Merry Christmas!

The girls and Mommy are spending the week in between Christmas and New Year's with Grandma and Grandpa Baum. Mommy forgot the camera cord at home, so photos will have to wait for a while.

Anyway, even though this is a little late in coming, we Kishlers wanted to wish anyone who might be checking this a very merry Christmas season and a happy New Year!

Orthodox Hymn of Christmas

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath shone forth to the world the light of wisdom; for they who worship the stars have been taught by a star to adore Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on high. O Lord, glory to Thee!

The Power of Aunt

We all love it when Auntie Ellie (Nee-Nee, now Ann-Nee, to Maggie) or Uncle Hal come to visit. Mommy and Daddy get some breaks from holding and playing with kids during the day, they get to go out for coffee at night (sans kids), Maggie gets to play with people who (in her eyes) live to play with her and accommodate her (almost) every whim, and now, Susannah is getting in on the Auntie/Uncle action:
Now, take a closer look at Susannah:
I wish someone would serenade me to sleep in the papazan chair.

And, We're Back

Maggie discovers "chocolate toast" (Trader Joe's take on Nutella -- this photo was taken Saturday).

Hiatus

There has been a hiatus in posts due to the passing of our dear friends' daughter Evie Marie. Please keep her family and her soul in prayer during this time.

Memory Eternal.

Last Night's Activities

Last night, Daddy and Maggie read a Sesame Street book on Sign Language together. Daddy would say the name of whatever was in the picture, and Maggie repeated nearly everything he said. This photo just doesn't convey how cute it was.


Meanwhile, Mommy did some dishes while practicing her new "back tie" for her wrap. (Remember that bus trip in the snow? That's what we went to learn.) Susannah seemed to like it and snoozed.

Babies in Bed

Maggie loves her sister. And they both love Mommy and Daddy's bed.

Speaking of Moving

This is our friend Jordan who helped us numerous times while we were moving -- packing and unpacking boxes, holding kids so I could pack and unpack boxes. Thank you, Jordan! (We still have some boxes to unpack if you want to come back....)

I'm posting this...

...because my daughter has a beautiful smile, and I want the world to see it. These moments make up for the opposite end of her emotional spectrum. (Taken at the St. George house while we were moving out.)

Winter Has Arrived

This is a view from our living room window. Looks like we're staying home today! Although, we are going to attempt to go to Liturgy for St. Nicholas tonight.


O Holy St. Nicholas, pray to God for us!

No more posts today -- I promise!

Just so Susannah doesn't feel left out:



That was taken a couple of weeks ago with the built-in camera in our new computer a few short minutes after discovering that our computer had this feature. (I bet you can't tell by the quality or anything....)

Strange Bedfellows

Yes, that is an egg balanced on her chest. No, it is not real. And somewhere in the bed there is another one just like it.

She insisted on taking her plastic eggs to bed with her for her nap and when I got up from lying down with her, that is where one of them landed. Told you she likes her kitchen.

Seafood Jambalaya

I love Trader Joes. They should pay me to advertize. Anyway, since Susannah's birth, I've given myself permission to make "easy meals." No more "everything from scratch" attitude. However, I still don't like eating food that isn't food (ie., has a lot of extra non-food ingredients). Enter Trader Joes. They have convenience foods (a term I prefer over "processed food" since theirs aren't) that taste like food. Food that I would make. So, I'd like to share some of my creations. Some recipes are inspired by the store's flyers, but I usually tweak them.

Seafood Jambalaya
Serves 3 to 4

2 packets (envelope?) Veggie Jambalaya (not refridgerated or frozen)
1 bag frozen seafood mix or (if you're not that
adventurous) 1 bag frozen shrimp (uncooked)

Mainly, just follow the instructions on the bags for both of these and combine, but here's some more details than that.

Heat Veggie Jambalaya in microwave as per instructions on back. Defrost shrimp or seafood mix under warm running water. Heat a little oil in a skillet and then cook until almost done (just as shrimp are beginning to look firm and slightly pink) then add Jambalaya to skillet. Stir frequently until all heated through and shrimp is done.

I served with a can of heated TJs Cuban Black Beans (with a handful of frozen mixed veggies added) and some other cooked-from-frozen veggies. This is slightly spicy and very tasty!

Are we too hard on her?

Maggie has taken to exclaiming, "Maggie!" whenever she drops something or accidentally pushes something off the table.

While we were moving, she was running around the house saying, "Maggie! Stop it!" and later added, "Right now! Right now!"

I wonder where she gets it....

"Mommy, sit here!"

This is classic Maggie attire at the moment.

I used to feel bad that I never took pictures of my kids. I let other people do that. But I think it was because I had no outlet for them -- I didn't want them just to sit in a drawer (an actual or virtual drawer) getting old and taking up space. I can now be one of those annoying parents who take 800 photos of their kids first whatever, or, for example, wearing weird clothes (or not wearing clothes), or....

Introductions

Now that we have two kids, I've decided we need to enter the "blogosphere" to keep our family and friends abreast of their cuteness. Additionally, I may add some ramblings about life at home with these gems, or just life in general. Since so much of my day revolves around my babies, though, I doubt we'll stray far from the title subjects. Here's a test photo:



Magdalena Elizabeth (Maggie) is nearly two and a half years old (born July 24, 2005), and Susannah Ruth (Susannah) is about three months (born August 25, 2007). Maggie loves watching Gummi Bears Cartoons (thank you, Kum Jacob), taking off her clothes, and playing with her kitchen (and Mommy's kitchen). Susannah enjoys smiling, laughing, sleeping, and nursing. (Thank you, God, one of our kids LIKES to sleep.)

I'll let my husband introduce himself when he gets the chance. As for me, I think I'm 26 (I usually forget). Currently, I'm most occupied with childcare (and now this blog) and housekeeping, though I'm interested in learning to do the latter more efficiently, so I really like FlyLady. Also, I'm getting a huge kick out of taking the bus with my two kids. The big one sits in the stoller and the little one gets strapped to me in my favorite babycare tool: my Ellaroo Wrap. Susannah gets to sleep on me in peace instead of screaming in the carseat and driving us all crazy, and Maggie gets to either stay in the stroller (if she's asleep or the bus is too crowded) or she can climb up next to me on the seat and look out of the window. All in all, it lets me spend more time and mental energy with my kids when we're out and about instead of worrying about driving and parking.

Well, Maggie is now adding massive amounts of freshly ground pepper to her cold plate of eggs from breakfast, so I think that's my cue to go back to active childcare. Please "join in merrymaking" with these two cuties, pardon my ramblings on "life," and enjoy some photos. :)