Sunday, February 28, 2010

Boom Boom Pow




Our first several months in Denver were dominated by stress involving getting the girls to bed. Yikes! Now, both girls are doing well, staying in their beds, reading books to put themselves to sleep. Last night, reinforcing good behavior, Ryan promised Kate some jelly beams if she would stay in bed. She held up to her end of the bargain, so I did as well. Although Ella was still asleep, Kate's biggest concern was keeping her jelly beans away from Ella. She let me know how she would keep them safe. The Black Eyed Peas are quite influential on this family. Sorry for the duplicate picture. I am still learning.

Spring Must Be Coming



We have had a pretty chilly winter, and I am definitely ready for some warm weather. We have not been able to do much outside for the last few months. Yesterday was a really nice day, so we did have some time to play. Last time Kate got on her Dora bike, she pushed on the ground, and her feet could barely reach the petals. Wow! She can ride like a champ. She does need to work a little bit on her steering, though. I can't wait for sunny days with long bike rides!

Chair Lift



Ella and Ryan headed up to the mountains last week for Ella's second ski lesson. I guess they progress pretty quickly. Ryan and Jill, Keiran's mom, came back to check on the kids, but they were nowhere to be found. Then they looked up, and there were the kids, on the ski lift. No bar, no adult, no foot rest, but no big deal. Ella did forget to get off one time, so she did the logical thing and jumped off the chair- it wasn't that big of a jump, so no problem. Big Step- I think next will be the whole family on the slopes.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Oh the Zamboni

Ryan took Ella to a birthday party the other day which was at an ice skating rink. Kate was able to join in the fun for a while on the ice. During the break from skating, Kate experienced a true joy of childhood (and adulthood), watching the Zamboni freshen up the ice. "What is that truck doing on the ice?" Kate asked. "That's a Zamboni. It's making the ice smooth again," Ryan replied. Kate answered, "I want to drive a Zamboni." Don't we all, Kate?!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Silly Things Your Kids Say

When Kate woke up this morning, we were cuddling in bed, watching TV. We were watching PBS and there was a short segment with an Hispanic lady reading a book to a child. Kate, the culturally aware child that she is said, "That lady is like Juana (our housekeeper). She says Hola." Yes she does Kate- silly monkey.

Happy Birthday Nana

Yesterday was Nana's Birthday. Since she was headed off on a road trip for some wine tasting, the girls needed to call her early to sing Happy Birthday. Well Kate and Ella sang but then Kate started to cry. It was too much to bear for somebody else to have her birthday before hers. She cried, "I want it to be my birthday." So our Nana had a great idea. She told Ryan to go get cupcakes for Nana and, if they could handle the pressure, gobble up those cupcakes for her. I came home from work to a great surprise. We sang Happy Birthday again and did a number on some cupcakes- oh the sacrifices you make for the love of your family. Sorry we could not be with you on your birthday, Nana, but we hope you had a great day. We love you.

Monday, February 8, 2010

FInally, the tooth comes out



The loss of Ella's first tooth has been quite the drama. She was very upset to have completed Kindergarten without losing any teeth, and while most of her friends have lost several teeth, Ella has been wiggling her first loose tooth for about 2 months. About a month ago, her big-girl tooth started growing in behind the one loose baby tooth, and she started crying because she so much wants a gap in her teeth. After several threats of tying floss around the tooth, one night she finally had it. She was wiggling the tooth like crazy, and she could not fall asleep. Ryan and she decided the time had come for that tooth to get out. After multiple attempts, Ryan finally yanked that sucker out. He dropped the slippery tooth in her mouth, it started to bleed, so she ran to the bathroom crying, close to choking on her bloody, toothy mess. Amongst the tears, she said "Thank you , Daddy, for pulling out my tooth." Tears blended in with giggles of excitement. After so much work on that first tooth, the tooth fairy left her 5 bucks- yikes, she better budget herself.

FIrst Day of Skiing




So now that we own a Subaru and are official Coloradans (is that a word?), it was time to take Ella for her first ski lesson. As particular as our Ella is about her clothes, her temperature, her environment, and her surroundings, she was surprisingly easy-going and excited to get bundled up, head to the mountains, and pizza and french fry down the slopes. She is taking lessons with her buddy Kieran, the son of one of Ryan's co-workers, and Ryan was able to ski with Kieran's dad, Chad. She absolutely loved it. They had a great first day of skiing- beautiful weather and perfect ski conditions. Ella said she was hot, so the cold definitely did not slow her down. They moved her up from level one to two, and she was sure to make sure we knew that. When she got home she asked me, " Mommy, do I own anything expensive? I want to sell something so that I can buy my own skis." The next day, Ryan and Ella spent the day surfing the internet for posters of skiers. I think we are off to a good start.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

A Day For Kate and Mama



Mondays are my day off, and I usually am like a whirling dervish on these days. I usually am getting the house clean, doing as much laundry done as possible, trying to get my swim in, and get the grocery shopping done. Well this Monday was special. Martha, Kate's caretaker, welcomed a granddaughter, so I had Kate for the day. I finally felt well enough to play with her, so play we did. First, we headed to the mall to "jump on the food." She, like all toddlers ( and too many school-age kids- READ THE SIGNS PARENTS), loves the mall play center. She can climb on the strawberries, waffles, eggs, bananas, and slide on the bacon and sausage, and quickly get sanitized after her fun. I was there with all the stay-at-home Moms- it's fun to live like the other side sometimes. Then, we rode on the elevator a few times, and it was off to the pool. I love that Denver has nice indoor pools, and ours is great. A nice big slide, fountains, little slide, and as I discovered, only 3 kids on Monday vs the 50 on Saturdays. We had a few "big unders" which is Kate sticking one ear under the water and headed home. We took a nice nap together before I picked up Ella from school. I love that this was forced upon me, as I could not do my chores, and I was forced to relax and play. Sometimes I need this, and I just loved it. I think I will make it part of my routine now, taking some days off just to be with Kate. Thanks for a great day, Kate