Christmas

Always, every year, can't wait for it to come. For kids, it sure is presents but for adults.. What is it? This year I did not have the whole huge family Christmas. It was just me trying to think about decorations and such. We got a new Christmas tree and decorations. At least... They were all picked by me and the kids, not left over from previous life.

One of my elf helpers :)                                                       Kyra's Christmas manicure

Love, love the way the tree turned out!   
 

Ohhh this blanket!! Kyra slept with it every night from that day.

Stocking presents!

Kyra's  and Brandon's

For both: 

We watched all three Back to the future movies. 

  I HAD to order this one. It even came with Dr. Brown and McFly figurines and hover board!

Writing this piece so late, I do not even remember my feelings for this Christmas. I know because of being with Dave I did not feel lonely when kids left. My guess is that I just wished for a normal functional family that I never had with them before. Is it ever possible?

Conewago Winter Concert

I love, love going to those concerts. I love watching kids having fun and oh boy they did! Kyra was a little bit shy but still looked like she had fun in this pink outfit of hers. :) 

How could I not have a picture taken with them?? :)  Love them much!

Tooth Fairy Correspondence

I am not sure how I came across it. I think Kyra had it somewhere in her trash and I found it when I was cleaning it out? Not sure at this point!

 This Tooth Fairy is cool!

Jingles Is Back!

My goodness, he is back! Especially Kyra was so so so excited to look for him every day!

 "Do you want to build a snowman?"

 "Let's play Legos"

 This one was the most difficult to find!

 M&M angel :)

 Let's color!

Kyra asked Jingles to please, please, please stay for one more day after Christmas and guess what?? Just for her... He did!!!

Thanksgiving

School Thanksgiving Feast. Cannot believe how grown up Brandon looks here. 

Dinner with cousins from DC. 

Kyra making Thanksgiing feast for her stuffed animals and here kids' dad gave us all this food to eat after kids came home back to me that day.

Loved our T. dinenr with Dave. Not your typical Thanksgiving but then what is typical about our lives now?

Charles - The Coolest Bear Around

This is definitely one of my most favorite pictures of Kyra with Charles. I do not remember if I mentioned him here in the blog - she got him from Adventure Sports of Hershey when she had her tickets and her brother and her Pop added more and Charles was adopted. He is so cuddly and soft, she carries him around just about everywhere she goes. 

Mommy Got Someone Who Is Not Our Dad

We had to come to it some day. Dave and I met only when kids were not around. It was getting more difficult as we both were coming to realization that it was not temporary fling. Not that we thought that in the beginning but time was just proving it.

It came to the time me explain to the kids so they could meet Dave. It was after Thanksgiving. When I put Kyra to bed one night I told her that I was seeing someone and if she would like to hear about him. (She did). I told her in a few words and told her basically for her it would mean another playmate to play with. She could NOT wait to meet him.

Brandon, on another hand, did not want to hear anything. Knowing what I know now, I am not sure if he would have been ever ready. Is it him being a boy? Not being able and not wanting to see his Mom with another man who was not his dad? May be.

The first time we had a chance for Kyra to meet Dave was on the day Kyra had her surgery. Brandon went to his Non's and it looked like perfect opportunity to do so.

Kyra seemed to take to Dave right away. She is easy to talk to and Dave seemed to connect with her on her level. So far everything with her was good.

Big Brave Girl of Mine

After consultation with orthodontist and Kyra's dentist Mr. Steve, it was decided that she needed to have 6 teeth removed in order for her adult teeth to have space to come in. Because of Kyra having such a small mouth (like me), no time needed to be lost in order for her to lose them, get new ones and start her ortho treatment. This picture will always associate for me with our visit to the dr where they explain on what would be done to her during teeth extraction procedure. 

It was definitely not the best day of Kyra's life although saying that kids bounce back much faster than adults came very true. We got her in and out pretty fast but it WAS very hard. She took Charles with her, who sat on her lap while she sat on her Dad's lap at dr's office. Dr and his staff tried to put her to ease but oh boy was she fighting it! She did not want to go under this mask that would put her to sleep. 

When she woke up, her Dad and I was there. Her mouth was bleeding, she had cotton in her mouth and she was drowsy from anesthesia. 

Brandon was at school, so Kyra had my sole attention on the way home and at home. She threw up in the car just as we were getting close. Nothing new, she gets like that after Dr's visits. 

At home she was very whiny (expected) and was refusing to put cotton in her mouth so that her bleeding stopped. We went through that with watching a movie and snuggling under the blanket. 

Close to the evening she was ready to eat. Insane! Try taking 6 teeth from adults and see how long it would take for them to bounce back! 

Here Kyra being busy with the painting she got as a present for after her surgery. This butterfly kept her busy for a while. 

 Here, still with bloody mouth, but without 6 teeth, my girl was just fine!

Tough Life for 2nd Graders

No more words needed. 

Yes, We Really Did This

When coloring, one time, we were looking for certain color of crayons and here we were - looking for all kinds of funny names. We wondered how in the world someone could come up with them?
Beaver color? Burnt orange? (Can oranges burn?) Salmon? (I would like to eat it right this very monent!)

 Yes, Tickle Me Pink

And More Fun

Sleepover with Emma and Brody.           

                                     

Girls were sleeping under Kyra's bed.                      Boys were boring - they slept ON Brandon's bed. 

Sibling fun

                                                        Ice skating in Giant center.

Because he is part of it.

"What is purpose of this face?" (Movie "Home"). It is simple. We were making cookies from scratch and the dough did not particularly looked like cookie dough but like something else. Brandon is expressing his amusement with this fact.

 I know, their puppy play never ends. I love watching it.

 

 While eating cookies Brandon and I made - Kyra is catching the air kisses I sent her.

Having Fun

Lot of things going on trying to keep us busy on cold days when we cannot go outside and play. 

Ruchi came over. She painted Kyra's nails, played Sorry and don't let balloon touch the ground with us. She had so much fun she did not want to leave. 

 We loved, loved the movie Big Heros 6. Music from there is a must download.

 Yip, trying waterfall braid from Youtube. It turned out messy but hey, gotta start somewhere.

 We played Legos - dumped the whole darn bin on the floor.

 Kyra and I built this little house together.

"Come on, Mommy, stop taking pictures of my Memory game robot and let's play!"