Let It Snow

For Presidents Day weekend we decided to take the kids up to Tahoe as we hadn't been yet this season. We realized how spoiled we usually are since we had to stay in a hotel since my parents didn't have their timeshare week. Of course, since we stayed at the Embassy Suites Nikos kept calling it a timeshare anyway - ha. The hotel is in a great location in South Lake (right next to my parents' place!) and we all loved the free breakfast and happy hour at night.

We drove up on Saturday and the kids got their first taste of the snow this year. Nikos was all over it, it took us about half an hour to walk across the street because he insisted on stopping EVERY.FEW.FEET to play in the snow.


Olive, on the other hand, really wanted nothing to do with it. Nothing. Here's one of the select few smiles we got while she was exposed to the elements.


Yes, poor baby was freezing, she did not pack her snow clothes. Or any clothes for that matter.

Here's a cute video I took of Nikos playing in the snow and Olive...well, shaking and hugging baby to make sure blood circulates throughout her system since she has no clothes on.

And here's a quick shot of my borrowed boots (and proof that there are decent people in this world.)

Backstory: Turns out I don't have any snow-appropriate boots (I usually wear my Uggs but they soak thru way to fast) so this year I put a post on freecycle (a site where people give away free stuff) asking if I could borrow some size 7 snow boots. I picked up the boots from a girl in Rockridge (a neighboorhood in Oakland not far from my house) on Saturday morning and returned them on Monday night. Yay!

Tune in tomorrow for some sledding action and more fun in the snow (or torture if you are Olive - ha!)

And the Oscar Goes To...

In honor of Oscar night please enjoy this video that was shot today at the park. I don't wanna boast, but I think I (well, Nikos) may win some sort of cinematography award for this one.

As you can see from the final shot, no Olive's were hurt (or even dropped!) in the filming of this short.

Things I Love About These Ages

Olive
Olive is working on her alphabet and numbers. While she has some of it down, she still has a little way to go to master it. I'll try and get it on tape, but here is a rundown of her counting skills.

(In English): One, Two, Three, Five, Six, Eight, Nine, Ten. Hmm, no idea what happens to Four and Seven.

And now for the cutest! (In Spanish): Uno, Dos, Tres, Quatro, Niko, Olive. Seriously, that's how she counts to five in Spanish. So cute. I have to get it on tape!

Nikos
Niko is really into hugging Olive lately. ALL.THE.TIME. Now, I am not saying he is nice to her all the time, but he just always wants to hug her. Now Olive has a mind of her own and while she likes being hugged she totally denies Nikos the right to hug her at least half the time he tries. Poor kid!

Little Circus Monkeys

So we enrolled Nikos (and Marco) in circus class and he started about a month ago.

Humph.

Week One: I went to the first class with him and he did okay, a little off on listening to the teacher and not totally into following all of the directions but not too bad. Class involves stretching and trampoline jumping (at the end.)

Week Two: Taki attends with him and says Nikos has gone way downhill and barely follows any directions or participates in class at all. Class involves stretching, tightrope and trapeze.

Week Three: He wakes up and informs us he doesn't want to go to class. Fine, I decide that I don't want to spend an hour begging him to follow instructions or chasing after him. Three hours after class ends he asks us "When are we going to circus class? Won't Marco miss me?"

Week Four: I resolve to take him to class and I bribe him with Grandma. As in "Grandma is going to come over and play with you if you do all of the things the teacher asks you to do in class today, but if you don't she's not going to come over." (Side note: this was a dangerous little game I'm playing since she is coming over to babysit regardless since Taki and I are mac and cheesing in the afternoon.) Bribe works out well, he does pretty much everything the teacher asks him to do and his attention lapses seem to be on par with the rest of the class. Class involves stretching, tumbling and trampoline. Below are some pics and videos from the class.

Sarah and I spent most of the class trying to stay out of eyesight of the kids (we think they do better that way) but I snuck over to try and get some videos of what they were doing.

I think they were acting out something where they were jumping off the little stools pretending to dodge alligators. Or at least that is what Marco told us...

Class ends with some trampoline jumping.

I'm feeling positive about the whole thing. We have this Saturday off for the holiday but will be back at it next week. Hopefully I will be back on the blog with some trapeze action!

Oh Coconuts

Wow. What to do when it is pouring rain outside and you are miserable with bronchitis? Besides heavily relying on Mr TV as a babysitter (special shout out to our new blu-ray player that allows us to stream Netflix and the Disney Jr channel) the kids got creative with their play.

Olive grabbed her bow holder and demanded (no really, I need to get her ridiculous orders on tape) that I put practically all of them in her hair.

Posing with baby (sorry about the cell phone quality.)

Nikos sporting Star Pose again. Olive in the background trying to imitate him (but also making sure she is on camera.)

Olive's reenactment.

Nikos overhears Olive attempting "the star" and runs in to show her the proper way to do it.

Later on Nikos entertains both Olive and I with a little game of mousetrap.

Showing off more bows.

- Posted using BlogPress from Heather's iPhone

Romios Barber Shop

We may have to actually start giving these kids haircuts at home since I paid $45 for the two of them (what!?) to get cuts the other day.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from my little cherubs.

Best Husband Ever!

Tyke knew how distraught I was when I tried in vain to buy tickets to the SF Food Wars Mac n Cheese competition and struck out - hello, sold out in like 45 seconds?! - so he procured tix for us. Woohoo!

Some of the competitors...

The crowd

My fave!

What a fun day. Think I may puke up cheese though.

- Posted using BlogPress from Heather's iPhone

Habitot & Haircuts

The kids and I headed over to Habitot again today (gotta love free fun!) They wanted to spend some time by the big fan - it usually blows around leaves but since it is "Winter" it is set up with snowflakes and igloo building materials.

Nikos decides that they will use the blocks to play hopscotch instead. He jumped from one to the other...

Olive held onto the wall carefully and followed the path.
Careful...
Next up, naps on the blocks.
Olive shows off her pre-haircut hair.
As does Nikos...
We left Habitot and headed to get much needed haircuts. Olive's hair is straighter in the front but has curls in the back so she took off some length and rounded out the front.
Nikos' was way to long - he got the usual, short on the sides and a little longer on top so we can spike if we wanna.
The finished product (I'll have to take a pic of it down tomorrow.)
Dang shadows.
Looks crooked in this pic but it came out well. He picked the blue spray.

- Posted using BlogPress from Heather's iPhone

Run Olive Run

We've been trying to get Ollie's cute run (powered by her left arm) on film. Here are a few recent attempts.

At the park

At our house (apparently it appears during fast walking as well)

And on the way back from breakfast (please ignore my hacking cough in the background. Attractive.)

Two is Better Than One

This past weekend we walked up to Meal Ticket, a local breakfast place that was recently featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. We had a yummy breakfast and then walked it off on the way home. Here's a cute clip I got of the kids - Olive is obsessed with holding Niko's hand when we are out and loves to mimic anything he does. Watching the two of them together makes me so happy, especially when they are being so cute!

Pizza Pizza

We had our first Make-Your-Own-Pizza night with the kids. Here's a quick look at their preparations and the final masterpieces.

Warm Weekend

While the PA relatives have been "digging out from multiple blizzards" (to read: getting to leave work early, not having to go into work at all, building snowmen...) we have been enjoying some unseasonably warm weather. And yes I said enjoying. After complaining that it has been too warm lately and that it is supposed to be cold in the winter I am trying to embrace Taki's comment that I will never be satisfied and just be happy that it is nice out.

The kids and I started Friday with a Habitot meetup with Sarah and Marco. Habitot had a new exhibit - animal hospital/ambulance and baby nursery and the kids spent a lot of time there.

Marco and Nikos in the Animal Ambulance

Olive checking out the bath for the babies

Of course, in true BabyO form she contemplates the scene for a few seconds and realizes HEY I'm the only baby here!

After playing in the new area they hit up the diner - repurposed into a Chinese Grocer (very timely for Chinese New Year.)

After leaving Habitot we hit up Jupiter for lunch (great time - no pics) and on the way home the kids and I celebrated the warmth with Starbucks (I know you are shocked.)

The kids chose double chocolate chip frapuccinos.

I marched them straight to the backyard to prevent any chocolate stains on the couches/walls.

After pigging out on our treats Nikos showed us one of the yoga poses they do at school. I think it was called "the star."

On Saturday Taki let me sleep off a Bronchitis hangover but I rallied by the afternoon and bought some ice cream treats on my grocery shopping trip.

Drumstick Cheers!