Sunday, April 29, 2012

Gabi 26 months

 I have been looking forward to this post .  Gabi has seemed to mature so much since her 2nd birthday.  She is talking so much more.  For us this has been nice.  She is able to express herself more and tell us what she wants.  It's funny to hear her tell Will and Isa "go away Isa (or Will)" when they bother her. Or have her tell us she has a boo boo and needs a bandaid.  She now says most of our family's names (to include Gramma).  She tries to beg "I sleep in mommy's bed", still asks where everyone has gone, and hold her own with her older sibs when they try to take her stuff.

Gabi has also developed a much stronger personality.  She is now very adamant about what she wants and doesn't want.  Although she is still very sweet and loving, she is sometimes very feisty.  Gabi has really started enjoying playing dress up more and loves being a little princess.  It's funny to watch her wear the dresses that are too big for her... but she strongly Insists that is the one she wants to wear!  She still enjoys dancing and loves singing.

Gabi also has a cute little routine she does for us.  She has an angry face, happy face, surprised face, and sad face.  She also mimics Gramma's moves when she does her Toddler's and Tiara routine (poking fun at the show)!  Like her siblings, Gabi is a natural climber.  She can make navigate our playset and swings on a regular swing. Gabi loves playing with Isa and Will.  It's wonderful to watch them all play together, running around, and rolling down our little hill in the back yard. 
 
Gabi is still on a good sleeping schedule.  She is up most mornings around 7:30, takes a 2 hour nap around 1pm, and is in bed around 8pm.   She has started being a little bit more picky with her meals, but eats great when she wants.  She is a great little helper.  She always puts her diapers in the garbage, her cups in the sink when she's done, and sings the "clean-up" song when we are tidying up! She loves giving everyone a big hug and kiss goodbye and goodnight.  She has the most genuine and loving smile and we love hearing her laugh.  She sure is a sweet little girl that makes our days so much more interesting.  We all love her so much!



Friday, April 27, 2012

silly Will

Tonight while getting the kids ready for bed... Will and I had the following conversation... too funny!
me: next month, May, we will have been in this home for 2 years!
Will:  And then we will find a new house?
me: No, we're staying here forever.
Will:  Unless we have another baby.
me: no, we aren't having any more babies.

Will:  why, because your belly is out of baby power?  =)

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

this and that

One of the things I love best about being a mom is being able hear all the silly little conversations and interactions the kids have between themselves and others.  Normally we don't write down the daily silly things, or the "normal" activities in our homes.  The other day, as I looked over at our little table covered with papers, crayons and markers... I decided to secretly grab the recorder and video Will and Isa chatting.  So glad I did.  The video captures what many of our days are like!  Our kids LOVE to color, paint, and make books!  Really... I should have bought stock options in "printer paper" because they sure can go through a lot of it!
 This past weekend the kids also kicked off a new soccer season!  Will was real reluctant to wear his uniform... BUT once he was on the field, he was on fire!  He was all smiles and really had a blast!  He's come a LONG way from keeping the bench warm!  He is getting real good at the game!
 Isa was real enthusiastic starting off... but she got a little bored with it during her practice... wanting to go play at the playground next to her field instead.  She still did well and we are sure she will enjoy it a little more when the weather is nicer.
Ahhh... my Gabi Rose.  Tobin and I honestly feel like Gabi has been really stringing more words together and forming better sentences.  We don't always understand her (even though we understand more than others can!).  She is saying things like "i brush my teeth", "I have my food please", "read a book please", "my knee hurts, band-aid please".  She is counting to about 14 on her own (sometimes missing numbers 4 and 12).  We are so glad she is communicating better with us!

AND... this video was too funny not to post!  This is the kids watching the recent video of Chloe from her blog.  They were cracking up at silly cheeseball C! Gabi thought C was "licking" her. =)


Tonight we were invited over to Bapa and Gramma's house to visit with Tob's cousin Krista, her husband Adam and meet their sweet lil girl McKenna.  We had a wonderful visit catching up and sharing stories!  So glad they were able to share their time with us.  Little McKenna is adorable and we were glad to be part of the great company!


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

adventures with the Tooth Fairy

Last night Will was SO excited to put his first tooth under his pillow!  He put it in his special pouch and tucked it away.

This morning Will walked into my room with a curious look on his face.  He said he got a "special coin" from the tooth fairy... but he didn't know what it was!  He received his first Silver Dollar!  What a great morning for our lil man!

Monday, April 16, 2012

First tooth!

Will just casually walked over to his Gramma and I and said "my tooth", opened his hand and handed over his first tooth that fell out!  He and the girls were all playing in the playground with cousin C and we would have never suspected that is what he was walking over to say to us!  Thankfully his new tooth was already growing behind so there won't be an empty spot for long.  The tooth right next to it is also growing... so I am sure there will be a second loose tooth soon!
 
Also, this was the little contraption the kids put together for taking Gabi on ride (we had to secure it a little).  Love their imagination!

Friday, April 13, 2012

trip to the zoo with Gramma

Today we took a trip to the zoo on what turned out to be beautiful Spring day!  The weather was amazing.  The sun was out, but it was still cool.  The zoo also had more to offer than just the animals we typically come to see.  The flora was spectacular and seeing so many native Ohio trees and plants popping with color and buds on the verge of bursting open was beautiful too!
The kids had a great time and even enjoyed a little Icee treat at the end!  What a great day!  Will was also real excited to share the zoo's new Elephant crossing with Gramma... and to introduce her to Willy (the only male elephant at the zoo!)
 
 
 




Thursday, April 12, 2012

girls and boys

Spring break fun continues for us.  The girls did some more of the milk art yesterday (with cousin C joining us for the fun and Queen Gramma!).  Then our friends came over and the boys made paper airplanes and tried their hand at a video game!  The funniest part was when my friend came back over, all the kids hid and jumped out throwing their planes at her! 
 


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

our little helper

It seems like no matter what project we have going on, Isa is right there with us.  Whether it's cooking a meal, cleaning the windows, gardening, setting up furniture, or washing the deck she always asks "Can I help?".  More often than not the next comment is her well known phrase "we've got alot of work to do."  We love hearing her say that, and love that she is such a good helper.  Isa may be a little sassy at times... but she can also be real sweet and a huge help!

Spring Break

The kids and I are on Spring Break this week.  We thought we would try a road trip somewhere... but that just didn't work out.  So, we are enjoying our days here.  The kids are attending a few Camp days at the Little Gym, and we are having fun at home and on little adventures. 
Today we made Milk Art.  Found this fun experiment to do with the kids on Pinterest.  A light layer of milk on a plate (must be 2% or more), some drops of food coloring... then add a few drops of dish soap... and watch the reaction.   They had so much fun!
 
 




Monday, April 9, 2012

Easter weekend

We had a wonderful Easter with family this year.  Tobin had Friday off and we spent the day together playing in and outdoors along with getting our patio furniture set up.  Then on Saturday we headed over to Gramma and Bapa's for their traditional Easter Saturday dinner, complete with ham, kieÅ‚basa, home made bread, and hrudka (a Slovak cheese egg).  The kids colored and decorated the eggs (this year making "mini-monsters"), played with their cousins, and had fun during their Easter egg hunt!
 Displaying our fun Easter eggs!
 
 

At our Saturday Easter dinner Damian presented Tobin with his award for the family and friends bracket challenge.  Tob was more than excited to win this, and on many occasions really hoped he would get "the award he was always meant to win!"  We aren't big sports fans in our household (even though we do enjoy lots of outdoors games).  So it was fitting that Tob was the lowest point getter in the family bracket challenge!

Sunday was wonderful as well.  The kids woke us up to let us know that they saw bunny eggs left by their doors and leading downstairs.  Off they went in search of their Easter baskets!  The excitement and giggles were contagious!  Once they all found their baskets they sat down to explore them!  They were so fun to watch!  Gabi was particularly funny... with every new thing or egg she found she would exclaim "woooow!"
 
We then put on our Easter outfits and headed to Mass with the Sikora clan!  The service in the "gym rocked".  The kids did surprisingly well and all looked so cute together!  After Mass we said goodbye to the Columbus group and then to the Vincents a little later and enjoyed the afternoon with those left.  

Spending this time with family feels great and I am glad our kids are able to experience so many occasions with our family near and far.  Growing up we were raised "in a village" (the Hispanic way).  Even though my immediate family was small (just my sis and mom) our "family" was always so much larger.  It was shared with cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends!  Every holiday was always joyfully loud!  Being able to have our kids grow up with family in an equally loud and joyful way warms my heart!
We ended our Sunday with a trip to the park... which WILL RODE HIS BIKE on 2 WHEELS the WHOLE WAY!  We met Bapa, Gramma, Eddie and Jona at the park for some kite flying, some playground playing, and a little b-ball lesson for the kids... perfect ending!
  
 some of our videos =)