Happy Fifth Birthday Kyla!

I can't believe that our little Kyla is 5 today! I sat down to post a few pictures from the past five years and ended up with a huge slide show! I just couldn't pick the best three or four from literally thousands of images! Here goes:

recent pictures...

Here are a few recent pictures for my oh-so-neglected blog:

The other morning, Kyla told me she wanted yogurt for breakfast and she asked how to spell it. I sounded it out slowly to her and she brought these magnets over and spelled it out for me! I was very impressed! Sorry for the poor quality of the shot...it was early. I can't believe she's going to be five years old in a week.
Avery continues to love the park. She truly comes alive whenever we go!
We had a nice visit from Rosie and Jonathan and little Ian. We can't wait to have them come back again soon for Kyla's birthday!

funny kid sayings...

On Saturday we went with the Baslers to a local church for a Walk Through Bethlehem where they had set up a replica of Bethlehem complete with animals, guards, and a live nativity scene. It was a pretty cool time (quite literally...I think it was about 40 degrees).

Two of the Roman guards approached Kyla and her best bud Ella and demanded, "Pay your taxes to Cesar." My daughter responded with, "We're both four. We go to preschool." The ensuing conversation was complete with references to Old Lady (the way she says Old Navy).

Earlier in the day, Avery made me proud by walking around saying, "Touchdown Hokies" over and over.

This morning, Avery was very quiet in the kitchen for a few minutes while I checked my email. When I asked her what she was doing, she walked over to me and said, "I got a boogie" and had her finger up in the air with a prize on the end. I walked her over to the bathroom so she could wipe it on some toilet paper. When we got close to the bathroom, she said, "Oops. I dropped it." I said, "Oh, no. We need to find it!" She replied very calmly, "It's okay, I can get another one." Too funny!


As I type, Avery is walking around singing "Diarrhea" over and over. I'm tempted to teach her to sing "Cha cha cha" after she says diarrhea like we used to do in elementary school, but I think I'll leave that one alone for now...a rare moment of parenting dicernment.

the cobbler's son has no shoes...

The landscaper's yard is in shambles. The computer engineer has no working computers at home. And at our house, the photographer's family has no family portrait...except for the few awesome shots we have from our great friend Veronique. The only problem is that she lives in California. So we set out Sunday afternoon in search of a few good family shots...of course none would include all of us. I always seem to be able to capture great shots of other people's families, but always have the toughest time with my own. I guess the kids get sick of me sticking a camera in their faces or something. Anyway, below are a few of the shots we captured. It was a freezing cold day so we didn't brave the elements too long. We did manage to capture one shot of us all too which turned out pretty good. SPOILER ALERT!!!! If you're one of the lucky few on our Christmas card list, you might see these pictures again. Enjoy!

crazy shots...

I've been experimenting with some different lighting and flash techniques over the past few days and I thought I'd share a few from last night. They turned out pretty crazy and I promise that I didn't do anything to them after I took them!

the f bomb...

Friday night after Sarah had gotten home from the Philippines, I was outside at the grill putting the finishing touches on a good 'ol American cheeseburger dinner when the sliding glass door flew open. I looked up to see a horrified Sarah standing with a guilty Kyla. Sarah said, "Peter! We need to talk about something very serious. Kyla tell your daddy what you just said."

I looked at Kyla and asked her what she said. She looked up at me and replied, "when I get frustrated, I just said the word f*!#." Woah!!! Where in the world did that come from? I haven't said that word in about twelve years and I don't think my wife has ever said it in her entire life! We never watch movies with the kids other than Veggie Tales and the like. Last time I checked, Bob the Tomato has a pretty clean mouth. Talk about being blindsided! We had some serious conversation and tried to impart the seriousness of the offense to a confused four-year-old.

I mean, she used to get close to that word when she would sing "Where is funkin?" because she couldn't pronounce "th." But this is way different! She kind of let is slip again last night as she was saying some gibberish words being silly. Hopefully, she'll forget about the whole thing and we won't have to deal with it again...but who knows? We haven't figured out where she heard it and I'm guessing we probably never will. I guess as she enters preschool this fall, we'll be hitting even more of that kind of stuff.

having girls is never dull...

This is how Kyla came down from her nap today...leotard, fleece jacket, and rain boots. All perfectly matched...in our house, as long as it has pink in it somewhere it matches!

pics for Sarah...

Sorry world, these pictures aren't for you...but you can look if you like. Sarah requested that I post up some pictures of the girls (and I assume at least one of me, right?) because she misses us while she's in the Philippines. So below are a few shots from our weekly run to a shopping area here in Charlotte called the Promenade where they have live music on Friday and Saturday nights. The girls and I enjoyed some smoothies and a cool, unhumidified summer evening.

Oh, and I should have taken some shots of the firetruck! A poor mom who I had talked to earlier had put her one-year-old girl in the car seat and shut the door to go around and get in with the grandmother. The only problem? The kid had the car keys and the doors were locked! Thankfully it wasn't hot, but this lady didn't speak much English (her mom spoke none) and she ran over to me for help! I called 911 and a few minutes later, a firetruck came roaring in loaded up with the whole crew and totally drowned out the band! It was rather funny, especially since the kid kept hitting the panic button on the key chain that was setting the car alarm off! They got the kid out, no harm done.

Happy 4th!

The past 2 July 4ths have been pretty big for our family. Two years ago, we sat in the front yard of our apartment with Kyla and watched the Culver City fireworks while Sarah was in labor with Avery...she was born the next evening! Last year, we had just moved into our new house in Charlotte and were properly welcomed into the neighborhood North Carolina style with a firework display in every neighbor's backyard! This year, I thought, "What's July 4th without some crowds, sweat, and a parade?"

So we headed to downtown Indian Trail about 2 miles away for the annual celebration and parade. I hadn't been to a Southern, small town parade in quite some time, so we were treated to some local flavor!!! Sarah had flashbacks of the Powhatan parade, but the important part was that the girls had a good time. Kyla quickly decided she loves parades despite the loud engines and fire truck horns...mostly because nearly every float/car/tractor/truck was filled with candy-throwing paraders! It was fun to get out and enjoy the festivities! Below are some pictures from the day!

Kyla and her friend Ella quickly figured out that the best way to get candy was to jump up and down and waive their hands in the air!
Still holding onto the past...

Hangin' wth the Creehans!

Future NASCAR champ

No comment...

Avery tried her best to beat the heat...

Music from the flatbed..."I'm a member of a country club. Country music is what I love. I drive an old Ford pickup truck. I do my drinkin' from a Dixie cup."

Kyla loves dancing to whatever music there is to hear!

Dad was proud to have her wear a VT hat!

bricks and noses...

We all learned a valuable lesson Saturday evening...bricks and noses don't mix. To all the kids reading this at home, don't forget this lesson and you'll go far in life.

We went to an outdoor concert Saturday evening with Megan, Patrick, Stacey, and Matt and our six kids. Avery loves steps and refuses to get help going up and down. Unfortunately, she lost her balance and took a nose dive! She's fine now, but she was pretty pitiful that evening especially with the puffy upper lip! Below is a bonus picture of Kyla for equality!

a Richmond visit...

We got back last night from a 4 day weekend in Richmond. We haven't made many trips up there since we moved here 10 months ago, mostly because it's pretty difficult to make a 6 hour road trip with the kids. They did pretty well in the car this time and they always love hanging out at Gaga and Papa's (Sarah's parents) house.

On Friday night, we also had the opportunity to meet our niece Elizabeth! The girls had fun playing with our nephews Micah and Jonah too.





































Kyla and Micah worked out some pretty good dance moves!











(Jonah, Avery, Micah, Kyla and Elizabeth.)

Then, on Saturday night, Sarah and I parted ways and went out with our respective dads. Sarah accompanied her dad to her sister Charlotte's opera. Charlotte plays violin in the VCU symphony.

I went with my dad to the school where my mom used to work as an administrator. They have set up the Beth Davis Memorial Scholarship Fund there and were holding an entertainment gala to raise money for the fund. It was a great night of entertainment by students and members of local dance companies, musical groups, and play houses. But most importantly, it was warming to hear great things being spoken of my mom! It was especially encouraging to meet new people who were touched by my mom's life. She was truly a special lady!

on becoming best friends...

I've witnessed people becoming good friends over time before, but not quite like this. Our two daughters, Kyla (4 years old) and Avery (she'll be 2 in July), are slowly becoming inseparable. Avery is getting old enough to play with Kyla and Kyla is beginning to enjoy having someone to role play with. Avery is also ready and willing to do and say whatever big sis desires.If Kyla tells a neighbor that she's four, Avery does the same and tries her best to hold up four fingers. If Kyla wants Avery to knock on her imaginary door and come over to her imaginary house for a visit, Avery gladly obliges.

Of course, they do have their moments of friction, especially now that Avery has learned the word "mine" and "my." They argue over whose baby it is, whose turn it is, or whose hairbrush it is. We try to remind them that everything we have really belongs to God, but then it becomes a match of who can shout "It's God's baby!" the loudest!

Here are a few pictures of the girls splashing in the puddles today after the rain:

the party's over...

Well, it's Sunday morning and another Spring Break has come and gone. Overall, I'd have to say it was a fantastic break. We didn't travel anywhere or do anything huge. But we had a good time staying close to home and relaxing. Below are some pictures of the highlights.

We got some of our vegetables planted. So far we have tomatoes, green peppers and basil. I'm hoping to get some garlic going and probably one more tomato plant. We'll see how it goes!

Kyla's (2nd) 4th Birthday party...

We ended up having two birthday parties for Kyla this year...one for family and one for friends. Our place just wouldn't hold everyone all at once! Here are a few shots from her 2nd party that we had last weekend with her friends.

Kyla and her best bud Ella who lives right behind us. Kyla and Ella love playing together every chance they get and you can tell from the picture that they have a lot in common!

Kyla's other bud Josh helped her blow out the candles. Josh lives right down the street and is the oldest son of our friends, Megan and Patrick.

Megan's story time.

Kyla's friends know her all too well...this girl would live in PJ's if we let her!

a few new pics...

Our girls are growing up! Kyla just turned 4 years old and Avery is 4 months away from turning 2 years old! Here are a few new pictures for you...

Avery enjoying a bowl of applesauce/yogurt before bed

Kyla enjoying the rain (of which we've been getting a lot!)

(From left to right) Monkey See and Monkey Do

new Avery pictures...

Here's Avery!