I brought my camera, of course, to take advantage of the excellent pre-sunset light. I loved how these turned out:
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Afternoon at the Park
After a day of deep-cleaning the house, we escaped to our neighborhood park for a little fun. Nikos had a blast, as always, and Maya went on the swings for the first time ever! And I am pleased to report that she loved the experience! I barely pushed her at all, but she thought it was just so much fun-- especially since her brother was flying by on the swing right next to her. It was too cute!
I brought my camera, of course, to take advantage of the excellent pre-sunset light. I loved how these turned out:
I brought my camera, of course, to take advantage of the excellent pre-sunset light. I loved how these turned out:
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Proof that Nikos Exists
He stopped moving long enough for me to get a few pictures, though he wouldn't smile for me:
A few new things in Nikos-land... He is learning our last name, which he mispronounces in the cutest, funniest way. And when we correct him, he argues with us about it. He's quite a stubborn little guy. When he's really adamant about something, he lowers his eyebrows and glares at us, all while crossing his arms. And if he's REALLY mad, he speaks in what I call his "dinosaur voice." It's hard not to giggle, though it only makes him more mad. Oh, the joys of having a toddler around!
That being said, he is seriously the sweetest brother in the whole world. One minute, he's quickly grabbing all of his toy cars so that Maya can't get them, and kind of freaking out that she might touch them. But if Maya starts to cry, he bends over backward to make her happy-- bringing her all his cars, etc., one at a time. She worships the ground he walks on, which is too cute for words. And he always says hi to her and gives her hugs and kisses-- often without ever being prompted.
He may have his toddler moments, but he is still pretty darn sweet! ♥
A few new things in Nikos-land... He is learning our last name, which he mispronounces in the cutest, funniest way. And when we correct him, he argues with us about it. He's quite a stubborn little guy. When he's really adamant about something, he lowers his eyebrows and glares at us, all while crossing his arms. And if he's REALLY mad, he speaks in what I call his "dinosaur voice." It's hard not to giggle, though it only makes him more mad. Oh, the joys of having a toddler around!
That being said, he is seriously the sweetest brother in the whole world. One minute, he's quickly grabbing all of his toy cars so that Maya can't get them, and kind of freaking out that she might touch them. But if Maya starts to cry, he bends over backward to make her happy-- bringing her all his cars, etc., one at a time. She worships the ground he walks on, which is too cute for words. And he always says hi to her and gives her hugs and kisses-- often without ever being prompted.
He may have his toddler moments, but he is still pretty darn sweet! ♥
Sunday, January 24, 2010
My Cooperative Model
You may notice that there has been an abundance of Maya pictures on here lately, and no, that does not mean I don't love Nikos! What it means is that Nikos has ZERO patience for sitting and letting me take his picture these days-- he would much rather run and jump and climb and, well, basically do anything but sit still!
At the same time, I have been trying to take tons of pictures whenever I have free time and the lighting outside is good. I have been taking everything in manual mode on my camera, and am trying to get better at producing well-exposed, well-focused photos. Naturally, Maya ends up being the subject of most of these, since she will actually sit there! She loves touching the grass and looking all around when we are outside. Sometimes she crawls off, but she generally just likes to sit there and soak it all in. Anyway, here are a couple of cute ones I got today. I made only some minor changes to these to enhance contrast-- they actually looked really good straight off of the camera! I was proud of myself! :) And check out her tooth in the third one!
At the same time, I have been trying to take tons of pictures whenever I have free time and the lighting outside is good. I have been taking everything in manual mode on my camera, and am trying to get better at producing well-exposed, well-focused photos. Naturally, Maya ends up being the subject of most of these, since she will actually sit there! She loves touching the grass and looking all around when we are outside. Sometimes she crawls off, but she generally just likes to sit there and soak it all in. Anyway, here are a couple of cute ones I got today. I made only some minor changes to these to enhance contrast-- they actually looked really good straight off of the camera! I was proud of myself! :) And check out her tooth in the third one!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Bathing Beauty
I don't think this kid has ever met a bath she didn't love. She is all smiles in the tub!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Tooth
...or should I say "teeth"? It looks like tooth #2 is on its way, too! Check out the second picture to see for yourself!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Changing by the Day!
Along with the emergence of her first tooth, Maya has apparently decided that it was time for a few other changes!
For one, she has suddenly started a different sort of babbling-- the kind with more consonants in it! It's like the tooth triggered a switch in her brain, changing all of her other noises into ones that sound something like this: "ah ya ya ga na ga ya ya ah ya ya" (lots of "y" sounds, hehe!). She says this in a conversational tone, too, and it is just about the cutest thing ever. I will have to try and get it on video sometime this week!
Also, she has started pulling up! She doesn't always get all the way to standing, but she is certainly trying to. I guess she is not content with sitting/crawling on the floor anymore. She sees her brother walking and wants to join in the fun. It's only a matter of time before she takes off and starts walking, too (God help us all!).
There is never a dull moment with this kid! I wonder what other tricks she has up her sleeve??
For one, she has suddenly started a different sort of babbling-- the kind with more consonants in it! It's like the tooth triggered a switch in her brain, changing all of her other noises into ones that sound something like this: "ah ya ya ga na ga ya ya ah ya ya" (lots of "y" sounds, hehe!). She says this in a conversational tone, too, and it is just about the cutest thing ever. I will have to try and get it on video sometime this week!
Also, she has started pulling up! She doesn't always get all the way to standing, but she is certainly trying to. I guess she is not content with sitting/crawling on the floor anymore. She sees her brother walking and wants to join in the fun. It's only a matter of time before she takes off and starts walking, too (God help us all!).
There is never a dull moment with this kid! I wonder what other tricks she has up her sleeve??
Sunday, January 17, 2010
We have a tooth!!!
Gus noticed this morning that Maya cut her first tooth! Hooray!! I will try to get a picture at some point, but that's tricky. At any rate, I looked back in the blog to see when Nikos got his first tooth. I could have sworn that he had two teeth by this age, but I was wrong! He got his first tooth 5 days before he was 8 months old. So Maya is only about 3 weeks older than he was.
Hooray for being able to chew food! :)
Hooray for being able to chew food! :)
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Quick Update
I've been spending most of my free time lately working on my photography... Reading books, practicing various techniques, playing around with post-processing-- that sort of thing. So naturally, I have an abundance of pictures of the kiddos, and little time to write! I am thinking it's high time I sat down and typed and update, so here it is!
Nikos has started taking naps at daycare again! For the longest time, he pretty much fought Bonnie tooth and nail when it came time to nap. On a good day, he would sleep for half an hour (compared to three hours when he naps at home). In a parental "duh" moment last week, I realized: he always sleeps with Bear at home, so maybe we should send Bear to daycare! Yes, it was that simple. The kid has napped beautifully ever since. And yesterday, Bonnie said that, while the kids were all napping (the "older" kids, including Nikos, nap on blankets on the floor), Brady scooted over and put an arm around Nikos, who was already asleep. I guess Brady still ends up in his parents' bed a lot of nights, and he's used to snuggling! I told Bonnie she should have taken a picture, and she wished that she had. Maybe next time!
Since then, though, our little guy has developed a case of pinkeye. So maybe Brady shouldn't snuggle up to him, after all... :P
Maya continues to be a little speed demon, crawling all over the place. She notices right away when her brother leaves the room, and she makes a beeline for his toys! It is too funny! And, she has started attempting to pull up on things, which means we need to lower her crib mattress very, very soon (like tomorrow). She has also discovered the joy of mango (her new favorite food).
On the work front, it's the same old, same old. All the talk is about the budget situation, which looks just as bad (if not worse) than last year. I'm sure there are going to be pink slips passed out again, as well as another class size increase (and I'm already at 34 students). Right now, I'm just trying not to think about it. It's kind of another reason I am putting more energy into my photography. If I do end up without a job for next year, I'd like a backup plan. And starting my own photography business sounds awesome!
Anyway, that's about it! The kids are great, but I'm just exhausted. I am so glad we have a three day weekend! We are (most likely) driving up to Gus' parents' house tomorrow, and then Nikos and I are going to a get-together for a bunch of moms and toddlers I know from my online parenting group. I can't wait!
And of course, pictures from today... Nikos insisted on pulling Maya in the wagon, who squealed in delight! I ended up strapping them both in and going for a walk around the neighborhood while Gus attempted to install a ceiling fan in Nikos' bedroom.
Good night! :)
Nikos has started taking naps at daycare again! For the longest time, he pretty much fought Bonnie tooth and nail when it came time to nap. On a good day, he would sleep for half an hour (compared to three hours when he naps at home). In a parental "duh" moment last week, I realized: he always sleeps with Bear at home, so maybe we should send Bear to daycare! Yes, it was that simple. The kid has napped beautifully ever since. And yesterday, Bonnie said that, while the kids were all napping (the "older" kids, including Nikos, nap on blankets on the floor), Brady scooted over and put an arm around Nikos, who was already asleep. I guess Brady still ends up in his parents' bed a lot of nights, and he's used to snuggling! I told Bonnie she should have taken a picture, and she wished that she had. Maybe next time!
Since then, though, our little guy has developed a case of pinkeye. So maybe Brady shouldn't snuggle up to him, after all... :P
Maya continues to be a little speed demon, crawling all over the place. She notices right away when her brother leaves the room, and she makes a beeline for his toys! It is too funny! And, she has started attempting to pull up on things, which means we need to lower her crib mattress very, very soon (like tomorrow). She has also discovered the joy of mango (her new favorite food).
On the work front, it's the same old, same old. All the talk is about the budget situation, which looks just as bad (if not worse) than last year. I'm sure there are going to be pink slips passed out again, as well as another class size increase (and I'm already at 34 students). Right now, I'm just trying not to think about it. It's kind of another reason I am putting more energy into my photography. If I do end up without a job for next year, I'd like a backup plan. And starting my own photography business sounds awesome!
Anyway, that's about it! The kids are great, but I'm just exhausted. I am so glad we have a three day weekend! We are (most likely) driving up to Gus' parents' house tomorrow, and then Nikos and I are going to a get-together for a bunch of moms and toddlers I know from my online parenting group. I can't wait!
And of course, pictures from today... Nikos insisted on pulling Maya in the wagon, who squealed in delight! I ended up strapping them both in and going for a walk around the neighborhood while Gus attempted to install a ceiling fan in Nikos' bedroom.
Good night! :)
Friday, January 15, 2010
Pictures and Videos
A few pics from this afternoon. Model A was very cooperative, while Model B preferred to run around. Still, both models were adorable! ♥
And a video of them both playing together in living room earlier. It's a little hard to hear all the things Nikos is saying, but worth the effort!
Here's the play-by-play, in case you didn't follow: First, Maya goes over to him, and he gives her a kiss and a big hug (aww!). Then she touches his shoes, and he tells her that they are HIS "robot shoes" (they have transformers on them). She then attempts to grab his Little People (his "guys" or his "mans," in Nikospeak). He takes them from her, telling her that she can't have them and they need to go to school (he places them in the school bus). She crawls off, and Nikos says she has gone to the kitchen... but then she returns, and he smothers her with love (hugging her and rubbing her head and calling her "Maya-Bear" like we do). He then proceeds to hand her his toys to play with.
Does life get any better? Seriously??
And a video of them both playing together in living room earlier. It's a little hard to hear all the things Nikos is saying, but worth the effort!
Here's the play-by-play, in case you didn't follow: First, Maya goes over to him, and he gives her a kiss and a big hug (aww!). Then she touches his shoes, and he tells her that they are HIS "robot shoes" (they have transformers on them). She then attempts to grab his Little People (his "guys" or his "mans," in Nikospeak). He takes them from her, telling her that she can't have them and they need to go to school (he places them in the school bus). She crawls off, and Nikos says she has gone to the kitchen... but then she returns, and he smothers her with love (hugging her and rubbing her head and calling her "Maya-Bear" like we do). He then proceeds to hand her his toys to play with.
Does life get any better? Seriously??
Thursday, January 14, 2010
That's My Boy!
Just a funny video of my favorite toddler, interpreting the alphabet song in his own unique way... :)
Monday, January 11, 2010
A Teeny-Tiny Little Confession...
For those of you who don't know, I harbor this fantasy of one day being able to become a professional photographer (focusing mostly on kids and families). I have a long way to go, skill-wise and business-wise, but I have resolved to start working toward my goal more in 2010. And, as part of my resolution, I started another blog, focusing on my photographic journey.
But that's not the confession. The confession is that I actually went ahead and bought the domain name I would like for my eventual (maybe) business! It cost a whopping $11. But I knew the business name I wanted, and the domain was available, so I figured, "Why not??"
Anyway, you can follow my learning at my new photography blog, if you feel so inclined! :) I was a little embarrassed at first, but now I am starting to get excited. Dare to dream, right??
But that's not the confession. The confession is that I actually went ahead and bought the domain name I would like for my eventual (maybe) business! It cost a whopping $11. But I knew the business name I wanted, and the domain was available, so I figured, "Why not??"
Anyway, you can follow my learning at my new photography blog, if you feel so inclined! :) I was a little embarrassed at first, but now I am starting to get excited. Dare to dream, right??
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Beautiful Day!
So the weather here has been unbelievably gorgeous all weekend! I mean, San Diego has pretty nice weather to begin with, but this has been exceptional-- especially for January! Today it was in the mid-to-high seventies with clear blue skies. So... We thought it would be the perfect day for a family outing to the zoo!
For the first time, Maya sat up like a big girl in the stroller. Up until now, we have attached her infant seat to the top, but today she sat in her actual stroller seat and enjoyed it! At one point, she conked out entirely. It was a perfect day for a nap outside, so we were a little jealous! And, for the first time, Nikos was really great about getting back into the stroller after looking at an animal. He has been known to fight us on this, but it is REALLY hard to carry him around the zoo-- especially with all the hills! Anyway, it was great. While Maya napped, we sat and ate lunch together up in the treehouse (the highest part of the zoo). Everyone was in such a good mood-- I really can't express how much fun it was!
Oh, and our boy has a new favorite animal: the orangutan! He still has a special place in his heart for llamas, but he went NUTS at the orangutan enclosure. It was hilarious!!
Also... I took all these pictures in manual mode on my camera! I am kind of proud. They aren't perfect, but this is still a pretty big achievement. Manual mode means that I had to choose everything myself (shutter speed, ISO, aperture, etc.) and the camera didn't help. I think they turned out pretty well, considering!
For the first time, Maya sat up like a big girl in the stroller. Up until now, we have attached her infant seat to the top, but today she sat in her actual stroller seat and enjoyed it! At one point, she conked out entirely. It was a perfect day for a nap outside, so we were a little jealous! And, for the first time, Nikos was really great about getting back into the stroller after looking at an animal. He has been known to fight us on this, but it is REALLY hard to carry him around the zoo-- especially with all the hills! Anyway, it was great. While Maya napped, we sat and ate lunch together up in the treehouse (the highest part of the zoo). Everyone was in such a good mood-- I really can't express how much fun it was!
Oh, and our boy has a new favorite animal: the orangutan! He still has a special place in his heart for llamas, but he went NUTS at the orangutan enclosure. It was hilarious!!
Also... I took all these pictures in manual mode on my camera! I am kind of proud. They aren't perfect, but this is still a pretty big achievement. Manual mode means that I had to choose everything myself (shutter speed, ISO, aperture, etc.) and the camera didn't help. I think they turned out pretty well, considering!
Last Day of Soccer
I haven't talked too much about soccer, I realize, probably because weekends are so busy and I forget about it by the time I am able to write! At any rate, it's been interesting. Nikos went from crying/clinging to me the entire first class to actually participating and having a ball today. It was nice to end on a high note! He's still no Pele, but that wasn't the point... he enjoyed himself, and that's what really matters!
Luckily, my parents were on hand to capture the moment. They had offered to come down for the day and watch the kids so Gus and I could go to lunch and a movie ("Avatar" in 3-D... I liked it!). They arrived during soccer class, so my dad was able to get these pictures. Hooray!
So sweet! He wouldn't wear his medal, but he did give Coach a hug and say thank you. That's my boy!
And, just because I love this one... here's a picture of him I took yesterday. My little thumb-sucking heartbreaker!
Luckily, my parents were on hand to capture the moment. They had offered to come down for the day and watch the kids so Gus and I could go to lunch and a movie ("Avatar" in 3-D... I liked it!). They arrived during soccer class, so my dad was able to get these pictures. Hooray!
So sweet! He wouldn't wear his medal, but he did give Coach a hug and say thank you. That's my boy!
And, just because I love this one... here's a picture of him I took yesterday. My little thumb-sucking heartbreaker!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Movie Time!
I'm so excited-- I bought a Flip video camera! I used various Amazon gift cards, along with a Visa gift card my grandma sent, and bought it. It is so cool!! Not only is it teeny-tiny, but I am impressed with the quality of the videos! Here are just a few from today (two from the park, and one of Maya crawling around). I LOVE IT!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Decade in Review
...and oh, what a decade it's been! Honestly, it will be hard for the next one to live up to this one, because of all the amazing and wonderful changes in my life over these last ten years. But I'm sure it will still be fantastic! Here's a walk down memory lane...
2000: I graduated from college; Gus still had two years to go. I got in a car accident. I started working at an advertising agency (hated every minute of it), quit, enrolled in a teaching credential program in the evenings, and started working another job. It was a tough year! Even so, I feel like we look so young here! We had been dating for two years at this point.
2001: I landed my first teaching job and moved into a much more inhabitable apartment-- one with a level floor and real furniture (no more cardboard boxes!). I even had cable (gasp!). It was actually a really cool apartment. Nice and big, with a cool little den area that was great for when I had visitors. Here I am with my first class-- a second- and third-grade combo:
2002: I continued teaching. Gus finally moved from the west side out to the valley, much closer to where I was. Now we could see each other all the time! I don't have many pictures from this year, but here is one of his two annoying parakeets. He ended up finding another, better home for them when we moved to San Diego the following year:
2003: Big year! I traveled to Paris, France to see my aunt, uncle, and cousin who were living there at the time. The day after I returned, Gus proposed! We decided to get out of L.A., and found a great apartment in San Diego. I would spend the following school year working as a substitute teacher, trying to get a job in a pretty exclusive school district.
2004: I got hired on as a full-time teacher! One of the best moments of my life, especially after subbing for a year. We started to look for a house, and continued to make wedding plans. Here we are at a Padres game that year:
2005: We bought a house in April, acquired a kitten (Charlie) in May, and tied the knot on June 25th. Our wedding day was awesome! We left the next morning for two weeks in Maui (also awesome!).
2006: I continued teaching... We went to Greece for two weeks over the summer. Can't wait to go back!
2007: On February 12th, we found out we were going to be parents! On October 25th, Nikos was born. Nothing would ever be the same!
2008: We watched our little boy grow, be baptized, and turn into a little one-year-old right before our eyes. And in August, we found out that we were expecting baby #2! In December, we learned that this baby would be a girl. We couldn't wait to meet her!
2009: Maya was born on May 1st. Before that, I had received a pink slip, saying that I wouldn't have a teaching job for the following year. Luckily, it was rescinded shortly thereafter, and I was able to enjoy my maternity leave knowing that I would have my job back in the fall!
2010: Who knows? As of right now, we are looking to remodel our master bathroom, and possibly take a trip (sans kids) in the summer. We will need to potty-train Nikos, and our baby girl will be taking her first steps! It should be a great year-- and a great decade! :)
2000: I graduated from college; Gus still had two years to go. I got in a car accident. I started working at an advertising agency (hated every minute of it), quit, enrolled in a teaching credential program in the evenings, and started working another job. It was a tough year! Even so, I feel like we look so young here! We had been dating for two years at this point.
2001: I landed my first teaching job and moved into a much more inhabitable apartment-- one with a level floor and real furniture (no more cardboard boxes!). I even had cable (gasp!). It was actually a really cool apartment. Nice and big, with a cool little den area that was great for when I had visitors. Here I am with my first class-- a second- and third-grade combo:
2002: I continued teaching. Gus finally moved from the west side out to the valley, much closer to where I was. Now we could see each other all the time! I don't have many pictures from this year, but here is one of his two annoying parakeets. He ended up finding another, better home for them when we moved to San Diego the following year:
2003: Big year! I traveled to Paris, France to see my aunt, uncle, and cousin who were living there at the time. The day after I returned, Gus proposed! We decided to get out of L.A., and found a great apartment in San Diego. I would spend the following school year working as a substitute teacher, trying to get a job in a pretty exclusive school district.
2004: I got hired on as a full-time teacher! One of the best moments of my life, especially after subbing for a year. We started to look for a house, and continued to make wedding plans. Here we are at a Padres game that year:
2005: We bought a house in April, acquired a kitten (Charlie) in May, and tied the knot on June 25th. Our wedding day was awesome! We left the next morning for two weeks in Maui (also awesome!).
2006: I continued teaching... We went to Greece for two weeks over the summer. Can't wait to go back!
2007: On February 12th, we found out we were going to be parents! On October 25th, Nikos was born. Nothing would ever be the same!
2008: We watched our little boy grow, be baptized, and turn into a little one-year-old right before our eyes. And in August, we found out that we were expecting baby #2! In December, we learned that this baby would be a girl. We couldn't wait to meet her!
2009: Maya was born on May 1st. Before that, I had received a pink slip, saying that I wouldn't have a teaching job for the following year. Luckily, it was rescinded shortly thereafter, and I was able to enjoy my maternity leave knowing that I would have my job back in the fall!
2010: Who knows? As of right now, we are looking to remodel our master bathroom, and possibly take a trip (sans kids) in the summer. We will need to potty-train Nikos, and our baby girl will be taking her first steps! It should be a great year-- and a great decade! :)
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