Getting back into the routine of blogging....

What a gap in my blogging history! Ack!

Not sure what has caused me to start back up... it may have to do with the fact that I've been slacking with my digital scrapbooking. Looking back at these posts, I can't believe how much time has passed, how much bigger the girls have grown, how our lifestyle has changed! 

Currently:

Katelyn is in first grade, yes first grade! When she is older, she wants to be a baker and an artist. She is my foodie and while other kids are watching cartoons, she is watching Food Network. Her favorite show is 'The Pioneer Woman', she also loves to watch the holiday cook-off type shows. She is excelling in gymnastics, the floor routine is her strength. She likes to rainbow loom, play with her American doll girl and I think her favorite medium regarding art would be oil pastels with water color. 

Alyssa bear, yes, that is still her nickname! Alyssa bear is in pre-kinder right now. She loves to dance and she recently began taking jazz and acro in addition to ballet. This little girl still melts my heart, I'll watch her during class and she will stop what she is doing to see what I am doing, then blow me a kiss. Alyssa is very empathetic and constantly gives love. She is always trying to figure out how things work and is very hands-on. She told me if she could be a fairy, she would be a tinker-fairy. Can you guess what she was for Halloween? This is a strength that I am trying to cultivate. I worry that it will diminish as she enters kindergarten which academically teaches in a way she doesn't respond well to. Alyssa loves puzzles, building structures out of all of her toys and playing board games. The Frozen Memory game is her favorite. 

Between Rick and I working, the girls going to school along with their extra curricular activities, our life is organized chaos and I wouldn't have it any other way! Oh and we recently added an addition to our family, we rescued a furry, four-legged boy name Leo (short for Leonardo DaVinci) who enjoys long walks on the beach and frolicking in the water. 

Ice Cream before lunch is always a fun treat!

0645: Katelyn comes in my room asking me to help her get on her favorite pink jeans. She immediately changes into jeans after she wakes up, but prefers her pajama top still.

0710: Katelyn is helping popo cut up greenbeans for dinner tonight.

0730: Alyssa woke up but is still tired, she layed down on the couch with Katelyn's Minnie Mouse pillow and asked to watch Strawberry Shortcake. Notice her socks? She likes to pull them up super high and she tells me she is playing soccer.

0740: Alyssa isn't happy that she is alone in the living room, she takes her pillow and lays down on the kitchen floor with popo. Katelyn is in the fridge deciding what she would like to eat for breakfast.

0800: I leave for work. The girls aren't happy but they know I have to leave.

1100: I accidentally left my badge for work at home, I run home to get it!

11:15: Walk through the door and Alyssa is wearing a diaper and a hat and is standing at her play kitchen cooking. Both girls run over and give me lots of love! I grab my badge and tell them that we are going to go get ice cream! Squeals of excitement as we get our shoes on and walk out the door!

1128: Lappert's Ice Cream shop doesn't open until 1130, the girls are peaking inside to see if they can see anything.

1130: Still waiting for Lappert's to open. Alyssa also took a friend on our trip, meet her elephant. She doesn't call him Dumbo, his name is elephant.

1132: Lappert's opens two minutes late! LOL. Katelyn was watching my phone and I had originally told her when it said 1130 they would open. She told me "Mommy, that was a very long time to wait for the ice cream store to open". LOL.

1135: Since I still had to go back to work, I asked the girls if it was ok if we got our ice cream to go. They said yes but asked if they could have a few bites before we got into the car. Alyssa couldn't really reach the table so Katelyn brought the jar down to her level. She is such a thoughful and loving big sister.

I drop them off and head back to work. I had the best lunch date, ever. :)

Being a paleontologist!

Alyssa is learning about dinosaurs at school, so we decided to take her to the dinosaur area at LegoLand. We were paleontologists and I think this was a triceratops that we were digging up.

Katelyn was more interested in being a chef, she was whipping up a cake. 

Rain drops keep falling on my head...

Rain drops keep falling on my head.... this is the song that Katelyn will be performing to at her dance recital this June! Today was the first day that her teacher introduced the song to all of the girls. Luckily, I just happened to have my camera. The girls perform in a room and we sit outside and can watch through the window, so while these pictures aren't the best quality due to the glare- it doesn't bother me because she is just ADORABLE in her little ballerina costume!

Since Katelyn has dance twice a week, she will be performing twice at the recital as each class performs as a group. I am really excited to see what her Tuesday night class will be doing!

Day 46 of 365

Our evenings are hectic. Mommy and daddy work and then by the time we get home it is cuddles and a short playtime, then off to cook dinner, bath, playtime/stories and then bed.

Last night as I was putting Katelyn to sleep, I told her that we were going to the circus in a few weeks. I asked her if she knew what the circus was and she told me she did, there are lots of people and they swing like monkeys from the bars like she does at gymnastics. She also asked me if Uncle Steven was going with us. After the girls were in bed, I texted Uncle Steven to tell him what Katelyn had asked me. He said he was coming over tomorrow to hang out with them. Tonight as I was driving home from work, daddy called to tell me not to worry about dinner. I had planned to bake salmon with vegetables but when Katelyn heard Uncle Steven was coming over, she asked him to bring pizza! And of course, being the fabulous uncle that he is, he brought what the girls wanted for dinner.

Katelyn cracks me up, she listens to our conversations when we think she isn't listening. Rick always says-  Steven, stop getting them riled up. So after dinner, Katelyn told Steven, "Come on Uncle Steven, get me riled up!!!" LOL. There was lots of hide and seek, airplane rides, swimming in the air and then the girls did something that they rarely do with Steven... they sat and played together! We all helped the girls decorate Mr. and Mrs Potato Heads! Katelyn's potato is on the left and Alyssa's is on the right. Good thing Auntie Courtney sent down an extra potato head for Christmas because we originally only had one!

Today is also Uncle Victor's birthday. Katelyn asked me if we could go to the cupcake store to get Uncle Victor a red cupcake (red velvet), she said it is his favorite. I am not sure why she thinks that! The only thing that I can think of is last year for Katelyn's birthday I bought a bunch of cupcakes and Victor may have eaten a red velvet cupcake and Katelyn remembers him saying that it was good?!?! She has an amazing memory!
I told her that we would go to the cupcake store when the weather is better, it has been raining for the past few days on and off! Then we also have ballet or swim in the evenings so it makes it sort of difficult to get there.

Our next few weekends are pretty busy but I love that it is because we are busy with family stuff and not errands! Katelyn is also super excited to see her cousin Jake. The last time they saw each other was at Disneyland and Alyssa was still hanging out in a sling!

How sweet it is to be loved by you!

Happy Valentines Day to the two sweetest little girls I know. Today the two of you refused to nap for Popo which meant an early bedtime! We had plans for tonight but since you guys were sleepy, we are planning to celebrate Valentines Day later this week. It gets difficult to get all the stuff done that we want to do in the evening! So the plan is to have popo and grandpa over this Friday so that we can all celebrate together! Katelyn, you want to make grandpa brownies with lots and lots of walnuts because "that is the way he likes them!" as you tell me!

This morning I asked Alyssa, "What does daddy do that makes you happy?" Alyssa, you replied "rocket ship!!!" The other day you girls were pretending to be in a rocket ship while daddy flew you around the house.

Then I asked Alyssa, "What does Katelyn do that makes you happy?" Alyssa, you replied "play, me". You and Katelyn are the best of friends!

Then I asked Alyssa, "What does mommy do that makes you happy?" Alyssa, you tried to lay in my lap as you told me "help me... help me!!!!!" This means that you want to nurse which I have been weaning you from. I feel like you look at me like I am your dairy cow! HAHAH.

Katelyn, I also asked you the same questions as I did with Alyssa. For daddy, you told me "daddy makes me happy when he takes me to Disneyland with you and Alyssa bear. For me you said "mommy I love it when you take me to Disneyland and the zoo and when we play legos and when you make me blueberry pancakes!" When I asked you what does Alyssa do that makes you happy, you told me "be my sister mommy. You're silly." You two girls melt my heart! You also told me later that you are happy, "when you give me moo moo cow cheese and baguette for breakfast". Moo moo cow cheese is a certain brand of cheese that you like to spread on french baguette. You are my little food lover Katelyn! I adore it!

I am excited about this Friday when we get to celebrate! I got you girls some Valentines Day gifts that I want you to open and we have mini M&Ms and walnuts to put in our heart shaped brownies. You two are my chocolate monsters!

Here you are decorating your valentine for daddy!

Shark Attack!

Well, not literally... the weather hasn't been very pleasant lately so we decided to check out the Birch Aquarium at Scripps. The girls are pretty spoiled with our annual passes to Sea World so while they were happy to be out and about- I think they were anticipating that they could feed sea lions and pet dolphins as we do when we are at Sea World. 

Look at Alyssa sitting comfortably on Rick. He had cheetos and she wanted them!

This is the entrance to the aquarium, we packed a lunch and ate outside. The sun provided enough warmth and lucky us- as the wind picked up, we were already heading inside.

This was their fresh water tank.

 Salt water tanks are more their style...

Alyssa was petting the starfish with some help from daddy.

Just hanging around the tide pool area. The girls were fascinated with the waves.

Rick had to hold Alyssa as she wanted to dive in! She is our resident fish.

On to the sharks!

Katelyn was more intrigued here. I think at Sea World she is a bit intimidated by the set up- sharks swimming above you in a dark lit area type setting.