Happy 2nd Birthday Baby B!

 OK, bad mama is a few days late, but Happy 2nd Birthday to my Baby B!  We had a small party for her at the Sulphur Creek Nature Center in Hayward.  Its not a fancy facility, but the kids had a blast!  We really lucked out and the weather was beautiful for November, so the kids got to run around inside and out and enjoy all the animals at Sulphur Creek.

We chose three animals (rosy boa snake, box turtle, and duck) and a craft for the "animal presentation".  All the kids stayed on their carpet squares during the presentation and enjoyed the craft too!  We could not ask for a better celebration!

Baby C's Purple Belt

Congrats to Baby C for earning her purple belt last night!  Here is a picture after her belt test with Grand Master Pallen.

My Tough Fairy

Baby B is always trying to keep up with the big kids.  Her mind runs faster than her little legs can take her...which usually results in BONK! Here is latest boo-boo @ 23 months.

More Random Baby B @ 20 Months

Here's a picture of Baby B chewing on a baby octopus on a recent trip to Little Sheep Hot Pot.  After some help, she bit off the head, chewed a bit, and eventually spit it out.  But at least she tried!

Two random Baby B-isms today...i figure I better write this down somewhere before I forget! =)

I dropped a can of soda on my toe today and yelled out "OWWW!". Baby B walks over and says "Tay? Tay? Tay?" I finally figured out she was asking me if I was "OK".

As I was putting her shoes on in preparation to go out, I burped. She looks at me and says "ME!"  ...as in "say excuse me", as she has often heard us say to her big sis.

Too funny, I guess she is developing some empathy and manners? Or maybe she is just very observant and is a good imitator. =)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Baby C @ Almost 4...

My first baby girl turns four in less than 2 weeks!  I know it's cliche, but time sure does fly.  First I can't believe I will be a mom of a four year old, and second, I can't believe we survived parenthood for 4 years!!!  Whew! It's been quite a ride!

Baby C has been flourishing @ preschool and @ all the activities she is participating in.  For the summer, her crazy schedule each week consists of 2 full days of preschool, gymnastics X2, soccer, karate X2, and a swim class.  We also did one week of wildlife camp @ Sulphur Creek, and will be doing one week of VBS at a local church with a "Finding Nemo" theme this year.

Sometimes I think I am overscheduling her, but she truly enjoys all her extra activities.  For example, we traded dance for soccer this summer, and she keeps on asking why we are not taing dance, and how much she misses it, etc.  During the wildlife camp week, she kept on asking about all her other activities she was missing because she was @ camp that week.  Honestly, I want her NOT like something so that we can cut it out of the schedule!  So far, no luck.

We are thinking of changing Baby C's preschool for her Pre-K year (coming up in Sept).  We want to switch her from a play based program to a Montessori program. I guess I am feeling the pressure of kindergarten and "real school", and I want her to be as prepared as possible. We already know that she has the social skills to survive in a school environment, now, I want to concentrate on the academics...i know sounds a bit hardcore...cuz afterall, she's only 4 for gosh sake!  But I feel like education is the one thing no one can take from you, and I want my kids to be well educated and successful...and it's never too early to start. =)

I am also busy planning Baby C's birthday party next weekend. ithis year's "Dinosaur Train" theme should be fun.  I don't really have many details, but hope to pull it all together this week!

Anyhoo, that's all I can think of for Baby C. I guess I might need to stop calling her "Baby C" soon, because she is def not a baby anymore...!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Baby B @ 19 Months

Baby B growing up so darn fast!  Her verbal and motor skills are improving day by day.  In addition to signing a number of words, she can also say them too now.  I won't list them all, cuz frankly my brain is too fried, but there are very few times that we can't decipher what she wants.  Her comphrehension is excellent, she understands like 95% of what we are saying to her.  Whether she complies, that is another story...! =)

Speaking of wants, she is...how do I say...um, very passionate about her wants!  She is a very expressive little girl and a persistent lil bugger. Haha!  She definitely gets her way often.  Poor big sis even has to concede sometime, but we make it up to her in other "big girl" ways. =)

She is still a bit clingy, but in general pretty independent.  She is also getting better at solo-play, which is super helpful when I am trying to get stuff done...ahhh!

The sisterly "battles continue and I am still referee, but I am going to try to let them work it out by themselves more since B's verbal skills are improving, and her motor skills are getting better (so she can fight back).  But honestly, I don't know if it's because I've got two girls are what, but they can be so mentally draining.  Their "fights" start off mental, then can get physical...but I am sure it's not as bad as with boys. =)

B's night time sleep has improved. I try to get her in bed by 800-830 and she usually wakes by 700-730.  Daytime (short) naps continue to be in the car...sigh.  Bedtime routines are still all me because I am still nursing her, just at night.  She's lasting longer that Baby C did (@ 17 months), but I think that's cuz B has just been more clingy overall. 

Anyhoo, that's my update...or at least everything I can think of at the moment!  I'll try to do a Baby C update soon!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Life Gets Crazy(er)

Oh neglected blog of mine...I am so sorry I have been ignoring you.  Life has been super hectic with 2 girls running amuck and driving me nuts. 

Here is an update photo of the girls ...just so my account stays active. Hah! =)

Will return soon...i promise.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Toddler Sparring

Baby C has been taking karate for about 5 months and there is an intramural tournament coming up at the dojo.  Unfortunately we will be out of town, but the past few weeks, the instructors have been practicing "flag sparring" with Baby C's class.  At this age group, there is no contact.  Instead, one tried to take the other person's flag.

Here is a picture of Baby C with a sparring partner.  She is the tiny one on the left of the orange cone.  In this drill, you are supposed to "bounce" around the cone twice, then try to go for the other person's red flag (which is tucked into their belt/pants). You are supposed to use blocks and such when your opponent is coming at you.   And shout out a victorious KEEYAH when you grab your opponent's flag and hoist it above your head.  No grabbing, running, chasing, etc.  Of course with 3.5 - 6 year olds, the rules are not always followed...

Watching them practice really cracks me up...here are these little people with big helmets bouncing around...it really hilarious.  In fact I am smirking right now just thinking about it. LOL

Unfortunately, Baby C is the smallest in her class and tends to always get her flags taken...probably cuz her arms are shorter, etc.  She got a little discouraged at first, but hopefully she will regain some confidence after some more practice. =)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Leapfrog Kidlab

Yesterday I brought Baby B to Leapfrog Kidlab to test out some new toys.  Baby C has participated before, but this is Baby B's first time.

I love seeing/testing new products/toys.  Baby C actually tested the TAG Jr and Text n' Learn before it came out.  This time, Baby B tested this new picnic basket toy they are developing.  It was very cute.  The basket talked and sang reciting the alphabet, phonics, numbers, cute phrases, etc.  It also had picnic items inside with shape sorting, etc.

We have many Leapfrog products in our house, and after out Leapfrog trip, we have one more!  For our time, we received a Leapfrog birthday cake toy.  It's pretty darn cool because you can light the candles and blow them out.  Really, it senses your breathe and the candle lights go out!  I think this will be one of my "go-to" toys for first birthday presents!  Both girls love it...a bit too much in fact, I was playing referee all afternoon andalmost had to give the toy a time out! Geez! =)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Hi-Lights Lo-Lights

I just started highlighting my hair again after a post-kid hiatus due to maintenance laziness.  This time I wanted to go lighter because summer was coming up.

My new hairdresser sure went blond! The color itself I liked, and we were doing chunkier highlights to give it more impact/less maintenance, but there was this huge chunk at the side of my face that made it really obvious.

So...she had to do a do-over to tone down a few strips and all was good!

This was the first time I brought Baby C to the salon with me and it was a longer appointment but  she did really good. She waited patiently AND complimented my hair color, even when it looked like I was going on the Blond Ambition Tour.  Mama so proud! =)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Tobiko Monster

Baby B's new thing now is tobiko. We tried to just pick the tobiko off our sushi rolls for her, but alas they were mostly covered by spicy sauce.

So...we just ordered her her own bowl!  She only ate half of it, but that's pretty darn good for a 17 month old! =)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Me & C in the Air

We hit the Oakland Zoo today and Baby B fell asleep on the way there, so we parked and Baby C and I got to spend some one on one time @ the zoo before B woke up.

Besides checking out a few animals, we got to ride the air tram ride.  It's only open on weekends and we don't usually come on weekends.  I am also uneasy about taking sqiurmy B on the ride because it's a long way down!  There was no line @ the time so it was perfect.

The scenery was great, the weather beautiful, and both Baby C and I enjoyed the relaxing ride and seeing the animals from the air. 

Although I was a bit worried about losing my flip flops, Baby C's crocs, and dropping my camera and phone as I try to capture these moments. LOL =)...other than that, fun times!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Here's a picture of Baby B (im)patiently waiting for her grilled cheese sandwich to cool.

There is just something so comforting about this ooey gooey goodness!

This one is made with plain American cheese, I also like cheddar, but any other cheese suggestions to jazz it up?

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Sharing? What's that?!

Here is a picture of Baby B hogging my papaya juice.  I think she does understand the concept of sharing, but alas only does it on HER terms.

So what does that mean? It means that mama was standing in the parking lot with B's door open, waiting for a while until B was done with her sips and "shared" the drink with me so I could get in my seat and drive. =P

But with a face like that, how could you be mad? =)  Plus I know she is still in the process of learning...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

A Walking Paradox

Baby B is a fun little toddler. Her independence is growing and her personality is becoming more apparent each day.  She is:

- Strong-willed, yet compliant.
- Clingy, yet independent.
- Wants to play, yet is tired and fights sleep.
- Is so darn cute, yet can be so mean to her sister sometimes!

But I guess all toddlers are contradictory...its part of the growing /development process and definity keeps things interesting!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Back in February, we took a weekend trip down to Monterey for some aquarium fun.  We try to go at least 1-2 times a year, the last time we were there was back in Sept 09.  It's always a good weekend getaway, especially when we've been there before, so we don't feel compelled to cover the entire aquarium in one day.  The next time we go, we'll probably try just a day trip to see if it works out.

We did not take too many pictures inside the aquarium because the lighting is so tricky, but I did manage to get a cute picture of the girls inside a "penguin egg".

We had lunch at the Red House Cafe, recommended by my cousin.  It is literally a red house - cozy and yummy.  Dining with two kids is always an adventure.

We visited the Monarch Grove Santuary, but it was too late in the year to see the butterflies...I guess we'll try to catch them next time in the grove.

We went on the beautiful 17- mile drive.  It was my first time and all I have to say is that I wish I would win the lotto, and I love me some California coastline!

We stopped and took some pictures at the "Lone Cypress" - a long time symbol of the Pebble Beach Golf Course.

While enjoying the scenery, two curious squirrels came out to play.  These two ladies fed them some Cheez-it crackers, it was pretty cute.  Baby C even got to feed them a couple, although I am not sure we were being responsible parents by allowing it since they technically are wild, right?  Oh wells, they were very cute. =)

We stopped for lunch at the Pebble Beach Resort.  Daddy J visit the pro-shop, and we walked around a bit on the grounds.  What a pretty place.

And finally, a Monterey trip would not be complete without a stop @ the Dennis the Menace Park!  Both girls got to enjoy the park this time.  Fun times!

Disney On Ice - Worlds of Fantasy

Back in March, we went to a Disney On Ice show at the Oracle Arena.  We've been to other Disney On Ice shows, but they were mostly very girly and princessy.  This one was cool because it had something for boys and girls - Cars, Little Mermaid, Lion King and Tinkerbell...although the girly parts were longer, especially with the Tinkerbell finale.  We had a luxury suite again, filled it with friends, and had a great time!

There was a "princess pre-show", where everyone can walk through a hallway and view the princess dresses on display, and the "finale" was a live princess from "Princess and the Frog" - Disney's newest creation.

Here is Baby C and one of her BFF's, AH with Ariel's dress.

Belle's dress of course, too bad Baby B was not there yet (Daddy J was napping her before the show, so we arrived separately)

The girls with their show programs, excited about the show starting!

The show starts!

Thank goodness for the luxury suites with restless kids!

They started the show off with Cars.  Baby C was SUPER excited.

Daddy J and Baby B enjoying the show...I think.

Here is the Little Mermaid segment with a bubbles-filled finale.

The beginning of the Lion King segment...you know, the tragic scene...

This is the best we could do to get a group photo of the kids...sigh. =)

Stinson Beach

We took the opportunity on a rare eventless Sunday and drove to Stinson Beach.  It's been many many years since I've visited.  I got a bit nosh on the windy drive there (first time for everything I guess) and it was a bit chilly, but the sun was shining bright and we had a great time.  Here are some pictures to share. =)
 

Max enjoying some time outdoors.  He was kinda timid with other dogs at first, but warmed up quickly.  He didn't like the water much, but ran up to the waves and back.

Baby B enjoyed her first time @ the beach.

Baby C loves the sand.

Baby B loved the sand too.  We only had one bucket, so I had to get creative.

Perfect weather for flying some kites.

Daddy J and Max, my two handsome dudes.

A girl and her best friend on the beach. =)