Kate Turns 5

Yesterday was a special Mother's Day because our darling little lady turned 5.  Hard to believe.
Brand New. We were so surprised that she was a girl. I was convinced she was a boy.

I don't have any good photos from her first birthday party because she was getting her first tooth and decidedly Not In the Mood. But this was about a week after she turned one:

2nd Birthday. She looks so much like Michael does now.

Third Birthday, in London.

Fourth Birthday, also in London.

At her 5th Birthday Party on Friday, still making silly faces for the camera.

 She is so tall and slim now, and looks so much like a little girl.

This is how Michael gives hugs. At full speed.If you don't brace yourself you will fall over.

I went to London to visit the Queen

I am a big fan of mail. Who doesn't love opening their mailbox to find a personal note from someone from afar? (We don't have mailboxes here in London, but I'm ignoring that fact). Kate seems to have picked up this trait from yours truly, and loves to make cards to send to far-away friends.

Well, yesterday was a very special mail day at the Saeva house.



Kate received a personal letter from none other than Queen Elizabeth II.
OK, so really it was from her Lady-in-Waiting. Her Majesty was unable to reply personally, but apparently she really enjoyed the picture Kate drew for her to see.

Water Babies

My poor kids don't have the carefree summer days that we get in the US. City life plus cool summers preclude outdoor water play. I'm very wistful when I see pictures of all my friends and their kids enjoying backyard swimming pools, sprinklers, and slip & slides. To me, that is what childhood summers should be, complete with messy popsicles and watermelon.

So when we went to Italy, the kids were both very keen to just spend the entire day in the pool. Kate reminded me that she needs swimming lessons when we move back to the States, "because she doesn't know how to swim, and that is dangerous". She is so very practical. It got quite cool in the evenings, and I had to literally drag them out of the pool once their lips went blue.




Michael loved being thrown up in the air like this, and would start signing 'more' before he was even down. Poor Danny's arms were about to give out.

Basic Math

+


(it was actually a small hill right outside of this park)

=


Eating pavement.

It was really swollen yesterday, and we were afraid it was going to turn black. But it seems to have de-swelled today.

Wordless Wednesday

You guys know me, I can't be truly wordless.
But, I'm busy busy packing & cleaning house for our trip to Italy tomorrow! Am I the only one who is compulsive about cleaning the house thoroughly before a trip? I can not stand coming home to a dirty house. Plus if,God-Forbid, something should happen to us, I don't want people who have to go through our personal effects afterward to think we lived like slobs.

Here is a sign we encountered on a recent outing. It made us laugh:


And two other things us that never fail to make us laugh:




He is clearly taking notes on posing from his big sister:




Ciao! I'm off to test the limits of Gelato consumption.

Kate Turns 4

This post is a bit late in coming, but our darling little Kate turned 4 on the 9th of May.
There was a big difference between her 3rd and 4th birthday. Last year, she was excited about the idea of her birthday, but really only cared about the cake. She wasn't bothered that we didn't have a party, did not ask about presents, and didn't really talk about it too much.
This year, the countdown has been on for several months. She would ask several times a week "How much longer till my birthday?". I gave her the option of having a party with all her school friends, or going to Disney Paris with the family. She initially tried to choose both, but ultimately decided on a party ("so that I get lots of cake").

We held her party at a local leisure center, which is sort of similar to a really nice YMCA. There was the biggest bounce-house I have ever seen. It was the size of a full basketball court, and the dads had just as much fun in there as the kids did.

Before her party:



Going down the slide:


Michael had so much fun in the bounce house too. He was not the least bit intimidated by the other kids. He is definitely much more toddler than baby these days.



Kate wanted her face painted like a pig.


Funny story: The other mums were all so charmed by Kate's hair bow. Girls here don't wear bows in their hair, and I got so many questions about it. I was asked if I had made it (no), if I had one for all of her outfits (just about), if girls wear them all the way through adolescence (only if they are cheerleaders-at least for my kid), etc.
I was laughing, telling them they have no idea how seriously some people in the US take hair bows, especially in the South. I told them some of them are literally bigger than the child's head, and that some people stick bows on babies heads when they don't have hair, and tried to explain those headband-bow things that some babies wear to them too. They didn't believe me.
Her piggie cupcakes.



Four Candles!

Ask the 3 Year Old

Ask your kid these questions and then write down the answers. Pretty funny.

I'm not sure what is up with the dragon remarks. Maybe a comment on my breath? ;)


1. What is something mom always says to you?
"Do you need to go potty?"

2. What makes mom happy?
When I play

3. What makes mom sad?
When I don't play

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Tickle me

5. What was your mom like as a child?
You looked like a dragon

6. How old is your mom?
31

7. How tall is your mom?
150

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Color

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Watch TV

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Being pretty and making really good cookies

11. What is your mom really good at?
Cooking

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Playing

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Get money from daddy

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
spaghetti, salad, potatoes, mango, coffee

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Giving people cards for their birthdays

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
a dragon

17. What do you and your mom do together?
color

18. How are you and your mom alike?
we both like chocolate and we have the same toes

19. How are you and your mom different?
i'm not wearing a brown shirt. My shirt is pink.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
You give me cuddles.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
out for pizza

Kate Says:

She asked Danny why he had to go to work every day. He responded with some answer about needing to pay the bills and putting food on the table.
Kate: "But where do you work?"
Danny: "I work at Disney".
Kate: sucks in her breath, eyes get really wide. You...work...at...DISNEY?!!
Danny: "Yes, you know that!"
Kate: thinking hard and shaking her head. "But not at Snow White's castle. You don't work there". (looks a little bit hopeful)
Danny: "No, not at Snow White's castle. I work at an office".
Kate: "And Snow White isn't there".
Danny: "No, she isn't".
Kate: "Or Cinderella...or Pooh...or Sleeping Beauty...or Ariel...or Jungle Book...or Aladdin..."
Danny: "No, none of them are there. I work with people".
Kate: No longer interested "OK, well put on your work costume* and you can go then".



*work costume = shirt & tie

Our Very Own Budding Ansel Adams

Kate received her very own digital camera for Christmas and is enamored with it.
Here are a series of photographs that she took on a Sunday morning.

Michael pushing the toy buggy.


Toys:



More Toys:



The bin & the dishwasher:



Notice the similar textures of the two items and the reflection of the bin in the dishwasher. I'm sure the composition of this photograph was entirely intentional.


And mom, still in PJs, but without a head, making a cup of coffee.

Kissing Cousins

When the kids and I went home in November for my grandpa's funeral, Kate got the opportunity to play with her cousin Clara, the almost-4 year old daughter of my cousin Linsday.
Clara is 3 months older than Kate, and they hit it off immediately and loved having somersault and dancing contests.

This picture makes me smile, because it reminds me of Lindsay and myself when we were young. This was taken at my grandparent's house, where we spent many long summer days playing. Lindsay has always had the prettiest light, light blond hair, like Clara does, and I have always been dark-headed, as Kate is. We are also very close in age, about 8 months, and I always looked forward to spending time with her. Even when she told me scary ghost stories in bed (collaborating with my big brother John to scare the pants off me) and grandma and grandpa had to get out of bed to come tell me there were certainly not any ghosts in the closet, under the bed, or out in hallway. And no, there were no dead people out in the garage either.





Doesn't Michael look like he loves being sandwiched between the two of them?

Kate Says:

"Daddy, I'm not going to tell you about the DVD you're getting for Christmas. So don't even ask, because I won't tell you anything about the DVD that mommy bought for you when we were in Dallas. She said 'Don't tell Daddy', so I'm not telling you about the DVD you're getting. Or the shirts, either".

In Paris:
"Why are all these people speaking French words?"

Prima Ballerina

Kate takes ballet at school, and she adores it. They don't do recitals, but a few times a year the parents are invited to come watch. Last time, she had stage fright and didn't do much performing. This time, however, she tapped into her inner performance artist and put on quite a show.
Notice how my kid is the only one who isn't wearing the full-on ballerina get-up. I've no idea why, but she insists on only wearing her tutu over her street clothes.

Thankful

I got this idea from a friend. We call it a "Thankful Tree", and everyday in November we write down what Kate is thankful for that day. Obviously November is not quite over yet, but I thought today was a good day to post Kate's Thankful Tree. She has quite a lot to Thankful for, as most of us do.

1. Groceries and Food
2. Cake
3. Cousin Aubrie
4. Mommy
5. Books
6. The Library
7. Home
8. Pocket Money
9. Paints
10. the Airport
11. Mommy's Birthday
12. Kate
13. Nonni & Pa-Pa
14. Michael
15. Mike (Sorry Beth, you never did make the list!)
16. Uncle Zach, Aunt Sami & Annalise
17. My new haircut
18. Great Grandma
19. Daddy
20. Ballet
21. Toys
22. my teachers
23. my Friends
24. presents
25. Old McDonald's Farm
26. French
27. my princess mat puzzle


And Michael? I think today he is thankful that he finally walking. He started taking unassisted steps across the room this morning. Hooray Michael!


Happy Thanksgiving! Love to you all.

How to blow the mind of your 3 year old

During Kate's bedtime prayers the other night, she was rattling off her usual list of people. She likes to throw in random people ("the man with the blue hat on the train today". Maybe she knows they need Divine help) and inanimate objects (Paddington Bear, Tyler & Lesley's stroller).
But on this evening she said "..Aunt Sami, & Aunt Sami's daddy..". I told her that Aunt Sami's daddy was the same person as Grandpa. Her eyes got as big as saucers and I could see the wheels turning in her head. Then when I told her that Aunt Sami's daddy & Grandpa is also her daddy's dad, I think I saw steam coming from her ears. She made me repeat it several times, and I still don't think she believes me.

We also told her that her cousin Aubrie has a new baby brother, named Tyler. She said "Like my Tyler? And Lesley & Baby Alex's Tyler? Does he live with them too?".

Luckily she didn't ask me about the relation of cousin's children, because I still can't figure that one out. First cousin once removed? Or second cousin? Let's just call all kids cousin, and all grown-ups aunt/uncle, m'kay?

Reasons Kate has gotten out of bed this evening

1. Go potty. This one is legitimate, I'll grant her.

2. The band-aid (or plaster, as they call them here) on her finger was falling off.

3. She forgot to hang up her coat.

4. Her finger was hurting. She got a paper cut earlier this evening. When I went up to her room to see what was wrong this time, I told her I'd put some ointment on it. However, she was unable to isolate exactly which finger it was that was cut and thus hurting. So she told me to put medicine on all the fingers.

5. She forgot to pick out her outfit for tomorrow.

6. We forgot to say her prayers. She has a pretty usual list of people she prays for at night (Daddy, Michael, Mommy, Paddington Bear), but tonight she threw in a new one. After Tyler, Lesley and Baby Alex, she solemnly added "and their black stroller".

It's been 90 minutes since I put her to bed, and she is averaging an excuse every 15 minutes, so we'll see what the next one is. Stay tuned.

See the resemblance?

Today on the walk home from school, Kate was rattling off the names of various people she knows and loves. She thinks it is hilarious when she calls her daddy "Danny". I asked her if she knew my name, and she said "Aurora" [sharp intake of breath] "Mommy!! You have the same name as Sleeping Beauty! That means YOU ARE A PRINCESS!"


Evidently Danny needs to work on his enunciation skills.

Hopelessly Devoted to You...

I've often posted about how sweet and loving Kate is to Michael. She loves to give him lots of cuddles, and is forever trying to help by providing him with endless amounts of blankets, toys and "small bites for Michael" (breaking off a minuscule portion of whatever she is eating for him to taste).

But he has been usurped. While Alex was here, she was 100% devoted only to him.
Our days were filled with questions of "Where is Alex? Can Alex eat this? Here Alex, this will make you feel better" (said while shoving passaphire, sippy cup, Legos, Paddington Bear in his face). "Lesley, Alex is crying. You need to give him his water bottle to make him feel better", and so on and so on.

And so I leave you with photos of Kate, Alex and poor Michael, who was relegated to B Team status while Alex occupied Kate's full attention.









She even wanted in their family photos:

It's Official; I'm a Soccer Mom

Like the proper British residents that she is, Kate is really into Football (aka Soccer). She started her Little Kickers Football program on Thursday, and she absolutely loved it. She does get a tad confused by the soccer/football terms, since we still refer to American Football as "football" in our house, and of course "football" here refers to soccer.

She is the only girl on her team, but that didn't seem to bother her and she sure showed those boys some fancy footwork. She was 100% on her goal drills!

Hey Pen Pals...

I've been meaning to post that although it "officially" costs around US $0.94 to mail something to us here in London, all of our mail has been forwarded with just the regular old $0.42/whatever it is now stamps.
So break out your stationary and send us a letter.

In case you didn't hear, A&M lost the season opener to....Arkansas State. Danny stayed up to listen to the game on the internet and it made for a very grumpy Sunday around here. Danny is convinced that we jinxed our team because we all forgot to wear our Game Day shirts.

We're busy this week getting ready for our visitors. Tyler, Lesley and Baby Alex are coming on Friday! We are soo excited and Kate is beside herself. Every morning she wakes up and asks "How many more days?". She wanted to pick out all the outfits she could wear while they are here. Which means that she may look like this most days. She loves her some accessories.

She even wanted to save some cheerios for Baby Alex this morning ("We'll just leave these here until Saturday for Baby Alex").

Today when I dropped her off at preschool, she was quite sad because her little best friend's last day was last week. She was crying and asking where Rohan was, and I reminded her that he wasn't there anymore because he moved to Africa with his family. She asked me why they moved there, and I told her I didn't know, that maybe his daddy got a new job, or they wanted to be closer to their family. Kate stopped crying and looked up at me and said through her tears: "Or maybe Rohan just needed to go get a haircut". Uh, okay.

Meooooow

A few weeks ago, there was a free little kid's festival at St. Pancras International Train Station. I thought that it might be fun, and so I took the kids. I know, the line to hand me the award for Most Fun Mom forms to the left. A festival at a train station? I'm sure my children feel so lucky.

We saw a Punch and Judy show, which is Britain's oldest puppet show. It was not really appropriate material for children but I figured Kate didn't really get the dry British humor, so we hung around for a bit.



But the big hit of the day was the face painting. She told the lady that she wanted "a flower, a butterfly, and a cat". When pressed to choose just one, she decided on the cat. She was so enamoured with herself. She kept looking in shop windows, and came home and just stared at herself in the mirror for a solid 10 minutes.