K & C's Adventures

Learning about money

2011-07-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

Lately K has been playing with coins, adding and subtracting to figure out how to get to a dollar using the different coins. She has actually been really enjoying it.

On Tuesday, K decided to take her money to the store to buy something... We headed to Target and K asked to stop in the hot spot... so bummed that ever came into existence... anyway we wandered over to the spot and she found a light up caterpillar... very exciting and an absolute must have. K picks one out for both her and C... We continue to walk around the store with all our money in our purse... really every penny and nickel. Anyway she picks up a pillow pet... how much is this $13. her response "why, it is so small and should only be $1" We continue on to buy goggles. K "How much are these?" I respond by saying they are 9. Her response "they should be $2" and on it went throughout the store.

When we got to the checkout I offered to pay for C's caterpillar. I told her I thought it was nice she was willing to buy for her sister, but that I was ok to pay. She refused got out her $2 and paid... very cute...

A few changes as C turns two...

2011-05-17T12:00:00.001-07:00

Being away for a lot of April helped me see all the differences in C as she turned two… most notable things:

The start of running (ok it looks like more like galloping as she is still leading with her right foot.)

Almost being able to jump, well almost

The end of nursing try two… C is not ready to give it up and I am not sure I am either

Amazing language development… now she can say three word sentences like I got it, deedee no is still a favorite (translation K no normally with a lot of passion)

Counting and singing

2011-04-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

Earlier this weekend K was trying to teach C take me out to the ballgame… here is how it went

K Take

C Take

K Me

C Me

K Out

C Out

K Too

C Three

Lots of laughter…

Another try later in the weekend

K Take

C Take

K Me

C Me

K Out

C Out

K Too

C One

More laughter!

A lot of love and a lot of energy!

2011-03-28T21:41:00.001-07:00

Hand me downs may be the best...

2011-03-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

K still loves dolls a lot! Now instead of changing our babies we have them line up for school... For her bday we found a teacher set and so she teaches her children, moves them from green to yellow on her little poster based on behaviour and teaches, well quite a lot! If we are lucky we get to be the teacher assistant... So when an email from a girl in the mom's group offering more accesories I jumped on it... more doll stuff, perfect! Especially as K is telling C she has no choice but to love dolls... really no choice at all... This evening K and C spent the evening changing outfits on their dolls... we had to pull them away to eat and pull them away for their baths... after all their babies had never seen tutus and ski coats or even riding gear.... So now all the baby stuff is in a pile in the middle of the living room. C is sleeping with her fancy fancy baby... and K is sleeping with 200 of her favorite babies... C was horrified that her baby didn't have shozs on, but luckily I pointed out she doesn't get to sleep with shoes... and so neither does her baby. I am guessing our standard morning routine will be a little more crazy. After all, we will have to change the babies, dress, change the babies, eat, change the babies pack the backpack... well you know what we will be doing! K is in heaven... and so of course C is as well.

Gmas...

2011-03-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend was one of those moments where we remembered just how lucky we are to have our great Gmas... We had dinner with both Gmas on Fri. Sat I took K for most of the day and T and Gma C spent the day with C so K could do big girl things. Sat night Gma S took K for a sleepover. We put C to bed and because Gma C spent the weekend we headed off to dinner after C was asleep.... Sun morning we picked K up from the farmers market after her sleepover had a wonderful family morning and put C down for a nap. K played with Gma C we had a coupley lunch and walk... Feeling very lucky that are Gmas are part of our lives and really grateful that sometimes we can have the family cover the girls for us! Thank you Gmas for being the best.

Lou

2011-03-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

St Patty's day was much bigger than I realized it would ever be... K has been insisting leprechauns are real...

One day she wrote a note to Lou (the leprechaun) asking him to explain to her where he was hiding. I put the crayon away and she burst into tears... thinking she was tired and overreacting I tried to send her to bed... first was required to get the crayon out... still thinking she was tired I forgot about the incident and the note. The next morning she found a response... the answer was from Lou.. it said I am hiding in the bushes... I mentioned my suprise but she said she wrote it, but Lou was in the bushes... Today while bringing up her lunchbag she mentioned she and a friend found a piece of candy on the ground... she couldn't eat it and was holding it as you guessed it Lou left it for her. So Lou is our leprechaun and he is real... but now I need to figure out a way to have Lou leave something for K...

And the girls continue to grow...

2011-03-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

K had her first visit from the tooth fairy... A bit earlier than expected due to a fall at my favorite cafe in Santa Monica, but luckily silly bands makes almost everything better... While playing on a fountain she fell and bumped her tooth loose... lots of tears and blood. Luckily we only lost the loose tooth and the fairy was able to relocate and come to a hotel room with princess silly bands.. K was thrilled! C keeps checking her mouth for loose teeth and pointing at her mouth, happy to report no loose teeth, but a full mouth of baby teeth... which she sometimes uses to bite when she is playing... She thinks it is quiet funny we are not quite as amused.
C was not ready to give up mommy milk and so the frequent checks to see if there was any milk has us nursing together again... I am ok with this... but unlikely to have this last more than a couple weeks due to upcoming travel schedules...

K and C are continuing to play more and more together.. Yesterday they had their first tea party which I had to break up to get C to school...

They are proving to become better driving travelers... after years of avoiding all driving trips we have found that driving at night is much like red eyes and works well for them, but not so well for us... Another wonderful LA weekend as a family.

More to report, but due to sleep deprivation from the 6am boot camps and yoga I can't remember...

Cute moments

2011-03-07T15:34:00.000-08:00

I came home to an art gallery... I really mean it... every inch of our banister was covered, the barstools were covered.. and there was an envelope with a love letter and a pic from K (she found a stamp and placed it on the envelope - I had no idea she even knew we used stamps)... she had made lots of love mame and dada letters and pictures... On a sidenote T joined me for a weekend in NYC... pics later, but amazing to enjoy time together in a wonderful city... Pmogi also came along... making for a weekend filled with shopping, museums, eating, umm eating, walking and coffee! But anyway....

K snuck into our bed at 3 Friday night... kept whispering to me as T decided the couch was a more ideal spot for sleep with our bed piggy in residence... K kept chattering and whispering and then worrying she had to be quiet for fear of getting in trouble and then more chattering. She finally dozed off until 6am at which point she brought in all her art projects from the week... and with this new school that means a scary amount of art... we looked at art and more art and I caught up on her week...

C was in shock when I returned and stayed close all weekend.. She wouldn't even let T near her to change diapers... lucky me!! I know.... Anyway she was smiles, giggles and more smiles... This morning was a lot of lip quivering and head burying when I had to drop her to school, but she has been very cuddly otherwise.

Games and moments

And a couple cute things., they love to play cats who have to be adopted... they sit under these chairs waiting for us to take them home... their names little laila and bella rose... this game allows them to eat all sorts of foods otherwise unedible in the form of treats...

C also loves to get ready to go and runs over says bye and miss (for miss you), carries a shopping bag and strains her lips for a kiss... too cute for words...

C has also started to like to run around the island and so they both chase each other and run...

They are enjoying football, unfortunately C doesn't understand that when K takes the ball it is part of the game and just cries... a lot!

C loves to say K's name... she doesn't have any of the letters and continues to believe K's name is dee dee.. Yesterday I tried to pronounce it slowly and asked her to repeat... she just looked at me and said deeeee deee really slowly... as if not sure what my mom is not getting but obviously K is dee dee!

K always listens for C in the mornings and at naps... amazingly after these quiet listening periods outside C's door C typically ends up awake and ready to play... amazing!

K loves her sister so so much... to watch is amazing... and hard to believe that she can be so sweet...

The end of nursing maybe...

2011-03-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

My nursing experience with C was very different from K... K decided around three months the bottle was preferable and not knowing better I let her decide that was ok. C tried the same thing around three months, but the memories of nine months of 5 times a day of pumping just didn't allow her the same luxuries... So instead she eventually gave up trying to fight and decided well to continue nursing well would be ok...

As the one year mark hit I realized we weren't ready to give up nursing. Rather we decided to take on a more mellow routine, every morning and night we nursed and cuddled.... Every month I thought well she would naturally give this up and so I let the routine continue... On this last work trip I decided to be more mellow about the pumping and so when I returned this weekend C and I realized my supply had almost run out... Thinking this would a natural next step I decided we could try and just give it up... So far she is being very brave (I am not) and she keeps checking, sighing and crying a bit, but really trying to understand the change... Last night when she checked again she suggested we read and so we cuddled and read... It is sad to say goodbye to one of the last stages of baby as it has been a sweet experience for both of us.

It is exciting to know I won't be required to perform gymnast moves to read to K while nursing C each morning and rather help C learn to love books as much as K does. In place of K's nursing time we used to spend hours each week reading and so now we will get to do this as a group which is nice... but for now it is hard to believe C is growing up and becoming a young girl... Another nice outcome is the retun to singing and rocking her to bed which I got to do both nights this weekend. KS's signature song is also CH's signature song... thank goodness they have the same syllables in their name and so another routine returns.

Next up on the things to get rid off will be the binky, but I can only tackle one thing a month... or maybe quarter if I really chicken out.

The girls

2011-03-04T18:06:00.000-08:00

The girls are growing up so so quickly.

K has finally adjusted to her charter school... We are so happy. She is getting to do all sorts of amazing things! Tuesday gymnastics, Wednesday yoga, Thursday art and Friday science. She is making friends and feels like such the young lady... She is still madly in love with princesses, baby dolls (some things never change) and pink....

C is also growing like crazy. In fact tonight when I rang them on the way home I couldn't quite be sure I was talking to C until listening to her vocabulary as she is starting to sound like her big sister... She still only says one word at a time, but now seems more stable on her feet and more like a little girl. Boo where is our toddler?

Loving our little girls a lot... loving being parents a lot... wishing for a tiny bit more quiet, but otherwise feeling very happy!

Back to blogging...

2011-01-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

Somehow January started and seems to be ending and still the "getting ready for 2011" mode continues... I had envisioned endless amounts of time with the completion of school... the reality is there has been a lot more time as a family, but really the time continues to disappear...

This weekend we continued the transition of the school with lots of events to make K feel ok during this difficult period.

Friday night K had a play date with her best friend from her old school. They were so so cute together... The boy's little brother appears to be quite enamored of K and so spent a lot of time making sure he could sit next to her and play with her. Adorable.

K continued her weekend with her bff from preschool... Because her bff has a little sister almost the same age as C, the two of them got some time to bond as they have no choice but to grow up playing princesses and baby dolls together... they loved it.

And we had our awesome pretend it isn't winter beach day yesterday.. sunshine, yummy food and the beach. The girls managed to get soaked and although they didn't quite splash in the waves they had a great time in the sand.

Happy 2011

2011-01-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

Celebrating our first new year's eve east coast style... very fun night! And our first pic for 2011...

It's official!

2010-12-06T11:25:00.000-08:00

I can't even believe it, but I am officially done with my MBA... turned our thesis in today... a day ahead of schedule which might be even more amazing... I couldn't have done it without my awesome husband, our wonderful Mom's who supported me by caring for the kids due to classes etc, my amazing company/boss and all my friends many who I have met in the program... It is so great to be done, so exciting to know I won't have to spend any more time away from the girls doing homework, studying or going to class... To say thank you to my husband and math tutor would be an understatement. None of this was possible without his support... Outside of some fun pics at graduation in June no big plans for now.

Nonetheless a new era begins although I am not sure what it will mean minus the five months of boot camp I signed up for starting in Jan so I can get rid of all the yummy lattes I consumed studying for the GMAT and the MBA. And dreams of becoming certified as a yoga instructor and ok there is a lot planned... Lots of fun ahead.

Best Thanksgiving ever

2010-11-30T14:27:00.000-08:00

This year was one of the nicest Thanksgiving holidays we have ever had... although it was rather small it was simply the best... We had a wonderful Thanksgiving breakfast at our house and decided to spend the rest of the day just relaxing and enjoying the quiet something we never ever do (my fault entirely)... We watched Beauty and the Beast while C napped, we took the girls to the park and had an awesome Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's. The kids were happy all day and there was no tears the whole day... a very happy and peaceful day. The rest of the weekend was more of the same, quiet, happiness and family time.

The prep for Santa continues... it is quite the affair this year as we have just ten more days to get everything ready before our annual warm weather vacation... And as C gets older and older she is more aware and way more into presents...

The more exciting countdown, seven days until I finish business school... can't wait! K is also counting down and so excited at the prospect for no more classes, group meetings and study sessions...

The joy of working from home

2010-11-23T14:07:00.000-08:00

Listening to K and T sing Christmas songs... K just made a wish, that C never ever dies as she wants to be an adult as she wants to be with her.

K's Xmas list this year
Fairy wings
Dolls
American Girl dolls - every one ever made and all the accessories
Princess dresses
Princess shoes

And whatever else Santa wants to bring her. Translation all toys ever made.

Our smiling girls.

2010-11-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

Highlights from our zoo adventure...

2010-11-12T05:04:00.000-08:00

We went to the Oakland zoo yesterday... sounded good on paper... K and her bff together... BFF' lil sis and C together... A lot of parents covering... and it went well until we got to the freeway exit... apparently everyone goes to the zoo on Veteran's day... so much so that it caused a traffic jam and the exit was completely stopped.. I would have never believed such things could happen before K.

As it turns out the day was just as great in principle. The highlight watching the elephants eat pumpkins in one bite. C was a bit late on her first zoo visit, but I have amazing shots of utter concentration as she took it all in not even wanting to stop for a picnic lunch.

We split up and decided to take the kids to Berkeley where we tried to go to a cafe in N. Berkeley. As it turned out to go was a good call and we got great pics of the kids wandering on the campus. We headed over to Cheeseboard for pizza, very impressive and happened to stumble on a live band. The kids loved dancing and eating. Really the way they think every meal should be. We ended the night with vanilla ice cream from Ici.

K spent 10 minutes in the car talking about how exhausted she was... completely and utterly exhausted. C demonstrated this by not even wanting milk when offered the choice of nursing or bed during the transfer for car to crib. K was exhausted until she was put in her bed at which point she jumped up and claimed she wasn't tired... Finally when we did get her into bed and on the last check in the one where I threaten to take all fun from the weekend "no more playdates, no ice cream, no anything if you don't go to sleep" I went down the hall and she called me "Mama, thank you for taking us to the zoo. I had so much fun today." And in that moment it was a day well spent and yup, decided a double scoop vanilla ice cream was a must at some point this weekend.

Holiday cards

2010-11-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year... holiday cards! Years ago we decided that every holiday season we would take professional photos of the kids as a way to capture memories in a much more stunning manner than my point and shoot capabilities.

The hard part ends up being how many pictures to fit in one card. This year we are using Shutterfly for the photos and are considering all the cards that have multiple shot capabilities... way too many to choose from, but here are some of our favorites
Shutterfly has quite a few options for holiday gifts and invites available such as Christmas invites, Christmas ornaments and Wall calendars
Our pictures were rained out last weekend so now we are in the mad crunch of getting pics uploaded to Shutterfly in time to print them... but what is a little pressure around the holidays. Here is to another year of holiday cards with my two beautiful girls.

Halloween

2010-11-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

This was my favorite Halloween yet.

For C it was her first celebration of the holiday. She loved her school party, loved the gift bags and most of loved lollipops. She got to eat two over the weekend and enjoyed every lick. Pics to follow. She was a turtle, beyond cute and lovely.

And for K... she got it, like really got it this year. She was so sweet running up to houses, making sure C got a treat in her bag and counting up her treats and surveying her goods at the end. Our neighborhood as always was simply phenomenal and all the associated activities, parties and adventures associated with the day were fantastic. If this is any indication of what Thanksgiving and Xmas are like we are in for a treat. K also had a great time. This morning she woke up and said she wished it was Sunday again so that she could trick or treat.

The walkathon was a fantastic success. Thanks to all our friends who contributed Kaitlin raised a great amount for the school and had so much fun. I missed the event due to work, but heard it was quite the affair and K came home glowing.

Thanks to the Gmas we spent a wonderful weekend in Carmel watching some great friends marry. The last wedding for the year, but so enjoyable to watch so many couples marry and being able to celebrate their special day. We were treated to a pod of dolphins yesterday. So although an exhausting weekend it was great to celebrate Halloween with our girls and so fun to watch our friends marry.

First fundraiser....

2010-10-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Our girlies.

2010-10-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

C is slowly becoming much more in control of her world. The phase of amazed wonder of everything around her is leaving us only to be replaced by a very mischevious and happy little girl enjoying everything around her. Her language continues to grow and now she is saying more and more words although she has been able to make herself quite clear about how things should be without words to this point.

As I put K to bed last night she asked me about when her tooth was going to fall out. She was tired of waiting for it to come out... not that we have any loose teeth, a false alert a year ago, but obviously a false alert. I tried to explain to her that her teeth were late coming in so my guess is they would be late to leave as well. She was bummed, but accepted the reasoning and reminded me not to throw the teeth away when they fall out...

In other funny moments, we are getting daily requests for green veggies... the reason, her new best friend from kinder told her the more green veggies she eats the louder her snap will be when she snaps her fingers! So we are eating lots of green and snapping our fingers after each meal to see and yes I didn't tell her that was totally not true...

Really all those teeth at once...

2010-10-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

So C has long been the winner in the most teeth contest comparted to K. K had one tooth at 13 months. C had 8 at 8 months... We returned home to two very very happy monkeys! C unfortunately felt a bit warm to the touch and was a bit fussy. We decided this was all linked to missing mommy and daddy and just spent the time enjoying her. Unfortunately by 4pm in the middle of a bday party for one of K's friends she was really hot... and so the fever began... over 102 degrees lasting for over 16 hours... the medicine did nothing to bring it down and so we worried, called urgent care as if we were first time parents and spent all night Sunday holding our little girl... especially when her breathing became very fast and shallow we became very very worried... As it turns out finally the fever broke the 102+ range and she was finally able to sleep. Monday resulted in a doctor's visit as she still was not her normal self... everything looked ok... except her swollen gums and about five molars who all decided to appear at once. A little dehydration was treated with Jamba Juice and it appeared we were through the worst of it. Unfortunately the fever returned about an hour after the doctor's visit and is still here today. Nothing like it was, but still here... Here's to hoping the teeth do their thing quickly and our little girl returns... we are really missing her. Now that vacay seems like quite a distant memory.

Our first long getaway

2010-10-14T06:12:00.000-07:00

We are nearing the end of our coupley get away that was made possible thanks to our amazing mom's who have been taking care of both kids and our kitty, all our wonderful friends who have helped with school pick ups, weekend coverage and countless offers of help.... Thank you everyone for making it possible. We are so lucky!

The trip so far has been awesome and amazing... It is sometimes easy to forget what traveling so light can be like. i.e no diaper bags, strollers etc. In fact we managed to leverage carry on only for the entire trip which would never be possible as a family of four. We started our trip in Florence and ventured out to Tuscanny and some other surrounding towns. One of the towns neither one of us had been since our babymoon before K... It was so wonderful to remember all the hopes and joys you have as you become parents... We went on to Paris, and the end of carrry on only... a dangerous town for my shopping bug especially since we had to bring things for the kids.. had to! The things I bought for me, well those not sure how they ended up there... The trip so far has been full of amazing food, late night walks, dinner at 11pm, loads of museums, cappucinos, wine and exploring parks. The last part of the trip, has us out in Chantilly which is the work part of the trip for me and a chance to continue to try and figure out if we could live in Europe for a short period... one can dream. Heading home on Saturday and couldn't be more excited to return home to our two girls. Lots of pics to follow... and more importantly lots of memories and appreciation for our time as two.

Things I don't want to forget about K

2010-09-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

Her favorite month is July... she was sad when it ended and likes it well just because.

Her favorite direction is east and keeps an eye out on the car's compass for when we are heading east. She wishes in fact all we did was head east when driving.

One of her new friends at school is her friend because the first letter in their names is K.

She loves her new school and whenever we drive by it screams that it is her school.

Her superheroes are our neighbors across the street because gasp they are seven!

She told her sister the other day that she wanted to spend her life making her happy. She looks at pics of C or things C does and says that C looks so cute in that pic or can you believe C can do that? "I AM SO AMAZED"!

The start of conversation

2010-09-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

C started to talk a bit more on Sat...

After she got up from her nap I asked how she slept? she responded with a good? Next q.. Do you want to eat? Yes, with a head nod... I was so amazed I asked her how she slept about 20 times... she decided that she didn't want to deal with the question yesterday and skipped her nap alltogether... Not so good!

This morning I asked her how she was? response... good. I told her I loved her, she came over and kissed me.

We also worked on identifying body parts this morning. She was able to show me where all her facial features were with some excessive ear pulling. Last week something was too loud and so she covered her ears with her hands unlike K. When we tried to warn her of sirens in London she would put her hands over her cheeks instead of her ears.

Just five days left...

2010-09-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

Five days left of summer break left... until hurrah the last quarter of business school. I am so excited. The summer was a very nice preview of just how nice having entire weekends as a family can be. It was great to spend so much time on the coast or in the city and just being together. It was so strange to wonder what to do every once in a while as we had a free day on a weekend where I didn't have to head off to school... It was nice to hang with so many awesome friends and celebrate with weddings, happy hours and wine. And do a lot of window shopping... I think I considered purchasing about 200 purses this summer... I think I bought two... thank goodness I had some restraint.

Spending all the extra time with my wonderful husband and the kids was very very nice... however the kids were a lot of work!! We had both kids home a lot more during the days whenever possible which was lots of fun and just plain exhausting.

Our house is a lot more organized as we cleaned every closet and every drawer in every room. Even the garage will be looking good after a few more runs to Goodwill. This level of organization is challenged on a daily basis with the little ones.

C's baby book will be done by the time school starts. Still trying to keep everything equal for the kids... So that is almost impossible, but still trying.

The kindergarten transition went well although we are still on the wait list for our first choice school which could result in another transition... not looking forward to it as K is madly in love with her school and her teacher.

Somehow the what am I going to do after the MBA question remains unanswered and still really overwhelming, but luckily I have a few months to figure this out... The other goal, that last little baby weight still remains, but hey 2010 isn't over yet so there is still time to get this worked out as well!

I am sure the biggest highlight of summer for K was Disneyland, C's biggest highlight was learning to play with her sister and mine was spending time with my beautiful family and husband... Yes, still think I am as lucky as I was at the start of the summer despite all the summer adventures!

We are now going to begin our countdown to the celebration of the end of business school, two weeks in the Caribbean. Although this is just us and the kids the real celebration will be when we return and thank both of our mom's for always being willing to help out and be our support system so that I could finish school even with two monkeys.

I do it myself stage...

2010-09-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

C is entering a new stage of life... the I can do it myself stage... cereal, she can eat it on her own... even if the spoon is upside down just after she is freshly dressed. K tried to share pushing the cart at Whole Foods yesterday. Definitely a no go manuever, C started to shriek... It appears that the I do it myself stage for C also includes learning how to shriek and stamp her feet....

Goodbye babyhood, hello toddler! And what a cute toddler she is... blowing kisses, saying ba bye, disappointed when her sister leaves her for school, taking our hands and guiding us to where she wants to explore and still loving to eat!

Becoming sisters

2010-09-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

For the last year C has been the baby/toddler and K has been the big sister... for the most part a very adoring big sis... unless C starts touching her things... well all bets are off if this occurs.This past weekend something changed and we watched the two of them really try to play together... For the most part the games were simple for K, but she was really sweet and kind in playing... They spent almost an hour collecting rocks and sitting in the water in HMB... that might be more of a miracle, that the weather was just that good! They have continued having moments where they play together all week, from playing with play doh, to little games it is nice to see them have sisterly moments...

a few more pics...

2010-08-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

The year of the wedding

2010-08-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

K's second wedding of the year. And completely coincidentally both were Indian weddings which meant a lot of festivities... So fun and beautiful to be a part of... Here are a few shots from the second wedding which

took place this weekend.

So this is what it is like

2010-08-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so now we know what it is like to have an eater... we have never had this issue with K as she has always been too busy to eat, but now we are quickly learning what it is like to have an eater, basically you need 10x the snacks you thought you needed and really just always have food ready.

Months ago I learned that sometimes if I needed a moment to get something done, and in the earlier stage of mobility where we needed to watch C like a hawk the best thing to do to keep her occupied was cut up a piece of fruit and put her in the highchair... even a few os could give you a moment to do dishes. I tried this again this morning when I needed to wash dishes before heading out... just pushed the highchair up to the sink and washed dishes between bites... here is our watermelon lover.

Week one

2010-08-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Week one was a smashing success... K loved it, loves her teacher, her new friends and is soo proud of her new school. We are, whoops I mean I am very relieved. It is so great to see her so excited and so big! We are impressed with her. Teacher's feedback... after week one, very bright, very social and well the last part is so true to her nature but about a little boy she is apparently taken under her wing as her charge... translation.. she is letting him know who he should play with and what games he can play... Her role as big sister is very very perfect for her... All in all we are proud if not a bit embarrased that she is a bit bossy... I guess the flip side is she is very positive and umm assertive. Some pics of day one.

A new era...

2010-08-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Today was the start of a new era... sorta... K began her first day as a kindergartner... So amazing. She was thrilled and could barely wait to get in the car. I wasn't quite sure I wanted to let her go... ok I was sure... this day came too soon. Our beautiful tiara wearing baby girl has grown up. Looking at her it was clear she was ready for this next stage and really excited. Her new backpack and lunchbox thanks to Gma S were pulled off her back so she could get in the car seat and she really ran in to the new school. She sat down, got right to work and enjoyed circle time..

When I asker her how the day was she said "fun, fun, fun, fun. But I only made two friends" She is in love and can't wait to go back...

We are not sure we are ready to let her go, but are so proud of her. K is a beautiful girl, a loving sister and has such a good heart. Our house has not had a moment of quiet since she arrived and we feel so blessed. Now another adventure begins! She is ready, but are we.

Swimming

2010-08-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

DACA is doing an awesome job turning K into a swimmer... we are so impressed! She resisted swim lessons for so long that we really let her take it at her own speed... the good news is she has the bug now and tries to spend every day in the pool... her skills are really improving and she is going to enjoy beach holidays even more now than ever!

K hanging with her family...

2010-08-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

T's sis and two kids came to visit and spent some of their around the States tour at our house... K was thrilled to have so many people to ~~boss around~~ play with. She loved it, especially as it meant lots of time with Gma C who has moved out and in with Aunt J. K had everyone playing princesses, star wars and singing songs from their schools. It was quite cute to watch her as she loves being with them so much and completely idolizes her older cousins. T took the kids to an A's game which K really enjoyed especially as she got to eat a bag of skittles... and we all had a lot of yummy meals and even went to SF for the day. K kept up with the rest of us and did amazing. C stayed home as it was just too long of a day for her. She was pretty excited to hang with Gma C as she is now at Nelly's most of the week.

2010-07-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Our first road trip!

2010-07-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

So although we had been talking about going to LA no hotels were booked and there was still a big what if in the air... what if the kids scream the whole way down and what if the road trip goes horribly... C and K have always done a million times better in an airplane but we decided to do it... Monday we booked everything and left a few hours later... Both girls loved it... chattering and laughing for about two hours until we finally made them go to sleep... got to LA around 1:30 put the kids to bed and were so thrilled the trip went so well...

The rest of the trip went the same way... a lot of smiling, some great attitudes from the kids and adventures... We spent the time down there wandering the Santa Monica pier and beaches, 3rd street Promenade, visiting the Getty, Rodeo, Robertson, trying to squeeze in mommy and daddy moments like drinks at the Ritz in Marina del Rey the moment failing desperately and leaving for a kid friendly dinner after drinking our wine while chasing two monkeys... GOING TO THE HOLY GRAIL... Disneyland... surviving mostly... lots of glowing from K as she is in full princessness right now... spending a few nights on the Newport Coast taking them to Laguna, Monarch and Crystal Cove... So overall a lot of beach time, a lot of fun, quality family time, a considerable amount of driving and even a bit of shopping. The overall trip was very successful... it was hard to find time for naps, getting enough meals in and doing other things, but for the most part everything worked... and we are considering other road trips... so it was a success!

a few pics

2010-07-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

Two drop offs down

2010-07-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

C made it through two two hour runs at N's.

Drop off one: C was very nervous and cried.. a lot! K was sad and stuck with her little sis the whole time... When T picked her up she was still fussing and crying while being pushed around in a little car normally the same car we have at home brings her great joy... Both girls came home exhausted and tired... K was amazing.

Drop off two: C was more open to getting down to look at toys and playing... she cried when T and I left... but she was much more calm while we chatted.. When we picked her up she was near her sister playing outside... pretty happy and content but happy to see us and ran to T... As we came at ice cream time K was waiting for her ice cream... We decided to wait for her to finish before leaving... C also thrilled with the treat was happily snacking and walked past me while eating... no big deal.. until she walked over to one of the teachers and asked for her to hold her.... Good bye mommy!!! And she continues on her path to being a big girl.

A new room

2010-07-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

C finally moved into her own room... very exciting!!! So far it has gone really well and she has had a few minor wake ups but otherwise survived the experience quite well... We are still setting up the room, but she's got her two favorites binky and blankie to get her through the night.

She is also about to start at N's where K went for many years... Also exciting but very worrisome... Thanks to Gma C we were lucky to be able to keep her home for over 14 months, but now it is time for a new adventure... I am very nervous... she is even more so. It is a part time thing for now and K is going to go with her for some of the transition so that she can regain some Spanish and help her sis... We are so proud. Today was the first day... the drop off was as expected... tears and more tears!

At brunch at a park the other day a black lab got away from his owner... He was headed straight for C... K without thinking ran up grabbed her sis and had her in her arms before T and I ran over... She loves her role as a big sis... we are so proud! Sharing toys are still hard but sharing her love is never a problem... when C is asleep she can't wait for the opp to go in and wake her up. C follows K around as the adoring little sis always!

C is still nursing in the morning and night... just the perfect amount for now... figuring out how to cut these two out will probably take some thinking.

Both girls are loving summer. C carries her shoes wherever she can... One day T went upstairs to change out of his work clothes with the promise of outdoor time.. C made it up the stairs and presented him his flip flops... gotta keep the parents focused!

K is doing great with her swimming lessons... we put them off and so she was very reliant on her vest... last weekend she was in the pool without it... totally our fault for the late start but DACA is doing amazing and getting her on track! We are beyond impressed... She is growing leaps and bounds and so tall... She is able to reach the kitchen sink to pour her own water and is so big... hard to believe!

Both girls love lady gaga... K sings Poker Face whenever she can and is a huge fan. Yesterday T and I were in the car with C solo when we heard a lot of noise from the back... we turned around to see C motioning at the radio and waving her hands in the air... she too wanted a turn with Lady Gaga and a chance to dance.

Really... can life be this good...

2010-06-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

This week is the first week of no classes, no grad school apps, no grad school tests in umm years!! And I am as madly in love with the concept as is K... Knowing all I need to do is work.. is the most amazing feeling... Since most of our holidays are crammed in one - three week breaks between school to just be home is incredible... so far nothing crossed off my growing to do list, but we are enjoying some great family time doing very exciting family things..
walks in the evenings with my wonderful and amazing husband
playing with the kids in the neighborhood
art projects
visiting with the gmas
ice cream treats after school (yes, that is right... it is true I DO let K get ice cream before dinner sometimes... if she reads this years from now she will know I am not always a mean rule abiding mommy after all it is written here as proof)
bath time...
Very exciting family moments that I am getting to enjoy and have the privilege of enjoying all summer long... next week begins the summer of boot camp at the gym, but that is also very exciting... Hurrah for a summer break with my girlies and honey!

The crib

2010-06-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

We are trying to reuse most of our baby stuff from K with C... and luckily it has been working out pretty well... if C had been of the opposite gender there would have been a lot of metrosexual pink blankets in his life... luckily this conversation whas been avoided!

K has loved to hop in C's crib since she moved out of the bassinet... They have sat in there together playing, giggling and just being wonderfully cute together.

One night when T was away and I was flying solo I got up to find the binkies that had fallen between the wall and the crib and all of a sudden a wheel came off in my hand... at 1am! Feeling really growly and especially bummed that I couldn't call T to come over and take care of his required duties... clearly crib fixing is the dad's job in our house... I had to try and fix it myself... so there I was lifting the crib with C in it and putting the wheel on... she was startled by the whole thing and so I imagine looked quietly at me in the dark... I couldn't see this but the silence was suggesting she was baffled by the event.. I found the binkies returned them and went back to bed.. not even thinking we could have broken the crib in the moving of the crib. T returned home the next day and I asked him to figure out the wheel situation...

The problem... turns out you can't really have a five year old jumping in a crib with a one year old... must be past the weight requirements... I have to confirm this with Pali as it turns out the wood split.... and the wheel can no longer go into the crib... so now the crib is without wheels.. still functional, but I am seeing a faster transition to the big girl bed.. just hoping it will last another year.

K has been banned from getting in the bed... much to her chagrin.. it was an extension of a gymnastics routine she normally performs on the floor. So I saw her looking at the crib this morning... still dreaming of getting in with her sis... still being a doting big sister... as long as it doesn't involve her little sister touching her stuff or destroying her towers with a single second of exploration!

Jasmine...

2010-06-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Still Jasmine.. K sang happy bday to Jasmine for my bday... why would she say Mommy if my name is Jasmine the princess... made me a yummy ice cube cake which we had in the form of delicious icy water.. and made beautiful placemats... mine had a pic of a girl with a bday cake... She picked a twirly skirt for me... only way I can truly be a princess is if I wear dresses everyday... So still working on making mommy a princess..

our girlies.

2010-06-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

The girlies... heading home after picking K up from school

2010-06-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

snack distributor...

still holding on to the cc while snacking after hitting the store with Mom.

on the way to pick up my sis...

K quote of the day

2010-06-01T10:12:00.001-07:00

Kism of the morning... do you like to buy presents so you can use up all your money? My response... no because we like seeing people open gifts... like that shirt Gma is wearing we bought her.. K's response... oh I love that shirt....

The week before

2010-06-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

The week before finals is getting to be a signature moment in the house... and I am sure this blog... same story the weekend or two before I spend more hours at school or studying than at home with the family... having a three day weekend earlier in the month meant that I could do two study days and one day at the beach... By the time Friday crept around I had convinved myself out of this and instead decided it was time to focus in... so I tried to focus as much as you can when the weather was as nice as it was this weekend... We still found family time to go to the pool, meet friends and hang out... I still feel guilty about missing the kids but excited about summer approaching...

C spent most of the weekend showing us she had mastered walking... advanced skills including turning while walking, sitting down using a gentle plop on to her bum instead of a flat out fall... of course we still had a few of those fall moments, but her walking is growing leaps and bounds... she has a signature extend both hands in front and walk... guess it is never to early to prep for the fall...

PS: I am still a princess... I ate oatmeal for breakfast and if I do this again I was warned by my sister princess K tomorrow I will no longer be a princess... Looks like I am required to eat plain o's for cereal tomorrow since we used up the daddy cereal. Might have to hit the grocery store.

C did an incredible thing this morning... she went back to bed this morning after nursing... guess it was to reward us for the weeks of 5am wake ups... 5:45 seems like sleeping in in her book...

Princesses

2010-05-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

When I came home last night K asked if we could play princesses... I said sure and we proceeded to be princesses at a ball. I was Ariel and she was Aurora... we were sisters and best friends. She would only call me by sister and not mommy. She let me know that we were sisters and best friends even when we slept. K went to bed and this morning woke up still wanting to play. We determined we were on our way to the grand ball. Our ball would be school for her and work for me...

We chatted at breakfast and had daddy cereal as that is what princesses eat. the flakes were poisonous unless you were one like C who was able to eat them... we could not eat them for fear of dying. Cinderella ate them and died... (of course we all know K is not a fan of Cinderella because she wears gasp a blue dress... as a result she is not a fan). We went to the dentist office everyday to get her teeth brushed because we didn't brush our teeth. I drove the car even though we both knew how to drive. In this princess land if you were five you were an adult.

We are still princesses.. I dropped her off to school with a final dance on the playground and of to work I went. An awesome morning especially because we had no arguments about food or dressing.

K...

2010-05-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

K asked me today if she could cut her hair to match a girl in school's haircut... I had her describe the cut... a bowl... "a round cut all the way around her head" ... ahh the style at 5... I suggested that we were indeed due for a cut, but that I would prefer we start with a small trim...after all much easier to go back and cut more versus feeling sad you cut too much... As a girl I have definitely had this experience before... anyway so disaster averted... hoping for time to cut both kids hair... have to find somewhere for the first professional haircut for both...

And C's vocab is growing... spoon, water and flower... and hurrah dada!!!

Mothers Day 2010.. a few shots

2010-05-19T18:55:00.001-07:00

Really babies shake lamps

2010-05-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it appears that I should have realized kids are different months ago... and I did know that sorta... well ok not really... After all C.. was calling clone for many months by T... as she gets older the differences become more and more apparent... in ten years I am sure this will be even more the case... the differences we are seeing now.

eating... C loves to eat... loves it... she tried to nurse a couple weeks ago with her mouth so full of banana she couldn't shut it... that is my girl! T described her morning nursing sessions as a lion eating.. they are rather excited affairs for one of us... the girl eats all food with gusto! K although has finally shown some sort of appetite. The other day she could not take the granola bar I offered when she mentioned she was hungry as we got to school as she would have to sit to eat... no time to sit and eat... C on the other hand points to her chair and tries to get anything anyone is eating... really anything is good...

mobility... K lived to walk... by ten months she was walking and happy.. shaking leaves, carrying sticks happy to be like the adults around her... She would hold her hands sitting before walking crying as she waited for someone to help her walk... C loves crawling... grins happily and crawls around... she has taken quite a few steps by herself she has no interest in doing it... if offered a chance we see her drop to the floor and start to crawl to get to anything..

kid proofing.. K was so focused on being with her parents she never left our side... we never childproofed outside of a few electricity covers on outlets... C needs childproofing... I would take a pic but don't want to encourage this... she loves to go over to the lamps shake them grin and look back at us with the clatter... she especially loves the part when we all run over to stabalize the lamps... if we are really lucky she shakes her head no as we run over... once again not sure I can provide photographic evidence despite this is ridiculously cute and infuriating... The other morning as I was feeding MoCa I realized she was holding herself up with the tupperware full of cat food and helping herself to quite a meal... I told you ... she loves to eat. K although interested in MoCa's food would never have gotten past the first taste.. especially if we said no. C also figured out how to open shampoo bottles... I was unaware of this technique until I found a bottle of shampoo in her mouth and the lid in her hand.. this is similar to when I was emptying the contents of my purse at her one year appt and the dr and I learned she could open lipsticks and chapstick.. and take both and put them in her mouth... this fact worried the poor dr who was worried C would choke in her office... that would take away my favorite doctor in the world award I want to give her everytime I see her.

sleep.. K was sleep trained at 8 months... last night C spent half the night standing up crying with the binky in the mouth as we kept reminding her night was for sleeping.

Ok, so now I know should we ever do this again... you really don't know what you are going to get... and even more so pregnancy is not an indication of personality outside of the womb.. if so C would have been given away months ago...

And in the new developments... C is giving kisses... and finally said da... that is right T and K were ahead of us at the park yesterday and C felt left out being stuck back with Mom and I heard a da... heard it again this morning so it is official!

C turns one!

2010-05-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

Just the girls

2010-05-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

T is out of town on his mancation... Bandon Dunes with golf friends and fraternity brothers... pretty much heaven... a nice way to celebrate his bday!! Very fun... so I have been home with the girls the last few days...

K has been excited to have only girls in the house... we have had time to play animal bingo, read books and since C thinks 5:45 not 5:46 or 5:44 but 5:45 is the perfect time to waken we have had lots of morning time to catch up... all three of us.

The best part may have been C walking back and forth between K and me... three - six steps at a time C kept walking back and forth giggling and smiling at her accomplishment... K was laughing louder and we had one of those wonderful look at what C can do moments...

Sometimes having two mobile children when you are solo can be difficult... K closed the door on C when I was getting the bath running... I stuck on the otherside of the door got to C just in time to find her hanging off the ledge of the bathtub trying to get in head first... ahh... this was all in the under two seconds of no parental supervision... That girl loves baths... if the bath goes on and she is downstairs she recognizes the sound shrieks battttttttttttt her version of bath.

C's 6th word... book... right now the vocab consists of balloon, kick, bath, Kate, Mama, and now book...

K has also started working on paragraphs at school.. she is able to write in upper and lower case and now is working on sentences in her journal... the reading is progressing and her word identification is improving... and she really seems to enjoy math... we know that is not from me...

Four shots to prove it

2010-05-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

It is official... she is one... we had four shots to prove it. C is not impressed with life or the doctor.. In fact the doctor mentioned she got the stink eye on the way out the door when C saw her from across the hall... Oh you... what I would say to you if I could talk... C weighed in at 20 pounds and 30.5 inches... doing wonderfully... she is going to be less thrilled about the end of the binky and the bottle per the dr.s request, but at least she is on her way to becoming a big girl. Boo!

K is also on her way to being a big girl... I feel like we made a mistake with the school we picked for her... so much structure.. it is unlikely she will return there in the fall to finish k and right now I am debating the summer... today she broke into tears about her skirt not being long enough and that she needed shorts under her dress... In disbelief I went to the teacher to learn that yes they did ask for shorts underneath and yes in fact long dresses are ideal as girls are not ladylike about sitting with dresses... I am and was steaming... really ladylike while she climbs on the jungle gym, the slide and monkey bars... who really cares... after all we are only going to see princesses and ponies... isn't she too young to be made aware that underwear should be hidden... ahh as I am sure you can tell I am not impressed. And since she didn't get the school we had been working for in the public school we are going to have to find a k that works for everyone... busy researching again...

NO...

2010-05-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

C has learned to shake her head no... when nursing on Saturday I asked her if she wanted more mommy milk... she looked at me shook her head no and got off the bed feet first... When she eats something she doesn't like she shakes her head no and won't take it... already no? Can't believe it.

Her other new trick... hand clapping... so cute.. she breaks into a beaming smile claps her hand and applauds looking around so proud... also very sweet.

And we have mama... C is now saying mama... ever since I got home from Spain I hear a little girl saying mama while she pulls on my pants to get into my arms..... apparently Gma told her some of the kitchen things are mama's and so we also get a lot of mama when the kitchen cupboards are open.

Stairs are going ok as well... she likes to bump down on her bottom and or go feet first...

so many accomplishments... so hard to keep up!

K is doing well also... finally adjusted to kindergarten and loving it... she walks in sits right down to a "job" or runs outside to play with a friend... so great to see. Oh transitions... so hard!

Swimming is going well ... despite the fact she thinks it is boring... a lot of things are found to be boring... she is doing great!

sister love

2010-04-17T23:49:00.001-07:00

some pics..

2010-04-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Khate, Khate

2010-04-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

C was nursing this morning for the last time for a few days. I am heading to Boston so Daddy and Gma are back to the freezer supply... that may be the most amazing invention ever for my schedule... freezer bags and the freezer... (I can't compliment the pump even though I know I should.) Currently the freezer is full of frozen milk and not much else... this will soon change!

And because my cab was arriving in 30 minutes instead of the standard snuggle snooze fest we both try and embark on every morning which normally results in 30 minutes of sleeping for both of us until K arrives.. I was checking email while nursing... totally busted.. C looked at me wondering what I was doing... instead of the happy sounds she typically makes in the morning while nursing she spotted the phone and grabbed it... not hard to do with the screen on my phone.. Anyway so she grabs the phone and sees my pic of K... looks at it and starts to glow and chatter away Khate Khaa Khaa... ahh she has spotted her super hero! So the rest of our nursing session is spent nursing and staring at her sister...

With one fast approaching we are trying to decide what to do about nursing... With K it was easy... after nine months of pumping everyday I couldn't wait to be separated from that thing and stroll to whole foods for an organic gallon of milk... I wasn't getting any cuddles so it was just not the same.

With C it is so much harder! I am loving nursing her and don't really ever want to give it up... not very practical... especially as I am heading to Europe on Thursday and it is impossible to carry a pump around all day in a big city... plugs are impossible to find in America let alone another country... something I have learned over the last nine months... So I think I will be reducing nursing to just morning and nighttime feedings... hopefully she will stay interested in this (likely considering what an eater she is) and just let her completely self wean when she is ready .. not sure how long this will last, but logically it makes the most sense and allows me to hold on for a bit longer... The nursing is definitely in the top two moments of the day.

K's first Indian wedding

2010-04-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

K had her first Indian wedding this week and loved it... she has been really focused on being Indian this week and mentioning that she wished was full Indian and not just half... this was a perfect time for her to be at the wedding and take in a bit of the culture...

We went to the henna party on Thursday and she got a few designs on her hands... She took home about 100 bangles and has been counting and organizing them ever since... She even took some of the flowers home from the garlands.

On Saturday morning we took both girls to the wedding and morning reception... K spent quite a bit of time watching the bride, standing in front of the stage watching everything and meeting kids... She came home and asked to empty out toy baskets so she could be carried in a basket like the bride she saw earlier in the day. At the end of the wedding her and a few other girls went up on the stage and picked up sparkles and flowers and we now have at least 30 roses throughout the kitchen and living room... She also spent quite a lot of time carrying around C and helping her climb stairs and explore the space... The reception last night was also loads of fun... and a nice date for T and I.

Right and wrong

2010-04-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

As K gets older there is more discussion of what is right and wrong... what is ok and what is really unacceptable... for the most part these discussions are light and easy... compared to what we will face when she becomes a teenager, but still it doesn't make them any easier.

This morning we were taking care of my mom's catwhile she is out of town... all the tulips in her yard are in full bloom... K as we all know is a girlie girl... and loves picking up flowers (the rule is only pick flowers you can find on the ground). As I closed the door I noticed she had a tulip in her hand... one that had been clearly picked...

I asked her if she picked the flower and she grabbed my hand held on tight and ... finally slowly responded.. "yes I picked the flower" and immediately burst into tears... actually not even tears but full on sobs.. there she was gasping for air because she picked a flower and I was stuck... do I tell her no you are not to pick flowers or comfort her... so I picked her up held her and told her that as she knows picking flowers is wrong even if they are beautiful... At that point she looked at me and said mommy, the flower was for you... now of course I am feeling horrible. she was trying to do something nice but yet as she was breaking a rule and I had to correct her...

Although the argument was simple and the transgression beyond small it broke my heart watching my girl so sad... So hard to teach right and wrong...

Just a few steps...

2010-04-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend C started to take three steps or so by herself... She was so thrilled with herself... literally glowing with pride... and also a bit shy and unsure of herself... she was so cute walking a few steps before losing her balance and tipping over..

Heading home

2010-03-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

C decided to try standing on her own yesterday... things are about to become a lot more dangerous.... So amazing to see her already standing though.

We are heading home from Japan today. Overall a great trip. We saw so many interesting areas of Tokyo, went to some great museums, palaces, parks, saw cherry blossoms and tried to visit as many shrines as we could fit in despite rain the entire time we were in Kyoto. There were so many things to do we would have needed a month more to see everything.

We had a lot of great meals of soba, sushi, Thai, Indian and Vietnamese... It was all in all wonderful. Our favorite meal was a very traditional Japanese restaraunt on the Gion... a very cultural experience!

K was a great sport about everything and C tried as best as she could... She is really into crawling so the trip was a bit tough on her as there was no where to put her down... This made it hard for her as she was always in someone's arms, the bjorn or the stroller... However the evening romp arounds in the hotel were well received by both kids. Definitely a good learning experience for the next couple trips until C is two and more comfortable sitting and less interested in walking all the time.. The other issue was no highchairs with seatbelts meant she couldn't enjoy her favorite activity... eating.. she had to be held for this as well and that didn't make her the best eater... Luckily travel is about being flexible and seeing new things and both girls did amazing with being game for both.

Glad the flight home is two hours shorter and we have a full day to get the girls back on track for another quarter of school and of course work. Another wonderful trip.

Travel

2010-03-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

So we made it... our trip to Tokyo was designed to be an easier glimpse into international travel with two... C did great on the first part of the flight, but by hour nine she was done... most of this comes from the fact that she wants to be on the ground crawling and our flight attendants wanted people in their seats... at all times unlike most international flights where it is expected that this is a long trip and people need to move around... The second travel part was the bus to Tokyo... over 2.5 hours due to traffic... that was also tough... the rest has been great... K was outstanding... not a peep ever. She is definitely an incredible traveler. The jet lag has been ok... we did a two hour wake up the first night and wandered around Tokyo at 2, but were able to get everyone back to sleep. C did a wake up the second night but is doing really well considering the time difference is considerable.

Everyone in Japan has been so helpful... on the bus ride a 20 year old guy sitting next to me played with C and pulled out little treats when she started to fuss.. he didn't even complain when her wet hands touched him... he just kept trying... so nice.

People keep coming up and commenting on the kids... some people have filmed C.

We were saved at least an hour on our travel journey as we were allowed to skip lines at security and in the hotel in Japan...

Our first day was great.. it was almost 70... we weren't quite oriented as we had no time for research prior to the trip so although it was nice to be together not an optimal day in seeing sights. C crawled all over Ginza as the streets were closed off... K followed behind and wowed us and everyone around with the caring loving sis she always is. We went to the traditional district and explored the streets had vietnamese and thai... both really yummy especially as rice noodles passed as pasta.

Some funny comments by k
In prada in ginza "I love this dress it is so beautiful it could be a wedding dress"
On all the masks "What the heck are all those people wearing mouthguards for"
On heated toilet seat in the hotel "Be right back going to the bathroom on the hot toilet seat, LOVE IT"
On our check in to see if she wanted ice cream after lunch... "I don't want ice cream, I just want to go shopping" She loves souvenir shopping... we always end up with one random thing on any trip.
She is also quite taken by the traditional costumes spotted..

Very excited about the family time.

Kain

2010-03-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

We had all been trying to convince C to say Mama, Dada or K first....last night T was looking at a pic of K when she was C's age and showed it to C explaining the picture to her... C looked at it and said Kaitin.. T was so surprised he checked again... she said Kate... and went on to make the K sound... We are so excited!

Japan bound...

2010-03-12T12:24:00.000-08:00

We are six days away from our first international trip as a family... we will see if we were completely crazy or just adventurous after we return... but for now we are excited to be leaving for a ten day trip to Japan next week... The goal of the weekend... figure out how to buy just the right amount of stuff and pack it in three hours the morning we leave as I am heading back east tomorrow night after finals... Exciting!!!

Aunt J came down yesterday... C appears to be as in love with Aunt J as K is... they grinned, laughed and snuggled as Aunt J played with them... I have been remiss with the camera lately... must get back on board...

C is chattering away... her favorite sound ba... balloon is still a word she uses a lot, but also for balls... She said bath a few days ago and tries her hardest to mimic her cool big sister's sounds...

Missing my family...

2010-03-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

The week of finals always brings a similar feeling.. WTF am I doing this for? I miss my family like crazy and can't take another minute of finals, papers and school... Thank goodness for all of us this week is only a week and is followed by a holiday where we all hang out, reconnect and if we are lucky enough... travel somewhere awesome and amazing!!! For the first time ever work and school collided at the same time making this a crazy and horrible week... Three papers, one final, one presentation and I am home free. And soon.. I will be back together with the family... and we are going to Japan where if the internet is right we will catch cherry blossom season... so the reward is out there... just got to get to that point!

The wedding

2010-03-06T16:28:00.001-08:00

K requested we play wedding today while T was out golfing and C was napping... She married T in a beautiful ceremony with lots of baby dolls... in fact she had a few babies of her own that attended... The dress... had a horse on it... and the cake... all frosting no cake and caramel sauce on top... and the honeymoon... Asia or Peru... or maybe even Hawaii... no wedding party... they were all working... funny to listen to her scenarios play out...

Circle time

2010-03-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

Today K requested I take C to school with her... I agreed and so we all piled in the car... K had spent most of the day following C around... and had already had one round of tears because she wasn't big enough to take her sister down the stairs...

K requested that C join her at circle time... so down they sat for circle time after visiting Chirpie the bird... K snuggled in and sang to C while they were in the circle.... so proud that she is a big sister! That girl rocks...

We didn't get the transfer we needed and the PACT school is a lottery so we might be looking at private K... Now to go figure out the best one. Argh.

C's second word... kick! She likes to kick balls... so cute!

Glowing...and five!

2010-03-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

K finally had her awesome and amazing bday party at Gold Star this weekend… It was fantastic, awesome and wonderful! We were lucky enough to share the party with Fi making the event even more awesome… two big girls turning five and celebrating together… And needless to say it was outstanding for a number of reasons such as: two girls turning five is much better than one, four parents really can make planning and executing much easier, it is a lot of fun to plan with another mom, it is so much less stressful… and great to have so many more kiddies running around…

She told me that this was the best party of ever… coming from a five year old… well that was quite the compliment… therefore nothing else to write about the event..

The rest of the weekend was lovely.. her spanish lessons are going really well and keeping her spanish up, playdates are amazing when the weather is great, warm and sunny... and T and I had nice dinners with friends on Sat and Sun...

First word

2010-03-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

C said her first word this weekend…. Balloon. So although T, K and I all were trying to get her to say Mama, Dada or Kaitlin first… C our very wise girl went with none of those and has been saying boon all weekend…. Clearly the influence of her big sis as she would have never seen balloons if not for her sister loving them and always keeping them in the house… Unfortunately for C she spent the rest of the weekend having balloons shoved in her face just so we could all hear that magic word… it was magical and so sweet to see her point and say balloon… it is getting even more fun! And she turned ten months yesterday… hard to believe how fast her first year has gone…

Five year appt is great

2010-02-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

So cute to watch K talk to the doctor and share her story on everything... her new friends, her school, listen to her heartbeat and pick out the stickers at the end. The doctor mentioned she was dressed very bright and beautifully! K beamed. 43 pounds and 44 inches... Last shot for public school kindergarten forms done!! Finally, can turn in my application.

3 nights... ok four!

2010-02-23T21:05:00.003-08:00

Being gone ok for four nights if you count the red eye felt like a really long time this time... I missed the girls a lot!! K had a harder time as well and C well I am looking forward to our reunion tomorrow morning... Apparently she hasn't been as interested in her morning feeding.... hurrying home to cuddle and reconnect with the girlie girls! As always my rockstar husband kept everything together, Gma S kept K so T could get his golf round in and Gma C kept C happy and content...

Highlights... from one of my favorite cities in the world!
Walking, walking and more walking even in the pouring rain and 30 degree weather. Shopping, shopping window shopping and window shopping all over town..

An amazing upgrade after a really super on special rate at the Waldorf... A beautiful suite with two bathrooms, two man tvs... sorry T I never even turned them on...

Seeing Sarah Fergurson Duchess of York talk about women and equality in society. Seeing Geena Davis bring her daughter to the same event she was also a keynote at in the UN focused on women and the economy, in developing countries and how to grant them equality...

New York City Ballet with Pmogi

Great coffee at Ground Support in SoHo and even better conversation with Pmogi

Great ambiance very just ok food at Tao with Pmogi

Yummy greek food at Gazala Place in hells kitchen.

Vezzo Yummy pizza! Went with my boss and had a mushroom and white truffle oil pizza with an amazing beet salad.

Yummy panna cotta and sangria at Salute and great conversation with my awesome boss

I am going to be on a salad diet for the next three weeks after all my yummy meals. It was well worth it and lots of fun!

Of course bringing home presents for the girls and loads of milk... Got to love the fact you can pump and restock the freezer upon the return.

Never say it...

2010-02-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

I had to say it last night... wow seems like C is sleeping well... this is great... And well we all know what happened next... C woke up crying and I just assuming it was 6 and time to nurse stumbled out of bed to get her... luckily I looked at the clock and saw it was actually 2:50... realized it was for her to work out...

After a few minutes of fussing T decided to go and look at her and saw she was sitting up... so he set her back down... after a few minutes everything settled down... an hour later she let out another shriek.... lately she shrieks and not cries as K and her often shriek at one another.. they love the noise and conversation... we are all less thrilled... anyway so I went and peeked and she was sitting up again.. Set her down again with a binky and all quieted a few minutes later...

Looks like we have entered that stage of figuring out how to get up and sit from a laying down position... the piece we haven't figured out... how to lie down after sitting up... especially in the middle of the night.

Another favorite position the runner stance... you know the one right at the start line of a race... yes you can catch her in that positiona lot! She like her sister thinks crawling is SO overrated and wants to start walking... like now... she fell on the floor yesterday as she also always tries to shake our hands of when she is walking... yesterday my reflexes were way too slow and so I lost her to the floor... she didn't seem bothered... K and I were in horror, but C seemed to be happy to be walking the way she really should... without help!

I learned my lesson though... no more conversation about her sleep when it is good... never again!

more pics!

2010-02-17T14:29:00.000-08:00

Five teeth

2010-02-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

C decided to celebrate the President's day weekend with five new teeth... One more on bottom and four on top... She is going to love food even more. Her spirits remained high despite all the teeth and loved family time...

We enjoyed bday parties, playdates and family activities... making the long weekend nice, although I am not sure how relaxing as a family can leave me so tired at the end of the time...

The highlight was definitely our celebration for Gma S & Pmogi in Santa Cruz who both have their bdays today... K was a little worried about sharing the bday spotlight, but she will be excited tonight when we are serving mango for Gma at dessert time... They are the two mango lovers!

Anyway our big celebration was great because of a few things... pmogi flew home for the weekend, the weather was great and we took a nice long beach walk... It must have been over two hours of walking and chatting as a family... C loved the sand on her toes, K learned to count the rings of a tree to determine the age and we all just hung out as a family... so nice!!!

Happy bday Gma S & Pmogi!!!!

Our beach girls... a nice day in Santa Cruz

2010-02-16T22:51:00.000-08:00

K's prayer

2010-02-12T11:48:00.000-08:00

K's new school has prayer time... which I am thrilled about and T is ok with... today she told me her prayer yesterday is that we get a new baby in the house... I told her those are the prayers you are careful with because you might just get them...

Other fascination right now Persephone... T told her the Greek myth about her living with Hades... she loves loves the story and demands he tell it to her all the time. He bought her a book on the Greek myths, but that is her favorite. Whenever I eat pomegranates she reminds me that I am going to go with Hades.

pics.. and more pics.

2010-02-10T23:01:00.000-08:00

And the day is here

2010-02-10T13:17:00.001-08:00

She is five today... K has been waiting for this day forever. I am sure she would tell you her whole life... (after all this is the age of great great drama)

Five years ago I would never ever have imagined how much love one little girl can provide... She is kind, stunningly beautiful, intelligent, inquisitive, sweet, outgoing and really really caring. Watching life through her eyes is a blessing, being her friend and playmate is a great moment that I will never forget and being her mom is rewarding and an incredible amount of work.

If someone would have told me I would love her even more once she became a big sister I would have said that is impossible, but it is true. Watching the two girls together has made me love K even more. She is so kind and sweet with C. She truly is a third parent even though we try to keep that role away from her... She advises her Gmas and us on what her little sister wants already being the voice her sister doesn't have yet. She squeals with delight when she sees C accomplish something new and yells us over in case we aren't watching. She is truly the doting big sister sharing her with strangers and friends alike. Look at my little sister... she is nine months and she does...

Going from two to three and now four has made me so grateful I have such a wonderful husband, best friend and partner to experience this with..I think back to the first weeks when K entered our lives and I think it may have been the best time of our marriage... We were so proud of what we had created together that we would fight over who got to push the stroller when we were out and about.. We are still just that proud. K has contributed to our family in so many ways in the five years we have had her we are thrilled to be her parents... and sad that time is going so fast. Yesterday I looked at T and said oh no... she will be leaving for college in 13 years. Somehow that seems way too fast for my liking.

Happy birthday K.. You are the best five year old in the world.

Tonight she requested we celebrate her bday with her favorite things... so we are eating at home... mac and cheese, eggs, asian pears and apples... followed by with vanilla ice cream and sprinkles. The sprinkles are the only color in our meal.

Our weekend get away..

2010-02-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

As always Ojai didn't disappoint... great weather, yummy food, beautiful resort, beautiful room with lovely fireplace and lots of reading, walks and yoga! We appreciated the time, were reminded how lucky we were to have such great mom's and missed our girls a lot! In fact I almost packed them up with us the night before we left... Luckily I restrained and we had a very peaceful get away... The countdown is on till our return next January.

K enjoyed her playdates, her sleepovers at Gmas and made cards for us for our return. They were very sweet and beautiful.

And C waved to us this morning.. She started to wave. OMG!

Baby Jesus

2010-02-10T12:54:00.000-08:00

At school K was recently shown an image of how the school believes Jesus to look as a man... K was in staunch disagreement... She said that is a grown man... and so can not be baby Jesus... After all he is just a baby...

The next question I was asked after having to explain that Jesus isn't a baby forever... why he isn't a girl...

The days of wanting to be an elf

2010-02-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

K no longer wants to be an elf when she grows up. She feels she will be too tempted to take the toys from the kids that she would be giving toys to.. I thought she was making a good point..

Instead today she wants to be a painter!! I am loving all the career opportunities.

And yesterday was a harder school day.. I picked her up to find her in tears because she was missing mommy... So today I think I am taking her for ice cream or a jamba after school..

Lady gaga...

2010-02-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

K caught the opening of the grammys with us the other night... Lady gaga really really impressed her... especially when she disappeared inthe fire... Last night she requested to watch lady gaga again... This girl has some trendy music taste. She recently informed me that fergie is not mommy music, but rather K music... Mariah however is mommy music. I know T would agree on that one..

This morning in typical four year old fashion K decided Swiper from Dora would be thrown in the fire by Lady Gaga... Didn't know that Lady gaga could be a super hero, but guess she is!!!

And yesterday when I picked her up from school... she said her day was great.. Today they are celebrating the 100th day of school so I was requested not to be late... Looks like the transition is going well. Hurrah!

9 mth appt

2010-02-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

C is doing great... A wonderful appt as no shots were involved! Hurrah... 19 pounds and 29.5 inches... growing perfectly... smiley, happy and all in all perfect!

A few pics from the last few weeks...

2010-02-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

And as the day continues

2010-02-02T13:49:00.001-08:00

and as I am sitting at my laptop working I continue to worry if I made the right choice in changing schools... this email comes in...

D... Just wanted to let you know how well K...is adjusting! She’s sweet, verbal, outgoing and funny! We are all enjoying her thoroughly!J

And a tiny bit of relief sinks in that maybe she will survive the horrible transition that is a new school... Maybe!

First day

2010-02-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

The first day went well of K's new school went well. T did the drop off and I picked up early... some trouble with food... nothing will compare to the amazing fare of Nelly's, lots of new friends, no nap - OMG and lots of learning... She seemed ok and overall very brave. Day two... This is harder than I thought. Just want her to be happy and we cried a bit about wanting a blanket at school... got it in the wash so it is ready for tomorrow, but once again another good drop off...

Back in midterms... one down, two to go! Yuck!!! But after that T and I are heading to Ojai for our yearly get away.. A shorter time this time with nursing, but still very exciting... And next week... the big day K turns 5.

K loved loved the party at Nelly's... It was so cute to see her with the cake, her friends and all her teachers. They did a great job sending her off! As a special treat we finally stopped by a new dog hotel that is on our way home from school..She said hello to all the dogs being picked up from daycare, some of the folks let her walk their dogs, lots of petting and cuddles. Thankfully no request for a dog... she showed off her cat with pics from the phone and quickly learned to ask if the dogs were hyper... if they were she ignored them all together.

C is so close to moving.. she drags herself around, but isn't offically crawling.. prefers the three limbed crawl and of course the rolling.. She is still such an amazing eater... if it is offered she loves it... lentils, pasta, fruits veggies... anything...

Milestones

2010-01-29T10:44:00.000-08:00

Today is K's last day at Nelly's. A big deal for all of us as she really turned from a toddler into a little girl with their loving help... They have been a huge resource for us and a very reliable place for our little girl and us... But now she is too old and so it is time to move on. She starts in the kindergarten class at her new school on Monday. One of her old teachers will come over every weekend to help keep up the Spanish as we definitely don't want to lose her level of fluency. We need more tips... so send any other spanish ideas over! Talking about the new adventure on the way over she told me she was sad to leave Nelly's as she wouldn't see them and they loved her and that she was scared about the new school... especially if they don't know the kids bdays... Her fifth bday is over two weeks away.

C turned nine months today and had her first bites of yogurt and cheese. She preferred the cheese. Smart girl!

And her first tooth is in... bottom side... tears... I remember wondering if K would be beautiful when her teeth started to come in at 11 months... little did I realize she was going to be so stunning.

And we are back to the gym. Hurrah! A bit sore this morning as I am 5/5 this week... Gotta keep it up.. Have big shopping plans for my 30th parties... and our 10 year anniversary parties... and graduation parties... and the lists go on.

The start of Daily Candy today

2010-01-25T11:11:00.000-08:00

read... "Ah, young love. When you were attached at the hip, lived for endless caresses, and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in each other’s arms." Chloe in a nutshell. She cries every morning when K and I leave for school...

And have I mentioned that K may be the best big sister in town.. she is so caring, kind, thoughtful and sweet with C. Today K was running around screaming and I looked at C and said well what do you think C... she just looked at me and mimiced K... K was thrilled and played the game for 10 minutes. My ears didn't survive, but watching them laugh was pretty awesome.

Friday we continued our happy hour tour with Sundance with M&J... Lots of fun! Sat we had a bday party at Sab. which was great and Sunday we had brunch at our house with C, R, S & S... Lots of kiddie happiness especially as they got to watch some tv... T as always made amazing wonderful food... And of course errands and more errands.

My big question of the weekend was how can I spend the same amount at Costco that I would for a nice purse each month... what do I buy?

Back to rain, school, work, and hopefully the gym for the week!

A new school

2010-01-22T15:21:00.001-08:00

We found a new school for K. She starts on the 1st... BOO! Very exciting.. the same day kindergarten apps are turned in... OMG! Who is this big girl we are calling our daughter?

The school looks awesome... so awesome that when K visited last week she asked if she could have her bday there... Since her bday is after she starts school... her wish will come true! Lucky girl.. They helped make the school look really cool as it was pajama day so everyone was in their pjs including their pjs. Also, they were pretending to fly on an airplane to Hawaii and getting their snack from the flight attendant. K is my girl so this thought really thrilled her! Anyway so she starts next Monday.. The big concern is how to keep up Spanish as it is an english school. ALL INPUT welcome! The plus it is five minutes from our house, great references and looks amazing.

And in equally exciting news we booked our first international trip this week for the four of us.. Japan bound for spring break! Can't wait. More input requested.

Our concerned kitty

2010-01-19T11:20:00.000-08:00

Moca has always been our partner in parenting.. She would get up with me when I nursed K when K was a baby. She always comes running when one of them is really crying and although sometimes she keeps her distance she is always watching the two girlies... K broke her in and so she even let's C yank on her tail... and because MoCa doesn't seem to really respond to the yanking C is much more ok just letting MoCa be...

Our doctor recently instructed the key to improving C's sleep was no more pick ups... (Yes, I did actually make a doctor's appt just to talk about sleep. Gotta have one rookie mommy appt a baby. With K it was crying in the car.. I was convinced it was an ear infection..)

Anyway I had been worried since nursing during the day was so tough that she needed all those nursing sessions at night... Well the doctor said no... no more nursing at night... and she even promised she would sleep better... Because we have a rock star doctor and one who sleeps at night and therefore she is very intelligent and coherent! Unlike us who have been looking rather wiped lately... she was right.. So now C cries once or twice a night, but puts herself to sleep with no help... The other advice no more parents inserting binky... if she can't find the binky herself at night... that is it.. no binky.. Also promised to help improve the sleep!

MoCa has felt her parenting responsibilities increase dramatically since this appt... Now she yowls at us when we don't pick up C... I am sure she is thinking we are really bad parents... the baby is crying and here I am trying to wake you guys up and still nothing... no movement... What is wrong with you... so the last few nights we have both C & MoCa yowling at the same time... C "PICK ME UP" M... PICK HER UP! I need to sleep and us trying to ignore all yowling as we too want to pick C up but also really wanting to go back to sleep.

And it is true she can find her binky given the chance. The other night as she was fussing all of sudden we heard that glorious sound of the fussing stopping and the binky going in followed by rather violent angry sucking by C... as if she was saying... where have you been I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU! Now I must tell you how upset I am that you were gone when I needed you... Last night I put two binkies in the bed... maybe I will do 3 tonight as when I picked her up both had been moved and were right by her head... Wonder if I should buy more as we are down to 3 binkies in the whole house.

Ahh we have a genius doctor... May the sleep continue to improve! (There I have written it... never will happen again...)

Recently I changed make up brands and asked T the standard wife question.. anything look different... He starts the search to figure out what is different and finally says well maybe your eyes look lighter.. so no the make up didn't change anything, but not nursing 3-5 times a night sure is helping!) Sleep deprivation is a mean thing!

An elf

2010-01-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

K has a lot of ideas of what she wants to do when she grows up... For a long time she wanted to be a princess doctor... however she has had a new favorite lately... an elf.

K really wants to be an elf and be Santa's helper for xmas. She thinks it would be just great... The other day it must have dawned on her that she might be too busy making toys to get toys as an elf... almost changed her mind... Luckily she asked me and I explained to her.. yes elfs still get xmas presents even though they help with Xmas! Still wants to be an elf.

Other funny Santa moment... for some reason she was looking around at her toys and listing all the things that Mommy & Daddy had bought her for xmas... T finally chimed in and said actually all of your toys Mommy & Daddy bought... She looked at him and said no, not all of the things.. Santa brought me this stroller and this baby... Umm good point... Santa did buy a lot of her toys... Gotta love how much she is into the spirit of x-mas.

Wintery mornings and nights...

2010-01-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

The cold and rain had us looking for indoor activities this weekend... the results... fun factory and play doh... lots of pasta eating from the fun factory and tea parties... Fancy fancy tea parties with all the food, teasets etc we have collected over the last few years... Very fun and amusing...
Last night we did manicures and ran around like crazy girls to get th nails to dry. K was quite amused and wants to do it again tonight. Afterwards we took in the clothes of the golden globes... lots of sparkles for K to enjoy.

T and I had an amazing get away weekend this weekend. We slept 9 hours in a row! Awesome and wonderful... sleep is still so important for all of us. We stayed at a nice little b & b in downtown HMB. Went to a nice long dinner, wandered on the beach while battling the rain and winds and had an amazing lunch. It was all very nice and much appreciated. We are definitely ready to go back.

Coming home we got quite the welcome. K ran into the garage to greet us and C grinned and grinned and laughed some more... Gotta love the grinning baby we have right now... so so cute!

Bdays... playdates and family!

2010-01-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

We spent a lot of the weekend having playdates, attending bday parties and two back to back date nights... I think we might have really tired poor K out as she was in bed by 8 last night... Pretty much a miracle! However she loved spending time with all her friends...

I have started a full search for a new preschool for K... I really don't want to leave our current location, but unfortunately our superstar teacher has opened a new location which she is running and so K is not able to be with her and there are more and more younger kids as most of her friends have now on to kindergarten... I have been playing with the idea for so long, but now I think we are finally ready to do something... Exciting and scary all at once. Also, will have to figure out how to maintain her Spanish which is incredible thanks to her current school.

Poor K is also really having a tough time with rules... the first thing she wants to say most days is no, I don't want and I won't... we are trying to figure out what to do... We need to find out how to fix this, how to change it etc... Some of it is from having to share with a baby sister, some of it is age, but it is soo hard to deal with! Argh...

C is almost almost crawling... and loving to walk holding hands... already! Boo... no more baby... well still a little bit of baby left after all she is only 8 months... We are doing much better with setting her expectations that there will be no nursing or snuggling at night... hope this will pay off with sleeping through the night for all of us... will keep hoping!

A few pics from the holidays...

2010-01-08T15:13:00.000-08:00

Night one

2010-01-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

C has not really enjoyed nursing during the day... well after all she is missing moments of life when forced to sit and nurse... so she began to nurse at night... most of the night 3-4 times a night... Finally went to the doctor yesterday to discuss the sleep issues... and so we are back to letting her learn how to put herself to sleep. It looks like we might need to turn the master over to C and umm upgrade to camping in the living room.. If it means a full night of sleep we might just do it. We are getting pretty desperate over here. So last night no nursing at night.. just food in the morning and no more getting her out of her bed... hope this means more sleep in the long run. Yesterday I did see her trying to use the side of her crib to pull herself... omg... here we go... that moving thing!

Made it through our first week back to work and school... Now the weekend festivities begin, playdates, bday parties and sleepovers... K is very very excited!

Hawaii pics...

2010-01-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

2010... year of big moments!

2010-01-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

The year of big moments has finally arrived... OMG! Let the parties begin...

T and I have big bdays... I surprised him with a golf trip for 7 at Bandon Dunes around his bday... I was really excited with the idea so excited I couldn't wait till xmas to give him the gift! Unfortunately he guessed it and so that took a lot of my thrill of delivering it. Regardless he will still have fun.

So we have to decide what we do for the bdays...

We also are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary.. also very very exciting!

And the moment we have all been waiting for...the end of the MBA. I have my first free summer in years with no classes... I can't wait and will have my final project in the fall, but that is it. Just five classes and the capstone project away from the degree. Hurrah. On this quarter's agenda... econ, finance and pricing strategies... I know... everyone is jealous and wishes they could be on tues/thurs and saturdays.

K begins her adventures with school with kindergarten this year... hard to believe and C turns one and will be going to a home daycare and will begin the socializing process. Also amazing to see...

We are trying to decide how to celebrate everything, but needless to say 2010 will be the year of festivities.

The holidays, the new year

2010-01-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas was lovely... really lovely... one of those times when the food turns out right, the presents are perfect and the family time is nice... really nice... K loved Santas deliveries... her favorite was the princess dress and more dolly accessories... her requests are still super simple.. it is just the amount... lots to open is more critical... so we refilled her wardrobe and got her more toys... and C got more toys... and more toys. The girl loves toys... I mean really loves toys. It was an exhausting day and I think the whole family was in bed by 9. Planning xmas and wrapping, shopping, cooking and baking... well can make you pretty tired. Especially if you need to pull it together in 3 days because you spent the previous 11 relaxing in Hawaii... and the 70 days before that taking classes... no complaints really!

The week after was nice.. I finally got comfortable watching both girls at the same time... It made me quite nervous for quite a while... now I am accepting there are times when both girls will cry at the same time and they may even be unhappy at the same time... you just have to do the best you can at making them happy for well most of the time... Mostly we had playdates, local adventures and more playing.. Somehow the time flew without our standard adventures like the city etc... That is a theme for 09... where did the time go...

C continues to be our eater... she is also mobile, but only by rolling... makes it difficult to leave her anywhere. She is comfy on all fours but has no interest in moving... lots of interest in holding hands and walking... We don't call her Clone for no reason... she is her big sis... She continues to be a horrible sleeper. We are up 3-5 times a night... We could do without that piece... she seems to love to nurse during the night and hate it during the day... the day is for looking and playing and exploring. So sleep deprived!

NYE was really nice. We had friends over... they stayed till 2:30 and we ended up at their house for breakfast the next day. K stayed at Gmas and loved her own NYE treat... She loves loves sleepovers.

And now 2010!!!!