Driveway Rockers

This one was shot a few weeks ago by Daddy. It's a repeat for Grandpa, but it will be new for the rest of you. (The art work in the driveway is courtesy of our awesome babysitter...)

Two down, so many more to go...

Katelyn lost her second tooth shortly after she lost her first, which is to say, a few weeks ago. Just getting around to showing you the photo now...

One Down, 23 or so to Go

It was a hot dog that finally did in Katelyn's first loose tooth. One bite and we had a big bloody mouth on our hands. Fortunately, the blood did not phase Katelyn at all. She just looked surprised, then pleased, then pulled that tooth right out of her mouth. And here is what we have now...

...a very excited 6 year old.

Video Friday-Lip Sync #1

So, last week I finally entered the new world and got an iPhone. Now, I have Siri running all my errands and I can record my kids whenever I feel like it. It's fabulous! I think the video option is my favorite favorite feature. I caught two gems last week. Yes, we are in the car, but it is parked and not even running. Safety first, of course.

A little background before you watch. A couple weeks ago, Auntie introduced a couple new songs to the kids while she was so generously taking care of them for the weekend. The kids, but Kate especially, latched onto these songs and Kate refuses to let go. I was forced to purchase them and we listen to them constantly. Very quickly, Kate developed a lip sync routine to them. Here is her rendition of The Band Perry's If I Die Young.



Next, you can watch her brother copying her...

Kinder Orientation

Katelyn and her cute new hair visited her kindergarten class today. School officially starts tomorrow. I'm a bit anxious for her, remembering how the first couple months of preschool last year were a difficult transition for her. I'm taking as a good sign that she did not want to leave her new classroom today. I had to drag her out....

Yea for school starting tomorrow!

Adoration

Katelyn loves her baby cousin, Tommy...

...and he's quite taken with her, too.

5 Year Old Wisdom

Said by Katelyn to her younger cousin, Trevor:

When some people die, people put them on beds with a nice comfy pillow.

I have no idea...who has she been talking to about dead people? And what the heck were she and Trevor talking about, anyway? Since I was not present, I will never know. Thankfully, Trevor's mom had the foresight to send me a text with the quote so I could share, too.

Such A Lady

The sure sign of a princess...

Birthday Girl

If you know us, you know we have two birthdays in our family in April. Both has already passed (that's how good I am at keeping up with current events around here.) Katelyn was very excited to have her birthday in Hawaii, and before we left, she would tell anyone who would listen that she was going to Hawaii for her birthday. Like that was her present.

We tried hard to make sure her 5th birthday did not get lost amidst our Hawaii adventure. We even had a party for her with two sets of her grandparents, a couple cousins and our next door neighbors! Yes, they were in Hawaii at the same time as us.

These photos are from her actual birth day. It wasn't her greatest day healthwise. We had a lot of coughing and a bit of puking, but shave ice sure helped!

Here she is right after waking up on her birthday, in her new dress from Mimi...it was probably still like 5:30 in the morning in this photo. I see no daylight out the kitchen window. (That three hour time difference is still kicking us in the butt.)We went into the town of Lahiana for the afternoon. That banyan tree in the background takes up a city block!

There was an art fair going on under the banyan tree. It included free face painting. What better birthday present than a mermaid painted on your arm? Well, the shave ice afterwards was pretty good, too.

I think I'm going to start picking restaurants by the quality of the coloring materials they have for kids. This one was quite good. Lots of fishies to color. It took her the entire meal to finish it. Then she made it into a birthday crown.

We took a little drive along the coast afterwards, attempting to get the kids to nap. It didn't happen. But we got some sightseeing in, which the girls were not interested in at all. You can't have everything on your birthday, now can you?

And now Kate is five. I have no idea where the time has gone...

I'm hopeful for five. I'm hoping for the illogical, overly sensitive, slightly crazy 4 year old to leave and a calm, rational five year old to take her place. Two weeks in and I haven't seen a sign of her yet...

Life Through Kate's Lense

Grandma was kind enough to get Kate her own camera for Christmas. It has eliminated the fighting between Kate and Padyn over Padyn's camera, but has created a new rival between Kate and her brother. Oh well.

Most photos on the camera are of inanimate objects-stuffed animals, toys, light fixtures, the hallway...but there are a few of us in the mix. I chose to highlight these for Kate's first photo post. Obviously, she didn't take all of these, as she herself is in some. But she did take most. Here's her budding photo skills on display for the first time ever.

I think I am responsible for the first and third of Kate, and Padyn took the middle one.

Definitely taken by a child...

Daddy might be responsible for this one. The distance from the camera is just too appropriate for a four year old.

This is more like a four year old shot...

Stuffies!

Mommy! (Yes, taken by Kate)

Bella!

Next time I'll see if I can get Robbie to take some, not just delete them.

A Girl and Her Brother

This set of photos brings tears to my eyes. I've never seen Robbie play with Kate like this, totally unprompted. He certainly loves his big sister.

It all started on Saturday after we rode the train at Roaring Camp. Kate was just lying her in the grass, minding her own business...

..and posing for the camera......when Robbie decided to join her.And then he decided Katelyn needed to be wrestled with. The rest requires no text...

Finally, after at least 5 minutes of wrestling, Kate ran away. She must have decided that her hair had had enough musing, and she went off to join the other kids.

I love that they love each other.

Letter to a Four Year Old-Part II

Dear Katelyn,

Thank you for going through all your pants and shirts with me over the last two days and choosing the ones you are willing to wear. I'm actually quite amazed that you have 5 pairs of pants and 6 shirts that you claim are suitable for your sensitive body. Now you have a drawer that you can go to with all your acceptable clothes. That drawer right above your "will wear" clothes that have the clothes you "aren't sure about"...well, we'll just keep checking in on those. And while I'd say I was impressed that there are actually pants and shirts you are willing to wear, I'd have to forgot about that drawer in the stairs of you bed that now holds all those clothes you claim "you will never ever ever wear." You know, that drawer that holds your jeans, fleece pants, and every single pair of pajamas you own. I have to keep them. I do. There are just times when you have to wear jeans and you might absolutely require a solid pink shirt. But I won't dwell on that drawer. Today we made progress . When I told you it was too cold outside for a skirt and that you HAD TO wear pants and a sweatshirt or jacket, you did. Never mind that you get almost completely naked for the short ride to school. Never mind that you didn't wear socks. Never mind that you wore a short sleeve shirt under your fleece sweatshirt. I will just keep reminding myself of the progress.

But if you could just answer a simple question for me, Katie, you're daddy and I would be much appreciative. It would help us plan for future years. (Do we need to set money aside now for counseling?) How long are you planning on staying crazy? Is this a four year old thing that kindergarten will beat out of you? Or is this completely illogical, insane behavior that you exhibit day in and day out...over clothes, shoes, underwear, food, carseats, hairbrushes, and toothbrushes...is this here to stay? Are you that kid? If you could just let me know, please. I'll make sure I purchase enough booze on my Costco runs.

And even if you do stay crazy, I'll still love you. Even when you refuse to wear pants when it is 29 degrees outside.

Love,
Mommy

New Skillz

There's a lot of things Kate wants to do for herself lately. I just wish they were the same things I want her to do by herself (like find her pjs and clear her place). But I'm usually willing to take the ones that she gives me. A new skill that she decided she was capable of earlier this month was cutting her own apples. So, me being the busy mom I am, I said, "Great! Here you go." and gave her a cutting board, a butter knife and a peeled apple.

Silly me. I assumed she'd cut a few chunks and be done with it. But no. Not Katelyn. Twenty minutes later, this is what I found on the counter.

She'd already consumed about half the apple. This is what was left of the massacre.

Letter to a Four and a Half Year Old

Dear Katelyn,

Thank you for deciding that you had other clothes worthy of wearing. I was getting tired of seeing the "snow dress" every day. I'm not sure why anyone wants to wear the same article of clothing four days in a row, but that seems to match your persistent, selective personality. You certainly have made me seek out how to be a better parent. I'm ok with cutting the tags out of your clothes and letting you decide what you wear everyday, but you really do need to wear underwear. I'm sorry. It's just required in this family. You can sleep naked (except for underwear), wear the same dress everyday, and not do anything to your hair, but you 1) do have to wear underwear and 2) change it on a regular basis. I'm sorry there seem to only be 4 pairs you like right now. I'm doing my best to find others that "feel right." If only every pair of underwear went up to your mid-back, as you seem to require it. I'm sorry. Hanes and Fruit of the Loom just don't do granny panties for little girls. I'll keep looking.

And about the hair. You will be undergoing a drastic hairstyle change tomorrow. I'm really really tired of you not putting anything in it, crying when I brush it, and pulling on it while screaming, "It doesn't feel right!" A short bob with bangs will make us both happier, I think.

And while we're at it, I think you might need to seriously think about another pair of shoes for this coming winter. Your pink Crocs will only last so much longer. And eventually you will want to play outside in the cold and rain. You will need shoes that do not have holes. But I just can't even talk to you about socks right now. They seem to be your mortal enemy.

But anyway, thanks for deciding other long sleeves dresses are just as good as your sweater dress. I'm glad I remembered them and pulled them out of their 5T storage box the other day. I'm happy that your happy. Eventually we'll work on socks and sweaters and pants, but for now, I'll take whatever means you aren't screaming like a banshee and having a knock down tantrum every morning.

Love,
Mommy

Ingredients

At breakfast this morning as Kate was eating her dry cereal...

Kate: Are Rice Krispies made from sand?

Mommy: No honey. (slight pause) What made you ask that?

Kate: Because they feel like sand when they get into your eyes.

Seriously...I have no idea

Can you tell who picked out new socks at Target today?

So stylish. So classy. So...Katelyn.

First and Second Days of School

While today was Padyn's actual second day of school (number 4 in the school calendar year), it was Kate's first day of school. It was only half her class, and she doesn't get to go tomorrow when the other half comes, but still. She got to go. And she was super excited about it. You can see, she thought very carefully about what she wanted to wear...Fortunately, some of the outfit got changed, as you can see in this picture. I don't remember how I convinced her to get rid of the sweatband in exchange for a real headband, but it was genius on my part. As you will see later, she also substituted her pink boots for pink tennies, and she added a lei.

So, you know what was so hysterical about the sweatband? One of Kate's friends in her class came to school with his hair in a sweatband. I'm sure Kate was very jealous and upset that I made her change. All the kids are doing it. Really? It must be a 4 year old thing.

Ok, here's what actually went to school...

And here is Kate Squared. They are investigating the new bunny in their class, Rascal.

It only took about 47 seconds for her to discover the dress up clothes in this classroom are different from the ones in her old classroom. She was pretty excited about this Ariel wedding dress.And this is where I left her. In the capable hands of my friend, Miss J. What's better than being dressed up, holding a monkey (the class mascot), and having your friend's mommy (and now your teacher) read to you and your pal? Not much.

Out of the Mouth of Babes...

Kate, after watching an episode of "Little Bear:"

Mommy! It's HARD taking care of a baby!

M: Yes, I know. I've had three.

K: (with a look of total confusion) When?

I'm Sure She Has A Good Explanation for This

Padyn walked into my room at 7:30 this morning and asked where Kate was. Apparently she wasn't in her bed, which is where I thought she went at 5:45 this morning after she left my bed. Padyn and I found her a minute later here...

...where she managed to sleep for another hour despite the fact that the rest of us were up and conducting morning activities all around her. Her explanation upon waking? She was hot and didn't want any covers and the couch had no covers. Can't argue with that logic, now can you?