It's time to move on...

which means it is the end of the rope for this blog...

I have started a new blog. Learning as I go was special for the first few years of the girls' lives and an outlet for me to talk about my learning experiences, how they were growing, etc. I still want to share some of our experiences, but I want to expand on that as well. As the girls are now 3 and 4 (almost 4 and 5!) and they play together more and I don't need to hover over them so much, I have had the time to start to remember me, and who I was before having kids. There is kind of a lot I want to share and some new experiences that I've had in recent months.

Family, friends and blog commenters: You'll hear from me soon because I won't be listing the new address here, and I'll be up and running in the next few days (hopefully today, but I can't promise).

If you've been anonymous and want the new address, please email me at jennakuhl@yahoo.com. Not that you would because you're anonymous, but I thought I would just put that out there.

Halloween - Part 2

Never one to reveal the girl's costumes before Halloween, this year we bring you the expected and the not so expected.

Expected: Bea choosing a kitty costume.


She really wanted to be a pumpkin, but there wasn't one to be found for the "over 2" crowd. I wanted to make one, but there just wasn't enough time and I wasn't sure where to begin. Maybe next year.

Not so expected: Olivia as a ... power ranger? Yes.


We really thought she would choose one of her many princess dresses for the festivities, but no. The day she told me she wanted to be a power ranger I just looked at her with a question mark on my face and asked, "Really? How do you even know what that is?" But she was certain that is what she wanted to be. A quick trip to Target and it was fate...for we got the last one in the store, that just happened to be in her size, and it was the correct power ranger color.

Also, they insisted on taking a few hugging photos...I couldn't resist this:


And then they did their best feisty pose for me:


Happy Halloween! And a very happy anniversary to my parents on this day, too!

Halloween – Part 1 of 3

At least, I think there will be 3 parts to the Halloween post. And, you might be seeing Part 3 right around Christmas if you’re lucky, which is par for the course on my blog updates lately.

In any case, I’ve always liked Halloween and Fall is my favorite time of the year. I had no idea how much more exciting Halloween is once you have kids to enjoy it with. The past couple of years have been a lot of fun, but I do have to say that this is the first year where there has been actual excitement building since the beginning of September. First, it was all of the talk about the candy that surrounds the occasion and specifically, candy corn and how WE MUST HAVE SOME BY HALLOWEEN. This was said by someone under the age of 5.

Then, it was all talk about going to the pumpkin patch and picking at least 20 or so pumpkins (if they could have it their way). We ended up with 11 total – four of those are large, another four are fairly small and are on the borderline of not being sure if we should carve them or not, and then two of the smaller deep-ridged thanksgiving-style pumpkins. We also acquired one of the small ones in white, which I have declared mine and no one can touch or carve into it.

And then it was the costume decisions.

Now it is the roasting of the pumpkin seeds and the carving of pumpkins and the Halloween decorations (MOM, WE NEED MORE DECORATIONS!).

Well, somewhere in between all of that, we all had a big bout with the flu, and since we’ve had our flu shots we were thinking that we had that “other” flu...I forget what it’s called. And on one of those Sundays not too long ago, three of us were feeling better and so we made Halloween cookies for the first time ever. I made the dough, bought cutters and icing, and we were good to go.

Here’s a few of my creations:


Here’s some more. We had so many cookies that I ran out of ideas of how to make them different and that is why there are names on some of them:


These are Olivia’s creations. There is a reason they look the way they do. She put the icing on them and decorated them, but then she licked the icing all over the cookie and then declared them finished:


Guess who’s these are:


I have to say that I am enjoying this time of the year more and more! Happy Halloween!

Welcome, Fall!

Though, it sure doesn't feel like Fall weather-wise. And what exactly happened to summer and what were we doing? Well, more on that to come. We had a really busy summer and did so many fun things and I feel much more grounded about a lot of things than I have in a long time. It's going to take me a while to put that post together, so for the time being I will give something recent...

Today we went apple picking for the very first time. This place was so cool, and we got pretty lucky being that they only allow apple picking for three weeks out of the year. We left with about 30 picked apples, an apple pie, three gallons of apple juice (one gallon which we are turning into cider), and some pear spread and jam. I planned to make my famous apple pies with the apples we picked, but the apple pie that they had baked fresh was too hard to pass up. I mean, look at this mound. It is rock solid:


While Bea was scared of the, uh bees, Olivia made herself feel at home and picked a lot of apples. There was also a lot of taste testing going on (which really is not allowed), but we had to make sure that the apples we were picking were just as delicious as this place promised. They were definitely some of the best apples we've ever had.

Hmmm...Let me see if I can get this apple before the bees attack me:



A little help to get one from the top of the tree:


Yummy, delicious apples:


Another yummy, delicious apple:


Yes, these apples are definitely delicious:


I really like this apple picking stuff:


The cider is yummy, too:



We are ready for Fall and for the crispness to come. At least I am. It is my favorite time of the year, and I'm looking forward to the many new memories we are going to make.

More to come soon...

Look who went tubing during Labor Day weekend! Go Bea!


And here's Josh wakeboarding it up:


More to come soon. This summer has been quite busy for us, so I haven't had much time to provide updates.

Time Keeps on Ticking

I can’t believe how quickly the girls are growing up. This weekend I heard them saying and playing things that didn't seem right...They were talking in robot voices to each other? So odd. And now Bea can pick up her sister and carry her. And instead of the fighting outweighing the happily playing together, it is now the opposite. Much less interference, which is the way we like it. It is at this point in time that we have realized it was a good idea to have them so close together, or maybe it is just to have two. Even though it was difficult for two years, we are reaping some major rewards now. We are laughing so much these days with two talkers, singers and dancers in our house.

Imagine what a trip to DQ yesterday did to them when they were filled up with all that ice cream:



Good times.

Pismo, Take 3

We just got back from our third Pismo Beach trip this year, and this was probably the best yet. We had our tent trailer and met a group of about thirty out on the beach. It was a fun and relaxing trip for all of us, and we didn’t see too much of the girls, as they had their “friends” to play with the entire time. The four of us also experienced something new during camping that we had not before: A Sobe bomb. Amazing and unexpected. And the girls thought it was cooler than the fireworks that people were shooting off both nights. If you don’t know what it is, google it.

Also, a photo tutorial presented by the girls just like the last Pismo post:

Bea: Mommy and daddy's friends had this little itty bitty dog. Her name is Cha Cha. Her ears are larger than her body and she looks so silly, but she's so cute. Cha Cha's mommy person noticed that Cha Cha could fit easily into one of our beach toys and so we put her in there and she wasn't scared at all.


Olivia: We took her for a long ride on the beach. SHE LOVED IT. She was like a little baby.


Olivia: We were totally hardcore. That water was so cold, but we played in it until the sun went down on the first night. We even got mommy to run from a few waves, yeah! But IT WAS SO COLD. We's daredevils.



Bea: I found some shells, but not as many as last time. I am wearing the same pajamas as last time, though. Ha. The shell you see here is what mommy called the "tiger shell" because it has tiger stripes. Too bad we don't have the whole shell. The delicate shells were hiding from us this time. That was a bummer. We only brought home two of them.


Olivia: We played in the sand SO much. Do you see that tunnel that one of my new friends made? Oh, I can't remember her name but she was so much fun. She was staying at a different camp and wanted to come play with us for a while. Her mom came looking for her and I think she might have been mad, but she pretended not to be. Her camp was right up on the water and it was so cool. I liked her a lot.


Beatrice: Me and Liv were listening to music, and after a while we kind of started arguing so mom said we had to give those speakers back. Oh, I am still wearing those same pajamas....


Olivia: We didn't want mom to be mad at us about the speakers so we made her laugh by doing this.


Bea: We had a big party in our princess tent. Only kids and animals were allowed.


Liv: Mommy drank this in the evenings to try to help her sleep better. Someone told me that it says "Happy Camper", but mommy didn't seem like a happy camper when she woke up in the mornings. Maybe she should have had more?


Bea: Here I am getting all of the stuff in my car so that we can go home. We wanted to stay with our friends, but we wanted to go home, too. I love this place with the kids, the playground right outside the tent trailer, the shells, everything. I will miss it until next time. At least I am in a different pair of pajamas here.

Spelling It Out

This morning as I was getting ready for work, Bea seemed to be working on a project with paper and a marker. She typically gets very involved in drawing or coloring, so I continued to get ready and not disturb her. As I was getting Olivia ready, she came over to me and told me she had a present and that she wanted me to take it to work with me. I opened up the paper slowly, and this is what I saw:


A few things here to note:
- SHE SPELLED HER NAME FOR THE FIRST TIME WITHOUT GUIDANCE.
- Notice the little “i" at the beginning.
- The second item is a heart that she got a little carried away on.
- The “A” is a little out of control and she added two extra lines, but it is clearly an “A”.

I was so proud of her, and I still can’t believe she did that without anyone’s help.

Also, she wanted everyone at work to know that I love her….Aw.

A Swimmer Indeed

Last night the girls finished up the first round of many swimming lessons to come. While Olivia refused to participate in many of the sessions, and some where she was only in the water for a few minutes, she now puts her head completely under the water. I'm very proud of this accomplishment for little miss stubborn. I didn't expect her to walk away from the class doing anything but kick her legs, so we are headed in the right direction.

As for Bea, I cannot even describe how proud I am of her. She went into the class not really doing anything. She wouldn't even put her head under the water. All of her fear turned into determination as she saw other kids her age doing these things at the first class. Since she is competitive in nature, I realized it could go one of two ways for her - either she would give up easily if she felt she couldn't do it, or she would excel and learn all there was to know so she could be just as good as the others. And she excelled tremendously. She is actually swimming, and tonight she even did some freestyle strokes. I am so very proud of her. We were only allowed to bring cameras at the last session, so I was able to get a few good shots and video with her and her instructor, Natalie.

My little Bea is now a swimmer...Go Bea!!

Daycare Bully

Who: Olivia, who is clearly defined by her initials OAK. She’s as strong as, without a doubt.

What: The hitting, hair pulling, sometimes spitting phase is back in style for some reason.

When: Pretty much on a daily basis.

Where: Daycare. Hit and miss at home with her sister.

Why: Well, there are a number of us who would really like to know...

True Story: While picking up Olivia from daycare one day recently, I was accosted by several of the other little girls while trying to find Bea’s shoes. One said, “Olivia pulled my hair!” and then another one shouted, “She spit in my face!” and then another one yelled, “She hit me and her sister!” Just how does one respond to that? These were not just accusations but total truths, and I felt so horrible that it was my kid they were talking about and wasn’t quite sure how to respond other than “well, I will just have to have a talk with Olivia, then” even though I know it will do absolutely nothing. Then, I kind of wonder why the other kids didn’t do any of this mean stuff back to her. She is smaller than all of them. Is she a bully? Oh dear. She is, isn't she?


What do you think?

Calm Before the Storm

This weekend will mark the last weekend until September where we aren't busy bodies. We are getting the girls involved in more activities, and next weekend marks the first day of them both starting soccer class/games. In addition to that, I’ve signed them up for swim lessons. So, every Saturday and a couple of weeknights will be occupied for the next couple of months...in addition to all of these exciting events/activities, we are also looking forward to all of these things this summer:

L’s wedding shower
Maid of honoring duties for L’s wedding
L’s WEDDING
Local camping trips
Heading a little north for the 4th
Josh’s birthday
The arrival of my NIECE
Our big August family camping vacation to San Diego (and visiting Sea World and Legoland)

It’s going to be a crazy summer, and I haven’t even included everything. To prepare for the craziness, this weekend we will be doing some random, fun activities while keeping it somewhat relaxed. Has anyone seen UP?

Photo Commentary from Our Pismo Trip

We went to Pismo Beach this last weekend for some relaxation. Instead of giving you a long written version, most of the photos will give you a good idea about our trip.

"Yo. We's are gonna be bad asses down in the Pismo. We's camping on the beach. Dad's bringing his motorcycle. We bringin' the new tent trailer. We's will be campin' in sty-le. We, however, will not be dumb asses and ride around on noisy vehicles by all the campsites at 3am."


"Do you see this beautiful princess castle that me and my sister Olivia made (with a little help from others)? It took us ALL morning. It was so beautiful. We even found sea gull feathers on the beach to help decorate it with. All the flags and princesses...oh, it is such the dream castle. But do you want to know what happened to the sand castle? Only ten minutes after my mom took this picture my sister Olivia decided that she was grumpy and trampled over the whole thing while no one was watching. That's my sister. Sometimes she's grumpy.


And you can see just how grumpy she was right here.


There was a neverending supply of shells on the beach and we found so many shells. This one is what I call a butterfly shell. Though, we found so many sand dollars and mom said she was going to make some art piece out of it.


We's total bad asses. I have no idea what my sister is doing, but I'm on top of the world, y'all.


We were sort of making sand angels. And then we made comfy spots. And then me and Olivia ended up wrestling around and fighting over the comfy spots. My mom video taped a part of the wrestling match but I don't think she is going to post it.


Mommy showed me how to sink my feet in the sand after the waves come so that our bad ass feet get stuck a little bit. I had to teach my sister how to do it, and I never get to teach her anything. It was so much fun.


Running away from the waves was so much fun. We screamed extra loud with our little girl screams.


Daddy dug a big hole and buried me in the sand. I had sand everywhere. Everywhere. I could do this every single day. We had the best time.


The End.

Another Round of Fortunes

I just can't help it. I love it when we go out to dinner and get the fortune cookies. It's sometimes better than dealing with the chaos at being out to dinner with fidgety kids. And for some reason, the table seems to get silent when those cookies come. This time around, I forgot to bring Josh's with us. See if you can guess which one belonged to Bea, Olivia or me.

1. You will be coming into a fortune.

2. An unexpected event will bring you fortune.

3. You will soon be receiving sound spoken advice. Listen!

It's nice to see the words "fortune" in two out of the three of these...And because I can't draw things out, here's the results:

1. Well, I wish this one were mine, but it wasn't. But, I would definitely say that the person likely to get this one out of the three of us is Bea. And, yes, she did get it. She asked what a fortune was because maybe that word means the same thing as candy. It was a big disappointment for her. Josh and I said we should play the lotto numbers on the back of her fortune, but we ended up not. Instead, we just said to each other that that would be nice if she did and then maybe she would decide to take care of us in our old age.

2. That would be me. I don't like the unexpected, unless it is unexpected in a good way. Sounds like it is. And an "event" could be defined as almost anything. Nothing has happened yet.

3. So, is it any wonder that the child who is currently most defiant gets the fortune that actually has an exclamation point with the word "listen"? No surprise, really. After I read it to myself first, I had a little chuckle. Then, in my "reading fortune cookie" voice I read it to the table. When it came to the "Listen!" part, I said it quite sternly and loud and had a few people look my way.

I have long known fortune cookies to be an entertaining piece at the end of an asian dinner with my family. It has always been fun reading them, and I'm glad that our family is carrying on that little tradition.

The Girls

I'm getting off cheap today on this post with two photos that Josh took last night that I love...me and my lovely little ladies.



Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Camping in Style

This weekend we ventured out on our already second camping trip of the season. Though, this was the first of many camping trips in style due to a new purchase of a bargain tent trailer. While we didn't have a spot reserved, our friends V and E and baby E, had a great spot at New Brighton State Beach in Santa Cruz. Sadly, I didn't get very many pictures either, as the camera battery died right when things started getting fun. I did, however, capture our new home away from home:


And to all the moms out there, happy mother's day!

8

I never would have thought that I would marry this man.

I never thought that I would meet the love of my life in the college dorms.

Yet, the very first time I met him and locked eyes with him, I knew that there was something.

I never thought that we would spend the rest of our lives together at that time.

I never thought that our friendship would turn into a love story.

I never thought that I would fall so madly in love.

Or learn so many new things.

And learn to be comfortable out of my element.

In 1997, I found my soul mate.

In 2001, we were married.

And now, eight years after we were married...still us, but with two lively little girls.

I never would have thought. Not in a million years.

And I'm so glad that love knocked me down back then, because I sure would be missing out on three people that mean the world to me, who I could never live without.

Happy anniversary, Josh....I love you now, and forever.

Digging a Ditch

Quite a few weeks ago now, we had ordered some pizza at Costco to take to Josh’s parents house before painting more than two dozen eggs for Easter. We had enough time, so I went to this little kid clothes store while Josh took the manly route and went to a surplus. The store was having a blowout sale, so I was doing some stocking up on skirts, dresses, tank tops, and flip flops (“Not flip flops MOM, they’re chanklas!”) for summer.

Olivia spies a swimsuit she wants. It’s the one thing we don’t need for summer since she already has two new swimsuits from relatives and also fits in Bea’s hand me downs – about 3 of them. She didn’t need another one. There was a play area in this store, so the girls wandered over there and Olivia told me to “hold the swimsuit, please”. And then they played and I went to the check out. I didn’t get the swimsuit for her.

When we were walking back to pick up the pizza from Costco, Olivia says she wants to hold her swimsuit. That’s when I say I didn’t get the swimsuit. And she looks mortified. But, she doesn’t believe me for some reason and asks to have it again when we get to Josh’s parents. I tell her the same thing. She just looks confused.

The next day she asks for her new swimsuit, and I don’t know what happened, but I told her we left it at grandma’s and that she could get it the next time she’s there. I figured it was likely that she would forget. I didn’t remember that I was dealing with Ms. Fashionista** and that she might never forget any item of clothing that was hers. And she hasn’t – even after three weeks now. Every time she mentions that swimsuit being at grandma’s and how she is going to get it the next time she is there, I kind of do an under the breath “mmm hmmm” knowing full well that there is no new swimsuit there for her.

I should never have said that to her because those kids, I swear they remember everything you tell them now. You can never make promises and not follow through. And you sure has hell can’t say that some treasured item that child thought you bought them is at grandmas. It looks like I am going to have to make a cheap swimsuit purchase in the next couple of days because the girls are headed there this weekend. Why couldn’t she just believe me when I told her that I didn’t get it? That’s right...they only hear what they want to hear.


**Ms. Fashionista in an oldie, but goodie, photo last July. Notice the paisley pants paired with the tie-dyed shorts, and the shirt with stars with a blue jacket with butterflies. Who said that you couldn’t put a print together with a print with yet another print? Olivia makes her own rules, and no one challenges them.