Finally she's TWO!

Anna Simran Parmar, aka Kudoo Simran, what a wild two years it has been.  From the sweet little baby that you once were to the feisty, yet lovable, little toddler that you are, to the wonder that you will keep bring into our lives, we love you little girl!

When Nat was two, I recapped some of who she was, so, here's to you Anna:
 - her favorite person: well, some days its Uncle Walter, or Uncle Kevin, or Anty Lianne, or whoever is willing to spend some time with her
 - her favorite show: "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, come inside, fun inside" or "Super Why to da Rescue"
 - her favorite song: "Jesus loves me this I know, for da bible tells me so" (used to be just Bible tells me so) or "mazing grace how sweet da sound"
 - she's real good at singing her ABC's, along with twinkle twinkle little star, oh Africa I love you, and almost every other song she hears (she LOVES to sing)
 - counting to three to get her to stop (whatever she's doing) doesn't work as she continues counting to 12 or 13 (she skips a few numbers after that, creative counting)
 - she can keep up with the three and four year olds, and tends to be the tough one in the crowd... she refuses to be little
 - she loves babies and is surprisingly gentle with them
 - and cannot forget: "I do it" sums up her little being.  Anna will go through life figuring it out for herself.
There is so much more that makes up our kudoo.  We love you Anna and look forward to what God will teach us through your vivacious and precocious personality!

Dad: man, myth, legend

My girls are very lucky, they have their own superhero.  They call him Daddy.  This father's day my girls made a tribute to their superhero and showered their daddy with fun superhero gifts.  I am thrilled to see how much all three girls love their dad.  They run to the door to give daddy hugs when he comes home from work.  The other day, after just giving dad a hug, Nat says: "I just love that guy!"  I do pray that someday, in the very distant future, they look for a husband that loves them just as much as their dad does.

beautiful hair

Natalie has escaped getting a haircut (with the exception of a small snip on her own part), and her hair is pretty long.  It's also got beautiful curls that can be fun to look at, but difficult to work with.  One morning she asked if she could have straight hair, just like her mommy, so that's what we did.  It looked beautiful, and made her look much older than her 4.5 years.  It also highlighted the fact that her ends need a trim (I've warned daddy that she's getting a haircut before kindergarten).  It was fun, but I do love her beautiful curls.  Here's to the start of fun hair play.

Big and brave!

Kindegarten shots... does mom dread them more than Nat?  In this case, yes.  I was preparing Nat for a couple of weeks that she needed to get her needle before kindegarten, and that it would be a little pinch.  I even pinched her to show her how much it would not hurt.  But, to be honest, I was extremely nervous as I was afraid of the reaction (and the future trauma) that the needles would create.  Well, Nat was extremely brave, and she said the needles didn't even hurt (I think the second might have hurt just a little).  Not sure what I was so worked up about.

As a treat for being so brave, I took Nat to Starbucks for a frap.  She clearly enjoyed it. 

Way to go Nat.  You're growing bigger every day, and we're so proud of you!

Attempting to adventure out

We took the kids to the acquarium last month.  Another attempt to adventure out and enjoy the many family activities in our area.  We had not taken the littles there yet, and now that we're only dealing with one nap for Anna, we thought we'd try it out.  It was fun, but Anna does not like to be contained in a stroller while we walk through crowds.  Makes it stressful for me when we're trying to contain a toddler who clearly does not want to be... just too much for her to explore.

I also get anxious when my kids are screaming or crying, and makes it hard to enjoy these outings.  Hopefully this summer will be a little easier each time we venture out.  Here's to exploring with kids!

I got waterpipes :(

Nat got to open a very large present at Christmas, but she was pretty apprehensive when she saw what was inside... waterpipes.  Her expression was priceless, and not one of excitement.  Well, the waterpipes were only half of the present, the other half had not been sewn at that time (it was a very hectic semester for me, and my dreams for this present were bigger than my reality.  But, none the less, we put the waterpipes together, and made a make shift cover to create the playhouse that it was to create.

Well, my free time in May came with a to-do list, and at the top was the playhouse cover.  Well, here it is, sewn and on the waterpipes.  We still have embellishments and fun stuff to finish, but it is functional now.  I'm going to get the girls to help with the flowers and names for the outside, to make it personal for them.

To save on the fabric costs, I used blue flat sheets, light aqua shower curtain, and striped pillow cases from Jysk.  (the two side pics show the pipe structure, made all out of 3/4" pvc pipes and joints - if you'd like to know what I used to put this together, just let me know)

Kites... fun or freakout!

I have fond memories with Chelsea and this particular kite.  Its a Strawberry Shortcake kite that I kept around for many years without using it.  So, one beautiful but windy day I took the girls to the park to fly the kite.  Well, these Parmar littles have an aversion to wind, and an extra aversion to kites flying away in the wind.  The experience was not fun... NOT fun!  I had two little girls freaking out.  We spent a total of 5 minutes out on the windy field screaming and crying. 

Kite flying for these Parmar littles is not fun, but rather a freak-out session.  Maybe we'll try again... in a few years... maybe.

Dance class

Earlier in March I posted a couple of pics of Nat and her friends at their dance class.  Well, I have a little toddler that cannot be left out of the fun, so I put Anna in the next session... and she loved it.  She was a little young for the group, but that does not deter this little girl.  It was cute how she gravitated towards her teacher, and she would grasp her teacher's hand every chance she got.  Now, whenever we drive near the studio, Anna starts shouting "dance class, dance class!"  I think a September enrollment is necessary.

Touched by a legacy

It is hard to say goodbye, and maybe harder when you don't actually get to say goodbye.  To add to the emotions, joy abounds as we rejoice at an ultimate homecoming.  Major Len, Papa Len, you finally got to see your Jesus, to meet your maker.

Why is it that tears come when you know that God's will has been accomplished in a life; when you know that the legacy that follows will continue to touch the souls who knew Len.  Not tears for a death, but for an absence of life.  Selfish tears as we come to grips with a missing part of our today, yet joyous tears as we rejoice in the hope of tomorrow.

Over the past couple of days, I have been forced to readjust my focus.  Being naturally far sighted, it takes corrective lenses to see in the distance.  When I take my glasses off, all I can see is what is directly in front of me.  This seems to be a metaphor of my vision in life, and how I only focus on the task immediately facing me.  It takes corrective action to adjust my vision to the long-term focus and my ultimate goal.  Len, your passing has forced some corrective lenses on my eyes, and has brought Heaven into focus.  It's not about whether we have tomorrow here, but rather if our tomorrow will be with our Lord.

Len, you've touched our lives.  Nat and Anna (especially Anna) looked forward to Papa Len coming over on Friday nights.  Chelsea loved to hear Papa Len speak into her life and encourage her towards her goal of going on a missions trip.  Depak and I loved the constant and honest man that was Len Sperling: the mentor, the student, the encourager, the cheerleader.  Major Len, we were only touched by a small part of the man that you were, but we are thankful to our Lord for the work that he has done, and will continue to do, through you.

We'll see you on the other side, Papa Len.

(Chelsea was sad when we didn't have a pic of her and Papa Len)

The Slippers!

Well, my mom loves to create with her needles and hooks, and she did not disappoint when my girls asked her for slippers when she was here.  Just weeks after she left, the girls received a parcel in the mail.  SLIPPERS!!!  They love their new comfy slippers, and they're pretty cute all "matchy matchy" (goodness knows my girls love to match).

A visit from Grandma

In February my mom came out for a visit for two weeks.  It was a fantastic two weeks, especially for the girls.  Being so young, this was Anna's first visit with Grandma that she can actually remember.  Grandma spoiled us all with wonderful baking, lots of help (thank-you mom for helping me get my office all done!), but most of all, with lots of attention.  Still recovering from knee surgery, mom should have taken it easy, but she didn't let pain stop her from spending time with her granddaughters.

The saddest part of the trip was going home.  The night before mom left, Anna knew that she wouldn't see Grandma the next day.  She would not let her go at bedtime.  My mom rocked her and snuggled with her for two hours after bedtime, and Anna just didn't want to say bye.  Made it especially hard for Grandma to leave the next morning.

The best part of the trip, the memories the girls (and I) have of our time together.  Anna LOVES to talk to Grandma on the phone now, hogging it from the rest of us.  She really made a connection with her Grandma, too sweet.

Coming up next... the slippers from grandma!

Some dancing queens

These little beauties got to dance together in a fun dance class.  They had a good time, most of the time.  Now they are ready to take on some serious dance! :)

Tea for two

Chelsea got this beautiful tea set as a little girl, and I've saved it in a special place.  I pulled it out and introduced the little girls to it, and they love to have a tea party.  We are extra careful with this lovely porcelain set, as it already has chips in some of the little bears, but it is fun.

Happy Anniversary

Today I got to celebrate our wedding anniversary with my wonderful husband.  It was a low key anniversary, dinner at the Keg and hanging out together at the mall.  Just spending time together, and it was lovely.  At dinner we asked how this year was, and we were thankful to report that it was good.  It was busy, and stressful, and so much more, but we as a couple are good, and getting better every year.  Marriage is a committment, and I'm glad I'm committed to this guy!

Oh, and you know that we've been married a while when we buy eachother the same card.  So funny!