The Year in Review

As the end of the year approaches, the Cain family has decided to do a quick recap of the year’s events for those of you who do not religiously check the blog.

First, our dear, sweet SadieBug. She is now 2 ½ years old and doing great. Her body has been growing well and now her head and is no longer freakishly disproportionately larger than the rest of her. She’s still a little top heavy and seems to fall down a lot.
Her vocabulary has grown and she loves to sing. Her favorite thing to say is: “No potty talk.” This comment is normally reserved for her dad and big sister who can tend to discuss bodily functions frequently. Tovi has trained her well to be the Potty Talk Police when she is not around.
Sadie is healthy, smart and easily one of the top 5 cutest children of all time. She is not currently in daycare, school or other extra-curricular activities. She loves Nursery and going to the “gym.” For the coming year, we plan on putting her in school and soccer. She would also love to dance.

Kylie is also doing great. She’s 4 ½ years old and continues to attend the Mother’s Day Out where she went last year. This year she participated in soccer (where she completely dominated) and swimming (where she learned how to flail her limbs in a dysrhythmic fashion and routinely aspirated gallons of pool water that was probably half urine by the end of each class).
Kylie is also a giant helper around the house and loves to assume new responsibilities. She loves to help cook, clean, wash the car, pull weeds---we couldn’t ask for a better helper.
She has started to wear glasses and she also remains in the top 5 cutest kids of all time. Furthermore, last week, Kylie lost her first tooth. It reminded us of two things. One, Kylie is growing up so fast. Two, she needs to work on her dental hygiene.
Kylie has been “reading” tons of books and is hooked on the Spiderwick Chronicles and the Chronicles of Narnia. She incorporates at least one of these series while she plays dress up, blocks, Little People, Barbie or anything else. For the next year, she would like to become involved in piano, dancing, swimming and soccer. She would also like to start fencing, but we haven’t brought it up and think that she’ll forget about it.

Tovi continues to live her life of luxury. She normally wakes up at about noon and has the girls make her a combined late breakfast and early lunch. Sadie performs her pedicure and head massage. Kylie picks out Tovi’s clothes and then does the vacuuming, cleaning, filing, budgeting and combs through magazines to cut out the articles that she thinks her mother will find interesting. This routine continues until her hard-working, but able-bodied, husband comes home to make dinner, help the children with homework, mow the lawn, wash the cars, look handsome and then resume the massaging/pedicuring/pampering.
Sometime within this busy schedule, Tovi has found time to complete her church callings in Primary and with the Activity Day girls. Less than half of these children have left the church and so this year has been a success. She also co-starred in a play this year as the young, Cosette from Les Miserables. Not many 30 year old ladies can pull off the role of a 5 year old peasant French orphan that sings while performing slave labor. Tovi has found her niche. She also worked hard on the choreography for the production.
Tovi works with a weekly children’s music class. The children love the singing, the dancing, the stories and the camaraderie. We hear that NSYNC actually got their start from a similar class. We might have the next Lance Bass in our group.
Lastly, Tovi has found a renewed interest in exercise and works out the YMCA. She enjoys the Zumba, Yoga, and body sculpting classes. In an effort to understand her wife’s new hobbies, her husband will sometimes attend those classes and watch the participants for hours at a time. He’s just a supportive type of guy.

Speaking of this guy with above average looks and a certain savoir faire- Miki is also doing well. He is now in his last year of Pediatric residency in San Antonio. In the next few months, the family will find out where they will go so that he can continue his career.
This past year, he participated in a two week medical mission/vacation to Honduras along with the regular doctor training stuff. He has also somehow avoided being kicked out of the residency program, the United States Army and the Church. One more success for the Cains this year.

We don’t have any big and exciting news for now. However, yesterday, we got to visit Uncle Marty and Aunt Christine in Austin. We saw the town and spent some time at Zilker park. It was a little chilly, but the girls loved the animals, the plants, the science stuff and everything in between. These pictures are from our fun day at the park.

Lastly, the Cain family would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Take care and God bless.

First Tooth!

No, Kylie did not get her first tooth...she lost her first tooth! She is only 4 1/2 and the first of her baby teeth fell out tonight while we were brushing her teeth. Miki is on call tonight, so she had to call him and tell him the good news. We put the tooth in a little bag and it is currently under her pillow as she is attempting to fall asleep. I have to see what kind of prize the Tooth Fairy can scrounge up!
Her tooth started wiggling on her birthday, six months ago. She has been very cautious about wiggling it and didn't really know if she wanted it to fall out. She knew that it would probably involve a little pain and some blood. Not something that she was eager for.

I was a little concerned that she was so young to be loosing teeth, but the dentist said that the grown up teeth are right there ready to make a debut. I just feel like she is growing up so fast! Next thing you know I will be teaching her how to shave her legs and wear make up...okay let's not get too far ahead of ourselves!

Package Poppers

Sorry about the quality of the video. Hopefully you can enjoy the energy and excitement that they girls are exuding here. I found these big sheets of package poppers (I don't even know what they are really called) in our storage and thought I would put them to good use. The girls loved walking all over them all day long. And I must admit, it was a highlight for me too. Quite a stress reliever.

Pumpkins

We learned the hard way not to carve pumpkins when you live in hot climates. We experienced this for the first time in Arizona. We carved our pumpkins and within a couple of days they were melted to the sidewalk. It is pretty much the same way here in San Antonio. Strange things begin to grow rather quickly from a carved pumpkin which does enhance its ghoulish appearance.

Since we didn't want to deal with the front porch clean up and since my kids really wanted to get involved in our pumpkin decorating this year, I found this fun idea in the Family Fun magazine. I cut out a bunch of eyes, noses and mouths from magazines and put them out for the girls to see. They then picked the features that they wanted for their pumpkins and taped them on. I thought they turned out so cute and the girls loved it (it was so easy too!)

Boondoggle

Once a year, the Pediatrics Residents and their families get together for a weekend of family friendly fun. It is called Boondoggle. We have been able to go every year and we love it! It is usually held the end of October or early November. This year it was on Halloween weekend. That didn't put a damper on our Halloween fun. Everyone got to the campsite/cabins around 8:00 PM on Friday night and proceeded to pass out candy to the costumed kids. Kylie was Ariel and Sadie was a Care Bear, but wouldn't let me put the hood on. Miki was a "Funny Bunny" and I don't know what I was (a tired mom that night!)

We got to the campsite (Fort Sam Houston side of Canyon Lake) when it was still light out, so we got the perfect site. Beautiful view, deer galore, isolated and quiet, right next to the port-a-potty. That is right, there were no pretty restrooms at our convenience. We had no running water and stinky, dark port-a-potties. The only thing that I was grateful for was that Sadie isn't being potty-trained right now. The funny thing is that we could have chosen to stay in the cabins like the majority of Miki's co-workers. The cabins were quite the step up. Refrigerators, TVs, ac/heat, running water, stoves, showers, three bedrooms, fully furnished, dishes, etc. But who would want to stay some place nice like that anyway?

We did really enjoy camping. It's all about the adventure. That first night, Sadie woke up screaming in the middle of the night and wouldn't calm down until I took her out of the tent. Then I had to carry her around for a good hour. I finally got her to agree to sitting with me in the car and she immediately fell asleep. I knew that wasn't going to work for me, so I woke her up and convinced her to go with me into the tent, where she insisted on laying on top of me. I slowly wiggled my way out from under her over the next few hours. Neither one of us got much sleep that night.

The next day, Saturday, the interns and residents had a sand volleyball match with the 3rd years winning and I am sure it was because of Miki! The kids played on the beach and loved the sand and sea shells. The interns, 2nd years, and 3rd years then played some team games to see which group was the best. I didn't see what all of the games were, but I know that there was tug-o-war, a relay type game, and a game played with ping pong balls and hula hoops. And of course the 3rd years won.

We had dinner at a nice restaurant, Papa Docks, where Miki gave out awards. I will have to see if I can find those and list them on a post. Then we went back to the camp site for one more sleepless night. Thanks to everyone for such a fun time. I will definitely miss this group when we leave San Antonio. My friend Kimberli said that she was grateful that her husband picked Pediatrics because the group is just so family friendly. Everyone cares about each other's family and kids and are genuinely interested in what our families are doing. I would have to agree and count myself blessed for the many acquaintances and friends that I have made because of my husband's job.

56 Things That I Have Done

I copied this from a friend's blog (thanks Karyn) and loved seeing all of the things that she has done, accomplished, and experienced. I was curious to see how many of the things I had done. The highlighted ones are the things that I have done. Try it out yourself!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (never read Songs of Solomon though, but it still counts)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

Halloween Party Pictures

My cute girls all dressed up for Halloween. Kylie wanted to be a purple fairy princesses. You can't tell in this picture, but she is wearing wings. Sadie got to wear the snow princess dress that Kylie wore when she was two.

Kylie-Halloween 2006

Sadie-Halloween 2008

Kylie and Jordan and...Sadie?

Kylie saw our neighbors, The Pieroni's, leaving for a family walk on Sunday. She insisted on forcing Sadie and I to get our shoes on and try to catch up with them. This was a bit tricky since I am a paranoid mother and wouldn't let her cross the street on her own. She would run ahead of Sadie and I and then have to wait for us to catch up to her at each intersection. Finally, at the last intersection, the Pieronis noticed us and I let her cross on her own because Kevin was right there.
We had a nice visit with them at the Tripps' home. But had to head home all too soon. Kylie and Jordan held hands the entire way. I had to get a picture. I borrowed Kimberli's camera and was taking this first shot and then in the corner I noticed a little girl across the street. It was Sadie! While I was distracted by the cute little couple, Sadie had decided that she was big enough to cross the street by herself just like I had let Kylie. I threw the camera at Kimberli, all the while cursing myself under my breath, and ran to Sadie, who then started running from me. Has this ever happened to you before? I know it has. This is every two-year old's favorite game.
Kimberli must have taken this next shot as I was busy collecting my rebel child. I love how Kylie and Jordan are looking on as I discipline someone other than them.

Kylie's One and Only Soccer Game

Kylie had her soccer game on Wednesday, the 22nd. It was supposed to be on Monday, but the coach was sick. So we worked it out that she did her make up game on the same night with her friend Gage Atwood.
Here is a picture of her with her certificate and medal.
And also a cute picture of her with her buddy, Gage. We were so glad that he was able to play soccer with her this year because it made her less shy and timid.
As you can see in the videos, they just ran and ran and ran. Kylie got two goals. I couldn't get the video of her second goal to show properly. Sorry. But this other video is where she almost made a third goal. I apologize for my loud voice (you may want to turn down your volume) and terrible camera skills. Miki wasn't there and I had Sadie to juggle. It was also a cold and windy day. Okay, enough excuses. Really, I just wasn't paying attention to the camera during the most important moments of the game.

Kylie's Soccer

Kylie is enjoying soccer again this year. The only thing is that she isn't really playing soccer. They have a soccer program on base called First Steps and they teach the kids the basics. They learn to kick, trap the ball, throw the ball in, head bump the ball, and run and kick the ball in the goal. The entire time dad (and maybe mom if dad isn't available) is right there doing it with her. She enjoys having something that she does with her dad and has especially loved it this year since her friend Gage is in her class with her.
It just bothers me that they don't really ever get to play. The last practice is supposed to be a game and that was supposed to be today. But the coach got sick and they cancelled class. Now she has to make it up with a different class and kids that she doesn't even know. Kylie is a good kicker and will stay with the ball and run it down the field, but if she is around a lot of kids that she doesn't know, she freezes up. Luckily, we are able to go to the same make up class with her friend Gage and I think that will help. If she is interested in soccer again next year, we will be looking for a league where she actually gets the experience of playing.



What a cute face. What is she thinking right now?

Who is the hottie guarding the goal? Can I get his number? (Okay, cheesy I know, but Miki is in Fort Hood for 4 weeks so just deal with it!)

Great dribbling and look at the expression of pure joy! Too bad I was never any good at sports. Hopefully the kids will take after their father, at least if he has anything to do with it they will be dunking baskets not chassing and grapevining.

Listening to the coach at the end of the game. Here is Kylie standing next to her great friend Gage. We are glad that they have had so much fun in the same class this year.

A Little About The BUG!

I had Sadie in a little rotating play date every Tuesday for a couple of hours. This was a picture that I took of the girls in our playroom kitchen. Sadie with her friends Kelsey and Cambria. I thought it would be good for Sadie to have some time to play with kids her own age (there aren't that many around here) and for me to have some time without either of my girls. I thought I could do a lot of things this fall, but I was wrong. I have learned that I get more and more stressed the more things I take on. I was just so overwhelmed with all of the things that I had committed to that I felt like I was going to burst and who was going to take the fallout from that? My family of course. So, to save them all from much misery, I cancelled almost everything that I had been doing, including Sadie's play date. Really, on the scale of things, how important is a play date for my daughter that is 2? Right, not that important. Besides, I think that we can have these girls over to play sometimes, but I just couldn't have it always scheduled. Too much commitment, no room for spur of the moment fun!

Here is a cute picture of Sadie wearing her belated birthday present from her Aunt Leah. Of course it would be a pretty princess hat. Can't have enough princess stuff in our house! Thanks Leah. We love it! Hope you are loving Chicago!

My Last Post Was All About The #4. How About the #5 Now?

My friend Kristen tagged me, and here is how it goes:

List 5 joys, 5 fears, 5 obsessions/collections, and 5 surprising facts, and tag 5 people.


5 Joys
1. The laughter of my beautiful girls
2. The way I feel every time I am at the temple
3. Singing
4. Seeing or talking to old friends.
5. A hike, walk along the beach, basically anything out in nature.


5 Fears
1. Something terrible, painful or sad happening to my girls or husband.
2. Falling into the Grand Canyon.
3. Spiders
4. Swimming in the ocean. Having to dive down into deep water where I would have to hold my breath.
5. Not being able to help someone when my help is needed.


5 Obsessions/ Collections
1. Rules. I know the rules and I enforce the rules. My girls know our rules and Miki is slowly understanding the rules.
2. Reading. I am obsessed with reading. I would love to have a magnificent book collection someday.
3. Cleanliness and organization.
4. I can’t have too much stuff. It stresses me out. If I haven’t used it in a year, I would rather get rid of it than have to worry about storing it, cleaning it, packing it, putting it away, or fixing it. I just don’t hold on to things.
5. I have a collection of cards, letters, notes and emails from high school until the present. I love reading them every now and then and seeing how much family and friends have supported, helped, and experienced life with me. (This is the only collection that I can think of, well besides the toothpick holder collection I have from when I was 12 and traveling across the US with my family.)


5 Surprising Facts
1. I have run down the very steep uneven steps of the Great Wall of China.
2. I have eaten cow tongue on an airplane flight. Air Mongolia considers that appropriate food to serve while flying.
3. I have a horrible memory and even when I see a video of myself have a difficult time remembering that I actually did the things that I am watching. I only remember things in great detail when they are tied to strong emotions.
4. My grandparents served a mission for our church in Tahiti about 40 years ago. My mom got to go with them for about 3 months. I always dreamed about the exotic island of Tahiti while I was growing up because of the stories and souvenirs that they brought back with them. When I was at BYU, I hung a picture of Tahiti and Bora Bora on my wall to help me envision my goal of going their someday. I ended up marrying this extremely handsome Tahitian! After we were married and our families got talking, we realized that Miki’s grandfather, Mata Anihia, and his family were some of the people that my grandparents and mother knew well in Tahiti so long ago.
5. I have had horse milk, fresh from the horse.

I tag Farrah Albright, Karyn Tripp, Cami Giacchino, Jen Allen, and Christine Cain.

4th File, 4th Picture

Go to your picture files, pick the 4th file, and the fourth picture in it and then tell a little bit about the picture.

I saw this on a friends blog and thought I would check my own picture files.

Here is my 4th picture from my 4th file! What a great story this is too! This picture was taken on May 31, 2004. We lived in Kirksville, MO for two years and this was the only time that a tornado came anywhere near us. Of course, being poor students, we lived in basically a double wide trailer type duplex. No protection from the elements. When the sky got green, dark, and spooky, we decided that we should not head to church for our Sunday meetings, but instead turn on the tv and hunker down. We padded up some of our posessions, including Kylie and I. We had nowhere to go but the bathtub. Miki put pillows around us and even thought it would be funny/beneficial for me to wear his anatomy goggles. Miki was enjoying the view as he was standing right next to the window. Kylie was only three weeks old and very hungry at the time of this picture. The tornado did touched down in our town, but we were left unschathed.

Now, I tag Leah Bangert, Leah Young, Danae, and Megan. I want to see your old memories!

Kylie's Thoughts

I love the things that my girls say! A couple of weeks ago, we were planning on visiting with our friends the Tripps. I told Kylie this plan and she was very excited to play with Lucy. She said."I love the way Lucy looks on the outside and the way she looks on the inside." "I think Lucy is beautiful!"
Lucy is beautiful and we are very lucky and blessed to have the Tripps as our friends. I am glad that Kylie has learned (somehow, somewhere) to appreciate how people look on the inside! Maybe all of this is from her doctor dad and his anatomy lectures. I would hope that she really means their personality and not their innards!

TV Poll

Do you ever wonder if your kids watch too much TV? I have read article after article about this very question. I know that I should fill my girls' days with activities, crafts, and learning experiences, but sometimes I just need a break. Sometimes I need to shower, and sometimes they just love to watch TV. Actually, it doesn't help that Miki and I love to watch TV as well. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't leave the TV on all day long. I have actually been really good about limiting our TV viewing pleasure (at least I think so). The girls get about 1 hour of TV a day on average. Some days it is more, some days less. But I usually will let them watch a show while I shower and/or make dinner.
Lately, all Sadie asks for is TV, from morning til night. She LOVES Ariel. She has Ariel shirts, pj's, toys, wall stickers, books, and movies. Yesterday she watched Ariel's Beginning twice, once with me and then once later with Miki (this was a little over two hours of TV viewing)!!! So, when this happens I wonder what goes on behind the closed doors of other homes. Do other mothers cave as often as I do?
So, here are some guestions, and be honest now. You aren't helping me by trying to make yourself look perfect (I know you all are anyway.)
How much TV do you let your kids watch? Am I letting my kids watch too much? Now I want honest answers! There are days where the girls watch hours of TV. Am I all alone? Do I need to tone it down a bit? I would love to hear your opinions! Bring on the constructive criticism! And bring on the fun stories and personal experiences!

Bunk Beds

We had planned on getting the girls bunk beds when we move next summer. Well, it happened a little sooner than that. I was at our neighborhood yard sale, which is quite the event, and found a great deal on this bunk bed set. $380 for the frame, which included two bookcases, three drawers, and a desk, and two pillow top twin mattresses. They also delivered and hauled every thing up my stairs and showed me how to assemble it. Great deal, right? The mattresses didn't end up working out, so I had to go buy some cheap ones at Billy Bob's Beds (only in Texas!). This is the end result though. I love how excited the girls are to be sharing a room. Sadie is still temporarily in her crib/toddler bed, but that will be taken down soon and she will be in the bottom big girl bed. The girls talk and talk and talk, sometimes for hours, before being able to fall asleep. It is fun to hear them giggling, telling each other stories, and telling each other that they love each other. They are more tired, but they have actually been arguing less in the mornings than before. What a fun adventure!

Paint Job

I finally got around to painting our master bedroom last month. It has been the room that we have put off the most, but the one that I have planned, plotted, and dreamed about making over. I had gone through a number of paint options, but finally found one that I thought would fit my plan. It is called "going gray". I don't know if I like that title. It seems to fit me too well. It was a little harder to paint and redesign this room because I didn't really have Miki's thoughts on it. I love to get his opinion (which I really trust when it comes to decorating!), but this time, I just went for it. I had a little advice from my friend Kimberli to give me the confidence. I think it has turned out nice. I love how relaxing the room feels now. I will have to post some pictures of Miki's gardening accomplishments soon!

First Day of Pre-K

Kylie started her first day of Pre-K on Tuesday. This is the Mother's Day Out program that she went to last year, and we loved it! So, I decided to keep her there for this year. She loved that she already knew her teacher, where to go, and what to do. I still think she was a little nervous, but definitely nothing like last year.
Here is a picture of her with her teacher Ms. Sherry. She is in the blue dolphin class with 11 other kids.
I think dropping her off for her first day was just as hard this year as it was last year. I was kind of lingering in the door way, and Ms. Sherry was kindly giving me cues to leave. I finally complied and pulled myself away. I just wish more than anything that I could be a fly on the wall. Does it get any easier?
After school, I was attempting to interrogate Kylie, but she wasn't having it. She told me that she just didn't want to talk. I stopped pestering her for a little while, but later at home, she opened up a little more and told me that she talked to a girl named Ellie. She also said that they looked into a mirror and got to tell their teacher their favorite thing about themselves. Kylie said that it was her eyes because they help her to see. I love that she still likes her eyes, glasses and all.

Cleaning

Let me just start by saying that Miki has been out of town since Sunday (went to New Orleans for a medical board review course) and this is what happens when he leaves me unsupervised.

Sadie woke up Wednesday stating that she wanted to wear big-girl underwear. I thought, "Wow! am I ready for this? Is she ready for this?" But, I decided to go along with it. Hey, if she is interested, why not spend the whole day cleaning my carpet, furniture and dozens of pairs of underwear?
After two successes and seven failures, she started to lose interest and was whole-heartily fighting it. I caved and put a diaper on her for the night and have not mentioned potty-training to her since. I see nothing wrong with waiting until she is begging me to potty train her and/or starting kindergarten to face this torture again. I have to remind myself that she is her own little sensitive, stubborn, clever person and does things in her own little sensitive, stubborn, clever way. How can two sisters be so different? My sisters and I weren't that different, were we? (Warning: lots of unnecessary rhetorical questions used throughout this post!)

Today the girls helped me mop the kitchen floor. Really, it has been needing it for a couple of weeks now. I can't believe that I put it off for this long. I consider myself someone who has to clean and have everything in its place. I think the me of ten years ago would be outraged at the me of today and the slob I have become!

My girls were so wonderful to help me and spend some quality cleaning time with me. Although Kylie did try to quit early and I told her that she needed to clean until she was breaking a sweat. That it would put hair on her chest and meat on her bones. It would make her into the kind of person that this country needs to lead us into a better and brighter tomorrow...

Okay, not really. They pretty much spilled water all over the floor, Kylie pulled Sadie around on the towel and then they put blankets over the chairs and pretended that they were at school. What a great morning!

Quote of the Day

Miki got home from work today, and as usual the girls are so excited! Screaming, running, jumping on him, and in every way making him feel loved. Miki was carrying both girls down the stairs and this cute conversation followed.
Kylie: "Look at me mommy!"
Me: "Wow! Daddy is so strong!"
Kylie: "Yeah, even though he is old!"

Glasses

Here is our beautiful Kylie, full of excitement about her new glasses!
A couple of months ago, I took her to her 4 year doctor's appointment. They tested her vision and she didn't do so well, so she got referred to an Opthamologist. I took her to that eye exam last week and he said that she had an astigmatism in both eyes and would need glasses. We were expecting this since she has been complaining of headaches and I have noticed that she hasn't been able to see some things as well as I thought she should have (she thought a doll up on a neighbor's roof was a banana).
Two days ago we were able to pick up her glasses and she has been so happy! She thought that it was funny that the ground looked like it had another step and she was trying to leap over that other step all day yesterday (I noticed this too when I got glasses to correct my astigmatism.)
It made me so happy when I was reading a book to her and she said "Mommy, I can see all of the letters!" She then proceeded to point them all out to me. She also proceeded to point out all of the blemishes on my face and the hair on my arms. She thought that it was so funny that the hair on my arms grew so fast! She just couldn't see it all that well before.
Today she was practicing writing her letters and she pulled out a legal pad of paper and wrote the letters in the small space between the lines. She has never been able to keep them so neat and tiny. I am glad that we were able to help her vision before she started school.
I am a little saddened by the fact that she will have to deal with glasses at such an early age and that it will be something that we will have to handle for a long time. But it helps that she is seeing so much better and is so excited herself. I hope the excitement lasts!

Bird Feeder

Kylie has started coming up with some fun crafts on her own. The other day she told me that she wanted to write a book. She folded over a piece of paper and asked me to help her spell the words. She wrote (all by herself), "Once upon a time there was a princess. She lived in a house. The end." She drew pictures on the front and inside. I was so proud of her imagination and desire to create something. That same day, she made a purse out of paper.

Today I decided to pull out all of the craft supplies for her and let her go crazy. She came up with this bird feeder all on her own. She was so proud of it and wanted to hang it in our tree right away. She also insisted on going to the store for bird seeds. She was so happy about her creation that I had to agree with her demands, and we headed to the pet store. While we were there, we got to play with some bunnies. I held a snake and Kylie touched it. And we saw some tarantulas that people can buy as pets. What!?! We came home with the bird seed and immediately put it in her feeder. Right before bed, she went to check out the feeder and all of the seed was gone. She brought it in for the night so that the wind wouldn't blow it away, but I am sure that it will be out on our tree again tomorrow.

I can't wait to see what she creates next!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Sadie turned 2 years old yesterday! I can't believe how fast she has grown up. She has been such a joy to our family and makes every day interesting!

Sadie (or Bug as we all call her) is a little monkey. When she is supposed to be sitting still, she can't help but climb all over everything, usually mommy. She is pretty obedient and actually loves to help clean. If she spills something, she will run for a towel and wipe it up, then replaces the towel. If she spills food while she is eating, she will take off her bib and wipe it up. She knows where everything goes and will help put things back where they go, especially if it is just randomly during the day. Not during clean up time, that is a whole different story.

Sadie loves her mommy and is attached to my hip, always! We are having a little drama right now because I am trying not to carry her so much. She is just too big and heavy and old for me to be lugging around. She absolutely does not like this idea and lets me know.

If she doesn't like something, she will throw monster tantrums and she is the most difficult child to persuade. I have to trick her a lot! To brush her teeth, I have to pretend that a doll is doing it. To change her diaper, I have to pretend that I am going to change Kylie's diaper. Sadie knows that Kylie doesn't wear a diaper and will immediately try to step in and correct the situation by letting me change her diaper instead. Miki has to pretend that he is going to get her, chase her, carry her, tickle her, or talk to her in order to get her to do what mommy says (she doesn't like his help so much, unless she has no other option/mommy isn't around).

Sadie will hug us all day long, gives kisses and says "please" and "thank you so much" all of the time. She is very polite and compassionate. If someone is hurt, she is the first one there to kiss them, hug them and make sure that they are okay.

She is such a spunky little girl that keeps us on our toes and brings so much love and laughter into our home. We love her and are so grateful that the Lord has given her to our care.

Happy Birthday Sadie Bug!

Here is Sadie at the hospital the day she was born. I love the looks on their faces!

Look at those beautiful eyes! Sadie-1 year old.

On her birthday, July 20, 2008, wearing her brand new Ariel swimming suit. She LOVES Ariel. Thanks family and friends for a great birthday! We missed you and love you all.

Circus Time

Miki and I took the girls to the circus over the 4th of July weekend We were able to have Martin and Christine go with us, and we met up with some friends. We were all so excited and thought that the kids would love the animals and human stunts. We happened to be on the very back row as far from the show as possible. It was still fun even though there was one stunt that was so high up that our overhanging ceiling made it impossible for us to see. I did have an idea of what was going on by watching their shadows.

About ten minutes into the show Kylie began to complain of a headache. We thought that the lights and sounds might be too much for her so she sat on Miki's lap. She then proceeded to FALL ASLEEP during the circus. I didn't know that that could be possible with all of that noise. Halfway through the show, we could tell that she had a fever and was completely miserable.

Sadie was having a blast, although she did drop her binkie at one time (typical Sadie behavior) and threw a small tantrum.

When the show was over, we piled in the car and headed home, and Kylie proceeded to throw up! She was so sick and threw up the next morning too. Exactly 24 hours later, she felt just fine and it was as if nothing had ever been wrong. She did say that she never wanted to go to the circus again because it made her sick.

Red Light Green Light

We are always trying to find positive ways to discipline our girls. Miki and I have tried so many different methods with Kylie and we have all been frustrated by them.
For Kylie, it takes too long for a reward or she just doesn't get it. For me, I get tired of having to give out candy and gifts for her good behavior or it is difficult to be consistent. For Miki, everything is just too complicated. Simple and to the point is better.
We want her to make good choices because it makes her feel good not because she will get a prize. So, Miki and I came up with our own discipline method and we love it!
We call it Red Light, Green Light.
I made a paper light that is red on one side and green on the other. It hangs on our fridge.
If she makes a bad choice (tantrums, fighting, whining, bad words, etc.) the light is turned to the red side. Then if she does something good (sharing, saying "Please", cleaning up without mommy having to ask over and over and over, etc. ) we turn it back to green.
When she wants to do something fun (ride her bike, watch tv, play on the computer, have a snack, play with friends, etc.) I ask her to tell me what color the light is on the fridge. If it is red she knows that she can't do the fun things until she can get the light green again. If it is green then I have the option of telling her "yes" to the fun thing.
Also, if she is bordering on getting a red light, I will let her know that her behavior is heading the wrong direction by telling her she has a yellow light (even though there isn't an actual yellow light).
This has worked so well! She will tell me that she is going to make sure that she gets a green light all day long. Although, there have been days when the light has been red more often than not. She is able to keep track of her discipline and it is simple and easy for Miki to see what is going on when he gets home from work. I can stay consistent with it and we can see that she understands her choices and the consequences.