Haircut!

Ali finally let me get her hair cut! I have been trying to get her to cut her hair for the last 2 years. But ever since she got into princesses she refused (princesses all have long hair). Yesterday, however, she had a playdate with her friend who donated to locks of love. While Ali's hair is not long enough, she was still excited to cut her hair. Only provision being that we go to a hair cutting place. (Apparently she doesn't like me cutting her hair)

This is Ali pre-haircut. She was so excited to be at the "salon" aka supercuts, that she was giggling the entire time we waited for them to call her name.

Not sure why she is holding Kat's foot here, but she insisted on taking a picture with Kat's foot. This is her "long look."

She even had a hard time sitting still while the haircut was in process, because she kept wanting to look in the mirror and touch the falling hair.

Not only did she get a super cute haircut, she got a lollipop too! She told me, "Mommy, I LOVE my new haircut!" What do you think?

Birthday!

Three year ago today, a sweet little girl was born into our lives. She has brought us joy and lots of love. Happy Birthday Kat!

2 days old and already she was a great sleeper.
While Ali may not have been initially happy to welcome the newcomer, she eventually came around, and now they really are the best of friends. Whenever you ask Kat who her best friend is, she will always respond, "Ali!"

Enough sappy stuff, here is her birthday party, along with the newest member of our family, Charlie.

Kat has been to enough parties by now to be a pro at pinata-whacking. Look at that focus!

I just liked this picture because I told them to look at me, and they all looked, but I guess I didn't specify that their eyes needed to be open.

mmm, pizza! Do mermaids eat pizza?

For sure they eat cake!

Don't worry mom, I know how to do this.

.... And this is Charlie!

He is a marbled dwarf hamster, and so far the girls have been super gentle with him, but it has only been a day. We bought a fun tunnel filled cage, and a ball to roam the house.

Now to find out how long it takes before one of the girls lets him out and we have to search our house for a missing rodent! Any bets?

summer begins

Warning: Before reading this post know that it will be long, with lots of pictures! Oh and it won't be in proper sequential order.

I will start with Jasmine and Benjamin's birthday party! Summer can officially begin when the girls can put on swimsuits. My sister Rachael (with the help of 2 kids' birthdays) had a hand in throwing a huge water bash.

Kat loved these water guns. Philippi is about to get a face full of water :)

Despite her eyes closed and the look of terror on her face, Ali LOVED this water slide.

Kat...not so much. I could only get her to go with Uncle Nick and he probably still has the claw marks in his leg to prove how much she loved this slide.

Pinatas are always a hit!

A super cool Tron cake AND fairies, definitely a winner.

It is Kat's turn to take swimming classes. She was pretty excited before getting in the water.

The teacher had her put her head in the water.

And then she was a little less excited. Here she was saying, "No more thank you!"

I probably should have put this post first, since no swimsuits were actually involved, but I love it. Kat and Ali filled up the pool with cushions. Kat then ran downstairs to get some goggles. Then they hopped in.

We took a trip to the library which was lots of fun. Now that I know I am having a boy, I have been noticing more differences between girls and boys. This picture at the library exemplifies this. Kat and Ali peacefully reading while Dez is jumping over furniture.

Outside the library there is a little park where the kids love to ride and scoot and run.

Who wore it better? This helmet was a present from Grandma a few years ago, and now it fits Kat.

Try not to put too much on the fact that Ali's outfit is outrageous. Her fashion sense was/is a bit eclectic.

Skills!

This is Kat showing off for the camera. I probably should have picked a cleaner spot in my house to film... oh well. Enjoy!

Plus, just because it is such a great memory (I would say it is a great picture, but my photo skills leave a lot to be desired), Abuelita came to visit the other day and brought a new book. All the little ones piled in close to listen. They were all so attentive, a new book PLUS Abuelita, and you can't go wrong..

Cornicopia of events

I have not posted for awhile, but I have a great excuse. For the last 3 months I have had this parasite! It doesn't like when I walk. It doesn't like when I sleep, and it especially doesn't like when I eat anything. But don't worry too much, November 24th the parasite should be out. So while I have been trying to survive these last three months a LOT has happened. First, Ali finally filled up her piggy bank, and as a result, she got a new bike.

This is her emptying he bank. She was quite proud of how much she had saved.

Daddy helped put the bike together while she impatiently waited. She did pause in her pacing to take a picture of how happy she was.

Once it was all put together, Ali went out for a ride. She loves her bike!

This next picture is not super easy to understand, but anyone who has parked at a theme park would understand my excitement. We went to Disneyland, and parked right in front of the elevators. Our parking spot was right next to the handicap parking, and it was on a day that the park was packed, which made the victory all that much more sweet.

Next, I put both Kat and Dez in an art class. They LOVE it. How could they not? All they do all class is paint, mold and color! Here both of them are working on their masterpieces.

They are masters at clay.

Here are some of Kat's artwork pieces. We hang them on the refrigerator and she is so proud of her talents.

For those millions of my blog followers, here is the update everyone has been waiting for, my avocado plant!

Plus we took a trip to the store and picked up some more plants to add to my already enormous tomato plant. We have cucumbers, flowers, and...

Strawberries!

A visit from friends

This week I was super excited to get to see my friend Megan from Boston. She and I used to go swimming with our little ones. We started swimming together when Ali was about 3 months old, and her son about 9 months old. When she moved away from Boston I was super sad because, lets face it, she is awesome! Luckily, this week she got to visit me, and I think in honor of our swimming, (and maybe because I live right by the beach) we went to the beach. Ali was a bit shy around Ezra, and it made me sad that she didn't remember them. It was a beautiful day, and I think we had loads of fun.

Only crazy thing is I didn't get an actual picture of Megan, just her cute kids. Well, I did get a corner of her face. And this is her new little girl who is so full of energy!

Oh, and there is her back! Here is Ezra, it is amazing how fast they grow up. Next to him is Travis, his little brother.

Here are my girls, and Dez, making sand castles.

Lastly, this doesn't have to do with Megan, but for Ali's birthday we bought a water table for the girls and Dez to play with once it gets hot. Well it has gotten warm outside, so the girls had tons of fun playing, but I am not sure they get the point of the water table. Maybe we should have gotten a pool instead.

Little girl to Big girl

What does a little girl need to grow up to be a big girl? This post will give 3 of the many things needed for Ali to go from little girl to big girl.

#1 She needs to get a manicure. Preferably one with pink flowers.

#2 She need to get a pedicure. It is not necessary to actually reach the water :)

It is not necessary, but it is extremely pleasant to do this specific task with Abuelita, Tita, AND Tia Gaby (plus Mommy of course)

#3 She needs to learn to braid. I know some people may call this very un-feminist, but every girl needs to learn to braid to become a big girl, and this week, with Rapunzel Barbie's help, Ali learned to braid. She did this braid all by herself!

In conclusion, Ali still has lots more steps that she needs to take to become a big girl, but she can now cross the first three off her list.