Out with a bang.....

Out with a bang....., originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

The simple things.....

The simple things....., originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Kayla loves these gloves that she got for christmas.

Ouch

Ouch, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

I had to bring in Kayla for her 16 month shots, since she missed them last week due to her cold/cough. She was not happy.

Santa Claus........

Santa Claus........, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

is coming to town.......and I still haven't bought presents for them yet!

snowflake

snowflake, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Kayla just threw up....ugh....I don't know why, but Kristin did the same thing when she was younger. Every time they come down with a cough, they seem to vomit after they have fallen asleep.

Note to self: no food/drink for at least a few hours before their bedtime.

16 month checkup

Kayla had her 16 month checkup last week. She is now:

2'7" tall (55%)
21lbs (16%)
HC (93%) She has a big head.

The Dr. said she is not gaining as much weight as he would like to see. She's been sick lately, and really picky with her eating. He suggested that we load her up in foods that are high in protein, calories, and nutrients. Suggestions were to add oil to her food, serve bread/rice with added butter, fruit with lots of syrup, fried foods, extra mayonaise, mashed avocado, pudding, milk shakes....the list goes on and on. I really can't bring myself to give her junk food, but we did start adding butter to a lot of her food. She loves her peas and butter....yuck.

it's beginning to look a lot like

it's beginning to look a lot like, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Christmas.

About two months back, we were at a Hallmark store at the mall. Kristin saw this stuffed Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer she really wanted, and we told her that we'd think about it. We were trying to teach her that she can't always have what she wants, and you could tell she was trying to hold back tears, playing that guilt trip on us. Well, we left the store without buying it and she’s been talking about it ever since. We went to do some quick shopping today and we tried to distract Kristin so we could go buy it for her. We were about 5 or 6 stores away, and Selina started walking over to the store and told me to take Kristin to another store. Kristin goes “Hey, is Mommy going to buy me Rudolf?!?!?!” I couldn’t believe she still remembered, let alone knowing our plan. Unfortunately they no longer carried it, but we did find it at another toy store. You wouldn’t believe how happy she was. It’s so amazing how such little things can bring such happiness to a child.

The Freshmaker

The Freshmaker, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

And this is what happens:

big comfy couch

big comfy couch, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

It's been a while since I've been able to take a picture of the kids. Kayla is always running around now, and it's so hard to watch the both of them until Selina gets home.

Kayla still hates school, or at least she appears to hate it when I pick her up. I usually glance through the window first to see what she's doing, and she's usually playing or walking around. Once she spots me, it's over. She starts crying "DAAAAAAAADDY, DAAADDY, DAAAAAAAADDY!"

just chillin

just chillin, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

It's getting cold again, cold enough that we have to turn on the heat almost every day.

Clean-up, clean-up, Everybody do your share

Clean-up, clean-up, Everybody do your share, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Clean-up, clean-up
Everybody, everywhere.

Little Fussy

Well, Kayla made it through her first day of daycare. The morning started off great. We dropped her off, she was happy as could be, exploring the new environment, making new friends. She even said bye to us.

When I went to pick her up, it was a whole other story. She was being held by one of the teachers and didn't notice me at first. I was having a conversation with another teacher to see how she did. Suddenly, she spots me and starts screaming and crying "DAYDEEEE, DAAAHHDEEEEEEEE, DAAAAAAAHHHDEEEEEE!!!!!" I felt so bad : (

Each day, we get a progress report, and in one of the sections, you could see that she started out happy, but they crossed it out and changed it to ' a little fussy'.


She cheered up when we got home, and big sis and an apple-pear fixed all that was wrong today.

super K

super K, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

It's going to be Kayla's 'official' first day of daycare tomorrow. I'm hoping she's going to do better than Kristin did. I remember Kristin would cry every day when we dropped her off for at least 3 or 4 months.

Sick again

hood, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Kayla is sick again....runny nose and some itching rash on her chest. She must have caught something from the new daycare when Selina brought her in on Monday.

The mean girl

eye see you, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Selina told me Kristin was being a snob today when she picked her up from school. Kristin and a friend were playing on top of a barrel, which has plenty of room for 3 kids to sit. Her classmate 'Brooklyn' wanted to get on top of the barrel, but Kristin blurted out "No! You can't get on top of here! There is only room for 2!" Later, we asked her why she didn't let Brooklyn on. Her response: "WE don't like Brooklyn!" The things kids pick up from school…....it’s not just germs anymore…...sigh....

back to work :(

back to work :(, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

It's been a nice 4 day holiday, back to the daily grind tomorrow.

Eat, drink, and be merry

Eat, drink, and be merry, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Happy Thanksgiving!

the 'band aid'

fall, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

That is Kayla's new nickname. She sticks to your leg and won't let go. Seriously....she is so clingy right now. She came down with something after we returned from vacation. All that lack of sleep and not eating her food took a toll on her.

San Diego Zoo

What is it with children and their fascination with animals? The kids had a great time at the zoo, especially Kayla. Her favorite animal? The ducks. Kristin was especially excited, dragging my hand trying to hurry up and visit the next animal exhibit.

California Adventure

We spent day 2 in California Adventure. The best part was the ‘Bug’s Life” area. Kayla was in awe after seeing these huge Christmas ornaments. She kept on saying “baw baw, baw baw, baw baw!”



‘Hopper’





The Bug's Life 3d show was pretty cool too.



Of course Kristin was cool too, chomping on her Mickey Mouse ice cream bar



After California Adventure, we headed back over to Disneyland for more 'cup' rides.

Disneyland

The happiest place on earth.... proven by the biggest smile I've seen on Kristin in a while.


This was Kayla's 1st trip here and all she wanted to do was walk off on her own.


Kristin had to get on the merry go round...


and the cups.........


Kayla couldn't keep up.....she fell asleep in 'It's a small world'.


I love the deserts they have. The character was edible, but it was hard like a rock.


Kayla was fascinated with it.


I think the best part of her day was getting to eat it.

bored at work

bored at work, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Looking forward to a well-deserved vacation next week. We'll be heading to Cinderella/Belle/Snow White/ house for 2 days, then to San Diego Zoo. Can't wait.

magic trick #2.......

She loves magic tricks. I told her I could make the ball glow in the dark and make the room turn green. She doubted me until she saw the picture : )

Getting better

no fig leaf?, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Kristin and Kayla have been sick and are now starting to get better. You can usually tell by the amount of food they eat that they're on the road to recovery. Good to see them almost back to their normal selves.

Mom

Happy Birthday, from the little K's.

Good Pumpkin, Bad Pumpkin

Good Pumpkin, Bad Pumpkin, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

civilized

civilized, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Kayla has been sick for the past 3 days. Tonight, she finally went to bed without fussing. Last night, she was crying for what seemed like an hour, and we could do nothing to comfort her. Combination of teething, fever, and a cold do not go well together.

Hair cut

new do, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Kristin got a haircut today...a little shorter than we asked for, but I think it turned out ok. No more long 'cinderella pony tails'.

Step-sister

be afraid, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Krisitn cracks me up. Yesterday after school, she tells me "Me and Megan were fighting...she punched and kicked me. I punched and kicked her back. We were fighting.......We are step-sisters!"

love

love, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

These crazy sisters......Little Kayla is a feisty one. She is already learning to fight with Kristin and gets really angry when Kristin takes her toys. Last night, they were fighting over something, and Kayla started stomping her feet in anger. It was the cutest thing. I can only imagine all the fighting that will take place when Kayla gets older.

here's looking at you, kid....

here's looking at you, kid...., originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Kayla is starting to say a lot more now. She knows how to say pumpkin in chinese...but it sounds nothing like how it's supposed to sound.

My little pumpkins

pumpkin, originally uploaded by jwlphotography.

Mirror Mirror on the wall....

Who's the grumpiest of them all? Kayla is beginning to develop her personality. She can be so stubborn sometimes. We tried brushing her teeth (all 5 of them), and no matter what, she wouldn't open her mouth.