A Craft Gone Wrong

It was supposed to be a panda mask. Both Kate and Hannah were afraid of it. Being proud of my art project I took a picture of myself since both girls were too frightened to model it for me. Here it is...the panda mask...

YIKES!! Poor Kate wouldn't even touch it after I took it off.

Dancing

Kate has started to dance. I love seeing her wave her little hand and bounce up and down. I will get a better video later, but here is the tail end of our dance party.

A Fall Paradox

We made fall wreaths today using leaves, buds from bushes, those poky balls that fall off the tree and sticks from the ground. We then had a picnic in the shade.

Hmmmm...it is fall, right?

Fall? Really??

It's the end of September, the leaves are changing, pumpkin decorations are out, friends rae going apple picking and I'm still wearing shorts and a tank top. How can this really be fall?

I know that while I lived in Boston I would remind people that in California the temps are in the 70's, but I was somewhat unprepared for what it would be like to be seasonless again.
Kate playing with a bucket of water to stay cool on an 84 degree FALL day.

In fact, the other day Jeff took the girls in the pool and I was sitting out at the pool with my mom and dad. The leaves have changed color on the trees, so my dad asked, "Does this remind you of fall in Boston?" He was joking of course because we were sitting out by the pool, but he's right. Looking at the trees you might think it felt like fall a little bit. But it doesn't. It's in the high 70's and low 80's every day.
So, I have decided to make pumpkin and other fall like crafts with the girls and put them up around the house. Maybe then I will remember it is fall even if it doesn't feel like fall.

For Audrey

Ask and you shall receive.
Kate showing some of her words...

She can say up, down, help, bye-bye, done, no, nah-nah, mama, dada, thank you, doll-doll, book, ba-ba for blanket and brr for bird.

Hannah being dramatic...

More Hannah Conversations

Hannah is becoming more and more verbal these days, and it is so fun to see her personality developing. Jeff and I often laugh at some of the things that she says. Here is the conversation at the dr's office and one before lunch, because it's fresh on my mind.


H: Doc-der no Nah-nah. Just Tatters! No Nah-nah peez! (with a few whimpers)
S: Hannah, even I am going to get the flu shot. Everyone is going to get one Kate, Mommy, Daddy and Hannah. And you are lucky Hannah, this goes in your nose! It's not a shot!
H: Take Tatters and Mommy. No Nah-nah, doc-der. (beginning to cry).
I think she learned this from Jeff who was always throwing Chris McFadden under the bus.

Today before lunch:

H: I wunt cheese.
S: Hannah you need to ask respectfully please.
H: I wunt cheese NOW!!
Not quite the respect I was looking for. After a time out:
H: Sorry mommy.
S: It's okay Hannah. You can try asking again with respect.
H: I wunt cheese NOW (pause) may I?
So close.

One Year Dr. Appointment

This just in...

Head Circumference: 25 percentile
Weight: 30 percentile
Height: 90 percentile

Who do you think she takes after??

Tigers!!

Hannah and our neighbor girl Malia like playing tigers. They pretend to be tigers and run around the park chasing and roaring at each other. Malia is 9 and old enough to know the difference between real and pretend. Hannah is two and has become paranoid that tigers are going to jump out of the bushes to get her. It's cute, but it actually does frighten her.

To help get over the fear I took her to the zoo today (despite our colds) to show her that tigers only live in the zoo (strictly referring to the North America region). We had a fun time. Kate found and pointed at different animals, and Hannah laughed when animals moved their tails, lifted their heads or moved in any way. Now to see if she gets the connection: real tigers at the zoo, pretend tigers at the park.


I had to throw in the last video because although I was hitting my legs on our tiger hunt Hannah was hitting her bum, and I thought it was so cute. And here are a few pics just because.

Cousins

I spent a lot of my early years close to my cousins. We took dance class together, we went to church together and we played together a lot. How precious it is when I get to see Hannah and Kate interact with their cousins. I love it!

Eyes of a Two Year Old

The mall, through the eyes of a 2 year old.

"Oh no mama...dis lady broken!" yelled at the top of her lungs over and over.
Tigers on the prowl (that's right, Kate is following her sister's lead these days)
Display funiture is meant to be tested out
A quick phone call to Grandma Sue to see if she could play (who even knew pay phones were still around!)
Open doors mean come on in
Balancing beams all around!
Doesn't matter if you're in middle of the walkway when you feel the urge for some Yoga go for it!

Go towards the lights...
...and press all the buttons!

"Mama, wat dis?!" And before I could tell her to not touch it she had already touched it and licked her hand. Apparently it wasn't poisonous, or maybe it was and she has been building a tolerance these past two years by licking all kinds of things.

Life is so interesting when you are two!

My Little Monkeys

My little monkeys keep me busy all day.
When I am getting dressed they are right there searching through my draws for who knows what. For example, here is Hannah with my deodorant, and using it properly!

She then tried to make sure Kate smelled good but tackled her in the process!

Laundry baskets are a coveted item in our house these days. Why? To climb in, hide under it, push around or even better to be pulled in. Who doesn't like laundry baskets??
One morning we made playdough. Both girls consumed a decent amount, but seeing that it was made from flour, water and oatmeal I almost just called it lunch.

Hannah making chicken nuggets. No wonder she ate the dough!

Kate mostly poked, licked and ate her playdough. She loved being in on the action though!

I am often asked if I am going back to work soon. It is tempting to try to make more money, but moments like these are the moments I would miss if I worked. I may not be able to get nice new clothes, go out to lunch, buy a coffee on a whim (although I still do this too often) but the trade off is so worth it! I love being a stay at home mom!

R u??

We could play this game all day long...where are you...or as Hannah calls it "R u?!?"

A Very Merry Unbirthday!!

Hannah's new favorite song is Happy Birthday, and she sings it to everyone anytime of the day. Sweet Kate came over and sat right next to H during this song, which makes this video priceless (at least to their mama!).

Rocky Baby