Pre-School/K Update

The kids have completed three weeks of preschool. Everyone is loving it! 

For the first couple of weeks, Makena was a little hesitant about going to preschool because she wasn't sure she would have the same teachers. At Sunday school, the parents rotate each week for the first hour. She doesn't like going to class when she's not fond of the parents. But now that she finally gets it that she has the same teachers every time, she's excited to go. There is usually one or two kids crying in her class after drop-off. I'm so thankful that Makena is not one of them. She's doing great! 

Makena enjoys learning Spanish and new songs. She also likes playing with her friend Annabelle. Annabelle is Makena's first friend. They are not in the same class but they play together during recess. Here is a picture of them from this past January. 

Karis loves going to pre-K but she always walks in a little slowly and sometimes runs to me to give me a last minute hug. I asked her about it and she said she feels shy when she first gets there. I guess she's past the stage when she loved meeting people and fearless when she walked into a room. 

Karis' favorite part of the day is circle time where they sing songs together. She of course loves working on art projects as well. Every Wednesday, they have Show and Tell and they get to bring something that starts with the letter they are working on. It's fun to talk with her about what she can bring and come up with something together. 

I love talking to the girls about their time at school and hearing about what they learned.  Here is a video of them reciting their memory verse. 

When I drop off Kyle, the teacher says, "Hi Kyle. All your friends are here. Hey everyone! Kyle is here!" It's really cute. I love the little craft projects they do. When they were learning about creation and how God made the trees and plants, Kyle got to stuff twigs and leaves into an empty water bottle (compared to Karis who learned the process of planting and growing seeds =)) Thankfully Kyle takes a nap each time but he definitely needs to go to bed earlier on school days. 

Last week, he woke up one night at 2 am and didn't go back to sleep until about 3:30 am. Needless to say he was tired that day. He went down for a nap at school and didn't wake up until after I came to pick him up. He slept for about an hour on the floor with all the kids around him playing and while everyone got picked up. The teacher said a kid accidentally dropped a toy on his head at one point and he didn't even stir. 

This is what he looked liked when I came to pick him up. I love how he's covering his ear to block out the noise!

Perhaps the best part of their day is getting to go see Daddy in his office after school.

School's out!

Drawing a few pictures before it's time to go home.

My Littlest Helper

I can't wait for the day when the kids can help with the chores around the house -- emptying the trash cans, folding laundry, vacuuming... and making me my coffee in the morning. Ahhh, one day...

I can see glimpses of little helpers developing, but the littlest one won't be helping me cook any time soon.

"Mom, is this how you use these?"

Perhaps he can start by sweeping the floor. He's definitely watching me and taking notes.

His Biggest Cheerleader

I posted a video the other day of Kyle walking. That was one of the first times he took some good steps and not just a few steps while falling forward. Surprisingly that day, he just kept on walking. He didn't even need us to call to him and encourage him. He just decided he would try to walk everywhere he needed to go. By the end of the day, he had significantly improved in his walking.

The girls have been anxiously waiting for Kyle to be able to walk. Here is video of what goes on all day with his biggest cheerleader:

Look At Him Go!

On a more fun note, the orangutan is walking!

First Word

And the winner is...

Laughter

I could listen to this all day...

Peek-a-boo with Kyle

Happy Birthday Mommy!

When Karis learned about my upcoming birthday, she decided she wanted to make me a raspberry cake (I have no idea where she got that idea).  Derek took her to the grocery store to buy lemon cake, white chocolate frosting and some fresh raspberries.  They made it together Sunday afternoon and we ate it for dessert after dinner.  

Hard at work putting frosting on the cake.

They needed a little help from Daddy.

The finished product!

I love how excited Karis gets about anyone's birthday.  We talk about her birthday regularly -- what kind of cake she wants, how she wants to celebrate and if we're in a store, what gifts she would like.  I also love hearing Makena sing "Happy Birthday."

The Truth Is Out

I'm not sure how he does it, but Derek is a stern disciplinarian but also the biggest softy to his little girls. They simply love and adore him, and I know they'll one day appreciate his loving discipline.  I watch his relationship with them and it assures me that they'll grow up to be amazing women with such a positive and loving male figure in their lives.

Counting Down the Days for Baby Brother's Arrival

We're in the home stretch!

This is me a few weeks ago at 34 weeks (I had to squeeze in at least one photo of me pregnant).

Just one short week and we'll get to meet baby brother.  One change I found out today is that I will be induced on Tuesday, May 15th and not on Monday.

I don't know if the girls know that a big family change is just around the corner.  One thing Makena does know is that I can no longer carry her.  She will often ask to be held, but when I say I can't she'll pat my belly and say, "Baby brother."  She knows baby brother makes momma tired.  She also knows she has to wait for Daddy to be held.  Check out the video...

Valentine Daddy-Daughter Dance

Our friends' church hosted their first Daddy-Daughter dance. Mommy told Karis about the dance about two weeks prior. Karis spent only a few nights telling me, "I want to go to the dance now, Daddy." However, she did dress up nearly every night in a different dress to practice I guess.

I was excited for the opportunity to finally arrive to take Karis. She was thrilled to put on her pretty red dress, her fancy black shoes and stay up past bed time eating desserts and dancing. Here is a picture of her all ready to go:

Little sis wanted to get in on all the picture-taking action:


The cute couple:

As we were exiting the van to head into the dance, Karis let this precious thought slip, "Daddy, daddy, tonight is best night ever!"

And here's one with some flair at the dance:

The best parts of the dance were watching Karis dance. She had a B-L-A-S-T! Here is one of the videos of her cutting the rug.

Karis Vday dance 2012 from LenaDerek on Vimeo.

Giggles in PJs

The other day I bought some pajamas for the girls.  I bought a set of identical ones because I didn't want Karis to reject hers because she liked Makena's better.  They wore them last night and I found out that there's something about wearing matching pajamas that makes them act silly.

Why Do I Feel Like She's Mocking Me?

Maybe it's because of the way she's holding the pacifier in her mouth with that silly little grin.

Dancing on the Table

Now She's Really Moving!

Makena has made significant progress since the last video that was taken two weeks ago. Here is another video that shows her crawling (and not just getting up on all four). Last year, Karis started to crawl at Aunt Stephanie's house in Illinois. This time, it's at Grandma's house in Arizona!

And She's Off!

Well, not yet, but soon. Here is a video of Makena trying to crawl. I wish she would focus on trying to roll over from her back to stomach instead, so she would stop waking herself up. I would much prefer that over her becoming mobile right now!

The Best Part of Working ...

... is coming home to this:

When I got home from work yesterday, instead of just putting Makena in her crib for a nap, I laid down with her until she fell asleep. I just watched her sleep and enjoyed the moment. I don't get to do that too often, but I wish I did.

Karis' 1st Concert

A couple of my friends and I took our girls to a local church where Jana Alayra was performing. Jana is a singer who started out a long time ago at Saddleback Church. She has a full line of music for both kids and adults. I have heard her as a speaker at a retreat and she is amazing.

My friend text'd me this morning to see if I wanted to go. I had so many things I wanted to do today. I had already vacuumed the whole house and I wanted to mop, paint the nursery, and hit a couple grocery stores. I knew Karis would much rather enjoy some music with other little kids instead of sitting in a shopping cart. So, I dropped my plans for the day and jumped in the shower to get ready.

Here are a few pictures and a video of Karis dancing that shows I made the right decision. =)

When Bad Behavior Goes Funny

Like most kids Karis' age, she throws food on the floor when eating in her high chair. When Karis does this, we reprimand her and tell her to put the food she doesn't want in the cup holder and not on the floor. For the most part, she's been pretty good about doing what we ask.

But then, she started putting food behind her head... most often when we're not looking. She finishes her meal and we think, "Wow, she ate great today." And then we take her out of her chair and half her meal is falling down behind her back.

So, whether putting food on the floor or behind her head, we firmly tell Karis "no." But her most recent "misbehavior" is not as easy. It's quite humorous and it's hard not to just laugh. Now she tries to see if she can get her food to stick to her head. It's the funniest thing. She knows that bananas and mandarin oranges stick best in her hair and pears and strawberries will stick to her forehead, if pressed up against it just the right way.

I try not to laugh or encourage her to do this. Here is my response (and hers) to sticking food on her head.

Someone's first bloody nose

No, it wasn't me for taking 2 months to post again. But it was about that long ago that Karis was obeying daddy by playing with one of her toys when she lost her balance and her face hit the toy. =(

It makes me sad to watch this. I'm not sure why I'm posting now that I think about it. More posts to come....