To the West

Chaos, in three words that start with the letter 'A'. Annaka, Adelyn, and Andrea.

We had the wonderful opportunity to spend a few days on the west coast of Washington during the last part of Naomi's spring break. Knowing how hard it is to travel with a baby and two very very active children we opted to cram as many events into the few days as possible. What is the worst that could happen right?

We started with an uneventful car ride west. Uneventful really means that we made it without having to listen to a screaming child(ren) during the last couple hours. The grand plan was that if the baby was happy then we drove... and that is exactly what we did (sorry Annaka and Adelyn). Even with our ingenious plan the trip took well into eight hours with a few dictated stops.

We rolled into Lacy (Tacoma area) for our first couple nights lodging with Naomi's uncle. We had a wonderful time visiting with them in the evenings. All the girls quickly took to their new found grandparents and were as lively as ever. During the days we enjoyed the Seattle Aquarium, a Harbor Tour, Woodland Park Zoo, and the Crab Pot. Our stay with the in-laws would be incomplete without a trip to the Honey Pig and some wonderful Korean fare. A wonderful time was had by all especially with baby Andrea's first time visiting her great aunt and uncle.

Part two was a bit more stressful but well worth it. We headed up to Bellevue for my youngest cousin's wedding. We managed to get a little time with family and a trip to the Pacific Science Center and Space Needle all while enjoying a mini game of leap frog through Seattle area traffic.

The wedding was amazing. It was quite beautiful and so much effort was put into the entire evening. Congratulations Kyle and Kristen! (So much went into this evening I cant even describe them all but I will at least mention a few of our favorites). We enjoyed: Family Photos, Ceremony with cousin Bryan officiating and all the Edwards cousins as flower peoples, a Photo Booth, a Candy Bar, a pasta dinner, Drinks, Dancing, Ceremony, Toasts, and much more. We decided that we would stay at the wedding as long as were were physically able. (i.e. how long would the girls last?) The next day would all be traveling back home, tired children would be welcome.

All three of our girls, with all the other events of the week under their belt, did a pretty darn amazing job. Annaka and Adelyn danced nearly all night long. They each loved it oh so much. Annaka only broke down when cousin Zane was so tired of dancing with Annaka that he didnt want her to grab his hands anymore. Andrea, such a blessing child, was her always charming self. Snagging any passerby with the batting of her eyes and easy smile. We finally headed out after Cinderella's coach would have turned into a pumpkin. We somehow managed (painfully) to get all the girls tucked away for the night.

The ride home was uneventful and we enjoyed a few random detours and missed turns. However, it was not painful as the girls slept... a lot... Thank you lord for your blessings, we needed it.

So much into so few days. Needless to say we are tired and feeling the financial pinch. We are still recovering and will probably be recovering for a few more days... or months. To prove my point this morning after getting all the girls dressed, fed, and in the car and everything else needed for a Tuesday morning. Naomi frantically turns to me.

Naomi:"Hey, *frantic* Where are my keys?"

Caleb: "In your coat?"
Naomi:"No..i checked"

Caleb: "Did you wear that coat yesterday?"

Naomi: "No, i wore that one *pointing to other coat*. But I already checked those pockets."

Caleb: "Well... is there anywhere els...*interruption*"

(At this point I am not sure if I notice or Naomi notices that her keys... were in her hand. THE ENTIRE TIME. I guess Wonder Woman has her moments too!)

We have some pictures we will try to post that show the girls doing their thing in the west. All in all it was a very successful trip. To reiterate something we already knew but is now very fresh in our minds... traveling with three young children is quite the chore. Now back to work before we travel again to see April graduate.

Dancing is contagious.

Dancing anyone? After a enjoyable movie "Despicable Me", we plugged in the iPhone and iPad to the speakers for an impromptu dance session. With the three girls, two absolutely LOVE to dance and one LOVES watching it. As you can see in this first video. Dancing is hard... and can be hazardous. Adelyn has a very close relationships with her sister's stomach and the floor.



I figured I am pretty much in for the long haul so why fight it. I held my own, shaking my booty right along with a waving toddler and a princess. I am not sure how long we were dancing. All I know is dancing with two young girls in your arms is work... real work! So is running in circles... enjoy the videos.

The Princess Pancake

We often get up on Saturday and go to breakfast in Kettle Falls. This morning we bundled up and braved the somewhat icy roads so we could have a princess pancake. Aren't local joints that know who you are and do special things for your kids pretty darn cool?

The Somersault

Annaka is showing Adelyn how to do a somersault. Adelyn gets the idea but, needs some warm up spinning before she gets down to business. It reminds me of what our dog does before he lays down somewhere.




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Know when to hold em.

Here are a few pictures of Andrea. Also a few of Andrea and her older sister Annaka. Annaka absolutely loves to hold her sister. Enjoy while we wait for Carrie to have her new one... Today! She was induced earlier this morning... now we wait and pray that all goes well.

Chaos and Candy

No big fancy Halloween party this year. Instead we enjoyed the community trick-or-treating at the school and then headed over to Elliott's house to try out some real trick-or-treating.

Let me tell you, it was quite the experience. I do not remember actually trick-or-treating door to door when I was younger. I do remember dressing up but usually only for school. Thus for me, the entire going from house to house was a bit uncomfortable. I did have a secret weapon or two. Not a light saber or numchucks but a Princess that kept stepping on her dress and a horribly content little ladybug. Luckily, for my self and some little teeth, my little girls were not going to be able to solicit the entire neighborhood. Instead they were joyfully treated along one street. The cold really set in as Ratnali and I along with Spider-Man, Cinderella, and a Ladybug headed back up the hill to the house. I do believe that with the cold or not Adelyn would have kept going until she dropped from the dead weight of her candy loot.

The rest of the night we enjoyed watching all the many many trick-or-treaters ring El and Whits door bell in full garb. Elliott kept us well entertained confusing the many older kids and treating the little ones.

Color-*er-Counting Sheep

As we were getting Adelyn for bed last night Annaka was practicing all that she has been learning in pre-school. Leaving our master bedroom into the living room Naomi called out "Annaka you need to get ready for bed!" I quickly returned to the bedroom to let Naomi know bedtime was pretty much a done deal. I then headed for the camera. Annaka had fallen asleep coloring in her Korean styled coloring book and on a sheep no less (a gift from her aunt 'T'). We enjoyed a laugh or two at the sight. Then after her photo shoot I grabbed her pajamas and then her. As I was lifting her up she told me "ahh...mm...I am ready ... for bed..." but I already knew that.

Potato Head

Annaka, Adelyn and I recently visited my parents and their garden. Our mission (which we chose to accept) was to kill some time, eat some strawberries, and dig some potatoes (get dirty). We were successful on all accounts. Even in hunting the elusive potato. All the potatoes I would unearth were all too common; too visible; too sooo last minute for Annaka (Adelyn could care less). Annaka didn't want to pick up those potatoes. Nope! She would dig to find the really"hidden treasures" before unceremoniously dumping them into the white five gallon bucket. All in all it was an enjoyable way to spend an hour or so. On the plus side we had hash brown makings for a few weeks.

A day or so later I walked in our front door. To find our bucket of treasure about half as full as it was. Ironically I didn't see any potatoes anywhere. Well, I didn't see them at first. I will post a picture here. Perhaps you can spot where the potatoes ran off to.

Yep, I did find them. They were safely tucked away as mini clansmen hidden behind well formed plastic and comfortable foam walls. I did asked Annaka how this happened and she quickly surrendered her younger sister. I asked again later and she was more hesitant and told me that she had only helped Adelyn. So at this point I am not sure if Annaka or Adelyn or both did this. I do know that Naomi, myself, and Jindol had absolutely nothing to do with it (as is the case with many things in our house). Now who will clean the dirt out of the helmets?

A full day in Silverwood

Up early I packed up the car with all the necessities for our trip to Silverwood. "Our" trip as in Annaka and myself. Adelyn is too young yet to enjoy 95% of the park. Naomi, with only a couple months left of pregnancy, had no interest in the long drive, screaming kids and spinning rides. I pulled the groggy little girl out of bed tucked her into the car and headed off for our Daddy-Daughter day.

The car ride was fairly uneventful in the sense that we didn't have any accidents, see bigfoot, or witness any high speed chases. We only stopped five times. One stop for breakfast, one for a potty break, one for coffee and hot chocolate, one for the second potty break, and finally once more for a final and oh so necessary potty break. Who knew little girls could potty that much in two and a half hours? Well I did and we arrived only a few minutes after the park opened (Daddy Win).

In any case we made it. Within sight of the Boulder Beach water slides I heard squeals of delight. After which started the constant stream of "can we ride the slides daddy, can we???". I realized I was a bit excited even with the constant stream of questions (primarily about the water slides). Bring on the chaos the day had officially started!

We eased in and enjoyed the horse carousel. We met up with my fam (My parents brother and his fam and two exchange students and a coworker and his fam) and then headed towards the big rides. First stop was the tilt-o-whirl. While waiting I realized that this was the first big test of the day. This was the first full fledged RIDE that Annaka had ever been on. Was she going to get scared? Would she like it? Would she hate it? Would she say she liked it and not want to ride anything? Would she puke all over me? (I only had one shirt so I figured puke could very well be in my future.) Then it hit me! I was nervous. I was more nervous for Annaka than I could ever remember being nervous for myself. Now I start to thinking I may just puke all over Annaka. Good thing it was a short line and it was time to load for that train of thought was taking me down some dark smelly tracks.

We were in. We were locked in. Samir and I sat on the outside with Annaka and Shalin in between. Then we were off and spinning. Thank my lucky stars she is very much like her daddy. She would giggle and grunt on the super fast spins. Our little car had plenty of delightful squeals emanating from it (Perhaps even a couple from me). All in all I was quite impressed... she LOVED it.

The day went very well. The park was full and they were very particular about height. I was not able to take Annaka on a real roller coaster as she was about 1in short. Though I am sure she would have absolutely loved it. The only time Annaka really broke down an cried was when I took her cousin Mya on the Timber of Terror (roller coaster). When we were done Mya was ecstatic and skipping down the path at my side. I came around the corner and see Annaka bawling. I tried to calm her down and find out what the problem was. It started as she was worried I had gotten hurt. Then it changed and morphed into the real issue. She was quite upset that she didn't get to go with me. It particularly sent her over the edge when Mya came skipping down the path on the top of the world.

I was pretty proud of my little trooper. I figured we would eventually have to leave because of how tired she would get. It was a cool day and even with getting one set of clothes soaked on the river ride and being shivery cold while we tried out the water slides and the play pool, she held in there. She did so well that we ended up meeting with Samir and Ratnali, riding some rides and then having dinner after it was dark. Annaka was still going strong as I walked her out to our car. I buckled her in and asked if she had a good time. She definitely had! I told her "it will be the same long trip home and you should just go to sleep". She told me "ok" and that was the last sound out of her. She was out like a light. I even made it home without taking any potty stops. I think I may really enjoy these Daddy / Daughter outings.

If there was ever a time you didnt think our darling little Annaka was as weird and crazy as Naomi or I... well, you were mistaken. As you can see I have proof. Annaka strolled over to where I was sitting with her googley batty eyes. Needless to say I had my self a good laugh before running to grab the camera. I was surprised at her blind dexterity in her journey past the gauntlet of baby toys strewn about... without even peeking.

There are some days that Annaka can look as beautiful as ever. This is one of my favorites. It was a choice snap in between being too sisterly and causally painting the house with clutter.

You cant quite see it here but Adelyn is not lacking many teeth. There has been more than one occasion where upon the return of a crawlabout she would be rolling something around in her cheeks. I just wish Naomi would let me know when she gives Adelyn little things like bites of apple. It may save me many many sore fingers.

Naomi and Annaka making some wonderful home made pizza. They do such wonderful work.

Well, sadly that is all the pics that I have to blog so far tonight. I have been taking video. The problem with my video is the lack of support for my new OS (Windows 7). I vow to find a way and share the love of Annaka tickling Adelyn, Adelyn crawling around, and more. Soon... I hope.

I never knew that I had an internal "it has been too quiet timer". This morning, way too early on a Sunday, I know that Annaka is awake. I can also tell Annaka is doing something she is not supposed to be. It is my wake up call. It is not the gentle beep beep beep of an ever intensifying alarm. It is the bed cover ripping, splash of awareness that pulls you instantly from that warm cocoon. After the whiplash and the aftermath of discipline I piece together the events like any good CSI. Annaka had gotten into one of my iridescent paints. In the end she had paint on a chair, the floor, her chest, her leg, and hands. She did also get some paint on her paper. In her painting preparation, as any good artist, she primed the palette with her colors. Granted it was a single color but half of the ten circles were primed with the paint ready for the creation of a master piece... or more mess. As it was, this meticulous preparation was her downfall. Getting the paint from the bottle to the palette resulted in paint all over her paint brush. Her paint brush then dribbled paint down the front of her chest. A dropped paint brush resulted in plenty of paint for the floor. Finally, rubbing a drip off her skin resulted in something on her hand that when rubbed together with her other hand spread the sparkle of the paint all over her palms. Sparkles everywhere. That meant sparkles for me and a groggy cleanup.

I had my second "it has been too quiet" moment of the day a few minutes ago. I was lounging on the couch when I heard the oh-so-quiet crinkle of a package. I figure I either have mice enjoying a meal or Annaka is getting into something in the pantry. I am instantly pulled from the couch, through the kitchen and utility room, to the pantry. What I see is Annaka rock climbing up to the top shelf of our pantry shelves. She has her back to me, thank God. If she had seen me she would have seen me stifle a smile and barely keep from laughing. Annaka had climbed up the selves one by one all the way to the very top. At the peak she dug through a box and tossed her treat to the ground. This is eye level for me. I watched as she slowly descended to the floor. At this point she finally notices me and nonchalantly picks up her snack. Being about bedtime I replaced sugar with a cucumber and a smile. Note to self.. this girl can climb!

The girls are asleep. This means it is time to ice the leg and get some sleep.

Pictures of the girls.

This last weekend the only thing I really accomplished besides cleaning the kitchen was taking these pictures. I had both of the girls for the weekend while Naomi was working on her Pro Certification. Enjoy!

This morning I took Annaka outside with me as I worked around the house. I started cleaning up the shop area of my garage. (I havent organized it since we moved in.) Our garage door was open so that Annaka could play outside and I could still keep track of her. She was quite content in her playing so I had to peek at what she was doing. What I found made me chuckle. Annaka had found scrap blocks and a couple smaller pieces of wood from the wood pile and turned them into her custom set of blocks. I had to go and get the camera. The first picture is of Annaka and her castle that she built. The other two are of the boat that she made after finishing her castle.

Like in my previous post Annaka decided she wanted me to lay down with her. How can you say no to "daddy... can you lay down wiff me for a widdle bit..... just a widdle bit?" I dont know many people that would be able to say no to such an adorable request... I know I failed. Annaka=WIN:Daddy=WIN :D

My daughter never ceases to amaze me. Annaka has taken to always wanting either Naomi or I to snuggle her in her bed while she goes to sleep. Every once in a while I will. Though I usually tell her "Only for a little while". She usually agrees and then snuggles up (one of my favorite parts). The humorous part is that in the process of snuggling she always takes her hand and latches onto the top of my shirt collar. Only then will she try to get comfortable and close her eyes. This can often mean quite a bit of tossing and turning for that perfect position... but she never lets go of my collar. She apparently has to know precisely when I will be trying to sneak out and go to bed myself. About the only way I have found to make it out of there when she is not quite asleep (without a lot of whimpering) is to kiss her little hand, remove it from my shirt and then give her forehead a kiss along with a "good night". For some reason that works well enough for her to finally accept the inevitable and drift off to sleep.


Leg Update: This last week I have started going to physical therapy to better the flexiblity in my ankle. My knee seems to have retained it flexibility and only has some minor swelling after any prolonged weight or movement. I can still feel the fibula click every once in a while but the Dr. said to not worry it will heal. This past weekend I was even able to mow the lawn fully, do all the trimming and other maintenance jobs. I even cut a small truck load of firewood on Sunday. The full heal with take some time I will no longer be a burden... definitely a plus.

Smiles

The planets and stars are aligned! I caught a few pictures of both of the girls smiling last night.

Poo Awareness - Another Mommy Super Power

Now that we have successfully cared for a child into toddlerhood and are currently caring for a newborn, I assumed I had reached an incredible awareness and knowledge of poo. Silly me, there is at least one more level (the last I hope) in Poo Awareness. Much like a skill that must be leveled while your game character journeys through game quests, I too, must level my Poo Awareness skill through experience in the quests life gives us (Journey to Walmart, Trip to Beach, MusikGarten Expedition, etc). And, much like the fun gaming world we learn by failing miserably many... many times. In fact, I hear my 2 month old pooping now...

+1 Poo Awareness you sensed poo
-1 Poo Awareness you change her immediately You suffer 10 carpet damage
-1 Poo Awareness you changed her too late. You suffer 5 baby crying points. Pay 5 sanity points to heal [diaper rash]
+15 Poo Awareness you changed her at the right time! You loot [happy baby]

Alas, my epic battle continues, even when I feel like logging off for the evening to get some much needed rest. Would I let someone else potty train Annaka? At this point, likely. However, she is my little grown up baby and I love her dearly! Caleb and I will have beautiful stories to tell her first boyfriend... when she's... like, 30ish.

You bought [Carpet Steam Cleaner]. +10 carpet defense.

Caleb and I have invested in a lovely carpet steam cleaner that will most likely see its fair share of use if it doesn't completely explode on us during this time.

Sorry for the icky topic... however, those of you who are mommies and daddies, I'm sure, will find some humor in this.

Waking Up

Today I was really hoping Annaka would sleep in since she went to bed last night around 11 pm. For some reason she was just wired last night. Unfortunately, Annaka did not sleep in and was up by 7:30. A little while after Caleb left for work Annaka asked me for some milk and I turned to see her standing next to the bed holding the open carton of milk and a nearly full cup of milk. Well, that will get you out of bed pretty fast. I took both open containers and went to the kitchen to find the missing cap as well as a lid for her cup of milk. This is where I found the milk soaked towel from her cleaning up her mess. Needless to say, I was impressed. And, not bad for a first time do-it-yourself drink.

On a more random note, I was sitting in the living room nursing Adelyn and watching The Price is Right when I saw someone on TV that reminded me of someone I saw in Spokane's Northtown Mall once. Picture this. A friend and I were sitting in the food court enjoying some Edo Japan when along came a group of mennonites. Normally, this would not cause me any concern or even a second thought. That day, however, I was struck by the garb of one lady in particular. She was wearing what would be described as a typical mennonite dress, cap, stockings and shoes. She did, however, have a little extra flair that was strikingly unnatural for her outfit. The entire dress was covered in swanky sequins! It was like the over-the-top detail from a $60 prom dress, delicately layed on a simple cotton sack. Even her cap had sparkles on it. I found myself giggling so hard I was afraid they might notice. Even though, I was pretty sure neither she or any of the others would have turned around to kick the crap out of me. Still, I was not interested in making a clearly dolled up mennonite cry. And, as she walked away I couldn't help but wonder, what kind of function was she on her way to? Perhaps that's what she wears to hang out in the mall? In any case, it was a new one by me and obviously striking enough for me to remember a few months later.

Play Time

I imagine the best part of being two is every moment of the day is play time. Annaka has been used to going to the babysitter's house on a daily basis and getting good play time with the cousins. Since Adelyn arrived she has been staying home with Mom and baby. I think sometimes she feels like I'm totally no fun, especially when I'm feeding Adelyn. Poor girl. It is, however, hilarious to watch what she comes up with on a daily basis. Her imagination is incredible and I envy her ability to think out of the box. For example why shouldn't you wear a mitten on one hand in June? In your face MJ.

Annaka and Daddy out back playing some tee ball. She is still learning to connect bat and ball. This is a picture of one of the few contacts. But, what she lacks in accuracy she makes up for in power.

Notice Jindol is not close.

The chickens are still Annaka's favorite toy. They don't, however, seem to reciprocate. Annaka is chasing this one down after it escaped from her.

Shaalin and Annaka are great friends and only 3 months apart in age. It seems Annaka is in charge in this photo making Shaalin drag her around the yard. Funny, I would never have predicted this kind of use for the garden bucket.

Smiles

What could possibly top watching your child smile at you the very first time? Well, both smiling back at the same time of course!!!


She's smiling... I swear!

Annaka gives a cheesy smile

Adelyn poses

The two in matching dresses