New Year's Resolutions

So we haven't really made any this year because it seems like I never follow though on them and Vinay is an engineer and making a resolution is silly. Anything an engineer sets his mind to is pretty much a done deal.

In light of that, we are trying to make some healthier choices including a whole lot less carb-y comfort foods and a whole lot more exercise. The exercise bit is the challenging part with two kids. It's either at 8 PM and we're conked or at 5:30 AM and we're usually still pretty conked. But, we're getting it done.

Today we convened in the garage for some free weights and we had our very own cheering section:

Every.single.time we picked up a weight to do something, Amiya informed us that we were doing it wrong and that she knew the right way to do it. Nevermind that she couldn't even hoist the two pound bracelet above her head for more than two reps. When finished instructing us on what to do and how to do it with weights that weigh almost more than her, she ran into the house to find a silk scarf and proceeded to show us some stretching/Pilates type exercises that make no sense but seem to keep her in great shape. If only I had known this whole time that only silk scarves are needed to weigh 32 pounds and have the sweetest little buns this side of a French bakery.

The Birds and the Bees

Thursday, 2:30 PM

Christy walks into Amiya's classroom to pick up Amiya and her buddy Aubrey.

Miss Clare pulls Christy aside, laughing. (That's important.)

"I forgot to tell you. Your daughter is teaching us about the birds and the bees."

Christy almost drops Kev. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge.

"Really? What did she tell you because she doesn't know much."

"She just told us that a Mommy's uterus knows when it's ready for a baby and then the Mommy and the Daddy have a special hug and then the baby is there."

Laugh, laugh, laugh.

Thank you very much. Ok, so I guess we're the parents of the kid who knows some of the birds and the bees but not enough to really pass around naughty words at the playground.

Please, please help us because when it comes time to talk about what exactly a special hug entails I might just lose it.

Happy New Year!

I hope anyone still reading has a very happy new year! If you've braved the google process, I appreciate it!

We had a fabulous, fabulous trip to Wisconsin for Christmas. We left Wednesday the 20th at roughly 6:30 PM and pulled into Champaign, Illinois the following day at 11:30. That was largely due to Vinay's driving - I could not have done what he did. Amiya didn't fall asleep that night until close to 10 - "I just have too much excitement in my body!" We had a lovely, home-cooked meal at my good friend Jacki's house. It was wonderful - good food, nice conversation and Jacki's two darling children for our two darling children to play with. Amiya and Carli got along perfectly - odd for two type A kids, but I'm definitely not complaining! Here you can see Carli and Amiya posing in front of Jacki's tree. Carli looks bright eyed and bushy-tailed, Amiya like she just got out of a 1,000 mile car ride. That's about right, so I suppose we can't tease her too much about this picture in the future!

We pulled into Minocqua shortly before 6-8 inches of snow fell. It was a perfect white Christmas for Amiya. She built a snowman with Uncles Jon-o and Andy, Grandpa and Daddy. She went sledding with Uncles Jon-o and Andy, Grandma & Grandpa and Daddy. Ice fishing with Grandma and Uncle Jon-o. Making doughnuts with Grandma. Tea parties with Grandma. Filling the deer feeder and watching the deer with Grandma and Grandpa. And undisclosed quantities of hot cocoa and cookies. There are more photos coming soon in the mail and I'll upload a few when we have a chance.

While in Minocqua, Santa made his visit. One of the things I told Vinay before we went to Wisconsin was that I wanted Amiya to worry about if Santa would find her away from home and then marvel at the fact that he did. That almost didn't work because Mommy forgot to put the "Santa" presents in the car. And while I never thought I would say it, I was very, very grateful to Wal*Mart. A quick trip to Wally World saved the day. We had a lovely time visiting with my Mom's parents on Christmas Day, as well. Amiya spent most of that time badgering Super Grandma to play Candy Land (thank you Wal*Mart) and have tea parties.
It took Kev quite a while to warm up to Grandma and Grandpa, but once he did it was all good. You can see him staring adoringly at Grandpa here - he knows who has the hammers and saws and blocks of wood to play with! And below he cuddles with Grandma. He was "walking" back and forth between Grandma and me and would give whoever he was walking to the biggest cuddles as soon as he got there. Hopefully he won't lose this familiarity with them and Vinay and I will be able to sneak away for a weekend when my parents visit in March.

Santa came through for Amiya with a red scooter - "just what I always wanted." He dropped it off before we left Tampa since he knew she wouldn't be able to ride it in the snow. She quickly mastered scooting around and has discovered the thrill of the slight decline of our driveway. She wears her helmet faithfully and even the smallest bump causes her to yell out, "Good 'sing I had my helmet on!"

In other news, Kev has, in fact, started to toddle around as long as he's got someone's finger to cling to. He seems far, far too young for this. It's odd the way we relate to him v. Amiya. We cheered her walking on every tiny step of the way. With Kev, we help him out and cheer, too, but inwardly we're sad about it. (I am, at least, Vinay denies it.) He's our last and growing up way too fast. We had to start him on PediaSure at the beginning of December as he is so tiny, so our nursing is finished. Again, growing up way too fast. On our trip he learned how to wave - an emphatic thrusting up and down of his entire right arm (a little Forrest Gump, honestly) and how to clap. Since returning home, Vinay has taught him to do a "big stretch" during which Kev throws both arms up over his head and pulls on his hair. He's almost got it!

Amiya finished up the year at school with a pajama party. Big, big excitement for the preschool set. She absolutely had to wear her plaid pajamas that Grandma made for her and take Clifford because "he matches, Mommy!" She spent her morning watching Pooh's Christmas, running around on the playground and snacking on tepid cocoa and popcorn. Her teacher had plans for grander things, but gave up and took the path of least resistance.

Before leaving on our trip, I had two big cakes to make. The first is for our pediatrician's office as a thank you - they always are able to fit us in and give great care to our children. The second was for a teacher's luncheon where I used to work when we first moved to Florida. It was fantastic to be able to put my ex-boss' name on the naughty list. Everything in each picture is edible except the medicine cup and the note. I also had about six bags to sew and ship - it's kind of fun to think that "my" bags were under the trees of about 15 different Moms and Grandmas this year. All the profit from sewing and cakes goes directly to the Three Day walk and I'm happy to report that I'm just shy of 25% of the total I need to raise. I'm looking to find a team to join to train with and get to know. If I'm going to be spending three days with all these walkers, I'd like to know a few of them beforehand!

All the news that's fit to type....

Big changes around here this week! Kev is officially pulling up with some ease! Today I was typing an email to someone and noticed that I wasn't hearing banging, clanging, etc. I looked next to me and there's Kev, pulled up and playing with the "good" toys on the train table. And the best part is that when he wants to get down, he just lets go. It doesn't matter where he is, he just lets go and falls down. Ah, to have that much cushion with no nerves!

And, we can confirm that Kev has his first official word. It's Didi and it's because he loves Amiya just that much! It's not pronounced exactly deedee, more like eeeedeeedeee. Add a few more dees on the end if he's particularly excited to see her. He yells for her in the mornings if she isn't up when he gets up and bangs on the front door hastening her return when she's away at school.

In other news, Carters clothing line has just issued its' first ever line of ethnic teddy bears. View Indian Ellie:

She comes wrapped in her very own striking yellow sari with orange zucchini blossoms and green vines. A must have for every Didi. And if the Didi doesn't have her own sari, never fear, she can make one. A baby blanket wrapped around her and a scarf thrown over her shoulder and casually knotted make for a demure and dashing ensemble. Amiya has been battling another cold this week. It started off as a cough that seemed to be a reaction to running around in semi-cool, yet humid weather Sunday afternoon. Everything with this child goes directly to her lungs! Now it has turned into a definite cold with runny nose, glassy eyes and general unhappiness. Poor kid. She has got to get better soon or we're not hauling her to cold weather. Send healthy vibes our way, please!

She missed most of school on Thursday - we went in only for the holiday performance. You may know that Amiya lives for shows - I'm forever bellowing, "Ladies and gentlemen. Presenting the amazing, fantastic Amiya Clare show!" We play show daily. The poor girl couldn't miss her first chance to be on stage. I was set to be a mean, stickler Mommy and keep her home, but her teacher called and said we should really come in. So we did. Of the two songs, I think she sang four words. She had a serious case of stage fright. It was cute nonetheless. And I did get video of the little boy next to her picking his nose. If she ever dates him I've got the goods on him!

So you're probably wondering...

...what in the (bad word) is going on?

We have always had this blog unlisted on blogger, making it very difficult to find via search engines, etc. But, if someone left a slip of paper floating about with the address on it, anyone could type it in and get to read all about our lives.

Not that we're doing anything sordid or extra exciting, but if you follow the news lately, you know that there are a lot of sick-os in Florida lately and so we just feel it's best to be as private about this as we can be.

Blogspot has recently been bought by Google and with that comes the ability to only allow people to view the blog whose email addresses we have pre-approved. That's why you got an "invitation." I added your email address to the "approved" list so you can still stop by and browse when you're interested.

Unbeknownst to us, you have to create a Google account to be able to read here once your 30 day guest period is up. Harumph we say to that. But it's free, it's quick, it's almost as easy as kissing a baby. And if it means we all feel a little safer with our kids pics and information only being seen by those we know and trust, well then, we're ok with having you make an account!

So, you've got 30 days to be our guest, but then, according to the new rules of the land (in which we are merely pawns!) you must create a google account.

Thanks ever so much,
The Guptas

Update

Vinay is working diligently on the computer to check whether we shall drive or fly to Wisconsin in a few short days, so I thought I'd hop on this one and give you a little picture update of what we've been doing.


Those are no-good photos from trying to get a picture for a holiday card. We had fun, though. You'll have to wait for your card to see the good one!

My how I've changed as a Mommy. Once upon a time I would have felt terrible about sticking my child in a room full of baby-proofed toys and putting a gate up to keep him in. Now, not so much. He played happily in the playroom for about 45 minutes on Thursday while I cranked out a whole lotta stuff. He'd commando over to the gate every ten minutes or so and pound on it to make sure I knew he was there and then off he'd go again to regale in getting all the toys to himself for a bit.

That's all for tonight. Blogger won't let me upload anymore pictures. So.... you'll have to tune in tomorrow to see Amiya latest dress-up outfits and to find out if the Guptas will be driving to Wisconsin or flying the friendly skies!

A Sad, Sad Day

The world is reeling over the news.

Our children are no exception.

Amiya:

Kev:

So the pictures might be a bit old, but you get the general sentiment. Oh, woe is he who tries to replace Greg in the hearts of English-speaking toddlers the world 'round.

Close, but no cigar!

Sometimes when both kids are home and I need to do something in our den (computer lives here as well as all the toys), I put the big gate up to keep Commando Kev in the room. But then I end up lifting Amiya up and out and up and in at least one million times per hour. And I get nothing done which is generally ok, but once in a while I actually have something that others are waiting for and so I must must get it done.

So, I came up with this.

It worked brilliantly all morning long. From Kev's perspective, there is no straightforward way out so he stays put. Amiya was at school all morning, so he didn't see her exiting and entering.

And then she came home. And it all went south from there. One time. Just one single time did she exit the playroom (to get her cowboy boots, thankyouverymuch!) and he had to follow her lead.

He folds and curves his little body like a snake, slithering all the quicker when he knows he's been spotted. It's clear that Mommy is not the engineer in this family!

Guaranteed Laugh

Check this out.

Did you miss us?

Holy mackarel (as Amiya has been known to say) have we been busy! Life is going just fine around here, there's just not a lot of time for blogging!

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit and we all had a lot of fun together. Amiya spent a few nights in their camper, kicking them and just generally making sure no one got more than a few hours of sleep. Apparently grandparents thrive on that though as the big Gs kept coming back for more.

They came loaded with gifts of all sorts and sizes. The favorite, hands down, is Amiya's new pair of cowboy boots. Not a day goes by that she doesn't wear them. And if a friend should come to play, they are a highly contentious item. Everyone wants 'em. Check Amiya out, wearing her Salvation Army hat, her new boots, and riding the horse that Uncle Jon-o gave her several years ago!

Kev is doing well. The commando crawl is in full force and he's good, so good. He doesn't even need to use his left leg. It just sort of hangs out while he pushes with his right. He's not sure what to do with it yet. We're working on getting a digital camcorder and when that happens I'll upload it and you'll get a chuckle!

He has his 9 month appointment on Thursday and once again I'm a bit concerned about his weight. He's just such a mite. Like his sister he's go, go, go all the time, so it doesn't seem to matter that I feed him the most nutritious, high calorie stuff I can think of. He's still little. The poor guy is also cutting 5 teeth! Four on the top and one on the bottom. That'll give him a grand total of 5 - that's right - his first experience with teething is 5 teeth at once! No fun for him and no fun for us as he's pretty unhappy at times! His new favorite thing is zooming around the kitchen in the walker - he really gets it going and strategizes how to get where he wants. Here you can see a bit of man v. machine - he chases the roomba around. If only I could put mini-mops on his feet, I'd have the cleanest kitchen around.

In other news, I'm officially a year older. I had a lovely birthday with lots of kisses and cards (including one very special Valentine/birthday card!). We had dinner at an Indian restaurant and Amiya later told me that her chana (chickpeas) were not as good as the ones I make. How's that for a nice present? But the best present of all was the ouster of a certain political party from wearing all the pants in DC. And then, like a surprise present the next day, Rumsfield was axed, too. Oh, finally!

I've been busy baking and sewing to raise money for the big walk next year. Here's my latest cake - I think it's the one I love the best of all of them so far. I can't take credit for the design, but I like my interpretation!

Vinay is doing well. We've recently signed up for cable. If he had known Giada De Laurentiis before we moved I don't think we would have ever gone without!

Other than that, all is as usual. We're gearing up for Christmas and working the naughty/nice thing with Amiya as much as we can!

For you, Jacki Keller!

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

Edited: I don't know why the link isn't working. Try here!

http://www.blogthings.com/couldyoupasseighthgrademathquiz/

Buds

They are just such buddies. Their moods almost always run parallel to each other and 99% of the time, that is a very happy thing! I just don't know if our life could be any better in a way that really matters.

Statistically Speaking

This is a post for Uncle Mikey who is enduring a statistics class at U of WI right now. How probable is that in a picture with three subjects, one of the three will always (always!) be looking away from the camera. Does that number change significantly when you factor in that two of the three subjects have minimal language skills and will not understand no matter how loudly their Mommies yell "Look here!," "Baby!," or "Over here!!!"?

We had a picnic at the park Friday night and Vinay found himself briefly living the role of father of twins. He had a good laugh while trying to take pictures, but was happy to divide and conquer when the photo was finished!

Happy Halloween!

Our favorite little giraffe in the swing!

The most beautiful forest fairy princess ever!

Gabe, Amiya and Aubrey lovin' Halloween!

Gabe and Amiya taking some sort of solemn vow.
Don't send the wedding presents yet, though.
Aubrey told me she was going to marry Gabe that afternoon.

Madison, Brody, Kev and Aiden, not really sure what to think!

Amiya's homemade butterfly wings for the
rainforest costume parade at school.

Kev just hanging out at Amiya's rainforest parade.
Aren't his lips just about the most kissable thing ever?!?

All in all, a very enjoyable Halloween. Amiya scored a huge amount of candy, promptly taken away by The Great Pumpkin who left a CD and a puzzle in exchange. She loved trick or treating and we loved seeing her bob along the sidewalk, almost as if she was really going to take flight.

Locks of Love

Amiya got her first styled haircut today - until now it has just been bangs and ends trimmed a couple of inches every other month. She's growing her bangs out and they were in her eyes constantly, so that coupled with increasing annoyance at the maintenance and constant scrambling to braid it or pull it up in the morning meant hair cut time. We've been talking about Locks of Love with her for literally months, but she has been resitant. She has always, always gotten compliments on her hair (never left down, always braided or in a floppy bun or something of the sort) and I think for her she thinks it is what makes her cute. So we have been talking a lot about how the other things that make her beautiful that have nothing to do with looks. Finally, after a call from her cousin this morning she agreed to a cut. I was on the phone with the salon two minutes later.

I love it. I think she looks so, so cute. She likes it too, she's constantly whipping her head back and forth to feel it. She also appreciated the quick wash and comb after her bath today!

All in all she gave four ponytails of hair, each about 14" long. We'll send them tomorrow. She's excited to be helping out some other little girls. She also thought she was pretty cool because all the ladies (and gent) at the salon were oohing and ahing over how "grown-up" she looked with her "fancy" haircut.

Before, down past her waist.

Showing off her new brush and mirror -
to be used only after the haircut.

Keeping calm through meditation prior to the appointment.

Eyeing the cut-off point. Feeling nervous.

Fait accompli. Done deal. '
Sitting like a big girl for the detailed cut.

Happy and loving it!

And a big, big thanks to Nisha. Nisha was able to get Amiya to agree to a hair cut in about two minutes! I think Amiya must really, really love her cousin!!!

Saturday's Walk (Not an exact translation)

We walked today. 5 kilometers (3 miles) in the Makin' Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. Here we are to the right, just before the start. The weather in Tampa is good (relatively speaking) lately and it was a beautiful day. We walked along Tampa Bay, so despite the heat (85 or so), we had a nice breeze.

As I'm prone to do at certain things (the singing of the national anthem, large groups of people meeting to make a statement, etc.), I was a bit teary-eyed throughout. I thought so much of my host Mom in France, Genevieve. She opened her home, her family, her heart to a stranger (American, at that!) and because of her I have such wonderful memories of my time abroad. Unbeknownst to her, she would be diagnosed with breast cancer the first time I stayed with them. She epitomized strength and tenacity, two things I recognized even though at the time I couldn't work out how to say them in French. We walked in honor of Genevieve Clavel, Survivor.

Amiya walked about 2/3 of the walk, although she wanted to walk the entire time. She cried and yelled when I made her sit in the stroller, but her little legs couldn't keep pace and were starting to hurt. We've talked a bit about what breast cancer is and she understands it's when women have a sickness in their breasts. She extrapolates to babies and nursing and wanted to walk so that the Mommies breasts will get better so the babies can have milk. She doesn't understand that breasts are so much more physically and emotionally - and that's ok for now. She did her part in the way that is most immediate to her.

Kev, as is his way, wanted to do exactly like his sister, so no stroller for him, either. Vinay carried him for most of the walk. (As well as carrying the stroller Kev was supposed to sit in!) Not a lot of fun for Vinay, but he smiled the whole time.

All in all, a good Saturday. We got some fresh air, some exercise and the feeling of being involved in something larger than ourselves.

Le promenade de Samedi

Nous avons marchés aujourd'hui. On a fait 5 kilometres contre le cancer des seins. Ça ce fait souvent aux etats-unis - que les gens donnent de l'argent pour la recherche contre quelque chose et puis ils se rendent tous au meme endroit pour une promenade. Donc, nous (à droit) juste avant le commencement.

Il fait beau en Tampa ces jours, mais quand-meme chaud. C'etait une matinée formidable, en famille et pensant à toi, Genevieve. Je ne peux jamais te dire merci au niveau que j'aimerais. Tu (et JJ et Céline, mais toi plus que tout!) m'as ouvert ta maison, ta famille, la France, et la beauté de ta personne pendant une periode trés dificile. Comme tu le sais bien, je tiens trés fort à la France et aux Clavels et c'est vraiment tout grace à toi.
On a marché pour toi. On dit ici "Dans l'honneur de Genevieve Clavel, Survivante."

Amiya a marché le 2/3 de la promenade, mais elle voulait marcher le totale. Elle pleurait trés, trés fort lorsque je l'ai mise dans le chariot, mais ses petits jambes commencaient à cramper. On lui a expliqué qu'est-ce que c'est le cancer du sein et que marcher fait connaitre cette maladie aux autres. Elle croyait qu'elle ne aidait pas assez les mamans qui ont mal aux seins dans son chariot. Elle voulait marcher à tout prix. Elle n'y comprends pas plus que les seins sont pour le lait pour les bebes et elle voulait surtout que les bebes ont leur laits!

Kev, comme d'habitude, voulait faire exactement comme sa soeur, donc pas de chariot pour lui non plus. Vinay l'a porté le plupart de la marche. Pas trés amusant pour Vinay, mais ça allait.

Et là, Vinay lit. Moi, je blog. Les enfants dorment. Demain viens bientôt.

Gros bisous, Genevieve. On t'aime.
Christy