Plays Well With Others. Mostly.

Keira reminds me of me in this way (besides being stubborn and hating to be told what to do): she loves following her brother around and really just wants his attention and wants to do things with him. However, unlike me, her brother is almost 3 years older than she is (my brother is 20 months older than I) and, since she doesn't talk well yet, there's a bit of a communication gap. You know how it goes: an 18-month old want her brother's attention so she scratches him. Or takes his cars. Or bonks him on the head with a toy phone.

None of this goes over big with the brother. And I don't think Quinn is buying it when I say that she just wants to play with him. But really, she just wants to race cars with him. Or play chase. Or "build" something with him in his Bob the Builder workshop. (I, on the otherhand, found myself playing that crazy vibrating electric football game - yes, I'm dating myself here! - or playing with tractors in the sandbox and stuff like that; but it's really all the same, no? Life as the adoring little sister....)

But anyway, occasionally, I get to see my kids in moments like this, and it is just fabulous. Playing nicely together. All of their own accord.
Ahhh, that warm-fuzzy feeling of parenthood!

Home Schooling

This post isn't about me home schooling the kids - although a post on homeschooling in general will be coming up soon. No, this post is about me getting schooled. In staying at home.

As in, if your daughter - during the course of a single day - eats part of a lilac crayon, a bit of a dried leaf, a little tidbit of a foamy baseball, but not one single piece of fruit, do you get a failing grade in mommyhood?

Or, if during the course of that same day, you forget to put sunscreen completely on your son's body before he heads off to mini sports camp for the afternoon and he comes home with his first ever sunburn on his nose and neck, do you get a failing grade in mommyhood?

These are the things I'm thinking about tonight. As I'm gathering up my white jacket and my RPh license to head back to a little part-time work tomorrow.

Oh yeah, does going back to work mean that you totally failed stay-at-home mommyhood?

So much for my 4.0. Good thing I'm not applying for a graduate degree in this!

Lucky Number 18

Eight is a lucky number in China, as are other numbers with 8 in them. (By the way, the Beijing Olympics are set to begin on August 8, 2008.) At any rate, Miss K's b-day is December 18. We met her on December 18. So, obviously we agree that eighteen is one of those lucky numbers. Oh, and as a Colts fan, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this year's Super Bowl MVP is #18. My Mandarin teacher predicted that the Colts would win the Super Bowl, basing her prediction solely on Peyton's jersey number. (Of course, she predicted this the year before last, when the Steelers ousted them early; but hey, she was eventually right!)
Anyway, back on track.
Keira.
Number 18.
So yesterday, the 18th of June, Keira was 18 months old.
We couldn't let all this lucky day business go by, uncelebrated. So celebrate we did.
We had a Half-Birthday Party for Supergirl.
Well, the term party may be a stretch. We basically just had cake and ice cream for her here at home, just the 4 of us. But it was pretty festive nonetheless. As you can see for yourself below, she was into the cake a bit more this time around, compared to her feelings about 6 months ago.
Of course, she's a bit more into us this time around too! Yippee!

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It may only be my half-birthday, but can't you do better than trying to pass off a BK crown as a b-day hat?

Wait....I'm getting cake??!

Nice touch, mom - a candle and a half!

Oh yeah, this is great!

Ahhhhh, that was fun!

The Best Father's Day Gift Ever....Almost

You think I'm going to go on about how our 2 terrific kids are the best gift ever? Well, the thought crossed my mind. But really, here's the best thing: I lost my voice this weekend. How about that? What man doesn't want his wife to be voiceless (and therefore unable to nag, prod, complain, etc) all weekend long? And on Father's Day weekend, no less.
Nearly perfect.
Except for this: I got some virus to go along with it. So, after the plain bliss of no voice on Friday, the rest of the weekend I had some ridiculous headache, runny and stuffy nose, cough, etc. So, Super Dad got a chance to prove himself by doing nearly everything for most of the weekend.
And he came through with flying colors.

Before being virus-laden and nearly useless for a while, I did manage to take the kids out for a "secret mission" earlier in the week. We got some pix taken here for pops. Both kids did a great job, I think. It may have a little something to do with the bribe of ice cream afterward. But hey, is there a mom out there not above a bit of food bribery? I, for one, am not. I stick with what works.
So, here are some of the (somewhat entertaining) fruits of our labor.

Miss K, looking relaxed for her photo shoot:

And maybe she's a bit too relaxed....

Here they are both chillin':

Mr. (G)Q:

After the general kiddo pix, I wanted to try to get a few of Keira in this outfit we bought for her in China. I realized that if we didn't get it on her soon, she'd grow out of it! Jiaojiao hen piaoliang ma? Rough translation: She's lovely, eh?

So Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there (and all the single moms too, who really have to do it all!). We hope you had a great day!

Could I Have This Dance?

A favorite Canadian crooner of my mom's, Anne Murray, sings, "Could I have this dance, for the rest of my life? Would you be my partner, in every night?..."

And so today, in honor of my parents 41st wedding anniversary, here is our tribute, in photo essay format, to my mom and dad - the greatest couple I know.


Love is........

...getting a hug when you need one:

...lifting each other up, whether you think you need it or not!

...working together to solve problems:

...taking time to make a little music:

....taking a leap of faith!

....enjoying all life has to offer - together:

So, mom and dad (aka grandma and grandpa), HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! We hope you had a day that was as wonderful as you deserve. You're a great example to us all. To paraphrase my grandpa, if only we could be half as good as you are.....

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ROCK ON, Grandma and Grandpa, WE LOVE YOU!

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My Baby's Not a Baby Anymore

I'm talking about my baby sister here.
Her birthday is today....and it's a big one!

You know what they say.....

You can run,

but you can't hide!

Happy Birthday, Sis! Hope your day is a great one!

It's a Zoo Around Here

With the help of her big brother, Keira has nearly mastered the following animal impressions: elephant, monkey, and tiger.

Here, Q is teaching the fine art of trumpeting like an elephant. K looks unimpressed, but has really made this one her favorite.

In fact, when we read her favorite book - the only one she'll sit all the way through - she keeps doing her elephant impression and grabbing the pages until she gets to the picture of the pachyderms.
Of course, as the ever-encouraging big brother, Quinn will then say something like this: "Keira, don't worry if you and mommy aren't as good as me and Daddy (at making elephant sounds)...you'll get better."

And if she doesn't, there's always her fish impression. She's got that down pat.