Kiera's 3rd Birthday

We filled Kiera's room with balloons and hung a bunch of streamers from the top of her bedroom door after she fell asleep on Friday night.  She was excited on Saturday morning since balloons are still one of her favorite things in the world.

When she came downstairs I offered her ice cream for breakfast but she refused!  I was dumbfounded.  She asked for min instead-- as she has every single day for the past two years.  Then she sat down to watch an episode of Dora.

Next we went to the park.   The weather was beautiful and we had the place to ourselves.  Even Luke went on a swing for the first time.  He loved it and fell asleep in it.

Kiera decided to have lunch at Chick fil A and then opened presents that afternoon.  She wanted chicken, corn and macaroni and cheese for dinner.  'Not the yucky kind.' She likes Amy's.  I made Kraft one day and she knew right away.  She's a mac 'n' cheese connoisseur. 

I made 'ice cream cone cupcakes' for dessert and Kiera blew out her '3' candle twice.

It's hard to believe Kiera's already three and that she's been my almost constant companion for that long.  She's thoughtful and sweet and funny...and very easy to love.  One of this year's Kiera highlights for me has been seeing her become such a loving and fun big sister for Luke.  His face lights up the minute he sees her.  I hope they'll always enjoy each other as much as they do now.

Kiera's friend Avery gave her this fairy dress for her b-day.  Kiera wore it for two days and nights straight.  It has wings AND jewelry that go with it. 

Lately

*Lately Kiera has been giving me the plastic hot dog from her toy food collection and saying 'This is for being a great mommy.'  She really does love hot dogs so I know the sentiment is from her heart.

*The other day in a desperate attempt to extend her afternoon quiet time a bit (she no longer naps) I brought some stickers and a few sheets of paper up to Kiera's room and went back downstairs.  Thirty minutes later...

*Another day during quiet time Kiera put on rainbow leg warmers and peeled half the paint off her bedroom door.

*Last week Kiera said: 'Mom, have you ever seen a witch on a golf club?'  This is what I saw when I turned to look at her:

*Luke is a precious boy who smiles all day and all night.  The other night we were up for a diaper change and he flashed his (two) pearly whites.  Check out his new teeth and sweet smile in this video:

Halloween 2011

Kiera had been planning to dress as a pink ghost for many months leading up to Halloween but she changed her mind last minute and decided to dress as a ballerina instead.  We often watch videos on the Anaheim Ballet's YouTube page and she loves the paintings of Degas.  Ballerinas are her thing.

Luke was an octopus. 

Oldies but Goodies: Peach Hurts and Da Boo Poo

Luke's Crazy About Kiera

Kiera happened to wake up the other morning as I was getting some video footage of Luke in his exersaucer.  Notice the huge smile that comes across his face as soon as he hears her voice on the monitor.

Sophie the Giraffe

Luke truly loves his giraffe teething toy from Oma.  He drools and gnaws on it all day long.  But when the sun goes down...

this photo was not staged

Where's Julio? (This post could also be titled 'Check out one of many huge piles of unfolded laundry in our house')

Multitasking

I walked into Kiera's room the other day and here's what I saw-

She was:
1.  on the potty
2.  working on her laptop (right hand)
3.  holding a sippy cup of milk (left hand)
4.  balancing a book between her feet to read later.  Or maybe she had already taken care of that.

I was able to take this photo without disturbing her...

The latest from Beaumont...

Kiera picked out a pumpkin for herself and one for Luke and painted them earlier this week.

We went for a hike in Big Thicket.

Mornings have been cooler lately and Kiera wanted to make sure she and Luke were ready for the chill.

And one other important thing has been happening a lot in Beaumont-- Luke has been smiling.  A lot.

recent photos

Sweet Ella.  Kiera asks to have Ella upstairs with her during nap time almost every day.

No DNA test necessary-- this girl loves cheese the way only an Alvarey can.  Here she's eating Parmesan ('Farmer John') but she also loves Munster ('Monster').

Cozy book nook.

Daddy's gone...

and things are slightly crazy.  We've had a pretty good couple of days since David left for Vegas but we really miss him.  Ella misses her early morning walks and Kiera misses the FUN that only he can bring...and she misses being tickled.  She actually likes it and asks for more sometimes.

Yesterday was ok but at one point I was rushing to get somewhere on time (going anywhere with two kids, even if it's just a few blocks, feels like the the Lewis and Clark expedition) and trying to get Kiera to grab some socks so we could put her shoes on.  I was acting kind of frantic and Kiera said: "Calm down, Mom."  I love that she said this because it was totally justified...and I love that she calls me 'mom' instead of 'mommy.'

She's also been using some other fun words and expressions lately: 'huge', 'though,' 'recognize,'  'need very badly', and 'of all' (as in 'I don't like that of all').  And she's been putting bandaids on everything-- all over herself and on many of her toys. 

Kiera's fun to be with-- we really enjoy her spunky personality.  

This week...

Lucy and Myra sent a package with toys for Luke and some fun dress-up stuff for Kiera.

We were home more than usual this week because the VW is in the shop.  Kiera's Little People were tired so we made them playdough beds.  Kiera painted some noodles for a necklace and we read a whole bunch of books-- a few current favorites are Harry the Dirty Dog, I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! and The Pout-Pout Fish.  She also watched several exciting episodes of Dora the Explorer.

We've started the tradition of having pizza for dinner on Fridays.  Last night Kiera made it and it was delicious!

David usually gives Kiera her bath and reads to her before bed.  Often he lies down with her for a few minutes before she falls asleep.  Well, apparently he's also been taking that opportunity to try to get some 'back tickles and pinches' because the other morning the first thing she told me was: 'I did tickle Daddy's back and I did pinch it.'  His secret is out :)

Kiera:  "Where's Daddy goin'?" (as Dave walks out to grill)
Laura:  "He's going to cook our dinner."
Kiera:  "At the golf course?"

Haween

Ever since last Halloween ('Haween') Kiera has been intrigued with Halloween-- about once a week it comes up in conversation.  She had tons of fun in 2010 at a party with her friend Gabe, trick-or-treating in our neighborhood with the Montgomery boys and handing out candy on our front stoop.  Her plan is to be a pink ghost this year.  Here are some photos from her first (she was ebi nigiri) and second (she was an octopus) Halloweens.  I think collecting each year's Halloween picture will be a fun way to check out both how much the kids are changing and what they're interested in at the time.

Good Old Fashioned Mail

While we were in South Carolina last month, Kiera got a letter in the mail from her daddy complete with an illustration of the two of them playing golf.  She was thrilled to receive it and when my mom asked her about it Kiera said (with a tiny hint of bragging in her voice) "Maybe you can-a buy one some year."

I was in the kitchen putting away dishes a week or so after Luke was born when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kiera checking out my postnatal belly. I guessed what was coming and then, with a truly worried look on her face, she said it. 'You having another baby?'

Baby Luke is here!

Wearing the shirt his sis made for him...

Luke was born on June 8th at 2:18 am. He weighed 8lbs 15oz and the nurse kept saying "if only he hadn't pooped, he'd have been 9lbs!" So far, it seems like he read the Baby Manual from cover to cover because he eats, sleeps and takes care of business like it's nobody's business.

Kiera has been very gentle with him. She likes to 'pet' his fuzzy head quite a bit and enjoys checking out his feet and toes. When she sees him she says 'he's a tiiiny (drawn out i sound and high pitched voice to accentuate the word) baby..." over and over. Sometimes she covers her ears when he cries and the other day she suggested that we take him back to the hospital since he cries a lot.

Big Sistering 101

Kiera attended the Siblings Class offered at the hospital tonight. She was the youngest in the group but she really shined when it came to loving on her baby doll, diapering, feeding and answering the nurse's questions. We got to tour the maternity ward and Kiera was impressed with the fancy feathered pink wreaths and blue banners on some of the doors. The kids also got to make tiny tee-shirts for their new brothers and sisters-- she got to make two since we don't know the gender.

Mother's Day

Today was lovely! We hiked at Big Thicket in the morning and went to the pool at the rec center in the afternoon. Kiera loved the hike and helped us find our way on the trail.

She also loved her swim in the pool. She was giddy about swimming in the outdoor pool for the first time this season.

"Diapers are not a [sic] me!"

Kiera hasn't worn a diaper other than for naps and bedtime in about a week! She basically potty trained herself.  All I did was buy fun undies...and Oma sent a bunch, too.

Long Time No Blog

We're almost exactly a month away from the arrival of our new baby. I've decided to get back into blogging since I'll have so much extra time on my hands with a two year old and a newborn. We've talked about the baby's arrival quite a bit and Kiera has assured me for months now that I'm not going through this pregnancy alone. She and David are both pregnant as well-- Kiera with a 'sister' and Dave with 'Opa.' She says that I have a 'brother' in my belly-- only time will tell...