Fun with Hair

I was bored one night the other week so I thought I'd play around with Abigail's hair. A number of months ago I attempted bantu knots but they didn't really turn out because Abigail messed around with them, they got wet in the bath, and some fell out during the night. I thought since Abigail was older she would be able to resist the temptation to mess with them. Plus, I waited until after her bath and right before bed to put them in.

I followed the directions, though I think I twisted her hair a bit too tightly. My poor girl was a bit uncomfortable, but she didn't make a big fuss about it.

At one point after I put the girls to bed I had to go help one of them with something. I found Abigail on her belly with her hands holding her head, elbows on the pillow. She didn't want to lay on her head. So, I showed her how she could lay on her side with little discomfort.

The next morning all of her knots were still intact. We took them out and then split them up. I think it was worth the trouble, I'll just make them a bit looser the next time. Or, I might try another idea I saw, which ended up being maybe 5 or so knots resulting in a more wavy hair look.

Visiting the Dentist

What better way could you start off your birthday weekend than with your first trip to the Dentist! On Friday I took Abigail for her third check-up and Sarah for her first one. Oh, and Lily came along too to see what all the fuss was about.

Abigail went first and she looked so confused. She must have thought we were only there for Sarah because she wasn't interested in having her teeth cleaned. Plus, she noted, "I brushed my teeth already."

I was a little worried that Sarah would get anxious because Abigail didn't seem to enjoy her experience all that much. She was cute though. At one point she said, "It's gonna be fine, Ada [what she calls Abigail]."

Then it was Sarah's turn. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from her.

Sarah did great! The light bothered her a bit, so she got to wear cool shades. She looked so comfortable-almost like she was ready to take a nap.

I was anticipating an hour of craziness, but it was a stress-free hour of a wiggly Lily, a talkative Abigail, and a calm Sarah.

Fish Funeral

Last night Abigail's fish died. We gave it to her for her third birthday. This fish never really got a name and not a whole lot of attention from the girls. The idea was to teach Abigail responsibility, but I ended up feeding him (Abigail had a generous pinch) and Jonathan cleaned the tank (not that we'd ever consider letting her do that).

Anyway, this morning Jonathan asked me what I wanted him to do. I wanted him to flush it, though he thought I meant in secret. Cue the impromptu fish funeral with the girls.

A few cute phrases were uttered when he first let them know the fish died:

Abigail : I think he had a tunny ache because he drank too much water (yesterday Jonathan took some water out to make it easier for the fish to reach the surface, so she thought the fish was to blame for the loss of water).

Sarah : He died
Abigail : No, Sarah, he's DEAD.
Sarah : He died
Abigail : He's DEAD.
I tried explaining that they were saying the same thing, but gave up on it.

When Jonathan mentioned to the girls it was time to flush the fish Abigail insisted he wanted to stay in his home. We convinced her the toilet was a better idea.

We got to the bathroom where Jonathan began to pour the contents of the tank. We soon realized the fish wasn't coming out without some sort of assistance. We sent Abigail away for a plastic spoon. First she came back with a metal spoon. Then she went back to the kitchen and came back to us with a plastic fork declaring, "he won't care, he's dead." 

In the meantime, Sarah wanted to rush to the kitchen to get us a plastic spoon (they like to fight over who gets to help). I got her to stay with us by letting her know that her job was to flush the toilet. Once Jonathan was in place Sarah manned her station and took her job very seriously. There was a pour, a scoop, and a flush and he was gone.

Oh, and I forgot to mention how many times Abigail said she wanted a new fish (oh, and a dog on top of that). We'll be taking a break on pets for a little while.

Mealtime Shenanigans

Mealtime with the Kapaldo family can be lots of fun. Mealtime with the Kapaldo's at Nonna and Papa's house can be tons of fun! Maybe two weeks ago we were having dinner with my parents and grandparents and Abigail felt the need to stand in her chair, look to Papa, spread out her arms and say, "Papa, are you out of your mind?!" Before we knew it Sarah was saying it too. Every time one of the girls would say it everyone roared with laughter. It got quite loud in that dining room!

Last night Sarah uttered the silly phrase a few more times, and we got it on camera this time. No one says it quite like Sarah, and she probably gets the most laughs out of it.

Photo Fridays 06.01.12

Remember how I mentioned that Abigail was getting more gutsy with Lily? Well, Abigail has not let up one little bit. I was on the phone with Jonathan in the kitchen when I went on my way into the living room to find Abigail standing up, holding Lily, and attempting to place Lily in her toy stroller! For my own peace of mind and for Lily's protection I unpacked and set up our play pen.

My friend Kelly gave us this play pen when Abigail was a baby. We used it a lot with Abigail, but not so much with Sarah. Abigail really wasn't interested in lifting Sarah, and most of Abigail's toys were not choking hazards. I am really happy we still have this handy baby gear and Lily doesn't seem to mind it either!

Abigail's Party!

This weekend we celebrated Abigail's birthday. It was a small family affair that started with a visit to Build a Bear. I was careful not to let Abigail in on our plans until we got there, otherwise we would not hear the end of it. Grandma Kapaldo came up for the weekend and got to experience Build a Bear for the first time.

Abigail named her new friend "Birthday Bear" and selected a birthday song sound for her bear that we've heard a few hundred times since Saturday morning.

Sarah named her new friend "Cat".

Jonathan helped Lily pick out her dog, "Patch".

After Build a Bear we went back to Nonna and Papa's for cake. About nine months ago Abigail decided she wanted a princess birthday cake. I had settled on that and decided to do something new (new for me anyway). I found directions for making marshmallow fondant (Pinterest!). It was surprisingly easy and I was happy with the result. Abigail was too.

We had a lot of fun celebrating Abigail's birthday!

Four Years!

Four years ago today we welcomed this lovely lady into the world.

Here she is at one year...

Two years...

Three years...

And now at four years...

My how you've grown our dear, sweet, and strong-willed Abigail. We thank God for bringing you into the world four fast-moving years ago. We love you!

Who Do You Think She Looks Like?

We've got this question a lot-whether it be about Lily or the older girls. There are times when I see each of us in her. What do you think?

Lily at one month:

Abigail at one month:
Sarah at one month:

When Abigail answers the question, she hits the nail on the head, "She looks like Lily!"

Virtual Baby Shower

All week long I had been looking forward to going to my cousin's surprise baby shower kid-free. I let Abigail know I was not heading home with her after church because I was going to the shower and then she gave me a puppy dog look and told me she wanted to go too. I couldn't resist, so the two of us went together.

My Aunt and cousin threw the shower to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a little girl, so they went all out on girly stuff.

Here is Abigail decked out in a feather boa and bright pink nail polish (courtesy of Auntie Laura).

This picture reminds me of the last time she wore a boa.

The Mommy-to-Be is actually a resident of North Carolina, with most of her family living here and out west. So, with the help of a TV and a few Apple products my cousins were able to make it a virtual shower. All of the presents were shipped to NC, where my cousin David intercepted them and wrapped them all. My Aunt went all out and baked cookies, packed shower games (and more feather boas), and sent everything down so my cousin would be well-equipped to throw the same shower simultaneously in NC for his wife.

Grandma saying "hi" to the Daddy-to-Be

I wish I had more pictures, but my lens stopped working mid-shower. It was a blast-my Aunt certainly knows how to throw a party!

Big Girls!

Grandma and Papa K drove up to spend the weekend with us as we celebrated Sarah's second birthday. They came bearing gifts-a beautiful set of bunk beds!

Now that Sarah is two and Lily is due so soon we decided we were ready to get Sarah transitioned to a big girl bed. She was showing signs of being ready too.

Grandma and Papa did such a great job refinishing the sturdy set of beads, complete with custom-made pink bed rails and a sky blue board with pink slats (so Sarah has something pretty to look at from the bottom bunk).

The girls were so excited to see their new set up. Abigail was sure to let us know ALL DAY LONG that she was to sleep in the top bunk and Sarah's was the bottom. Also, I think their bedroom has fast become Abigail's favorite.

Thank you Grandma and Papa K for the bunk beds! And thank you Nonna for the spreads and afghans!

Fun with Scissors

Abigail has been using kid-friendly scissors on and off for about a year now. For the most part she likes cutting paper into confetti-sized pieces. It's a bit messy, but it keeps her occupied when I need to do a chore of some sort. She also uses her scissors for some of her homeschool activities and is getting quite proficient at using them.

Sometimes Sarah gets a hold of Abigail's scissors and goes straight for our countdown chain. I've had to repair that silly thing quite a few times now. I guess Sarah thinks she can speed up the waiting process by cutting the chain to pieces!

This brings me to our amusing story. Yesterday I was in the middle of cooking dinner and checking things out online (I have to be honest with you all). I could hear the sound of scissors scissor-ing in the other room. I immediately called out for Sarah to stop cutting the chain. It was then when I saw Abigail in my doorway, scissors in hand, up in her hair! Her hair that she took almost two years to grow enough for pigtails!

I ran straight for her and the scissors and tried to assess the damage. She ended up cutting a decent amount of hair, though not to the point where the untrained eye would notice it. She did this one handed, so she ended up "thinning" her hair out rather than chopping it off. Needless to say, this made for an interesting conversation with Daddy while he was at work - and it is another thing we can laugh about now that it's over.

The hair:

The "damage" (not a great angle, she cut mostly from the right side):

The spectator:

The Aquarium!

We went to the aquarium for a special family outing today. The last time we went was two years ago. Sarah tagged along, but this time she actually got to see the fish (since the last time she was a month shy of her due date ;-)

I tried to make our experience sort of like a field trip, so I made each of the girls an "Aquarium Scavenger Hunt" book. I picked 10 animals I knew the girls would see, jotted a few basic facts about them, and then had a check box for them to mark when we saw each one.

The girls had a blast. It was so fun to see them point and get excited with each new fish they saw. It was also cool because we happened to be there during feeding time for the giant main tank. The girls got to see a diver swim with the fish to feed them. They also got to see the giant sea turtle eat at the tank's surface.

Photo Fridays 09.16.11

It has been four solid weeks since Abigail's first day of homeschool. Today was another exciting first, Abigail's first day of co-op. After hearing about our homeschooling Abigail for preschool, a friend of mine invited us to join the homeschooling co-op she is a part of. I am so glad for the invite and for the opportunity to check out this aspect of homeschooling.

Every Friday Abigail will get together with other kids her age to learn her ABC's and 123's. She'll get to do crafts, read books, and spend time with some of her favorite people. She might even go on a field trip or two. I'll be an assistant for her class and also take care of Sarah along with another mom.

Today was a great first day. It was a bit challenging for me to try and keep Sarah entertained and quiet during our sessions. She even tried running off a few times. But, I'm sure with time, she'll get used to the idea of school. I think Abigail really enjoyed being around other people her age (and even some of the big kids). She wasn't too happy when it was time to go.

We're looking forward to what the rest of the school year holds!

Better Late than Never

So, a number of months ago my computer started making a clicking sound. Then, my hard drive crashed. My advice to you: if your computer starts making a clicking sound, back it up! I hadn't in a while and ended up losing a lot of stuff.

We were eligible for a free replacement drive, but in the meantime were using a much smaller one we already had. Because of this I quickly ran out of room and couldn't import anymore photos or videos. I got my replacement this week and Jonathan set me up with a newer, faster, and larger hard drive!

Remember reading about Abigail's first Vacation Bible School experience? Here is a little video of her singing with her classmates. This was one of her favorite songs from the week and she'll still sing it on occasion:



In other news: stay tuned for a post in the coming days announcing Baby #3's name!

Getting Ready

I've been thinking a lot about Abigail and school lately. A lot of kids her age will be starting some form of preschool in the fall. I never really considered signing her up. You see, we still haven't decided whether we will home-school or not.

For those of you who may not know, Jonathan and his brothers were all home-schooled through high school. I never really would have considered it as a serious option for our girls if this hadn't been the case. Jonathan is super supportive and doesn't expect our default schooling of choice to be home school, but he does expect me to prayerfully consider and be open to it (which is totally reasonable!).

So, as part of OUR prayerful consideration, we have decided to home-school Abigail for preschool as sort of a trial run. As I get ready for our time together I get really excited! Other times I am overwhelmed.

We'll see how it goes though and hopefully we can share a bit of what we learn with you! A friend of mine pointed me to a homeschooling website called 1+1+1=1. We'll be using her Raising Rock Stars Preschool materials. She offers so many free printables and also makes them available for quick download for a nominal fee. Here are some of the preparations we've been making the past week or so:

I really liked the idea of a calendar, I modeled ours after this one on the 1+1+1 website. We're not quite finished with it. I need to add a few pockets and also some temperature stick-ups and clothing stick-ups (hot hot/cold is it? and what should I wear in this weather?).

I also put together a little binder to hold Abigail's work and a binder for me to hold all my teacher stuff (all of the printouts came from 1+1+1=1).

Abigail keeps talking about school. I think she's looking forward to the next week or so being over so we can get started!