Christmas 2009

A few random photos

I must have been inspired by my sister's recent post, and finally downloaded the photos which have been sitting in my camera since early October. Here are a few...


Butterfly girl at Cousin Isaac's and Lizz's wedding.

My little Babuszka.


Making peanut butter cookies with their cousins and Uncle Doug at Thanksgiving.
The first year's haul from our new lemon and Satsuma trees.

Bouncer

Zofia found a tiny worm on the floor in the house. She escorted it outside and while she was finding a place to put it I overheard her telling it, "My house is not your home."
!!!

Wanted

Maggie, standing outside the locked bathroom banging on the door, "Mommy, can you come keep company on us when you're done?!!"

Update

Ok, I know I have neglected this blog throughout my sister's visit here, and have no excuse. Happily, she posted regularly, so there are plenty of posts to read about our trip to San Diego and Maggi's visit here with the twins over at My Sister's Blog. Meanwhile, just a quick update on us...
I'm still only about 8 weeks pregnant. It seems ridiculous to know this early, it really makes the pregnancy seem to last so much longer. I guess this is how I do it, though, since I knew really early both other times too. I sort of can't fathom the women who don't know until they are 3, 4 or more months along.
I feel good (meaning nauseous and tired all day long) and my pants are already getting tight. I found a box of maternity clothing in the back of the closed, but alas it's all summer stuff and the weather here is mostly in the low 60s. I remember that my mom brought back the clothes I lent to Maggi about a year ago, so hopefully she will be able to find them at her house. Otherwise, poor me, I'll just have to go shopping! ;-)
We are very excited about our upcoming trip to LA for Isaac & Lizz's wedding, and are planning on staying an extra day to take the girls to Disneyland. Should be exhausting and fun. I also just go the idea into my head that I'd like to take a mini-vacation with just Roger sometime during the 2nd trimester (I've never been to New York?), but I'm not sure we will be able to figure out the logistics.
Anyhow, that's it for now and I'll leave you with a bit of conversation I overheard earlier today between my daughters...

Zofia: I love you!
Maggie: I love you too!

Hee hee!!!

New Digs

I finished the girls room yesterday and it looks very cute!

During

I forgot to take "before" pix, but here are a couple of pix of Roger's new office being built.

New Religion

Roger just walked into the girls' room and found them both under a comforter on the floor...
Roger: Where are the girls?!
Maggie: Here I am Daddy. I'm God!
R: You're God?!
M: Yeah, and this is heaven.
Zofia: Come die with us, Daddy! We're dead and this is heaven!

BTW - I just found out that the cause of death was being eaten by a lion. Apparently, at first he didn't eat their heads, but then he did.

Why?

Zofia: Mommy, why did God make us with footprints?
Me: Why do you think, Zofia?
Zofia: Mayyyyybeeeeeeee, so that we don't get lost?

and then....

Maggie: Mommy, why did God make "God's bandaids"? (scabs)

song

Zofia is playing with legos, and I just overheard her singing...
Always remember about meeee!
Forget about your friends and familyyyyyy,
Just always remember about meeeeeeee!

what?!

Decisive

Me: Maggie, what do you want to eat?
M: I haven't decided.
Me: Well, you need to decide.
M: I was already deciding until you disturbed me!

Zofia's Fifth Year

Zofia's Fifth Year from agi graham on Vimeo.

Early Fourth of July video

Definitions

Zofia: Mommy, a woman and a lady are not the same thing.
Me: Really, Zofia? What is the difference between a woman and a lady?
Zofia: A woman is a fat lady and a lady is a skinny lady.

Piggie tails

This is the first time that Maggie kept her pigtails in longer than a couple of minutes. Usually, she takes them out as soon as she gets in the car, but today she kept them in all day! Happy Mothers' Day to me!

OMG OMG OMG - the cuteness is KILLING me!

After and then later after

another kind of garden

Harvest time

Patience

We were at a restaurant last week and ordered Maggie a lemonade. About a second after the waiter left, Maggie said, "Where is my lemonade? I waited as hard as I could and I can't wait any longer!"

ps. when you read her quote, remember that she does not say her Rs yet, so they come out like Ws...

Springtime is here!

Hurrah! The girls and I planted our spring garden over spring break. We've got lots of different herbs, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash and beans. Here are some photos of the garden when we first planted it almost three weeks ago, and some taken this morning. We've been getting a nice bit of rain and it is so gratifying to see the plants thriving. We also planted a lemon tree and a Satsumo orange tree which already have some little fruit on them!

Maggie is Three!

Maggie's Third Year from agi graham on Vimeo.

My genius of a daughter!

new for you!

A video and a funny...

First the funny:
Me: How did I get so lucky to have two such wonderful girls for my daughters?
Maggie: Because we're just kids and we can't leave.

God love 'er!


Playing from agi graham on Vimeo.

Anatomy

Roger accidentally scratched Maggie on the leg when he was putting on her jammies tonight; and Maggie said, "Daddy, you hurt my skeleton!"

Wierd science

Zofia asked me today, "Mommy, why does cheese melt, but chicken doesn't?"

Future architect?

Zofia came downstairs at Babcia & Dziadzio's house yesterday and said, "Mommy, did you know that the floor upstairs is the ceiling downstairs?"

Hay fever

Maggie explained to me today that Uncle Andre's pool turned green because it had "an allergy", but then he fixed it.

a long time coming...

Here are a couple of recent funnies.

Zofia: I don't wanna go to sleep. I'm not tired.
Mommy: I know, Honey, but you need sleep to be rested and healthy.
Zofia: I don't need sleep. I never sleep.
Mommy: You don't?! What do you do all night with you your eyes closed?
Zofia: That's not sleep, that's a really long blink.


Zofia: Mommy, why can't we go to the library first?
Mommy: Because Grandma and Grandpa are waiting for us, and it would take us too long to get to the library and then we wouldn't have very much time to look for books...
Zofia: Yada, yada, yada.

Author

Zofia wrote a book...that is she dictated and illustrated a book. Here it is. Forgive the sometimes sloppy penmanship, I had to write really fast to keep up with the flow.






"They found another rainbow and they found their friends Hoodie and Hawdie. They found tater tots. They all drew a picture and painted a picture"

"They drove away in their van and saw a tiger. The tiger roared! It didn't eat them because they put it in a cage. They drove to a school and did lots of work and lived happily ever after."

Maggie's Yay God

Yay God for ears to hear with and nose to smell with and mouth to eat with and eyes to see with and hair to rub with (rubs Daddy's head).

Busy lady

When Zofia grows up, she is going to be:
a doctor
a teacher
a pilot
a mommy

Yard work

I just remembered last week when Maggie saw Roger using the riding mower she said: Daddy is mow-lawnin'!

funny

I overheard Maggie talking in the back seat. I didn't hear what she was actually talking about, but at one point I heard, "I crack myself out!"

Dear Diary

I was reading a book to the girls at dinner...
Zofia: what is a diary?
Daddy: it's a book where you write your own personal things.
Maggie: No! It's poo poo! Stinky, nasty, poo poo!

Yay God!

Maggie's last one of the night..."Yay God for Zofia and Mommy and Daddy! I love you!" And then she leaned over and planted a kiss on Zofia's forehead! I can't describe the feeling I have at moments like these; when one of my girls displays her affection for the other. Just makes me feel great about being their mommy.

Prayers

Recently, we began a new routine regarding our bedtime prayers. We still say the Our Father prayer first, but after that, we ask each of the girls if they would like to say their own prayer, and after that we do "Yay God". "yay God" is a tradition at Mustang Island Family Camp, which we attended last weekend. It's basically a list of what you are thankful for followed by "Yaaaaaay God!" We usually do three rounds of Yay God
Since we started this a few days ago, we have been consistently amazed and impressed by the girls level of understanding and depth. I plan to start recording them, but for tonight, I'll try to remember as much as I can...
Zofia's prayer tonight was something along the lines of; God is good and straight and loves us all.
Maggie's prayer tonight was something like; God makes all the plants and flowers grow and come down.
Zofia's Yay Gods were: Yay God for food (i think), Yay God for all of the tissues in the world, and Yay God for all of the tissue boxes in all the world of San Antonio
Maggie's Yay Gods were: Yay God for plants, can't remember the second one, and the last was Yay God for Mommy and Daddy and Zofia.
We melted.
You can see some photos from our Mustang Island trip as well as Zofia's birthday party and Roger's nieces' visit on the Flick site.

Zofia - Fourth year video

Milestones

Just a couple things to report here in the land of Graham...
We switched Maggie's crib to a "big girl bed" today. Both girls were very excited about it and helped me with the transformation. Of course, by "helped" I mean jumped all over the bed while I was assembling it, but you get the idea.
Also, Zofia can READ! A few days ago she told Roger, "Daddy, I wish I could read." So yesterday, Roger sat with her for over an hour and she totally got it. B-A-T...bat! We were all over the moon!

Soccer Mom

Tonight was Zofia's first full soccer practice; and I was inspired:

Working Girl

By Special Request

My Aunt Connie has been hassling me (rightly so) about my lack of blogging lately. So, here is a little something until I can get my act together...
Zofia on the bed watching a tv show and Roger was sitting next to her.
Roger: Do you want me to go get Mommy?
Zofia: No, that's ok Daddy, you are enough for me.

Maggie's Second Year video

Maggie's Second Year from agi graham on Vimeo.

Do you know what your eyebrows are for?

Eyebrows 2-1-2008 from agi graham on Vimeo.

Reading is fundamental

Untitled from agi graham on Vimeo.


Zofia reading 1-20-08 from agi graham on Vimeo.

Apprentice

Maggie, during dinner tonight, climbed down from her seat and when I asked here where she was going, she said, "I'm going to collect rent (went). I'll be right (wight) back."

Oops.

Zofia dropped a bowl of dried cranberries and Maggie said, "Oh my gosh, Oh my Lord, Oh my Heavens! Zofia dropped her cranberries!"

They're getting cuter

Zofia to Daddy: Daddy, you are a very clever boyyyyyyyy!

Maggie to Zofia (while being rolled upon): Zofia, don't do that. It's not nice, you're my friend!

At long last - a new video!

Chestnuts 2007 from agi graham on Vimeo.

Why DO we say that?

In the car yesterday on the way to school, we pulled up next to a schoolbus.
I said, "Look girls, there's a schoolbus, and there are children on it." To which Maggie replied, "Not ON in Mommy, IN it!"

School post

One for Maggie, one for Zofia...

Maggie's teacher was bragging on her yesterday. She was working with a puzzle, which is kept on a tray, with the pieces in a little basket. For about 15 minutes, she tried to carry the tray to her table to work, but the basket kept falling off. During the whole time, she didn't get frustrated, cry, or quit. Finally, she asked Ms. Vivian for help, saying, "Please can you help me with the puzzle?" Her teacher showed her how to carry the basket first, then go back for the tray. After finishing her work a few minutes later, Maggie remembered how to get the whole thing back on the shelf!

Zofia's teacher told me that today, on their way up to a "motor skills" class, Zofia said to her, "My mommy is going to have a baby. It's going to be a boy, but she has to talk to my daddy first." Hmmmm.

Stinky and Snow White

Figment

Me: Maggie, are you for real?
Maggie: No, I'm pretend!

Zofia's Opera

Huge!

Roger: Zofia, that bite (of oatmeal) is ginormous!
Z: No, Daddy. This bite is big. It's not ginormous, like your head.

Pooped

This is Zofia & Maggie getting charged up for a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house (who moved here about a month ago for those who may not know yet), yipee!!

The first of a billion times

Last week at the Whole Foods pizza counter:
Zofia: Hi, I'm Zofia!
Pizza Guy: Hi, Sofia!
Z: No, not Sofia, ZOFIA! Z-O-F-I-A!

coupla cute things

At PeiWei (Chinese resaurant) a couple of weeks ago we were all eating edamame and after a while Maggie said, "No, not eating edaMommy, eating edaMaggie!" 1st joke, people! At 17 months old!

A few days ago in the car Zofia said, "Look mommy they are driving in their sports car. They must be going to go play sports cause they have their sports bras."

Today in the car, Zofia was comparing two little twin girls in her dance class with a little girl in her class at school (they all have a similarly dark skin tone). I said that isn't it nice how people are all different and have different color hair and eyes and skin, and Zofia said that it was good because if people looked all alike, we wouldn't know who anyone was! Exactly!

2, count 'em, 2 new videos!

The Cutest thing

Poland video!

I made this vid private, so if you can't see it, and want to, let me know...

Check my sister's blog!

I mean it. Go now!

A funny thing

So, not much time to blog. Maggi (sister) and I are just here in Warszawa for a few hours to see the doctor and so I will tell y'all a quick funny while I am uploading photos onto Flickr (click on the link to the right and choose 2007-07 to see the gigantic quantity of photos we have been taking).
Maggi was hanging out in the kitchen with Maggie and Zofia and they were talking about things they want. At one point Maggi said, "I want to go to a deserted island with Zofia". A few minutes later, Zofia asked Maggi, "when are we going to have dessert in Ireland?"
XOXO

Where does the time go?

So....holy cow, it's been a while since I put anything new in here (fill in your favorite excuse here). I just uploaded a whole truckload of new photos to Flickr over there -------------------------------------->
Also, here is Zofia's third year video. Enjoy! In case any of you didn't know, the three girls are leaving for Poland on Tuesday. Daddy will join us toward the end of the month, and we will all return on July 31st. See you when we get back.

Reality Check

in the car on the way to school listening to a song... "Do you know the muffin man?"
Roger: Zofia, do you know the muffin man?
Z: It's only a song, daddy!

Flip-flop

So, you may have heard that Yahoo! Photos is shutting down later this summer. They will be transferring any photos to another photo site of my choosing, which I guess will be Flickr since I already have an account there. I decided to save myself a step and go ahead and start using Flickr again now. So, I have added a link to the Flickr site up there on the right. It now has all of the May photos on it, of which there are an inordinate amount. I've been going a bit nutty with the camera lately. Enjoy!

Finance 101

Zofia was whining about something yesterday...
Z: But I waaaaaant it. Mommy, I waaaaaaannnnnttttt it.
Me: Well, Zofia, I want a million dollars.
Z (after a long pause): Well, Mommy, that's a lot of money.

Consider yourself at home

Meet Oliver, who within 5 minutes of arriving in our kitchen had found the doggy bed, and put it to good use.

Stuff and Cuteness

Ok, first the stuff... These photos are for my sister, who was somewhat incredulous when I told her that some of the plants in my garden are dying from too much water. I suppose it is a bit hard to believe given the fact that the majority of plants that do die in my custody do so from lack of water rather than overabundance. Also, it seems that she found it hard to conceive of rain that came down so hard, so fast, that the ground is unable to absorb it in the 24-48 hours before the next storm. So, proof:



These pix were taken about an hour after a rain storm. Before the storm, the ground was damp, but not totally wet.






























And now, the cutenes:

Oh the cuteness is killing me!

Tonight the girls and I went to dinner with some friends at Chik-fil-a. They have a kids eat free deal on Tuesdays, with people making balloon animals and all kinds of chaos. First of all, never again. Way too many kids hopped up on high fructose corn syrup for my taste.
The girls had a whopping good time, however, despite the fact that they were only hopped up on milk and adrenaline. One of the attractions is a gigantic cow. That is, a man in a gigantic cow suit. Zofia was so excited about "Mr. Cow". She yelled "Mr. Cow, Mr. Cow!!!" every time he passed by our table, high-fived him and waved til her arms fell off. At one point after she had eaten all her chicken and we got her some more, Mr. Cow passes by and she yelled ecstatically, "Mr. Cow, Mr. Cow, I'm eating chicken!"
Here is a video from the last couple of weeks. You want cuteness? You can't handle the cuteness!

Our Girls

Maggie...


Zofia...

POOL!

also...new pix on Yahoo!

A Few Words

I just put Maggie in her crib, and she is screaming her head off. I thought I would keep myself occupied to help me resist the urge to go get her and let her fall asleep in my arms. She has gotten a little spoiled in that regard for the last few nights because of a particularly awful bout of teething. There is a very large, very stubborn tooth way back on her lower gum that is just refusing to come out.
So, let me fill you all in on Maggie's vocabulary when she is not screaming. Here is a list of words Maggie currently says. Though many of these are not easily recognizable by anyone but the closest few, she is consistent in how and when she uses them. There are many more words she repeats, but these are the ones she uses spontaneously, in the order in which I remember them...
Mama
Dada
Zofia (sounds like Fvfvfvaaa)
Boobie
Kitty-kitty-kitty (kdlrlrlr)
LaLa
Up (ap, and if ignored the first time AAAAAAAPPPP)
Down (da)
Baby
Book (Brrr)
Balloon (boon)
Um-um
Ball
Hi (haaaaiiiiii)
Bye-bye
More (ma)
Broom (broo) - she just said this one today for the first time
Bread (bre)
Please (peee)
Teeth (teee) - today I ordered tea at Whole Foods and she started smiling and pointing to her teeth while saying "TEEEE!"
Bath (baaa)
Birdy (biby)
That is all I can think of for now. Bye-bye!

Flower

Here is Zofia last night around midnight. I told her to bundle up if she got cold...

Zofia "reading" to Daddy

Q&A

Here are some questions Zofia has asked us over the last few days. Please feel free to leave your answers under comments.
1. Is relish a liquid or a solid?
2. How about mustard?
3. How about ketchup?
4. How do you pour more milk back into your boobies?


Also, a couple of cute mis-pronunciations I hope to remember long after she learns the correct ways...
Picnit (picnic)
Prentzel (pretzel)

Trick or Treat

yesterday, after dinner, Zofia and Roger were talking. Roger told Zofia that he loves her...
Z: No you don't
R: Yes I do
Z: You can't love me. You can love Maggie and Mommy, but you can't love me.
R: I can't?
Z: If you smell my toes, then you can love me.
????????

Mama said there'd be days like this...

Which, coincidentally, was the song Roger was just singing as I passed by the living room on my way from my bedroom, where I left (read, abandoned) my baby girl, who is even at this moment screaming bloody murder, amazingly in chorus with my older girl, who is in her own big girl bed in her own room screaming perhaps not-quite-as-bloody murder.
All you mommies who survived, please tell me it gets easier soon! Zofia did not take a nap today, and instead spent the hour and a half of "naptime" shredding two of her favorite books. In the few hours since I got her out of her room at 3pm, she has been exhausted and more than a little cranky, willful, floppy, and difficult. Up until recently Zofia didn't seem to realize that she could open her bedroom door at will. Thankfully, even now she doesn't come out, but stands at her door wailing for Mommy. She did this a few minutes after lights out, and when I put her back in bed she kept howling how, "I'mmmmmm not tiiiiiredddddddd!!!!!!!!!!" Right. Meanwhile, Maggie did take a lovely afternoon nap, but is teething and not responding seemingly at all to the orajel.
Yep, still tandem screaming. Cover me, I'm going in.

Snippet

Maggie

Maggie's First Year from agi graham on Vimeo.

Strange Taste

Just now I was eating a bowl of ramen noodles; which I like to cook without the "flavor packet" and stir-fry with veggies; and Zofia asked me, "Mommy, are you eating rubber bands?"
Yummy!

Possible future career choices?

The journey of a thousand miles...

Maggie is officialy walking. On at least five separate occasions today, she took four, five, even six steps at a time! Look out world, here she comes.

Things I Haven't Blogged

1. Riding in the car, Zofia was telling us about how Agatha's Mommy helped her class do yoga. "Mommy, we beat the dog today" ?????? Why are the children abusing animals at school?!?!?!? Oh, I get it, you "be'd" the dog today. Apparently the kids were practicing a yoga posture known as "downward facing dog"


2. Zofia has an imaginary friend. Does anyone know if it's usual for a two and a half year old to have an imaginary friend? The friend's name is Baca. Here is what we know about Baca. Baca lives in her own house with her family, which is alternately her mommy and daddy, or her children (sometimes named Eskin and SoWo). Baca is apparenly reeeeeaaaaalllly small, and Zofia sometimes carries her around in her hand. Baca has a friend named Teeshi. Baca often does whatever Zofia is doing, but in a parallel universe. For example one afternoon last week during "the freeze" Roger, the girls and I had a dance party, and Baca was simultaneously having her own dance party at "her house". Also, Baca often gets to decide what Zofia wears: "Zofia, do you want to wear a diaper, or a pull-up?" "A diaper, cuz Baca says no pull-up".

3. Apropos pull-ups, still no progress on the potty training front. Yesterday, Zofia sat on all three of the potties in her bathroom alternately for about 45 minutes after having drank two full sippy cups of juice. After deciding she was done, she stood on her stool to wash her hands and guess what happened.

4. Maggie is almost, but still not quite, walking. She can push her hippo walker around with no problem and has taken a step or two between people and/or furniture. She still has no hair. Send Rogaine.

5. While counting money at the church the other day, the lady helping me count (Miss Elvina) told Zofia that she was beautiful and Zofia said, "You are beautiful, too."

That is all I can think of for now. I resolve to blog more often.

Toes

Plus....lots of new pix on Yahoo!

News you can use

well...not really, but news of a sort. Samantha says (and she has witnesses) that Maggie walked on Sunday. I say that taking 1 (one) single solitary step does not count as walking, and besides, it obviously doesn't count as walking if the Mommy is not there to see it, right? So, stay tuned...it could happen at any moment. In the meantime, here is December, or at least a small snippet.