happy birthday to kai

around the house

Nina's going to "work" in this picture; Kai is working on his magic tree house passport booklet.

"Hey, dad! It's our lucky day! Men are stronger than women!"
"Dad, you're the best dad in the world. Mom is the worst...juggler." (Very angry yesterday for getting several timeouts)
Nina reaches up to Kai in the morning in the crib and says clearly, "Squeezer!"
Kai passed into the next swim class at the Y - from an eel to a ray. You should see him move those arms in the water, he's really working on his stroke and loves passing everybody when they do laps. He always wants everything to be a race, and he always, always wants to win.
Yesterday we went swimming at Tahoe pool with Gin and the kids. Kai and Rachel dove for sticks for an hour while Nina toddled around the edge of the pool and jumped into my arms enough so that they're sore today.

July weekend

We had another busy weekend. The three of us went to the state fair on Friday, we had a lot of fun despite the 3-digit temp. Kai and Nina loved the trashy fair rides; Nina was really scared of the dinosaur exhibit (it was loud, so was I); Kai couldn't wait to get to the animation expo because he saw pictures of Tom and Jerry on the posters. Here's a picture of Kai, it was too hot to take any more! On the way home we rented Kung Fu Panda at Blockbuster and Kai watched the whole thing, quite a treat.
Saturday was my day to pack up some things around the house; Nate took the kids to the park, he took Kai to a play in Fair Oaks, The Frog Prince, while Nina napped; then he took the kids to play with Zane and Lilly for several hours in the late afternoon. It was a great for both of us: for me to have a whole day in the house, for Nate and the kids to have an entire day with each other. I couldn't wait for them to get home.
Sunday was Nate's day to pack up our spidery garage. I took the kids in stroller and bike to Bertha Henschel - for maybe the last time?! We got Kai Subway on the way home - that's twice now, we've got to stop. He loves it. The bun tastes like metal. Yuck. While Nina napped I took Kai to Borders to pick out MTH books for his bday goodie bags. Yet another treat, spending a few hours in a bookstore with Kai without having to chase after Nina. He even asked me to read to him, we found some new and some old. Kai just lost it over the David books. He was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. We reread Maurice Sendek's The Night Kitchen, and some Gerald and Piggy books.
Nate and the kids played in the sprinkler last night while I went to the store; AJ, George, and Rachel came over and they all went crazy with water balloons, then went to George and Rachel's backyard to swim in the little pool. Kids swim in the sun, parents chat (or not, they kind of just sit there while Nate and I anxiously look for things to talk about) in the shade of the cherry tree. It's nice.
Ended the night with Nina's favorite - burgers! And green beans. And nectarines from Zane's neighbor's tree that are so good and fresh they taste like candy.
Kai taught Nina how to draw a circle this morning. He's really into her lately, less aggressive and more sweet and she loves the attention. He couldn't wait for her to wake up this morning, he didn't know what to do with himself while she slept in. When we heard her cry, Kai burst into her room to find the biggest smile on her face, a smile just for him.
Nina's talking so much, stringing 2-3-4 words together. She's pretty demanding of our attention, patting the floor and saying "sit" and "play" if we're not already doing so. Asking for "Mik!" (Music) as soon as we get in the car. "Mama help?" is one of my favorites.
Two weeks left.

nate's bday present

getting ready for nola

What makes the tantrums worth it

fourth of july

Bassi falls

More from yesterday: Kai playing in the pools at the waterfall and Nina catching up with the family.

tahoe

The zinnia is FINALLY blooming. The first flower appeared yesterday after several months.

Took the kids to the California museum on Friday. We all loved it, and I hope to return someday with Nate.
Before I forget:
Nina's most frequent expressions, "No tanks!" in a very singsongy voice.
And "O-Tay!" Same. Singsongy. "OTay, Buttwheat!"
We had such a perfect California day. Left for Tahoe at 8:30, great nature hike, braved crowds, left after ice cream, found an incredible waterfall on the way home that made the Tahoe crowds worthwhile. Kids were great, all this stuff is so bittersweet.