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.

The Cow Whisperer

The other day the local farmers dropped off their cows on one of the hills close to our community.  It seems like that's their yearly thing to do.  But this year, I noticed that most of the 10 cows that got dropped off looked pregnant.  Not that I examined them closely or anything.  Just drove by, looked at them and saw it.

Sure enough just a week later, we saw 4 little ones and a couple more days later 4 more.

I didn't know I had it in me!

The Concept of Marriage

Our babysitter is getting married next month.  Our girls are being exposed to some new concepts and vocabulary like:  boyfriend, fiance, ring, wedding, etc. 

The other night, Klaudia came up to me with our wedding picture and started a little conversation:
"Mommy, is this from your wedding?"  I said: "Yes.  See this white dress?  This is what girls usually wear when they get married".  To which she replied:  "Kirsten is going to wear one, too".  I said:  "Yes.  And, see daddy?  He's wearing nice clothes, too."  To which she exclaimed:  "What!?  Daddy got married, too?"