Austin trip with Aunt Kara

Easter Montage

A hunting we will go...

Last weekend, our homeowner's association put on their annual egg hunt. It was a success and both kiddos came home with a bucketful of eggs. Check out the decor on their Easter buckets, by the way. Decorating plastic buckets for Easter is fast becoming a Borowski family tradition (that and using the same buckets for the sandbox and pool during the summer - we love multi-use stuff!)

Ready to go

Veronica and her loot

D.J.'s got the hang of it

Thanks, Easter Bunny!

Veronica, the Dog Whisperer

This morning, Veronica tried to get our mutt, Maggie, to sit. Here's how it went:

Veronica (in whiny voice): Maaaaggie. Sit!

Maggie unresponsive. She runs into the bedroom and under the bed.

Veronica: Mommy, Maggie won't sit.
Me: Well, that's not the way you talk to Maggie. Try again.
Veronica: Maggie, sit PLEASE.

Maggie still didn't sit. But at least Veronica has good manners.

February wrap-up

I have been wanting to create a new post for a while, but we had technical difficulties. After almost four years of faithful service, our Canon Powershot A80 could give no more. We had seen this coming - the past couple of months we had to use scotch tape to keep the thing working. While we were researching cameras and waiting for our new Canon Powershot SD1000 to come in the mail (Erek found a sweet deal online), we had to resort to a disposable camera to capture our special Kodak moments.

February may mean Valentine's Day to most people, but for us, it means Daddy's birthday (not to mention Ninang Nicole's and Tito Vlad's!!). We celebrated with a cookie cake, flax seed, and a trip to Gattitown.

Daddy, kids and cookie cake

Daddy and birthday cards

Fun in the Gattitown photo booth

I can't believe it's almost March! Wasn't it just Christmas? Seriously, it's hard to remember what month we're in, especially since DFW has such funky bipolar weather patterns. I guess the good thing about it is that once in a while we get a gorgeous day thrown in...

Sunny day at Suncreek Park

Until next time....

Tribute to Pure Prairie League

D.J.'s First Month in the Terrible/Terrific Two's

The Borowski family has survived the first month of 2008, and more imporantly, the first month of our Dong Joon being two years old! D.J. turned two on December 30, just in time to welcome the new year. We celebrated with Lolo and Lola by making cupcakes and spending the afternoon at Liberty Park in Plano.



Yes, that is a tank you see on the playground.

The following week, we had D.J.'s birthday party at The Wiggly Play Center in Frisco. I have to point out that this is the only facility of its kind in the United States. The only other Wiggly Play Center that exists as of now is in Sydney Australia. Anyway, D.J. really loves The Wiggles (it is the only television show he will watch) so was so excited to have his party there! All the children pointed their fingers, did the twist, and ate a lot of "hot potatoes"!





D.J. blew his candles out in one puff - not bad for an asthmatic!!

Speaking of D.J.'s asthma, I am happy to report that he has been doing so much better this season compared to the beginning of 2007. He has had his share of nasty viruses, but the wheezing has been minimal. He does has to use the nebulizer once a day, but we don't have to hold him down and/or put him in a straightjacket to keep his mask on anymore.

After D.J.'s birthday madness was over, Daddy went in for surgery on both feet. Yes, both feet. I'm not going to go into any details, but we're hoping that the procedure will help him be able to run, hike and boogie down the way he used to. He spent a couple of days on the couch, but he is now hobbling around wearing two very large boots. The kids enjoyed having him home and most of the time they were careful not to climb on his legs.

That's it for now. I hope everyone is having a wondeful January. Happy New Year!

Visions of Sugarplums...

Here are photos of holiday cheer....Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, How lovely are thy branches!

Reindeer games

Veronica in the Christmas Pageant...isn't she angelic?

Christmas morning!

The holidays are so tiring!

World's greatest stocking stuffer - scissors!!!

Why do they do this to me every year???

And we'll end with a song...not exactly a holiday song, but just as cheery.

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks one year since we brought our little Dong Joon Bug home from Korea. I can't believe it's been a year already. It certainly has been a bumpy ride, but it is clear that D.J. is an integral part of our family. Let's compare:

D.J. shortly after I met him for the first time

D.J. two weeks ago, very proud of his Jack-O-lantern

Veronica "helping" D.J. eat when he first came home

Butterfly Girl and Werewolf Boy, Halloween 2007

Our family celebrated by going to JinMi restaurant. After covering himself in Kimchee and rice, D.J. enjoyed a rasperry sorbet (non-dairy, of course) from Cold Stone. Veronica had to have the Cotton Candy ice cream because it's blue.

What a year! Happy Anniversary to us!

Fall Fun

The weather is still warm, but that doesn't stop us from participating in all things autumn. We kicked off October with a trip to the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm in Celina, TX where the kids enjoyed a hayride, petting zoo, and of course, pumpkins. This was D.J.'s first trip to the pumpkin patch and he reacted in his usual high-decibel enthusiasm. He loved feeding the animals, especially the goats and sheep. Veronica, of course, went straight for the tractor.




Erek and I thought it was about time the kids went camping , so last week we packed up the tent, sleeping bags, and the dog and headed to Lake Murray State Park in Ardmore, Oklahoma. We were a little worried about how Veronica and D.J. would deal with sleeping in a tent with us, but they did very well. Unfortunately, we had to cut our trip short because it started to rain very hard on Saturday. So, after a very wet hike to the lake, we came home. We plan to go back next month.

The tent is up!!

Looking for rocks to skip on the lake

We love camping!!

Finally, big news - Mommy has joined a band! Yes, I'm fulfilling a childhood dream. Our band is called Black Prairie and we are made up of mostly members of the Our Lady of Angels Church Choir. Our reportoire includes hits from Lynard Skynard, Jimmy Buffet, America, The Bee Gees, Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Chesney, Pam Tillis, and the Eagles. Sam, our lead singer, has also written some beautiful songs that we cover. I mostly sing back-up and do percussion, but I get to sing lead occasionally. We had our first gig last Sunday when we played The Park in Plano, a local nursing home. We were a hit! However, I must mention that most of our audience was hard of hearing.

Black Prairie
From left to right: Blake, Rick, Sam, Shawn, Lorie, A.J. and me. (Not pictured: Gordon, our awesome lead guitarist) In the center is Diana, our biggest fan.

Our next gig is at the church picnic on October 21st. Ironically, we are working on the REM song "Losing My Religion."

That's all for now!

Happy Birthday, Veronica!

Since we are almost in October, I decided it was about time to post some pictures from Veronica's birthday. Veronica turned the big "3" on September 8, 2007. The grandparents and the Lolos joined us to celebrate. For her big day, Veronica chose to go to Reptile Fest at the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science. She was very impressed by all of the "sneaky snakes"!

Looking at snakes with Grandpa

Blowing the candles on her cupcake

Then came the birthday party at Kiddin' Around Playcare.

Dora and Diego cake made by Mommy's wonderful friend, Angela

Blowing out the candles


Pinata time!

There's a lot to write, but Mommy and Daddy only have a short time to blog. You just have to be satisfied with pictures this time.

My Little Helpers

Just a quick update on the happenings here at Casa de Chaos. Now that we're done with all of our traveling for the summer, we are trying to get back to some sort of routine. The kids are pitching in as well - they are really becoming great little helpers! D.J. has decided that laundry is cool. Mind you, he mostly likes taking folded clothes out of the basket and throwing them around, but with a little guidance one is able to direct him to do something more productive and in his eyes, just as fun. Here he is pictured taking clean clothes out of the dryer - without tossing them everywhere!

Veronica is also becoming increasingly independent and helpful. She is especially excited about cooking and helping out in the kitchen. Her specialties are peanut/almond butter and jelly sandwiches, burritos, and rice (scooping it into the rice cooker, anyway). Watch out, Emeril! She also likes to help with all activities dealing with our dog, Maggie. Veronica is very concerned about Maggie's health and well-being, so she regularly checks her vitals. Unfortunately, Maggies does not appreciate Veronica's efforts.

But it's hardly all work an no play at our house. We have plenty of time for fun and games, including dress-up. Veronica seems to be more excited about this activity than D.J. However, if he finds items that he thinks are funny (like Veronica's headband), he will put it on and won't take it off. I can't get this boy to wear a hat in the sun and I can't get him to take off his sister's headband. Such fun!

I must say, this has been the most wonderful summer. We have had so many adventures with the kiddos. There is only more to come!

Veronica and D.J.'s Travel Guide to New York City

Times Square is Exciting!

You might think that since we both are under three years old, we probably don’t appreciate all that the Big Apple has to offer. After all, New York is the “City that never sleeps” and we still need 12-14 hours per day. However, we found that New York has something to offer everyone, even a child who hates crowds and a toddler who can’t stay still. So, we put together this list of travel tips just in case you are traveling to New York and fall under one of these categories.

What to Bring
Grandparents: This is essential for travel. Not only are grandparents (in our case, Lolo and Lola) very fun to be around, they also are great when Mommy and Daddy need a break, nap or just time to go out. They also are known to let you jump on the hotel bed and turn the T.V. on and off an infinite amount of times.

Double wide umbrella stroller: As you may know, New York is a walking city. We spent so much time in our Jeep Wrangler Sport All Weather Twin.

Diaper Bag: Don’t forget this item like my parents did! Your mommy will say bad words at the airport when you have a poop and no wipes and your daddy will hate spending money on things that are sitting in the diaper bag at home.

Where to Stay
We stayed at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. It really didn’t matter to us that this was a luxury hotel in the middle of everything – what really made this hotel cool was all its amenities:

• Glass elevator that provides hours of free fun
• Several escaltors (also very fun)
• Connecting room with Lolo and Lola (so we could let our parents sleep in the morning
• Many doors and drawers to open and close
• Lots of pillows in each room

Daddy liked our room because of the great view of the Bruce Willis billboard.

What to See and Do
City Tour: The wheels on the bus DO go round and round! And we got to see it from the top of the bus, thanks to City Sights NY. The bus took us through each section of Manhattan and we got to see all of the famous big buildings! The best part was when it started to rain and they gave us free ponchos.

D.J.'s tip: The bus is great because you can be as loud as you want and nobody will mind. New York City is very noisy anyway.

Subway: What can be cooler than a train underground??? And it goes really fast, too. However, Mommy and Daddy didn't seem as excited as we were about riding the subway with us - perhaps it's because they had to carry the stroller around while making sure we didn't take off.


Central Park: There are 21 playgrounds found in Central Park, many of which have spray grounds! Although Mommy always forgot our bathing suits, that didn't stop us from getting wet!

Veronica's tip: If you're lucky, you might see a random model having a photo shoot at one of the city parks. Take advantage of this moment to strike a pose.

Central Park Zoo: Animals are always a cool thing to see. However, if you don't like crowds of kids (Veronica), avoid going to the zoo when the day camps are there. Also avoid the penguin exhibit if you don't like dark caves (also Veronica). Across from the main zoo you will find the Children's Zoo where you can feed and pet various animals, including an alpaca! There is also a nifty spider "web" you can climb.

Museum of Natural History: This is a great place to run around and look at lots of things (emphasis on run around). Mommy and Daddy liked learning about the different exhibits, but our favorite part was playing outside in the garden and eating lunch.

• Veronica's tip: Avoid the Africa Room, even though it's most famous part of the whole museum. It's too dark in there. And fake elephants are just too freaky - show me some real ones! I prefer the amphibian and reptile room - snakes and frogs rule!

Battery Park/Statue of Liberty: We didn't exactly see the Statue of Liberty up close, but Mommy pointed it out to us when we went to Battery Park. We didn't care - we were having too much fun on the musical sculpture.

Empire State Building: We love elevators - and this one goes 102 stories! Aside from the long line, we had a lot of fun looking at the whole city from the top.

Veronica's Top Picks

• Escalator at Marriott Marquis: Moving stairs - what could be more fun? The Marriott has four flights of really long escalators. I was really lucky that Lolo was always willing to go with me
  
  
• Big Bil-dins: The buildings in New York are really tall!! They are so pretty to look at, especially the Empire State Building, Rockafeller Center, and the funny looking Flatiron building.

• Place to avoid: Toys 'R Us, Times Square: This store is entirely too busy. The ferris wheel looks inviting at first, but it's just too big and scary. The giant dinosaur and Geoffrey the Giraffe don't help either. If your parents insist on taking you there, just cover your eyes.
  

D.J.'s Top Picks

• Pigeons in Central Park: New York is full of pigeons! I love these birds and don't hesitate to point them out.



• Marriott Marquis Times Square: I can't say enough positive things about this hotel. There are lots of things to play with in the room, including the telephone and safe. And everything is within my reach!

We hope this guide was helpful - enjoy your trip to the Big Apple!