Almost 15 months

 Dear Nairi, You are almost 15 months old. Your current favorite things are Tic Tac containers, water bottles, phones, swings, and the trampoline. You are saying more and more words every day. Some of your new words are "side" for outside " booo-dee" for bird and "saw-seege" for sausage and bye bye. This morning you were fussing while I was getting dressed and I said to you "Are you hungry? Do you want breakfast?" to which you replied. " Saw-seeege, saw seeege!! " I couldn't help but laugh because you are spot on. We eat sausage and eggs almost every morning.  After breakfast you know that daddy always leaves for work so you immediately go and get your shoes and bring them to him. Hoping he will take you with him I guess? You copy your siblings more and more every day. Every am when we use the coffee grinder Keira and Israel cover their ears and now you do the same. You call any animal on four legs a puppy. You know that we keep Tic Tacs in the car and EVERY SINGLE time we get in the car you say immediately "Tee Ta? Tee Ta? Its so funny!!! You love music and will dance whenever you hear it.

 Your hair!! It deserves its own blog I think. Its getting larger and more of a fro with the summer humidity.

 You must hold the phone if you see it. You put it to your ear and say "hiiiiiii" over and over.

 We think we have another book lover on our hands. You don't really let us read them yet though but you love to flip through them and point to things.

 You found the Ipad cover but no Ipad and you were greatly displeased by that. You are quick to throw a tantrum if you don't get what you want.

 Water girl. You drink more water than any of the  kids.

Maps

I love Maps. And we still need some wall art. Put the 2 together and you have our latest project. Framed maps as wall art. We bought  USA and world maps for $ 9.99 each at Barnes and Nobles and Mike built frames around them for me. He is still working on the world map. The "glass" part of the frame is plexi glass from Lowes. After finishing the maps we are going to do a huge framed collage of old black and white family pictures and frame that as well. Sort of like this http://pinterest.com/pin/18507048438227660/ only it will be framed.

Back yard chair make over

 Before and after side by side

 before

after


Disclaimer: I don't go through my neighbors trash piles. Not that there is anything wrong with it but its not something I normally do. However I was driving by the night before trash day and noticed these chairs by the curb. We always need more outside chairs so I mentioned it to Mike so see if he would take a walk with the kids and toss them in the wagon. Being the obliging husband that he his and knowing that I would probably be too embarrassed to be seen taking something from our neighbors trash pile he brought them home.  Being the genius that I am, I decided that painting them would make them look brand new and add some color to our dismissal backyard.  Mike spray painted them blue. Two bright blue chairs for the cost of two cans of spray paint.

Strawberry picking 2012

 We usually go strawberry, blueberry, and apple picking every year. The kids have a great time. Last year we skipped the summer picking due to adding Nairi to the family and moving and all that. The season began early this year so we went picking yesterday am. Keira and Israel  enjoying picking berries ( and eating them) and Mike made his fabulous strawberry pizza http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/02/fruit-pizza.html

 Israel was confused about the leaves and at first popped the whole berry in his mouth!

 Feeding the goats

Preschool Graduate

Keira is officially finished with preschool and a Kindergartner. Crazy stuff! I can't believe she will be in school full time next year. When you are in the thick of family life and baby care the days and nights and needs of small children seem endless. But now that she is 5 and starting her journey of school it seems like it went by so fast. I remember her as a happy, easy baby that slept great, as a babbling toddler, and as a imaginative toddler.  I wonder what she will be like as a school aged kid?  ( When did I become so sentimental?:o)

Keira turns 5/ Dear Keira

 Opening presents from us after breakfast. She got all natural nail polish, a toy cash register ( to play store), stickers, art paper, markers, shoes, and a new stuffed sheep

 Nairi watches the present opening

 Nail polish

 Israel says " My birthday is in the fall!" as he contemplates when its his turn to open presents

 Sheepie! Love Ebay. She has this exact sheep but the stuffing is falling part so we found the exact same one on Ebay and bought it. Of course I doubt she will throw the falling apart one away but at least we have a second one.

 It comes with a mini sheep that Nairi likes

 Excited at the pretty table all set for her friends. We went with an ice cream cone theme

 Lots of little ones

 Singing Happy Birthday

 Mike did a fabulous job as always making these cake cones that look like ice cream cones but are actually cake with frosting.

Dear Keira,
Today we celebrated your 5th birthday. It was everything a little girl party should be. Lots of pink and fancy and friends. We started planning your party at least 3 months ago. We talked endlessly about what the theme would be, what sort of plates and cups we would get, what games we would play, what kind of cake you should have, what should go in the goody bags for your friends, and what food we would eat. You changed your mind a half a dozen times at least. You found it all so exciting and we couldn't help but indulge you for your special day. We let you plan it all and have a say in everything from what kind of food we ate to the color of the sprinkles on your cake. I can't believe you are 5. You are so imaginative. We find you talking to yourself or playing your own games in your head. You can pretend anything. Daddy and I still marvel at the time while waiting for dinner you folded napkins into a nativity set and calmly pointed out to us Mary and Joseph and all the animals and of course the baby Jesus. You love art anything and spend hours at your little art table making endless pictures and cards for us and everyone else. They are always folded and covered in stickers and marker art. I keep alot of them because I know some day soon you won't make me art anymore and I will miss your fancy cards and drawings that are messy and fancy and so you. No matter what you do you make a mess. Eating or drawing or painting or playing in the sand you are so messy. You are happy and easy going and social. You aren't at all afraid of going to a new school next year- you embrace change so well. You still love books and still spend lots of time sitting next to a stack of books making up stories or reciting them from memory. You have a fabulous memory and can recite books, prayers and songs accurately. You are so joyful all the time. Yes you have tantrums and throw fits sometimes but you wake up happy and are happy most of the time. You can be bossy with your siblings sometimes though but I think part of that is just your ranks as the oldest!
You are the ones that made us parents for the first time. So far you have kept your standing in the family ranks as the easiest baby and the best sleeper in the house hands down.  I know you are growing up but I want to remember how you love fancy things, love pink, love frilly things, love dresses, love books, love to play pretend, love to ride your bike, love to talk, love special treats, love school, love friends, love art. We love you so much!!!!

Bikers

Israel finally grew legs long enough to pedal a bike. He has been begging us for a bike for a long time but he has such tiny legs every bike we tried his legs were not long enough to pedal. He wants to ride like his sister. We have a balance bike that he figured out and zips around the neighborhood on that but we were able to find a 10 inch bike that he can pedal and he is in HEAVEN. He rides it as much as his tractor.