It's been FOREVER

...and way too much cute stuff flew by unchronicled as Ida went from infant to INSANELY cute toddler. Following the lead of her brother, she did amazing things like throw our digital camera into the bathtub, add the word "Bobo," from our favorite book "Hug," to her 3 word vocabulary (Dada, Mama, and Da), and take hold/drop/throw everything and anything that is not nailed down or locked-up.

Jonah is still unbelieveably sweet, though he now fights tooth and nail anything that keeps him from playing with his Thomas the Tank Engine trains -- i.e. usually leaving the house or going to bed. At threee and a half he's reading letters, his German language is really quite amazing, and he comes home with songs and expressions we have no idea where they come from. The other day he asked Kirsten if she wanted to hear the sound of his penis -- and then made this ssssssssssss sound -- no idea where that one came from.

The last pictures I uploaded before Ida submerged our camera are from an INCREDIBLE trip we took to Costa Rica to Manuel Antonio Nat'l Park and to the volcano/mountainous region near Arenal over X-mas. It was a spectacular trip and it was great to be able to travel with the kids.

My Shoe

Last night Jonah threw my shoe in the filled bathtub. Which I've wanted to do for years.

JONAH & THE POTTY: SUCCESS!

It's a miracle! With the potty chart and the Thomas the Tank Engine Train stickers hung in our bathroom for the last six months, Jonah wrapping his head and urinary notification systems around the potty has been slow going at best...until about 2 months ago.

We were at Grandma Alma's birthday party in Washington D.C., at some fancy French restaurant when Jonah inexplicably asked to go with mommy to the bathroom. And for no reason at all, he stood at the potty and did his #1 business without problem. Ever since, he consistently pee-pees most every day without fail. He's also more than willing to pull down his pants and pee anywhere, anytime -- which can be problematic on city streets, crowded playgrounds, subways, and other extremely public places. But who cares? We're so damn proud, we're beaming when and where ever he decides to whip it out.

#2 is far more problematic...

Waited Far Too Long To Do This...

My gorgeous perfect children (said completely objectively), you've reached too many amazing milestones I sadly never chronicled. So no more! Even though I wish I could have chronicled some of these things: like Jonah blowing on wasabi peas after he found out they were hot, or him explaining to his German grandmother Inge that he couldn't fall asleep because an alligator was trying to bite his butt (a residual complaint ever since our trip to the Everglades), or the time he went up to a little girl in the mall, gave her a hug and kiss and then ate her sandwich.

And the unbelievably sweet infant Ida and her amazing first turtle-like head lift (which is really where ALL development starts) -- now we're up to rolling over, kicking her feet furiously and trying to crawl and holding things -- at 5 months! -- she's obviously a child prodigy. Her electric smile lights up her face and entire being -- even through teething pain -- her sweet, happy spirit is indomitable