All dressed up...

...and somewhere to go!

I'm going to dress them alike as long as they let me. Isn't it the cutest??

Complying after I asked them to actually stand closer together so I could get a good shot.


OOOH...SCARY!!! Might be the first and last time they wore the masks...


Ready to rumble! Declan on his way up each and every driveway "more candy more candy more candy more candy..."

How to Lose a Tooth: Told in Pictures

Cuties on vacation

We went to the beach last weekend...good times with two demanding kids! Well, it wasn't so bad. We had a wonderful, warm day on the beach - you'll see the proof below in Declan's close up. I love doing these family trips, I truly do, but man alive if they aren't exhausting...I need a vacation from my vacation!

Birthday and First Movie

Annika's 6th birthday was this past Friday. I've never been a fan of the number 6 (yay 48!) but it suits the little girl. I think she's determined to be a "big girl" and has slowly but surely proven herself capable of more an more. Some of her latest tricks include:

- Going to the bathroom in the middle of the night without assistance. No, she's not peeing the bed...she gets up to go to the bathroom.
- Buying a wallet and storing her cash in it, and asking if she can pay for stuff. She wanted to buy Declan a book this weekend, and she's also offered to help us out with dinner. This is a very helpful development.
- Getting dressed and ready every morning - without an alarm clock. Before I can say "coofffeeeee" Annika is fully dressed, with teeth brushed and hair combed. I need to bottle some of that energy up and sell it to myself. And pay for it with Annika's money.

I'm just so proud of this little girl...Happy Birthday, sweetie!

Separately, little Dex finally got to see his first movie in the movie theater. We;ve been prepping him with non-stop encores of both Kung Fu Panda and Cars at home, with both Chris and I debating about whether he was ready, and if so, which movie would be be more likely to sit through? We opted for Kung Fu Panda, because honestly, I can only take so much of Larry the Cable Guy.

He did very well for the first half of the movie, but started to get a little antsy towards the latter half. I mean, I was crying like a baby (the panda loves his goose daddy!) but Dex was wandering around the front of our seats like a trapped animal. We had to silence him a few times - he loves to talk at that big screen - but overall, it was successful. I won't do it again for a while, though.



This picture is taken with the Cars 2 poster for 2 reasons - 1) Declan is obsessed with Lightning McQueen and 2) there was no Kung Fu Panda 2 poster. So there.

Incidentally, Annika's first movie theater movie was the first Kung Fu Panda...Too bad there will NOT be a Baby #3 for Kung Fu Panda 3.

Girls Night!

A few weeks ago, Annika and I were chatting and I had a brainstorm....what if once/week she and I went out on a special date and called it "Girls Night."? Activities could include dinner, movie, ice cream (a specific request of hers), the mall...you get the idea. I mean, it's a list of things girls like to do. GIRLS NIGHT. Get it?

We've done Girls Night twice so far. The first time we went to the mall and grabbed a quick bite so we could shop for Daddy's birthday and Father's Day. The whole trip was actually quite handy, because otherwise I'd be forced to use the Interwebs for gift orders, and we all know I'd do it too late and then would have to spend at least 50% of the cost of the gift on Express shipping...This Girls Night thing came in quite handy.

The second time, we went to a restaurant that I like, but Chris doesn't. Handy again! There are a whole bunch of places he hates going that I never get to...thanks Annika!

So, even though Girls Night is certainly useful for gift-giving and pigging out, its real purpose is maybe even more awesome...spending 1:1 quality time with my gorgeous daughter. We do Girls Night on Mondays, and even though that's a school night (for me, since it's summer time for her) and I'm usually *exhausted*, I rally because having that time with her is simply amazing. I'm so honored that she's willing to spend that time with me, and I hope it's something that she looks back at fondly after Girls Night is long over, and has turned into "Monday Night...The Night Where I Ignore Mom...Just Like Every Night."

Long live Girls Night!

All choked up

Annika "graduated" from Kindergarten this week. I'm so over these "graduations" but well, it's still cute and I still eat it up like a cupcake with peanut butter icing and devils food cake...was that too specific?

The teacher promised the parents who were able to go a "surprise" and a surprise we got! The kids sang four songs that they had clearly been practicing and they even had little hand motions for many of the words. It was super cute, to say the least, but I found myself holding back sobs thinking to myself "she'll never have it this good again."



Not that I'm that much of a pessimist - I think Annika will have a swell life. But after Kindergarten, when do you really get to sing with your friends and sit on a carpet with different colors and have a room full of toys to play with during your "free choice" time? When do you have 4-hour school days and "snack time" and friends who forget to zip up their pants and have their shoes on backwards and no one cares? I literally had to pinch myself to stop crying while they sang, sad that my little girl is on her way to finding out what life is really like.

Again, this sounds so awful, but come on...it's true. Mortgage payments, fat jeans, teeth whitening, busted water heaters, weird neighbors...it's all coming for her. I'm so sad that her innocence will slowly be chipped away until she finds herself writing a blog post (or whatever they have in the year 2028) about many of these same subjects.

As we were walking back to the car, I started to tear up again, and she asked me "Momma, are you sad because I am growing up? I'm not even in 1st grade yet!" And I laughed a bit and said, "Yeah baby, I am sad. I'm sorry." Then she insisted she would cheer me up. Her tactic? "Think about my butt."

It worked.

The kids being cute

Here's a couple of pictures of the kids...they make me think of summer (Hi Summer!) because it was so warm in these pics...and now it's barely 70 at the end of May. Oh global warming, why don't you actually *warm* us???

Annika is almost done with her first year of Kindergarten. She's an ok reader, pretty good at simple math and a very attentive and obedient student. I sorta think she'll be that kid who gets A's and B's but every teacher wants her in their class because she's so good. I'm ok with that. We'll push on the straight A's for high school - you know, so she can get into Harvard (Hi Summer!).

Declan is knee deep in his terrible 2's which is upsetting because Annika never had any. So we don't know what to do. I've told Chris a number of times that I think one of our problems in dealing with him is that we discipline him like we did Annika...and that isn't what works for him. But what does work? Hell if I know.

However, he is wonderful to his sister, is very funny (tells some great knock knock jokes!) and is super handsome. He's so cute...hmm, gotta go so I can go cuddle him. xoxo.

Valentine's Day Eve

Look how old this little girl is...and wow, is this a baby or a little boy?



When did this little girl become a big girl? When did this baby boy get all old? Who are these children?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ok, just one more year off...

So last year I pled busy (or rather, lazy) and said I wasn't going to send out Christmas cards. Well, the day of reckoning has arrived, and it won't happen this year either.

Here's what this year's Christmas card might have looked like:



This year was a big year for us. Declan started to walk and talk. Annika started Kindergarten. Declan fell in love with trucks and Annika fell in love with her friends. She's starting to read and write a bit and Declan is learning that the world doesn't revolve around him. They love each other so, so much and we couldn't be happier watching their relationship grow.

Chris and I continue to work way too hard, so I'm hopeful that 2011 will be a new year to appreciate the joy that we have in our lives and be a little easier on ourselves. With the kids getting bigger and incrementally independent, I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be able to spend more one-on-one time with my fabulous husband.

Chris and I marvel often at the fortune in our lives and appreciate the people who make it possible. Much love to our family and friends who have read this blog for five (!) years - Merry Christmas!!

Love, Jenn, Chris, Annika & Declan

When the cave girl met the dinosaur

Apparently Neanderthals and dinosaurs did not co-exist. I say, what is history if we can't re-write it?


Here's a picture of the kids at the Negrete annual Halloween bash. Though it cuts off the top of her head, I like the picture because it really captures them at play. And their craziness.


This is right before we went trick-or-treating. Declan lasted about an hour, Annika lasted 2.5.

Oh, and did I mention...THE GIANTS WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!

Pumpkin patch

Pumpkin Patch time! We got dressed in patch-appropriate gear, drove to the patch, ran around trying to get some good pictures in the patch (not very successfully), bought three pumpkins from the patch, got Annika really mad because we told her she couldn't go into the jumpy house at the patch, got back into the car...and then as soon as the car started, it began to rain. Ha! We win, Pumpkin Patch! You LOSE.

Stuff that's happened

We've had some fun the last few weeks.

Well, unless you count each of the 49ers' heartbreaking losses. And by heartbreaking; I mean embarrassing. But we did try and get into the spirit the weekend before last:

Chris actually noted they were winning for the 10 minutes all three of them were wearing the jerseys. Of course, this was during a September heat wave, and those jerseys don't really breathe and they each got too hot. Our commitment matches that of the 49ers.

Then Declan got his first haircut! Sadly I got some pretty crappy pictures because he wouldn't stay still, but I think we were able to capture the essence of the Before & After:

He was decently behaved for the ordeal, but was not like Annika's first cut who didn't move an inch and was completely quiet and obedient. Not that I compare! But he did a lot better than I thought and the end result is my baby who's turning into a little boy before my eyes. Can't lie...that bums me out.

Then yesterday Annika went to her "best friend's" birthday party. Her best friend is a friend from preschool and her mother and I are so taken by how cute they are together. This was her first "drop off" birthday party where she hung out on her own and we weren't there to smooth over the rough edges. The best friend's mom reported Annika was "a little angel" so I'll choose to believe that.

It was a princess themed party, so we dressed for the occasion, complete with a Hello Kitty clutch purse. She behaved like an angel...and looks like one, too!

Bonding

Now that Annika is a bit older, she likes to watch more sophisticated TV programs. Please keep in mind that this is in comparison to fare such as The Penguins of Madagascar, SpongeBob Squarepants and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

So now that she has these new tastes, we actually watch a little TV together. One of these shows include Say Yes to the Dress. In case you're not a viewer, let me briefly explain the premise - the show follows a bridal salon in NYC and the episode centers around 2-3 brides in various stages of purchasing their wedding gown. Annika gets a kick out of what they're wearing and how they behave ("Momma, why was that lady so mean?") and I just think it's a fun show. One night after watching it, I asked her if she wanted to see my wedding dress...and she did!



She called the dress "beautiful" and had a good time showing Daddy how she looked in it. Of course, she couldn't really walk. And please ignore all the boxes and bags surrounding her...we're not hoarders, I swear.

See the resemblance?

Part of the machine

Annika officially started her entry into the public school system this morning with little fanfare and a packed lunch she reported had melted before lunchtime. "The banana was disgusting!"

Her schedule is a little odd since she got the lottery-dictated "later gator" schedule which means her classroom day starts at 10:30 am. You can imagine how super convenient that is. So she goes to the on-site school daycare starting at 8am every day and is walked to and fro class at 10:30 and 2:30, respectively. Then she stays in daycare until a little before 5. It's a long day, but she's been a pretty lucky kid so far with her schedule...I have every confidence she'll adapt very well.

She told us that she made a new friend ("I am sorry to say I can't remember her name"), that her teacher was "really, really nice" and that overall, "this was the best day of my life!" Well, OK then!

We already had homework that we wrapped up before dinner, and she's now enjoying some evening downtime.

I did not cry. I think that the process was too fascinating for me as an observer - the parents, so very many parents, having the same experience as us - watching their pride and delight and fear...and watching them all box out the other kids who were trying to get into the classroom. It was contained pandemonium and before I knew it....it was over. And so are the days where she was our very little girl whose schedule we entirely managed...she's part of the machine now. Wow...I think I'm having a delayed reaction. Bye bye!

Boring but good

Not much new going on in this here parts....oh, well, Annika is starting Kindergarten this week. Ok, that's a big deal! She's been acting up lately...maybe related to the whole life-changing thing, but maybe it's actually how 5 year olds act. We've been pretty spoiled. More to come on the Kindergarten front. For now:



We went to Sacramento last weekend to visit our cousins for their birthday party. These kids cannot travel. Declan is good for two hours; tops (Sac is a nearly 3-hour drive) and Annika (literally) asks "Are we there yet?" 448 times. I might need to work on my patience, but I vote that they need to work on their travel tolerance.

But they're so cute:



Annika asked me "Why is Declan's hair so dark?" Um, what do you mean, honey? "I mean, why is it brown while mine is blonde?" Hmmm... Darker brown? You decide:

Sit still

Getting the kids to sit still, next to each other, smile and look in the general direction of a photo lens....at the same time...very near impossible. I tried to do just that this morning. I was marginally successful.

Five alive

Happy 5th birthday (yes, it was yesterday) to a gorgeous girl who loves to play imagination games, eat gummy worms, ride tricycles, beg for dessert, make deals for cash, watch Futurama, take spare change, dance, jump, smell her blanket, cuddle her brother, write her name, ask lots and lots and lots of questions, learn about the world, swim, get pedicures, go to the park, make funny faces and hug her family.

We are lucky to know you, sweetie!

Real quick

Annika "graduated" from preschool. Sigh...the milestone industry must rake it in.





Declan is Filipino. And he needs a haircut. And he now walks 98% of the time.

First swim of the summer

Stuff and stuff

As we know from this movie, Declan turned 1 two weeks ago. (By the way, why so little comments on the movie? (Thanks Mandy) I love that song! It took me nearly two hours to put together! Come on, people. If I don't get more comments this time, I'll be forced to link to it in every post until I get enough to satisfy me. Don't test me.)

Declan got his one year check-up and is right on track physically and developmentally...he's skinny (for a child of ours), cruising in at the 50th percentile for weight and 70th for height. I know, not "skinny".

As Declan gets more aware and interactive, I see the relationship between him and his sister grow. She loves to help out with him and he generally is annoyed by that...but no one can make him smile wider. Makes me miss my own brother!



Annika graduates preschool in a month. Yes, I said "graduates." I might think the ceremony is ridiculous, but I'll be the first fool there taking pictures! Don't you worry.

Declan hates milk.

Annika is starting to clean up after herself.

Declan had the croup.

Annika had the croup.

I have the stomach flu.

I love my family.