dolly + ken = true love

dolly has two favorite toys right now.  the first is silly bandz- she loves stacking them up and down her arm.  and the second involves carrying, cuddling, kissing (and stacking silly bandz on) ken.

 

 

i thought your house would look different

"i thought your house would look different" was a direct quote from a 6 yr old friend sitting at the kitchen table coloring with kindin.  i asked her, "what did you think our house would look like?"  she quickly replied, "tan!" 
i'm sure all who enter have a distinct opinion about our 'paprika' painted kitchen. if only it was socially acceptable to post a disclaimer at the entry in order to avoid suspicious 'i like your orange kitchen' comments from unsuspecting geusts.  because just as they never know my intended color, i never know the intent behind their compliment.  my first response is one of defense which unavoidably confronts either their bold faced lie or their genuine color tastes.*  i really must make haste to pick out an eye-pleasing tan to end this reoccuring, uncomfortable scenario- played out even with the youngest of visitors!

*it should be noted that dave represents the population that enjoys the pop of color and therefore, is washing his hands of all tan implementation.

** it should also be noted that i have a strong suspicion that the previous orange-loving inhabitants must have been plagued by bouts of mania.  (after all, jack's room looks like this!)
 

in other home news, my biggest ally in putting an end to the paprika kitchen crisis asked me what it was i loved about my house.  i did and would say...

"There is lots of natural light in our home and the blinds are wide open."
"We have room to house and practice the piano I've wanted for years."
"The kids absolutely love walking Kindin to school every day where she has a very capable teacher and a nurturing principle."
"David enjoys playing media really loud in the basement where no one can hear him. (thx goodness because he discovered our first leaky pipe!)"
"We have an extra room for at least once monthly guests (and for Kindin when Dolly is up screaming.)"
"I love the cabinet space in my kitchen (even though we've had to invest in several step stools)!"
"I am happy that we won't ever have to sell a motorcycle again"
"I feel safe enough to take a nap with the front door open."
"I am grateful for neighbors who've delivered us cookies (even if they're a bit nosier than my tastes)"
"a room just for toys is amazing"
"a fancy bath is a nice end to the day."

we LOVE our house!

first responder

dalia's most recent nickname is first responder.  she is consistently the quickest to respond to general inquiries.  'did you have fun?' or 'are you guys hungry?' is answered with a wildly obnoxious squeaky 'ok', 'what', 'yay' and 'no' from this quick little miss.  it makes the entire family giggle every time.

other giggles we get from first responder are:
she points to all new articles of clothing (hers and ours) and says 'pretty'.
she kisses on command
she over-uses the words: cookie (pronounced 'cokie'), puppies (the general term for all animals), 'suck' (indicating sucker), and gum!

warning: graphic tooth loss

* warning: the following pictures contain material that is grapic in nature and is not suitable for those suffering from extreme fears of tooth loss!

 

 

last night, dad pulled out kindin's first loose tooth. it's been wiggling for quite some time but mom and dad are both a bit (a lot) squeamish about tooth loss. but when kindin pointed out her permanent tooth growing in, we knew it was past time! she was so excited about her automatic status into the world of big kids and even more ecstatic about the pending visit of the elusive tooth fairy. there were lots of unanswerable questions (i.e. 'is it a boy or girl?' and 'when does the tooth fairy come?' and 'where does the tooth fairy live?' and 'do i put the tooth in my pillow or underneath it?') kindin went to bed kissing her tooth and came out crying after she accidentally dropped it. while re-gathering her tooth, she pleaded with her father to advocate on her behalf in order to keep her beloved tooth. in the morning, she was so excited about the visit itself and that her tooth was still in her posession that she didn't even count the money she received. (which reminds me- remember mr or mrs. tooth fairy that you gave our first child $2 for her first tooth!)  

keeping jack happy

jack is at home longing for school and wishing for friends.  he remains happy since he was born that way (just last week the doctor said: 'Do you ever stop smiling?') but i want to keep his spirits up so we've kept a busy schedule:

wednesdays is zoo day at one of the best zoos in the world!

he is starting a series of sports 'for minis'

we have lots of big brother time at the park

he goes through kindergarten workbooks aka 'school time'

he likes $1 craft days

he rides his new 16 inch bike up and down our gigantic hill

and he loves fridays with his cousin

FOBO

you've heard of the brand FUBU which stands for: For Us By Us.  this post is titled FOBO which stands for: For Omi By Omi... merely a second attempt at capturing the girls in their dresses handmade by her.  82 pictures later, this is as good as it gets!