More and More Pictures....

End of Summer...

Well its almost the end of summer vacation. Anika's backpack is packed with all of her school supplies. Each crayon, pencil, eraser, binder and marker are labelled with her name. Gramma taught her how to tie her shoe laces, so that she won't have to wear velcro runners in gym. She is excited to say the least. If you ask her if she is excited to start school her answer is "Yeah... and so is Mommy!!" Oops.... I might have mentioned once or twice that I can't wait for school to start. Its bitter sweet for me. I have been home with her all summer.... and have enjoyed every moment of it, but I am excited for her to start this new chapter in her life. I'm sad tho because that means I am a few months closer to the end of my maternity leave. Then my girls will be on their own... in the hands of someone else. It won't be me seeing her off on the bus in the morning or seeing her face light up when the bus drops her off at the bus stop after school, waiting to tell me what happened during the day, like who was able to do the monkey bars, or how much of her snack she has left.

This past weekend we had a mini holiday at our friends Jeff & Carol Suggitt's cabin at Gull Lake. The girls had fun. There were quite a few firsts for my girls...

Anika's first fish (first cast - Mini Jack)



Anika's first time driving a quad. Thank God her dad was behind her with the kill switch in hand because she nearly took out the chain link fence!



Anika's first time tubing!! She loved it. She went on the tube with her Daddy, and a new friend Sara!


Sophia's first taste of sand!!! She loved being in the gigantic sandbox with the older kids.



Sophia's first time in a boat!! This she LOVED!!!

Sophia's 9 Month Stats...

Chubby is (drum roll please)....

20lb 4oz (75%)....
30" long (95%)

Quick update on the girls...

Well our little munchkin is just over 9 months old and thinks she's FIVE!!! She has tried a few times to walk but her feet and brain aren't in sync yet to do it on her own. She'll push her walker down the hall but would rather be in her sit-in walker so that she can torment the dogs. Poor Dexter has been laid up after having knee surgery, and as soon as he hears her squeel... heads straight to his kennel. Poor guy.

For those of you that are still wondering if she is sleeping through the night yet... the answer is NO. I don't think she ever will. For the longest time, people would ask and then say "awwww... well she's stiill young." Well... she's not so young anymore! She should be sleeping through the night but she just won't do it. She won't even go to sleep without me around. Its not even the nursing thing... its just me putting her in her crib. She rolls over and goes to sleep right away. With Adrian, he'll put her in her crib, and before he gets his hands out of the lion's cage, I mean crib, she's standing up, head spinning around, eyes turning yellow, spitting mad at him... and we all know how big Adrian's heart is, so she wins because he picks her up and brings her downstairs to hang out.

Anyways.. all is well at our end. She is growing like a weed. She's losing her chub on her arms... but her legs are as chubby as ever. Adrian just commented on her drumsticks this morning when putting sunscreen on her. She's loving the pool and playing outside on the deck in her playpen. She's eating almost everything, and prefers to do it herself.

Anika is enjoying the summer holidays. She's sleeping in everyday until at least 9-9:30am. Her day is spent in the pool in our back yard and at the park. The weather has been great the last few weeks... hot and dry. She starts summer camp on August 18th and goes Mon-Fri all day long, and then the week after she has gymnastics camp - trying out for Junior Panthers Group... which is the competitive side of gymnastics.

She's really looking forward to her visit with Oma and Opa who will be arriving at the end of August. She can't wait for them to meet her sister, and for them to spend sometime with her just hanging out.

Here are a few recent pictures of the girls...

Booo Hoooo Hoooo... Anika turned SIX!!!

Can you believe it!!!

Anika has turned SIX!!!

Where have the last six years gone? It seems like just yesterday that I was
heading to the hospital in labor, having her only a few hours later!!

She is such a sweet little girl.... who has grown up so fast. She is so independent, and loving her summer at home with Mommy and Sophia. She has had 2 birthday parties so far (one with her friends in June) at the Children's Museum - 17 friends to be exact... and then one family party with Gramma, Grampa, Uncle Ray, Auntie Kim, Daddy, Mommy and Sophia... for that one SHE requested that we all go Montana's for dinner so that she can "wear the horns and they can sing to me" LOL... ok... we can arrange that, then back to our house for cake (which I made that afternoon) and presents (money, gift cards, school clothes, a Barbie MP3 player, a "boom box" for her room, a new webkinz, crafts, new bathing suit for Mexico, tank and matching necklace, and a new bodysuit for gymnastics).

Here are a few pics...
All the kids at Anika's Luau Party
@ the Children's Museum

EIGHT MONTHS AND ONE DAY....

And we have a tooth!!!!!

I'm shouting this from the roof top because we have been waiting for this tooth to pop through for months!!!

Congratulations Sophia!! You FINALLY have one toofer!!

Sophia is 8 Months Old!!!

Time is flying by... EIGHT MONTHS OLD ALREADY??? WOW!!

Its been a few months since I have updated the blog... not because I don't want to but because I have a VERY VERY VERY busy baby on my hands. As I sit here on the sofa, she's standing here beside me hollering and pounding on the keyboard.... LOL. She's accomplished so much in the past few months.... well weeks really. We've gone from sitting quietly on her play mat, reaching for things and falling over, to being able to get her self to sitting position when she's laying on her belly - (YAY SOPHIA... because the days are over where she lays there so frustrated because she can't crawl and can't get herself back to sitting position), to commando crawling, to pulling herself to standing in the crib at Grandma's (did you lower the mattress yet??), pulling herself up on the furniture, to cruising along the sofa to the ottoman. She even tried to WALK... yes... at 7 1/2 months she had it in her brain that she could do what we do. To set the scene.... Adrian, Anika and myself were having lunch a few weekends ago and I looked over to Sophia who was playing in the family room. There she was happy as a clam standing at the ottoman in front of the love seat. Well.. she took a look at me then looked at her toy chest which is about a foot away, let go and attempted to go over to it!!! Needless to say that her brain and feet have not yet coordinated themselves and she tipped right over. I'm sure it will be a good couple of months before she's actually walking but she one determined girlie!! Sophia has started giving lovely open mouth kisses, she'll say MumMumMumMum when she's upset, and if you say Hi Sophia she will say "Hi". She has started to wave - not overly consistant but its coming, when you say Hi. She is still very much a Mama's girl. She doesn't want anything to do with a bottle, only will chew on the nipple for a few seconds but will take some water out of a sippy cup at meals. She's eating a good variety of food, toasted bagel, yogurt, fruit, veggies, meatballs, infant cereal, pasta, puffs, cheese and other stuff (just can't think of them)... all without any teeth!! We can't remember when Anika got her first tooth (she only had 2 at a year old), so it looks like Sophia is following suit. We are still working on Sophia sleeping through the night, but truthfully, I don't mind the cuddles we have during the night... she'll only be a baby for so long - RIGHT??? The only thing we aren't caring for is the fact that she is a VERY early riser. 5:30-6am, she will start poking at your eyelids, tugging at your lips, and pulling your hair. Adrian says he feels like a dead carcus on the highway and Sophia is the crow pecking at it. If she's awake... EVERYONE needs to be awake LOL. She has a fantastic schedule of napping in the morning at 8am-10am, then napping again around 12:30pm-2:30pm. Anika still proves to be the best big sister anyone could ask for. She is soooo helpful when Sophia fusses, or when Mommy needs to have a shower. Its often you'll see her sitting on the family floor playing with Sophia - teaching her things and scolding her when she's getting into something she shouldn't be. She's such a little mother... who would have though that the little girl who said she didn't want a brother or sister could be so loving and so happy to have a sister!

The girls had their pictures done together at the end of April...

Sophia had her 7 month picture done at the beginning of June (wearing the same dress Anika wore when she turned ONE!!)...


Anika is almost done school. We are starting the final week of Kindergarten! This school year has flowen by for me. I can't believe she's done and going into Grade One in a couple of months. She has grown up so much over the past year. (sniff sniff). Thursday she has her graduation (portfolio party). I will be sure to take lots and lots of pictures of it. She is sooo excited that its almost time to sing the songs they've been practicing, and dance the dances they have learned. It has been fantastic to be home with her everyday to be there for her when she gets on and off the bus. Its going to be hard to not be there for her everyday when I go back to work at the end of October.

On a sad note.... Anika and Sophia's Great Gramma passed away last Wednesday. I know that Anika will miss her dearly. She enjoyed going for visits even if it was to mainly see the goats. My girls brought so much happiness to my Gramma. I visited her a couple of weeks ago with Sophia and she wanted to hold her so badly, even though she was so weak. She even tried one of Sophia's veggie puffs and thought it was the most disgusting thing around. We'll miss you Gramma... hope you are enjoying your reunion with Dad and Grampa.... Hope your having a wonderful golf game up there and enjoying your wine spritzers! Hugs & Love... K

Well.. I should run. Anika will be busting down the door to go swimming in about 10 minutes. Summer is finally here!! The sound of the lawn mower going, birds chirpping, bbq's grilling are so wonderful. I hope this message finds everyone well.

My FIRST Pickle.... LOVED IT!!!






Learning to crawl


Does this walker make my thighs look fat?


I LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a bath in the kitchen sink








Out for Mommy's birthday...
My first time in a restaurant
now that I have a mind of my own!!!
My first dinner roll...
Thanks Grampa!


Auntie Danielle and Gramma REALLY want me to eat this bun....


Mommy's favorite girls (no I don't have implants!!!)


Cheeeeeeese!!!!!








Anika outside at the first bonfire of the summer with a mouth full of marshmallows... can you see it on my lips?





Showing off my new
Shirt and headband from Oma...
Thanks Oma!!

Our Girls...

Thought it would be fun to post a pic of the girls at the same age - wearing the same thing... Do you think they look alike?? LOL

Anika 6 months

Sophia... 5 1/2 months

Peas....

Sophia loves carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and bananas. She also loves her oatmeal and her rice cereal.... but she hates PEAS! I've tried mixing them in with other things and its a no go.

Here are a few pictures!

YUCK!

Cheese... I mean Peas!!!

I HATE peas... but LOVE the camera!!!

Sophia & The Allergist

Yesterday I took Sophia for her allergy appointment and she is allergy free! She was tested for Shrimp, Scallops, Mussels, Squid and Wheat. Dr. Roberts figures that the hives she had in Mexico were from a virus. Fantastic news for us!!

First EVER Spring Break with Anika

The first week of April 2008 marked itself as the "FIRST EVER SPRING BREAK" for Anika! As most of you know, Anika is a girl who insists on planning every moment of every waking hour of every day! She was sooo sad that her friends Garrett and Elizabeth weren't going to be around to play with... what on earth was she going to do?? The snow was almost gone but there is too much gravel on the road to ride her scooter or bike - we really didn't want a field trip to the Children's Hospital ER with a head injury so early in the season... the park was too wet, and its hard to swing with rubber boots on - they always fall off when she pumps her legs.

We started the week off with a play date at her friend Angela's house on Monday afternoon. She had a blast!

Tuesday Anika, Sophia and I met our friends Wendy, Connor and Liam at the Forks for lunch at the Pancake House then went and watched some children's entertainers and Anika and Connor had their face's painted.

Wednesday we went to Stay and Play which is a play group that Anika's friend Angela goes to and Anika has gone to a few times and loves it, then in the afternoon we went bowling with Wendy, Connor and Liam... and a few of their friends. It was so much fun... much different from bowling on the Wii... the balls are much heavier!

Thursday afternoon brought us to the Manitoba Museum (formally Museum of Man and Nature) with Angie, Caden, Livia and Jack. The kids had so much fun running around looking at everything there... I think Anika's highlight was going on the NonSuch (Sp??) and making her Canoe at the Voyageur Exhibit.

Friday's field trips brought us to the Library for story time with the Scary Fairy... I mean FairyTales with the Story Fairy. Anika had a great time and listening to the Fairy talk about her friends (lady bugs, frogs, ants, birds) and nature. Anika thought it would be great to let all the kids know (most of them were about 3 years old) that she saw 2 birds this week... but they were DEAD! I think I turned 40 shades of red. In the afternoon, we headed out and got Mommy's hair cut LOL

That was spring break! When I asked Anika if she had a great Spring Break her answer was "Oh yah Mom - it was awesome!"

Mission Accomplished!