Mika & Camila's Picture Diary

Fun days and a walk in the park

Face painting at a local school

Gaming day at the local library

Camila during tumbling class (photo by Mika)

At the Northern California premier of Squeakquel (photo by Mika)

Camila showing affection to the rapidly growing kitten (photo by Mika)

Mika shows off her find during a walk through the redwoods

Mika next to the tree where she said she wants a coat made of tree moss

Camila at the end of the walk through the redwoods

Mika's first (?) story

Mika wrote this story yesterday. I think it's quite good. I'm providing the punctuation in parenthesis for easier reading.

A Job

One day I needed like a 100 bucks but didn't know how to earn it. But then it came to me. I had to get a job(,) I wanted to baby site(.) I wanted to baby site the most crazy girl on our block(,) Nancy Higinstire. She is crasy(.) She is so crazy that she eats paper! I know(,) I know(,) I'm kind of weird. Hey(,) I know what I'll do "I'LL DO IT(.)"

So I did(.) I walked right over(,) I knocked (and) said(, ")do you need babysiting tonight(?".) He said (")yes(,) I do(,) thank you very much(.) I'll pay you 100 dollars to babysite her(.) She is very crazy!(")

(")Ok(,) i said(, ")I'll do it. Thank you very much(").

So when I walked in there she was(,) stuck to the sealing with (caramel) because she got it out of the kitchen again. I (said ")this will be hard(") and it was. First she tried to poop in the sink and wash in the toilet(.) I(t) was dis(g)usting.

I did not like my job but still(,) I got 100 dollars.i needed the money for a flat screen tv she wanted. so i told her id get it. when i got homesat down to rest just when i was getting comfy the phone rang

Christmas preparations

Yesterday the girls and I made gingerbread houses from a "Gingerbread mini village kit" that we bought at target. The kit came with 5 small houses, rather than one big one, and I think it was perfect for the girls - as they would have fought like cats and dogs if they'd had to decorate the same house AND they would have probably not finished. As it was, Camila had only enough patience to do two houses, and Mika one. Their creations are below, Camila decided to follow the pictures on the box while Mika chose to let her own imagination guide her.

Camila's houses:

MIka's house:

Last night, after Mike came home from work, we went to the Xmas tree lot that opened up at the closed car dealership around the block and picked up a Xmas tree. Mike carried it home on his shoulders (I think he's still sore!). Today we decorated it, though by "we" I really mean "me" - Mika had no interest (she got her own tree a couple of days ago) and Camila found other things to do. In any case, here is the result:

decorating

today and yesterday i decorated my beutiful house tada .i had stuffed xmas animals,my very own xmas tree, and bunch things that look like lights.

BYE BYE see yal

today

today i got out of school 2 hours early . then when i got home i had this big struggle with my cat indi.i wun. now im bloging see. now im going to make ginger bread houses. see ya bye.

what do i love

i love cleaning decorating but most of all my family.

my xmas list

i just wrote my 1st christmas list. with a bunch of stuff. this is what i wrote dear santa i want a ds bikini size twelve a book that will teach me how to write hierogyphs and a very marry xmas.

fashon

i love fashon . i mean im cool i wear jeans with holes and stuff. have you seen me when i was 4 i had cvlothes for each hour i wore a bat dress at 8 a monkey dress at 9 and so on. what i mean is im realy cool.

i love cleaning

cleaning is cool i clean my room,i clean the windows, i clean my desk, and and and i clean the kitchen. i love cleaning.

FUN

Fun is fun but bit by bit its tyring thats why I blog you can sit down relax and write what whats on your mind.

a good day

on friday the day before hollaween i had two cupcakes, a cookie and abunch of candy.

defleaing

i deflea my cats syria and indi .i love thaem but somtimes they get on my nerves.

my kitten

today my kitten gave me the worst bite ever and I TRIED to take my revenge but mom held me back

Mika as Rosencrantz in Hamlet

Halloween 2009

A week before Halloween

At the pumpkin patch

BFF

Ready for the big night

Friends, friends, friends

In the Great Outdoors

Fun at the Cherry Festival

Maker Faire

Watching sparks from a tesla coil

Playing with a prototype toy

Playing on the wheel-o-rator

A bit more nervous on the wheel-o-rator

Posing on a sculpture

Creativity flowing

More creativity

They loved the decorated cars, but they are not allowed to do that to our car

Posing the figures

Hanging from the structure of a huge swing

Hanging out with a robot

Mika in one of the cupcake cars

Camila in one of the cupcake cars

Checking out a doghouse

Checking out a doghouse

Edible art

Edible art

Cavegirl Camila

Too young to be a propeller head

Playing with a spinning table

Getting ready for summer

Dancing on a wall

Goofing around during garden day at school

Roller coaster video ride

Cooling off on a hot spring day

Getting ready for school

Climbing, parade, and a fair

Climbing a fence

Climbing the backstop fence at school

On a fire truck before the parade

Trying on a firefighter's hat

At the local heritage faire

Trip to the Egyptian Museum

Sphinx at the front of the museum

Posing with Tawaret, Goddess-Demoness of Birth, Rebirth and the Northern Sky

Trees must be climbed

Posing at the obelisk on the museum grounds

Another sphinx on the museum grounds

Salamanders and Party Girl

The kids love finding salamanders, but it's not so good for the salamanders

Snacking at a friend's party

Science Festival

Making bubbles

More bubbles

Making friends with a king snake

It took a few tries, but we finally got a working solar car made from legos

Cal Day

BART ride

Camila plants a poppy seed

Velociraptor Awareness

Tree climbing at Cal

Hillside picnic

Campanile

Tree climbing at Cal

Mika tries out the tightrope

Camila tries out the tightrope

Blowing a bubble

Partying, Rain and the Zoo

Mika and some friends

Camila having fun in a huge puddle

Camila jumping and dancing

Mika on her first solo roller coaster ride

On the zoo carousel

On a car ride at the zoo

On a plane ride at the zoo

Atop a lion

Girls atop a turtle

Wheels, jumping, exploration

Mika then and now

Tennis class

On stage with Step Down

Having a treat at the park

Bouncing

Tennis class

Riding around at school

Riding around at school

Finding wildlife: a big worm

Jumping from a swing

On a ride to the library

Cooking, Rain and Snow

Camila loves to cook

Jumping in rain puddles

Jumping in rain puddles

Playing at San Leandro Creek

Throwing rocks at San Leandro Creek

Dressed up for skating

Resting after a little rock climbing

Dressed for the snow

Building a fort in the snow

Mika the storyteller

A weekend in the snow

Mika during her first snowboard lesson

Mika on the chairlift during her snowboard lesson

Her first snowman

Camila helps build a snowman

Mika takes a break while Camila starts another run

Camila and friend walk the sled back up the hill

Mika sets off down the hill

Camila at the end of a run

Fearless and headfirst down the hill

In Mika's world

Trying on glasses at the Chinese New Year celebration

Mika at a school_fundraiser

Holding a gecko in Berkeley

Holding a hamster in Berkeley

Kids at the wildlife museum

Camila posing with Obama

Baby birds waiting for mother bird

Working on a floor puzzle at the museum

Camila working on a dragonfly puzzle

Mika working the rings at the park next to the museum

Exploring at the park

Mika found these salamanders under a log at the park.

Helping out natural decay of a log

Camila and a friend walking with a doll

Climbing a tree at the park

Camila joined her friend to "hide" in this tree nook

Snow fun

Christmas 2008

All Around

At the fair and a show

Camping and other stuff

Mika at the Cherry Festival and elsewhere

Holding a friend's baby

On a San Leandro Police motorcycle

At the wheel of a bus

On a freefall ride

On the bars at the playground

Mika graduated

Today was Mika's last day of Kindergarten. There was a little party, which Mike filmed. Afterwards one of her teachers came to me and thanked me for the opportunity to teach my daughter. She said it'd been an honor and a privilege to have her in her class. The other teacher told me that she thought Mika was a superstar.

It's nice to hear it. Sometimes I don't appreciate how well she's doing in school, my expectations are so high. But she does have a great father who offers her tons of opportunities to learn and she's very bright.

She's got a new silkworm. I'm taking bets on how long it takes for it to die.

Visiting with Aunt Kathy

Falling asleep at the school open house

An afternoon nap

Dancing at a Moroccan restaurant

Waiting for ballon animals at the farmers' market

Fun shopping

At the movies

Fun at the mall

Watching performances at the Heritage Faire

Jumping at the Library's Heritage Faire with Asheba

Mika Helps a Magician at the Library

And now she is six...

Mika after she used a gift card from Grandma. Thanks Grandma!

Reaching out to touch a boa constrictor

Getting her face painted at Cal Day

Throwing a pot at Cal Day

School, library, park, dentist and zoo

Mika reading at school

Mika added sodium borate to polyvinyl alcohol to make some slime at the library

Playing in the sand with a friend

School assembly

Sedated at the dentist to have a cavity filled

Climbing a tomato frog at the zoo

Mika and Camila Rolling Down a Hill

A Day in Berkeley

Climbing trees

Making a new friend

A true flower child

Screaming in the tunnel

A ferry trip, dancing, and losing a tooth

Posing in San Francisco

Working on her dance moves

Mika shows off the space left by losing a second tooth

The first tooth was lost, but here's the second.

The official portrait

Mika at tea

We had a tea party - our last tea party with C. - the week before Xmas and our friend K. took some amazing pictures. Here are a couple of Mika's:

Xmas pictures of the girls

My parents and siblings came to visit us for Xmas. They took the girls to San Francisco and Berkeley and then took them home with them.

My brother took many pictures of them and you can see them here.

Hanging out at the zoo with Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi

Mika has on a purple jacket and Camila is in the red. The picture was published in the December 15, 2007, edition of the Daily Review.

Fun on a Friday night

Having fun with friends at a local restaurant.

Fun at Miracle on E. 14th Street

Santa at Garfield Elementary School

Camila with Santa at Garfield Elementary School

Mika with Santa at Garfield Elementary School

The Kindergarten Picture

Mika's Kindergarten picture

Mika at grandparents & Thanksgiving

Mika was very affectionate with grandma

And she loved her dog

Mika in the Shasta caves

She had fun at a recent birthday party

Looking for trees was fun. Fortunately we all agreed on one.

She was a trooper posing with the Xmas tree.

Grandparents and Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving we took our kids to Mike's parents home, so the kids could meet their cousins. They had an amazing time and Camila still tell us - every time we are in the car - "I want to go to grandma's house". On the way back we stopped at the Shasta caves, which Mika, at least, appreciated.

Then it's been home and Xmas preparations. We have the tree and have decorated - now it's time for the holiday celebrations!

The kids with cousins and grandparents

What will Santa bring us?

All ready for Xmas

We saw Santa at the lightening of the tree in San Leandro - Mika asked for Bratz, Camila for a Dora doll.

And then again at our realtor's office. Camila wasn't very cooperative.

Road Trip North

At a restaurant for dinner

Pancakes with chocolate chips for breakfast

Pancakes with chocolate chips for breakfast for Camila as well

Mika was a little lamb, little lamb...

Camila was a little lamb too

A bear hug

Camila with the bear

A rhinoceros at Wildlife Safari made Mika and Mom nervous

An impressive elk

The kids on the lookout for animals

This curious rhea pecked at Dad's shirt

Riding, digging, and hanging out

At the carousel in San Francisco

Exploring a possible career in archaeology

Hanging out with public art

Hanging out near one of her favorite treats

Mika can be quite helpful

Mika is quite thoughtful and often thinks of ways to help out. Yesterday, for example, she saw that my toothbrush was dirty and took it upon herself to clean it. I found out when I started to brush my teeth because the toothbrush tasted like soap! We've been encouraging her to tell the truth and I guess it's working because she told me that she washed my toothbrush when I asked her about it.

I'll file this under the category of "Things You Never Expected When You Decided to Have Kids."

Halloween Before and After

One of many options for Halloween.

Coloring at the Oakland Museum.

These flowers make great face paint!

Rockin' out to Cowboy Jared at Cherrytown Kids

Trash discovery at Oyster Bay

Hugging a friend at the Kids Save the Planet Festival

Friends at Ardenwood

Modeling the Xmas dress

Gratuitous fall picture

Getting the guts out of the pumpkin

The end result of gut removal

Milk makes great bubbles

Mika is in the yellow dress

I haven't put up pictures forever

Or rather, Mike hasn't, as he downloaded them to his camera.

The girls are doing well. Mika finds kindergarten a little bit slow, though they are finally ready to start working on words. The teacher gave us a long list and instructions to help our kids with them - fortunately my sister kathy is a teacher and she could give me some ideas of how to help her.

Mika has a new boyfriend named Angel, she's very much in love with him. They play at recess and have weekly playdates (we alternate houses). She's also made friends with the other kids, everyone seems to say goodbye when she leaves, which indicates to me that they like her. What's not to like? She's always been very socially intelligent.

Camila is doing better and becoming more independent without her sister around, though I realize I treat her much more like a baby that I ever did Mika. It's the curse of being the baby of the family. She's speaking much more clearly, and I'm hoping that by 3 she'll be speaking well.
She's very rambunctious but also very whiny. She has this weird condition now that her skin is peeling on her hands and feet - I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow and have her seen.

The two of them, as I've mentioned over and over, play very well together. They love dolls, babies and Mika is lately into puzzles (what she wants for Xmas are pluzzles and Bratz). Camila is into whatever her sister likes.

Santa Claus

Yesterday Mika told me that she didn't really believe in Santa, that she only believes in things she sees with her own eyes. So I asked her where the presents on Xmas morning came from, and she said "magic".

She did also tell me that she didn't believe in God. That's my girl! :)

Bump bump bump

Mika, what are you doing?

bumping my apple on the door so I can make a bruise

She likes bruises

Mika was on the paper today

Check her out at

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_6796804?source=rv

First day and stuff

Mika at the Adventure Park having the time of her life.

At our campsite

Isn't she beautiful?

Wednesday was Mika's first day of kindergarten. She was a little apprehensive at first, there was a tear or two, but she quickly adapted. She loves it now, and loves her teacher. They seem to play more than anything, but do a little bit of drawing and tracing in between. She was quite lucky in that one of her friends, Joshua, is in the same kindergarten class than her. They've known each other since they were babies.

And here she is, going to school

In the stroller

A couple of days ago Mika had an upset stomach. She woke up during the night and threw up several times (we slept through it :(. She was a bit bitter during the day, but way tired. We went to Zocalo, where she laid down to sleep on the stroller. It looks so uncomfortable. Later, when she woke up, I convinced her to lie on the couches - and she slept for another hour.

Mika as a baby

I didn't really keep baby albums for my two kids - this place sort of makes up for that - but when Mika was a baby my mother sort of started one for her. She didn't write much, but the kids got into it and destroyed the little that was there. So I figured I'd copy it here so it can remain for posterity (or at least until the server crashes).

==
Your first babysitters were Joy & Doug

Strangers who stopped to admire you said these things about you:

"she looks like the gerber baby"
"she's the cutest baby I ever saw"
"she's so big"

Your very first baby was at 3 weeks bathed by daddy

You loved this new sensation

Once you got used to them baths usually made you feel relaxed and playful.

you would not, could not go to bed, without your bottle and company

Your first summer holiday was 4th of July celebrated at Joy's house

Autumn holidays: halloween and thanksgiving

Winter holidays: Xmas and New Years

Ninth months check-up: crawled all over the office, cried at the vaccines

You discovered your hands at two months

You discovered your feet at 5 months

You found the comfort of your thumbs or pacifier all by yourself: at 4 months you left the pacifier and put your hand in your mouth.

you first grabbed for a toy around 5 months old.

You were so busy learning about the world! Your other discoveries:

How to move pushing with your legs (5 months)
how to turn around (5 months)
to smile (3 months)
play with toys (5 months)

You began eating solid food at 5 months

The baby foods you most enjoy were: you were indifferent to carrots, apple and rice.

Singing at the playground

Mi Mika

Mika continues having transition problems, coming back from nona's house was painful. She spent a good 20 minutes crying for kathy ("my real mamá") before falling asleep on the way back. She does miss Kathy terribly, specially when she's in trouble and/or tired. I'm glad she has another adult she can be so close to.

I think she grows more beautiful every day - but of course, I'm biased. Today we went to get her hearing tested, as with Camila, because she's been complaining she can't hear in her right ear. She failed the test as well, so we're also waiting for a referral for an ear doctor.

She continues to surprise me with the amount of knowledge she has, and her wide interest in the world. She asks "why" a lot, but she really seems to process the information.

Unfortunately, she's heard a lot about Jesus Christ from her friend Sadie and I'm still trying to explain to her about gods and teachers and death. I'm not sure if the information is sinking in, but she's very curious.

Making a "chanchito face"

Isn't she gorgeous?

Saying goodbye to Kathy and nono

My mother bought her a bunch of beautiful, fancy dresses, she has nowhere to wear. Please do not buy her any more dresses! They are beautiful and she looks darling, but what am I to do with them?

the butterflies are my girlfriend and the circles are my boyfriends

She pastes a sticker page, in which all the round stickers have been removed, into a blank page. then she draws half circles and half butterflies inside them. She tells me that the circles are her boyfriends and the butterflies her girlfriends. The fat butterfly is tía, as she wants it to look like real life (I ask her how about mommy, "moooom, I haven't drawn you yet"). then she comes and shows them to me. Guess which half I'm going to invite to my birthday party. I guess the butterflies. I'm right, she wants an all girl party.

Monster Camila meanwhiles comes after her "aaahghmm". They are in the bedroom. Laughing.

Yesterday we went to my friend Andrew's and Laura's for dinner. I've known them since college. the girls played beautifully with their 4 and 2yo. I was particularly impressed how well Camila played with Sara, the 2 yo. They pretty much aged segregated most of the evening. My little girl is growing up.

2 little girls

Here are pictures from some activities. A couple of weeks ago Mike took them to the helicopter show, and both of them flew in a helicopter. We also took them to the Alameda County fair, and to the beach at Alameda. And then to socials here and there. For more info on them read my last report on Vox Publica

Words and Random Pictures

So the kids are growing up. Mika is doing pretty well, all in all, though she still has huge problems with transitions. She's outright rude when she has to interact with a new person (whether she knows them well or not), though eventually she warms up and is her friendly, bubbly self. She is both looking forward to, and apprehensive of kindergarden. Her social skills continue to amaze us, as her ability and desire to take care of all. However, she has began to judge herself in negative ways. The other day she was complaining about how she is always last at running races, she doesn't understand it and doesn't want to do it if she can't be good at it. She has also started to notice when people compliment Camila on how cute she is and not her. She gets very hurt by the idea the Camila could be cuter or Camila could have something cuter than her. I'm somewhat at a loss as to how to deal with these issues.

As for Camila, she is in the controlling phase of her life. She wants to do everything herself "me do it, me do it, me do it", and this can be very annoying specially when we are talking about serving herself milk, putting herself in the car seat or doing things she can't do. When she can't do something she is very specific as to who should do it, and will go into a fit if the wrong person does it. This is becoming very frustrating. Her vocabulary is improving and she can usually communicate quite well, though not always verbally. however, I'm concerned about her lack of correct pronunciation.

Both are pretty happy girls, though Mika has been missing daddy a lot now that he's in Seattle all the time. me too.

Having fun

I haven't posted pictures in a while, but it doesn't mean that the kids have not been all over the place, having fun in a million ways. In recent weeks they've been to the new water park at the Washington Manor twice, at the Oakland Museum, the Children's Discovery Museum, at the recycling center, at the airplane museum in oakland, and, to top it off, to an amusement park (discovery world) for MOTHER'S DAY (that was my stupid idea).

So here are the pictures of all of these events.

having fun at the water park

The discovery museum is always fun

As is flying planes

You can also be an artist at the Oakland Museum

And pose with garbage at the recycling center

The kids had fun at the Discovery World, or whatever it's called, though not as much as they should have given the expense and effort on our part - and the fact that it was Mother's Day for God's sake. Mika was very grumpy when she couldn't get all she wanted, and she didn't have the patience to wait in line. Camila behaved wonderfully and stayed in her stroller most of the time. I'm glad we went, but we won't be hurrying back.

Death

Last year I took the kids to the Day of the Death celebration at the Oakland Museum. Five months later I'd forgotten all about it. Then a couple of days ago Mika asks "are you going to write that paper for Gladys like you did for that other man?". I had no idea what she was talking about. Then she reminded me that when we went to the Oakland Museum there was a large exhibit, where, I think, you could write a short note for the souls of the dead. I have *no idea* to whom I did that. My grandfather, perhaps, given that Mika remembered it was a man. I vaguely remember the exhibit at all. But she remembered, and she realized it was for the dead, and that Gladys is now among them. Her perceptions - as well as her memory and how she processes things - astounds me.

Michaela's 5th birthday party

Michaela had her 5th birthday party yesterday - a couple of weeks after her birthday 'cause we screwed up and didn't send the invites on time. It worked well, however, as I had time to clean the house. For her actual birthday day we went to the Ice Creamery in Castro Valley. Carol, Ethan & Ricky & the kids and Diana & her kids came along as well. We all had food and ice cream and the kids had a blast.

This birthday party started more mellow (we didn't take pictures so I figure I'll write it up for posterity). It was a teddy bear tea party so all her friends came with their stuffed animals. We set up the coffee table with a nice lace tablecloth (one of Gladys' - Kathy says Gladys would have liked Mika using it for her own tea party), paper placemats and plastic tea cups & saucers. We served mini food (mini p&J sandwiches, mini cookies, mini oreos, mini ritz crackers, baby carrots and HUGE strawberries - the kids were very amused by how big the strawberries were) and chocolate milk out of plastic teapots. The kids spent quite a bit of time eating, very quietly, to the point that my friend Daniela said this was the mellowest party she'd attended.

Then all the fun started and all the kids started to play. They chased each other through the house, the climbed on the bunk beds, and God knows what else they did, but they sounded very loud and happy. Just put a bunch of kids together and they'll have fun.

One little boy, however, was very sad when his mom left. We tried to entice him with boy stuff, but we didn't have much of it. Mika offered him something Batman, but when she went to look for it she couldn't find anything, so she drew him a picture of Batman and brought it to him. He was not convinced. She tried to explain that this, indeed, was Batman, but the little boy kept saying he missed his mommy. So Mika went to her room and came back with a picture of his mommy! Later, when that didn't seem to satisfy him, she went ahead and drew a picture of his other mommy. I have such a cool kid.

Later on she showed how full of herself she is when Kathy told her how lucky she was that she got so many presents. Mika answered "I'm not lucky, they are lucky they could give me presents". What am I going to do with this child?

To everyone who reads this who was lucky enough to give her a present ;), thank you so much for them. We may, one day, get to actually write thank you cards but I doubt it.

Mika will

climb

and climb

Mika will dig

Mika will eat

and Mika will run

Mika will draw

and draw

even her insides

Pictures, old and new

We often go to Angelinas, a local pizzeria with a kids area. Big Mika, the kids teacher, works there, and our friends Eddie and Arthur love going there as well. The kids love it, and the pizza is pretty good.

The kids love climbing the book case

Some times it's hard taking pictures of Camila because she keeps reaching for the camera

But Mika can be the same

Obligatory picture of Camila with frosting on her face

I love this picture

The girls have learned to peel garlic on their own - without mommy's approval, that is. They left garlic peel all over the living room and my office.

Mika loves to draw. Here is a pictures of kisses that she made

and here are snowflakes

and here are baby carriages

She also likes to write and is definitely ready to learn to read and write. She knows all her letters and is able to spell out words - like signs on the streets. But there are few words she can spell on her own. Her name is the most common one.

This picture is from a few months ago, but she still likes to dress like a ballernina. We haven't taken her to ballet classes because she was bored when she took them at 3 1/2. She thinks she knows all of it and doesn't need to learn. Still, we should try again.

My aunt María del Carmen in Argentina made this beautiful poncho for Michaela

Lately Mika has been into climbing everything, and the roof of her little structure is one of the easiest things for her to climb. We got this structure for free on the street.

Camila, meanwhile, loves to swing

Mika loves animals, snakes, bugs and all things of the sort.

Aren't they cute together?

And now some lame videos

and now the two togehter

They had a great time together at Yerba Buena Gardens

They love taking baths together and having water fights. Though the last time around Camila pooped in the water.

Mika Tika

Michaela continues to be a very mature (for her age) little girl. Her knowledge amazes me. She proved it at insect lab at her school, when she was able to tell the difference between an insect and an arachnid. No wonder! Her father is constantly teaching her about the world around her. She knows about the war in Iraq, and what a civil war is - though there are tough questions I'm not sure how to answer. She's happy at preschool and at Rosemarie's. She knows all her letters and can spell out almost any word. She can also do basic math (3 + 2), though she uses her fingers sometimes. It's amazing how much 5-yo can learn!

At the insect lab:

She's learning how to do whatever they are called, vueltas carnero in Spanish.

We went to the zoo a couple of weeks ago

As part of daddy's many school activities, he has to go to spaghetti feeds, crab feeds and other school events. Here they are at a spaghetti feed at one of the junior highs.

Michaela likes to do physical activity and is quite courageous, though she usually knows her limits

She also likes climbing on trees

Dancing girls

Of dresses and castles

Michaela is more incredible every day - more intelligent, more curious, more difficult. And yet we can't think of any Michaela anecdotes as we speak. Oh well, next time. Meanwhile here are some pictures

Grandma got her the most beautiful party dress, and she loves wearing. I'm trying hard to find some party for her to wear it at.

For her birthday Camila got a Barbie "My size castle" to share with her sister. It's a combination play house and Barbie doll house, and so far it's proved pretty popular.

Mike loves reading to his girls

And they all love having fun together

Mika's wisdom

She comes and shows me an empty bottle of shampoo (which I suspect she emptied but that's another matter). She tells me "look it's empty" and I go "throw it away". And she says "I'm not going to throw it away, I'm going to play with it. It's like recycling. I'm going to make it into something new". And there she is now, playing with the bottle and Camila.

A bonanza of old pictures

No doubt as to her father is

Still no pictures

But I should say how wonderful Mika is.

Today when Camila pooped, she took off her diaper, put her in the toilet (where Camila finished pooping) and then cleaned her up.

She takes care of Camila quite well, looking after her, getting her away from trouble (and letting me know when she's doing something dangerous), playing with her, etc. She loves her a lot, and hugs her and kisses her often. Camila reciprocates, she adores Mika and does everything Mika does.

She still loves dressing up and changing her clothing all the time. She also loves the Simpsons and, of course, princesses and ballerinas. She is extremely curious and asks about everything she hears. I've had a difficult time explaining why Jeanne Kirkpatrick, who died today, was a bad person. And her reasoning powers are, of course, amazing, though I can't think of any examples right now.

Mika on a boat

Our friend turned 40 recently (shhhhh) and to celebrate she rented a boat for a 3 hour cruise around the bay (OK, 2 1/2 hours, but 3 sounds more gilliganish). We took Mika who had a lot of fun. Her little friend is Amara, the daughter of another friend. Here are some pictures:

Also at nonos'

Who's the princess?

Michaela had a little breakdown on Friday, she missed mommy (not daddy) too much.

Cousins love each other

Ballerina girl

Yesterday I went to Cherrytown Kids, a local new & used kids clothing store, to get some robeez for Camila. She loves shoes - that was one of her first words - but she can't stand having them on. So her feet are always dirty and I'm always afraid that she'll hurt herself. So I've decided to go back to using robeez. So far, so good, she's been keeping them on.

But when I went to get them, Mika wanted to go with me. And then she wanted me to buy her something. And that something ended up being a ballerina costume. I didn't want to. I really tried not to. But... I have no will power. On my defense, this costume was an actual leotard with a skirt attached to it, and it's 5-6, so if she ever goes back to taking dance she could actually wear it. But yes, I suck.

Anyway, here is my ballerina:

Mika not only dressed herself, but dressed her little sister. Camila is very coquetish and was very eager to show me how cute she looked.

Lola takes on Mika

Rosemarie got a new chick, Mika loves it

Our little princess

can be very angry when you try to take her picture

But she loves bubbles

And she can be a cute elf

Mika's song

My 4-year old is already making up songs already. This is one she just sang to me to the tune of "Are you sleeping, brother John".

The whole world is burning
The whole world is burning
to us all
to us all
All the meteorites
All the meteorites
are here
are here.

---
Yes, I do question her father's decision of letting her watch "Dinosaur"

Camping and County Fair

KC and the Sunshine Band

Watching KC and the Sunshine Band

At Zocalo

Tim from Zocalo took this picture of the girls at, you guessed it, Zocalo. Mika did all the drawings. She's really into drawing human figures now, parents & friends. Sometimes she starts by drawing the person she wants, others she makes a figure and then assigns them a personna. Lately she's been drawing pictures of mommys with babies inside.

A grown, happy girl

What can one say about a happy, wise and yet extremely active 4 year old? She amazes us every day as much as she challenges us. She loves to play with anything forbidden. I just had to take a cleaner away from her because she was using it to clean the walls and floor in her room. She loves to get into creams and other cosmetics and rub them all over herself. She loves make up, dressing up and making her own combinations. She's still "Sleeping Beauty" and into princesses, but not as much as before. She is active, likes to climb and jump, but a bit more fearful than in the past. She is very, very messy.

She is going through a phase in which she's having problems with transitions. She never wants to go, change conditions. Getting her out of the house (or back in) is always a struggle. She is very nice and loving, a big giver of hugs and 'I love yous.' Her emotional intelligence and ability to manage my own emotionality are amazing. Recently she told me she didn't like how Mike and I fought because we didn't apologize at the end of fights.

Here are some pictures:

She loves to climb onto the cat tree and pet the cats. Syria is a sweetie and lets her, Jordan doesn't like to be bothered as much. Mika also likes to jump into the couch from up in the tree.

Mika and Camila play a lot together, specially with water.

She likes to pose, but alas, she'll then give us that fake smile

It's wonderful how affectionate 4-year-olds are

Biking, swimming, and chocolate (Oh my)

I love the Ghirardelli factory store!

Four years old

In the Snow

Rainy days of March

These 3D Imax movies are very captivating.

Now this is a gun.

My first time flying a kite.

I used to do this when I was a baby.

Snow? (well, hail) At our house?

Now can I take off my shoes and get wet?

I'm a shark.

Mika's Family Visit

Mika dances

Mika is going through a "girl" stage. She is very much into princesses and barbies and will shriek with joy when she sees anything with a picture of any of them. She also likes wearing make up and playing dress up (though she's been doing the latter for months). She's been insisting that we take her to "ballerina class" for months, and we finally started her. The first class was a bit of a disappointment, as she didn't really get to dance but we'll see what she thinks after the cycle is over.

My folks came a couple of weekends ago to pick her up to spend some time with them, and soon she'll be going to visit Mike's parents as well.

She will dance

Aren't my two big girls gorgeous?

Hug me tight!

Mika in Argentina

I had a great time with Sasha

It looks like it has two tongues.

Me gusta la calesita!

Can I go back to sleep now?

Holiday Fun with Mika

Mika sometimes amazes us with her confidence and, well, chutzpah. Recently, she observed a number of older children who were singing songs into a microphone at a radio station booth at a local holiday event. Mika got closer, saw what was happening, and then got into the line so that she would have an opportunity to sing. Note that she did this without consulting her parents. When the kid next to her finished, she asked for the microphone and sung her song. We don't know what it was, but it seemed to be made up. Her performance had her parents bursting with pride.

And I want.....

I don't want to hang it on the tree. I want to take it home.

It's much easier to jump when you hold onto the net.

I made up the song myself.

I think this one is a little big for me.

Fun at the Zoo

Travesuras

Michaela has been in a fury of mischief for the last week or so. Some of her travesuras have been documented like when I hear her little voice calling me from somewhere far in the house and I find her in the drier:

Or when I hear "crunch, crunch" come from the kitchen and I find my baby sitting on a sea of cheerios. Yep, Mika got them for her:

Others have not been chronicled by pictures, but are even worse. Tuesday night we were babysitting her friend N. and made the huge mistake of leaving them alone in her room. When we dropped N. back home his mom noticed his breath smelled like toothpaste - we go on to find that Mika and N. had emptied out the whole tube of toothpaste and smeared it on the back of her desk.

I should have learned my lesson, but I didn't, as yesterday she had a playdate with her friend K. - apparently the toothpaste event had been fun enough that she decided to repeat it, this time by emptying my contact lense solution, the kids shampoo and the soap all on her desk. I'm seriously considering removing that desk from her room. Meanwhile we're putting all the cosmetics in the high-high shelf.

Finding her own voice

Mika's Halloween

Can I eat some candy now?

Baseball and Halloween Costume

Look! I got a postcard!

Hey! Why are you taking so long? [Mika heckles the opposing team.]

Let's go (to) Oakland!

Mmmmm....ice cream

I'm dreaming about Where the Wild Things Are

At a friend's house and in the city

Mika had a great time at a fundraiser at a friend's house. How could you not with great friends and a bouncer? The next day it was off to see opera at Golden Gate Park and then to the playground.

Is is ok to bounce now?

Coming through...

I'm one of the few three year-olds that enjoys opera.

I'm higher than you.

Whhhheeeeeeeee!

On the Go

This is how I keep warm waiting for the monorail.

You can get me out of here anytime now.

Can I have my peanuts now? When will I get my peanuts?

That flight attendant is really tall.

At the Seattle Zoo

Mika and Camila go to Washington

What do you mean we're leaving Seattle?

I love it when it's a little windy.

Wake me up inside....

We liked the Olympic Game Farm, but some animals got too close.

Look how high I can climb!

Give me the camera!

I wonder why Dad gets so tired.

Where are all the starfish and the anemones?

I don't want to get my pants wet.

Mika Tikka

Mika continues to amaze us with her logic and use of language. Her command of the English subjunctive is quite remarkable. And yet, she is not always very aware of the meaning of language. Yesterday when I got off the shower she called me a stupid girl, I asked her why she thought I was stupid, and she said because I didn't have any clothing on. I asked her what it meant to be stupid and she said it meant to not have clothing on - and yet, I asked her if she was stupid as she was also on her underwear, but she said she wasn't, and quicklychanged the subject.

She's adjusted very well to her new "school", though she still has transition issues.

Brunch and Zucchini Festival

This slide is a bit steeper than I thought.

This may just be the slowest swing ever.

I can do this better than most bigger kids.

Let's spin really fast!

Check out my ride.

The Quotable Mika - Aug. 20, 2005

"I want to take my cereal box to the Zucchini Festival."

Later: "I forgot my cereal box."

At the park, the baseball game, and museum

I love hanging around at the playground.

For me, baseball means cracker jacks and peanuts!

I want to run around over there.

The fireworks were pretty, but they were too loud for me.

Twinkle, twinkle little star....

The quotable Mika

Here are some choice quotes from our drive home today:

Dad: Why are you kicking the back of my seat?
Mika: I'm exercising.

Mom: Ouch.
Mika: What's wrong?
Mom: I turned to look at you and got a pain in my neck.
Mika: Then don't look at me.

Indian Dancing, Backyard Fun and Thomas the Train

I love to watch Indian dancing at the library.

Is that a monster down there?

I love getting my hand or face painted.

I can jump very high!

Why do all these people need to be here?

I'm the conductor of Thomas!

It was there...so I climbed it.

New Childrens Zoo at Oakland Zoo

Although it's not quite complete, the Oakland Zoo opened its Valley Childrens Zoo recently and of course, we had to visit on a really hot day in July. A good time was had by all, at least until Mika and Camila both needed naps.

I'm a turtle!

Definitely the biggest frog I've seen.

Where are all the lemurs?

Nothing is better than ice cream on a really hot day.

I will get up this slippery slide.

You can't catch me!

My doll wants to ride too.

Mika in the park

Mika has been having a pretty fun summer - going to the library, the park, and fun activities during the weekends. She's no stranger to mischief, specially when there is a lipstick around:

What can a summer be without ice cream?

There is a new park in Castro Valley with really cool play structures and a lot of water play:

Sometimes she looks mischievous

And sometimes she is

At the MotoGP

Mika wasn't thrilled at first and kept asking to go home, but when we got to the motorcycle displays, it was hard to get her to leave. A week later, she was asking to go to the motorcycle races again.

This Honda CRF50F is just my size - and it matches my clothing.

This is comfortable too- and it still matches.

The Suzuki JR50 feels pretty good.

It's hard to drink and look at balloons at the same time.

This Yamaha PW50 seems to fit me the best.

I can see cars far away. It's going to be a while before we get out of here.

A Friend's Birthday Party

I see you!

Water fountains are great for great for drinking - and making mud.

This is so cool. Check out my hair!

I can't be bothered right now - I'm concentrating on frosting.

Mika at her computer

Michaela has her own computer and she mostly uses it to watch The Simpsons (her dad's doing). What attracts her so much to that show is beyond me. She doesn't usually like it when I take pictures of her, specially when I interrupt her, but she did "pose" for me for these shots:

Lipstick and Muir Beach

Look what I can do if you leave me alone for a few minutes with some lipstick.

Pttthhhhtttt!

Let's go in the water!

Ooohhhh....That's cold!

See how I can throw rocks into the ocean?

I'm taking my baby on a walk to the library!

Just Mika

Playing in her room

Today she insisted she sit down on the stroller next to her little friend