Kiki's Korner

Let's Make Valentine Chocolates

2012-02-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

Some of my friends are very crafty, and since Valentines Days is coming soon, they decided to make chocolates to give as gifts. Don't they look yummy and pretty? They even made the boxes. Daisy and Carmela are here to demonstrate how you can do this, too!

First of all we us air dry clay called Model Magic, because you don't have to bake it. Our person can't be around the fumes of the ones you bake, and this is really easy to use. First you roll the clay into a ball and then press it into a candy mold. If you don't have a mold, you can shape the candies yourself. Toothpicks are great for sculpting designs.

We decorated the candies with bits of clay and then let them sit for about a day to dry.

After the pieces dried we painted them with a glossy sealer to make them shiny and look more real. That was kind of messy because we had to pick up the candies to turn them around, but the acrylic sealer washes off with soap and water.

The sealer dries pretty fast, and while we waited we made boxes our of card stock. We also cut little circles out of tissue paper and folded them to look like the wrappers you see separating the candy in boxes. We cut some rectangles of tissue paper to lay in the box and fold over the candy like a present.

Finally, it was time to put the chocolates in the boxes!

A pretty ribbon finishes everything neatly! We also used leftover card stock to make matching cards.

We can't wait to give these to our friends and hope you enjoyed our crafting tutorial!

Daisy and Carmela

Kiki Reports on ... KIKI

2012-01-29T12:39:00.002-07:00

Don't you think it's about time I wrote about myself? After all, this is Kiki's Korner, not Mia, Eva, Kirsten, Samantha, Josefina and everyone else's corner. I mean, I like reporting about them and frankly there are days when I don't have a very interesting life, so, it's a good thing someone else does! But, that's not always true, which brings me to the other reason this report is about me.
Today I was wandering around our doll town, wondering what to write about. It was a grey day, which is unusual for us, and a cold wind was blowing. The streets were empty and quiet, except for the sounds of dried leaves blowing across the sidewalk. There was no one around, no kids playing or anything interesting to see.

I was getting cold and I had decided to head back home, when I passed Samantha's house. I saw through the window that she was talking to Eva and Clara. I knocked on the door and they invited me in for a cup of hot tea. I'd rather have hot chocolate, but tea with honey is good, too. I hoped they were talking about something new and exciting to inspire my blog report. But, guess what were they discussing - clothes! Seriously! I couldn't believe it. They were taking all about making new clothes for spring, and what would be in style, what colors they would like to wear... and it's still January! I had my pencil and pad ready to take notes and quickly dropped them back in my pocket. Borrrrring! I drank my tea, said thanks, and left.

So, I guess today I have to write about myself. Okay, first, I am not interested in clothes. (Haahaaa - you already know that!) Second, I have mentioned in other blogs that I love science and animals. And, third, I love sports! My favorites are snowboarding and skateboarding. I also like to roller blade, play soccer, and go hiking, and pretty much do anything outdoors. Lately I've been taking gymnastics, mostly because it will help me learn to do tricks on my boards. Gymnastics is a great way to get strong and flexible.

My gymnastics class is also fun because I get to take it with Mia, Luci and Ayla. It's fun to have friends in classes and makes me look forward to them even more than I would anyway. Luci is really good at the balance beam. Mia and Ayla love the bars. My favorite thing is learning to do flips and jumps. We do them on the trampoline and the floor, too. I'm getting better every day.

So, that's me in a nutshell: not a fashionista, but science and animal lover, and a sporty kind of girl who likes to write reports about her friends and town. There you go!

It would be great if you want to let me know what kind of sports you like best! If you don't like any sports, that's okay, too. And, sorry. It's too windy for me to take any photos today!

Hugs,~ Kiki

Getting Ready for Valentines Day

2012-01-26T15:29:00.001-07:00

It might be a little early, but some of the girls here are very excited about Valentines Day. Lalita, Eva and Luci began decorating the treehouse this morning. I think they are planning to have a Valentines Party.
Lalita wanted to show you one of the hearts they made. First they rolled out some air dry clay and cut out the hearts with a cookie cutter. After it dried they painted on designs, and then added a coat of shiny sealer. Before the clay dried they also poked a hole in the top so they could add a pretty ribbon for hanging up the hearts.

Eva decorated a mailbox for everyone to put the Valentines in.

Luci put up some pink paper with tiny hearts inside the treehouse and is getting ready to put some hearts in there.

Here's the progress so far. I think it's looking good!

Are you doing anything special for Valentines Day?

Hugs, ~ Kiki

Loft Bed

2012-01-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Guess what??? I got a loft bed. I'm really excited about it because I can sleep up high and then have a special little room underneath to hang out in.

Isn't it cool? And, my new laptop was my Christmas present. I love it!

Right now we have an old table underneath for me to do my school work on, but Tía Meli says she will build or find me a real desk eventually. I am home schooled and really needed a good, quiet place to work. Today Ayla and Mia came over to work on a project we are doing together because they are home schooled, too. We got a little distracted and started giggling, and pretty soon Tía Meli came in to ask what we were doing.

Oops! We got back to work after that until it was time for a snack. School work makes me hungry!

What's you favorite subject to study? I like science, and especially learning about animals!

Hugs,
~ Kiki

Three Kings Day, Legos and Lalas!

2012-01-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

Today I want to tell you about how Josefina and her family celebrate more of the Christmas season. Today is Three Kings Day. It is the day when the three kings arrived at the stable where baby Jesus was born, and they brought him presents. To celebrate this, Josefina and Esperanza put out their shoes last night.

The shoes were filled with straw for the camels to eat, and the girls hoped they would each get a present. Well...

Josefina got a lovely doll. She is so happy! She named the doll Niña.

And Esperanza got a necklace which is a beautiful cross. It think there are real jewels on it, but I'm not sure!

So, they DID get presents, and just what they had hoped for. Today they are all dressed up because there will be a big fiesta in the town to honor the Three Kings. Naturally Esperanza will wear her new necklace and Josefina will bring her doll.

In other news... I was playing with Mia the other day. Guess what she likes... Legos!!!

We played with some Star Wars Legos that she had from Christmas and I thought it was fun. But, then Clara came along and wanted to play dolls, but Mia said "No thanks!" I was kind of stuck, because I couldn't just leave Mia and go play dolls with Clara, but I felt bad for Clara because she would have to play dolls all alone. Later I talked to Clara about it and she said not to worry. She and her dolls had a great time. They had a tea party.

Dolly #1 said: "Would you like more tea, Dahling?"
Dolly #2 said: "Oh, yes! That would be lovely, dear."

I guess it all worked out. Next time I want to play dollies!

So, inquiring minds want to know!
1. Do you celebrate Three Kings Day?
2. Would you rather play with Legos or dolls or both?

Over and out,
~ Kiki

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

I was so excited about New Year's Eve! Tía Meli said we could have a slumber party and I had a secret plan: to stay up until midnight! I thought that if we played games and had enough things to keep us busy we could stay awake. Piece of cake. Right? Well... It started out fine.

I got some beads for Christmas and decided to share them, so we could each make necklaces. Ayla, Carla and I got started.

Ayla made hers first and she decided to go ahead and make one for Aleah who would be arriving soon.

Aleah came and was thrilled because she loves butterflies and we all put on our new necklaces.

Next on the agenda: PIZZA! What is a slumber party without pizza? teehee

After we ate we played Apples to Apples. Have you ever played it? It's a fun game and we laughed a lot and played it for a long time.

Then I passed out notepads and pencils so we could each write down some New Years resolutions. Mine are to learn more about birds because I want to be an ornithologist. That's a person who knows all about birds. Clara and Aleah both want to learn ballet and Ayla wants to learn to roller blade. At this point *yawn* we started to get... ummmmmmm... soooooo... sleepy.....

And this is what happened! Oh well. Maybe next year I will be able to stay awake until midnight!

Hugs and Happy New Year,
Kiki

Flowers in Winter

2011-12-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

Today is typical of our crazy weather. A warm wind came through and the snow evaporated, but don't worry, there is still some up in the higher mountains.

Kit, Clara and I went out to play and look what we found!

It's so fun to have flowers bloom in December right after a white Christmas!

Kit complained, "I"m hot!" I told her she was way overdressed, so no wonder!

She headed back in to change, saying, "How was I supposed to know it got warm all of a sudden. Last time I was out here I was sledding!"

Yep! That's our crazy weather. What's it like where you live?

Hugs,
Kiki

Dolly Ski Day

2011-12-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

Yay! Today was warm and sunny and perfect for playing outside in the mountains where there is plenty of snow. We bundled up and grabbed skis, sleds and snowboards for some winter fun.

Aleah and Emily took turns pulling Pippa on the sled.

Then the guinea pig got a ride, too!

Clara hit the slopes right away. She is an expert skier!

I'm a snowboarder, and not an expert. lol Whoops!

It's hard to stop when we are having so much fun, but the sun was getting lower in the sky and it was time to go home.

But, that wasn't all bad because we got hot cocoa and cookies when we returned. Yummy!

I love snow! What are your favorite things to do in the snow?

Hugs,

~ Kiki

Christmas Day

2011-12-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! It's hard to get photos on Christmas because it is just so busy and exciting. I did sleep a little bit, but woke up early. "Pssssst! Clara, are you awake?" I asked her. "Mmmmm... what?" responded a sleepy Clara. Then suddenly she sat straight up. "Is it Christmas?" she cried. "Yes! Yipppeee!" I yelled as we both started jumping on the bed.

We ran downstairs and were joined by our friend, Aleah, who was visiting for the night.

There were presents for each of us. I got an Apple notebook, Aleah got a pair of Ugg boots and Clara got a new coat. There were other things, too, really too many to remember.

After opening presents and eating a yummy breakfast of Christmas Stollen, we played our new game, Apples to Apples, while the grown-ups were busy cooking the Christmas feast.

YUMMY! I think that sums it up!

We got all dressed up and had a wonderful dinner. Afterward we all sang carols around the new grand piano, which was played by Amanda. I got sleepy after so much food and excitement and hardly remember going to bed.

I have to add that we had a white Christmas this year. The sun was shining on the snow creating the special sparkles and that look like jewels. I think we may get to go sledding tomorrow!

I hope you all had a fun and merry Christmas day.

Hugs,

~ a sleepy but happy Kiki

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

The house is filled with decorations and the good smells of baking. Old and young alike have a sparkle in their eye, with secrets of the knowledge of presents to be unwrapped. Will Kit like her hand knit scarf? Will Grandpa like the Christmas cake? Did Tía Meli put in enough rum? teehee! Just kidding!

I am so excited I can hardly type! But, as your ace reporter, I have taken some photos and want to share what is going on around here.

Greta has the stove going in the Larson cabin, keeping things warm and to finish a little baking. She makes wonderful Pepparkakor, which are crisp, thin gingersnaps from Sweden, that she cuts out in heart and flower shapes.

Kirsten just came in with a lovely tree and is starting to decorate it.

Carol Ann and Kelly sat still for a few seconds so I could snap a photo of them in their Christmas dresses. Okay, all done babies!

Little Leticia and Latonda are hard to keep still as well. They know "Sannty Claus" is coming tonight!

Nap time! Yay! Peace and quiet for a little while. ;)

I visited some other parts of Pleasant View Doll Town and took photos of Anya in her Christmas dress.

And, here is Amanda in her new dress that Tía Meli just finished. Amanda was a little worried it would not be done by Christmas and she would have to wear one that was old and too small!

Josefina and Esperanza are ready for midnight mass. After that they will eat the biscochitos, a yummy sugar cookie, that they just finished baking.

Fina is out sledding with her new snowman friend. I liked this photo and turned it into a Christmas card.

AND... last, but not least, here are Clara and I by the Christmas tree. We have just put on our pajamas and are ready for bed. I want to go to bed early so tomorrow will come quickly. But, I don't know if I can sleep. I hope I can stay awake long enough to hear the jingle of sleigh bells and the merry "HO HO HO" of Santa Claus, but I never can. Don't forget to leave him some milk and cookies!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY FRIENDS!

~ Kiki

Christmas With Cécile

2011-12-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

Today I visited Cécile and Rosalie to see if they were getting ready for Christmas. Well, of course they were! Christmas trees were still a pretty new idea in New Orleans in the 1850's, but Cécile has one. She also has a lovely new dress that Our Person, Tía Meli, made for her. Lucky girl!

Hope you are all ready for Christmas. I need to wrap some presents!

Hugs,

~ Kiki

Christmas in Pleasant View Doll Town

2011-12-17T10:15:00.001-07:00

I am beginning my report of the Christmas season around our doll town. There is a lot going on in every home as all the families are busy getting ready for the holidays, each in their own way.
We are enjoying hearing wonderful songs as the singers begin celebrating Christmas with carols. The treehouse balcony makes the perfect spot to serenade their friends. Since our person is a musician, the music of Christmas time is one of her favorite parts of the whole season.

At the rancho, the Montoyas have been decorating and have begun Las Posadas, where the story of Mary and Joseph looking for shelter is reenacted by the town. This will go on every night until Christmas Eve, when everyone will attend midnight mass and then have a fiesta. Esperanza is very proud of her new dress that she made herself, using ideas from fashions in drawings.

Josefina is very glad that it snowed and left a fluffy, white blanket across the normally dry, brown earth.

Las luminarias light the way and sparkle in the crisp night air.
I love visiting the rancho any time, but it seems especially magical this time of year.

¡Feliz Navidad!
~ Kiki

Christmas Time Is A Special Time

2011-12-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hello, dear friends! Are you as busy as I am right now? I am finishing up school work so I can enjoy my holiday break, and helping Our Person with all facets of Christmas Time! We have have been making decorations, baking cookies, and crafting gifts and every day is filled with music and laughter. I do love this time of year. Everyone seems to be in a jolly, good mood and there is definitely a special feeling of excitement in the air.
Today we learned about something special that fits right in with this magical time of year. An 81 year old woman who lives in a tiny house in a small town has a favorite Christmas book called "Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree." She has been reading that book, which is supposed to be for children, every year since it was published a long time ago. She recreates the story on her front yard and naturally Tía Meli wanted to see it as soon as she heard about it. So, Clara and I hopped in the car with her and we went right out to see the display.

The story is about a man named Mr. Willowby who orders a tree that turns out to be much too tall for his parlor. He asks the butler to chop off the top to make it fit, and the butler decides to give the extra bit of tree to the maid.

The maid uses part of the tree, but has some left over and she gives it to the gardner.

He uses some and then the forest creatures get to have the next bits, and so on... until the tree top gets smaller and smaller and used by seven families.

The final, tiniest bit, is used by a family of mice to decorate their home in the mouse hole.

Isn't that a delightful story? I love how it shows the spirit of sharing and giving. The stuffies that the woman used were so cute, too. We actually got to meet her and she said she collects them from thrift stores throughout the year. Oh! And she thought Clara and I were very pretty dolls and was honored to have us visit.

It was a magical day.

Hugs,A Happy Jolly Kiki

The Nutcracker Ballet

2011-12-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

Every year our person goes to see The Nutcracker. She loves that ballet and was in it when she was a little girl. We dolls get to take turns accompanying her and this year it was Marly's turn.

Marly dressed up in her very prettiest dress and Christmas coat. It was cold out, so she wore a hat, too

Outside the theater there were booths selling hot soups and crafts. It was fun to look at the goodies. Just being in the big city is exciting for us dolls.

Marley said she was sitting in American Girl Doll row, because her friend Aleah came along with her person, and a little girl sitting next to them had an American Girl doll, too. That made the show extra fun for Marly

They don't allow photos to be taken of the show, and our person only had her phone along for pics, so that's about all I have to report on the ballet. Except to say that Marly has not stopped dancing since she got home. I guess the magic of the ballet has let her know that she really wants to be a ballerina.

Hugs,
~ Kiki, your trusty corespondent

Ayla Was Right!

2011-12-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh! Such beautiful snow sparkles in the sunlight.

Time for a little snow shoeing.

The Last of November

2011-11-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

It's been warm and dry all month, making it very hard to stay indoors. Marly and Ayla decided to go for a walk along the creek.

This time of year the sun is much lower in the sky, and sparkles on the water in new and beautiful patterns.

There are still a few seeds clinging to their pods. I am surprised they have not been blown away by the wind by now.

Ayla listens to a message from the babbling creek. Tomorrow it will snow.

But, today we will enjoy the warm sunshine.

Hugs,
Kiki

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

It's been such a busy day that I have barely have time to post. All of us modern girls got dressed up for a Thanksgiving Day feast. We think of this day as a chance to reflect on what we are grateful for in our lives.

Kit is the pastry chef and if rolling out the dough for the pumpkin pies.

Emily is in charge of the decorations and...

...the turkey!

We are thankful for friends and family, and all of YOU!

Hugs,
Kiki

New Orleans Girls

2011-11-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hi again! I wanted to report that Cécile is right at home here with us.

Holly insisted she try on some modern clothes and come meet the gang at the treehouse. Everyone thought she was really sweet. But, we knew something was wrong. Didn't she like us?

It turned out that Cécile was just uncomfortable in modern clothes. She put back on her dress from her own time period and then her long lost sister, Rosalie, came running down the stairs.

It was a wonderful reunion and I took a quick photo. Cécile and Rosalie are busy setting up their home and said I am welcome to come visit any time so I will be reporting more later.

Au revoir!
Kiki, who is now learning French! teehee

Kiki's Day at the AG Store

2011-11-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

Guess what! This post is about me! Yep, I got to do something very worthy of reporting on and sharing. Yesterday Holly and I got to go to Denver to the American Girl Store. I've been there before so I got to show her around.

Look at all the dolls waiting to go to new homes! And behind us is the salon where dolls can get their hair done.

Christmas presents! I need to make my list!

Holly and I really liked this girl named Cécile. We begged and begged to bring her home, and finally Tía Meli said OKAY!

We said goodbye to the dolls in the store and wished them well. They told us not to worry because they will all have new homes soon. Besides (and this is a secret) they have a great time at night after the store closes. They play with the horses and other animals, eat yummy doll food, have concerts with the musical instruments and do all kinds of fun things!

Next, we got to go next door to the doll friendly restaurant for dinner. They have special chairs for us to sit at the table. It's a pretty fancy restaurant, and Holly was amazed. Of course, I've been there before!

When dolls eat there they get a special dessert for free! That's how I like to be treated. We felt like royalty!

After all that shopping and food it was getting late. We took a photo of the pretty lights outside and headed home. I have to admit that Holly and I both fell asleep in the car and I had sweet dreams of ice cream and dolls.

The Larson's Cabin

2011-11-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hello from Kiki! Today we are going to visit the Larson cabin. They live in a lovely valley in the mountains and have been working hard on getting the new cabin ready for winter. I took some photos to show the progress they have made.
In the main area they have a new fireplace. They also made a hearth rug to place in front of it. I hope they have more firewood outside!

Kirsten is really proud of the new table and chairs because she painted them a lovely blue to remind her of Sweden. Her big sister, Greta, added the flower designs to make them even prettier.

There is still a lot to do in the cabin, but at least Greta and Kirsten are cozy and warm for winter.

That's all for now!

~ Kiki

Halloween Celebrations

2011-10-30T22:51:00.001-06:00

Do you love Halloween as much as I do? I like dressing up as a favorite character and getting LOTS of candy! ;)

Some of my friends and I have been decorating our treehouse for a Halloween party. Chrissa is helping me haul up a big tub of candy. Eva, who loves to decorate, put up the pumpkin lights.

These girls love to decorate and bake and are getting ready to have a party for the younger kids in the neighborhood.

They have lots of good food like candy apples and pumpkin pie.
There is even more food being made in the kitchen. Anya is rolling out more cookie dough, Emily is in charge of decorating the pumpkin cookies, and Tina is watching the oven. Those girls are organized!

Meanwhile, at the rancho, Josefina is preparing to celebrate El Día de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Most of this food is for the ancestors, but the kids get to eat calaveras de azucar, or sugar skulls!

I hope everyone has a save and Happy Halloween!

Hugs,

Kiki who is eating lots of kandy! teehee

Snow Day

2011-10-26T13:15:00.001-06:00

Kirsten was still asleep as the day began to brighten with the dawn. Even half awake she began to sense something was different. There was a hush in the air and the cabin felt cold. She shivered even though wearing her warmest flannel nightgown.

Then she sat up with a start! Wait! Could it be...?

She ran to the door and threw it open. "YES! It's snowing!" she cried.

"Happy snow day, everyone!"

The first snow of the season is always very exciting. Mia, Eva, Luci and I all hope to go out and play in it when we finish our chores!

Hugs,

Kiki, your trusty, ace reporter from Pleasant View. :)

Colonial Autumn

2011-10-22T22:03:00.000-06:00

Hi! It's your trusty reporter, Kiki, here with more news from Pleasant View! (that's what we call our doll town!) Today the autumn festivities continued as the colonial girls, Felicity and Elizabeth, were invited to ride their horses in the parade. They had to wear their most fancy riding clothes, and were actually too hot in them, but they kept smiling anyway.
First they got the horses ready.

They headed off to the parade and ended up having a great time waving to the crowd while riding slowly through the town.

That's it for this report. Kiki, over and out!

The Montoyas at a Harvest Festival

2011-10-19T14:01:00.001-06:00

It's Kiki here and don't tell me I haven't written since Easter! Golly, Gosh, and Gooseberries that's a long time! Well, there is a lot going on around here now. We have been reorganizing our rooms and houses and doing all kinds of new things. It will take time to catch everyone up on the activities around here, but I'm going to do my bestest!!! First I want to fill you in on what has been going on in the Montoya family. Josefina and her older sister, Esperanza, and younger sister, Adelita, have been getting ready for the annual Harvest Festival...

From Harvest Festival

Esperanza: "¡Mira, Josefina! Look! Isn't my new dress lovely? And look at my hair. It took Mamá three hours to get it the way I wanted. I just know I will be the prettiest girl at the Harvest Festival. Don't you agree?"Josefina said, "Claro. Of course," while she rolled her eyes with a smile. She knew that her big sister was always thinking about her looks, which Josefina found to be a bit silly.

From Harvest Festival

Then Esperanza said, "Where is Adelita? I don't want to be late. Or, maybe it is more fashionable to make a grand entrance a bit late. But, by then everyone will be talking in groups and I won't know how to fit in. Oh dear! I think we should hurry and get there early so I can be sure and find my friends right away. Josefina just shook her head and went to find their little sister.

From Harvest Festival

Josefina found Adelita outside practicing her weaving. She loved to do anything artistic and was already showing promise as a weaver. "Adelita! You don't have shoes on and it's time to leave."

From Harvest Festival

Adelita replied, "Okay, I'm coming. I wish I could finish this blanket, but I'll hurry and get my shoes. I know there will be lots of yummy treats at the festival.

From Harvest Festival

It was a beautiful and warm afternoon for the fiesta. On the way there they girls saw farmers bringing in the hay bales for winter and one was constructing a shelter to keep the hay dry when it snows. They were glad to be early to the fiesta and saw some scary sights there.

From Harvest Festival

One of the best parts of the day was the hayride. The hay wagon is pulled by horses in the Montoyas time, but today it was pulled by a tractor. The kids and adults climb aboard and sing songs as the wagon goes through the fields of pumpkins and corn. There were still other vegetables growing, too: eggplant and tomatoes and the scent of herbs filled the air.

From Harvest Festival

The girls had apple cider and candy apples and roasted corn to eat. Josefina found the perfect pumpkin to bring home. "This will make lots of pies!" she exclaimed.

From Harvest Festival

When it was finally time to go the tired sisters posed for one last photo to remember their wonderful day.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-21T10:14:00.000-06:00

From Kiki: We were lucky that our person got in a sewing mood and made us all new Easter or spring dresses this year. We decorated our treehouse and posed for a photo.

Of course, little Fina had to have a dress AND a hat. She is the lucky one!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

~ Kiki

We Were Tagged!

2011-03-31T23:01:00.000-06:00

Hello from Kiki! We were tagged by the Bolton Girls to write seven things about one of us and tag seven people. Jayd wrote about the girls' mama and we also decided to write about our person, who we call Tía, which is Aunt in Spanish.

1. Tía is not African, but spent time living in a hut in Zimbabwe and learned the traditional music of the Shona people.

2. She has lots of different kinds of dolls from mini to child size.

3. Tía used to teach blind people how to ski as a volunteer and hopes to do that again.

4. She can hibernate for days in her sewing and craft room and never think about coming out until there is hardly any food in the house!

5. She plans to go to Ireland next fall.

6. Tía's favorite food is Mexican food and anything hot and spicy.

7. And finally, she loves animals and has had dogs, goats, rabbits, chickens, turtles, fish, parakeets and cockatiels, but now only has one dog. :)

We tag:
1. Tiggy
2. Jen
3. Shriara
4. Marlowe
5. Penny
6. Wendy
7. Anyone who wants to join in!

~ Kiki

Spring Break

2011-03-26T11:24:00.000-06:00

From Fina:

This week was spring break in our town and it definitely looked like spring!

We didn't go anywhere, so I entertained myself at home as usual. I debated on becoming a blonde, but decided that was not the right color for me!

Actually, we did go one place - we went on a tour of the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory. It smelled so go in there, and there was lots of free tea to drink. Plenty of the teas don't have any caffeine, so kids can drink them, too.

I met the "real" Sleepytime Bear."

On another day at home I started coloring some pictures for Easter. Can you believe we found Hello Kitty Easter pictures! I love Hello Kitty. :D

Friday night there was a little neighborhood party and I helped make some horsdoeuvres.

That's about it! Hugs from Fina :))

Springtime Fun

2011-03-18T22:10:00.000-06:00

Hi friends! Kiki here! I finally get a chance to write on my own blog. However, most of the photos are of little Fina as usual, haha.

We all got dressed in springy clothes and got a photo taken in our treehouse.

Fina posed with some daffodils a couple of days ago.

Our newest friend is Kit. She's really nice and has a lot of great stories to tell us. Today she was showing Fina how to type on an old fashioned typewriter. It's fun, but would not be good for blogging!

Hugs ~ Kiki

Spring is in the Air

2011-03-15T10:51:00.000-06:00

Hello from Fina! I've been playing outside a lot because it's been so nice out. Here's what I've been up to lately:

Jumping rope with Juniper and Elizabeth.

Keeping an eye on a wildfire, but don't worry because they put it out and no damage was done.

Looking at a raindrop on a tree branch...

And finally, jumping on the trampoline last night!

Guess Who!

2011-03-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Mardi Gras from Fina and Elizabeth. (Sorry - we took the photo yesterday, but forgot to post it here. Too busy celebrating!)

Gardens and Gnomes

2011-03-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

From Fina:

Yesterday Elizabeth and I decided to brighten up the garden and pretend we are flowers.

See how brown it is?

We danced and sang to help wake up the sleeping flowers.

Then a garden gnome came by and told us it was way too soon to wake up most of the flowers, but we could help clean up the garden.

So, today I dressed up like a gnome and went outside.

I found the gnome and asked how I could help.

He laughed and then just said, "Grab a shovel!" I guess gardening is hard work!

~ Fina

Belly Dancing

2011-03-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

From Fina:

A couple of nights ago I went to a Moroccan restaurant and saw belly dancers perform. One of them let me have a photo with her. Then I decided I wanted to be a belly dancer, too! Partly, that's because of the cool costumes they get to wear. Anyway, they gave a lesson at the end and I learned how to belly dance.

This is my new costume!

I gave a performance for my friends.

You should join me! It's lots of fun!

This is the dancer that inspired me.

Hugs from Fina

Belly Dancing

2011-02-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight Fina went to a Moroccan restaurant to have dinner and see a special belly dancing performance. All the dancers were amazing and so were the costumes. Fina got her photo taken with one of the dancers after watching the show from on top of a shelf.

Lala Land

2011-02-25T01:07:00.001-07:00

Lala Land
Originally uploaded by all4dolls

Fina and Elizabeth were invited to tea by the Lalaloopsy girls. These tiny dolls are so cute and come with fun mini accessories. I couldn't resist!

Spring?

2011-02-23T22:07:00.001-07:00

Spring?
Originally uploaded by all4dolls

It is only February, but there are signs that spring is coming! We have had lots of robins at the birdbath and Fina found crocuses coming up in the yard.

Adobe Building

2011-02-22T09:57:00.001-07:00

Adobe Time
Originally uploaded by all4dolls

Little Fina is going to have an adobe home of her own, but first she must help build it. Yesterday we applied plaster to the walls, but ran out and must get more. This will take some time, but should be a fun project and will keep Fina occupied.

Jewelry Box

2011-02-20T21:24:00.001-07:00

Jewelry Box
Originally uploaded by all4dolls

It was a windy day and Fina and Elizabeth were bored. I let them play with a collection of treasures in my old jewelry box.

Stockshow Time for Fina

2011-01-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Little Fina is a cowgirl at heart and got to go to The National Western Stockshow in Denver. It is a huge event and she loved seeing all the animals and wanted to bring many of them home. Here are some highlights:

The Montoya's Home

2010-12-30T10:26:00.002-07:00

The Montoya's
Originally uploaded by all4dolls

Josefina got a lot of presents this year, so now she and her sister Elena (Marisol) have a new home. There is still much to be done, but they are very happy with things so far.

You can click on the tiny photo to see a bigger one!

~ Kiki

Christmas is Coming

2010-12-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

From Christmas is Coming

We took lots of photos for Christmas and everyone got involved, every single American Girl doll that lives here! There are so many pics that I can't decide which ones to post, so I'm just going to put a link here to an album with all of them. Just click on the photo:

Christmas is Coming

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my wonderful friends!

Love, Kiki

Holly's New Hat

2010-11-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Isn't it cute! She got to help pick the buttons on it. We hope Tía knits hats for all of us!

From American Girl Dolls

Not Enough Snow

2010-11-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

It snowed here for the first time this year and I was super excited. I put on my new outfit that I'd been dying to wear and ran outside with my sled. But, boy was I disappointed. It was melting fast and I guess we didn't really get enough anyway to cover the ground.

From American Girl Dolls

Oh, well. I headed back inside, but am asking all my friends to "THINK SNOW!"

From American Girl Dolls

Hugs,
Kiki

I Did Go on a Plane

2010-11-03T21:51:00.000-06:00

Well, I did get to go on a plane, but otherwise my trip was not very exciting. I stayed in a hotel room with little Fina for company, and only got one photo taken of myself. There was another taken with the phone in the airplane, but it did not turn out. Oh well, at least I did go somewhere and I was a comfort to my human who needed me along so she would not feel lonely. Such is the life of a doll sometimes. Oh, and I got a new dress and shoes out of it, too!

From Just fun pics

Here is Fina on the plane:

From Mini Josefina

Traveling!

2010-10-26T23:17:00.000-06:00

Guess what! I am going on an airplane tomorrow for the first time. I am so excited. I get to wear my new red dress and sparkly red shoes. It's late and we have to get up super early, so no time for a pic, but we will take some on the trip.

Hugs ~ Kiki

Saying Good-bye

2010-10-23T16:21:00.002-06:00

We have had sisters Tirya and Emi visiting from Oregon and now it is time for them to go home. *sniff sniff* We all took a photo together to remember their visit. We will miss them and write LOTS of emails to stay in touch.

From Just fun pics

Here is a photo of the current modern girls that live here with me. In the back starting on the left is Luci, then me (Kiki) and Aria. In the front are the twins Eva and Mia. Aria is the newest girl, but she has lived here for a few months so she already fits right in. I have to say we are all really different, but get along very well. Hope you aren't tired of seeing our treehouse. We love it! More later!

From Just fun pics

Hello!

2010-10-22T23:01:00.000-06:00

Hi friends! The gang and I are still here and are sorry for the long break between posts. We've had a busy summer and fall and lots of fun. Tirya and Emi have both been here for awhile. They are our bestest, bestest ever and forever friends! Holly has been at their house with Kelsyee, which is her BFF. We've had fun camping, riding horses and playing games we make up.

I promise to write more soon and miss you all!

hugs from all of us,
Kiki

Pippi's Camping Trip

2010-07-07T14:09:00.000-06:00

Pippi came to live with us only one day before Tía was leaving for a camping trip. She begged to go along, so of course Tía said yes. She sat in the back of the teardrop trailer waiting to get going.

From Pippi

Pippi said her favorite parts of the trip were hiking (even though she did get tired)...

From Pippi

...seeing wildflowers...

From Pippi

...and the trees...

From Pippi

Camping with Kiki and Emi

2010-06-26T10:05:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone! Here are Emi and I at our campsite way up in the mountains. We followed a river that went up a canyon to get here.

Don't we look a lot alike? Everyone says so. I have yellow ties in my hair and Emi has blue. Tía said we had to put the rainfly over the tent just in case.

We went hiking everyday.

And we got to eat yummy food.

I'll post a few more pics later.

A High Desert Hike

2010-06-01T19:34:00.000-06:00

This is Traveling Sophie's last week here, so I wanted to show her one of my favorite places to explore. We started out walking along a little trail...

...and then Sophie saw some really strange plants!

And I had to tell her not to touch them because they are sharp! She felt like she was on another planet, but I told her this was normal for a high desert to have cacti. That is plural for cactus in case you thought that was an alien plant!

Then we went on toward the forest...

...and took a little break under the pine trees.

We had to admire the view:

I begged Tía to let us climb up in one tree because I've seen so many photos of dolls in trees this spring.

From up in the tree we saw a train going by way down below.

The End!

Hot Summer Days

2010-05-30T17:59:00.006-06:00

Today felt like the middle of summer because it was so hot and sunny. We were kind of bored, but I knew not to complain about that. Know why? Because then Tía would say, "Well, Kiki, I'm sure I can find something for you to do. There are lots of jobs that need done around here..." And pretty soon I'd be pulling weeds or something, and only Holly likes to do that.

So, I got out my new camera (thank you, Bolton girls!) and looked for some photo ops. I found Traveling Sophie and Luci hanging out on the back fence.

Kiki: "Hey, guys! What's up?"

Sophie: "Not much! Just watching the tractor plow the field."

Kiki: "Can I take some pics of you."
Luci: "As long as there is purple in the photo."
Kiki: "OK... that's a little odd, but I have an idea."

Here's what we came up with:

What do you do on hot summer days? I need some ideas because it's already here!

Going With the Flow

2010-05-26T15:27:00.006-06:00

Mary had the best idea, or so she thought.
Mary: "I'm going to have a tea party today! I'll go around and invite everyone!"

Mary: "Hey, Kiki! Want to come to a tea party?"

Kiki: "Now? Sorry, I can't, Mary. I have to study this bird book for when we go hiking and camping. Why don't you ask Chrissa, Lalita and Amy?"
Mary: "OK. See ya later."

Mary: "Hi guys! Do you want to come to a tea party?
Chrissa: "Now? Sorry, but we have to rehearse for our performance at the festival this weekend. Why don't you ask Mia, Eva and Sophie?"
Mary: "OK. Good luck!"

Mary: "Hi you guys! Do you want to come to a tea party?"

Mia: "Now? Sorry, Mary, but we have to get this ship loaded for the big ocean voyage. Why don't you ask Josefina and Elena?"

Mary: "Hi Josefina and Elena! Do you want to come to a tea party?"
Josefina: "¿Ahora? Sorry, we have to take the animals out to the pasture and then clean their stalls. Why don't you ask Felicity?"

Mary: "Hi, Felicity! Do you want to come to a tea party?"
Felicity: "Now? Sorry, but I'm just about take Penny out for some exercise. Why don't you ask Holly?"

Mary: "Hi, Holly! Do you want to come to a tea party?
Holly: "Now? Sorry, but I need to pull these weeds before they take over the garden."

Mary: (to herself) I definitely need another plan. Hmmmm..."

A LITTLE LATER...

Mary: "Welcome to my party!"

Mary: "I hope you like the goodies!"

There was a taco for Chichi Chihuahua, a cookie and for Gino the orangutan, a cookie for puppy, honey and fruit for Miss Beary, grass for the pony, a carrot and watermelon for the bunny twins, and cake and fruit for Mary.

Mary: "Thanks for coming! This turned out to be a fun party!"

A Springtime Discovery

2010-05-18T14:30:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone. I hope you are having a nice spring like we are. Today I got to go visit my favorite creek and see how things are changing.

I watched the water rushing in the creek. It flows down from the mountains and comes from melted snow.

Then I had a really exciting discovery! At first I thought there was a strange log on the other side of the creek.

But, I looked closer and realized it was a turtle! It was about 3 feet long. I've never ever seen such a big turtle around here and neither has Tía! That was cool.

Have you made any exciting discoveries this spring? Let me know!

Workin' In The Coal Mine

2010-05-12T13:53:00.001-06:00

When Luci and Sophie went to the museum they picked up some literature about the olden days. Last night we read about working in the coal mines so today Luci got the idea that we should play miners. We divided up the jobs and here are Luci and I. We are "breaker boys" (or rather girls!) and that means we have to separate the coal from rocks.

We work hard, but sometimes we goof off and start talking:

And Mia, who is our boss, comes in. YIKES!

We get right back to work!

Sophie is the mule driver. She directs the mules that pull the coal cars:

These are our "mules" teehee...

Eva is the wealthy lady that owns the mine:

She is kind and surprises us by bringing...PIZZA!

Actually, it was lunch time, so we stopped playing and had pizza after posing for a final photo.

Here's an important fact: In 1938 President Roosevelt signed the "Fair Labor Standards Act" and most child labor stopped, particularly in the mines.

Kiki Stands For...

2010-05-11T14:54:00.002-06:00

Here's a fun game! Kiki stands for:

K - kind
I - independent
K - kewl - haha
I - intelligent

Mia stands for:

M - magnificent!
I - ice skater
A - athlete

Eva stands for:

E - elegant
V - vivacious
A - artistic

What does your name stand for?

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T12:55:00.002-06:00

We want to wish a happy day to all the mamas, Tías, dolly mamas, animal mamas, and I guess most everyone! haha

That's Holly in front, then Traveling Sophie (left) and Luci, then in the back is Mia, Kiki and Eva.

Hugs from all of us to all of you!

Olden Days!

2010-05-06T18:37:00.003-06:00

Today Luci and Sophie were running some errands with Tía and they stopped at a little tiny museum. It has lots of really old stuff in it.

Luci wondered what it was like to have to get water from a pump...

...to wash clothes in this...

...or like this!

Sophie wanted to call France on this phone!

And she liked this doll:

I think the most interesting thing is that our town was started by a woman! Her husband died, leaving her with a farm and 6 small children. She also started the first bank. That's cool.

Tía ran into a friend from high school at the museum and they talked about their own olden days! Luci and Sophie thought that was boring and played in the yard. I stayed home to do some research on phoebes and how long it takes for their eggs to hatch. More on that later!

Luci, Sophie and the New Dolly

2010-05-04T11:15:00.003-06:00

This was a crazy weekend. On Sunday we planned to go visit Aunty Carla, who lives about an hour away. But when we woke up that morning, my little sister Luci looked like this:

Poor Luci has allergies! She felt miserable and wanted to stay home, even though Aunty Carla is really fun to visit and has a beautiful house filled with treasures. Luckily, traveling Sophie had just arrived. She said she was happy to stay home and play with Luci, because she'd just spent 3 days traveling.

So, Holly, Mia, Eva and I went to Aunty Carla's. Here are some of her treasures that have been in her family for a long, long time:

She even gave us a cute, little dolly to play with and take home for keeps!

Now, it is fun to get a new dolly, and we are pretty good about sharing, but on the way home we girls talked and came up with a plan!

When we got back home Luci and Sophie were sitting on the couch watching a movie. Luci was feeling better, thanks to the special allergy herbs that Tía gives her. We walked in and surprised Luci by giving her the dolly to be her very own!

Luci was so happy! It was like she had not even missed the visit to Aunty Carla's house at all!

I also need to say WELCOME SOPHIE! We are so glad you are visiting us this month, and we have bunches of things to do and go see while you are here!

Jane Kurtz and Ethiopia Reads

2010-05-03T09:36:00.002-06:00

This was such an exciting weekend that I hardly know where to start! I met Jane Kurtz, the famous author who wrote the Lanie books. And, I have a new friend that Tía has named Holly. Here we are with Jane Kurtz:

Jane has written lots of books and I was helping out at the sales table:

We ate lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant. The food is very different and the Ethiopians eat with their right hand. No forks or spoons! Jane grew up in Ethiopia and taught us how to eat the food. You have to tear off pieces of the "injera" (the rolled up bread) and use that to scoop up the other food.

After lunch Jane gave a talk about being an author, the Lanie book, and had slides of places all over the world. I was really inspired to follow my dreams to be a scientist and write about birds. I'm already starting to do that in my backyard journal! Yay!

But, the most IMPORTANT thing I learned was that many children in Africa do not have ANY books to read! When there are no libraries in the schools to loan out books and no libraries nearby, the children have nothing to read. I can't even imagine that, because I read every day and go to the library in our town every week.

SO the IMPORTANT thing is that we can help get books to those children by supporting Ethiopia Reads, which is a non-profit organization. They have already sent lots of books over to Africa and set up libraries in schools. And guess what! There are mobile libraries that are pulled by donkeys! That is cool.

We had a silent auction to raise money for Ethiopia Reads and it was very successful. Eva and Mia helped out with that.

There are LOTS of ways to help Ethiopia Reads get books to the children. Jane could come to your school and talk, you could help set up a fundraiser at your church, or you could come up with your own ideas about ways to help. You can also go to this website and make a donation and learn more about Ethiopia Reads:

http://www.ethiopiareads.org/

Happy reading!
xoxo Kiki

Rain Gauge or SNOW Gauge?

2010-04-29T10:50:00.002-06:00

Guess what happened! I bet you guessed from the title. Yesterday it was 78 degrees here. This morning it snowed! Yes SNOWED! I had to check the rain gauge because Tía said snow is moisture and we need it badly. We got 1/2 inch of "moisture" - haha. Luckily it's melting now. This is what they call springtime in the rockies!

Happy Junior Ranger Day!

2010-04-24T14:05:00.004-06:00

Did you know it's National Parks week? Yep, and today is Junior Ranger Day. It would be a great day to visit a national park, but if you can't do that you can still be a webranger like I am:

Thank you, Inky, for telling me about this! The activities on the site are really fun. Here's the link in case you want to be a webranger, too: http://www.webrangers.us/

The rain is gone and the sky is clearing and it's beautiful out! Look at the clouds!

I checked the rain gauge again and we got .7 inches.

You can see where it snowed higher up in the mountains.

Springtime sure is exciting!

Nesting Birds!

2010-04-23T11:29:00.003-06:00

First, I have to tell you something really exciting: it's raining! I mean RAINING cats and dogs! I can't wait to go out and check the rain gauge!

Tía and I love birds. We get to see lots of different kinds right in our yard and the field. Right now there are two birds that are building nests in the rafters of our back deck. The first are Says Phoebes. They fly here from Mexico to breed and then leave. They are flycatchers and really cool to watch zipping around and catching bugs in the air.

They like to nest up high on boards and use mud as the foundation for the nest. They've been nesting in this spot ever since the house was built five years ago and appear every April. Here's their progress so far:

Over in another corner some House Finches are also building a nest. They are funny to watch and we call the the clowns because they are so silly. Here's a pair with female on the left and male on the right:

And their nest site:

So now I have three important things to keep track of in my backyard journal: the amount of rain we get, the Phoebes, and the Finches. I'm going to be busy!

Foggy Day

2010-04-22T09:53:00.003-06:00

When I woke up this morning the whole world looked different! I could not see the mountains, just a huge wall of gray fog! That was super exciting to me, because I live in a semi-arid climate. Want to know what that means? I looked it up! It means "with very little rainfall and scrubby vegetation." Yep, that sounds right for around here.

So anyway, I wanted to run outside right away, especially after Tía said it had rained during the night and I could go check the rain gauge. Look! We got a half inch of rain! I'm going start recording how much rain we get from now on.

After that I looked across the foggy field and pretended there was a big ocean right there with giant ships bringing treasures from around the world.

Here's some of that "scrubby vegetation" they were talking about. Our yard is all native plants and it's called xeriscape. Here's what that means: "a method of landscaping that emphasizes water conservation in its use of drought-resistant plants." I like our plants, though, and some of them are really pretty in the summer.

Do you get lots of rain? I know some people get tired of it. But, I want to go back out and play like I'm a pirate stranded on an island and watching for my ship to come rescue me. TTYL!!!

Timewarp!!! Back to Lalita's Visit

2010-04-13T16:35:00.004-06:00

Remember when Lalita came and stayed with me for a few days over her spring break? And she had a surprise for me? Well, I am finally going to finish telling you that story. Sorry it took so long!

So anyway, Lalita and I went to my bedroom so she could change clothes. "Ready for your surprise?" she asked.

And Lalita brought out 2 little ponies! One is actually a unicorn, but both were gifts for me!

But, of course I shared and we played ponies for hours!

The next day we wanted to go out and ride the real horses, but Tía said it was much to windy. The horses get spooked easily, so maybe tomorrow. Inky would say, "stinkbugs!" but we sang, "Wind, wind go away. Come again another day. Kiki and Lalita want to play!"

I Won a Prize!

2010-04-09T21:28:00.001-06:00

I've never won anything before, but I won a prize in the Bolton Girls contest for followers. Can you believe it? I got to pick out a pair of hightops and I choose the ones with delicious cherries!

I'm going to wear them ALL the time... teehee!!!

Have you ever won anything?

~Kiki

Do You Ever Get Presents in the Mail?

2010-04-07T13:30:00.004-06:00

We did!!! It was so exciting. An envelope came last week and it was for all 3 of us from our friends the Bolton Girls. Emi sent me the coolest stuff: a camera, a silver headband and some argyle socks. I've really been wanting a camera! She also sent a cute card:

Here's a close up of the camera cause it's so KEWL!

Mia and Eva got bunnies and socks from Tirya! Tía was really happy we all got socks cause we don't have very many plus we don't wear shoes in the house.

It was great that Mia and Eva both got bunnies cause they are always playing together and they both LUV bunnies!

Thanks soooooo much Bolton girls for our presents!

AND I have something else that came in the mail, but I'm going to do another post about that. Stay tuned!

~Kiki

Hope You Had a Happy Easter

2010-04-04T20:53:00.002-06:00

There is so much to tell you all! I am way behind in letting you know about some cool things that have happened here. There have been Easter presents and a gift for winning a give-away and all sorts of stuff. Promise to catch up this next week and no fingers crossed behind my back! ;-)

For now, here is a pic of Eva and Mia serenading our guests after Easter dinner. They are really good musicians!

TTYL ~ Kiki

We were on TV!

2010-03-26T14:38:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was super exciting. Tía took us to the brand new AG store down in Denver. It's a long drive, but worth it! So anyway, first, Tia was holding me and a news team from a local channel came up and interviewed her. Mia and Eva got to be on camera, too. We saw the video and laughed so hard when we saw ourselves. It's fun!

So anyway, here are some pics of us at the store:

And at a restaurant we went to for lunch:

And I'm sorry we haven't finished the story about Lalita staying over. we will get back to that soon! Promise!

I Have a Friend Visiting - Meet Lalita!

2010-03-20T11:22:00.003-06:00

Yesterday afternoon the doorbell rang and it was my friend Lalita. She's on spring break and is going to stay at my house for a few days. Yippee!!!

Lalita's name is Hindu for "beautiful woman." Isn't that cool? She goes to The International School down in the big city and knows people from all over the world. I like her uniform, but Tía says I'd get tired of it if I had to wear it every day.

Oops! We got interrupted when someone furry came over to check out the open door.

Who me?

"Come on, Lalita! Take your coat off and I'll get your bags so we can go play!"

"OK, but don't look in this bag because there's a surprise inside."
"Really, Lalita? What is it?"

"Let's go to your room, Kiki, and you can find out!"

to be continued...

Tía Knit a Retro Cardigan

2010-03-18T16:39:00.002-06:00

She isn't sure, but this sweater looks like something from the late 1950's to the early 1960's. Gwen got to wear it and the skirt Tía made to go with it because she loves music from the early days of The Beatles.

The pattern came from Sockpixie, a blogger here on blogspot. The skirt pattern is from a book by Joan Hinds.

Happy St Patrick's Day...

2010-03-17T13:44:00.001-06:00

...from Eva and her shamrocks! Hope you wear green today and have the luck of the Irish with you.

New Title for our Blog!

2010-03-08T11:03:00.002-07:00

I guess you noticed we changed the title of our blog. That's because we (Mia and Eva) are really busy trying to get ahead of our school work so we can have a longer spring break. Kiki seems to have more time and energy to blog, so we decided to let her take over for awhile. We thought it would be fun to surprise her with the new title, too! But, don't worry we will still be around and post when we can.

Have fun!
Mia and Eva

Kiki Looks for Spring

2010-03-06T10:52:00.001-07:00

Hi guys! It's Kiki! And that is just plain "Kiki", not "Kooky Kiki" like Mia calls me sometimes. I don't mind cause I know she loves my kooky sense of humor. But anyway... I went on a hike to look for signs of spring. I followed a long, winding trail into the dark forest...

OK, we don't have much of a forest around here, but there is a bubbling creek that is known to be haunted by a weeping woman...

OK, maybe it's not haunted, but I did see a pair of mallard ducks. In fact all the ducks were in pairs and I bet they have a nest nearby and will have ducklings soon!

Underneath the old fall leaves are shoots of green grass coming up. Yay!

And then look what I found!

Forget about spring. I KNOW there is something very interesting and mysterious living inside that hollow log. It is huge and very dark inside. Maybe I can come back with Mia and Eva and a flashlight to explore it's secret depths. I think I need backup to go into a deep log in a dark forest next to a haunted creek! ;)

Laters Gators! Kiki

Kiki's Turn!

2010-03-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Remember when we said we would have to share this blog with some of our sisters? Well, we have a really cool sis named Kiki. You may have seen her in some other photos. She's lived here a long time and is one of our favorite sisters because she is so creative. She's always making up fun stories and singing silly songs to herself. She loves to tease us with silly rhymes she makes up. So watch for some blogs from Kiki!

Meet Maria Liliane

2010-02-26T15:48:00.001-07:00

This is our little sister, Mary! Her full name is Maria Liliane, but she said to call her Mary so we will! She is really nice and a little shy, but it is her first day here.

Tía knitted her a vest with a heart on it for a welcome present.

Here we are together: (Eva, Mary, and Mia in case you can't tell!)

And speaking of names, do you know our full names? Mia is really Maria, and Eva is really Evelina! We like to write our fancy names but never call each other by them.

Gotta run, but TTYL!

News Flash!

2010-02-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Tía just informed us that a new girl is coming to live here! We are excited and just a little scared. It's just that we hope she's nice, but most American Girls are, so guess we really shouldn't worry. Tía won't tell us anything about her except that this was the last chance to bring her here, whatever that means!

Meanwhile, we are having a lot of fun with Elena and she is teaching us Spanish! Sorry no pics, but there will be some soon!

¡Adiós!

Photo Collage

2010-02-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

just playing around...

Each time you click the title 'Photo Collage" it is a different layout. Fun!

Finding Inky

2010-02-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

Do you know our friend, Inky? That's her in the photo. She has the most amazing blog! We wanted to let our friends know that she has moved here to blogspot so you can keep up with her. We put her link in our side bar (The Inkiad!) and here, too: http://superinky.blogspot.com/

We still have colds and don't want any pics with our red noses. :-)

Hugs, Mia and Eva

Sniff!

2010-02-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

We spent the whole day in bed because we both have colds! Tía gave us lots of herbs and hot tea and we read books. Hope we are better tomorrow!

Today We Saw a Bald Eagle

2010-02-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

It flew across the field next to our house and grabbed a small gray animal which was most likely a rabbit. If you ever get to see an eagle close up you know how large they are. And so graceful when they fly. We did feel bad for the rabbit, but this is part of nature.

There was also a hawk called a Northern Harrier hunting in the field who caught a mouse. And speaking of birds, every night we hear a pair of Great Horned Owls hoot back and forth. They sit on the roof of our house and hunt in the same field at night. These creatures make life seem so special and we feel really lucky to see them. These are not our own pics.

Our Sister Samantha's Portrait

2010-02-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it's more like a sketch:

And Happy Mardi Gras! There are so many holidays right now, which is fun. :D

Happy Chinese New Year!

2010-02-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

We've already done enough for Valentines Day so today we celebrate Chinese New Year.

Except, we do wish they made these shoes in our size:

we found that photo on a very hip blog here: http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/

Anyway, it is the year of the Tiger! If you want to know your Chinese horoscope you can find it here:

http://shine.yahoo.com/astrology/chinese/

Have a great day no matter what you are celebrating!

Mia and Eva

We Love the Olympics!

2010-02-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry we have no pics today because we are busy watching the Olympics! We love skiing, snowboarding and ice skating. And the opening ceremonies were amazing. We get to stay up late to watch everything, and that is special, too.

TTYL :D

We Got Bling!

2010-02-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

That is to say, we did get our ears pierced yesterday. It didn't hurt at all! Well, maybe a little bit, but now we look very grown up. The flash made the earrings shine. Girls love their bling! Teehee!

In case you are wondering, that photo was taken at a Valentines Day party. It was fun with lots of treats and we made Valentines and gave them to each other.

Tía wants us to remind you that kids need to get an adult's permission before they get their ears pierced (or their dolls' ears!) :)

We Know You Saw the Tree, but...

2010-02-11T09:05:00.001-07:00

Some of our friends asked for a pic of the tree with us in it, so here you are. We got dressed up in our Valentine dresses for a party later. Notice, we still don't have our ears pierced yet. That's happening later, too. We are so busy! ;)

Guess What! Guess What! GUESS WHAT!!!

2010-02-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

OK, we are just a bit excited! Haha! We are going to get our ears pierced for our Valentines Day presents. We have wanted to do this for a long, long time, but it's kind of scary and our Tía wasn't sure any of us were ready (including herself). But, now it is time. We picked out some cute little earrings at the store and tomorrow will be the big day! Wish us luck!

Mia and Eva

We've Been Tagged!!!

2010-02-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

We got a Sweet Award from Baybeary's Cottage!

Here are the award rules:

Rule #1 - Copy image to your blog (check).

Rule #2 - List 10 things that make you happy and try to do one today!

1. Write a blog! (teehee we are doing that right now!)
2. Go outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.
3. Do some sort of craft project.
4. Create a fun hairstyle.
5. Read a good book.
6. Play with our pets.
7. Sing a song or play a musical instrument.
8. Read eamils, stories and comments from friends.
9. Take photos.
10. Play a silly game after dinner.

Rule #3 - Tag 10 bloggers who brighten your day.

It's hard to choose just 10, but here's a list. These are all on blogspot:

1. Bolton Girls Travel Journal
2. Children of Atorox
3. Craggy Moor Bears At Home
4. Damsels-in-Dress
5. Jen's Companion Doll
6. The Sister's in Heart
7. TiggyZCabin
8. Violet's Space
9. SockPixie
10. If It's Hip, It's Here

You know us - we had to make a video!

2010-02-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

It's our Valentine tree story set to music. Have you seen Glee? We LOVE Glee, and I guess that makes both of us Gleeks! Oh well. That's where the song came from. Here's our vid:

Valentine Tree

2010-02-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here it is in the daytime so you can see it better. We love it!!!

The Reveal - A Valentine Tree!

2010-02-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's Eva here. Remember yesterday how Mia made the clay hearts? Well, today I decided to surprise her and do the next step, which is painting the hearts. I had so much fun doing that!

I used acrylic paints and wore my apron in case I made a mess.

When I had painted all the hearts I called Mia in. Surprise!

Mia was really impressed!

She especially liked the one I made just for us!

Mia and I put on the top coat of gloss to make the hearts shiny and then we put a silk ribbon through the holes for hanging on the tree.

And Voila! Here is the Valentine tree all decorated. We didn't use a flash so you could see the lights, but that made the pic a bit dark. Anyway, we can't wait to show Tía!!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

TOP SECRET! Shhhhhh....

2010-02-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! We have decided to do something to surprise our Tia. "Tía" means "aunt" in Spanish and is what we call the human who takes care of us. Anyway, she said her father used to tell a story of a woman in his neighborhood who loved her Christmas tree so much that she left it up for months. AND, she decorated it for Valentines Day with red hearts and bows! Well, Tía loves Christmas trees and this year she talked her family into leaving up a small white one that has really pretty colored lights. But, it looks kind of bare without the Christmas decorations so we are going to surprise her and decorate it for Valentines Day! But, don't tell! ;)

I (Mia) am going to tell you the first part of the story. So, today we started out by making some hearts out of clay. We got out the red clay, a rolling pin, and cookie cutters:

I asked Eva to help but she had just tried on her new Valentines Day dress and didn't want to take it off...

...so she said she would supervise. Oh, brother!

I rolled the clay with the rolling pin...

...and cut out hearts with a cookie cutter.

Then I poked a small hole in near the top for a piece of string to go through later.

"Don't make it too big, or too small!" advised Eva.

Here are all the lovely hearts. They are on a cookie sheet, but this is not the kind of clay you have to bake. We aren't allowed to use the oven by ourselves, so we used the air dry clay.

Tomorrow the hearts will be dry and we can move on to the next step. Stay tuned! :)

Photos for FUN!

2010-02-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

We found some pics in our camera and thought we'd share them. Do you love to take photos as much as we do? We think it's just fun to do anytime. ;)

The first 2 are when we were saying goodbye to our guest, Tirya. We miss her!

Here's a shot from the back of Eva's latest hair style:

And some of both of us that we think are cute!

That's it for now!

Hugs, from Mia and Eva

Easy Valentine craft project!

2010-02-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

We made Valentine tote bags the other day and they were super easy! We went to our local hobby and craft store and they had all the Valentine stuff half price. We bought a package of 3 pink tote bags and some stick-on hearts made of felt, and also some stick-on heart shaped jewels. Just press them all on your bag and your are set to go! You could do lots of other things too, like write your name on with fabric paint and add other stuff, but we liked our bags this way. Hope you like them, too!

Last Chance For Fun - The Video Version!

2010-01-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

By now you know the we love to make videos and decided to do one with the photos of Tirya and Midnight and our wacky time we had on Tirya's final night with us. By the way, she left this morning and we are going to miss her.

The Girls Have a Wild Night!

2010-01-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Here's what happened. We were supposed to be asleep...

But, Eva whispered, "pssst! Tirya, are you asleep?"

And Tirya said, "No, not yet."

And then Mia said, "I'm not even tired. Why do we have to go to bed so early. Let's get up and do something!"

So Eva said, "Let's play some music! That will get us tired. I'll keep the beat on the African shakers."

Mia found a hamnonica:

And Tirya got a kazoo!

And pretty soon we had a full band playing:

We were feeling kind of goofy and started dancing and giggling:

Eva was sooooo funny!

I bet you can guess what happened next. Busted! We were told to put those toys away and get to sleep.

And we DID! Good night!

Want to see our room?

2010-01-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

We had to clean up our room before Tirya came to visit and took a few pics. There is an extra bed in there for her to sleep in. Here ya go!

We have bunkbeds and have to trade off sleeping on the top:

And here are some of our decorations...

We made this collage together and it has some pics of our friends if you look close:

That's about it!

Horses and Denim

2010-01-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Well, we promised to take Tirya horseback riding, but it is way too muddy on the trail. We did the next best thing and got dressed up in our favorite denim outfits and went to visit Midnight (that's our new horse) in her stable. Don't we look cute?

And here is Midnight:

We let Tirya get on and walk around in the stable...

Mia already has a horse, so Eva gets to have Midnight for her very own!

Tirya is only visiting for a couple more days so we need to make the most of them. We will be back soon. That's it for now. Bye, everyone!

A Fun Day in the Snow

2010-01-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

We promised to take Tirya snowboarding and we did. We went to the mountain at Pleasantview Highlands. Luckily we went before it got too warm and the snow melted. Tirya did a great job on the snowboard with encouragement from Mia on her snowshoes. We ran into Kiki who was tubing. I (Eva) was photographer!

Actually, We Did Welcome Tirya

2010-01-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

continuing our story...

Tirya: "Hello?"
Mia: "Oh my gosh! You are Tirya? The girl we were waiting for? But how did you get here?"
Tirya: "I was waiting in my travel box and when no one came to open it, I just climbed out."
Eva: "Wow! That was really brave of you. Are you OK?"

Tirya: "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little hungry."
Mia: "Of course you are! Have some pizza! Have a sandwich! Have some lemonade!"

Eva: "And have a hug! We are so glad you are here."

The girls chatted and munched and had a great time getting to know each other. They finished the meal with a big piece of cake. Yummy!

This is the end of Tirya's welcome story, but she is staying with us for a couple of weeks and I know there will be more adventures with her. Tomorrow Mia plans to take her to Pleasantview Highlands for snowboarding! Please check back. ;)

All's Well That Ends Well for Tirya

2010-01-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Our story continues with Mia and Eva busy in their kitchen...

Eva: "I'm almost done cleaning up."

Mia: "The table is all set. I hope Tirya likes pizza!"

Eva: "Here's the sign we made: Welcome Tirya!"

Mia: "That takes care of everything. Now we just listen for the doorbell to ring and we will get to meet our guest."

Tirya: "Hello?"

Mia and Eva together: "Aaaaaaaah!"

Tirya: "Sorry to scare you. I'm Tirya and I think I'm supposed to be staying here for awhile."

to be continued...

Traveling Tirya's Dubious Welcome

2010-01-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

A box arrived and was placed in the entryway of our home. And then it was apparently forgotten! Here's what happened...

*uffff, urgggh, bump, rustle* "Ouch!"

"Phew, that was hard!"

"Boy, am I glad to get some fresh air!"

"But where is everyone that was supposed to meet me? Hello?"

"HELLO???"

"Guess I'll just climb out and have a look around."

"I wonder if I'm home alone?!?!"

"Wait a minute... Is that pizza I smell? I'm starving!"

"Only one way to find out."

stay tuned for the next installment...