busy holiday season

Kalia loves this toy solider

Decorating the Tree
Kalia carefully selected each one and placed it in just the perfect spot on the tree.
She really did decorate the majority of the tree!
(sorry- these are old photos)

Maya decorates too!

I love how the girls sit together and they hold hands.
One night Erik decided we would all stay up and watched a Christmas movie.
We have never done this before with Maya - she was giddy when
she realized that she would not be going to bed after her bath.
She was going to eat popcorn and hang out!
During the movie, the girls were sitting next to each other
and without taking her eyes off the movie, when Maya put her hand out
to be held, Kalia reached over and grabbed her hand. Sister...

Cookie Decorating with Mom's Group
Maya was obsessed with these sprinkles

Kalia's finished product

Post cookie decorating swing in the backyard

We were supposed to decorate gingerbread houses also,
but I really couldn't do it - it's been so hectic!
So we brought ours home and did it in the calm of our own house,
on my terms...yes, it's been a crazy couple weeks.
That night we also had a mom's night out with
cookie exchange and gift exchange. Lots of fun stuff - but feeling
very busy!

Do you think a few of these got eaten?
Kalia still asks me if she can eat each and every piece,
Maya just eats until someone takes it away.

Our outside lights
Erik says he's working up to the Griswalds...
We drove around the neighborhoods the other night to look at the lights
after Erik's Manager Family Boat Party. The girls loved it!

Maya

Kalia's photo of the tree

Marriott Pool for Camden's Party
Maya was a little clingy when we first got there,
but as soon as Kyli (her friend that Celena also watches) arrived,
she literally took off to play and didn't look back once.

Big girls at the table eating pizza

Maya & Baby Joel
She loves that kid!

Sitting at the mall eating a candy cane that Santa gave them-
contemplating paying to take a photo with Santa since Maya
absolutely refused to sit with him.

Me: "Maya do you want to sit on Santa's lap" (very enthusiastic voice)
Maya: "No, I don't want to. I don't like it."
Me: "Maya, Kalia is going to sit with Santa, why don't you sit with Kalia."
Maya thinks....: "No, I don't like it."

So here's another photo of Kalia, Santa, Maya & Me

Mom got this hat for Kalia when she was 18 months old,
both girls have been wearing it.
Kalia wore it out the other day and got a little too much
attention for it - it came off.
"Hey that's a great Santa Hat, that might be the coolest one I've ever seen."
"Look, here comes Santa".
She got in the car and said, "This is not a Santa Hat, Santa's hat does not have
bells on it and this one does!"

Last wednesday was the Leilani's party and thanks to our fabulous
babysitters Uncle Greg & Cousin Alana, Erik and I had a great night out.
Then on Friday it was the Leilani's Manager Family Boat Party.
The girls had a blast! I was a little exhausted making sure they
stayed on the boat (Maya said "I want to go in the water")- but what
a fun trip. We saw some whales and had fun taking turns sitting on the front
seat, riding the waves and Kalia did some amazing whale calls that really worked!

They are literally on the very front corner of the boat- this
little seat was right over the water.

Little whale spout.

Aki & Kalia
Whale Calls

We've also been baking, doing our annual
cookies for our neighbors & friends.
Well, I was baking and the girls were enjoying
helping me clean the mixing paddles after.

So the girls have been playing really well together and Maya has gotten to the point where she can really play with Kalia. She is totally monkey see, monkey do right now. For Kalia this is pretty fun, most of the time. She tells Maya what to do and for the most part Maya goes along with it. They do get into some little issues though. Maya was tired the other day and that means at the end of the day she gets a little wild and rough and ended up biting Kalia. But then after that (and this has never happened before) Kalia felt crowded by Maya and shoved her with both hands and she fell on the floor. Of course, they both go into trouble and apologized, etc. But Maya could not get over it - until bath time she told me over and over again, "Kalia pushed Maya and Maya fall down! Maya fall down on floor, Kalia pushed Maya. Mommy, Kalia pushed Maya...." Good grief, especially since Maya is always shoving someone. Well, Kalia has been tattling a lot lately and now it seems that Maya can now tell on Kalia.

The other day we were playing outside and to stop an argument over the scooter (which Maya can ride now) - we decided to do Ring Around the Rosey. In the end, they ended up doing it over and over again, running faster and faster and falling all over the place. Literally about 12 times.

We have this little bear ornament that is about 3/4 in by 1 inch and we've been taking turns hiding it on the christmas tree. You must cover your eyes and count to ten and the other person hides it (you can give hot and cold clues).

We have been trying and trying to get Kalia to write her letter to Santa and she keeps telling me just to ask for something that she doesn't have and she'll sign it. We finally wrote it the other day and all she wanted at first was a candy cane- what?!? Then earlier she had said she wanted a new baby stroller (her old one she's had since she was 16 months and it's pretty thrashed), but now she wants to keep that one...Whatever, I guess we should be happy it's not the other way around.

This blog entry was made possible due to the fact that my sewing machine busted last night...