Dance...

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I have been busy teaching the girls a new dance for the holidays. Click on the link to see our progress. Happy Holidays!!!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9554426966

Best Buddies!

Speaking of teeth....

The girls had a dentist appt at their new dentist's office today. It was Sophie's first real cleaning. I could not believe how great this dentist office is!! It is designed just for kids. When you walk in the waiting room you feel like you are in a tree house! There are tv's with cartoons on and video games and lots and lots of books. The girls didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked since there were nervous, but I did convince them to look at some books. My friend and I book our appts together so her son and the girls wouldn't be so afraid. Both girls did great! Kayleigh, being the bigger sister, went first and had no problems sitting still! When she was done, I picked up Sophie to put her in the chair and she yelling at me, saying that only Kayleigh was doing it today. Apparently she missed the part when I told them they BOTH were doing it!! But she calmed down and did a great job!!! In the pictures you will see why it was easy for them stay calm! And no cavities....yea!!!

Kayleigh in the chair



Kayleigh watching Dora on the FLAT SCREEN on the wall...



They had a computer screen right next to the chair so that they could see the pictures of their teeth seconds after they took the xrays! We could see on Kayleigh's that one of her bottom teeth is starting to come up....hence, the loose tooth!



Sophie not so sure about what is about to happen. But listening to the tv!



Sophie watching Dora on the FLAT SCREEN on the ceiling!! (when we first got there and Kayleigh sat down I saw some headphones and I show them to her saying how cool it was that she could watch cartoons and have them on and not hear the cleaning. She put them and said that it wasn't Dora on the headphones. I was looking around for a remote and happened to look up and see a tv on the ceiling! It was on a different channel. We fixed it and I showed Kayleigh that when they lay her back she can still watch tv! Why didn't they have all this when I was little at the dentist!?!?!? So needless to say, the cartoons provided a wonderful distraction. Kayleigh didn't want to get out of the chair when she was done!)



Still watching on the ceiling. Almost oblivious to the cleaning....almost!

Loose tooth!

Kayleigh has her first loose tooth!! It is very exciting and scary at the same time for her. Most of her friends have already lost at least one tooth. She didn't cut her first tooth until she was 9 months old, so I knew she would be late loosing them. She asks me every day, "is it ready to come out, yet". I can't believe my baby is going to lose her first tooth!!

A friend for Mimzy

Mimzy wasn't eating very much the first couple of days that we had her. Paul was convinced that she was lonely and that she needed a friend. I tried telling him that she just needed a couple of days to get used to her new home. So long story short....Mimzy has a new friend! They both were born around the same time to the same breeder so they already knew each other. They are both around 5 weeks. Our new family member is named Biscuit. Kayleigh picked the name this time. Both are named after books! Biscuit is not shy at all. The second we put her in the cage with Mimzy she was all over the place...exploring, sniffing, eating. She doesn't mind being picked up but she definitely doesn't stay still like Mimzy. We have to make sure that we keep a towel under when we hold her or else she will leave little presents on our clothes (well, not so much on mine, but almost every time Paul holds her!!!) And Mimzy was very excited to have a friend. She immediately perked up and was so cute following Biscuit around everywhere. They were bonded right away. We have been having lots of fun with them. It funny because when I go to the grocery store now, I have not only have a list of what we need, but also a list of what the guineas need too!! Welcome, Biscuit!!

New addition......

Mimzy!! The girls have been asking for a pet for a very long time. We finally gave in and took the girls to the pet store. I suggested a bird. I was out voted 3-1! So we got a very cute baby guinea pig. Sophie chose the name Mimzy. The girls love her, but I think Paul loves her the most!! She hates to be picked up, but once you get her on your lap she stays very still and loves being pet. We are very happy to have her.







These pics are little dark....I didn't want to use the flash so close to the baby's face!

Uncle Mark

Uncle Mark was in CA for work and came down to visit! We went out to eat at Old Town and then came back to the house for a little bit before he had to drive back up to LA. The girls LOVED having him here. They took full advantage of having a new "victim"/horse/jungle gym! Thanks Uncle Mark for coming to see us!! We love you!

Sisters and summertime

The summer is halfway over. I can't believe it! It has been fun and challenging. I say challenging because the girls are at the age where they are no longer content with just going to the park or hanging out at home. After being in kindergarten for a year with lots of structure, Kayleigh's favorite thing to say to me this summer is, "I'm bored!". It isn't possible to spend all day, every day at the pool. I would never get any housework done. I tried telling them that when I was little I just had to use my imagination and think of things to keep me busy. A couple of days ago my dad called right as the girls are telling me for the 109th time that they were bored and asking if we could go to the pool. I asked my dad for confirmation that he didn't plan out every day of my summers. What Papa says is always true to the girls so I thought that would help. Papa gave the girls the idea of building a fort. They were really excited about that! The next day, my dad called again, we were talking for a couple of minutes and then he says, wait....where are you? Are you at the pool? You gave in, didn't you!!! Which of course I had. The fort was great.....for about 30 minutes! But we have had a lot of fun this summer and hopefully the girls aren't too bored! They have been spending a lot of time playing together and while this does cause fights occasionally, they really have been having a good time. Quite a few times this summer, Paul and I have caught them in these sweet quiet moments, just the two of them. It is so cute to see two sisters who really are best friends. My hope for them is that they are just as close to each others as my sisters and I are.

Here the girls are coloring together. They had just gotten out of the bath and I was upstairs cleaning up. When I came down, they had moved the chairs in their playroom beside each other and were whispering to each other while sharing a coloring book. (they LOVE wearing Daddy's white shirts to bed!)










Here are pics that Paul took one night. Once again after bath. Love how Sophie is laying her head on Kayleigh, and how Kayleigh is letting her!!

4 going on 16

Tonight when I told the girls that it was time for bed, Sophie really wasn't happy about that. She walked halfway up the stairs and then refused to go up the rest of the way. When I patiently (I hope) started to count to 3 she got up and said, in what a I can only describe as a 16 year old tone of voice, "FINE!". I had to remind Paul and myself that everyone gets grumpy sometimes and to not get too upset about her giving attitude. A few minutes later I went up to their room to tuck them in and as I am giving Sophie a hug and kiss, she says "I am going to be with you forever. I am always going to live in this house with you, even when I am a mom. I am always going to live with you, forever and ever." I am 99.9% positive she really meant it and it wasn't just a sweet, innocent ploy to make me forget what happened a few minutes earlier. It was the sweetest thing, the kind of moment that reminds me how much I love being a mom, especially to these two beautiful girls. And the kind of memory that I will remind HER of when she is 16!!
 

Knock, Knock....Who's There??

The girls are really into jokes right now. Every night at the dinner table they come up with new knock, knock jokes to tell Paul and I. For example, Kayleigh: "knock knock....who's there...flower....flower, who....sunflower!"
Sophie: "knock knock.....who's there...couch....couch, who....bed!"
They also think it is hysterical to come up with a new Subway slogan. Instead of Subway, Eat Fresh, we have heard many fun things at the dinner table such as, Subway, Eat bugs, hair, mud, feet and so on and so on.
Kayleigh has also been helping update the website lately (pick out pictures and read as I am typing) and she has been asking who all looks at the website. I thought it would be fun to see if everyone who comes to the website could leave a comment with a new joke for the girls. Then they can see "who's there" and have new material. (Which Paul and I would really appreciate!!) Just remember....a four year old will be telling them.....so keep it clean! That means you, Ashley!!

Fishing

Fishing was a favorite activity of Paul and Kayleigh when we lived on the East Coast. They loved going, just the two of them, to the lake. Since we have lived here there hasn't been much time for them to go, with Paul's ship always in and out. Now that he is home (cross your fingers) for the next two years, he was excited to start the tradition again. He had a Daddy/daughter talk with Kayleigh to tell her that she was a big girl now and didn't need to use her little Barbie pole anymore. He was passing his old "grown-up" pole to her. I could tell she felt very special to be getting Daddy's pole, but I think Paul was expecting a bigger reaction than "Sounds good Daddy"! We went with friends to a fishing pier near our house off the harbor. Sophie was excited to be the proud owner of a Barbie fishing pole. It was lots of fun, even though we didn't catch anything and I had a Vietnamese fishing man tell me that Kayleigh's line and hook was totally wrong (to which I quickly responded that her Daddy did it, not me!) and he fixed it for us. Sophie was not really impressed with the whole fishing thing telling me that it was not fun and "why do people have to fish". But Kayleigh and Paul will be going back soon. And I have to say.....it took a lot of convincing to let Mommy come. I was orginially told by Kayleigh that I was not invited! That it was only for Daddies and thier daughters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are swimming now!!!

I have been working hard to get the girls to learn how to swim. They are completely against swimming lessons, so Mommy has been the teacher. I am sure they would like lessons much better, but they haven't figured that out yet. It is really funny for me to watch Kayleigh. When I was her age I refused to let anyone help me and I taught myself how to swim using the corner of the pool. I would just keep moving farther and farther out until I got it. She is exactly the same way. She swims with her floaties for awhile and then she'll take them off and try it without them. The first time she took them off, she swam a couple of feet (face in the water) all by herself. She was so proud of herself. She went and patted her floaties and said "good floaties, you taught me well" It was so cute.

 

 

 

 

Sophie on the other hand has been sticking to the baby pool and completely content just blowing bubbles. She is not "loving" the swim lessons and this day I tried all day to get her to go into the big pool. I just wanted her to hang off the side to show her she could do it. She would cry and cry and say no. Until I said it was time to go and then she was suddenly brave. She took her floaties off and walked down the steps until she was standing on the bottom! I can't believe that my little baby can reach the bottom of the big pool! Of course it took me forever to get them out after that!

 

 

 

 

Photo Shoot

A good friend of mine, Stefanie, is starting a photography business and she asked to take pictures of the girls. Here are some of my favorites. There were almost 200 pictures so this is the most I could narrow it down!! Sorry it's so long.
Thanks so much, Stefanie!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way home, Stefanie was nice enough to let me play with her new camera. These are the pics I took. I LOVE her camera and it is now my new mission to convince Paul that my plain, old point and shoot isn't good enough anymore!!