Bowling

Today we met friends for bowling.  Boy have times changed.  We used to bowl in the evenings or late at night, be there for a couple of hours, bowl several games with beers in-hand...now, fast forward a few years and we all show up after nap-time with car seats over our arms and diapers bags over our shoulders filled with snacks to keep the little ones occupied.  Wouldn't change it for anything!

Carmen was curious why she had to change her shoes, was enthusiastic about the bowling part for about 7 frames but couldn't figure out why she had to keep waiting to take her turn.  She proudly carried her 5 lb ball and pushed it down the lane with help from Daddy who kept having to scoop her up as she tried to run down the lane every time she 'threw' the ball.  It was a juggling act trying to each bowl our turn, keep Carmen patient and chase her around as she wanted to try out each of the driving video games.  As for our little man, he didn't give us any trouble, he happily slept through the entire game (surprise, surprise)!  It was a fun time reconnecting with good friends.

Merry Christmas

Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more.”
~ Dr. Seuss

 

Birthday Fun

2 Years

Today is your happy, happy dear Carmen James (what you call this special day).  You are two years old.  I can't believe it.  For two years you have enriched our lives, put countless smiles on our faces, helped us understand the meaning and importance of family, made us laugh out loud, at times made us question our sanity but above all have made us so incredibly proud.  We love who you are--your passion, your gentleness, your concern and care for others, your head-strong nature with clear opinions, the way you hug and tickle and the way you call me mama.  Mom or mommy will not due, it's always mama, which warms my heart.  You are learning so much and your vocabulary is expanding so quickly.  You continually amaze us and are always doing something that catches us by surprise. You love to cook and have made countless batches of 'soup' with your letters, number and magnetic dress up doll.  You like to help in the real kitchen and are like a little shadow to both daddy and I.  If we go upstairs, you want to go to.  If we run upstairs for a moment, you want to come to, and Lamby is always in tow. You love art and can't get enough of stickers, paper, crayons and markers.  You like to build--you make 'houses' with your blocks and continually stack as many as you can until the 'house' falls down.  You like to dance and wiggle.  You love to make forts.  You take such good care of your brother and always want him around.  You are a wonderful big sister and the best daughter we could ask for.  Of course you have your two year old moments, but that's all part of the process.  We still think you are pretty perfect.  A very happy, happy to you on this special day.

3 months

12 weeks already...how much has changed during that period of time.  No longer are you the fragile little newborn we first met three short months ago.  You have grown so much and continue to amaze us with how alert, strong and inquisitive you are. You are rolling from your back to your front and you are somehow able to scoot. It must be those strong muscles you have in your arms and legs from all of the waving and kicking you do.  While you are constantly in motion you are also calm and relaxed.  I love the time you and I spend together just hanging out.  You are content just to lie there and watch and I can tell you are taking everything in.  My favorite part is when you smile and it doesn't take much to make you produce that giant grin. You love music and love when I sing to you (despite my awful voice).  You and daddy coo a lot together and you even laugh a little too.  You are certainly a happy baby.  One day I hope you'll understand how happy you make us too.  Happy 3 months old Maxy Moo.     

Candy House

Carmen has been anxious for several weeks to get her hands on the candy house so we finally started decorating.  In true almost two year old fashion, it entertained her for a few minutes and then she spent most of the time organizing the candy by size and color.  Her enthusiasm for decorating resumed when she discovered that the 'glue' holding everything together was a sweet treat.  There was lots of finger licking after that!

Ho, Ho, Ho

Carmen and Max got an extra special visit from Santa this weekend at a Skurski family Christmas celebration.  Carmen loves pointing to Santa and itentifiying him in books, on TV and decorations on houses, but she was a little less enthusiastic about seeing him in the flesh.  She wasn't so sure at first but was a trooper and did sit on his lap without any tears.  The fact that Santa had a gift with her name on it and there was a candy cane involved was just enough motivation.  Max was unfazed by the whole event and gladly complied with being passed off to the man in the red suit.  Hopefully this is a sign of things to come when it's time for Santa photos.

O Christmas Tree

The tree is up and the lights are on thanks to our special helper.  Carmen was thrilled to help Daddy string the lights and was delighted to help decorate the tree with as many ornaments as she could get her hands on.  Of course, you can quickly tell which spot Carmen decorated as there are 10 or so ornaments on the same two branches.  Lets just call it her own artistic flair--who needs balance or equal distribution?  Turns out both daddy and I do...we secretly re-distributed her ornaments when she wasn't looking.  So far she hasn't made a fuss about it.  We'll see how long that lasts.  For now, she's enjoying looking at the tree and saying "big tree! and' "lights! lights!" with enthusiasm.  And, this time Max didn't sleep through the entire event, only most of it.  He did stay awake long enough to give a few smiles of approval.

Dentist, a Success!

Today Carmen had her first dentist appointment.  Needless to say, I was a bit nervous.  I was replaying in my head all of the possible scenarios about how it might go.  What if she doesn't cooperate?  What if she throws a tantrum? And on and on.  I even had the ipad in my purse in case there was an emergency situation. Turns out I was stressing for nothing.  Carmen was close to perfect at the appointment.  She was happy to play at the block table upon arriving, got to decorate an ornament, played with Thomas the Train, received a treat bag with her name on it containing a new toothbrush and mirror and got to pick out a 'prize' when the appointment was over.  She actually thought the dental mirror was the prize vs. the turtle squirting bath toy (shhhh, don't tell).  She opened her mouth when she was asked, got her teeth brushed by the hygienist with not so much as a protest or fuss (maybe because she was able to watch Dora the Explorer on the ceiling), got her teeth counted by the dentist and got her teeth painted with sparkles (a.k.a. fluoride).  The only fussing that took place is that she didn't want to leave.  Two thumbs up for Greenlake Kid's Dentistry!

Practicing her brushing techniques.