Maya's Sick and Kai's Bored!

I knew it was only a matter of time until Maya would catch the nasty Kindergarten "bug" that's been going around. She still has a high fever and cough.

Kai on the other hand is feeling well, but very bored without his best friend to play with. This evening, when I entered the living room, I found Kai like this! He had turned the couch into a jungle land with all of his stuffed animals. I love the way he put his "Kai" sign around the neck of his tiger. Can you tell which animal isn't stuffed? It's kind of like find Waldo!

103.5!

This was the temp that Maya woke with this morning. Ugggg! Worse yet, it only goes down to 102 while on tylenol or motrin. According to neighbors and moms of fellow kindergartners in her class, this is the virus that's been going around. We're expecting a minimum of a 3 day fever but we're hoping for the best.

A Bath With A Side of Shaving Cream!

Pajama Day and Playing Office!

Today, Kai got to wear his PJ's to school for Pajama day. He thought it was quite cool! Later in the afternoon, the kids had a playdate and played school office. They each had their own desk and work station and of course thier own phones.

Sure Wish I Had A Snow Blower!

Cheeks, I Really Don't Think You Want to Go Out Today!

Cheeks loves nothing more than to explore outside a couple of hours every day. That is, however, until there's a foot of snow on the ground. Today she shot out of the slightly opened door, but didn't budge past the door step. Within seconds, she was begging to come inside. Don't worry Cheeks, Spring is right around the corner.

Kai the Performer!

Kai will find a way to perform any chance he gets. He dresses up daily, sings, dances, and plays instruments. Take a good look everyone, for this face may just make a future appearance on the Grammy stage!

My New Commute!

I just recently started a new job working in an Illinois school district as an OT. Yes, I'm finally one of those "commuters". Considering I'm on the road by 6:20a.m., the commute's been relatively easy with little to no traffic. It also helps that I LOVE being back in the school setting again and working with such a diverse group of staff and students.

Yum Yum Dim Sum!

Today we ventured to China Town in Chicago for some great food and good company. Looking forward to Chinese New Year!

Ballet Class!

Maya and Kai have been taking ballet for the past 4 months and absolutely LOVE to dance. They often participate in their very own "home-based" classes on a regular basis. Gotta love Kai's outfit today... a rainbow speedo swimsuit borrowed from Maya's wardrobe.

A Stove or a Baby's Changing Table!

After spending the afternoon at a friend's house this week, Maya asked if she could have her own playroom so that she could have a room for her babies. Since her "own" playroom" isn't really possible, we decided to get creative and make a baby area in her existing playroom. This involved turning the stove (something the kids really don't play with anymore), into a dresser/changing table. She was thrilled with the idea. We neatly folded all of her doll clothes and placed them on the racks in the "oven". Then we padded the surface of the oven with a cushion and changing pad. Now she has a changing station for her baby, a frig, sink, and kitchen adjacent for bottles and feeding, and a pack-n-play on the other side for her baby's sleeping area. Problem solved!

Revamping the Playroom!

Everytime we clean and re-arrange the playroom, it always ends up looking a bit more "grown-up" than before. Old toys get bagged and recycled to make room for new ones. As excited as I am to gain more space from toy invasions, it saddens me to see the kids grow up so quickly.

I'm Making a Craft!

As Maya and I were playing in the playroom today, Kai disappeared upstairs. When I hollered upstairs and asked what he was doing, he yelled back "I'm just making a craft!". A little bit later, he returned to the playroom with his homemade dinasaurs. He said, "Mommy, how do you like my T-Rex and Brontasaurus? I made them using paper plates and paper".

I love Kai's never-ending creativity and his joy in making things out of everyday products. As a result, he never wants to throw anything away, always saying "Hey, I could make a craft out of that!".

Taking a Rest With Hunter!

One Crowded Bed!

When I went to check on the kids before going to bed this evening, this is how I found Maya...and Hunter...and Cheeks the cat.

A Sledding We Will Go!

Thanks Auntie Debbie and Uncle Rick for our new sleds. We love them!

Giving Mommy the Night Off!

Tonight after the kids were ready for bed, Maya announced that she and Kai were going to "give Mommy the night off" from cleaning. Using their OWN initiatives, they picked up the playroom, their bedroom, the living room, and then proceeded to empty a huge hamper of clean clothes and put them away in their room. Thank you so much kids for such a nice surprise (even if it may have been a ploy to stay up late). Since it was officially my "night off", I sat on the couch and watched T.V. with no cleaning to worry about!

Post Zumba Attire!

Tonight, the kids and I made up our very own Zumba class in our living room. We danced, we "grooved", made up routines, and laughed a lot! When we were finished, Kai briefly disappeared to his playroom and returned wearing this. His exact words were..."Mommy, I got too hot in my shirt from Zumba so I put this on instead." Perhaps he'll be setting a new trend in active wear!

The Prince and Princess Show!

Lake Effect Snow = No School = Playdate With Friends!

Maya and Her "Office Dog"!

Me: "Maya, why is Hunter on a leash inside the house and tied to the stair railing?"

Maya: "Because he's my office dog!"

As you can see in the picture, Hunter looks absolutely thrilled to be Maya's office dog.

Benny and His Cat Toy!

Benson has a bucket full of exciting dog toys...stuffed animals, balls, squeaky sticks, and tug of war ropes. How interesting that his favorite toy is Cheeks the cat's Christmas present. He delicately carries it in his mouth making sure not to damage it in any way and plays with it daily.

The Human Basketball Hoop!

My Little Chefs!

Happy Birthday Baby Evan!

Today, we celebrate the birth of our new nephew/cousin...baby Evan. We think he's absolutely precious! Mom and baby are healthy and well! In this picture is Evan's big brother Ely seeing his new brother for the first time.

Hand-Made 3-D Glasses.

We celebrated New Year's Day at the movies watching Tangled (a fantastic movie by the way). The kids decided to save their snack boxes, and today, were able to turn the boxes into wearable glasses with a bit of paper and glue.

Cheeks, Don't You Know That Curiousity Killed the Cat?

Our cat Cheeks discovered a whole new level of exploration tonight...on top of the living room/kitchen wall!

Groovy Shoes!

Maya wears her new shoes every day...regardless of the style or color of her outfit. I only wish that they made these in my size as I would surely own a pair. Thanks Didi for a lovely Christmas present!

A Wagon for My Spiderman Car!

"Papa, I want to make a wagon for my Spiderman car!" ...and so they did.

A Toy Story Event!

Hand made table and chairs by Maya and Papa; Hand made centerpiece by Maya from Didi's stash; Jesse doll from Nanny; Woody doll from a great garage sale find by Kai; Afternoon picnic shared by all....Priceless!

A Look Out Our Kitchen Window!

A New Year!

Happy 2011! I have been inspired by a couple of friends and fellow bloggers to try a new idea for the year 2011. I will attempt to add a photo or comment for every day of this year. For anyone who follows this blog, you know this will be extremely difficult for me as my entries are not regular. I am trying to record as many memories as possible for not only myself, but for Maya and Kai and thought this might hold me a bit more accountable.

So here is my first entry for the new year. As I walked into our living room, I loved seeing my two beloved dogs, Benson and Hunter, sprawled out on the couch for a New Year's day snooze. I think one of my new year's resolutions will be to slow down, relax, and savor the little things in life. I may just have to join them for an afternoon rest.