Case of the CHEWED up crib

So cute and soooo crazy!

Kaia boo

Although the past few days have been no fun for Kaia (she has a nasty virus of some sort), she is still so much fun and a bundle of energy! We spend A LOT of time outside running, playing catch, running "in space" (running the BASES), jumping rope, playing hide-n-go-seek, playing soccer, and chasing poor sadie around the yard. Inside she is starting to learn how to read with her reading system, doing lots of puzzles, using her imagination like crazy (with her castle), and still LOVES playing dress-up! She mimics me when I am on the phone, leaves her daddy 2-3 minute voice mails, takes photos with me, vacuums with me, blow dries her hair with me, pretends to put on her make-up with me, washes the dishes with me, and now has her own chore/responsibility chart. She gets two dollars a week if all her chores/responsibilities are complete and she is excited to get her first BANK (maybe for Valentine's Day!!). She told me she "needed money" a few weeks ago so she could pay for our groceries...we'll see if that's what she decides to spend her money on!!
At the doctor last night she weighed 32 pounds. She weighed 22 pounds at one year and 29 pounds at two, so in two years she has gained 10 pounds and in one year she has gained 3 pounds! Her pants FALL off of her and she has earned the nickname "skinny minny". She eats like a little bird (barely anything) and still won't eat meat, chicken, or pork. She is our veg- and fruitatarian!!



We got to see my cousin Tish when she came into town last weekend! I haven't seem her since my wedding in 2002 so it was so great to introduce her to my kids! We miss you Tish and hope to see you again soon!!

How Big Is Kristian???

Literally, he is 25 pounds according to our doctor visit last night (although he feels like 40 when you are holding him). He is starting to lean out since he is ON THE GO ALL THE TIME! People still ask me if he is 18 months when I am holding him and are shocked to discover that he is only 10 months old :)

More friends over....

We have had so much fun seeing old friends, especially those who have NEW babies to play with!
It is so crazy that most of my memories are with these girls in college and now our kids play together! I LOVE IT!

One of my favorites

The kids are so sweet together. Kaia gets "reminded" often that she is not Kristian's mommy because she likes to discipline him and boss him around but other than that, I couldn't ask for them to be any sweeter to each other (please be sure and remind me of this in a few years). They love and kiss on each other all the time and hearing them laugh together is my favorite sound these days. They even like to get sick together (not my fav!!).

Kaia's First Day of School

Kaia was so very excited on Thursday (and wednesday) for her first day of school. She practiced saying her teacher's name all night Wednesday. On Thursday morning, she woke up so excited and was so happy (and cooperative) getting ready. I showed her her lunch box and what was in it and she immediately spotted the fruit snacks (that I NEVER give her). She got so excited and then said, "Mommy, I am going to share my fruit snacks with all my new friends" (seriously, can she be any sweeter?).
We go in and I am snapping pictures like a crazy person (a friend has officially named me the "Mommarazzi"). I get in her class and begin telling her that we love her and we are so proud of her, blah blah blah, she looks up at me and says, "Mommy, I really need to go paint, bye bye". She obviously was not having as emotional of a moment as I was.

When I went to pick her up, I walked in and she was standing on a stool washing her hands. When she saw me she said, "Weave me awone Mommy, I'm at school"! Apparently, she didn't miss me!! Another funny story (that she is going TO HATE when she is 16), the teacher told me they were all getting ready for "rest time", getting their mats spread out, etc. and she turned around and Kaia was standing there in just her underwear. After asking what she was doing, Kaia said, "I need a nap shirt to take a nap". She explained to her that she can't do that at school and that she needed to put all her clothes back on. The teacher said, "she looked at me like I was crazy and then started getting dressed". TOO FUNNY!!!

Cute but...

Kristian LOVES pulling up in his crib! He stands up, bounces up and down, laughs at himself, laughs and squeals at Kaia for her to get up, falls backwards into his bed, laughs again, pulls up, and starts all over again! This has made bed and naptime a little more challenging. His bed is no longer a place of rest and peace, it is an awesome, fun, bouncing, climbing contraption that he has a ball in....big sigh...any suggestions??

K's new 'do and Kaia's new toothbrush

This was SO overdue! It turned out really cute! He is so handsome :) Kristian is threatening to BUZZ CUT it soon so admire the cute hair pics now!!


Kaia got a new Hello Kitty toothbrush and she is now even more obsessed with brushing her teeth. It has batteries so it spins around and really gets her teeth cleaned. I let her brush them three times a day and still have to tell her, "no, we already brushed your teeth" about 5 other times in a day! I guess I shouldn't complain, I know it could be much worse!!

Playing with Friends!!!

Check E Cheese
Kaia made her first trip to Chuck e cheese last week and went crazy over it! She had so much fun with Michael, Grace, and Matthew that she completely passed out in the car on the way home (see pic).



Kaia and Michael are so cute together and they are having a ball. Seeing Kristian at his first play date was interesting too. He was sort of a bully. He thought William was his own movable toy so initially he needed A LOT of redirection (too rough, be gentle, no no, don't pull, EASY, no biting - these were some of the frequently used directions). After a few minutes, he figured it out and they had a good time. Video to follow!!

K is 10 months

What a crazy little guy he is turning into (that is meant in the most enduring way!). He is very rough, very intense, very LOUD...hmmmm, ring any bells? He is so fun and happy until I walk in the room then he fusses to come to me, luckily he really LOVES his Mimi so she does a good job of distracting him. He also LOVES to eat! Thank goodness he is more mobile now because he would be HUGE if he wasn't burning off some of the food he eats. I am not even kidding when I tell you that he eats more than Kaia does (not just one waffle, two! not just one grilled cheese, two!). He loves tearing apart anything Kaia tries to build and wants anything she has in her hands! He gives such great kisses and is starting to dance, it is too cute!!

New Year's Day

We went to my cousin Sandra's house for New Year's Day. The kids had so much fun together, the boys watched football, the women chatted, and we all ate yummy food! Kristian had to make it more exciting by breaking out into a horrible rash all over his back and tummy. It was roseola and it was gone in 3 days so he is back to his normal happy self now!

Happy New Year

Kristian and I celebrated the new year party hopping around San Antonio. We visited three different parties and had a great time at each one! So great to see old friends and meet new ones too! We got a warm welcome from our new squadron and we so appreciate it!



Kaia went to Sea World with her Aunt Kristi, Uncle Sean, and cousin Macey! She had such a blast! They rode the roller coaster (of course!), played games (her uncle won her a stuffed animal), saw fireworks (sky glitter according to her), and then went to her favorite restaurant, Chili's! She walked in with a blue light saber in one hand, a red stuffed octopus in the other and BIG smile on her face!!

Sea World

My parents got us all (including themselves :) ) season passes to Sea World for Chrismtas so we went and Kaia LOVED it! Her favorite part was the roller coaster which she rode with daddy twice, and Mommy, and Papi...she would have riden it 100 more times but it was time to go.

Christmas Day

We had such a great morning and WOW! the kids must have been REALLY good this year!!



Later that afternoon family friends came over to celebrate the day!

An early Christmas gift..

Two days before Christmas, Kristian was officially hired as an F-16 instructor with the Texas Gunfighters at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas!
We are so looking forward to being closer to family and friends and settling down in one place to raise our kids! What a wonderful blessing for our family!!

Getting ready for Christmas

SO GREAT to be home!!!

After a very smooth (and short) flight with the kids, the three of us made it to San Antonio safely. Kristian drove my car and pulled a trailer. At first I felt really bad flying and leaving him behnind to get the car home...he, however, thought it was a GREAT idea especially considering how much Miss Kaia likes to talk! It was a good trip for us all and of course and we are so glad to be home!

It is so wonderful to watch Kaia running in the backyard and playing with all her Texas buds! She has really missed her cousin Macey and they have had a fun time together. She is so glad to have her Mimi and Papi around to play, bake, and be silly with, and they are loving getting to experience our crazy little three-year-old! Kristian is now crawling all over the house at lightning speed, staying right on my heels. I can't leave his sight without a minor meltdown. He is also pulling up on the ottoman and in his crib. It is so cute and annoying as he is literally chewing the wood to pieces on his crib (time for plastic protectors).

FINALLY!!

Sorry for the delay! Computer is cleaned out. Things have slowed down. We are getting settled...well, as much as we can! Get ready for the blog updates!

A bit behind...

Pictures and updates are coming!!! Since Kristian is only here with us for two weeks, we have had a jam-packed schedule (we are in San Antonio for the holidays)! Everynight we have had something and although it has been busy we have really enjoyed meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones too. The baby has had a mild fever for days now so it seems when I have a free minute I am holding my very needy baby. I plan on updating this weekend after doing a computer clean-out. I have literally filled up our hard drive and it will not accept anymore. Everyone knows I am a picture psycho but who would have thought that I have 40,000 pictures on my computer?? CRAZY!
Happy New Year and look for an update very soon!!!