Our First "S" Word

Klaudia:  Shut up, Maya.
Mom:  What did you say?
Silence.
Mom:  What did you just say?
Quiet crying... Then:
Klaudia:  I said shut up to Maya.
Mom:  We don't say this word.  It's not nice.  You may hear others say it, but we don't.
Klaudia:  OK.  I'm sorry.
Len: walking into the room Klaudia, what's wrong?  Why are you crying?
Klaudia:  I said shut up to Maya.
Len:  We don't say it babe. 
Klaudia:  I know.  I'm sorry daddy.

A minute later...
Maya:  Daddy, did Klaudia say Shadow?

Church

Two weeks ago, for the very first time, we - as a family of four - went to a local church.

We had been discussing this with Len for a while, but didn't mention anything to the girls until that Sunday morning two weeks ago. 

I was getting ready when Maya asked me:  "Mom, where are we going?"  To get her a bit excited, I said with a lot of enthusiasm:  "We're going to church babe!"  She looked at me suspiciously and asked:  "Is that where Jesus lives?"  I said: "Yes".  Then with panic in her eyes (she's still extremely shy), she asked:  "Is Jesus going to be there?"  So, to put her at ease, I said:  "Maya, Jesus is dead". 

She thought about this for a while, then ran upstairs and announced to daddy with as much enthusiasm as I showed her:  "Daddy, we're going to church!"  and then added:  "Oh, Jesus is dead!  And, I really miss him!"

By the way, we were able to leave the girls at the Sunday school for the entire service!  We got to enjoy the service in peace, and they had a lot of fun, too!

Klaudia's Kindergarden Registration

Done!

Holly Shnikies!

Random Talk

While playing mommies:

Klaudia:  Maya, I'm 44.  How old are you?
Maya:  Two.
Klaudia:  No, Maya.  If I am 44, you should either be 34, 35 or 44.
Maya:  OK, I'm 44.
Klaudia:  Great, you're 44 like me.  Let's go. 

We're Set!

While driving home passing some cows with their little ones on the side of the road...
Klaudia:  Are those cows married?
Len:  Well... if they have kids, I guess they are.
Klaudia:  It's like our mommy - she's married, too.
Maya:  My mommy is NOT married!
Len and Klaudia explain the concept to Maya.
... a minute later...
Klaudia:  Daddy, am I ever going to get married?
Len:  I hope so.
Klaudia:  To whom?
Len:  To someone who will love you and take care of you. 
Klaudia:  Like you?
Len:  I hope so.  Someone who will be your best friend, too.
Klaudia:  I know!  I'm going to marry Olivia!  She's my best friend.
Maya:  And, I'll marry Camilla!  (Olivia's sister) or Bella!  (Olivia and Camilla's dog)

The Process of Acquiring a Language

Me:  Maya, hold on!
Maya:  I'm hold oning.

Softball

The softball season has officially started. For a while Klaudia was the only girl on her team, which she didn't mind, but by the time the games started, two more girls had joined the team.

Klaudia's first game was against the Giants. For a while we were confused whom to cheer for.

K's is in green - the first one on the left.

Maya's Random Thoughts

Maya (2 years old):  When I was a little frog, I used to say: Ribbit. 

Duh!

Both girls still love their pacifiers.  They even have their own names for them.  Maya calls hers:  mimi, and Klaudia calls hers:  poopetch. 

While going to get Klaudia from school the other day, Maya kept asking me for her mimi.  I told her that I didn't have it and didn't know where it was.  She said it was on the front seat next to me under the our jackets.

As I couldn't get to it while driving down the hill and making turns, I thought I would ask her some questions to kill some time before I'd be able to get it for her:

Me:  Maybe your mimi is on your seat.
Maya:  No. It's on the front seat.
Me:  On the front seat?  How did it get here?
Maya:  I put it there.  I want it.
Me:  But what is it doing here? 
Maya:  It's waiting for you to pick it up!

Maya the Troublemaker

While Klaudia is very much rules-oriented, Maya is the opposite.  Maya knows the rules, but she refuses to follow them.

She requested a bottle of milk the other day (very unusual for her; it may have been her second time ever).  When she got it, she headed straight to the living room.  I watched her to see if she would actually drink it.  She walked around the coffee table and tilted the milk bottle enough to spill a little.  I handed her a towel and reminded her that milk is not to play with and that we do not spill anything on the coffee table. 

As I walked to the kitchen where I could watch her while doing the dishes, I could see she was watching me.  She was standing where I left her, with her bottle tilted a bit waiting.  And so I kept watching.  Finally she broke the silence and said:  "Mommy, can you hide for me, please?"

2012

Well, 2012 is over.  What a busy year it was.  Here is in a nutshell what we did...

• I taught all three semesters in both of my schools.  I was able to put all my (20) teaching hours in only 2 days a week which allowed me to stay home with the girls the rest of the week.
• Maya learned how to ride a bike (a 4-wheeler).  
• I took the girls to Poland for 3 weeks.  It was such a beautiful trip.  The girls did very well on the plane - absolutely enjoying every minute of it.  I bought little things from a dollar store ($20 worth) and introduced one by one whenever I felt it was needed.  The girls picked up a lot of Polish and got to meet a lot of family members.
• Maya potty trained herself while in Poland. 
• I discovered books on CDs.  Len introduced me to it, and I have to say that I don't mind commuting for hours.  This past year I "read" more books than within the last few years.  
• Len continues to work and do his schooling.  
• Len painted 3 bedrooms and all 3 bathrooms all by himself when we were in Poland.
• Maya started talking and simply doesn't stop.  If she has nothing to talk about, she'll say:  "I have to go to the bathroom.  Yeah, I need to go.  It's really loud in there.  The planes are loud, too." or "My baby is dead again (I think she likes our reaction to it, and that's why she loves saying it), I have to take her to the doctor.  She is very naughty.  No, baby, I said no!"
• Klaudia started her second year in her preschool, which she loves.  She continues with her dance and piano lessons.  She is very rule oriented - if there is a rule, she likes to follow it and will make sure to remind us about it when needed. 
• We were forced to buy a new engine to our car.  Somehow we missed to replace some major part that eventually broke and ruined the engine.
• Our community hosted The Tough Mudder which prompted Len and me to start the Insanity Exercise program.  It's a 3-month program, but we're going with our own pace.  
• Maya and I still co-sleep.  She still likes to nurse.  She is still extremely shy but is doing much better than before.