-art directed aerial photo shoot. Mazzy had the idea that they should have pom-poms shooting out from their hands. Not exactly her intention but it ended up looking like a heart with extra love from her side. I like to think it was her inner feelings coming out. 💕 #mazzyandharlow #lifewithdaughters #scenefromtheceiling

The other day, Mazzy and Harlow decided they wanted to create one of those overhead pictures that people post on Instagram. You know the ones of sleeping babies arranged in scenes created from assorted blankets and accessories? When my girls were babies, I was never creative enough to come up with those photos (nor would I ever risk waking a sleeping baby!) but Mazzy and Harlow thought they could do something super cool on their own. They brought in pillow cases and an emoji sun from their room. “The blue carpet could look like a sky!” Mazzy said excitedly. “Stand on something tall to take the picture,” Harlow instructed me. I brought over a kitchen stool, snapped a pic and showed it to them. “It’s missing something,” said Mazzy. She ran off and came back with two sets of wings. While this was happening, in my head, I was writing my blog post. I figured it would be funny to document Mazzy and Harlow’s lame attempt at sleeping baby art, but joke was on me, because it came out AWESOME. I never should have doubted them! #mazzyandharlow #thebigkidyears #lifewithdaughters #creativekids

People often ask if Mazzy and Harlow ever fight. I guess based on the pics and videos I post, it seems like they are loving on each other 24/7. That is totally not the case. Like most siblings, they fight, they annoy each other (intentionally and unintentionally), they vie for attention, they don’t want to share, they have different ideas about what they want to watch, play, eat, etc. or one might want the company of the other while the other one wants their space. I actually think the fighting has gotten a bit more frequent as they get older. But they also continue to love each other and look out for each other in ways I never expected. They have a constant play mate and travel companion in one another. They sneak into each other’s beds, play dress-up, read together, hug and kiss daily and my favorite part— make each other lose their minds in fits of giggles and laughter all day long. Their relationship is the best gift I have ever given anyone, including myself. #nationalsiblingday #mazzyandharlow #siblingrivalry #sisters4life #bestfriends #lifewithdaughters #thebigkidyears #averageparentproblems

The best part of going to the top of One World Trade was the reveal of the view. A video about New York City plays and then the screen panels lift to reveal the window behind it. I got choked up and was holding back tears. As someone who has lived in NYC all my life, this moment totally represented the strength and resilience of our city. Seeing my kids look out those windows, with only their bright futures ahead of them, filled me with so much pride about raising my kids here. #oneworldtradecenter #nyc #nyckids #citykids #freedomtower

This is Part 2 of Mazzy and Harlow’s self-art directed aerial photo shoot. Mazzy had the idea that they should have pom-poms shooting out from their hands. Not exactly her intention but it ended up looking like a heart with extra love from her side. I like to think it was her inner feelings coming out. 💕 #mazzyandharlow #lifewithdaughters #scenefromtheceiling

When I was a kid, my dad lived in New York City and my sister and I used to visit him on the weekends. My dad makes his living in construction and real estate and one of his favorite things to do with us back then was take us to the top of the Twin Towers. In his old apartment, there was a floor to ceiling window that perfectly framed the towers, so I have always associated them strongly with my dad and my childhood. He is also the person I spent the day tracking down on 9/11. I slept at his apartment for a few months after that. That space in the sky sat empty for many years and then I had the privilege of watching the new Freedom Tower rise from the view from my bedroom window. The framework, then the exterior, and then the spire. I remember the day the lights turned on. But I didn't have any desire to go to the top until very recently. I planned to take the girls while they were off from school a few weeks ago. That morning, my dad called to ask what we were doing that day. I asked him if he'd been to the top of One World Trade yet and he said, no. I invited him to come with us. It ended up being the perfect way for us both to experience being on top of Manhattan again, so many years later. If you're interested, I wrote more about it on the blog.

Just when I think Mazzy is starting to look like a teenager, she asks for pigtails again. Actually, she still calls them “pinktails” which makes it even better. #thebigkidyears #stillmybaby #lifewithdaughters

It’s Harlow’s News, live from Mexico! Well, not exactly live because we’re already back from Mexico. It’s actually very hard to be Harlow’s editor and keep up with the influx of news! Hope you enjoy her take on everything from iguanas to room service. #harlowsnews #mommyshortsinmexico

Even a native New Yorker looks like a tourist in Times Square. #nyc #timessquare #mommyshortsinthecity #citykids #nyckids @pinkinnyc