Princesses, Lizards, & Preschool, Oh My!

Emma had a very exciting day at preschool yesterday--firstly, Mama had a class for work so Dada got to work in her classroom (a first)! That was super exciting. Secondly, a local pet store came and brought all sorts of exotic animals to see the children. They loved that! Em got to see a large cockroach (not sure of the draw, but apparantly it was interesting), a bearded dragon, and a parrot that talked, among other creatures.

Kaia also had a good time--when I went by on my lunch break to say hi, she was asleep in the front pack on Lewis, buttoned up in his jacket. It was so cute!

We finally did the girls' Christmas pictures, too, the other day...(Just in time, right?) the girls were sick and missed their Christmas appointment...so the pictures come now. Anyway, that's why there are holiday-looking pictures with this post--they're new!

Emma invented a new game today called "trick or treat" that she plays with Kaia or whoever is around. She sets Kaia sitting up outside her bedroom door and then goes inside, closes the door, and says, "I hear you out there, little one!" and she opens the door and says, "Say trick-or-treat, Kaia!" and then she gives Kaia a book and shuts the door. Kaia liked this game for a while, but I think it was a little confusing for her that Em kept closing the door with her outside!

Emma and Kaia went to a friend's birthday party last weekend and Princess Belle herself, all the way from Disneyland, showed up! She talked to the kids, and the birthday girl was so excited. Kaia got her picture taken with Belle but Emma was too nervous, she just wanted to look at her from across the room.

Ringing in the New Year, Christmas, Giving Thanks

I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking about what I am thankful for--and my wonderful husband and two precious little girls are at the top of the list!!
Lewis is such a hard worker and a good man, he is so loving with our daughters and such a good example for them.
Emma Grace is an amazing daughter and big sister--she is so gentle, loving, and genuine with Kaia, and I love to watch them play together. As Kaia is able to do more, they can interact more, and it's such a joy to see! Today they are playing My Little Pony hospital...that has been a favorite game recently. The ponies go to the dollhouse and get injured/sick in some way, and then other ponies come and take care of them and give them tea.
Kaia is such a ray of sunshine--she is such a happy, adorable bundle of fun!! She is exploding in development right now--she is blowing raspberries (and laughing), babbling, trying really hard to pull up on things...she is so interested in toys and she tries to clap her hands, which is a fun game!! For now, clapping consists of linking her hands together and bouncing them up and down and squeezing her fingers. She also loves the dog, Farley--his tail is a neverending source of entertainment, much to his chagrin, I am sure! Happy New Year!! May it be filled with blessings, joy, and time with those you cherish!

CHRISTMAS

On Christmas Eve, we all drove up to the snow for a little winter fun!! Kaia didn't love the being cold part, but she loved to look at the snow and the trees and was all bundled in a cute snowsuit that Auntie Kirstie got for Emma a few years back. We had snow ice cream and Emma and I had a snowball fight, and we tried to build a snowman, but it was all powder and didn't stick well, so we built a tiny snowman family (all about 6 inches tall!) Then we went home and lit a fire and had soup and cocoa. I think the snow ice cream was Emma's favorite part, yum!!

Christmas was a lot of fun this year. It was Kaia's first Christmas, and the twinkling lights, crinkly paper, pretty music and yummy smells all seemed to delight her. Emma Grace was so excited about Christmas this year! Santa brought her a dollhouse that she loves, and she and Kaia received many fun toys and adorable clothes, and we had Christmas dinner at our house for the first time. That was a lot of fun!! I haven't cooked a turkey before, and it was pleasantly uneventful and delicious! We visited with lots of family and friends and it was a wonderful holiday!

New Year's Eve we celebrated on East Coast time with some friends from Emma's preschool--the kids had a lot of fun running around, playing, and watching The Little Mermaid. We had make-your-own pizza with a variety of delicious toppings (raisins? who knew!) and toasted with champagne and apple juice....and everyone was in bed by 10!

Sadly Hilarious

Is it just me, or is it hilarious seeing babies and children in their first Santa pictures? Both our girls reacted very similarly (check out the pictures!) and then immediately calmed down as soon as we picked them up and walked away from the scary, hairy red-suited man. It must be such a bizarre experience for them! Anyway, Lewis had his Christmas party for work, and Santa showed up briefly, just for our girls! It was so nice of him to come all the way just for them! Emma was hesitantly excited and Kaia was fine until we handed her over to Santa for a picture....then she voiced her discontent.

Happy Christmas!

PS: Can you guess which girl is which? One picture was taken when Em was 10 months, the other just a few days ago, Kaia at 7 months...

Their future's so bright.....

Thanksgiving

Now that it's December, how about a brief Thanksgiving post? It seems so long ago now that Christmas is everywhere!
Thanksgiving morning, the four of us went for a hike. We had a great time, and the girls loved being outdoors! Then we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends, and Emma and Kaia got to play with their cousin Kirra, who was visiting. Fun, Fun, Fun!
Kaia update: She loves food!! She had her first bite of turkey, and a little bit of potato. She is rolling over and over and over, it is adorable. She loves her toys, now, and is babbling "ma-ma-ma" and "da-da-da". Lewis took her to Costco the other day and he was standing in line and he said she was shouting at the top of her lungs (no volume control at all!) "BAAA BAAA BAAAA!!! DAAA DADADADAAAA!!!!" She was perfectly happy, smiling, and ridiculously loud for someone so small!

Emma update: She is loving school, still, and loving playing with her little friends. I had a training for work, and she got to use a fire extinguisher to put out a real fire, which she was VERY excited about. She has really been working on writing and letters. She can write and spell her entire name now, and puts it on EVERYTHING!

We picked out a live tree this year and decorated it--our yard can use more trees! Kaia pretty much wanted to eat all of the ornaments, but Emma was very into strategically placing them in just the right places (often many in exactly the same place!)

Also, Emma and Kaia's Auntie Kirstie came to visit in the beginning of November--it was so great to see her and the girls loved having her around. Emma went on an "Auntie Day" and still talks about their adventures!

Happy December!!

Once upon a time, it was Halloween night, and our little mermaid and bear were ready to go. Our little mermaid princess had been practicing flipping her tail and saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" all afternoon. Finally, the hour had arrived. She got to walk up the steps, ring a few select doorbells, and say the magic words: "trick or treat"! The little bear and mermaid also enjoyed a carnival with spin art, fishing, and a bounce house. The mermaid princess loved receiving candy, fruit snacks and little toys. Joy washed over land and sea as another session of trick-or-treat had come to a close. The little mermaid princess and tiny growly bear lived happily ever after.

In other Halloween news....

The girls also went to a fun childens' party at their cousin Calvin's house--they decorated cupcakes and cookies and played games and went on a glow-in-the-dark pumpkin hunt. Emma also celebrated Halloween at preschool AND went trick-or-treating at some local stores last weekend. I don't think I have ever celebrated Halloween this much--it's been a lot of fun!

Happy Halloween!