Susan

I see very few people from my high school days -- in fact, I really only see two people. Susan has lived on the East Coast since we graduated high school, yet she is one of them.

Luckily, she comes and visits me and the only other friend I still see regularly from high school, Carrie.

I love seeing her with our kids.

She doesn't have kids but she so great with them.

The kids rode and scooted to the park together.

Katie absolutely loves Jake -- I think it's between him and Zach.

I've known Carrie since I was 5 years old and seeing our kids playing together always makes me smile.

The Real Deal

No more worm-break-dancing, seal-out-of-water moves.

Maddie's crawling for real now!

Just Window Surfing Today

I'm in love with this little dress from Garnet Hill. It's a sweater knit on top and then transitions into a woven skirt.

With the cardigan -- too much.

First Bath

I was really tired on Friday and both girls needed to get clean, so throwing them in the tub together seemed like a good idea.

I'm pretty sure I never put Katie in the big tub when she was this young.

It's funny how you forget things so fast. I can't remember when I first put Katie in the big girl tub. I had to go back and look to see when she first started crawling. I have no idea how many ounces of milk she drank when she was 6 months old. And, how many times a day did I fed her solid foods at this age?

A Day With Good Friends

Our dearest friends the Kwasts moved to Michigan awhile back. We only see them once or twice a year now if we're lucky. They were in town this week visiting some family and we snuck in a (rainy) day with them.

We took our brood to the Long Beach Aquarium since most of it was inside.

Of course the part that was outside had water play. So, the kids played with water in the rain.

Katie has a tendency to bolt ahead which can be nerve-racking when there are a lot of people in a dimly-lit place. I told her to hold Zach's hand.

She obliged.

And never let go.

We used to hang out with Jason and Jeni all the time before any of us had kids. It's hard to believe we have five kids now between the two couples. Life is crazy.

Katie has been asking all week when we are going to go and visit the Kwasts in Michigan.

"Someday, when Maddie gets a little older," we keep telling her.

Unless we can get them to move here...

We miss you Kwasties!

The Anti-Sartorialist

In the house and

on the street...

This weekend we were watching the All-Star game and Craig Sager is interviewing Kobe Bryant in his uniform. As always Sager is wearing a ridiculous suit including a red striped shirt, a pink blazer, bright red pants and shiny red alligator shoes (sorry couldn’t find a picture, but here is a link to the video if you must see).

A sample of what his wardrobe generally looks like is on the right here.

So, Song says, “Katie look at this man’s silly outfit!”

Katie looks up at the television and says, “Which one?”

Love so true I graffiti it

Well, actually my husband is supposed to replace our dilapidated fence, and I thought painting on it would light some embers resulting in a more timely built fence. No, we have no new fence yet but there is a reason (see “Thumb” story below).

On this truest day of love (I don’t care if it was made up by Hallmark) I give you my one and only Song -- the man who actually injured himself bowling of all things. Yes, you heard me – bowling. His thumb has been twice the size the other for almost three weeks now. I keep nagging him to go to the doctor.

He keeps proclaiming, “I think it’s getting better,” and “It’s turning a corner Becky,” and other nonsense remarks.

Hence between the thumb incident and the rain we have no new fence.

But, I do have to give the love of my life props. He cleans, he has no problem taking care of the girls by himself, he is always encouraging me to go out with my friends and telling me to spend money on myself.

Except for the “big thumbs up” he is now able to give – oh, and the snoring -- in so many ways he is absolutely perfect.

Happy V-day babycakes!

Love,

Me & the Little Wickies

Cooking Lesson Jitters

This weekend I'm teaching my very first cooking lesson. I'm pretty excited. I've been prepping for it all week (yes, mostly during Quiet Time). I've made little recipe books for everyone...

I completely panicked on Monday realizing I didn't even have enough matching chopsticks for everyone. I mean, how can you teach Chinese cooking lessons and not even have enough chopsticks for everyone, right?

Quick trip to Cost Plus...anxiety resolved.

Wish me luck this weekend!

Strawberry Season is Here...Finally!

The farm behind us has had a sign up for close to month hailing "Opening Feb. 4." Katie has been waiting for months for the stand to open up so we can buy strawberries.

In anticipation, Song drew a little strawberry on her calendar on the 4th so she knew when we could go get our first flat (they X out each day on the calendar before she goes to bed.)

Feb. 4th came, we played it up. Katie told us "I so eccited (excited)." We went to the little booth to find the sign had changed to "Opening Feb. 10."

Bummer.

Feb. 10th comes, I pile the kids in the car we drive over to the booth to find the sign now reads "Opening Feb. 11th."

"Those people are kind of sneaky," says Katie.

My sentiments exactly.

Alas, our Feb. 11th pilgrimage was a success. Good thing because I'm not sure how much longer me and my 3-year old could hold out for this fruity goodness.

I Heart Quiet Time

One of my very worst nightmares materialized last month -- Katie stopped taking her nap.

Her nap was like clockwork for what seemed like forever -- punching in at 1 p.m. and out at 3 p.m. Refreshed from her nap she was a new child, ready to take on the rest of the day.

In January bedtime got really hard. She would throw huge tantrums -- complete with the whole "I'm going to get sick" routine. Night after night bedtime was a struggle. My husband literally needed a drink some nights. And I, well I guess I just blogged more about happy and funny things trying not to think about the little monster she had become at night.

Finally we decided to drop naps altogether and -- wa-lah -- bedtime issues disappeared.

Since then I have instituted Quiet Time. I stole this from my friend Carrie. Quiet Time rules are simple: No Talking. This means no asking questions, no making loud noise, no television... silence.

It's only a hour, but I RELISH Quiet Time.

Katie normally has Quiet Time on the couch. We get her all cozy, pick some books out and she peruses them.

Sometimes this happens...


Which means we'll be in for it at bedtime.

But what can you do? I mean the girl falls asleep in an upright position!

Why We Still Use Bedrails

Before the Rains

It's been raining for two whole days -- that's forever in 3-year old land. Today in the car on the way home from an indoor play gym Katie asked, "When is the sun from the other side going to come back so we go to the park with my friends again?"

Other side? Not sure what that means. I reminded her that we did go the park with her friends earlier this week before it started raining.

Her response was a blank stare as if I was wah-wahing like an adult in a Peanuts cartoon.

So, instead we reminisiced about what we did at the park this week with her friends...

We made pancakes.

We played "traffic jam" on the slide until someone got hurt (learned this game from dad -- thanks dad).

We played Red Light, Green Light with Auntie Jayne.

Auntie Jayne's version of the game includes Blue Light during which all participants do somersaults.

There is also Pink Light where jumping jacks are performed.

Needless to say I was picking leaves out of Katie's hair later that afternoon.

Maddie and Wyatt looked on from the peanut gallery.

Later everyone played Red Rover.

Red Rover, Red Rover send Cody on over...

Little Green Thumbs

Yesterday we had a Mama and Katie day. We went to the movies (a bit of a bust) and we went out and picked up a lot, and I mean a lot of flowers to plant.

It was quite a random selection of foliage she picked -- not that I expected a 3-year old's choices to be all that coordinated.

Today we took on the task of planting and, of course the perfect gardening outfit needed to be worn.

She always wears the same pants when she gardens -- her pink camouflage pants. I'm not sure how that started exactly. She calls her them "cow pants" because apparently she thinks the print looks more "moo" than Marines.

Cow pants were topped by the St. Patrick's Day shirt we bought yesterday that she demanded to wear today.

And, of course, no outfit is complete without a hat.



Katie loves "gardening," and yes the quotes are intentional. She mostly just likes to dig in the dirt and spray water everywhere.

I don't care -- I just love seeing that girl happy even though in the end we mostly just make mud.

Because...

Two heads are better than one...