Wishing you Happy Holidays!

Hope everybody gets what they asked for from Santa! I asked Santa for help with putting up Christmas decorations. He delivered.

"Pick a bucket to go trick or treating" I said.

I should be more specific next time.

________________


Halloween is always a fun time of year for the kids, and choosing a costume is a big part of it. We had some rather interesting choices for costumes this year. Kristin chose to be Hermoine from the Harry Potter series, and Kayla chose to be Princess Leia from Star Wars. Kristin has been glued to the book series and is a big fan of Hermoine. Kayla chose Princess Leia, as she is always playing Star Wars with her classmates during recess. She's the only girl in the group when they play, so I guess she got assigned princess duty.



Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!

Just a few more minutes.....

Waking up for school, trying to squeeze in those last few minutes of sleep. I still feel that way. Every day.
Kristin turns 9 years old today, and sorry, you don't get to sleep in, even on your birthday.



It has been a busy few months, traveling across the Pacific to visit relatives, soccer, a quick visit to Disneyland, and the start of school. It was the first time the K's visited Hong Kong, and unfortunately it was a short trip, 4 days to be exact. With the time difference of -15 hours, they never got fully adjusted and ended up waking up super early, and falling asleep in the afternoons.





Every morning around 5 AM, Kayla would wake up. I was able to see some amazing sunrises thanks to her.









We were able to squeeze in some sight seeing, and went to the Peak.



Attempted to take some pictures with their younger cousins.



If there is a playground, they will play, regardless of what country they are in.







Saw this awesome home? from the top of the Peak.





We took a ferry ride. Some amazing views from the sea.







Selina made the mistake of showing them the hotel pool the first day we were there. They then proceeded to ask to go swimming everyday after that. Kayla was always the first to be ready to go swimming.







A few weeks after Hong Kong, we did a quick trip to Disneyland with our awesome friends from New York, Vanessa and Justin.















Best part of the trip was definitely the Cars ride. You can see Kristin grabbing on to Vanessa, and Kayla is grabbing on to me. After that ride, I don't think they will want to go on another roller coaster for a while.







The amount of detail they put into the rides is amazing. I really liked the little mermaid ride.









Best part of Disneyland for Kayla, definitely the cotton candy.





Oh, and meeting Dale, which they thought were part of Alvin and the Chipmunks.






Kristin ran for school treasurer...she didn't win, but at least she tried :)

Six

What a wonderful 6 years it has been. 6 years of watching her grow. 6 years of developing a priceless bond with her sister. 6 years of ups and downs, but most of all, 6 years of pure joy. Kayla has taught me more in 6 years than I could have ever imagined. Thank you Kayla, and Happy (belated) Birthday.

When we asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday.......pick fruits of course! With temperatures in the low 100's, we started our day picking peaches.

She needed a few taste tests to make sure they were sweet.





Yup, sweet sweet sweet.







The peaches weren't the largest, but they sure were juicy and delicious!







On to the next farm!







She really loves her watermelon.



After a while, Kayla couldn't deal with the heat, and headed for the nearest shade. Kristin on the other hand, stayed out in the sun to pick one of her favorite fruits.





She was so happy, even in the heat. She almost never sweats, and she had beads and beads of sweat all over her face. Didn't seem to phase her at all.



Kayla took the easy route and just bought some of the pre-picked fruit.



After picking fruits, she got her nails done.



Best part of her day was when she opened her presents. She's a big Alvin and the Chipmunks fan, so Selina got her a few to add to her growing collection. She even invited them to dinner.



I got suckered into impulse buying this thing for her. She's doing it wrong, but at least she's happy.



Kayla is not a big fan of cake, so I improvised and made one with the fruits she picked that day. I've never seen a child so happy with a bowl of fruit.

Happy 6th Birthday little munchkin. This is how I will remember you on your birthday. Right out of bed, carrying your favorite chipmunk, and wearing your mothers t-shirt, a few sizes too big.