Who's idea was this anyway?

Look what Santa brought!!

johnny jumpup

We tried the Johnny jumpup today for the first time...she loved it...except she hasn't figured out how to pull her arms out of the seat...they slpi down and get pinned to her side and then all she can do is chew on the edge of the seat....

Christmas Carols, Audrey style

ok, I couldn't resist sneaking up on Audrey...
yes she is watching herself in the reflection of the tv screen

Funny things the kids have been saying...

Audrey climbed onto my bed this morning scowling after Lili had left for school and I was nursing Kateri. She had come give me a list of grievances.
"First, you and Daddy say I can't wake up Nanny. Next, say I can't watch cartoons. Three, you not let me play 'puter games every day" She frowned and put her hands on her hips "That's why!"
"Why what?" I asked
"Why I want to do what I want to do!"

Lili was telling me about how next year she gets to have Mrs. Hundelt teach her religion again. "And then," she said "I get to return to my classroom of old!"

Kateri smiling

At Nanny's request, here's a video of Kateri...sorry it is a little shaky at the beginning...Lili was the cameraman.

At Least She's Honest

Kateri was sleeping peacefully in her swing when I left the room. A few minutes later I heard her fussing and came in to find Audrey standing over her smiling.
"Why is the baby crying, Audrey?"
"Because I kiss her too hard"
"Where did you kiss her?"
"Everywhere!"
Still smiling, she went to her self-imposed punishment in her room

During a conversation yesterday about why she was having a hard time listening she said, "I only want to be good sometimes, the other times I going to be funny and naughty."

Kateri is getting fat

She looks like Lili did as a baby when she's being serious...and when she smiles she looks like Jabba the Hutt.

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

Lili has been practicing her All Saints Day Presentation. This year she has chosen Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in honor of her new baby sister. Her favorite aspect about the life of Blessed Kateri is the miraculous disappearance of her smallpox scars upon her death. She is already fantasizing about the audience reaction to her next experience in the spotlight and asked me the other day, "What if when I say, 'her scars disappeared, everyone in the audience went like this >GASP<"

Audrey's Halloween Plans

Apparently Audrey is planning on being three different things for Halloween...I guess she will do a costume change every couple of blocks...or maybe it is all part of a plan to hit up the same houses three different times. Anyway, she wants to be Yoda, Darth Vader, and Lucy Pevensie...here's a little preview. Nanny sent the Darth Vader costume, and when Audrey tried it on she burst out, "Oh my---I look GORGEOUS!!"

Daddy's mini me

Kateri Loring

Kateri Loring Speier arrived on August 29th. She was 9 pounds even, 23 inches long, and looks just like her Daddy! It didn't take long for everyone to fall in love with the newest member of the family.

"Labor Day"

Here is Lili's quote of the week.
She can't wait to go back to school, which doesn't start until Sept. 2nd, and we are of course all anxiously awaiting the arrival of her new sibling, who is due on August 22nd. This was our conversation this morning:
Lili "So I start school the day after Labor Day, right?"
Me: "Yes"
Lili: "The day right after Labor Day?"
Me: "Yes,"
Lili: "I really hope the baby comes tonight so I can go to school tomorrow."

Here's hoping our own personal "labor day" comes before Sept. 1st!!!

In honor of the Olympics

Today the Burch kids paid us a visit and Emily, being the great mom that she is, came bearing supplies for the kids to make tissue paper torches and aluminum foil medals...it is way too hot to do anything outside other than swim, so arts and crafts are always a hit. (On a side note, the girls have started cheering everytime we go somewhere that happens to have covered parking) Everyone had a great time until Lili decided to create a new event- running with your eyes closed, which Audrey adapted into running with your hands over your eyes and smacking into poor defenseless Finn. I think we need to form a committee to decide if she should be stripped of her foil medal.

The Star Wars Table at Borders

Lili is on a play date today, so Audrey and I had some one-on-one time. We went into Borders, and as we entered the Children's section Audrey was sucked in by a cartoon poster of Yoda to a large display table full of Star Wars books. Of course we had to read them all. Audrey reminded me of her godfather Uncle Joe when she found the "I can read" version of Darth Vader's life. The pages were black with white letters and as she opened it she exclaimed gleefully, "Ooooh yeah, nice and dark!" But the crown jewels of the table were the cookbooks, which combined two of Audrey's favorite things; food and Star Wars. I think what attracted her to "Wookie Cookies" and "Darth Malts" were the glossy photos, which featured Star Wars action figures posed among the prepared recipes. Some of them looked pretty tasty, and they all had catchy names, like Qui-Gon Jin-ger snaps and Boba Fett-ucine. I think these books might be making it onto a wish list next Christmas...

Lili is Six!

Lili turned six this Monday. She popped right up at 6:30, excited to open a few presents and have some pancakes with Audrey before we headed out to the AZ science center to see the Narnia exhibition. She wore a new birthday outfit from Grandpa...I think I am going to be washing that pink "It's a Girl's World" superheroine T shirt every day for a while. When she first opened it, she said, "I am DEFINITELY going to wear this the next time I see Uncle Jon." So Jon, if you are reading this, you'll be happy to know that you have passed your love of snug-fitting superhero T shirts down to your goddaughter, along with your love of Star Wars and U2 and the spotlight...Anyway, it was a great day!!

Recent Quotes

1. Lili saw the cover of the most recent Everyday Food and asked me, "Is that Emeril's wife or his mom?" I'm sure Martha Stewart would love to know that she could pass for Emeril's mother. I guess doing time really ages you...

2. We swam with the Burch kids and Audrey had her first experience with a diving board...Jack kept announcing his fancy dives before demonstrating them and after he executed "A pencil," Audrey got up there and yelled, "I am a crayon!" and did her best to copy him, which was actually pretty appropriate: compared to Jack, her chubby little body is definitely more of a crayon than a pencil.

3. This was actually from when we were watching the Angels' game in Anaheim. Audrey asks me, "Do you know who OUR Angel is...? Justin."

White Christmas in July

Please help me get a donut tomorrow

Here is another story from our trip to CA. We have been to visit Justin a couple times now and since the girls wake up quite a bit earlier than their uncle, we usually walk down the street to Rose's donuts and get breakfast. So the night we got there we were laying in bed saying prayers. The kids usually add their own intentions at the end. Lili likes to change hers up a bit, but Audrey's is always the same: "And please help Daddy be safe." I think this started when he was on a business trip or something but now she says it every night without fail, even if he's just in the next room. However, that night at Justin's as she lay in bed with her eyes already half-closed her special intention was, "And please help me get a donut tomorrow."

Our Fourth of July in California

Last weekend we drove out to spend some time with Uncle Justin in Corona del Mar. On the Fourth of July we went to the game and got to watch Justin pitch. It always makes me laugh to see the girls react when he comes out on the field. They truly think he can hear and see them and so they start waving and cheering like mad. After the game they got to go out on the field and watch the fireworks show. Audrey got inspired during the "I'm proud to be an American" song and started interpretive dancing with her flag: It was a great night.

Joe and Becca's wedding

OK, I know this is supposed to be about the kids but I just love this picture Bowker took of the happy couple.

We had a great time in Wisconsin getting to know the rest of Becca's family and the wedding itself was so beautiful and so much fun...Audrey was a "Folla Girl" and Lili got to bring up the roses for Joe and Becca to present to Our Lady.

2 months later

Okay, Luke has been making fun of my blogging laziness...I know, I know, I am the worst blogger ever. I keep telling him I am just waiting for our kids to do something entertaining so I can write about it. Anyway, here is what we've been up to this summer.

We spent an idyllic 2 1/2 weeks in Scituate with my family and managed to cram all of our summer traditions in. We made drip castles and boogie-boarded at the beach, rode the ponies at the Farmer's Market, and ate lobsters grilled by Papa. We also got to watch Joe's nerves slowly get the better of him as his wedding day drew near...

Jofus and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Lili is going to be in her school's performance of "joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat." Audrey just refers to it as "Jofus" Both of the girls are obsessed with the soundtrack, and we listen to it almost everyday on our trips to and from school. I wish I could install a hidden camera in my car so you could all see Audrey belting out the big dramatic numbers with her eyes closed, but you will have to settle for this sedate version of "Any dream will do." I am sure there will be more Jofus posts to come.

Butterfly Charlie

Lately, when Audrey hasn't been having conversations with her backpack/doll/imaginary friend Yoda, she has been into baby dolls. Aside from her cabbage patch doll from Aunt Erika and Uncle Dan, which she named Gianna Rose, all of her babies are named Charlie. Her favorite one is the tiny baby she got from Grandpa for Christmas. I didn't know it had a name until she took it to Sprouts. After discreetly pretending to nurse it underneath her shirt while she rode in the cart and I shopped, the checkout lady asked her what its name was. Butterfly Charlie.
Also, she wants to name her unborn sibling Charlie, regardless of what sex it turns out to be.

One of those Bugs that eats humans

I can't take naps unless both of the girls are sleeping. I just can't relax enough thinking of all the stuff they could get into. However, a couple of weeks ago I decided to try to lay down with Audrey while she slept. I got Lili all set up with coloring books and crayons, and the instructions to come and get me if she needed me. I had no sooner dozed off in Audrey's bed then I instinctivly awoke to find Lili standing silently before me, her face inches from mine, wide eyed and serious. "Um, Mom, I have to tell you something..." "Yes?" "I was coloring and there was this bug crawling on the table and it was black and I think it had red eyes and it saw me and it wasn't afraid of me so I think it must be one of those bugs that eat humans."
We had just read the "Flies and Spiders" chapter of The Hobbit.

May 1st 2008

I am starting this blog so as to have a place to write down all of the things about the kids that I am afraid of forgetting, like how Audrey sings herself to sleep with the ABC's and how Lili always asks someone to "Renounce me" before she puts on a show. Hopefully it will come in handy later on when we are going through the teenage years and need a reminder of how cute and sweet they once were.