Norman Rockwell we ain't-

It is Christmas Eve, and our little family is spending it together. I made a ham, sweet potatoes, and a spinach salad. We were all four sitting down ready to say Grace when Sara announces she has to go potty. So we tell her to go ahead and go. Then Katie starts in. She doesn't like anything on her plate, she isn't hungry, and when can she have some of the gingerbread house we made earlier in the day?

We tell Katie she can chose to stay at the table and enjoy the family dinner or she can continue complaining in the confort of her own bedroom. She chose the latter, decided we were due a screaming temper tantrum, and then wet her pants.

About the time Nate is dealing with Katie's mess, Sara starts screaming and crying that she does not like her dinner and she wants santa to bring her candy. All of this time of course our spring loaded dog is jumping up and down like crazy trying to steal someone's dinner off of the table.

Silent Night it is not at our house, but we do have a home filled with love and as crazy as it is, we are truly blessed.

Turning Charlie into a baby doll

The girls love to play with their dollies. They enjoy dressing and undressing them, pretending to feed them, changing their diapers, and pushing them in the stroller, but their favorite thing is to tuck them into bed. They love covering dolls up and telling them to go night night. Well since we brought Charlie home, he has become their real live doll. At least he is a good sport about it most of the time.

Hunting for the perfect Christmas Tree

On a cold Saturday, we went in search of a place where we could cut our own Christmas Tree. (For those of you who don't know, Nate has a thing about cutting his own tree) We followed some signs, and somehow missed the last one... so we kept driving until we found a great family owned tree farm somewhere past Fall City. It was really beautiful, and the girls loved running through the forrest.

This was the first Christmas tree we have gotten with the girls since we are usually traveling for Christmas. It was so exciting to see the girls' eyes light up at the prospect of taking each tree home. We finally found the perfect tree, and when we got it home Katie had the time of her life decorating the tree. We found all of the ornaments that Nate and I had gotten or made as children. Unwrapping each ornament was like opening a new present for Katie. It was really fun seeing her excitement over every little ornament.

The Nightly Ritual

For the past 2.5 weeks or so, Katie and Sara have had this nightly ritual where after dinner they pull Sara's potty so that it is facing the toilet, they both take a seat and then they sit together chatting about their days, singing songs, and sometimes reading books for about 30 minutes, or until their "business" is taken care of. The really funny thing is that somehow, they have both gotten on the same schedule where they actually do their doo-ty, together.

Neither Nate nor I have been thinking much about potty training Sara, but Katie has taken it upon herself to teach her llittle sister. Tonight after dinner, we noticed thnigs seemed a little quiet in our household. When Nate went to check on them, he found their "vehicles" (trike and scooter) parked outside the bathroom door, and the door was closed. Here is what we saw...

Katie and Sara's Nightly Ritual

The Holidays aren't complete without a visit to Santa!

Our Seattle friends have been taking their girls to visit Santa in matching outfits since the kids were a few weeks old. We have been a part of the group for over a year now so this year we were invited to join in. It was a memorable event. Sara and Katie both are OK with Santa, but the chaos of so many children screaming "Mama" and crying in fear was a bit too much for Sara. As you can see, she just wanted to get out of there. Santa, you deserve a good stiff drink after our group!

Lyla, Evan, Emerson, Katie, and Sara in front

Autumn in Seattle

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The Farm in Snoqualmie, WA

Last weekend we drove out to Snoqualmie to find a Pumpkin Patch. The Farm was so big, we never actually made it to the pumpkin patch there, but we had fun in the hay loft maze, climbing on GIANT pumpkins, drinking carmel apple cider, and petting the animals.

Fall in Washington is Spectacular!

The leaves are beautiful, and with the gray skies they really pop! My girls look beautiful among the leaves (if I do say so myself).

Be careful what you say...

We have all heard that you need to be careful what you say while little ears are listening, and once again I slipped while Sara was close by. I was taking Sara up to bed when I noticed what I thought was dog crap on the stairs. I shouted down, "Nate, Charlie crapped on the stairs." and of course Sara repeated exactly what I said.

So this morning Sara wanted me to read her a book. We were looking at pictures and I said, "Oh look there's a crab." She got very excited and said, "Mommy, crab is upstairs!"

I didn't know what she was talking about, but she was very excited to make a connection from something in her book. She started pulling my hand saying, "Come on Mommy, Crab upstairs!"

So we started up the stairs and half way up she says, "Crab on stairs, Daddy cleaned it up!" I couldn't stop from laughing.

P.S. It turns out it was a puzzle piece- Charlie was not to blame...

The hair cut happened in the middle of August. Here is Katie now.

Katie's Haircut

So if you know Katie, you know her favorite thing in the world is to chew her hair. It was so long and beautiful, except she kept chewing it and making it a rat's nest. Daddy has always said we can not cut her hair. He loves long hair and I do too, but I was so tired of fighting with her to brush the tangles out. When Daddy was gone for a week we cut some bangs. I figured they wouldn't reach into her mouth and the rest could go in a pony tail.

My plan worked sort of. I am not a beautician. Her bangs were a little lopsided so Daddy and I finally agreed to take her to the kid's hair cut place and get a real trim. The good news is she still looks cute of course, but the bad news is it did not turn out the way we described, and Katie chews it more than ever now. Urggg... Mom can't win the hair battle. :)

Things they are a changin'

My baby is growing up more every day. Sara has always said "carry you?" and "Pick you up" when she wants to be held. Yesterday she said "Mommy, carry me." I almost cried. When we were in Tahoe, "Opie" became Open and "Lo-she" became Lotion.

A bennefit to growing up is that she and Katie have started really playing together. Katie is always the mother hen, watching over her little sister and telling her all the rules. Sara pretty much goes with the flow. They adore each other which is so sweet to see. In fact last week we dropped Katie off at a birthday party and Sara cried for her sister. When finally said we were going to get Katie she lit up and kept saying "stister, stister" At least that one hasn't changed yet.

Fancy Ladies

In June I took the girls to Pine Lake Park to play photo shoot with my new camera. Right after that my computer died so it has taken a while to get these out.

Tahoe Pictures

Tahoe 2009

We just returned from our annual Lake Tahoe trip and it was AWESOME! The girls had so much fun and so did their parents. Sara and I stayed on the Coast Gaurd Base with Grandma adn Grandpa Buksa while Daddy and Katie camped at the campground with the rest of the Donovans. We spent our days lounging on the beach, boating, hiking, and we even rented bikes.

Katie loved making smores, hanging out with Buddy (a small maltese puppy), and playing with her cousins. They both enjoyed getting dirtier than they have ever been before and then washing off in the beautiful lake.

We can't wait to go back next year!

Baby Josh is just too cute!

I Have the Cutest Nephew!

Baby Joshua is finally here! He was born to Eric and Kim Buksa on June 25th at 6:34 am. Our family came to meet him when he was 5 days young, and what a cutie he is. He looks just like his cousins Katie and Sara did when they were born. Enjoy the pictures of the little guy-

Mommy Survived the Birthday Party

My idea, even before becoming a parent has always been that there is no need for the huge birthday blowout party each year. I don't like the idea of setting my kids up for expecting bigger and better each year, not to mention the expense parents pay for these outrageous parties- It is crazy. I have always believed in the rule that a birthday party should have 1 guest for each year of age, in Katie's case this year, 4 friends.

Well working at The Little Gym has made me forget. I had an opportunity to do a birthday party at the Gym for Katie for free and so I went for it. I invited all of her friends figuring many would not show- it is summer, people are busy, etc. Boy was I surprised, we had 16 kids! It was a lot of fun, but boy was I wiped out.

Katie had a great time and it looked like her friends did too so that is what counts. I think 5 will be a little more low key though...

Rolling along

Katie has decided she loves doing anything on wheels! For her birthday, Grandma Gaysie, Uncle Chris and Jiseth took her to Toys R Us to pick out her first bike. She has never shown any interest in riding the bikes at preschool, but when we got to the store and showed her a bike her size, she climbed on it and rode like a pro throughout the store. She was turning and weaving in and out of aisles- the family didn’t believe me when I said she had never ridden a bike before.

She ended up getting the first one she picked out and had claimed as hers. It is lavender with princesses decorating it, purple tassels on the handle bars, and even a heart shaped purse attached to the handle bars which has already come in handy for collecting bugs.

Uncle Chris and Daddy took her to the flat park at the bottom of our hill to teach her how to ride. It was more like practice since she was a natural. She can even go down our driveway using the brakes.

The other new wheels are her roller skates. While shopping for Daddy’s Father’s Day gift (a toddler tee-ball set) Katie saw some pink roller skates and decided she really wanted them. I was hesitant- I mean roller skating is hard, but she said “Mommy I want this from Aunt Paula” so I let her spend her money on them.

When we got home she had a great time getting all the gear on- knee pads, elbow pads, helmet and skates… and then she was off! She only held a hand for a few minutes and then she got her determined game face on and started skating all over the house. Of course Sara wants to do everything Katie does, but at least she can ride the scooter with mine or Daddy’s help. Our house sounds like a roller rink now!

My Katie Turns 4

Today we started a new family tradition, the Birthday Present Hunt. When Katie woke up there were birthday decorations all around the house and a balloon tied to her chair at the table. When she sat down for breakfast she found a small present. Whne she opened it, it was a card with a picture of the Calliou room upstairs. On the back it said, "Happy Birthday to you, to find your presents follow the clues."

So she ran upstairs and in that room was another hidden present. Of course upon opening it she discovered another card with another clue. The clues took her all over the house, and ended up outside in her playhouse which was full of actual birthday gifts.

She had a great time hunting for clues and then finally opening her gifts. The best was when she opened a card from Aunt Paula, Uncle Griff and Chris. It had glitter on the front and she was enjoying the glitter when a $20 bill fell out. She picked it up and said, "Here Daddy, there is money for you."

We read the card and told her she gets to go shopping and pick out her own present. She said she didn't think kids were supposed to have money, but I told her she is 4 now, so she can pick out what she wants and hand her money to the cashier to pay for it herself. You could see the lightbulb go off in her head. A big smile slowly spread across her face and she said, "Mommy, can I go shopping all by myself?"

I said "Yes" and she said, "I'm 4 now, am I old enough to drive your car?"

She was serious! Nate and I are in big trouble...

Riding the Train is the way to go

Nate had to spend last week in Portland for work and he had the brilliant idea of bringing the family along and dropping us off at Grandma and Grandpa Buksa'a house. We paced the car and headed out Monday morning. We planned for 5 hours even though it is a 3.5 hour drive. We wanted to be safe in case the children needed to make some stops.



After the first hour we had to stop at a Mc Donald's with the playroom. The girls had been screaming and fighting the entire ride so we decided to let them run off some steam. Of course once we got in the playroom they just wanted to sit on the bench...



We tried feeding them (they wouldn't eat) and were on the road again. The long drive was horrible, with Sara screaming because she wanted out of her car seat, and Katie yelling at Sara to stop screaming, and Mommy begging Daddy to pull over and let her walk to Portland. Of course Daddy said, "What was I thinking? Going to work is never this awful."



Once we got to Portland we had a great time. We got to visit with Macy, Max and Vivian and then we got to see Great Grandma Buksa too. Katie LOVED floating in the Buksa hot tub, Mommy got her birthday camera, Sara enjoyed collecting rocks in the yard, and Daddy stayed at a nice hotel and got to work without children each day. Everyone enjoyed the trip.



We had a nice visit with Grandma and Grandpa and when it was time to go home Mommy decided it would be best for all if she braved taking 2 kids on the train. Daddy drove the luggage and car seats and met us at the station in Seattle.



The train was perfect- even better than an airplane. The kids met other kids in our car and enjoyed running around the car with them. They even found a small space behind the last seat where they could hide and pretend they were in a cave.

Dress Up is All the Rage

Sara love the feather boa when we saw it in the store. When we got home she wore it all over the house. Katie is big in the dress up phase right now and Sara is enjoying it too.

Katie may look like Mommy, but she has her Daddy in her too

The Lakers are doing great in the playoffs and Nate has been enjoying every minute of it. (They must not have made the playoffs back in 2002, otherwise I'm sure I would never have gotten that man to the alter)

Anyway, on Wednesday night Nate was watching the game and trying to explain to Katie the importance of The Lakers. He told her that we are cheering for the guys with the yellow shirts, and Katie didn't miss a beat- she started talking smack! She looked at him and said "No Daddy, I think we like the blue team." The way she said it was in a sassy, teasing voice and she had the cutest smirk on her face.

Now Katie was taught as soon as she could talk to say "Go Dodgers!" and of course Kornell started her saying "No Dodgers, Go Giants!" She even used to run around in her Dodgers uniforn when she was 2, but this trash talking was all her own idea and came without prompting.

When Nate started teasing her back shouting "No, we like the yellow team" she looked at him and said "Daddy, don't play that old gag on me."

Where does she come up with this stuff?

Sara's big moment

Sara used to be known as the bath tub pooper. For some reason last fall she would poop in the bath once every 10 days or so. Katie got quite used to the "Get out of the tub now!" drill. We ended up getting the little potty out and keeping it near the tub in case. Of course as soon as we got it out she stopped doing it which was fine by me.

Well as time has gone on Sara has enjoyed saying "poo poo" while in the bath to see me grab her out of the tub fast. In the last month she has started climbing out herself, sitting on the little potty, clapping for herself and then climbing back into the tub. Mind you she has not actually done anything in the potty.

Last night that all changed! Katie was at a friend's house so Sara was taking a bath on her own for the first time. She reached down and grabbed her lady parts saying "poo poo" so I helped her out (not expecting anything) and she sat on her potty. It wasn't until she got up and back in the bath that I realized she did it! She went pee pee in thepotty all on her own! The best part is it was her idea!

I know that this may or may not mean much in terms of when we will be free of diapers, but what a proud moment for me. The best part though was when Katie came home. I said "Katie guess what Sara did?" Katie seemed a little skeptical, like she thought I might say she got into one of her toys.

I told her how Sara climbed out of the bath and went pee pee in the potty all on her own and the looko on Katie's face was priceless. She lit up with joy and pride and said "Really? Wow Sara honey, I am so proud of you!" Then she started clapping and cheering. It was one of those great moments in life that I will cherish. The look on both sister's faces when Katie was cheering almost brought a tear to my eyes.