2 years

I can't believe our baby j is not a baby anymore. As of today, he is officially 2 years old! Big sister nael has been excited all week for her little brother. We celebrated baby j's birthday at Little Monkey Bizness earlier this evening and it looks like he had so much fun! And just like last year, baby j celebrated his birthday with his friend/neighbor Avery.

t shirt song

Little nael just loves this song by Taylor Swift and calls it "t shirt song". Every time she hears it on the radio, she yells out and says that's my song!

shaving cream fun

It was a snow day yesterday so we all just stayed in. With the help of snowboarder, the kids amused themselves with shaving cream and a few drops of food coloring.

not wa-wa but water

We were headed to a pumpkin festival earlier today and on our way there we drove past a lake. As I mentioned in my other posts, baby j likes to blurt out things as he sees them and today was no different except that he didn't say "wa-wa" when he saw the lake. He said "water"! Snowboarder and I looked at each other and we were surprised! He has always said "wa-wa" whenever he was referring to water but not today. I asked baby j if he meant to say "wa-wa" but he corrected me and said "water". WOW.

Cider Days

Took little nael to Cider Days over at Bel Mar and we both had a wonderful time. She went on a barrel ride and also got on a donkey for the very first time which she loved! We watched a magic show, saw apples being pressed to make cider and little nael got a chance to go on the bounce house.
Snowboarder stayed home with baby j so little nael and I had a mother-daughter date. I enjoy spending one on one time with my little girl especially since she is growing up way too fast for me!

another cut

Had to give baby j another haircut tonight and he wasn't too thrilled. I strapped him in his high chair and I tried to snip as quickly as I could. He saw his hair clippings falling all over the place which probably made him wonder, what the heck is going on? I tried to distact him with his own comb to play with but after 5 minutes of cutting his hair, baby j started to cry and his cries got louder and louder. I felt so bad for him but I was on a mission...J needed a haircut and I needed to finish what I started. So with his tears and all, I kept snipping away until I thought he looked decent enough then I gave him a bath which helped him forget what I did early on.

nael

Baby j's been talking a lot lately. We'd be in the car and he'll shout out, "big truck, school bus, doggie, moon" as he sees them. He'll repeat whatever words he randomly hears from his sister. Speaking of sister, I normally refer to little nael as sister whenever I'm talking to baby j. I'd say something like, "let's go pick up sister in school" or "sister is eating breakfast." I don't remember ever saying her name to j whenever I refer to her. Well this morning, when j saw his sister, he said, "nael!" I was in shock. He could say her name.

big girl bed

Years ago, we had bought a convertible crib for little nael with the intention that we would convert it to a big bed as she got older. My idea of older was not until she was in her teens. Well a few months ago, snowboarder decided it was time to switch little nael's bed into a big girl bed. I wasn't ready, I didn't think nael was ready, she still fit in her toddler bed aka her crib, although one side had already been taken off. Snowboarder argued that her feet was already touching the other end. I disagreed and managed to convince snowboarder to wait for a few more months. Today, I had plans to spend the afternoon with a friend. Since snowboarder had the kids with him, he made his own plans. He decided today was the day to switch nael's bed! He told me in the morning, I tried to dissuade him by saying I still had to buy bedsheets. His response, "I can buy some at Target". Oh no. There was no stopping this man. I went about my day and when I got home, sitting on top of the breakfast table, was a Bed, Bath and Beyond shopping bag with a multicolored pastel striped full size sheet set in it. Not bad, I thought to myself, not bad at all. I ran up to nael's room to check out her new bed but it wasn't there. Her old crib was partially dismantled and her new bed wasn't set up as I had expected. It seems that snowboarder had some trouble and needed my help. So we got to work but after attempting to attach the bed frame to the footboard, we realized we were missing some long screws. After a quick trip to Home Depot and an hour or so later, we finally got the bed frame hooked up. We brought the full size mattress and boxsprings up from the downstairs guest room and little nael got to sleep in her big girl bed for the first time tonight! The little girl was excited. I, on the other hand, felt a little sad, my little girl is not so little anymore. She is growing up way too fast for me.

hula girl

On our last day in Kauai, little nael wanted to wear her hula skirt before I packed it away.

more words

Snowboarder called me at home this morning and I had baby j in my arms when I answered the phone. Of course, baby j was trying to grab the phone from me so I gave it to him. He listens to his dad on the other end then says "YES" about three times with a pause in between each yes. I was in shock! He said yes with the "s" in the end, so clearly. I asked snowboarder if he heard baby j say it and he did. Snowboarder said he was asking baby j some questions and he was responding with a yes each time. I am impressed!

So lately, baby j's vocabulary aside from yes: walk, light, out, kiwi, bbs (for berries, blueberries and raspberries in particular), baby, doggie, wawa (for water), bath.

His baby signs: help, water, all done

tea party

I had to take pictures of my kids this morning having a tea party together. I thought it was the cutest thing especially since little nael is 4 and baby j is only 17 months! It all started with baby j just sitting there on a booster seat by big sister's play table. Then big sis sat on one chair, baby j moved to the other chair and voila, the beginnings of a tea party. And, nael served fruit with tea and baby j was playing along, pretending to munch away and taking a sip of his tea! I love it!

fishing and swimming

Snowboarder wanted to take little nael fishing again today so we headed out to Tabor Lake in Prospect Park. While they were fishing, baby j and I took a nice walk around the 2 other lakes and the park. Then, the kids played around a little bit at the playground before we headed to the "Bacon and Eggs" Mall where the snowboarder and the kids had lunch at Johnny Rockets per little nael's request.

After their afternoon naps, we went over to camp Teddy's for a swim in their pool. And, both kids were enjoying themselves in the cold water. Little nael had on her floaties and she was jumping in the deep end of the pool all by her big self! While baby j splashed and splashed in the water. Cousin T didn't want to get in the pool because the water was too cold and I don't blame him. I wouldn't get in the water either! But, he did join snowboarder and nael in the jacuzzi.

For dinner, we made our way to Cafe Jordano with Liz sans John and Teddy (it was T's bedtime) and we had a nice evening catching up with Liz. On our way out in the parking lot, nael whispered to Liz that she wanted to see cousin T again soon and go swimming. Liz told her to come over anytime and nael got excited all over again!

camping

Snowboarder has been traveling the past few weeks but he finally took a few days off this week to rest and spend time with the kids. So on Monday, snowboarder and I packed up the kids to go camping...kinda. Not in a tent but in a cabin up in Sylvan Lake. When we told little nael the night before, she got so excited to learn that we were going camping. She said it was just like Fred and Ted (from Fred and Ted goes camping). The weather forecast for the week was rain, rain and more rain so snowboarder and I hesitated to go but decided to go for it anyway. Why not? We only live once. So off we went.To make it a little easier, we made chicken curry and rice the night before for our dinner up in the cabin and for breakfast the following day, we brought eggs, pancake mix, fresh blueberries and raspberries, and for snowboarder, applewood smoked bacon. Sylvan Lake is probably a 2 hour drive from our house but we checked out Heeley and Green Mountain Reservoir first and didn't get to the lake till after 4pm. By that time, it had stopped raining, maybe just a drizzle here and there. So after we got unpacked. snowboarder took nael fishing while baby j and I walked around for a little bit. Unfortunately, little nael didn't catch any fish but snowboarder promised her that she could try again in the morning. Snowboarder went fishing too for about an hour while the kids and I rested before dinner but he had no luck either!

We got a 2 room cabin - living room separated from bedroom. The bedroom has 2 sets of bunk beds and little nael got excited when she found out she was going to sleep at the top bunk!

After dinner, baby j finally fell asleep in his pack n play. Snowboarder started a fire in the pit and he and little nael made some smores!

The next morning, baby j woke us up at 6am and didn't want to go back to sleep! No matter how much I tried, he was awake, wide awake and that meant, we were all getting up. After our yummy blueberry pancake breakfast, baby j took a nap and snowboarder took nael fishing again. No luck this time either. When baby j got up, we hiked around the lake. The weather was nice. The view, beautiful, peaceful and calming. We stopped at a small bridge for pics and somehow little nael's jacket fell in the water, down the inlet and snowboarder had to run for it. Little nael started to cry but was happy to see her father save the day, he got her jacket! On our way back to the cabin, it started to rain again so we had to hurry back.

buffalo

Snowboarder's sister, Sarah graduated from law school (wootwoot!) this past weekend up in Buffalo, NY so we all took a trip out there to see her. We flew out Friday afternoon after little nael's last-day-of-school picnic and we didn't get in till after 11pm EST. Yuck!

The following day, we headed out to Buffalo in the early afternoon. It was a looong graduation ceremony but the kids hung out with snowboarder, Nonny and Tita Amy in the lobby while Papa John, Danny and I stayed to listen to the speeches. One of them given by the Prime Minister of Kenya!

The dinner celebration was at an Italian restaurant with Danny's parents joining us which was nice. Then, Sarah and Danny took us to an ice cream shop for dessert which nael loved!

picnic

Yesterday was little nael's last day of school and this morning, the school had a class potluck picnic at Applewood Park. Nael had so much fun in the playground with all of her school friends...riding the merry-go-round, going up and down the slides, and running around in the park! Baby J had fun too and wanted to do everything that big sis was doing at the playground.

school girl friends

Little nael had all her girl classmates come over today. A total of 7 girls at home all in aprons for a day of baking cookies and making muffin pizzas for lunch. Baby j was the only boy and was loving it. With the help of Allie's mom, the girls measured the cookie ingredients and mixed them in the bowl. While the cookie dough was cooling in the freezer, the girls played in the backyard with Allie's mom watching over them while I prepped their pizza ingredients. Then they were back in the kitchen, armed with cookie cutters shaped like hearts, bugs and animals. As the cookies were baking in the oven, the girls then made pizza muffins. It looked like all the girls enjoyed themselves. I know nael did.

tiny town

Took the kids to Tiny Town this morning and met up with snowboarder's sister, Liz and cousin Teddy. Little nael and Teddy played in the playground for a little bit then they both rode the little red caboose while Liz and I along with baby j sat a few rows in front of the caboose. Nael's friend, Allie also joined us on the train with her mom, Tanja. Teddy had to go home soon after but we stayed a while longer and had lunch with Allie and Tanja. As a treat, we also had ice cream and for the first time, little nael finished her ice cream twist right down to the last bite! Feeling re-energized, little nael and Allie headed back towards the playground, stopping along the way to play in and out of the tiny houses/buildings. At the playground, all 3 kids got on a swing at the same time and baby j actually stayed in the swing for a long time. Finally, the kids got tired and we all called it a day. Final stop....the gift shop to buy a small train to replace the old Tiny Town train we bought last year that is now broken.

little nael is not so little

Little nael had her 4 year well check up with her fave doc, Dr. Jodi. Nael's stats today were, 38 lbs. and 42 1/2 inches tall!! She's in the 70th percentile for weight and a not surprisingly 95th percentile in height. She had a fun time with Dr. J today, laughing out loud together and giving out silly answers to Dr. J's questions. "Nael, do you have dinner with your family or with your friends?", asks Dr. J. "I go out with my friends", says nael then they both burst out laughing with Dr. J asking, "Do you drive or take a taxi?" and nael responding, "I take a taxi". This goes on for a while and on our way home, nael tells me she thinks Dr. J is silly just like her!

teeth

Little nael had her 4 yr old dental check up today and she was a trooper. She was actually pretty excited to go and kept asking me when she was going to see the dentist. Last year, Dr Sean just checked her teeth with no cleaning. This time, after getting her teeth checked and counted by Dr. Sean, Mr. Taylor, the dental assistant who was very nice, cleaned nael's teeth and also gave her a flouride treatment. Little nael didn't flinch at all and seemed very relaxed while she lay on the examining bed. Afterwards, Mr. Taylor gave her a Princess toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss to take home. She was also given a choice of a purple tshirt or an insulated lunch bag as a birthday present. I was hoping she'd pick the lunch bag but since her favorite color is purple...

Before we left the dental office, nael played around for a little bit in the play castle where there were costumes, hats, books and toys. She tried on a few costumes and was having fun pretending to be a clown, a princess and a witch.

putt, putt

Was a beautiful sunny day today! The kids and I went to Vitamin Cottage this morning then headed to our neighborhood park to meet one of nael's friends. Our timing was off because by the time we got there at noon, there was no one at the park. We stayed anyway for a little bit. Little nael played in the playground while I fed baby j his lunch and basked in the warmth of the sun. Later in the afternoon, while waiting for baby j to wake from his nap, Allie came over with her mom and hung out with nael in the playroom. Afterwards, we all went to the mall to play miniature golf at Putting Edge. Now this is no ordinary place to play mini golf, Putting Edge is basically an indoor Glow in the Dark mini golf and arcade. Not surprisingly, as soon as we walked in, nael was pretty excited to see everything glowing in bright neon colors. Since this was nael's first time to play, we had to tell her what to do. Then the 2 girls were off, putting away while Tanja and I along with baby j in the stroller followed. We didn't bother taking score, as both kids were too busy putting and running around the nooks and crannies of every hole. We managed to get done in less than an hour and both kids still wanted to play more. Baby j, on the other hand, was mesmerized by all the neon glowing signs and shapes that he didn't even squirm out of the stroller.

haircut

I gave in. Snowboarder has been wanting baby j to get a haircut for the last few weeks. He thinks baby j has a mullet. I, on the other hand, love baby j's curls in the back and don't want to cut it. I think it's kinda cute! So, finally, snowboarder said he'd do it himself or take baby j somewhere for a haircut. I told snowboarder I'd cut it myself but needed him to distract baby j while I do it. So we planned on doing it this past weekend. Well, this weekend came and went. Snowboarder had to work a few hours on Saturday and was busy with his "noisy car" (as little nael refers to snowboarder's 1972 Porsche) all day Sunday. And so today, I finally did it. I gave in and cut baby j's hair. Snowboarder was at work so with a little help from little nael, I had baby j on his high chair and snipped away...

sisters

Snowboarder's sisters, Amy and Sarah are arriving this week and little nael is pretty excited. Sarah is arriving on Tuesday amd Amy is arriving on Wednesday. The sisters are here to celebrate nael's 4th birthday and to see cousin Teddy as well. Frick and Frack are celebrating their birthday together so we are having a carnival-themed double birthday celebration on Saturday, May 9th.

clear creek

Snowboarder and I took the kids to Clear Creek for an easy hike/walk this morning. Afterwards, both kids played for a little bit at Lions Park. Then we headed to Windy Saddle for brunch. Windy Saddle is the perfect place to go with kids. Aside from having a kids menu, they also had a play area for kids in the back of the cafe which little nael loved. There was a play kitchen, books, puzzles, trains and Bob the Builder toys which happens to be one of little nael's favorite.

busy weekend

Little nael had a busy weekend! On Saturday, she attended Mack's 3rd birthday party at the Aquarium. The party started out with lunch at the Aquarium restaurant which has a 150000 gallon tank filled with stingrays, sawfish, and other cool little creatures. Afterwards, after a group potty pit stop, little nael and her friends headed to the aquarium to see the sea turtles, the big fish, small fish, stingrays, eels and the sharks! The kids also got a chance to mine for gemstones at the Gold Mine exhibit. Finally, the party ended with playtime at Sharkey Fun Zone where the kids climbed and slid down the sea creatures. Afterward, nael and I headed to the "Bacon & Eggs" mall for a late lunch since she didn't eat much at the party. We ate at Johnny Rockets and as I sat there eating my sandwich I realized that it has been a long while since nael and I had a meal at a restaurant together, just the two of us. I found myself enjoying my one-on-one time with my little girl. Since baby j was born, we've become a party of four but mostly a party of three since snowboarder travels a lot. And, today it was just the two of us. I wasn't distracted with baby j or snowboarder. I was loving it and relishing this alone time with my girl!

On Sunday, she and baby j attended Zach's 1st birthday party. She saw her friends again and had a wonderful time playing with all of Taylor and Zach's toys in their house.

pajama day

It was pajama day in school today. Mrs. Mesa, the teacher, also wore pajamas and had the kids make pancakes and hot chocolate. She also read them bedtime stories. Little nael was excited to go to school today in her jammies and had fun making pancakes.

16 months

Can't believe baby j is now 16 months. He's got 4 upper front teeth, 3 bottom front teeth and 3 first molars.
His vocabulary: ball, dada, eat, backpack (snowboarder taught him how to say this!)
Signs: milk, more, bath, eat, water, book, cat, flower, ball, bread

sick again!

Little nael is sick again! She's been sick since Wednesday with a stomach flu! Sadly, she missed out on a ton of things this past week...Easter party at school, Olivia's bday party which she was looking forward to going, our neighborhood Easter egg hunt and Easter brunch. Since little nael started preschool, she's been sick more than anything :(

3rd annual easter egg hunt party

We had our 3rd annual Easter egg hunt and potluck brunch at home this past Sunday. Little nael had about 13 of her friends over for an egg hunt. Unfortunately, there was still snow in the backyard from the day before so we had to have the egg hunt indoors. It was a bit chaotic but I think all the kids had a great time.

Thankfully, snowboarder's mom was in town this weekend and she helped out a lot with the baking/preparations and clean up. I couln't have done it without her!

dance girl

My little nael is growing up too fast for me! In the morning, she usually picks out her own clothes from her closet and hands them to me to help her get dressed. However, she surprised me this morning by getting dressed all by herself...without my help or snowboarder's!! I came out of the bathroom and there she was, all dressed and ready to go! She has this "dance" shirt that is a hand-me-down from one of my Goddaughters and it happens to be one of her favorites. So I shouldn't be surprised that she decided to wear it today. In any case, I thought she looked pretty good in her chosen outfit and was impressed that she got dressed all by herself! BTW, she also has this dance move that is just too funny. She calls it her silly dance. I will try to take a video of her moves one day soon...

Bob

Snowboarder had the afternoon off so he tagged along with us to the Portland Children's Musuem. On our last trip to Portland last October, little nael and I had a chance to go to the local zoo but we didn't get a chance to visit the Children's Musuem which is just a few feet away from the zoo. At the zoo, we happened to see a flyer for the musuem featuring Bob the Builder. Little nael wanted to see him but we just didn't have enough time so I promised her that on our next trip to Portland, we would go see Bob. Well, guess what? We told her we were going back to Portland and her immediate response..."let's go see Bob the Builder at the musuem." So as promised, here we were on this beautiful sunny day, headed to the musuem to see Bob. This is our third day in Portland and we're leaving in two days so today is THE day. From the hotel, we took the Tri-Met which nael loves and arrived at the musuem by 2pm. As soon as we got there, snowboarder and little nael disappeared to the Bob the Builder exhibit while baby J and I explored the other rooms. There was no doubt that big sis and little brother were having fun!
p.s. Our camera somehow got lost a few weeks ago so these pics were taken from my cellphone.

Make a Smilebox greeting

Make a Smilebox greeting

valentine's

Little nael's class had a Valentine's day party today and little nael was pretty excited. We've never really celebrated Valentine's Day with her since she's only 3 but since she started preschool last Fall, little nael has been celebrating every holiday you can think of in school. So we spent last night baking valentine cookies for her friends and writing her name on those little Valentine cards for the card exchange.

playhouse disney

Snowboarder took little nael out for a surprise daddy-daughter date this afternoon. Little nael had no idea where they were going but I don't think it mattered to her as long as she was out with her father. So according to snowboarder, little nael's face just lit up when they walked into the Broomfield Events Center and there were signs, displays, kiosks full of Disney paraphernalia. Snowoboarder took her to see Playhouse Disney and little nael loved every minute of it. At first, she had no idea what was going on when the show started, she was simply staring, absorbing everything that was going on...watching Mickey and all the other characters but according to snowboarder, after intermission this little girl started dancing to the music and waving her magic conductor wand which snowboarder had bought her during intermission. Suffice to say, little nael had a magical experience with snowboarder this afternoon!

parent helper

Thankfully, my parents decided to extend their stay for a few more weeks. So this morning I was able to help out as a parent helper in little nael's class while my parents watched baby j at home. Last time I was a parent helper two weeks ago, little nael was sick so she stayed home while I helped out in school. Oddly enough, little nael was sick again with a fever last Wednesday and I got worried. I didn't want her to miss school again and also miss out with me helping out in the classroom. Fortunately, she was well enough to go to school Thursday morning and even better on Friday when I stayed in school with her!

pump it up!

Little nael attended a double 3rd birthday celebration for Makenzie and Taylor today at Pump It Up and she had tons of fun! She was bouncing around and sliding down with Evan and Mack as well as Makenzie. Afterwards, the kids had some snacks and cupcakes. Little nael wants to go back and we will, one day soon.

sick, sick, sick!

Little nael has been sick the last 2 days so she missed school this week. She has a fever, a cough and a runny nose! This morning I told nael that I had to go to her school today as a helper. She perked up and said that she'd help me set up for snack. Sadly, I had to tell her that she needed to stay home because she was too sick to go to school. I felt bad too because ever since she went back to school from the holiday break, she's been asking me to stay in school with her as a helper. I did tell her that I'd be helping out in school in a few weeks and the day finally comes and she has to stay home, sick! I'm hoping and praying she gets better tomorrow....

park and zoo!

Took little nael to Tanglewood Park this morning to meet up with her friends, Allie and Evan. Then later on in the afternoon, my parents and I took the kids to the zoo. The day started out nice and warm but by the time we got to the zoo, it was windy. The zoo was also a zoo....it was a holiday today and also a free day at the zoo so it was crowded. Thankfully, tons of people were leaving by the time we got there. We saw the giraffes, camels, zebras, sea lions and entered Bird World for the very first time. This was also the first time that we didn't visit the orangutans and gorillas! Little nael rode the carousel and by that time, it was getting too cold so we headed home.

swimming

Snowboarder and I took the kids for a swim at the Apex Center. Unfortunately, it was really busy and the place was crowded so we didn't stay too long. We stayed long enough for nael to play in the kids area and the big pool and for baby j to splash around in the kids area. If I remember correctly, this is baby j's 3rd time to go for a swim. I'm sure he'll be in the water more often this spring and summer!

Children's Museum

Finally took baby J to the Children's Museum for the very first time with big sis nael and it looks like he had fun. He toddled everywhere and even rode on the fish boat with big sis!

Allie's birthday

One of little nael's good friends, Allie, had her 4th birthday party at the rec center this morning. Little nael had fun at the gym, tumbling around, shooting hoops, goofing off with friends from school, and playing with the parachute. Little nael used to take gymnastic classes at this rec center so she was excited to be back. She's been asking me if she can take tumbling classes again so I'll just have to sign her up again soon.

Fire station

Little nael's class won a field trip to a fire station for having the most number of people attend the school auction. So yesterday morning, snowboarder and I took nael to the South Metro Fire Station while my parents stayed home with baby j. Little nael joined her classmates and toured the station. We saw the kitchen, sleeping quarters, fitness room, TV room, the fire poles and the fire trucks. The kids got a kick from seeing the fire pole and tried repeatedly to slide down from it. I don't know about snowboarder but I thought the field trip to the station was fun!