just us.

it's a spring dress kind of day

I decided today was going to be a spring dress kind of day.

for both me and the girl.

while my dress is old and not exciting, hers is new and was found on clearance at Target yesterday:

add on a $1 spot headband that was rediscovered plus a hairclip and a banana for breakfast and you have a happy girl!

Lately I've been in the mood to put Keira in dresses and send her off to school, and with the nicer, warmer weather we have been getting (daytime temps in the 70s!!), she is happy to oblige.  The dress she wore to school yesterday (another Target clearance find) got a little wet after her naptime pull-up leaked (the girl loves her milk), but she refused to change her dress (she normally has a breakdown if anything she wears gets the slightest bit wet)!!

I made the girl stand in our doorstep for a few spring dress pictures and happened to capture this lovely snapshot.  Makes me crinkle up my nose and smile :)

a shot from yesterday.  In her Target clearance dress, playing hopscotch with her princess rubber dolls.  Mini hopscotch, that is.  and also sporting a hair clip AND a headband.  it's her new thing this week. she is quite the fashionista :)

Easter Festival

Keira's school held an Easter Festival yesterday.  Thanks to work, I had to miss it but luckily Mike was able to go.  To put it short, he said it was a zoo.  No parking, and a ton of people in a small area.  No bueno.

But like a good husband, he took a few pictures for me so that I wouldn't be completely left out (and he emailed them to me ASAP too!)

 

Keira's teacher, Ms. Amalia, set up an egg hunt in the playground outside her classroom.  But instead of plastic eggs filled with treats, she used paper eggs with numbers 1-5 on them.  Each kid got a paper basket with numbers 1-5 on it and the kids had to find eggs with the corresponding numbers and glue it on their basket.  Totally smart!  I love how she incorporated learning with fun!

Mike said Keira did pretty good matching numbers and I had no glue she knew how to use a gluestick. She decorated her pink bunny ears and is sporting the new skirt I made her earlier in the week.  She got to dye a few Easter eggs too.

Keira came home with a few goodie bags from her teachers, complete with plastic eggs, a mask and foam glasses, a few pieces of candy and her favorite...princess stickers.  These teachers know their kids well :)

Linda and Oli are coming over today to dye Easter eggs and I'm hoping to get another sewing project done while Keira naps.  I'm working this weekend and thought I was going to miss Easter with Mike and Keira, but they shortened our hours on Sunday so I'll get to do an egg hunt when I get home.

and a random, post-shower photo:

happy Easter!

Family Fun Day - Disneyland

this past weekend was a three-day one for me, and as usual we always struggle with what we were going to do.  we ended up at Disneyland again on Friday.

Breakfast at the Jazz Kitchen, Downtown Disney.  we found it a bit odd that they would suggest alcoholic drinks at 1030 in the morning.  Keira's meal of corn flake crusted chicken breast and macaroni and cheese sustained us for the rest of our visit.

we started off at California Adventure, where we got Keira excited about taking Mike on the bumper cars.  I think Mike will definitely be the one to teach her how to drive.

family photo on the spinning ladybug ride.  it's kind of like the spinning teacups, but on a smaller scale.  smaller or not, I still didn't like it.

we headed over to Disneyland soon after, hoping that somewhere along the way Keira would fall asleep and nap. The parade was starting in about 2 hours too, so it would give her a nice chunk of time to sleep before it started.

Mike and I.  We scored a bench under an umbrella in case it started raining and parked Keira underneath it too.  Mike was hoping that Star Tours had a single rider line so he could go on, but there wasn't.  I snacked on Keira's leftovers from breakfast, browsed a few stores and went on a search for caramel popcorn.  no luck, but Mike got some buttered popcorn instead.

then came the parade.

I LOVE the drum line.  seriously takes me back to my marching band days.  don't hate.  I rocked it back then.

one of Keira's favorite parts....Ariel.  she just loves her princesses.

see?

her other favorite part, all the other princesses, I didn't take any pictures of.  I took a video instead.  I know she would appreciate that even more.  and ask to watch it over and over again.

this hand waved and waved and waved.

Keira saw a few kids throughout the day with their faces painted and somewhat surprisingly, asked to have hers done too.  She usually shies away from stuff like this, but all of a sudden is all for it.  so we let her have her wish.

she chose her design and sat oh-so-still while it was being done.  I was waiting for her to get scared and want to be held, but nope!  she hopped right up on the stool, shut her eyes, and sat there while the artist did her thing.

I think she kept her eyes shut the whole time.

almost done.  just a few more swirls, a sprinkle of glitter and...

a happy girl!

our little author

Last Friday at Keira's school, they had a literacy festival to celebrate reading and books.  The 3 of us went for a little family fun.

And we were surprised with this:

Mike remembers Keira mentioning that she made a book for us sometime last month, and as with a lot of things she says, he let it slide.

I guess this is one time we should've listened.

We must've just gone to Disneyland because that's what Keira's book was about.  This page has some of her favorite rides: Toy Story, "Horse Ride" (the horses on Main Street), Mickey Mouse Ride (not sure what that is), and "Thomas Train Ride" (the tram).

Obviously we have a princess and Minnie Mouse fan in the house.  I was really impressed with her ability to draw fairly straight lines.  I've never seen her do it before, so this was really amazing to me.

more princess love.  and pink, her favorite color.  awesome parade huh?

the fireworks show.  I love her interpretation of what a firework is.  a big explosive scribble, in bold blue and pink.  I just LOVE the way a kid's mind works.

I really enjoy being able to see the ways Keira has grown since she has started school.  She still has her moments, which we are constantly working on.  Just this morning (and every morning this week) she had a meltdown when I dropped her off.  Every day is a different day with this kid.  Playing and sharing with other kids is still a struggle and she definitely exerts her independence at times with the teacher.  She is still doing well with going pee-pee on the potty, but pooping is still a work in progress.  If given the opportunity to pick her own clothes, it ends up being patterns and colors galore.

frustration aside, I love her :)

stay awake!!

Keira and I spent a bit of time visiting a friend in the hospital and when we left, I knew it was her naptime.  The whole way home (from Newport Beach) I could tell she was starting to fade, and watched as her eyes kept opening and closing...but more emphasis on the closing.

I kept talking to her, pointing out all the American flags I was seeing (it's a new hobby of ours, thanks to Keira), asking her if she wanted to sleep in her bed or mine, telling her to stay awake, telling her not to sleep in the car but to wait until we got home.

As we got off the freeway, exhaustion was hitting her hard.  It was getting to the point where my voice wasn't helping anymore.  I had the windows open, hoping the wind would keep her up, but even that was failing (she is normally very self-conscious about her hair blowing crazy in the wind).

as I pulled into the driveway, it was almost a hopeless cause:

but I pulled her out of her seat (taking the straps off first, of course) and told her that we had to put a pull-up on before she went to bed.

I swear that 5 second nap she had was about to have the opposite effect and make her wired and ready to go.  As she climbed into my bed, her eyes were wide open and she looked like she was ready to play.

oh no, not what I wanted.

just went to check on her...and she is still awake!  looks like Mommy needs to lay down with her...and take a nap too :)

in one hour and 33 minutes from now...

this girl will be 3.

I think right around this time last year, my parents were arriving at the hospital after the longest 6.5 hour drive in their lives.  They got the call around 1230pm to head on down, because I was being admitted and labor induced.

this is her "princess" pose.

I started pushing not long after they arrived, and after countless rounds of pushing (one of which I decided to scream and then was subsequently told not to anymore because it takes energy away from the actual pushing) and 75 minutes, Keira Emily was born.

I got pretty sentimental last night while getting Keira ready for her bath, because I realized that it was the last night she would be a two-year-old.  It was hard to believe that 3 years had passed since she was born.  Time surely does fly.  I kept hugging her and kissing her and calling her my baby.

My 3-year-old baby.

Today, we celebrated with her friends at school by bringing mini blueberry muffins to share at snacktime.  When I got there, they were all sitting around the table, waiting for the last kids to get their diapers changed after naptime and reading books.

Miss Amalia even let her sit in the teacher's chair during snacktime and made her a special birthday crown too.  Glitter and all.

They all sang happy birthday and then ate their snacks of muffins, wheat thin crackers, pears and milk.  It really needs to be Keira's birthday everyday, because the behavior report I got today was that she was very good, and even asked Miss Amalia if she could help clean up.  Really?  Is this my child?

While Mike and I had barbecue chicken for dinner, Keira asked to have dumplings instead.  Right after dinner, we had my parents and brother on Skype and surprised her with her very own Sleeping Beauty cake.  I saw this cake on a friend's facebook page a while ago, and knew I had to get one for Keira.  The princess torso is stuck into the top of the skirt, which is all cake and frosting.

The only semi-downer thing is that Sleeping Beauty's face is a bit evil looking.  Almost like she could be the evil witch.  But I don't think Keira even noticed.

Keira had a few more presents to open after cake, from Miss Amalia (a princess magnadoodle and book), Auntie Julie (2 princess books) and Mike and I.  She specifically asked for "a princess rubber doll Tiana and princess fishing pole so she can go fishing with baba."  And "a princess rubber doll Tiana and princess fishing pole so she can go fishing with baba" is what she got.

The fishing pole may look a little rinky dinky, but it works.  Mike's niece Ashley actually caught a fish on one of these poles a few years ago, so I'm sure Keira can too.

Happy 3rd birthday to our little girl.  We are so blessed to have you, and despite all the frustration you bring our way, we love you more than anything in the world.

she looks hardcore

so Keira lost her first tooth tonight.  Yes, I know what you are thinking.  Isn't it a little early for her to start losing teeth?  She isn't even 3 yet.

Well, her tooth was broken.  an xray during a trip to the pediatric dentist last Friday, which included a half cleaning, polish and flossing, confirmed it.  and how did she do it?  we have no clue.

kids fall all the time, and she does spend a good chunk of her week at school where I'm sure falling is like breathing.  She didn't have any apparent injury to her face, so we have no idea how this even  happened.

but all we do know is that we don't have to worry about her choking on her tooth.  because more than likely, she swallowed it.  Mike said it was there when he picked her up from school today, but he didn't see at dinner.  We are only assuming she swallowed, especially since we haven't found it lying on the floor anywhere.

I'm hoping it'll show up in her poop tomorrow (or in the next day or two), and if I'm crazy enough (which I have been known to get) I might just dig around looking for it.  I want to save her tooth for the scrapbooks, and maybe even introduce the kid to the whole concept of the tooth fairy.  She knows who Santa is and that he brings presents, why not get some money from the tooth fairy if she can?

my cousin, who lives up north, mentioned that he heard the tooth fairies in LA drop twenties for teeth.  ha!  not this tooth fairy.  our kid gets excited at a penny or a quarter.  let's not teach her about bills just yet :)

an independent woman

this girl is going to give us trouble.  or rather, she already is.

dressing herself this morning. another outfit that she picked out.

Mike called me last night with another progress report from school.  She peed in the potty 3 times yesterday and did so when she was asked by her teacher...good.  She ate well...good.  Napped well...good.

Her behavior?  Not so good.

She threw tantrums, screamed and cried, and would get mad when her friends wouldn't play with her.  And when they finally did play with her, she would pitch a hissy fit and say she didn't want to play with them anymore.

When Mike went to pick her up, the teacher has a look on her face like she didn't know what the heck was wrong with Keira that day.  And frankly, neither do we.  I think it all depends on what side of the bed she woke up on, cranky but okay or extra cranky.

Yesterday was extra cranky.  And we should've known.  If it's not one thing with her (peeing in her pants or not eating), it's something else.

the princess pose.  she forgot to put her hands up by her face though.

the one thing you can't see in the picture are her purple Belle socks.  and I convinced her to put on her white glitter Cinderella shoes too.  dear God, help me.

but the thing that finishes off the ensemble...a braid in her hair.

bestill my heart.  I don't know if I ever thought the day would come that I could do this.  I just hope she keeps it in all day.  She may leave the house with a piggytail, but comes home with wild child hair because she pulls them out.

I hope it's the princess waiting for me at school later today, and not the diva-in-training.

t minus 30 days

before this girl turns into a 3 year old.

her shiner is starting to change colors, although you can't see it here.

the last 2 days she has done well telling us when she needs to go potty. I had to get out of line for the Buzz Lightyear ride at Disneyland yesterday just to take her.  her pull-up has been dry both when she wakes up in the morning and after naps.  we are still working on the pooping-in-the-potty, but last night she had no problem doing so while we were in the shower.  thankfully it wasn't mushy and an easy clean-up.

I bought her a skirt (size 3T) today for $4 at Old Navy and despite it being pretty nippy outside, she insisted on wearing it while pulling weeds in the front yard.  fashionable even when doing yard work.

We've been watching Harry Potter all day, and she can successfully identify Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.

and for your viewing pleasure, Keira's rendition of Jingle Bells:

 

Don't Get Mad :)

she looks like a boxer. LOL.

I hope she has learned a lesson.

photo taken Wednesday, 1.4.12

the story: the kids were playing with Legos at school.  One of her classmates had one, which she took from him.  He wanted it back, so a tug-of-war ensued.  She didn't like that, so she pushed him.  He didn't like it, so he clocked her in the face with a toy train.  End fight.

On the days Mike picks her up from school, I usually call or text him for a report of how Keira did that day.  When I didn't hear from him by 6pm, which is the latest you can pick up your kid before late fees kick in, I called him.  So it goes, he just finished a conference with Keira's teacher.

I felt horrible.  Not so much that Keira was hurt, but more so because my child started a "fight" at school.  She probably wouldn't have ended up with a black eye if she just knew how to share.  I felt like this was a reflection of me as a parent, and that I wasn't doing a good job teaching her right from wrong.

In a small way, I felt like Keira deserved it.  Ever since she was little, she has acted like the mother hen, the one in charge.  It was even a family joke that she was going to be the boss.  And until recently, she always got her way when playing with her cousins Matthew (he is 5 months older than Keira) and Jacob (he is 2 months younger).  Once the boys started to nudge back, that's when the screaming and crying started.

By no means am I (or Mike) condoning fighting as a way to get things done, but once in a while Keira needs to learn that this is simply not her world.  On drives to school, I always tell Keira what I expect of her that day at school and probably say it 20 more times.  So this week has been a lot of "you need to be nice to your friends" and "if you need to go potty, tell Miss Amalia".

I swear I'm a broken record.