Blessed

We are so blessed to have many good friends (near and far.) I love that my kids can go outside on any given day and have great kids to play with. This is what life is about!

Notice how Maia is holding both babies' hands? So sweet!

Our neighbor and one of Maia's idols, Kaja is in this picture. She and her sister are getting older and will soon be away at college. Boy are we going to miss them!

What happened to April?

Wow, April has only two days left, and I haven't posted any entries yet. This is not good. I have definitely fallen away from my blogging routine. There is so much to say, and yet I find that I can't summarize it well enough for a coherent post. I'll do my best.

Roula Update: I went to the doctor's and though I am otherwise healthy, my thyroid is acting up again. I guess I shouldn't say again, because it's been this way for over a decade. After Tai was born, I stopped taking my medication. I would usually forget, and I felt fine, so I thought perhaps my hypothyroidism had cured itself. Alas, 15 months later, I am not feeling so great, and the blood test results came back way above normal range, so I am taking my medicine again.

I know, I need to take care of myself! I'm working on it...

Yoshi Update: Yoshi is doing great and enjoying his garden. We are excited to eat some home-grown vegetables this year. He is still hoping to win the lottery one of these days:)

Maia Update: She is still her spunky little self. Last week she went to her Kindergarten screening and did very well. We are so proud of her! She really wants a pet, but we are not ready to take that step yet. Both Yoshi and I are still sad about our Psipsina, and the thought of caring so much about another pet and going through the pain of losing them is too much to handle. Perhaps we will change our minds in a couple of years.

Tai Update: Our little man is doing great. He is running around and LOVES being outside. He also enjoys playing with other kids, particularly his sister and boys. It's so strange to see how he identifies with other boys already, and it is very sweet. One thing he does not do much of is talk. As a matter of fact, he talks so little that I was really concerned for a while that he had some sort of speech delay. Our pediatrician said to give it a couple more months before being concerned, and he seems to be improving already.

The thing I'm realizing is that he CAN talk, but he is just not a big talker. Most of the time, I have to ask him, can you say ______? He sometimes surprises me and repeats what I said, but he does not usually initiate. So, I am officially not worrying about it anymore. Apparently, he is a typical man in training?

Love the Hair!

Yet another picture of the fun we have at bedtime.



Compare to back in August:



Maia and Tai seem so grown up compared to just a few months ago. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time.

Serious Cuteness

The kids were getting ready to go to sleep in this picture. They are so adorable during bedtime. Usually, Maia begs to have Tai sleep with her in her bed. If he is not too tired, he will play along and lay down with her. Then Maia will say, "Mom, can you put some of your milk in a bottle so I can give it to Tai?" She knows that I usually nurse him to sleep. It makes me laugh a lot. Soon, they will share a room. I wonder if she will be quite so enthusiastic about it then. In the meantime, I'm enjoying some good times.

I am so lucky to have happy relatively well-adjusted kiddos.

Park Weather!!

Finally! Spring is officially here. Goodbye winter jackets and hello great outdoors. Tai and Maia have been scrambling to go outside every day. They play so nicely together, and Tai seems so grown up running around our backyard. Life is good!

We are all excited about the warm weather, but the look on Tai's face says it all!

Friday!

Wow, we made it to Friday this week. I was worried the day would never come. Tomorrow we are going to the circus with our friends, Greg and Alli, and on Sunday Maia has a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. It's going to be a busy but fun weekend. Best of all, Yoshi is coming back on Monday! We are very excited to see him!

Unlike our predictions before he left, I've been keeping everything afloat pretty well during his absence. The house is in decent shape, and I've even cooked dinner more often than not. We have gone to Panera and McDonald's a couple of times, but we've been eating mostly at home.

I'm even considering cleaning our deck and yard this afternoon after Tai wakes up. I know Yoshi would like to do it, but I predict he will be tired and jet-lagged after his long trip. It will be nice for him to come home and not have to worry about cleaning anything for a while.

My thought of gratitude today is that I have been able to find some sort of balance in life these days. Tai is getting old enough to play by himself or with Maia for longer stretches of time, and I'm able to get more things accomplished. It feels so good to have a nice and orderly house! Now if only I could get the upstairs playroom/office organized. I would be so happy!

First Flowers

Among my wonderful husbands many talents, gardening is one that has always made me so happy. Yes, I would like to garden as well, theoretically, but somehow I lose my motivation right around the time the plants need to be taken care of on a daily basis.

Yoshi, on the other hand, seems to enjoy communing with the plants. In the summer, the first thing he does upon waking up is go outside and tend to the garden. Maia often follows him out and together they note the progress the flowers have made overnight. It's a very sweet ritual, and one that I enjoy being a part of, though it's usually after I've had my cup of coffee.

This year, Yoshi is in Japan during the first few days of Spring, so he is missing the crocuses which bring joy to him every year.


So soon after the long winter, they are bringing much joy to me and the children as well!



I think Maia and Tai have inherited Yoshi's penchant for gardening!

We are looking forward to Daddy's safe return on Monday. In the meantime, we will continue to tend the garden.