Happy New Year

I posted a video of pictures taken Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, our trip to Michigan, and New Years Day. I've been keeping busy with work, hence my blogging time is limited. The girls are great. Michaela is speaking quite well. She sings constantly - her current favs are the ABC song (sing it like "this" - rolling your hands in front of you); Away in a Manger; and Jesus Loves Me. She loves her big sis and tries to do everything she does. She has taken to calling me Mammia - not quite sure why. She occasionally calls Pete "daddia," as well. Of course she's a total daddy's girl. Last night we were upstairs and she asked me for water. I told her if she wanted water she needed go downstairs to get it. (We had just gone upstairs, and I asked her before we went up if she wanted water. She said no, so I wasn't being mean. :) ) I hear her yell from the top of the steps something to the effect of "daddy, I need water." Now that is not going downstairs to get it. She came back in the room, and I asked her if she went to get her water. She said, "Pete's getting it for me." I said, "what?" She repeated, "Pete's getting it for me." Sure enough, about a minute later daddy came running up the stairs with her water. How can you resist the blonde curls and big blue eyes? The other day she told me that she wanted to be called Alexei (one of her middle names). Not Michaela. Alexei. Fortunately that was short lived, and she's back to Michaela...or Kiki. Ava is Ava. She's very busy. No more naps. :( poor mommy. She loves to pretend and play with Little People, her dollhouse, and the little princesses Grandma Nancy/Grandpa Russ got her for Christmas. We'll try to update more often!