Our first road trip!

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

Two drop offs down

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

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...

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

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...

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.

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

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

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

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

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...

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