quotable quotes

i just had to write down these things before i start forgetting them... alex talks so much, i think much more than any average 3-year old that sometimes she comes up with funny words or interesting ideas.

scene 1: last summer, we were in our car on our way to dunajska streda (swimming pools).

alex: daddy, your car is so cool!
mommy (amazed and wondering): really, alex?
alex: yes, it's cool, it's like a bus.

hehehe! so i don't know if that's a compliment or what. but we rarely ride the bus, so in her eyes, maybe it's really cool to ride a bus. :D

scene 2: the things that she is DOINGING

alex playing with her vtech laptop
alex: daddy, i'm computering.

playing with spongebob laser stickers
alex: wait, i'm stickering.


scene 3: the things that she DIDDED
alex: mommy!!!!!!
daddy: yes, alex?
alex: i calleded mommy.


scene 4: sleeping time. i usually kiss her good night and say "i love you." she usually says it back to me. but tonight, she said it so cool and i found it really sweet...

mommy: good night ate! i love you!
alex: uh huh! i also...

my heart melted... i almost forgot that she is soooooo makulet and being a terrible three. sigh! :)

kinder Überraschung

main Entry: kin-der Ü-ber-ras-chung
function: noun
etymology: German
1 : kid surprise (literal translation)
2 : a hollow milk chocolate egg shell containing a toy
3 : alex's small surprise at her choice of friends from kindergarten


julinka

last august, alex tried out kindergarten for the first time. it was only for two weeks but she became close friends with the half-japanese-half-slovak-girl julinka, who is a year older. julinka already transferred into a different kindergarten but they stayed good friends. almost every week they meet in some playground and play together.

daddies' little girls

natalka

alex liked kindergarten so much that we decided to set her up for the whole year starting last september. even though we knew julinka will not be around. alex made a new friend -- natalka, a half-columbian-half-slovak girl, and around half a year younger. the bigger surprise, we found out that they went to swimming school together when alex was just 11 months old.

natalka (left), alex (middle)

natalka and alex sitting together on the floaty

*current picture of natalka not yet available :P

kindergarten!!!

alex had been asking to go to kindergarten since forever. so last month, daddy and mommy started kindergarten hunting. so far we've visited 3 but never quite find exactly what we are looking for. we however decided to try out klub vcielka for the first 2 weeks of august. we decided to just let her stay for half a day the first week and see how it will be.

alex started yesterday. she didn't have any problems being left by herself. she almost totally ignored our presence once she was inside with the other kids. though she did give us a kiss when we went away.

we picked her up after their lunch, just about time for the children to take their naps. we found her laying on her own bed. she didn't want to go home with us. instead she was asking for her own pillow and blanket, like with the other kids. it took some convincing before she finally budged.

alex really enjoyed her first day. so today, she's stayed in kindergarten the whole day. so far, the teachers said she's doing great. in 30 minutes, daddy will be picking her up and mommy is really missing her.

outdoor girl

the whole family went to the high tatras mountains over the weekend. alex was quite a big girl. she hiked by herself most of the time, stopping only for a few pieces of cookies, a sip of water or a bottle of milk.

day 1: we arrived at the hotel around 3pm. unpacked a bit. then, hiked to the ski jumps and along strbske pleso. alex kept singing the whole way to the ski jumps. quite a singer and composer i would say.

day2: cable car ride from tatranska lomnica to skalnate pleso. alex hiked with us around the lake. playing games along the way, like "big rocks" and "no rocks." games mommy made up to get her to walk a bit faster. :))

day 3: another cable car ride from stary smokovec to hrebienok. hiked up to the water falls. again, alex did an amazing job, hiking all the way up. mommy carried her on the back from time to time just to quicken the pace along the rocky paths uphill.

4 birthdays @ 3 years

last year alex had 2 birthday celebrations for her 2 years. this year she had 4 :O

in the philippines: alex celebrated her birthday with cousin ayie

her actual birthday in bratislava

ready... get set... blow!!!

celebration with dedko, babina and dedino

last but definitely not the least

she also had a children's birthday party at klub palisady, a play house in bratislava. the whole place was reserved for alex and her friends: yumi, josh, ninka, risko, and fergal. complete with balloons and all. the kids really enjoyed themselves. alex specially enjoyed jumping on the jumporaine (read: trampoline).

friends

alex enjoyed our almost 2 month stay in philippines. she found friends among her own cousins and neighbors. from time to time she remembers them and asks to see her pix with them. sometimes she even says things like, "mommy, tomorrow when i go to kuya miguel (her cousin)..." or "i want to go to libot."

swimming with kuya miguel and kuya nian (missing in action)


rada cousins


ate ayie (who is exactly just 1 week older)


one of the "big" girls

take a pension

guess it is very common for kids to repeat the things that they hear from their parents. one example i've read is how they scold their teddy bears the way their parents scold them. it is said that this is a way for kids to feel they are in control somehow.

alex does it a lot. she also likes making complimentary statements. for example when i tell her, "hold on or you might fall!" she would say, "but if i hold then i will not fall."

today alex was playing with my mom (we call her "inay") and i heard her say:

"inay, if you don't listen to me i will put this back. but, if you listen to me then i will give it to you."

however, my mom wasn't minding her at the time so alex insisted:

"inay! inay! you have to take a pension!"

it took me a moment to realize that she meant... "pay attention!" =))

something, anything

alex spelling her name: "a-l-e-y-o-p-x... alex!"

alex immitating tigger (t-i-double g-errrrr!!!): "t-i-ge-ga-double g eouw!" (growling)

alex doing verbs: "sit downing" or "this one sit downs"

alex singing fly to your heart:
fly to who you ay (fly to who you are)
flymb upon yoy side (climb upon your star)
you felif if you fly your wings (you believe you'll find your wings)
flaa-aah-aah-aaay to yoy haym (fly to your heart)

---o000o---

alex had name's day (alexandra) last january 2. we just had a simple celebration at home, with a homemade cheesecake of course. yum-yum-yummy! she really loves to blow candles. i guess all kids do. :)

---o000o---

alex started potty training during the holidays. she still wears pull-ups up to now. from time to time she askes to go to potty, but most of the time we have to make her. although sometimes she asks to go to potty every 10 minutes so she can get a gummy bear or lately a jelly bean (her favorite rewards).

---o000o---

the mini kitchen is one of alex's favorite toys nowadays. by mere coincidence, a friend gave her apron and pot holders. she also loves to play with her building blocks, some puzzles, stuff toys and books.

two and a half year old vocabulary

i just can't say it enough... children are really amazing creatures of GOD. at two and a half years, alex still continues to amaze me. right after karol was born, alex started asking THE question -- the never ending "why?"

it happened one time when i was changing karol's diaper. she usually gets the new diaper. that time, i forgot to wait for her and took one myself....

mommy: alex please put back the diaper.
alex: but, why mommy? why?


her language skills are really overwhelming (i know, i've said it a million times). like a sponge, alex absorbs everything she sees and hears. now she speaks and understands slovak much more than before. she also has learned to apply some rules of grammar on her own. see examples below: :D

irregular verb:
do's (as in "parents do, and santa do's.")
do'd (as in "what did you do'd?")

plural:
bookses, jellybeanses
jablkos (jablko, slovak for apple)

it's realy cool when she makes these grammar mistakes. because that's when we learn that she's learning :)

check out her newly posted old pix. click here.