She also loves chasing Riley around, playing in any kind of water she can find, picking green tomatoes, digging in my flower pots and pulling the heads off my flowers when I am not looking! Think I will help her plant some Zinnias next year. Maybe even grow a sunflower house if I'm really feeling industrious.

It will be nice when we can afford to put in a playset for the girls to play on. Karis loves to swing and go down the slide. She even calls out "I see playground" when we are running errands in the car. I didn't get them outside as much as I should have this summer. So while it is still warm enough this fall, I'm trying to let them explore the backyard.

I have been lax in my blogging and will now try to catch up. I am starting with this very recent photo and will be filling in the last 9 months as I can...

The picture of Valya's parent was taken while waiting for the wedding to start. They look almost the same as when I met them 13 years ago in Magadan. They have worked hard to be where they are in life and to give their daughter a good start in life.

The picture of Andy carrying Karis in her stroller up some stairs was taken in the Winter Palace. It's otherwise known as the Hermitage. In every room of the museum sits a lady in one corner. They made a big fuss over the girls and were quite friendly with us. Katie & I got separated from Andy & Karis at one point. We were walking around looking for them. The ladies remembered us and would say if they had seen Andy go by or not. The place is so huge, there is no way to see even a 10th of it in one day. Definitely need to come again when the girls are older. And in the summer this time!

This morning when I was dressing her, she saw the buttons on her sweater and said "Wraar!" I was impressed that she had noticed a detail like that. I would have expected a meow for the picture of the cat.

She shows a great desire to help with Katie, but must be constantly watched with her as she doesn't quite know how to be gentle enough with Katie. I hope they will be friends more than rivals as they grow up...

This is a day later. I heard her in the playroom saying "wet...wet". And walked in to find this, her sitting up on the changing table holding a new diaper for me to put her in...

This cradle roll is so much smaller than the one we used to go to. It goes from birth to 4 years old. there are about 5 girls and 1 boy that come with regularity. For socialization sake, I hope that there are more boys in her class when she reaches school age...

After awhile if taking pictures of Karis with Andy and Riley, I decided to take a photo of the girls together. So we got the first official photo of Karis holding her sister Katie. Karis was excited to get to hold Katie. The better photo is on Katie's site...

Just think, in about 13 years she will be sitting behind a steering wheel to actually drive something! It seems like such a long way off, but I'm told it will pass in the blink of an eye...

Karis had fun on the swing, but I think her favorite thing was the slide. She had her Grandpa Jim, or Papa as she calls him, helping her up the ladder and playing catcher at the bottom of the slide. She went down over and over until she tired him out I think.

She also fed the goats a little. She was to scared to do it on her own but did it a couple of times with help from mommy. It was a beautiful day out, though a little windy. We took some photos by the pond and Karis had a grand time throwing pebbles into the water, watching the water rings and hearing the "kerplunk". I look forward to coming back with the girls next year, when they both can enjoy it even more.

Karis is still adjusting to being a big sister. She doesn't like it when she calls for mommy and is told that Mommy is busy with Katie right now. She is frequently told that mommy can't come right now because mommy is feeding Katie. So, more often than not, Karis now wants mommy to help her eat/ feed her with a spoon or fork. I say, she's just 2 years old, and if this makes her feel nurtured and cared for, so be it. I will feed her. But I will continue to encourage her to feed herself with a spoon of fork as well.

Finally, we get to see the fruits of our labors. Karis loves to go around beheading the flowers, then hand them to me saying "no-no, no-no". I hope that gardening is something she will learn to love and we can do it together. We'll see though. Much as I love it now. I hated it as a kid! I'll start her growing fun things early on, and not only have her spreading fertilizer and weeding. Hopefully she will have fun. Zinnias are colorful and easy to grow. We'll start with those I think.

Finally Daddy sat down and held both of his girls to let Karis get a look at Katie and help Karis hold her for the first time. It was so very sweet.