ABCZ

Fairytale, meet Reality.

2010-10-10T23:56:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, Anna and her Daddy were a match made in heaven, and she would always say that he was her "Prince Charming". This weekend, as we celebrated Prince Charming's birthday, he and his princess were spending some quality time coloring pictures. They decided to color pictures FOR each other, to surprise one another. *Awwwww...*

Recalling the days when his Princess was little, Daddy drew her a beautiful picture of a grand castle, with a big moat and blue skies and a warm sun. Atop the castle, stood the Princess and Prince Charming, hand in hand. So sweet.

Anna also drew a picture of her and her Daddy hand in hand. They are standing on a beautiful hill, holding pretty flowers with a happy sun smiling down on them. And there is a lovely blue bird...CRAPPING ON DADDY'S HEAD?!! WTH? After Curtis caught his breath from laughing so hard, he asked her, "What's up with the bird crapping on my head?!"

She replied, "It's funny! Besides, I wrote on the picture "WATCH OUT!". Funny girl.... It's clear where she gets her sense of humor from.

Anna-isims...it's been awhile.

2010-09-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Not much time for blogging these days, thanks to our adorable little Wrecking Ball (Zach). If I even *think* about any quality time at the computer, he unloads the dishwasher, steals Curtis' keys from his desk drawer and replaces them with a wadded up cheese stick, climbs the stairs (or the kitchen table), opens the front door or plays "lets make mud pies" in the dog's food and water ball. But while Curtis is herding kids for a few minutes, I am trying to write down these Anna funnies before I forget them (which I'm likely to do, due to severe sleep deprivation and general battiness at this stage). And yes, I'm TOTALLY going to miss this someday...I know.
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Anna is obsessed with MEAT these days. She's quite the little carnivore. This summer, she made the discovery of sausage and bacon, and so now anytime she sees a pig, she squeals "I LOVE TO EAT PIG!" *sigh* I don't know if I should be proud or embarrassed. A little of both, maybe. So, she has also taken to saying, "Yummy! VENISON!" anytime we see deer.

Yesterday as we were leaving a friend's house after dropping off dinner, we saw several deer in their yard. The conversation went something like this:

CURT: Yeah, but we can't shoot those kind of deer anyway, because they don't have antlers, and they're girls.
ANNA: Why don't you hunt the girls?
BEK: Because if you hunt all the girls, they won't be able to have babies and make more deer and we'll run out of deer. (As it comes out of my mouth, I already know what's coming next, but it's too late...)
ANNA: But don't you need boys to make babies too?

Crap.

BEK: Well, yeees. But deer are horribly unloyal and immoral creatures, so one boy can make babies with lots of girls.
CURT: Yup. In nature, and in the NBA, one boy makes babies with LOTS of girls. That's just how it works.

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This morning, as Curtis was giving Anna a bath, more meat obsession gone horribly wrong:

CURT: Use the wash cloth and wash your pie hole.
ANNA: Why is my mouth called a pie hole?
CURT: Because that's where you put pie when you eat it, so some people jokingly say 'pie hole'.
ANNA: (Thinks for a moment.) Can I call mine my sausage hole?
CURT: (Choking on coffee, shouts) NOO!!!!
ANNA: Why not? Isn't that funny too?
CURT: No, not funny. Don't ever call it that.

Funny little girl is giving Daddy gray hair!!!

Take me out to the ballllll game...

2010-05-29T09:10:00.001-07:00

Everyone should have an Aunt Tracy

2010-05-27T22:33:00.001-07:00

When Anna was little, Aunt Tracy was the coolest source of all things girly and pretty and sparkly. She was the very first person to teach Anna about "little boxes". Every girl knows that good things (like, oh, say JEWELRY) comes in little boxes. So, Anna took to this lesson well. But she eventually began to believe that Aunt Tracy was the source of EVERYONE'S jewelry. She even commented to me once, Aunt Dani must have been visiting Aunt Tracy a lot, because she has a lot of pretty jewelry.

So, when Zach was born, we wondered what Aunt Tracy would teach ZACH, since she did such a good job teaching Anna to appreciate jewelry. Without missing a beat, she said, "I'm going to teach Zach how to BUY pretty jewelry." Well, it looks like he has already taken her sense of sparkle to heart, as he has become seriously attached to the beaded purse Aunt Tracy brought Anna on her last visit. He carries it all around the house with him, all day long. And I know what will make her the proudest when she sees these pictures...his outfit is COLOR COORDINATED with his purse! Way to go, Aunt Tracy! ;)

Anansi & The Moss Covered Rock

2010-05-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

Anna starred in her class play this evening, and totally nailed it. We had so much fun watching her. The whole class did such a great job. Very impressive!

Short video of her favorite scene, when Anansi gets tricked into saying the forbidden magic words:

Karate Kid

2010-05-20T22:40:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, Anna started karate lessons at our friend and neighbor's karate school in town here (Sonoma County Martial Arts). We weren't sure what to expect going into this, for a number of reasons. First, Anna is allll girly girl, and I didn't know if she would go for an activity that didn't involve pink or glitter in the uniform. Second, she has not really wanted to stick with any of the sports that we have tried so far. We've just been trying lots of things so she can see what she likes, but nothing has "stuck" yet. And we have tried a LOT of them...soccer, softball, basketball, gymnastics, dance, etc. Usually, the conversation after the practice/game/event goes like this:

ME: Great job! You are getting a lot better at XYZ now that you are practicing/learning!
ANNA: Thanks! I feel like I'm getting good at this!
ME: It looked like you were having fun!
ANNA: YEAH!!! I was!
ME: That's great!
ANNA: Yeah!
ME: Great, we'll sign up for this again next season!
ANNA: No, thanks.

I have pushed the issue just once, thinking that once she got past her perfectionism (Where in the WORLD does she get that anyway? How annoying.) she would enjoy it more. That was with soccer, and I decreed that she WOULD play a second season, just so she could see how she liked it now that she knew what was going on. The resulting happy, chipper little voice saying, "Well, when we play soccer, because you're forcing me to..." made me cringe. (Don't get me wrong, I'm still forcing her now...I just made her think it was her choice.)

But then came Karate. Our friend finally got me to squeeze it into our too busy schedule, and Anna fell in love. Tuesdays start with happy squeals from her bedroom, "It's KARATE DAY!". She practices at home. Then, after finally earning her first belt the other day, her thrill turned to gloom and we had this conversation:

ME: What's up? You were all happy a minute ago?
ANNA: I'm sad for when karate is going to be over.
ME: What do you mean? We'll have it again next week.
ANNA: I know, but when does Karate Season end?
ME: Ohh! There is no Karate Season. You just keep going and earning belts.
ANNA: Forever?
ME: Yes.
ANNA: When do you have to stop?
ME: You don't have to stop.
ANNA: Isn't a black belt the highest there is?
ME: Ummm...sounds right. ???
ANNA: So, after your black belt, you have to stop then.

*sigh* This went on for awhile. I think she's convinced that there is no Karate Season, but only AFTER she asked Mr. Herb. ;) I guess I have no Karate credibility. Anyway...for now, she's having fun and learning a lot!

Growing boy...

2010-05-20T22:10:00.003-07:00

This cracks me up. Zach is quite literally busting the seams of his clothes. He's getting so BIG!

How quickly they learn...

2010-04-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

In the car this morning:

ANNA: Hey, Mom...?
ME: Yeah?
ANNA: Never mind.
ME: What did you want to ask?
ANNA: Nothing. I'm just going to do it, because if I ask I think you'll say "No".

When did Anna learned the old adage, "Better to ask forgiveness than permission?"

Little Boy Blue turns ONE!

2010-04-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Zachary! I can't believe that it was just one year ago, on that memorable day, that I was at Kaiser screaming "THIS F*&%^$& HURTS! GIVE ME MORE DRUGS!!!" Oh...ummm, I mean, one year ago that our precious baby boy was born. (OK, the other thing happened too - but he was worth it.)

We had a GREAT time celebrating his birthday with family and friends. And fortunately, we were HEALTHY by then! (Little did we know that Zach would come down with another tummy bug that night, but we had fun for the party, so all was well.)

Zach's birthday cake was decorated to match the party theme. We're going to the ZOO!

A birthday party wouldn't be the same without our signature sandwiches (We fill them a little differently, and they are always a hit. People ask for them every time.) but I was going to can them in favor of something that I could make CUTE to go with the theme. Curtis saved the day by suggesting we paint them with scales and make one long snake out of it. I *love* how it turned out. It's a little hard to see here, but it was fun. I made the head and tail from puff pastry.

We also had bear/monkey/non-descript zoo animal PB&Js.

Happy little guy on on his bday!
Zach had a little trouble getting into the idea of his 'smash' cake - but he evetually dove in and made a respectable mess. He looked like a Smurf by the time he was done.

Playing with new toys!

Our friend Tracie made Zach an ADORABLE t-shirt to wear for his birthday! He wore it well. :)

Pa got some giggles from the birthday boy!

Meet Rody.

2010-04-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Aunt Sarah & Uncle John sent this COOL new toy to Zach for his birthday! The only thing better than the smile on Zach's face when we first put him on it and he got to bounce around...

...was getting this picture of Curtis blowing Rody up, through his unfortunately placed fill hole.

It's been a long week for a little boy.

2010-03-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

I started to write a post about this week, but I keep getting interrupted - go figure. So, here are some pics from the week, and the stats in short:

Trips to Kaiser: 7
Days spent in outpatient treatment getting IV fluids or antibiotics: 3
Days in the hospital: 2
Amount we've spent on Kaiser co-pays, meds, etc: $525
Visits to the ER: 2
IV Lines started on Zach: 3
Number of tubes, tangles and wires taped to him in the hospital all night long: 6
Number of consecutive hours Zach's arm was splinted to keep the IV in: 34
Number of times he puked in the last week: Where is the infinity key on this thing?
Hours of sleep we have gotten this week: More than 1, less than 10.

Day 1 getting IV fluids. Mommy's Blackberry is a welcome distraction - and a small price to pay for a smile at this point.

Day 1 - he couldn't keep the oral antibiotics down, but wouldn't put them down to go to sleep. Again...whatever makes you happy, baby boy.

And if the bottle isn't handy, the dropper will do.

Notice a pattern? Zach would only sleep in Mommy's arms, for the most part - and occasionally Daddy's. No one else would do. I pinched a nerve in my wrist rocking him like this 24/7 for the past week. On the up side, we got so many AWESOME snuggles and enjoyed that sweet feeling of having my baby sleep on my chest again. This was after the 2nd IV was in on Day 2.
Anna thought that the wrap they sent him home in (because they left the IV in, after having a hard time starting it the 2nd day) was cast and she wanted to 'sign it'. Underneath that wrap was a rigid board that his arm was strapped to, to keep it straight. THAT was fun for several days.

Zach, puffy eyed from crying all night, entertaining himself with my camera.
Can we be better yet?

Daddy and Zach play with Anna in his hospital bed. A SMILE! Hey - we'll take it!

Anna signed the 'cast', "Anna (heart) I'm sorry this has to be on."
We had temporarily ditched the cables, wires, toe monitors, etc for a little break here.

Almost ready to go HOME!

Little Boy Blue kept on holding onto my hand when he wasn't on my chest...sweet, sweet boy.

*sigh* Finally at home again and snuggled with Daddy.

Zach's self portrait with my camera. We were back in "anything to make you smile" mode. We stayed in the mode a lot this week.
Sick little boy.

From our favorite carnivore...

2010-03-18T22:12:00.001-07:00

You have to love living in the country. Leaving Anna's school today, we hit a bit of traffic while some of the residents that live on the school road herded some escaped cows back into their yard. It was at this point that Anna announced, "My favorite animal is a cow. It's because they taste so good."

Zach Update

2010-03-17T00:15:00.000-07:00

Well, the little man is about to turn one in a few weeks. He's been walking since 10 months, is still stalled at 7 teeth, just survived his first ear infection, loves peaches, puffs and cheese, and giggles a whole lot. He weighs 23.5 lbs and still has yummy, chubby baby rolls. And I think his favorite time of day is first thing each morning, when he hears his sister coming to see him. He sits up on the bed and watches the door for her, and as soon as she peeks in, he breaks into a HUGE grin. Actually...he does that when Daddy comes home too. :) It's good to be loved. It's so fun watching him grow...if only he'd slow down a little!

Be My Valentine

2010-03-15T23:51:00.001-07:00

I'm a little behind, but I couldn't let Valentines Day pass without recapping our traditional celebration. Every year, Anna and I plan a special dinner (usually "rare steak" - every Schmitt's favorite food), and we decorate the dining table with over the top hearts and flowers and we have a romantic dinner...just the three, well - now FOUR, of us. Curtis and I find our own time to celebrate the day too, but this little tradition is so sweet and filled with love...we wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

My favorite flower...

2010-03-15T00:35:00.001-07:00

...has always been the daisy. And now we have a Daisy Girl Scout!

Bonus points to anyone who can name the country who's flag she carried on Thinking Day! I sure couldn't!

Something's fishy...

2010-03-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

We spent part of Anna's midwinter break doing some fun stuff right here in our own backyard! One of those trips was to the Aquarium of the Bay on Pier 39. We had a great time there! They have two neat touch pools with starfish, sea cucumbers, rays and even a shark to touch! Anna was pretty brave...even posing with a 'pink toed tarantula' (hereby answering the age old question, "does Anna just like EVERYTHING as long as it's pink").

My favorite part of the day was our latest 'Annaisim.' As we were walking through the underwater tunnel that takes you through a huge tank of sea life, including some huge sharks, there are trivia questions posted along the walls. Curtis asked Anna one that said, "Do sharks have bones?" She pondered it for just a second, before saying, "Nope." Curtis and I exchanged impressed glances and then I said, "Wow! That's right! How did you know that?" Anna replied, "I actually had no idea, but I figured they wouldn't be asking the question if they did." Smart cookie!

Schmitts, Schmitts and More Schmitts!

2010-03-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

We had a so much fun visiting with John & Sarah tonight! They are out from West Point for a visit this week. It's so fun to see the cousins actually play together now that they're getting a little bit older. Though we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, we always seem to pick up right where we left off. Thanks for the fun visit, guys!

Anna's First Communion

2010-02-07T21:41:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Anna's first communion today. She was so excited. We had several visitors come to celebrate with us, including Pete & Charlie, our longtime friends and my pastor growing up. The last time we saw them was when Charlie sang at our wedding, so it was a great day for a reunion! God bless you, Anna Catherine!

"One small step for man..."

2010-02-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Actually, one BIG step for a Small Man! Zach started walking today! He keeps pulling himself up on the bench and then staggering to fall into my arms. He's so flippin' proud of himself, all puffed up and smiling. Way to go, Big Boy! 10 months old yesterday, and already on the move! Film at 11. ;)

Man Eater

2010-02-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

I was listening to BOB 96.7 this afternoon in the car. Their motto is "We'll play anything" - apparently including a little old school Hall & Oats - Maneater. I wasn't paying too much attention until Anna asked, as we walked into the house, "Who IS coming anyway, and why is she going to eat a man?!" I had to think for a second to figure out what she was talking about. Funny GIRL!

We should call her the Queen of Literal. Case in point...never say to Anna, "...a few" of something. If you do, you will be drawn unwittingly into a loooong conversation about, "Did you mean two things? Or three things? So, should I take two? If I take two, that would be a few. But three would be a few too... So is it two?" By the time you finally lose it and say, "YES ANNA!" She quietly asks, "So, was that a YES for two or a YES for three?" It's a good thing she's so cute.

And for the heck of it, try explaining those Maneater lyrics to a 7 year old. Yeah....good times.

10 Months Later...

2010-01-29T11:10:00.000-08:00

10 months later, the first words out of Anna's mouth, each and every morning, are STILL, "Can I please come snuggle my brother now?!" Those two melt my heart.

Zach-isims...

2010-01-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

I expect there to be many more of these as time goes on, but today is our debut ZACH-ISIM!! Despite the fact that Anna proclaimed his first word spoken many months ago, I think we have a real contender now. And, as I go through my day now, it is to the constant critique of my 10 month old saying, "Uh oh!!!" He's probably right!

Anna-isims...

2010-01-28T10:40:00.001-08:00

This morning, Curtis left a lottery ticket with $1 in coins taped to the front door with a sweet little note for Anna. When she saw it, she said, "Yeah! Daddy said he'd give me $1 OR a lottery ticket, and he gave me both!" When I asked why he said that, she said, "Well, I don't know. We were playing, and Daddy's back popped, and he said it was the sound of him getting old, and I said he wasn't old at all! Then he said that."

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Yesterday in the car on the way to school, Anna and I were playing "Name That Song That I Am Humming". She would hum a song, and I'd call out the name of it. When she started humming "Itsy Bitsy Spider" I didn't call out the name, but started doing the hand motions to the song, instead. She immediately said, "Close! It WAS "Itsy Bitsy Spider", but it WASN'T the Spanish version." ????????????

If he were a superhero...

2010-01-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

...he'd be Sideways BOY!!! Such a cutie.

Norm!!!

2010-01-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

Curtis and I were talking about finding a baby sitter so that we could go see Avatar while it's still in the theater. It seems that our usual babysitter were all going to be tied up. So, he said, "It would be good if we could find someone who you see every day, so they know Zach...you know, like...Starbucks." Smartass.

Although, I admit, I got 8" cut off of my hair last week, and when I went to my 'usual' Starbucks drive through, the barista said, "Hey! I love your new haircut!" So...maybe he wasn't too far off base.

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

We had a great time with some of our closest friends last night, ringing in the New Year! There were great drinks, good food, crazy games of Cranium for the grown-ups, kid movies and sleeping bags, party hats and noise makers, champagne and a chocolate fountain. We all had a blast. Of course, the BEST pictures will be reserved for future leverage, but here are some highlights!

My favorite moment (other than a kiss from my sweetheart at midnight) was when the kids were running around the lawn at midnight, after fireworks, crashing around chasing each other with silly string. All of a sudden, several of them smacked straight into the ladder set up for fireworks in the middle of the lawn and they all went down in a heap. There was this total silence as all of us surveyed the damage and then Anna piped up with, "Well, I sure didn't see THAT coming!"

Happy New YEAR!!!!!

Always a critic...

2010-01-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

Anna was watching Ratatouille today (while Curtis and I may or may not have been napping with Zach to recover from our 2:30am bedtime on New Year's Eve). She really took to the idea of being a 'food critic' like the character in the movie.

Later, I made Anna lunch. We had leftovers from the party last night (taco meat, cheese, olives and chips) and I made her a special drink. We were out of apple cider from last night, so I poured apple juice and sparkling soda into a plastic champagne glass and dropped a maraschino cherry into it. *I* thought it was cute.

After she finished her lunch, I found this on the table:

You can click it to see a larger version, but it says:

"Well, the drink was not the best thing I tasted. But the lunch, well, I loved the lunch. The cherry in the [drink] was prety good to. I gess I'll tell my friends to come here. But next time I would like to be impressed with the drinks. From, Anna."

Always a critic...

Baby boy...

2009-12-29T22:47:00.000-08:00

Moments like these make me forget about sleepless nights and aches and pains and long days. I could just squeeze him all over and eat him up...so snuggly sleeping safe and sound, perfectly content, on Daddy's chest. We are so, so very blessed.

Family time!

2009-12-29T22:37:00.000-08:00

There has been plenty of time for snuggles and loves, from brothers and sisters, and also from Uroma, during her visit! She got to meet Zach for the first time!

All I want for Christmas...

2009-12-29T22:14:00.000-08:00

Anna lost her first front tooth on top...just in time to sing, "all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!" This one was driving *me* nuts because it's been haaaanging like a little crooked hill-billy tooth for weeks and weeks. It's finally out and the tooth fairy has done her duty. All is well!
BEFORE, crooked hill billy snaggle tooth:

AFTER, all better!

Christmas Cuteness

2009-12-29T22:03:00.000-08:00

Hark!

2009-12-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

Anna was "the golden angel" in the Christmas program at church this year. She said, "I think I'm in charge of the angels or something, because I'm the golden angel." I told her, "Oh, you're Hark! You know, as in, 'Hark and the herald angels sing'?" She didn't think it was that funny. Still cute, though.

Hells Bells!

2009-12-29T21:49:00.000-08:00

One of our first dates was to an AC/DC concert...waaaay back in 1996. :) Zach is continuing a fine tradition in great music.

It's a dog's life.

2009-12-29T21:39:00.000-08:00

Zach is already learning what it means to be "man's best friend". If he's not pulling himself up on Beau's x-pen to visit, he's sneaking Rigby cheerios from his saucer. He has a canine fan club wherever he goes.

Rigby had better watch himself...

2009-12-02T21:51:00.001-08:00

(This entry is long, morbid and a little gross...so read at your own risk. But I really keep this blog to remember all of the funny times we have with our kids, so that we can look back and laugh at all of the fun times we've had. You've been warned.)

I'm just saying...Rigby had better be careful. As of today, we have lost 5 pets (2 rats and 3 fish) in the last 3 months.

Last year we lost our awesome mastiff, Kodiak. It was super hard for all of us, but especially Anna.

Then a few months ago, Anna's pet rat, Rosa died. Ugh. Well, the first rat was traumatic enough...but then, the second rat was getting sick, and had a big tumor. It was *time*. But after losing Kodi, and then Rosa, we didn't have the heart to put her through the upset of euthanizing her second rat. So, we took the rat, had it euthanized, and then PUT IT BACK in the cage. Seriously. I know that is all kinds of weird (and thank goodness my vet knows me and has a sense of humor) , but it was way less traumatic 'finding her' than it would have been to take her to be put to sleep. (And, never mind how traumatic it was for ME to do the 'finding', because in the 2 minutes between when I took the stupid dead rat and put it into a cute little box with pink fabric and went to tell Anna that Daisy had died, RIGBY jumped up onto my desk and was mauling the rat when I came back to get the box to go let Anna say goodbye to her. It was like a scene from a B-movie. I had to wipe the dog slobber off of the rat before I took it to Anna. Rigby is lucky I didn't kill him THEN!) But anyway...I digress.

So, 3 years ago, we bought a beta fish, and Anna named her Jasmine. Jasmine has (amazingly) lasted all this time. But cleaning her tank was always a pain, so we got the bright idea to get one of those tank cleaner fish. Well, by the time we left PetSmart, that 1 fish had turned into 4 tank cleaner fish (Shark 1, 2, 3 and 4) and a snail (Candy Cane). They assured us that they would be fine with the beta. Well...it seemed they would be, at first. But about a week later, Shark 1 and Shark 2 bit the dust. *sigh* Here we go again. After Curtis and I conferred and agreed that fish get flushed, not buried, we told Anna. She took it pretty well. (Although, she did ask if she wrote a note to ask how Shark 1 and Shark 2 were doing and flushed it down the toilet, would it get to them. I told her, "No, but it will clog the toilet.") But then, a few days later, Jasmine went floating to the bottom of the tank. We weighed our options and decided that if we could get away with swapping her out for a similar looking beta to avoid more little girl heartache, we would. We just had to make sure Anna didn't notice Jasmine before the next day. We planned to say she was just 'sitting' at the bottom (which she *did* used to do sometimes) if Anna asked. That was until I checked in the morning and found that the damned snail takes her tank cleaning job seriously. She was SITTING ON DEAD JASMINE on the bottom of the tank. EEWWW!!! Of course, this is AFTER Curtis left for work, too...leaving me to pry the nasty snail off of the dead fish on my own. Did I say EEEWWWWW!!??!!

But, all's well that ends well (so far). PetSmart had a nice supply of red/purple Jasmine knock-offs the next day, and I made the swap. So far, it seems to have gone undetected. But seriously...I'm DONE with pets dying around here!

So, Rigby, you're the last man standing. And since I'm pretty sure that Pomeranian knock-offs are harder to match than beta-fish, I'm hoping you hang in there for awhile.

Fun with math

2009-11-27T21:18:00.000-08:00

Yeah, there is a phrase I never thought to use, but Anna definitely still loves math. We were driving today when she started the following conversation:

A: Does 8 squared equal 64?
WTH? Where did that come from?!
C: Yes. What is 10 squared?
Without missing a beat...
A: 100
C: How about 20 squared?
A: 200...no, wait, 400.
C: What is 9 squared?
A: 81
B: How did you figure that out?
A: Well, 8 squared is 64, so I added 8, so that's 8 times 9, then I added 9. See? 81. Easy.

DEFINITELY takes after her Daddy...lucky girl. :)

Grandpa's Visit

2009-11-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

We had a fun visit with Grandpa, Uncle Will & Jen last weekend. Both kids had a blast with a whole new crowd to entertain. Jen and Will spent most of the weekend making craft projects and origami with Anna. Anna and I both cried when they left. Hope to see you all again soon! Thanks for coming!

Zach's Baptism

2009-11-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we had a big celebration in our house! Zach was baptized! We filled half the church with friends and family who came to celebrate with us. Then we had a little brunch at our house afterwards. About 40 people made it to celebrate with us, including Grandpa, Uncle Will & Jen, all the way from Colorado! It was so neat that they could be there with us. God bless you, Zachary Charles!!!

Pa's Faux Pa

2009-11-27T09:37:00.000-08:00

We had Oma and Pa over for Thanksgiving this year, as usual. It was a nice quiet day, and we had a great time...with lots to be thankful for! But we did have a near disaster...

We were playing a game called Things. The idea is that you are given a topic, and everyone writes down an answer secretly. Then you take turns guessing who said what. The topic on this turn was "Things that do not really exist, but you wish they did." Someone wrote 'smart democrat', another was 'leprechaun'...and then we read, "EASTER BUNNY". As Curtis and I both gave Pa (because we ALLLL knew it was Pa) a "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING???" look, Anna chimed in with, "It said things that are NOT real, Pa! Of course the Easter Bunny is real! Where do you think all of those eggs come from? Duh!" *whew* We almost had to have The Easter Bunny/Santa Claus/Tooth Fairy talk...but Anna saved herself from it.

On the next round, the topic was "Things You Shouldn't Name a Children's Book." Although, Anna's answer of "Crap!" (only after whispering in my ear at ask permission to put down a bad word, just this one time) was funny, I was partial to Curtis' answer, "Why The Easter Bunny Didn't Exist."

Peter Pan & Tinkerbell

2009-11-16T22:15:00.001-08:00

Yoga, by Zach

2009-11-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

We bring to you, interpretive Downward Dog, as interpreted by Zachary. What do you think, JL? How is his form?

We bring you...the Olympic Sport of SISTER WRESTLING!!!

2009-11-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

This is Zach's current favorite sport. He likes to wrestle his sister to the ground and then keep her pinned with a well placed palm to the face or a big slobbery kiss to the tummy. Fortunately, Anna is more than happy to be his jungle gym!

Zachary Milestones...

2009-11-16T21:01:00.001-08:00

The little boy has been busy this week! He's been commando crawling for sometime now, but a few weeks ago he started REALLY crawling. Then, one day, I set him on his tummy to brush Anna's hair,and when I looked back, he was sitting up! He got there all on his own!

Then, just a few days later, he started pulling up on things to stand! It won't be long now, until he's walking! (Unless, as my friends says, we sweep his feet, to keep him little longer.)

Anna-isims...

2009-11-16T19:48:00.001-08:00

Zach ate his first Cheerio the other day (yeah, Zach!) and when I told Anna about it, she said, "So I can feed him stuff now?" Curtis and I replied, in unison, "NO!" Then, by way of explanation, "He needs supervision."

She thought about it for a minute and said, "Why does he need super vision? Can he not see them very well?"

---------------------------------------------

Anna has a VERY expensive Lego set on her Christmas list this year. Trying to lay the foundation for it NOT showing up, I said, "Well, that's a SUPER expensive toy, so I'm not sure that's going to be a Christmas present this year." She said, "I KNOW it's expensive, that's why I put it on SANTA'S list, so we don't have to pay for it!" If only...

Yosemite...a new perspective.

2009-11-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

Subtitled: Uncle Brian Always Pops Up In The Strangest Conversations

We went to Yosemite last weekend. On a walk up to Bridal Veil Falls, we saw this tree, that looked to have been stuck by lightning or something, because there was very little left of the tree. Thinking we’d play junior conservationist, we started quizzing Anna about this tree. Why do you think it looks that way? What do you think happened to it? Anna looked at the tree for a loooong time, then got this excited look on her face and said, “I know what happened to it! UNCLE BRIAN!!!” When Curtis and I doubled over laughing (me crossing my legs trying not to pee) she said, “What?!! He SAID he likes to eat wood!”

Veteran's Day

2009-11-12T00:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Veteran's Day! Today the kids and I went to Petaluma to watch the Veteran's Day parade. It was fun, but not the same without Curtis with us (no holiday for him! Boo!). Anna is so proud that her Daddy served in the military.

----------------------------------------------
Just the other day, we were in Target, and Anna saw this display of Christmas nutcrackers, but they were dressed in themes (ballerina, rock star, soldier, etc.) She really wanted the soldier one, and I veto'd the purchase, on the grounds that I won't buy CHRISTMAS stuff in September...just on principle! The following conversation ensued:

A: But it will remind me of Daddy, because he was a soldier.
B: You don't need to be 'reminded' of Daddy, you see him every day!
A: But not when he's at work.
B: If he's at work you can call him anytime you want to.
A: No I can't.
B: Yes, Anna, you can. He's always available by phone if he's not at home and you can call.
A: But last week you told me I couldn't call Daddy right then because he was in a meeting, and I would have had this nutcracker to REMIND me of him then.
*sigh*
I did NOT cave and buy the nutcracker though. (Well, until later, when I went back and got it when she wasn't with me. So I guess I did...but she doesn't KNOW I did...yet.)
----------------------------------------------
Anna wanted to make Curtis something for Veteran's Day today. She said she wanted to make a Lego sculpture of something he used when he was in the Army. I said, "Hmmm...I don't know. He mostly blew stuff up, honey." This THRILLED her. She was off to the Lego bin, and worked all afternoon on her own version of Lego dynamite, burning fuse and all. Then after she gave it to Curtis, she wanted them to pose for pictures as if they just lit and were running away, Mythbuster Style. Funny little girl...

Yosemite - Fall 2009

2009-11-11T23:56:00.000-08:00

Every fall we take a trip to Yosemite, courtesy of Curtis' company. It has come to be a family tradition that we look forward to with our own family, as well as with his 'work' family...many of whom we have become good friends with. This years' journey was fraught with trials: car sickness, traffic, a crying baby, fevers, more crying baby, etc. But the time we actually spent at the park, with the fall leaves in full changing color, and just hanging out with the 4 of us, was worth it.

Piano Lessons

2009-11-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned what a great sister Anna is? This week, she's determined to teach him to play the piano on a little 'piano book' that she has. But she confided in me (quietly, so that Zach wouldn't hear) that, "Apparently he's not that good at this. He just wants to eat the book, and that is NOT a good way to play the piano."

Cousins at The Discovery Museum

2009-11-11T23:25:00.000-08:00

We finally got our complicated schedules in order and got all of the littlest cousins together at the Bay Area Discovery Museum for a kiddy playdate. It was about time...since we've all been trying to plan a date since June! Better late than never! A great time was had by all!

Fall fun...

2009-10-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

We're short on writing time, but full on cute pictures. So, here's a little pictorial of our last few fun fall weeks! This was a family trip to the pumpkin patch.

Zach's comb over blowing in the wind...

Zach has TEETH!

Two of them, to be exact!

Anna's class Halloween party and costume parade.

One of Zach's costumes...a hot little chili pepper! And by hot, I mean he lasted two seconds in that outfit before he protested that he was hot and we had to take it off.

Anna dressed up as iCarly (a show about a girl who does a web-show), so she was Carly, inside of a laptop, doing her show. It was a hit! (And, by hit, I mean she hit and took out everything she walked near because she couldn't see anything while in the costume. Hmmm...hindsight.) But she loved it, and had fun. And it was a costume to do my Thomas heritage proud, although I did note that if my DAD had built it, it would undoubtedly have had working lights somewhere on it. Hey, I must get partial credit for using 2 full rolls of duct tape, right?

Pumpkin carving!

The bouncy seat is about to come to an end...bummer. Zach is no longer content to sit back and hang out in it. He's trying to go off the front and out the sides. Busy boy!

Hanging with Grandma at the Howarth Park Halloween parade. Snuggles!

The boys!
HOT! HOT! HOT!

We saw this on a class field trip to the pumpkin patch. Anna and I decided it needed to go on Grandma's gate. (HER idea, not mine...I swear it.)

Our alternate Zach costume was Tigger! Very cute...but no points for originality (hence the Chili Pepper back-up costume).

!

"That's a funny bitch!"

2009-09-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

"That's a funny bitch!"

That's what we heard Anna saying from the playroom yesterday. I was in the middle of nursing Zach, so I couldn't go back there at that point. So, I called out, "What did you say?" She replied, "I said that's a funny bitch!" I was quiet for a few moments while I turned it round and round in my mind trying to think what she could POSSIBLY be saying that would be acceptable to pass the lips of my 6 year old angel. Nothing. Nada. I'm drawing a blank. I finally asked her to come out front to tell me what she was saying. She showed me this:

She was playing with fuse beads, and she made her own animal hybrid. A fish, with bunny ears and a bunny tail. Need a diagram? OK, try this...
A FISH + A BUNNY = A F/UNNY or a B/ISH
So, she was calling it a FUNNY BISH!

I swear, it probably gave me pause for thought mostly because I have uttered something similar many times in the past. I mean, I don't clearly *remember* saying that, but it sounds like something I might have said to Em, Tracy, Ape or Kelli...at 3am, on our way to Denny's, after partaking of a few (too many) adult beverages. "You are ONE FUNNY BISH!!!" Ahhh...good times.

RIP Rosa the Rat

2009-07-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

We knew it was coming...and that still didn't make it any easier.

Anna's pet rat Rosa died. She was getting up there in ratty years (like, 2.5) and was slowing down. We had tried to prepare Anna for it. But then, Saturday morning, I went into the back room, where Anna had been playing all morning, and noticed that Rosa was lying on the perch in her cage, peeking out, very cute. And lying still. VERY still. Too still. Uh oh.

So, we got her out and put her in a pretty little box with some pink fabric, and then told Anna. She was heartbroken. She wanted to see her, and that was fine. Then she wanted to watch iCarly with her...? Ummm, okay, so the grieving process is different for everyone, right? OK. But she watched TV for quite awhile...with her rat. The dead rat. In a little pink box of soft fabric sitting next to her on the couch. That probably sounds like a sweet, heartwarming story...unless it was YOUR couch that the dead rat box was sitting on.

(As it turns out, this all happened on the same day that we had our couches exchanged by Jennifer Convertibles and got new ones...so the dead rat couch is gone now, lest you worry about sitting here when you come to visit again.)

I think I must have scored some Mommy credit for letting that one happen, right? And I get even MORE for not visibly wincing when Anna said that she wanted ME to put Rosa's paw print in the little stepping stone she was making for her. But, then, that means I have to TOUCH the stiff dead rat, right?!! Curtis had to look away so she wouldn't see his eyes tear up...because he was LAUGHING so hard at my obvious dismay. But, I got it done, *shudder* and now there is a pretty little stepping stone with Rosa's name on it in the back yard for Anna to remember her.

True to form, Anna found a way to look at the bright side. At some point, between tears, she perked up and said, "At least now she can't pee on my when I hold her!" I love that kid.

So, there are two things I know about how this will work when the next (and final) rat, Daisy, goes:

1 - There will be no more rats. I did it. They were cute. Anna was thrilled. No more.
2 - Curtis gets to do the next paw print.

Busted...

2009-07-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

On the way to my mom's house, you have to cross a pretty busy highway. I apparently cut too close for someone's comfort this morning, and they laid on their horn. Anna asked why. I said, "Well, they were blowing their horn because they thought I got too close." She replied, "Oh! So THAT'S why you said BLOW ME!" Oops...

Zach update...

2009-07-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

Let's see...just a little update on Zach. He's almost 4 months old now. He is such a happy, content little guy! We have lots and lots of smiles around here! His little grin just lights up the room. He sometimes sleeps until 3:30am or so, and sometimes sleeps until about midnight. Either way, he usually ends up in bed with us after that to snuggle and nurse. Seeing Anna so big now, it seems like yesterday that we were doing the same schedule with her, so we're in no hurry to see this time rush by. We're enjoying it. :) Although, I do keep threatening Curtis that some night, while he's sleeping, I'm going to let Zach roll that way and 'accidentally' latch on to him, just so that he can share the experience. Truthfully, I wouldn't ever do that...only because my fragile bladder couldn't handle the assault when I tried not to piss myself laughing at what I'm SURE would be an "OH SHIT! WHAT the HELL just grabbed my nipple in vice grips and tried to rip it from my body!!!" expression on his face.

Zach can crawl, stand on his own, say words and laugh now. Well...according to Anna he can, anyway. In reality, he can scoot around on his back a little bit, definitely likes to 'stand' on my lap while I'm letting him hold onto my fingers (but collapses like one of those bead toys on no notice at all), gurgles and coos a lot, and does actually laugh. He does crunches trying to sit up on his own as well.

He has what we call IPD (infant pattern baldness) now that some of his baby hair is falling out. It's like a reverse mullet. Anna describes it as "like Uncle Carl's hair, but backwards" which means lots on top, but nothing on the sides. Because of this, I have been unable to resist the impulse to fashion it into a mohawk at times.

Otherwise, most of our days are full of napping, nursing, smiling and diapers. :) I love this age...it's so much fun. I love watching him fall asleep, and the little grins he makes while he snoozes. I love the little milky smiles he gives me when he is supposed to be nursing, but he's just cracking up instead. I love the little sigh of relief he gives when he latches on to eat. I love the wide eyed half asleep zone he goes into when I sit him up from a nap. I love that when he smiles, his whole body squirms with glee. I love the way I can feel his body get heavier on my shoulder when he finally gives up and falls sleep. I love the 100% pissed off cry that he gives during the 2 seconds it takes me to get organized to feed him, when Curtis brings him to bed at night and lays him next to me. I love his happy little face when he wakes up smiling every morning. And I love that Anna, even though she is usually IMPOSSIBLE to wake up, will jump out of bed and come snuggle Zach at the mere whisper of 'Your brother is awake now...'. We are so, so very blessed. Life is good.

Wow...that's cool.

2009-07-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

Do you remember my post about Anna and the Rubix cube? (Actually, given my infrequent blogging lately, it was probably not that long ago here. I *do* plan to blog again someday...when I have 30 seconds to myself. :) )

Anyway...Curtis just got an iPhone. And among the many useless, but WAY cool, apps, he found the Cube Cheater App. It lets you take a picture of each side of your Rubix cube, which it translates into its software to show the current state of the cube. Then is shows you, in 3D, what moves to make to solve the cube, step by step. We got it as messed up as we could, and it solved it in 22 moves. Un-freaking-real. This is, without question, my only hope of ever solving a Rubix Cube. Totally useless...and way too fun.

When was the last time that you...

2009-07-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

...banged your head against a brick wall repeatedly...I mean, tried to solve a Rubix Cube? Anna has, for some reason, been enthralled by the Rubix Cube and she kept begging me to buy one for her. I tried putting her off, telling her it would just be frustrating, changing the subject, avoiding them...all to no avail. Finally, we conceded, knowing full well how this would end.

It took approximately .67 seconds to irreparably mix up the damned thing. (I say approximately, because my finger couldn't start and stop the stopwatch as fast as she could screw up the pretty matching color sides.) Curtis and I exchanged a look, and knew that this was one of those parenting moments that we needed to 'rise to the occasion' for. So we did.

We taught her to cheat. I mean, seriously, I spent a long time in my childhood (at least 10 minutes or so) trying to solve one of those things before someone taught me how to cheat my way back to color coded bliss. Mine was so loose from being repeatedly popped apart and back together that it had a hard time staying in rows to turn normally. Apparently, Curtis had a similar experience, because he whipped it apart and reassembled it in record time.

So, Anna is still thrilled with the Rubix cube. But now she brings it to me every few minutes and says in her sweet little voice, "Mommy, will you help me cheat?" Ahhh...out of the mouths of babes.

Random cuteness...

2009-07-01T07:05:00.001-07:00

Zach's First Giants Game

2009-06-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Fathers' Day at the Giants game today, and it was Zach's first game! (And we managed to bring home the win...YEAH!) He actually did great! I fed him when we got there, in the car. He fell asleep in the Baby Bjorn on the way to our seats, and then slept in my lap through the first 6 innings, despite the heat (under a blanket to keep him out of the sun). We woke him up to trek to Build-a-Bear for Anna, and then fell asleep on our way back to the car. Smooth day!

We had a great time celebrating the day...and the WONDERFUL Daddy that these two kiddos have. Curtis is so amazing...as a husband, friend and a father. We're all so luck to have him. :)

We're Official...

2009-06-21T22:24:00.001-07:00

Thumbs Up!

2009-06-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Cuteness!

Already a hit with the girls...

2009-06-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

At swim lessons this year, Zach is quite a popular guy. Anna is doing her lessons, as usual, with her two friends Ashley & Brittney (twins). They all battle for space around his stroller, vying for his attention. Babysitters in the making!

Family BBQ

2009-06-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

Grandma & Alisa hosted a family BBQ last weekend and we had a great time hanging out, relaxing, watching the kiddos playing in the pools and catching up with each other. It's so fun to watch the girls all play together, now that they're old enough to actually interact. I hope they have as much fun growing up together as my cousins and I did. Zach is the lone boy right now! He's going to have his hands full pretty soon!

Zach's First WORD!!!

2009-06-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, at the ripe old age of 11 weeks, Zach has said his first word! He's a child prodigy! Well, maybe...maybe not. But Anna still SWEARS that he has said his first word, and she's been swearing that he speaks to her since the day we brought him home from the hospital. When I asked her what that word was, she replied, "You know that word I say when I didn't hear you, and go "HUH?" - he said that!" It probably won't be the last time she puts words in his mouth, huh?

Oh, The Places She'll Go

2009-06-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Anna graduated from Kindergarten earlier this month. She did such a great job this year, and we are so proud. She finished all of her timed math tests before any other students, learned to read like a pro (we're amazed at how she's taken off!), made lots of new friends, and went the entire year without "having her star flipped over" (getting in trouble).

The graduation ceremony was adorable. All of the kids announced their own name, and they told what their favorite Kindergarten memory was. Anna said that hers was the Spring Egg Hunt.

Anna's teachers this year were just phenomenal. We adore them both! They made a little certificate for each graduate, and on it was an excerpt from the Dr. Seuss book "Oh, The Places You'll Go". Now, this was not the first time I had read this poem. In fact, I own two copies of it. I think it's great. But it's nothing new. Yet, on this day of our baby girl's Kindergarten graduation, reading the line, "KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!" completely choked me up.

Even funnier is that while confessing my sappy moment at a celebratory breakfast with our family afterwards, I got choked up trying to say that line to them. And while I'm typing this blog...again. Damn you, Dr. Seuss! You know why it chokes me up? Because she will move mountains. She's amazing. She's smart, and funny, and compassionate, and thoughtful, and such a blessing to us. CONGRATULATIONS, ANNA BOO! Go move those mountains (after you clean your room)!

Love is in the air...cartoon style

2009-06-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

For the second half of this school year, Anna had a new boyfriend, James. I asked her once what exactly it meant that he was her "boyfriend". She gave me this longsuffering look, that said, "OK, I can tell you're slow so I'll explain this to you in simple terms," and replied, "It means that at recess when we play Star Wars together, *I* get to be Princess Leia." Hmmm...OK, I can live with that. Yesterday, she told me that she wished they were "teeangers, so they could see eachother and go for walks and stuff." OK, not so sure about that one. But I love James...he's a total riot.

At their kindergarten graduation, Curtis & I brought Anna a boquet of flowers. She asked me to pull out one specific orange daisy from her boquet, and then she went and gave it to James (in one of those, down low, secret kind of passes so no one would see her and make her feel embarassed). It was so sweet.

Well, now that it is summer, they are apparently missing eachother. Anna has asked every day at swim lessons if James will be there, but we keep missing eachother. So we signed them up for a day camp thing together next week. His response when he found out that Anna would be there was this: "My friend is going to see my girlfriend and have hearts floating around his eyes!". What a prefect cartoon representation of true love. It still makes me chuckle... I hope love is always that simple for her.

Anna-isims...

2009-06-17T09:07:00.001-07:00

And, a few more moments in comic relief from Anna...
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This afternoon, Curtis called my cell phone and I missed the call. After watching me say 'hello' and then look at my phone to see who I missed, Anna said, "Um, Mom...I think you just got BUTT DIALED."
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Anna and I were watching a magic show on TV, and the magician was wearing a long kimono. At one point, a sword is stabbed into a box positioned between his legs. Anna said, "Whew! Good thing that didn't cut him in the NUTS!" I don't know why that struck me as so funny or inappropriate. I guess "nuts" isn't a bad word, but somehow is sounded totally inappropriate coming out of my little girls' mouth.

Visit from Pa today...

2009-06-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

Pa had to drive the motorhome up for some work today, so he came and hung out with Zach and I for the day (and Anna, once she got out of school). He and Anna went for a long walk/bike ride to the Sonoma State duck pond and saw baby ducks and huge turtles. They spent the rest of the afternoon doing fuse beads and playing Legos. Zach even hung out with Pa for a bit and gave him some BIG smiles!

Telephone...

2009-06-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

Remember that game telephone? One person tells another a story, and that person tells another and each generation distorts the story more. Based on my experience, I think the amount of distortion must be directly proportional to the age of the re-teller. Push play below and see Anna's version of a joke that Curtis told her today...

The Many Faces of Zachary

2009-06-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

2 Month Stats for Zach

2009-06-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

Zach had his 2mo well check today. Anna was disappointed that it was during her school hours, so she wouldn't be there to hold his hand for his shots. She said, "But he's never had shots without me holding his hand!!!" I promised to schedule the next one when she was out of school...but then she started a fever during the night so I had to keep her home anyway. She was feeling fine though, so we all went to see Dr. Tsao! He's awesome.

Zach got a clean bill of health. He's a growing boy, already measuring 23" (up from 21" at birth, although I think the 23" measurement today was shy of his true length) and weighing 12lbs 15.4 ounces (up 4 lbs from birth). And he was a trooper for all of his shots, and his oral vacc. Good boy, as usual! Shots seem much less traumatic this time around...for me anyway. :) I don't know if I am less stressed about it because I think he'll take it in stride better, or if it's "Second Child Syndrome" (which I hate the idea of). Hmmm...food for thought.

Nothing beats...

2009-05-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

...sleepy snuggles. Anna wakes up early almost every morning and sneaks up to the edge of the bed, where Zach has usually fallen asleep after his last feeding and is snuggled up next to me, and says, "Can I come snuggle now?" She carefully crawls in behind him and snuggles right up next to him without moving him and dozes back off. So sweet...they just melt my heart. What did we do to deserve so many blessings? :)

Bedtime prayers

2009-05-29T22:28:00.001-07:00

Every night before bed, Anna and Curtis and I (and now Zach) pile into her bed for prayers. We read a kids devotional that we have used for about 3 years now. Then we all say prayers together.

Over the years, our bedtime prayers have gone through many iterations. We started with the traditional "Now I lay me down to sleep..." (Although, we did opt for the less morbid version than the one that both of US grew up with; "If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take" is swapped for "Angels watch me through the night, And wake me with the morning light.") Then we did The Lord's Prayer for awhile.

Right now, we all take a turn saying a prayer with at least one thing we are thankful for that day. Anna always wants to say Zach's prayer for him. She prays, in this tiny little voice (which is what she thinks Zach would sound like if he could talk?) "Dear God, Thank you for such a great big sister!"

I asked her once, "Hey, isn't he thankful for his great Mommy and Daddy too?" She replied, "He might be, but that's not what he's praying for tonight." Funny girl... :)

Questions you never thought you'd ask...

2009-05-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

I often find myself uttering phrases or questions that, before having children, I never imagined would pass my lips. There are some that I just swore I would never use, on principle. (Yes, I admit to having spoken the dreaded "because I said so"...more than once.) And there are some that were never even on my radar. Today's question was never even on my radar...

"Anna, why is your dog pink?"

Incidentally, the answer was owing to the amazing properties of pink sidewalk chalk, and what a Pomeranian can do if he rolls in an abandoned hop scotch game. Although she swears it was not planned...Anna did seem awfully pleased to have a pink dog. Hmmm...suspicious.

Meet Zachary Charles!

2009-05-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

I'm behind on blogging...but I have a doctor's note. :) Since I've been gone, we added a new member to the family!

Zachary Charles was born on April 2nd at 4:59pm. He weighed 8lbs, 14oz and was 21 inches long at birth. It was a muuuuch rougher birth than our first time around, but of course it was worth the effort. He is SO much fun. He's a mellow boy. He spends most of his days sleeping, nursing, nursing, nursing, peeing on us when we try to change his diaper, nursing and sleeping (in about that proportion). All three of us are having a great time with him.

Now that I have THAT caught up, I can go about my regularly scheduled posting without feeling like I left something out of order.

When left to their own devices...

2009-03-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

...Curtis & Anna can get into all kinds of trouble. :) This is what greeted me less than 15 minutes after Curtis got home from work tonight.

Leprachauns Beware...

2009-03-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

Anna's teacher assigned them a project for St. Patrick's Day. They needed to design and build a Leprechaun Trap. Anna had a nice diagram drawn and lots of big plans about how this would work. She even included signs that instructed them NOT to climb the ladder or take the gold 'bait' (because they were told that Leprechaun are naughty and do the opposite of whatever they are told). She also wanted to put food into the trap so that they would have something to eat and not die until she came to check the trap again. Too cute...

In the end, no leprechaun were caught, but they did visit the traps and leave behind glittery green coins and pieces of tiny Leprechaun clothing.

20 Questions

2009-02-13T09:31:00.001-08:00

Playing 20 Questions with Anna can be maddening. While we always pick something solid, tangible, DESCRIBABLE (is that a word?) - she tend to pick more 'esoteric' things: presents, love, the color pink, laughing. Cute - but hard to guess if you start with "Is it a person place or thing?" and get "No."

On the way to San Francisco to visit Daddy at work the other day, we had the following 20 Questions session:

B: Is it a person, place or thing?
A: Mmmm....maybe a thing I guess.
B: Is it bigger than Rigby (turns out, Anna has no idea what a 'breadbox' is, so we had to start using the dog for size reference)?
A: No. It doesn't have a size.
B: *sigh* Here we go... OKaaayy...is it something you can touch?
A: No.
B: Is it something you feel?
A: No.
B: Is it a color?
A: No.
(Insert 15 more rejected questions here before I gave up.)
She finally says:
A: It's the GAME of 20 Questions!!! (and then doubles over laughing)

Yeah, very funny. I have to give her points for creativity, and that her answers were all correct. She's a funny one. But WAIT - that's not the funniest part.

On the way home (with Daddy now), she wants to make him guess what she picked for 20 Questions. She says, "Take a guess, Daddy!"

I told her, "Honey, Daddy didn't play the game with us, so he didn't hear all of the questions. He can't just GUESS a random thing and know what you were thinking. It doesn't work that way."

But, she pressed on, "Come on Daddy, just ONE guess."

Curtis laughed and said, "Um, OK - the GAME of 20 Questions."

Seriously? I probably nearly drove us off the road because my jaw dropped and I just turned to stare at him. He looked surprised, and said, "Oh, that was really it?"

I'll be damned - they share a brain. (Then again - there are worse people to share a brain with...they happen to be my two favorite people.) Like Daddy like Little Girl.

Anna-isims...

2009-02-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

The other day, Anna's class writing assignment for their morning journals was, "If I dug to the center of the earth, I would find..." It was my morning to volunteer in her class, so I got to hear all of the kids sharing what they wrote. Most of them said unicorns, treasures, jewels, etc. When it was Anna's turn, she said, "You would find hot magma and big plates. When the plates move, that's what makes an earthquake." It turns out, JUST the day before, she had asked me how earthquakes happen, and we had talked about it. I thought it was hilarious that it was so well timed...it made her sound like quite a smarty.
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Last night, Anna did something sweet, and Grandma said to her, "You have SUCH a big heart, Anna." Anna immediately corrected her and said, "Actually, it's not really that big Grandma. It's only about the size of my fist."

Operation: Drainage

2009-02-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

...is not going so well. Our last big hurdle before we can get the permit on the addition finaled is to complete new grading around the addition, so that water will drain away from the foundation. Unfortunately, this has proved much more complex than we had hoped, for a variety of reasons. We're currently working on removing a LOT of dirt, to lower the level of the ground, and then installing a french-drain type thingy. (Yes, I'm quite certain that "thingy" is the technical term. And by "we" and mean "Curtis".) Well, of course, it finally decided to rain here in Sonoma county...mid-project. This is what our back yard looks like now. Lovely...

Going hot!!!

2009-02-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

Anna's birthday present from Grandpa, Grandma Patsy & Uncle Will arrived today. She has her VERY own first gun. And, perfectly fitting for Anna, it is *pink*. They bought her a Pink Daisy Air Rifle.

We spent the afternoon re-reviewing safety rules, talking about what is and is not safe. I think all kids are different, and some are able to handle that kind of responsibility younger than others (if ever). I don't have any worries about Anna being cautious and following the rules - but we still place a big emphasis on safety around here.

Unfortunately, it's raining here, and she is DYING to go practice now, so we'll have to wait for it to dry out a bit. She LOVES her new gun. Curtis and I both love that she has shown an interest in shooting sports. Since that is how WE met, it holds a sentimental place in our hearts. :)

Say what...?

2009-02-04T10:39:00.001-08:00

The other night, Curtis was in Anna's room with her getting ready for bed, when she stopped and said, "Well, that glows." The thing is, it was in the exact same tone and inflection that her parents MIGHT occasionally say something that RHYMES with glows...like...BLOWS. Curtis let out an incredulous, "WHAT did you say?!!" Anna just looked at him and said, "It glows. The stars on my ceiling make it glow." *whew* Time to watch the potty mouth around here...?

Anna's 6 Year Old Portraits...

2009-02-03T16:34:00.001-08:00

So looks SO grown up to me in these. It makes me a little sappy. The same way I get when she reads me something, solves math problems on her own, or says things that are so wise they leave me speechless. She's a treasure and a joy to know...and we're so lucky to have her. :) She's gotten so big, so fast - but I love who she is becoming.

Crazy Hat Day at school...

2009-01-31T08:56:00.000-08:00

Meet Anna...

2009-01-31T08:28:00.000-08:00

Anna's twin, Anna, that is. We got her a 'My Twinn' doll for her birthday and she loves it.

If I had 100 penus...

2009-01-31T08:06:00.000-08:00

Peni? Penises? I have never thought of it in plural I guess. Anyway...

Straight out of a silly email forward, similar to one I read this week, we had a "You Should Always Check Your Child's Homework" moment here yesterday. The funny thing is, even after having laughed at that email, I didn't catch it at first...Curtis did.

Anna's journal assignment was "If I had 100 pencils, I would...". They are supposed to use their journals to sound words out themselves, so we aren't supposed to help her spell. They can also try to 'find' the word they are spelling and copy it. Well, it turns out that the way her teacher wrote 'pencils' ran together a bit...

It caused a startling (at least to both of us) misspelling of "pencils" in her journal. I told her she should go show Daddy her journal, because he was in it, and I thought it was cute. I saw Curtis reading it, and his eyebrows went up (wayyy up). After looking at it, and looking at the assignment, I could see where the misunderstanding came from. I *did* make her fix it...but not before I snapped a picture.

New Year's Eve Bowling

2009-01-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

We took Anna bowling for the first time on New Year's Eve...it was hilarious. It still makes me cringe for the lanes to watch this. We had fun though. And I even won one game, 6 months pregnant, with a bad back and a bum knee. Yeah, so what if it was with bumpers, I still WON. :)

Anna-isims...

2009-01-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

Last night, Anna took all of the cushions out of my glider rocker, then couldn't get them back in, so she had to ask Curtis for help.

Curtis told her, "Maybe it's a good idea not to take things apart if you can't put them back together, huh?"

Anna just looked at him and said very matter-of-fact, "I didn't KNOW I wouldn't be able to put it back together when I took it apart. You just never know how life is going to go, Daddy."

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So, I'm 6+ months along now, and my tummy isn't the only thing that has been busy growing. I'm giving Dolly a run for her money these days. Last night, as Anna was cuddling at bedtime, she said, "I think your boobies are getting bigger to get ready for baby. We should either cut off the tops and pour out some milk, or milk you like a cow to make them smaller." What can I say...she leaves me speechless.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town...

2008-12-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

He's making a list, he's checking it twice...
(You know the rest...)

Our city has Santa go around town on a float each December with his elf, and they stop in each neighborhood so the kids can climb up in his sleigh with his reindeer, and tell Santa what they want for Christmas and take a picture. It's very cute. This year Santa's sleigh even had a snow machine, so there was real snow falling.

Incidentally, Anna asked Santa for musical instruments, specifically a "kitar". For your edification, a kitar is just like a guitar, but it is pronounced in a decidedly creative Anna-ish way. (And also so you know, Santa already found one and hid it in the gift closet...along with a pink tambourine, a few pink wood instruments and a pink flute thingy. Santa decidedly veto'd the pink drums.)

With Santa's Elf Helper...

And with Santa himself...

Catching chemically processed snowflakes on her tongue...I'm sure that's healthy.

The Magician

2008-11-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

Anna devised this "trick" and wanted me to video tape it for her, in her never ending quest to get on America's Funniest Home Videos. Abra cadabra!

Anna's Offering...

2008-11-25T18:07:00.000-08:00

Anna has three piggy banks: one for God, one for college and one for 'surprises' (toys). She actually came up with that idea on her own quite awhile ago. Well, this weekend, we were going to church, and Anna said she wanted to take her "For God" piggy bank and give it in the offering. I said, "Sure..." and got her a big ziplock bag to empty it into. (She had $28.02 saved up in there!)

She then took a Sharpie, and said she was going to write her name on it, so God would know who it was from. When I came back, this is what she had written:

"To God. From Anna.
I love you Kodi & Mariah."

Kodi is our dog that died this year, and she often talks about him being up in heaven now. And Mariah is my mom's dog that died 2 years ago. She wanted God to tell them that she loves them, or 'just show them the note if he wants to.' She also turned the "o" in "God" into a picture of Kodi, and wrote his name next to it, so God would know what he looked like to find him, to show him the note.

It was so sweet, it made me cry. OK, honestly, I am so pregnant and hormonal right now, the right BEER commercial can make me cry, but still. Pretty cute...

19 Week Ultrasound Pics

2008-11-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

Baby Bump is growing in there. The three of us went to see Baby at our 19 week U/S. Anna was thrilled. They must be learning anatomy in Spanish class, because she kept trying to name all of baby's parts in Spanish, and the tech was helping her. She even labeled one pic in Spanish for Anna to take to school to show her Spanish class. Baby was moving and grooving (legs closed and ankles crossed, not that we were peeking) and even sucking it's thumb in one of the pictures below. 20 weeks to go!

Go NINERS!!!

2008-11-17T09:35:00.000-08:00

Grandma bought Daddy two tickets for the Niners game this weekend, for his birthday. We bought one more ticket, so that Anna could go too, since she has been asking if we could go to "a real football game" someday. Unfortunately, Grandma and Alisa couldn't go at the last minute, but the three of us went.

It was HOT there! This is mid-November! Did California not get the memo? It was over 80 degrees in San Francisco, and we were sitting in Candlestick, with no wind, and no shade, BAKING in the sun. Anna finally resored to melting ice cubes on her face to stay cool. She and I both had out sweatshirts draped over our heads and one shoulder to try to keep the sun off.

But, the upside it, going in at 2-7, our hopes weren't high. And, miracle of miracles, we WON! Actually, we kicked ass. Now, that has as much to do with the Rams just sucking harder than we do, than it does any REAL skill on our part - but hey, we'll take it. So, it was a fun game. We ate cotton candy and licorice and drank LOTS of lemonade (beer for Daddy), before Anna crashed and passed out. She curled up in a little ball face down on her seat and went to sleep. Too cute...

Go Niners!!! Playoffs here we come!!! (Well, not THIS year, but I'm sure - just by law of averages - someday we'll get there again, so I'm going to start cheering early, just in case.)

Latest Anna-isms...

2008-11-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

Some recent funnies from Anna:

Aunt Tracy loooong ago taught Anna that good things come in small packages. Most notably, little tiny boxes usually have jewlery in them. So, after visiting Aunt Dani the other day, Anna remarked, "I think Aunt Tracy has given Aunt Dani LOTS of little boxes, because Aunt Dani has lots of jewlery." I had to break the news that Aunt Tracy, although very cool, is not the Jewlery Fairy, and all jewlery in the world does NOT necessarily come from her.

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We made rolled baked sandwich things the other day for lunch. We thought if we let Anna choose her fillings, she's eat it. So, she picked salami & cheese. And then refused to eat it when it was baked.

I caved and offered to fix her something else. Browsing the fridge, we had the following conversation:

ME: How about salami slices?
ANNA: Yeah!
CURTIS: How about some cheese?
ANNA: Yeah. OK, wait a minute Daddy. I KNOW what you are thinking. I see where you are headed with this, and I am NOT eating that sandwich.

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While talking to Grandma about how old they both were, Grandma said, "Well, I am young at heart. My body thinks I am old, but my head knows that I am young." Anna replied, "Um, Grandma, I think your body may be right on this one."

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Anna had been thrashing around all evening, jumping and dancing and being goofy. Curtis and I were torn between being amused and annoyed. After one particularly window rattling crash, she looked up to she if she was in trouble, and when Curtis and I just looked at her, she said, "Yeah, that move needs a little work."

Stupid Gecko

2008-11-04T10:07:00.000-08:00

I am strangely annoyed by the fact that the Stupid Geico Gecko has been given a new voice, that has a much heavier accent is is difficult to understand. What was wrong with the original annoying voice, and why am I so bothered by this. Is it just me?

Further clarification...

2008-11-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

I just realized, upon reviewing some old blog entries, that my last "pregnancy" post was clarifying that we are NOT pregnant. And that at some point I probably should have updated that here...but I think most of you that read this know already.

So, for the record, we ARE pregnant now. I sent out a family email awhile back that had a Top Ten List included. Enjoy...

Top Ten Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, seriously.
About 18 weeks right now.
Yes, it was on purpose.
April 9th, 2009.
A little bit of morning sickness, but otherwise great.
She can hardly WAIT to be a big sister.
Yes, it will be a boy or a girl.
No, we won’t find out ahead of time.
No names yet, but we wouldn’t admit it if we did anyway. :)
No, that doesn’t mean the house is finally finished (we wish).

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

This year, Anna became...The Pink Poodle!

It was very cute. We were a little concerned about how trick-or-treating would go. In all the years prior, Anna has dressed up as a ballerina or a flower fairy or a princess - all things that have fairly UNINSULATED wardrobe requirements.

But this year, the pink poodle. The pink poodle costume was warm, furry, fuzzy, and had head-to-toe Halloween endurance written all over it. I was concerned that we wouldn't have our usual "I'm cold - let's go home now" after two houses. Well, we didn't, but her feet did give out before ours did (not by much though). The rain held off and we all had fun. Until next year...

Anna and Sam, sitting in a tree...

2008-11-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Heaven help us. Get the shotgun out. Anna has a boyfriend.

*sigh* I wasn't ready for this YET. But it is pretty funny and cute. There is a little boy in Anna's class who just adores her. I think the feeling is mutual, but she did say that he is "way too silly to marry". He's in love with her. She loves him too, and she also sits next to him at lunch so that he can open all of her things for her.

Yesterday at the Halloween party, after watching them play musical chairs at the snack table just so they could sit together, her teacher said, "Do you hear abut Sam at all?" Seriously?! He's ALLL we hear about. :) Then her other teacher said that she was talking to his aunt the other day, and their conversation reportedly went something like this:

(After having said something about a girl in his class)
Aunt: Is that your girlfriend?
Sam: No - I only have one girlfriend. That's Anna.
Aunt: Well, what do you like about Anna?
Sam: She's the coolest girl in the whole world. She's so cool. She's the prettiest girl in school. And she's lost more teeth than me!

Ahhh...the perspective of a five year old. At what age, do you think, does it become UNcool to have lost more teeth than your date?

Anna...the Next Food Network Star

2008-10-28T19:32:00.001-07:00

We were on a picnic at Yosemite, when Anna decided she wanted to make a video of her new "recipe". This recipe included Garlic Cheez Whiz, Salami & Ritz Crackers. Despite my dislike of anything that ends in "Whiz", it was a huge leap up from her previous concoction - Garlic Cheez Whiz stuffed Raspberries (which made even HER gag). Bon appetit!

The Pumpkin Princess

2008-10-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

Anna's first pumpkin of the season is now gracing our front porch. The little "thought bubble" was her idea (and execution). It says (in case you need translation): "BOO! Did I scare you? YES!"

Be careful what you say...

2008-10-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

Anna had a field trip today, and I had the FUNNIEST conversation with one of the little girls that rode with us. Funniest EVER. Seriously.

So, we were talking about all the fun stuff they were going to get to do at the pumpkin patch: pick pumpkins, dig potatoes, milk a cow, etc. The following conversation ensued:

ME: So you guys get to milk a cow today!
GIRL: My mommy works for cows.
ME: Oh, you mean she works WITH cows?
GIRL: No, she works FOR cows.
ME: She works FOR cows?
GIRL: Yes. She always says the ladies she works for are a bunch of cows.

I think I deserve a commendation or some kind of medal for not driving off the road while in hysterical fits of laughter. Totally priceless.