busy bees

we've been busy around here the last couple days. we finally moved upstairs ....

our bedrooms, that is. andy's been working on making our upstairs three bedrooms for about a year (off and on)..... well, we did have a baby! this man, i don't know how he does it. he comes home from work, plays with the kids, and finds what energy he has to work on our house. he has literally transformed this house since we bought it 3.5 yrs ago. doing it all himself, with occasional help from a friend or a family member. thank you honey for all your dedication to making our home a little more like us.

here is kai in his new bedroom. there is still decorating to be done, organizing, finishing work, etc. etc. etc. really, it never ends. does it?

peek a boo

we've been getting boxes here, lots of boxes. with zaiah's 1st birthday coming up. kai's new favorite phrase is "i can't wait that long." meaning he can't wait until tuesday to open zaiah's presents. he's serious. imagine him saying this with a bit of a whine and sad face.

but we also got some boxes this week to open immediately, one containing a new sleeping bag for kai. yep, we're finally taking the kids camping this year .... in a tent! (thanks mom for the tent!). here's zaiah trying it out, playing peek a boo. and, by the way, she's starting to walk. a few steps.

one year, almost

one thing a parent always says is "it goes so fast!" now i know how this feels. after kai was born, i felt the first two years were just about right. it felt like two years. maybe because i was constantly struggling with the whole new being a parent thing. how this new family of three works together. learning about complete selflessness. the first couple years were full of confusion and exhaustion, but mostly new-ness. now, with a second, feeling a bit experienced, trusting myself more, and still a wee exhausted, this year did go fast. maybe it's constantly keeping up with a busy 3 yr old. i can't believe our littlest is almost 1 yr.

gone, again

see this tiny laptop.... (yep, the size of my hand).

well, our regular size laptop has been on the fritz for the past couple weeks due to a virus attack (thank you!). so, andy brought home this kid's computer for us to use in the mean time. and why does andy's work-place need these?

this is the reason i haven't blogged much the past couple weeks. try typing on a keypad that has keys smaller than your finger pads. and a screen so small, you have to continually scroll down to read one page. not so fun. my hands felt all crampy and tired after just checking email. needless to say, kai loves it and so does andy. he's the one who ordered it at work. hmmm. his work-place can afford kids computers for their *kid* employees to play with but they can't afford a holiday party??

happy easter!

happy belated

happy belated birthday andy!
several months ago we checked out a book from the library called Whopper Cake. kai loved it. in the back they had a recipe for a whopper cake that i copied down. this year we made this chocolate whopper cake for andy's birthday.

kai and i also made this b-day sign.... can you see the picture in the lower left corner of 3 people? sorry for the light picture, it's difficult photographing white. kai drew a picture of him, andy and zaiah. zaiah is crying, as the scribbled circles represent. by the way, i'm no where in this picture :(.
and, happy 1st day of spring! do you have spring weather yet?

favorite reads

see the frog and toad treasury book in here? it's about 60 pages of short stories. kai recited the entire book to us the other day. this boy loooooves to read! this is a pile of his current favorite reads he made the other day.

SUNNY days

is there anything cuter than your little girl in a cute hat? even if you can't see her face. so. adorable. we're having some spring around here. the bulbs are pushing through, as kai pointed out walking around our yard yesterday. by the way, andy and i are not yard people. anything that is planted was by the previous owners. i do dream about being a gal who plans, gardens, plants, cares, and adores her yard .... but somehow i can't dig far enough to make this part of me emerge. some day. maybe.

to end this perfect spring day, we had friends over for an outdoor pizza party and hot tub.

nala

the first year andy and i were together we adopted nala, our golden retriever. we got her on christmas eve. she was 8 yrs. old. she passed away this past christmas eve morning, age 13. i've been thinking about her alot lately so i thought i would share a member of our family who is no longer with us. if she was here, she would be in many posts!

nala was the gentlest dog. i always felt safer at night with her here. not because i thought she would attack a burglar (this dog NEVER barked) .... but because i felt an angel was protecting our family and house. always.

she endured a many of body smotherings from little kai. but, oh, how kai loved her. once the kids came, she got petted less, bathed less, brushed less. but she got tons of outdoor play with us and the kids. the most precious thing i miss about nala, is watching her and kai's relationship. each day with such joy, gave her a doggy treat and lots of lovin' (as he would say).

we miss you nala!

(these photos are just weeks before she passed.)

snow photos

not quite spring

last weekend spring, this weekend snow storm. now that february is over (yea!) we are itching for some spring weather. but what a fantastic snow we had this weekend. the most since we moved here. i have to admit, during the winter i'm more of a stay-inside-and-watch-the weather-through-the-window gal. bundled up with a book or staying warm cooking all day long. but, i do want to make an effort to 'get out there' with our little ones and have them *touch* all the seasons. luckily andy rallies us to get out. so, we bundled up the kids yesterday and trekked over to our friend's street for some sledding. we don't own a sled (shame on us), and andy thought our recycle bin would work pretty well. uh, clever. i guess. but he found a large box instead .... zaiah was his partner. kai had his first ever sled run too, and slid into a big pile of snow: face first. so that was pretty much it for sledding for him.... maybe next year (or three)?! this morning he looked out the window and said "i don't really like snow anymore." sigh.

(i would post pictures, but blogspot is having some technical difficulty. story is not so interesting w/out snow photos i bet... i'll post some later.)

what do i blog?

ok, so i haven't blogged for a few weeks. i was on a role, then i stopped. i can make excuses .... we've all been sick for the last week (true), been too busy (yep!), etc. etc. but truth: i'm not sure what this blog is for. i want to do it, and i want people to be interested in reading it. my little ones are my focus these days, and family and friends are always wanting to be updated on my little ones. but, doesn't this get boring after, say, the 60th photo?? maybe? no? yes?
and, i'm not a very interesting writer i tell you. that's probably why i choose to post pictures nearly every post.

i'm babbling. but really just checking in. i do want to blog. but thinking about what and how to blog since this is all new to me.

and, here are some pictures of my little ones from this week....

we had a little sneak of spring weather the other day!