Happy Birthday Karis!

We threw a party to celebrate Karis' 2nd birthday. We debated whether we wanted to do a party since we could have easily gotten away with celebrating with just a little cake for the four us. But, Derek really wanted to get Karis a jumper because she LOVES them.

We created a guest list with mainly her friends and the adults that have watched her and cared for her. The theme was ladybugs with a Dora jumper (her favorite TV show as of late).

Leading up to the party, we showed her the party invitation and told her she was having a party with all her friends. She seemed to understand and she was excited. I don't know how many times we heard her saying, "happy" throughout the week.

Derek also began "training" her on how to blow out candles. With candles or with his fingers representing candles, he made her practice blowing out as hard as she could. I laughed every time they did this, but it paid off because she did a great job blowing out her candles!

Karis had been sick all week, but we knew she wouldn't be short of energy for her party. After sleeping in that morning (since she woke up at 5 am having trouble breathing with her congested nose), here is a video of her seeing the jumper for the first time in our frontyard.

Here are some photos my sister took during the party.

Daddy and Karis in the jumper (I told you she loves them!):

Mommy and Makena in the jumper:

The ladybug cake and cupcakes I made for the party:

As her birthday approached, we tried to get Karis to hold up two fingers when we asked her how old she is. The best her little fingers could do was hold up three fingers. When the cake came out, we asked her how old she is. In the excitement of it all, she held up six fingers... eh well, I guess we should have practiced that one a little more.

Karis reveled in all the attention as everyone sang her Happy Birthday:

Karis blowing out her two candles. She did it!

High-5s all around:

She loved blowing out her candles so much that she wanted to do it again. We re-lit the candles and then she made everyone sing to her again. Everyone was so great to indulge her and sing another round.

Our guests snacking and hanging out:

Karis and her buddy. She was a little "high" from all the m&m's he was letting her eat.

The girls were finished with lunch and ready to go back out for more jumping:

Today's Pics

We spent a good amount of time at the playground today. It was such a nice day!

I usually keep Makena in the stroller while Karis plays. Today, I let her loose!

Karis climbing the rock wall with ease:

Thanksgiving 2010

Every year, we have a large family gathering for Thanksgiving with about 5o people in attendance. We gather at a different house each year and this year Derek and I had the opportunity to open up our home. We are still so grateful for our house that has plenty of space for us, and we enjoyed being able to use it to get the family together. It was fun to see the house filled up with so many people of all ages and hear the kids laughing and running around.

Julie made the turkey and mashed potoatoes, as those two items of the potluck are the hostess' responsibility. My cousin took Karis the day before for most of the day so that I could get the house ready. Derek borrowed the tables and chairs from church and our landord let us borrow some nice tablecloths. Thankfully, everyone was able to sit comfortably and enjoy the evening.

The kids went to the playground across the street before dinner, ran around the house after dinner and then later roasted marshmallows in the backyard firepit. Plenty of people stayed afterwards to clean up and put the house back together.

What a fun evening! We may even do this again. =)

Our Sweet Litle Girl

Update on the Sisterhood

The last couple days, Makena and Karis have been so cute together. I usually take one of them with me when I get the other one out of her crib after a nap or first thing in the morning. They get so excited to see each other. Makena smiles real big and Karis does her little girly laugh.

Karis now likes to eat breakfast and dinner when Makena does. They keep each other entertained and Karis no longer has to watch TV during each meal.

We put an inflatable pool in Karis room and filled it with balls and stuffed animals. Karis always wants Makena in it with her. Even at the park, Karis wants Makena to be with her.

I love that Karis is starting to enjoy having a "live-in playmate." Now, don't get me wrong. She still pushes her, takes her toys away and sits on her when she's crawling, but she has been having a lot of good moments of being a great big sister.

Pearly Whites

Guess who got her first two teeth?

Okay, that was an easy question.

I hope this puts an end to the constant drooling for a little bit!

Makena's 1st Balloon

It's always fun to see a baby experience something new for the first time. Last Saturday, we took the kids to Chick-fil-A for lunch so that Karis could play in the indoor play area. I got a balloon for both Kairs and Makena. You'll see by the picture and the video that Makena loved the balloon and had so much fun with it.

Quick Update on Makena

Makena is now 7 1/2 months old. She crawls all over the house. If she's not crawling, she is standing up. She has just started to stand up on her own. I think she will be walking soon...




She's also saying "mama" and "night-night".

Daddy Daughter Time

This is what they do when I'm not around...

Halloween 2010

Karis and Makena have been sick, so we didn't do much for Halloween. Earlier in the day, our neighbor told Karis to come by to trick-or-treat. So, I found a wrap shirt and my hat from cooking school. Voila! -- a sushi chef. She went next door and scored some chocolate candy for me. =)

I found a costume that someone had given us awhile back, so I put Makena in it. Here is a quick video of the two of them.




The day after Halloween, I looked on Facebook and saw a bunch of cute photos of my friends' kids in their costumes. I wanted to take a photo of Makena in her costume. Well, she still wasn't feeling well and she didn't want to be confined in a big puffy costume. I took two shots and then stopped because I couldn't bear to see her suffer. Here is my "cute" photo of my child in her costume. I call it, "The Very Unhappy Caterpillar."