card sharks

Katie has been talking about Valentine's Day for awhile now. We started a list of people she wants to send cards to.

The list has grown and grown. I warned Katie that we were looking at a lot of cards this year.

We decided to have a little card-making party to tackle the task.

I think the kids had fun. But, you wouldn't know it looking at these pictures.

Making cards is apparently serious business.

Looking through my pictures I have zero smiling faces.

But they did make some great-looking cards. I like seeing the creativity. Lia even made a pop-up card! I wish I had taken a picture of it.

Katie made a series of very uniform cards, very unusual for my more-is-better girl.

Maddie was a card-making machine and made more than 20 cards.

Mission complete.

open waters

Katie refuses to swim more than 3 feet in her swim class. Any further and she insists her teacher keep her hand under her stomach (so she knows she's there).

I recorded this little video this week...

Apparently, if she's close enough to the edge she feels "safe."

Man that girl can be such a head case (I mean that in the nicest, most loving way possible of course).

On the other end of the fear/no fear spectrum there is my two-year old. She is now actually swimming about 5-6 feet by herself.

Bring on summer!

hanging in the o.c.

L.A. has many a con including the fact that it's huge and it sits between me and my little brother.

Driving through it is like rolling the dice when it comes to traffic. Throw your kids in the mix and the stakes get even higher.

This week we headed down so the girls could visit Amy, Scott and baby Charlotte again.

We just saw Charlotte last week, and I swear she's already so much bigger!

We visited one of my teen houses of worship the first night. Man, that place is big. Makes our mall look well, rinky dink.

After dinner we treated ourselves to some See's hence Mo's stash and goat.

The next morning we checked out children's museum that looms over the 5 freeway.

We pull up, Katie sees the gigantic cube structure and says, "Mom, how are we going to balance in there?!"

Scotty and I had fun throwing balls in the exhibit that measured mph, shooting pucks with a hockey stick and more.

"Hey girls, do you want to see pucks shot at Uncle Scott?!"

"Yeh!"

We called this exhibit Create Your Own Child Molester because everyone we tried to make ended up looking quite frightening.

I like seeing my little brother with my kids -- even when he's helping to administer first aid (applying a band aide on the tiniest, read: practically non-existent boo-boo).

Thanks for hosting us Uncle Scott and Auntie Amy!

one of many reasons why bloggy friends are great

Awhile back Kellie over at ricebabies asked us to send her a drawing of a person or character.

Kaitlyn drew and then painted a picture of herself in a blue dress with a crown on her head.

This week the most wonderful gift arrived in the mail.

A doll created from her painting -- blue dress, green shoes, removable crown and all.

Katie who doesn't have a lot of dolls (I think we have two in the house) is IN LOVE. She immediately named the doll Sara (?). And, later that night Sara took a coveted spot in bed with her next to the exalted white bear.

And, Kellie was sweet enough to include a little something for Maddie too which she wore yesterday and is currently wearing now.

Thank you so much Kellie, it was soooo sweet of you.

the wiz meets electric boogaloo

no bathing suit. no problem.

Went to a party for a friend's birthday tonight at the beach. I didn't bring bathing suits for the girls since we were going for dinner and a bonfire.

Silly me.

a tale of four night stands

Two things have prompted this post.

1) I've been playing with my new speedlite.

2) I like nightstands. I know peculiar, right? I feel they are tell-tale about the person. Maybe I'll make a coffee table book on nightstands someday.

What's on your nightstand?

Here are ours...

We all have painted rocks on our nightstands. I painted the two for the girls, and Katie painted the two for us.

Mine is the most cluttered -- but if you know me well it will make complete sense to you.

baby charlotte

My little brother and Amy had their baby on Dec. 28.

I had the opportunity to go and visit mama Amy this weekend. The Little Wickies were bummed to stay at home, but I figured I wouldn't be that helpful with them in tow.

Baby Charlotte is, well -- just beautiful.

Sweet girl would give little smiles in her sleep.

I love how you can see evidence of the baby everywhere in their place.

My brother the sommelier has formula stacked atop a case of cabernet sauvignon while a baby activity mat leans against his wine cooler.

We took Charlotte to her first shabu shabu restaurant and crazy aunty-razzi was still taking pictures.

I napped with Charlotte this weekend.

It's funny how you forget all the sighing noises and squeaks a tiny baby makes while sleeping.

Just love all the little parts.

Welcome baby Charlotte. It was a pleasure meeting you.

she has been waiting

for this day to come.

After watching big sis in classes and on stage Mo was more than excited for her very own: first day of ballet class.

"I do baway!" she kept proclaiming over and over again.

I couldn't seem to locate Katie's old ballet shoes, but the little leotard was as cute as I remember.

Mo's version of chassés.

top 10 of 2010

It's been a good year. Here are my top 10 photo picks for the year.

#1 - BFFs

The girls have truly become best friends this year. We moved them into the same room, their beds pushed together so they can be close. The biggest punishment for them is to be separated. Watching them play and laugh together is the best. I love hearing the conversations between them (no longer just a Kaitlyn monologue).

#2 - Little Wickies experience snow

At the end of 2009 Katie told someone, "I know where there's snow -- the mall!" (where they dump some "snow" in the parking lot one day a year). It was at that point we decided we should take the girls to actual snow.

#3 - The yellow girl

Maddie has embraced yellow as her favorite color. She will walk through a store and grab at anything yellow -- shirts, shorts, shoes -- her size or not and proclaim, "yewow e my favreet, me get dis?"

#4 - the performer

We knew Kaitlyn liked being in shows -- ballet, tap, etc. but this year she joined choir and that like turned to love. The girls received a karaoke machine for Christmas from Halmoni and now regularly stand on the fireplace (the designated stage in our house) and belt out everything from holiday songs to Broadway tunes.

#5 - my little maria

Speaking of Broadway musicals. Kaitlyn decided this year to be Maria from the Sound of Music for Halloween. You have no idea how happy I was after a year of being obsessed with princesses (they still dress up as them all the time, but this was a surprising and refreshing ask from Katie)

#6 - fashion by Mo

I no longer dress either girl -- they won't let me. While Mo's personality is fairly easy-going, when she wants something, she can be more than adamant. You've gotta love what they think looks great.

#7 - things that spin, drop and fly

Kaitlyn got her fill of rides this year as we were fortunate enough to experience Disneyland for the first time (thanks again Chris), Legoland and Seaworld. The good: Katie was tall enough to go on a lot of rides by herself; the bad: Maddie doesn't seem to share her sister's passion for having her equilibrium shaken.

#8 -we heart the beach

Whenever it was warm enough (and even on some days that weren't) we dropped just about everything and headed to the beach. After a good rainfall this Spring we were treated to wildflowers on the hillsides which made our regular beach that much more beautiful.

#9 - this girl

Start a sentence with "who likes..." and Maddie's hand shoots up regardless of how that sentenced is finished. Ask, "Who likes to eat garbage?!" and she will happily reply, "me!"

#10 - appreciation
...for each other -- our wonderful friends, for the ocean, for our family.

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous 2011!

the singing sheep of bethlehem

On Christmas Eve Kaitlyn sang with her choir. She was uber-excited because she got to sing a solo.

Packed chapel, bright lights -- stage fright?

Not this little girl.

The grin on her face when she grabs the microphones says it all.


It's times like this I wish I had a fancy telephoto lens.

Halmoni made us promise we'd put up pictures and video so she could see.

Click here for the video.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas!