Gung Hay Fat Choy

The girls got new Chinese outfits from Gralu and Grandpa, just in time for the new year. Poh Poh and Gong Gong gave us all red packets. The girls and I spent our monies at the One Spot at Target.

I think I need to take them to smiling school. :-)

Woohoo! Look who's 2!

Yay! This little two year old is very proud of herself. She's very TWO. She's trying to assert her independence, so I've quickly learned the quickest way from point A to point B is to ask her if she needs help. Most times she'll say "yeah". But if you attempt to do something for her without asking that simple question... well, you just wish you had.

Mom & Dad made it in last night so they were here to celebrate again. We headed out to Aqui for dinner - one of the few places we can keep both girls entertained with chips, and one of us can indulge in a margarita. Then we were home, opening gifts, eating cake, and then the wild and craziness ensued. I'm amazed they both settled down so quickly even if it was past their bedtimes. Juliet hasn't figured out the "just tear it till you get most of the paper off" method. So Claudia did most of the unwrapping. I think that suited Claudia just fine because you could tell she couldn't stand just sitting there watching.

I made the woodstock cake that I had wanted for last year. Not exactly how I had it in my head, as I was wanting something on the caliber of Claudia's 1st bday Snoopy cake. Boy that was awesome. But I did my best given the tools I had (nothing but a knife, really).

The letters got scraped as I took it out of the fridge last night, unfortunately. Maybe I'll see if Michael's has a piping class. That could be fun!

Here's Juliet blowing out her candles (with a little help). And true to form, Claudia tries to come in and steal the scene.

Better late than never

I finally had a chance to make Juliet's stocking! Last year we used a generic one; this year I had the stocking sewn and her name on it, but didn't get a chance to put the rest together until today. It's a little simpler than I had originally intended but I think simple and finished is better than not! I took a shot with Claudia's stocking as well. From this shot it does look a little bit like Woodstock's in a boat (ha!) but it's his nest. Hmm...with the tree there, it really could be a sailboat. :-)

Are you having fun?

We headed back out to do some sledding today, but for some reason it was a no sledding day. Peter and Claudia were in a snowball fight and Juliet was laughing at them. Juliet was wishy washy about the cold. Hence the pacifier - and she resembles Maggie on the Simpsons. :-)

Here's a clip of Claudia working on her french fries and pizza wedges. She had lots of fun. Today was pretty cold with it snowing and blowing.

Dashing through the snow...

After opening gifts, letting the girls play with some new toys, skyping with the Spain/Gerkens and Juliet's nap, we headed outside to do some sledding. It was fairly late in the afternoon by the time we were all suited up and out at the sledding area and it was just starting to snow and the wind was picking up. We borrowed a sled from the resort and headed out. Here was the best run of Peter and the girls; I was trying to figure out the best place to stand so that I could capture them on video well, as well as keep out of their path and any other sledders. The mic really caught the wind; it wasn't as bad as it sounds. It was getting cold though. And Peter forgot his gloves so he was wearing mine and my hands were getting really cold trying to video them. Brrr!! To get the video to fit on the blog I had to trim more than half of it. The first 30 seconds was spent trying to get Claudia to move back further. And I need to learn not to walk when I'm videoing; that's why it gets so jumpy at times...

In fact, Claudia and Peter stayed out at least another 30 minutes. Juliet and I headed inside and went to the kids craft zone. And while I hate seeing any photos or videos of Juliet with her Fifi, we've learned that it's the best way to get her to stay out in the cold. And boy was it getting cold!

Merry Christmas!

The Snow Bunny & The Snow Crab

Claudia spent the morning at ski school. She learned her french fries and pizza slices and skied the mini-hill they had. She really enjoyed it! She's heading back for more on Sunday.

Juliet, however, was our little snow crab. She was terribly terribly unhappy outside. We all went to drop off Claudia at ski school and then headed outside to check out the school area. Juliet was crying lots and we were fighting her to keep her mittens on. At one point she was lying on the ground crying. All I could do was laugh (ok, not the whole time, but she's SO dramatic (some might call it rotten)). I'm sure less sleep, the altitude and the cold (as well as almost being 2) had a lot to do with it.

Peter skied in the morning and picked up Claudia and then he headed back to the slopes. After Juliet finished napping, we headed down to a big room where they have kids crafts set up. So we strung some bead garlands and made some paper ornaments to decorate the 4 ft tree we borrowed from a friend to bring up here. I forgot to bring lights or any other decorations, so that worked out perfect. As well as kept us entertained in the warmth!

Ho Ho Ho

Much like last year, Juliet didn't enjoy the trip to see Santa. But given she is more mobile now than she was this time last year, it was a little struggle. Peter and I weren't supposed to be in the picture, but the closer Peter got to Santa the more Juliet tried to crawl over his shoulder! So I jumped in and click!

This is my 100th post!!!

snowman

For Claudia's holiday party, I volunteered to organize the snowman activity. I had to assemble one to make sure it was doable. Here is one of the models:

I switched to the pipe cleaner earmuffs after Gina got the idea from something online. I was originally trying the felt hat, but that would have required A LOT of cutting and gluing felt. Not so fun/easy!

The wine bottle is to show scale; it's not what I was drinking at the time I was making it. I don't do red.

Ready for your close up, Frosty?

Season's Greetings!

Claudia and I worked on the gingerbread house this weekend. I tried a new way to decorate - instead of icing the roof I sprinkled powdered sugar on it. It worked well, and it simplified the process! Juliet wasn't around to help. Claudia is messy enough, I can't imagine what kind of mess Juliet would have made! In fact, after I took the picture, I turned my back and Juliet tried to pick off something from the roof. When I turned around she was smearing powdered sugar all over the table. I guess that's what happens when you put a toddler 6 inches away from a gingerbread house!!

To infinity and BEYOND!!

Toy Story has been ever present since Claudia started watching the movies about 6 months ago. She wanted to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween and thought Juliet would make a cute alien. I started working on the costumes about 6 weeks ago, but the bulk of the work was done in the last week. It didn't help that I was in Vegas for 5 days leading up to Halloween. I got help from Peter's mom on Claudia's hood and Juliet's hat. I think both costumes turned out pretty good.

Juliet wouldn't let us put on the hat before we went out. She's also supposed to have a purple collar that she kept tugging off. But as soon as we stepped outside and headed down the sidewalk, I slipped it on and she barely noticed. That was good since I think the hat makes the costume, and Peter's mom and I had spent a few hours trying to figure out the best way to make the hat, including the ears, and be something that she could wear without too many problems.

Trick or treating was really fun this year. Last year Juliet wasn't walking so this year it was fun to see her trailing behind Claudia, on a mission. She carried her own bag and even when it seemed like she was about to start dragging it, she wouldn't let anyone take it away from her! And while I forgot to teach her to say "The Claw", she was really good at saying "thank you".

With my trip to Vegas, I didn't get to do anything for Peter and me. I bought some material for us to go as Woody and Jesse, but didn't find extra time. We did go out with our cowboy hats though.

Space Ranger Buzz was very excited to go trick or treating!

The little Alien spent the entire time holding her bag on her shoulder, her arm way up in the air so it wouldn't fall off. Too funny!

Smoooooooooches!

This would have been funnier if it had been in video mode to watch these 2 sit down and hug and kiss each other while Peter was trying to get a photo. For some reason, Claudia is into the headlock hug. Juliet doesn't seem to mind too much.

Primer día entero de escuela

(First full day of school)

The first day of school was yesterday, but it was short (1.5 hours) and the parents attended. It was a little overwhelming with the rush of people on campus. Claudia got upset at one point, saying that she missed her friends. We knew that no one from her preschool would be in her class, though one of her friends is in another classroom. I think the swarm of people surprised her. Today, the first full day of school, was a lot better: she made some friends quickly and was quick to tell Peter goodbye. Tonight she talked about what a great day she had; that she had fun. She also sang and gestured a new song she learned. It's all in Spanish but I was able to decipher what she was singing and Peter verified. She wasn't nearly as exhausted as I expected her to be, but I'm sure that will come soon enough.

Juliet was wondering where her sister was when she and I got in the car this morning as well as when I picked her up. In the car she pointed at Claudia's carseat and threw her hands out saying her version of "where's sister". She did the same when I picked her up today, and was looking around the play yard for her. Too sweet. It's a big adjustment for all of us, but fun times lay ahead!

Summer fun!

We headed to the lake to spend a few days with my sister and her fam. Claudia had a chance to kneeboard. She had lots of fun. I kneeboarded as well. It's hard to sit that way for very long, but I had fun trying. I also gave water skiing a shot, though I couldn't even pull myself out of the water. Maybe next time. Peter hadn't skied for many years, but he got up on his second try. Not bad! He did slip on a banana a couple times though!

We left Juliet with my folks; I didn't think she would enjoy being in the water too much. Good thing. On the second day (the only full day we were there) Claudia was in the water from 10am to 5pm with just a few breaks for lunch and snacks. She enjoyed jumping off the dock and this picture is of Peter throwing her off the dock. That only happened once. She ended up landing on her face. :-/

This is the rare picture of the four of us, and definitely a rare picture of the two of them where Claudia's not making a goofy face!! We had brunch with all the Spains at Alvamar on Sunday and were able to have our own private room which proved to be a great thing. We closed off both doors and let the girls run around. Juliet tried to make a break for it every time the door opened. Whew! She keeps us on our toes!

Who left me to eat yogurt by myself?

This is what we get.... Usually we're there to supervise and make sure that what doesn't make it into her mouth gets wiped away or scooped back up. We were both busy doing stuff around the house. She showed us...

It's as if she's saying "I'm a mess! Hurray for me!"

I took Claudia to see Toy Story 3 on Friday. She liked it though some parts were pretty intense for her. She would ask me "what's going to happen next?" She'll like it better the next time she see's it since she knows what's coming. Later that night she watched Toy Story 2 with her Toy Story friends. I'm not sure I can explain the pirate hat though.

The flower girl

This summer, Claudia is a flower girl in her cousin Rachael's wedding. Rachael sent a dress and wanted pix to see how it looked on Miss Bean. Too cute, I have to say.

And not to be out done in the cuteness category, here's Juliet being a cheeze ball for the camera. Look at all those choppers!

Randoms

Some random pictures, I wanted to share...

A friend at work had a 3rd wheel and infant helmet, so we're all set for ridin' around town. Peter has both girls, while I bring up the rear. The girls love it. Peter says it's a pretty good workout for him. I'm just glad that we can all ride together. I can't wait for the day we can all hike a decent distance together!

Claudia was painting and Juliet came in and grabbed one of the paint brushes with paint on it. She and I wrestled; I won. I love this look on her face! It's sort of like "Really? Did you really just wrestle that out of my hand AND paint my nose in the process?"

Actually, maybe she won, since it looks like she still has it in her hand. But I got the last laugh! :-)

Claudia has been taking a dance class each week at preK. They had a performance last week to Rockin' Robin. I'll get it up here soon. It's too large a file, unless I go with youtube. It was pretty cute to watch. She is a prancer and dancer but sometimes if she realizes she's being watched she gets really shy - even with us, at home. But she did great. All the girls were really cute.

'Cuz if you can't squeeze the stuffin' out of your sister, who can you squeeze the stuffin' out of?

Here's Claudia improvising her scuba gear. She typically has a bendy straw that she slips thru one side of her goggles. This time, as we were getting ready for a hike, she used her camelback. What a nut!

And finally, I snapped a few pictures of Juliet the other morning. Even though she has her eyes closed, she's got the scrunched nose. She still scrunches her nose!

Silent movie

I tried to video Juliet saying "agua" but I've now learned that if my memory stick is nearly full, it just doesn't record the audio. I'll try to capture it again. Anyway, it was really funny at the time, but without any sound it's still pretty funny. I stopped recording a little too soon; Juliet continued to try to pinch Claudia's nose while Claudia cracked up and tried to defend herself.


That is a big scrape on Juliet's head. She's still a little top heavy and she tripped outside at school.

Tight squeeze!

Claudia loves to tackle or wrestle or pick up Juliet. Luckily Juliet seems to like it most of the time. We still call Julilet "Trouble", and she is still pretty rotten about getting into things or doing things we don't want her to do. Tonight, I got her out of the tub and walked back toward their room, but she didn't follow me. After getting out pjs I headed back that way and heard her as she started whining. She was naked and had crawled up onto her activity table. It doesn't have a flat surface so I'm sure it was not comfortable for her. She was on all fours, and couldn't figure out how to get down. Poor thing! I would have taken her picture if not for the naked part. I did wait long enough to get Peter so he could see where she was. TROUBLE!

I want candy!

For Claudia's 5th birthday, we threw her a big party with 19 of her closest friends. Last summer at my parents' house she saw a picture in a magazine of a Candyland cake. She asked if I could make that for her, so the theme was set. I had 9 months to think about it and spent about 4 weeks seriously planning and shopping for it. Gina flew in a few days before the party and stayed a week. She helped a lot with the planning and decorating. We put together a candy-related playlist that was pretty fun - Good ship lollipop, I want candy, Brown Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, the Candyman, Sugartown were some of the songs.

Here's the cake. I had Safeway bake it, ice it and airbrush the green. Gina, Claudia and I decorated it. It was pretty fun, probably took us an hour and half from start to finish, which also included me working on my letter piping skills. Though it appears I could practice more on that.

We got lots and lots of compliments on the cake. And it was pretty tasty too! Chocolate with banana filling and white with strawberry filling.

We stayed up late the night before making m&m bean bags for a bean bag toss game that we never ended up playing. But they made for good paper weights for the path and the kids played with them during the party, and the kids got to take one home with them. I found some miniature gumball machines, swirly suckers and thought I would throw in a toothbrush so the parents weren't completely mad at me for all the sugar!

Here's a shot of the path:

We played a game on the path. I was pretty amazed how patient the kids were. I didn't really think it thru, so the kids pretty much moved as a clump. But they seemed to have fun.

Juliet was being supervised by Peter's mom & dad. She sat here and colored for more than an hour. I think she liked sitting with the "big kid's" at the table. She's so serious!

And here's the whole fam damily, exhausted after a fun day. Now I need to start planning for Juliet's big 5th, in 4 more years!

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny showed up on the foggy Sunday morning. He left a note letting us know that the low eggs were Juliet's and the high eggs were Claudia's. Juliet spent most of the time with the first 2 eggs she found. They had coins in them so they were fun for her to shake. Claudia collected the rest for her, and later asked if there was anything else since all the eggs were filled with coins. She hasn't learned the value of a dollar, I guess.