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.

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?!

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.

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.