Drawing

This is the first drawing that Kaarin has done that actually LOOKS like what she said it is! :) If you can't tell, it's a (left to right),jelly fish, fish, & shark (bottom). :) Here is Annika's list that she made for me to take to the store.:) It's probably a little small to read, but it says:
Tacos
Annika
Bananas
Strawberries (though she finished writing that at S-T-R-A-W-B-E-R...) :)

Kid Quotes take 2

I always forget a couple...

*Kellen: "Mommy, when you got married, did you know Daddy?"
Me: "Yes."
Kellen: "You knew his name?"

*The other night Kaarin was going to bed & she asked if I was going to have a rest too. I told her I was, & she said that was good. Then she said, "You will have a rest & then you will be naked!!" Haha. ;) In case you're wondering, she said this because when SHE gets her pjs on, she first takes everything off & runs around naked.:)

*Annika sat down the other day & started writing. She asked me how to spell a few things, & said she was making my list for shopping. :) I'll post a picture later.

* I took Kaarin with me to Michael's the other day & she picked up a craft instruction card. She kept saying, "This is my recipe!"

*Kaarin was eating something the other day & said she was all done. I wasn't sure if it was gone or she just didn't want anymore, so I asked her where it was. She said, "Um, it's in my tummy!" :)

Kid quotes

*Annika told me: "Kellen said that if we are bad, Jesus will come out of our hearts, but I told him that Jesus will NEVER leave." You are right, sweet girl!

*Kellen, the night before Annika was going to the hospital: "Is it o.k. if they (hospital staff) look at Annika's...not-so-nice parts?" Um, private parts? ;)

*At dinner one night we had some sparkling cider. Kellen says, "That looks just like wine like they have in Ratatouille (movie). What happens if you drink too much wine?"

*Kaarin has been telling me lately: "You getting so grumpy, Mommy. And you do not make the rules!" Ha. Guess again.;)

*Now Kaarin says, "You are the Mommy. You can make the rules."

*If I don't let Kaarin do something or have something, she launches into a dramatic, "AWWWWWWWWWWW, I NEVER...." Already??

*We were in the car driving Annika to school, so Annika told Kaarin that she was going to school. Kaarin says, "AWWW! I am not 3." :)

Teeth + Dentists

It's a very good thing the kids have dental insurance. Otherwise this would have been a very expensive week. Annika & Kellen both needed some dental work done, & since Annika was very uncooperative at the dentist appt. in December, they decided that she would be best worked on all at once, under anesthesia. Kellen was very cooperative, so it was decided that he could do his fillings in 3 visits. (As you have probably guessed, we're not talking just 1-2 cavities here...& since I have only had 2 cavities in my entire LIFE, you can guess whose teeth they did NOT inherit...I'll let you fill in the rest of the blanks yourself.;) ). So -- Annika went in this past Wednesday for her procedure & she did GREAT!! She didn't seem at all nervous & the only issue we had was trying to convince her to put on the pjs the hospital issued her.:) But, since they were knocking her out anyway, they just put them on her after she was asleep.:) In the end, they ended up doing a little more work than they first thought, pulling one tooth since the nerve had died (!!), crowning 2 teeth, & filling the other cavities. Yikes. Her dentist said that her teeth were clean, but that her enamel is very thin. He didn't really have any great suggestions for the future of her teeth other than diet & fluoride. Hmmm. Sounds like some research might be in order!;)

Kellen had the first of his 3 appts. on Friday, & he was a little more nervous. I had told him that I wouldn't be going back with him (the office preference), & when it was time to head to the dentist, he was running away saying that he wasn't going to go. :) Obviously, in the end, he did go, & he did GREAT!!!!! They were very pleased with how well he did. :) So he got to choose lunch for the day (he picked McD's) & then got a new car (Rod Torque Redline from Cars 2). Annika got her first visit from the tooth fairy, who left her $.50 (I know, kind of cheap for a molar!) & a new car (Carla Veloso, also from Cars 2!). :) They were both thrilled, so we can be cheap until they start talking to their friends, haha. :)

Pictures!

I recently bought a Groupon to The Picture People, & somehow I ended up buying 2...??... It was a pretty good deal, so I decided just to keep them both (I probably could have gotten a refund if I asked). The only problem was they didn't have a very long valid period, which meant I had to use them pretty close together. So for the first one, I did "Christmas" pictures of the kids, even though I waited until the Christmas rush was over & had them taken in January. :) You only know because I told you...So here are the 2 that I liked the best. Then, since I had to use the 2nd one by Feb. 4, I decided we'd just have a family picture taken - we hadn't had an official one taken since our church directory in 2009, when Kaarin was just 5 months old! So an update would be a good thing. Below is the one that turned out the best of all of us. :) And, noteworthy in that picture, although you can't tell, is that Annika is wearing....JEANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It took a little bribery (a pizookie) & several attempts, but she did it! Perhaps the first time in ?? definitely over a year that she has worn jeans.

Kellen: 5 1/2, Annika: 4, Kaarin 2 1/2

Mommy & Daddy: ages unknown.;) And we can definitely leave off the '1/2'!!