Birthday Girl

She is TWO!!! Yep, we have a two year old and she's beautiful, funny, friendly, happy, outgoing, energetic, helpful, and did I mention she's two?? Oh, it's been a fun day for all of us. Today was all about Kateli!

Both daddy and I woke up early to get her this morning out of bed. We lit two candles on a Chocolate Chip Otis Spunkmeyer muffin and walked into her bedroom singing "Happy Birthday"; oh the grin on her little face was priceless. After one or two tries, she was finally able to blow out the candles on her muffin and we moved downstairs to indulge in the yummy treat--I know, I know, not the most nutritious breakfast--but you only have a birthday once a year! She did have milk, and she did have ONE bite of a banana afterwards--that balances it out, right? Kateli enjoyed hearing the birthday song a second time this morning, when abuela and abuelo called and she also got a phone call from Tia.

Is that a priceless smile or what?

Indulging in yummy chocolate muffin

Listening to Abuela and abuelo sing Happy Birthday to her over the phone

Listening to Tia Marta talk to her on the phone

Then we watched Ratatouille with Kateli, which she only saw about half of it if even that much--mommy enjoyed it though!

After the movie we all got dressed and headed out to lunch and for a trip to the zoo. Kateli wanted to see "roar"--that means lions, bears and tigers :). We stopped to eat pupusas for lunch and Kateli really enjoyed hers. Her first 3 syllable word, pupusas! It was a bit chilly out but we bundled up and headed for the zoo. We walked around for a little over an hour, and hit the play area. Kateli played and played, and then she pooped...yep, she pooped out of her diaper--which made it easy to call it a day at the zoo and head back home for naptime. She slept well and was rested when she got up. While she napped daddy gathered some of the fallen leaves in the backyard and built her a "leaf tunnel" which we all got the enjoy after she got up from her nap.

Eating pupusas at the pupuseria

On our way into the zoo--she looks so BIG!

On the carriage near the petting zoo

Having fun!

Petting the goats

Watching the geese fly away...

Having fun in the play area

Our leaf tunnel in the backyard

Following our adventures through the leaf tunnel, Kateli opened gifts. She loved both the gourmet set and the jumper outfit that grandma sent; although her favorite was by far the gourmet set. She also enjoyed the "grocery basket" that mommy and daddy got her. Mommy and daddy didn't enjoy the cart as much as Kateli did--the wheels screeched horribly!! So, we ended up taking it back and exchanging it for the other one that we saw at the store. I think we will all be much happier with the new one!

Opening the new dish set

Putting together the first grocery cart

Here is the new cart, still in pieces

After gifts it was off to dinner--Kateli wanted pita or pizza--so we took her to Chuck E Cheese. She had so much fun. She did eat a little bit, but I think was so excited with all the games and lights in that place--daddy came out of there calling it that "Las Vegas for kids"

So that was our day--fun filled activities til the kids dropped!! Yep, they are in bed now and we have sometime to relax before bedtime!

Enjoy the pictures.

Our Thanksgiving in CO

We are back home now, from our fun trip to Colorado over Thanksgiving! Here are some pics...

All six cousins with Lucy

Little Nora with her favorite music card

Kateli and cousins sporting their new PJs from Grandma

Kateli had quite an affinity for her cousin Elliot

Kateli loved playing with all her cousins, but she and "izzy" were inseparable

They had so much fun and laughed so much together

Nori and Kateli enjoying the view from the front door, and Kateli loving on Lucy

All decked out to go for a walk

Here we go...

Little man was not far behind...here he is in his gear

Special birthday deliver for Uncle Dave

Emma had the magic touch, she could calm little man down like a pro...:)

He's 'a rollin'

Joshua rolled over from his belly to his back yesterday. More on this later...

Grins and Giggles

Our little man has started to giggle and it's so cute to hear!! He has been smiling for a little while now, which is very cute, but the giggles are to die for. He started yesterday with daddy. Daddy was playing with him, and I guess touched a tickle spot that he got the first giggle out of Joshua. Since, we've heard it a couple of times. He's got the cutest little smile!! Check out these pics that I got of him this afternoon. Can you believe he is 3 months tomorrow?!!

She's going to be 2!

It's been about 10 days since my last update, I know. I'm kinda slacking this month--can you blame me with all the holiday stuff and birthdays around the corner? Yep, birthdays I say--Kateli will be 2 and daddy will be--well, let's just say he's somewhere in his mid-thirties! :) Let me say that again, Kateli--my little baby girl--will be 2 at the end of the month. It's hard to believe how fast time flies when there are little kids in the household. Seems like only yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital and learning all about being parents. How exciting these first two years of parenthood have been, and we just keep having more and more fun each day. There are days that are harder than others, but God is good--he has blessed us with wonderful kids. So, let me tell you about our 2 year old to be...

She is talking up a storm--mostly in "Kateli" language, which means we don't understand half of what she says to us. She will sit and "read" books to herself and to her brother. She pages through the book pausing at each page and babbling for a little while before turning the page. She does say a lot that is understandable; it is unbelievable how far her speech has come along the last couple of months. It was so exciting when she started to say her name, I know I wrote about that, but lately the cutest thing is that when she wants something she says her name first and then the action, i.e. "Kateli 'mer'" (Kateli eat), and "Kateli play" are the ones tha I hear the most often. She is now putting two or more words together. So, we'll be riding in the car and she will say "Kateli moi abu"--let me translate--"Kateli more gummies". She loves to eat those yummy JP gummies grandma send for her. Now when you ask her her name, she will sometimes say "Kateli Mosh"; it's so cute to hear her. These days when she tries to repeat what we ask her to repeat, it sounds a bit more like the actual word than the made up words she fills in with before she can properly pronounce something. We are still working on the "por favor" instead of "please" when she speaks to mommy--it doesn't quite come out as "por favor", it's more like "a bor" or something like that, but she is trying. She still loves her little brother, and calls him "a liTTle baby"--doesn't use his name yet. She loves talking to her little brother too, she will go up to him and say "Aaabbooo aaabbooo"--she is imitating me when I coo with him. It is super cute to watch her do that and to see Joshua's intense focus on her. On the potty training front--let's just say we are NOT there yet. I thought we were much closer as she had begun to tell us "poopoo" when she was dirty, so we'd change her diapey. Nowadays the only way we know she is dirty is either because we notice that she's gone and hidden to do her business or we just get a whiff of it from across the room. She has not had another "Poop-casso" episode since my parents where here, so we're lucky on that front. I'll have to expand on that in another entry. Kateli LOVES to play with her babies. She is so nurturing with them. She rocks them to sleep, swaddles them in blankies, puts them in the swing to sleep, changes their diaper, and even nurses them. Yep, she doesn't allow those babies to starve--nope, she will nurse them and cover herself with a blankie just like mommy does when nursing little brother. The funny thing is if you walk by her when her baby is "eating" she tells you "baby, 'mer'" So, so cute! Lately she's been sticking a paci in her mouth and walking around with for mins at a time before she gets tired of it. We think it stems from all the kids she sees with pacis at church, as well as seeing her little brother use one as well, that she thinks she needs to participate. She never liked the paci, so we're sure this phase will pass soon.

Anyway, here are some pictures that I got of her yesterday. Enjoy!

It's beginning to feel a lot like FALL!

Halloween this year

Well, we weren't going to dress up the kids today--given that we don't take them out "trick or treating" and I didn't buy either one of them a costume. Yes, the operative phrase in thet previous statement is "weren't going to"--so you can guess what happened. We DID dress them up, and I had to improvise with last minute costumes as we made this decision late Tuesday night. For the past few years there has been "trick or treating" at daddy's office, and we know in advance. This year however, daddy didn't realize it until Tuesday when he saw the email--and failed to communicate the news to me until Tuesday night. So, I guess I must have dreamed what their costumes were going to be, because I woke up and knew their costumes. Here they are...

Joshua was not having too much fun in the car seat...he was ready to go...

my little bunny girl...or wait...was she a bunny or a...??

cat?? she had the option :)

Here is my little Santa's helper. Adorable or what?

Kateli with her friend Addie