Recent Cousin Pics

These are actually in reverse order from how they were taken over the last couple days, but you get the idea.

We had the attempt at a cousin shot. It's sad that is the best one. But Trevor and Kate seem to be getting along. At least, as long as she lets him keep his eyes.We had the "dress up" session. I'm not sure what they are saluting...
And we had some stroller time. I think Padyn and Bella were riding bikes at the same time.

Of course, Auntie is always up for a picture, especially with Katie girl.And these sisters are usually up for a picture of them being silly together.

What We've Been Up To

It's been a crazy few days here. I got home Saturday night, Auntie Colleen came for the night that same night, Auntie Christie arrived on Sunday with Bella and Trevor, and Grandma left on Monday afternoon. WHEW! And if that wasn't enough...Padyn come down with the stomach flu yesterday. Grandma has it too, so they must have gotten it together sometime while I was gone. Padyn is doing better today...sleeping a bit more than usual, but otherwise mostly back to normal. Kate seems to have avoided it (knock on wood and fingers crossed). Hopefully I will not get it either. But, seeing as how I let Padyn climb into bed with me at 5:30am yesterday morning (she hadn't thrown up yet) then it may very well just be a matter of time.

Let's see...what else is going on? Daddy has been delayed in coming home and we are all very sad about that. Every morning when I get Kate up, the second thing she says to me is, "I ana (wanna) see Daddy." (The first thing she says is, "I on (want) my milky.")

Bella, Trevie (as Kate calls him) and Aunt Christie are making the long trek home tomorrow. But fear not...Aunt Hezzie and Uncle Greggie with be coming with Lily dog and Grandpa and Mimi will be returning to CA tomorrow night! And Daddy should be coming home Friday. YIPEE! It will be a party Friday night.

Hopefully there will be no throwing up on Kate's or my part. That doesn't make for a pleasant homecoming.

Tattle Tale

I got home Saturday night after being gone for 3 days. Since Daddy is also far far away, Grandma was kind enough to come stay with the girls during that time.

They three of them picked me up at the airport where Kate and Padyn were sooooo excited to see me. Padyn chatted at me all the way home. Kate was just happy to have me in the same car.

When we got home, Grandma was outside with Leo dog and Padyn had run in to use the bathroom. I hadn't made it into the house yet, and I hear Padyn calling to me from the bathroom...

"Mommy, come here. I have SO much to tell you."

Photo Friday-Missing My Girls

Currently I'm away from home for a couple days to attend a training. I am missing my little girlies. Searching through my laptop, I found a couple photos of them that make me miss them more...

I miss you too, honey. You're even farther than me...

Tomorrow, my babies. I'll see you tomorrow.

Animal Lover

P: Mommy, where are we going after quiet time?

M: I don't know, Padyn. Where do you want to go?

P: Can we go get a pet?

I guess she thinks it just like going to the store to pick up milk...

Testing the Waters

Padyn has been busting out with some fabulous new vocabulary lately. She's trying out new words that she's heard somewhere, but is unsure of their correct usage. I love how she is tentative and proud of herself at the same time. She'll say something while looking down, then slide her eyes over my way with a shy little smile, checking to see if she's used it correctly and looking for my approval.

At the moment I can only remember two, but I know there was another one yesterday...

While looking at a women's clothing catalog: "Mommy, these girls are style!"

I checked in with her...she meant stylish.

In the bathtub, playing with bathtub paint that made bubbles: "Mommy, these are seductive bubbles."

Ok, now that one I was a bit worried about. Because really, what 4 year old knows the word seductive and who is saying that around her? But when I asked her what she meant, her explanation was even more bizarre...

"That means you have a party and everyone in the neighborhood comes over to your house."

Hmmm...maybe it's the bath paint fumes.

Photo Friday

This Photo Friday is brought to you by novice photographer, Padyn. All of these were shot by her on her trusty Fisher Price digital camera. Let's see what Padyn likes to take pictures of...

toys...

household appliances...

(this is our fridge, if you couldn't tell...) animals...

This is Shing Shing. We were dog sitting her for our neighbors over the Easter weekend. Kate LOVES her.family members...

She picked all these out herself for you to see.

Happy Friday.

New Blog

I started a new blog yesterday. I know, I know...I don't have time to be doing silly things like that. But it's been something that I've been thinking about for a while, and I wanted to give it a shot. It only has a few posts at the moment, and you might not find it very interesting. You see, it's about one of my favorite things (my first favorite being my family...)

It's about food. Well, cooking to be more exact. I know. There are a bunch of food blogs out there. (You didn't know that? There are. And eventually I will have some of them linked to mine.) The internet doesn't need another one. Maybe not, but I needed one. I needed something to help me keep track of what I am doing in my kitchen, and motivate me to try new things.

You don't have to look, but if you want to, it's called Down the Hatch. You can find it here.

Please please please feel free to comment and leave ideas. I love ideas.

New Hair

I had Padyn's hair cut yesterday. She decided not to have her bangs cut, so the hairdresser (can you call a man a hairdresser?) pulled them back when he was done. This is what we are left with. It's not quite as flat today. She has my waviness in the back, so it's never going to lie still.

Doesn't she look younger with her hair shorter? Or maybe it's no bangs. (I know all you out there aren't fans of her no-bangs look, but that's what she wants, so work with me.)I'm sure I don't need to tell you how excited she was about the lollipop.

Two Braids are Beautiful

Today I did something different with my hair.

Wait...let me back up a step for those of you that don't see me on a weekly basis.

I pretty much wear my hair in two ways. Curly, pulled back in one clip on the days I wash it (therefore I avoid the chore of blow drying it) and in two semi-French braids on days that I don't wash it. It alternates like this throughout the week. Curly, braids, curly braids. There are rare, non-washing days where I put it back in a severe bun (because I'm working or have some other reason to look professional) but usually, that's it.

OK, back to today.

Today, I did something different with my hair. I started it in two semi-French braids, but then braided them out with hair still hanging off my neck. I then took the remaining non-braided hair and made it a third strand (with the two braids being strands one and two) and I created a new, thick (very thick) braid down the back of my neck. Hence, it sort of looks like I have two braids from the top of my head, but then you only see one big fat braid in the back.

Get it?

Ok, here's the real reason I'm posting this...

In the car on the way to church tonight, Padyn says, "Mommy, you only have one braid."

M: You mean I only have one when I usually have two?

P: Yes.

M: Which do you like better, one or two braids?

P: I like two better. You look beautiful with you jump with two.


Hmmm...when I'm jumping with two. Don't worry. I was just as confused as you are. But we soon worked it out.

M: (thoroughly confused) What do you mean when I am jumping?

P: At your class, when you are jumping with the jump rope.

Oh, in my boxing class. We warm up by jumping rope and she and Kate watch me through the window from the childcare room. I had boxing this morning and I had my hair in two messy braids for class. I changed my hair after I showered later in the day.

Take home lesson of the day-two braids are more beautiful for jumping. Remember that all you little playground harlots when you are trying to win over the hearts of the young boys in your school. Cause really, you're probably the only females that will find this advice useful.

It's Christmas...All Year Round

Padyn and Kate have this new game that they play. Well, truth be told, Padyn has been playing it for a while, but recently she's discovered that Kate makes a much better playmate than Mommy or Daddy.

It goes like this: I say ______ then you say _______.

Literally. That's it. That's the game.

So, the first blank is usually something nonsensical and unintelligible like, "Boggleboo." The second blank used to change just as frequently as the first, but lately it's been the same thing: Jingle Bells. As in, "Kate, I'll say Mommysummyish and you say Jingle Bells."

And they do that. Again and again and again. And again.

Padyn blurts out, "Googoomama," and Kate relpies with, "Jingle Bells!"

Stimulating. Really.

Photo Sunday-Pool Season Approaching

Some days, nothing beats living in California. Here it is, just barely the middle of April, and it was warm enough this weekend to go swimming. Of course, the pool was not warm enough, so the girls (and Daddy) splashed in Papa's hot tub last night to break in the season. (Although, there was nothing "hot" about the hot tub. In fact, for the first 20 minutes or so, it was pretty darn cold. Thanks, Daddy, for making that sacrifice for the girlies.)

I can tell already that we will be spending a LOT of time in the pool this summer.

Padyn's Little Star

I've been flooding this blog lately with information about Kate, and I'm feeling bad for my first child. Really, I haven't flushed her down the toilet yet. She is still living with us, and in mostly good condition. I think I've been neglecting her in my writing lately because Kate's progress is so much more noticeable...and louder. Then there was the birthday...that eats up alot of space. But really! Padyn is still cute! She still says adorable things! She still can drive me crazy at the drop of a hat!

So, in order to make sure all stays fair and even with my two girls, let me tell you about two things that Padyn does lately.

First, she likes to change words. It's her way of trying out the language. She's figured out rhyming and a bit of word play, so now she tries to be entertaining with her new found skills. Sometimes it is very clever. Sometimes it just makes no sense. Like, take Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, just as an example. She sings it almost daily, but instead of star, she says "cuckoo ball." It comes out sounding like "cuckoo bah" but I clarified with her that, in fact, it is "ball." So, the song goes like this:

Twinkle twinkle little cuckoo ball
How I wonder what you cuckoo
Up above the world so high
Like a cuckoo ball in the sky
Twinkle twinkle little cuckoo ball
How I wonder what you cuckoo

My main concern? Katelyn will think for too long that this is the true rendition of this classic piece. She has been heard singing it this way, too.

The other new thing she's been trying out is negotiating. She's not very good at it, and it hardly ever works, but she's trying. For instance, tonight she wanted to use the bath finger paints during bath time. I had already agreed to bubble bath, and I didn't feel like cleaning up the paints, so I said no, she could paint tomorrow since she has bubbles tonight.

Her response? Imagine the poutiest voice possible. You got it? Now read this with that voice in mind:

If you don't let me do paint in the bath, I'm not going to get in.

To which I responded, "Fine. You don't have to get in. But if you don't get in, I won't be reading you a story at bedtime."

See how I am all about the learning experiences and developing langague skills with my kids? Right there we had a mini-lesson on the conditional form.

Just so you know, she decided to take a bath.

How is it Possible?

Kate started saying something new the other day. Something that I was thinking I had another year to go before hearing out of her mouth. (Well, at least another 6 months.) Knowing I'm going to be hearing it in tandem for the rest of my life (or until we kick our children out of the house) makes me cringe as if nails have made contact with a chalkboard...

"Why?"

Yes. Really. My TWO year old is asking "why." This is so seriously not OK.

I checked, because I distinctly remembering writing a post about when Padyn first started using this horrible turn of phrase. I had to know I wasn't crazy...that my two year old really shouldn't be saying this yet. Yea...Padyn was 2 and a half.

UGH!

A Birthday for Sleeping Beauty

This may be her favorite present...although she was mighty excited about "eating" her wooden food from Auntie, too.

She can't walk to save her life in the shoes. It's hysterical.

The best part? Padyn was thrilled to open it for Kate and help her put it on. It was the first thing they did this morning.

Thanks, C, E and J. I think it's a hit.

Photo Saturday-Kate's Birthday

Thursday was Kate's birthday. We didn't have a "real" party...that's been saved for tomorrow. But, we did have a fun day. Here's the breakdown of how Katelyn spent her first day as a 2 year old.

8:36am Drop Padyn off at school (6 minutes late, as usual)

9:15am Church for Mommy's bible study. I got to play with all my friends and remind them that I am TWOOOOO!

11:30am Trip to Diddams to get supplies for my upcoming party. I wanted to buy everything. Mommy wouldn't let me.

12:30pm Pick up Padyn. So happy she's with me again. She reminded me that is was my birthday and I reminded her that I was TWOOOOO!

1pm Down for nap. Good thing...I was ready.

2:15pm Mommy woke me up from my nap. That does not make me happy, but at least she offered me milky to ease the pain.

2:30pm Drop Padyn off at dance class. Mommy and I went to the store to buy dirt and some new pots for the flowers we bought the other day.

3:15pm Pick up Padyn and (here's the best part) went to the park and had CUPCAKES with my friend Lauren and her big sister (Padyn's friend), Camille.

5pm Many cupcakes, juice, and sand later, we head home for dinner.

5:30pm Papa comes over. He stays for our highly nutritious birthday dinner of mac and cheese, hot dogs, carrots and oranges (I think there was salad, but I didn't get any where near it.)

6:30pm PRESENTS! I got to open the presents that Mommy, Daddy and Padyn got me. Now I can practice my bowling, put together card puzzles, and play with my new Little People. I just have to figure out a way to keep them away from Padyn.

7pm Bath, books and bed. Ahh....what a great birthday!

Thanks, everyone who sent me birthday wishes! I can't wait to turn 3!

Mmmm...cupcake

Evidence of the cupcake

Papa and Kate
Padyn made sure the presents were being opened correctlyGuess what...I'm TWOOOOO

Last Day as A One Year Old

Kate's birthday is tomorrow. I am having a hard time believing that she is going to be two. I think it's the hair. She doesn't have enough to look two. But she certainly is clear on the matter...

"Kate, how old will be tomorrow?"

"I ee thoo!"

Then, the next statement out of her mouth is, "Momma, cuh-case!" (cupcakes).

That's actually all she seems to want for her birthday. Nice.

So, without further adieu, here are the last two days that Kate will ever be a 1 year old...

yesterday...

and today... Everything tastes better with cream cheese. Maybe I should just spread that on the cupcakes instead of frosting.