Anakai & Kacia: 01/2011

January 31, 2011

Puppet Festival

We went to the Puppet Festival at Sugarsand Park again this year, and it was awesome!

This time our friends Emilio and Laylani joined us.

Here's some of the cool things we did...

We played with these huge pinwheel flowers.

We stopped at the arts + crafts tent and made some puppets.

We went for a ride on the colorful train.

We entered a hula hoop contest.

We waited -patiently- in line with a ticket to ride.

Weeeee!

Snack time

Here we are waiting for the puppet show to begin.

Sidewalk chalk art contest

That was cool. Hopefully we can make this an annual event.
(Click on the "Labels" below to see last years post.)

Bye bye!

January 28, 2011

Today marks the twinkies 100th day of Kindergarten. At school, they are celebrating this momentous day by counting out one hundred things. Here they are with their homework assignment two hundred heart stickers later....

(Sorry the pics are blurry, I didn't have my coffee yet :)

January 26, 2011

Sous Chef

Is Anakai too little for Iron Chef America?

What if she brought her own apron and matching step stool?

Here she is helping Lola Beth in the kitchen with her very own

pink cupcake apron (from Gra Su + Gran Den) and pink step stool combo.

January 24, 2011

All Bettow

Guess who is excited to see Mrs. Service (their kindergarten teacher)

again after being absent for a whole week?

(◠‿◠)♥(◠‿◠)

January 22, 2011

Long Week

It began ten days ago with Anakai getting sent home from school with a fever. Twenty four hours later, Kacia came down with the same fever. Then Brittany followed 24 hours after her. Three little girls were home with the flu for the entire week. That's a house full of feverish, lethargic, coughing, sneezy, yucky nose, cranky and restless kids. Every day. And night. All week long. (Think about that. Now multiply it by 3.) Mom + I had to use a "Meds Log" in order to keep track of who took what, when and how.

Miraculously, the grown-ups managed to dodge this plague, but not without wear-n-tear. (There was only one 2am run to CVS.) All three girls are feeling much better now. The fevers are gone. The puking is over. Their appetites have returned with a vengeance, and so have their happy face smiles.

Here are the twins at their follow up visit with the pediatrician.

January 15, 2011

MLK

Kacia came home from school eager to show me what she made. They watched a movie about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to honor his legacy and celebrate his greatness on his birthday.

"I have a dream today." are the powerful words spoken by Dr. King at our nations capitol in 1963.

Here's one of my all time favorite quotes ever, and it's also from Dr. King,

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

January 14, 2011

Anakai's Not Feeling Well

We have a girl down today. The school nurse took her temperature and it was 103.5 :( Kacia was also at the nurse's office, but for moral support (she's fine). Kacia was helping the nurse tend to Anakai. Anakai looked miserable and out of it. She felt hot and thirsty so Kacia would get her a cup of water, and hold a cold towel on her sister's forehead, "to help her feel bettow." Kacia is such a helpful and caring sister.

I took Anakai to the pediatrician this morning. He ran a few cultures and tests. Anakai was a bit cranky, but a very good patient. A few minutes later, he said she had the flu.

Here she is resting, hydrating, medicating, and waiting for Kacia to come home from school. (If you look closely, you can see the shiner she sustained under her right eye. She had an accident with Kacia's head at school.) (That actually happens to them a lot.)

January 11, 2011

Road Trip Recap

It was a very safe and uneventful drive south. Thank heavens for that. With three carseats occupying the back row, every inch of the boot cleverly filled with luggage and toys, and mom riding shot gun; I reflect on this travel adventure like a decorated soldier to his battle story. It took us three days to complete the thirteen hundred mile passage from The Big Apple to The Sunshine State. Three v e r y l o n g days.

We were well equipped with all sorts of treats, tricks, and technology. The kids had books, stuffed friends, snacks, DVD's, Leapster games, the windows for wondering, each other for sharing, singing, and sometimes quarrelling, oodles of time, and endless imagination. I had TomTom, audio books, and my small dream catcher hanging from the rear view mirror. (I figured out why I hung it there -- to help protect me if ever I fall asleep at the wheel. That, and the Starbucks double shot helped greatly.) Mom tended to all our needs - like snacks, drinks, tissues, blankets, gadgets, games, garbage, and the occasional referee-ing.

Here's my top three most memorable moments of this trip:

3. Driving through the Shenandoah Valley at sunset, listening to the little giggly girls play a game of Hide-n-Go Seek with Mr. Sun. Such a perfect driving game with the setting orange sun ducking behind mountains, then peeking out again. It really made the kiddies laugh for many miles. Which made me laugh for many miles too :)

Sometimes the sun's strong glare came right at me, and made it tricky to see the road - like in this pic.

2. At dusk somewhere in the Blueridge Mountains, I pointed out to mom how the mountains looked very purple. As in 'purple mountains majesty'. She agreed in a whole new way. Then told me that she once saw the 'amber waves of grain' in Wisconsin. We even sang the song!

And my #1 Most Favorite Road Trip Moment, was also an Apology Award winner in the previous post, and is definitely worth the repeat:

Kacia: Ooowww!! Mama! Brittany bit me.
Mama: Brittany. Did you bite Kacia?
Brittany: Yes.
Mama: Apologize to her.
Brittany: I'm sorry. I thought you were Anakai.

We stopped for breakfast somewhere in Georgia.

Thanks for tuning in and listening to me share the sweetness I feel from these girls. Until next post, I'll leave you with this thought from my good friend Lia, "It's too early to start having a bad day."