She's still Pampered

Sometime during the past couple of weeks KK has started to announce when she has dirtied her diaper. It doesn't bother her if she's dirty, she just matter-of-factly says "poop" when appropriate. Last night Daddy also taught her to say "potty" (so far she hasn't used this one in context of herself, just says it when she points at the toilet). So, I thought I should try to take advantage of her ability to recognize at least one of her own functions and buy her a seat for the big potty. As we got it set up, I talked to her excitedly about it, and she seemed interested. So I undressed her for her bath, and sat her on it. She HATED IT!!! She clung to me for dear life, screaming and crying her eyes out the entire time.

I guess she's just not ready for this step yet, which I think is normal considering she's so young. And honestly I don't think I am ready either. Sprinting across a restaurant, mall, airport, whatever, to get to a bathroom isn't something I'm in a hurry to do. So, we'll try again later. For now, we'll simply admire this lovely new piece of furniture. : )

Merry Christmas

We had a very nice Christmas weekend! On Saturday we went to Uncle T's home so we could spend some time with all of the family together. Auntie K planned a cheese and chocolate fondue spread, and it was delicious! Her house was decorated so pretty, and we all had a very nice time!

On Christmas Eve, Grandma M and Uncle Ry and his family came to our house and spent the night. We ate and ate and ate, and drank plenty too. Santa brought KK and her cousin C some very fun presents from the North Pole. She also received many nice gifts from her family! If I could describe KK's Christmas (and ours) in one word, it would be "abundant." We've been working on clearing out "old" toys (I'm trying to make sense of a child who is only 16 months old having "old" toys...) to donate to a worthy place. Anyway, she has loved playing with her new things!

  
AND, AND, AND (speaking of abundant!) DADDY AND KK GOT ME A NIK*N D50 DSLR! WITH A 18-55mm LENS!!! AND A PHOTO PRINTER!!! Holy moly! I'm itching to get started on learning how to use it, but for the past couple of days all I can do is stare at it in awe. I'll admit I'm a little scared of it - my tummy does butterfly dances just looking at the thing! So, maybe soon I'll be posting some not-so-blurry-or-yellow-with-less-red-eye photos. I hope so, anyway. Yipee!

KK, Daddy, and I hope that you also had a wonderful Christmas!

My first meme!

A while back I was tagged by Lynanne to do a meme. I'm finally catching up, and here it is!

(Oh, and first...Happy Winter Solstice, the days are getting longer again! Hooray!)

1. Explain what ended your last relationship?
I grew up (sort of). He didn’t (at all).

2. When was the last time you shaved?
This morning.

3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.?
Enjoying being told not to come in to work for the third day!

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
Reading blogs.

5. Are you any good at math?
Ha. Haha. Hahahahahaha! I failed 9th grade Algebra and never took another math class again. Oh wait, yes I did. In my first year at college I took a class called “Math Excursions” which was math for people who were probably never going to earn a degree. Which I haven’t. Yet. But I do balance my checkbook, to the penny, every single month.

6. Your prom night?
I did get asked by one person, but he creeped me out a little bit so I politely declined. So then I had to beg the guy that I had recently dumped to go with me because nobody else asked. He finally said he would, after much basking in my humiliation. We had dinner at Arby’s, I think. Or maybe it was Taco Bell? Either way, we went through the drive-through. Sweet and romantic. Ha. In the end I was glad I went with him. We're still friends.

7. Have you had to take a loan out for school?
No. I paid for my first year on my own, then the company I worked for paid for some later. I probably have enough credits for a degree – but unfortunately they are just random credits and don’t apply to any program. AND most of them have “expired.” Did you know that credits expire? I think if credits expire, then degrees should have to expire too!

8. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace profile?
Uhhhm, no? Do I have a space?

9. Last thing received in the mail
Christmas cards! I loooooove Christmas cards – especially ones with letters and/or pictures! I've been bummed about this blizzard because I've missed getting Christmas cards. (And the ones I was supposed to send are stuck in a FedEx warehouse somewhere...they will be very late!)

10. How many different beverages have you had today?
Not enough. One glass of milk, one glass of OJ, KK’s leftover apple juice and NO water. I need to get better at drinking water.

11. Do you ever leave messages on people’s answering machine?
Usually.

12. Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity to?
Motley Crue of course!

13. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
Nope. Auntie Sunshine draws both of our names in the sand along with pretty designs…and I just take lots of pictures.

14. What was the most painful dental procedure you have had?
Hmmmm. Root canal? Strangely, dental procedures don’t bother me much.

15. What is out your back door?
A beautiful deck built by Daddy and Uncle Ray. And a HELL OF A LOT of snow.

16. Any plans for Friday night?
That would be tonight. I'm mentally preparing to see my father-in-law on Saturday. And baking a little. And cleaning a little. And blogging a little.

17. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
If I’m near the ocean it probably means I’m on a beach – and I hesitate to complain about that! But, no, I really do not like frizzy hair (at least when it's my own).

18. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?
I don’t think so, but I’ve probably eaten the contents of AT LEAST one of them.

19. Have you ever been to a planetarium?
Yes, when I was a kid. Somewhere in downtown Minneapolis I think.

20. Do you re-use towels after you shower?
Yep. I have to do enough laundry as it is.

21. Some things you are excited about?
- Anything and everything that has to do with KK.
- The holidays
- Giving Daddy, and everyone else, gifts.
- January 1. The holidays will be over and life gets back to normal. Whatever normal is.

22. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO?
Strawberry mixed with Cool Whip and chilled. Yummy!

23. Describe your keychain(s)?
A high school picture of me and Auntie Sunshine from one of those picture booths – and on the other side a picture of the words “Best Friends” – written in the sand!

24. Where do you keep your change?
In KK’s ginormous “Wedding Fund” piggy bank that Daddy’s friends had made special before KK was even born. They thought that this might help Daddy out when it comes time to pay for the wedding. It won’t – he’ll still pass out when he gets the bill.

25. What kind of winter coat do you own?
A simple black leather jacket. And a cute black down vest that Uncle Rod and Auntie Shawna just got me for my birthday.

26. What was the weather like on your graduation day?
I don’t remember – I couldn’t see through all of the tears. What was I thinking??? Really I think it was nice and sunny.

27. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed?
Open.

28. Tag three people:
Hmmm...I don't know of any other bloggers that read my blog except for Auntie Sunsine and Lynanne (who meme'd ME with this!) So I'll tag Auntie Sushine...and Mom, Paula, and Karyn can do it over e-mail if they want!

More snow fun!

Walking in a winter wonderland
















Stuck in a snowdrift












The boys

















Snow Bunny
















Handsome fella










Seriously cute

Blizzard

Life has essentially come to a stop. Remember our first snow of the season?:

Same view, today:

The view from inside:
Daddy and some of the neighbors have been pulling together to get everyone dug out - although once they are dug out there is really no place to go. They are just having fun being typical guys - plowing through snow banks with their trucks and loving every second of it. BuddyBuddy has also been having the time of his life catching snowballs.


When KK wakes from her nap, we're going to play outside in the snow and make the best out of being stranded. We'll see if she likes it as much as her doggy does. I feel bad for people stuck at the airport, or even worse - on the highways.

Uncle Ry and his family are "stuck" in Mexico. I'm sure it is frustrating to not know when they will get home, but if there is a place to be stuck while there is a blizzard at home, Mexico would be it! We hope they're having fun on their unexpected extended vacation!

Who needs a Christmas card anyway???

I haven't been posting for the past few days because I have been busy trying to get a photo worthy to send out on our family Christmas card. I'm having a hard time choosing between these great shots:

#1 The "If I crouch and run, she won't get me!" shot:

#2 The "The kid ran, so I'm outta here too!" shot:

#3 The "headless dog" shot:

#4 The "tongue action" shot:

#5 The "If you squint really hard and blink fast, it will almost look focused!" shot:

or #6 (my personal favorite) The "snarling dog, puking baby" shot:
Decisions, decisions.

Home from home

We're back from our wonderful trip to Minnesota. Thank you for guest blogging for us, Auntie Sunshine!

The week went by way too fast and it was very hard to leave. I never get to spend as much time with people as I want to, and I always miss seeing some people altogether. I'm looking forward to going back again!

We arrived on Wednesday and got settled in. Uncle Rod and Auntie Shawna came over and we just hung out. On Thursday we went with Auntie Sunshine to visit Heather and her precious brand new baby boy. (Can we say baby fever??? Oh, he was sooo cute!!!) On Friday we hung out with Grandpa, went to meet Grandma's hairstylist, and then later that night Auntie Sunshine and I went to see a movie.

On Saturday KK went to the FARM! She met some relatives and got to play with her third-cousin who is only a couple of years older than her. She also got to see guinea hens, chickens, sheep, bunnies, pigs, horses, cows, and wild deer. She even went for a ride on Trigger, a very big Appaloosa! There was a kitty cat who followed KK around everywhere, but there were so many other animals to see that she hardly noticed the kitty at all. The pigs decided to eat KK's mittens off which I did not appreciate, but KK thought it was hilarious so I got over it. Here are some fun farm pictures.
  
Here is another picture that I love: The house at the end of the road was built by KK's great-great-grandfather in 1904. Her great-grandfather took over the farm several years later, and now it belongs to her great-uncle. Her grandfather (my Dad) was born in that house. The farm is a very special place, and I have so many memories of time spent there. Hopefully KK will grow up with many memories from the farm too!

The rest of the week included more time with family and friends, going to church, watching "Polka Hour" with Grandpa, admiring/playing with/destroying Grandma's Christmas decorations, playing with Uncle Rod (getting scared and running away after he'd pop out from under a blanket), playing on a red rocking chair that I used when I was little, a visit to the Mall of America, and a trip to Macy's in downtown Minneapolis to see the annual animated display and Santa. It was a great week!
  

Guest blogger

Auntie Sunshine here. Mama S and Baby K arrived safe and sound and thankfully brought some nice weather with them. KK is way too big, running around and talking. I could listen to her say yellow all day. Lello. She is by far the cutest thing ever.



Thursday we visited our friend H and her new baby boy for lunch and lots of catching up. KK wasn't too interested in Nolan, other than walking by and saying "Hi Baby!" every so often, but she loved all the toys and man did she want to get ahold of that cat. Poor Snips was running for his life.

Last night Mama S and I went to see "Little Miss Sunshine" at the theater she used to manage when we were in high school. It was very cute, sweet, sad, and so hi-larious...and surprisingly, not at all about me. I'd post the photo we took in the back of the theater, but Mama S would probably kill me. We were getting yelled at by some little teeny bopper who works there now. Obviously he didn't understand that she has rockstar status in that building. He invited us to take "all the pictures you want. In the lobby". Needless to say we were both laughing in the photos. Just a little less than flattering.

Afterwards we hung out with Jboy at my house, trying to come up with ideas for our Christmas lists. Mama S is sick and tired of me putting Ewan McGregor and Joss Whedon on my list every year, but that's not going to stop me from asking Santa.

Today Mama S and KK are Up North, visiting the farm. We're supposed to hit 40° so it should be perfect. KK's name for animals is Buddy. I can just imagine her up there, "Hieee Buuuudeee!" Should make for some adorable pics when they get back.

Okay, hopefully the photo will load. Posting from the home porn-infested computer, so I never know what I'm going to get.

Headin' home!

In the morning, KK and I fly to Minnesota for a week of visiting friends and family! It's been a busy couple of days...tonight we went to a concert with some friends in a city an hour away and got home late. Now I need to finish packing. We won't have easy access to a computer (gasp!) so it will probably be quiet here for a week or so. I'm sure there will be lots of pictures and stories to post when we get home, though!

AND, I've been tagged with a meme! I don't really know what "meme" means, or even how it is pronounced, but I get the concept and I'm game! Maybe I can sneak onto the computer at Grandma's office for awhile next week to get it posted...

In the meantime, here is Santa's little helper, day dreaming about being a VERY good girl on the flight in the morning. (pleeeaaase!)

Getting ready, and a visit from Dave

On Wednesday, KK and I are going to visit our friends and family in Minnesota. This will be KK's fifth trip there. On all of the previous trips, she has been a great flyer...but she also didn't know how to walk. I have a feeling this trip might be a bit more of a challenge. We bought a portable DVD player, and hopefully her love of Baby Einstein will keep her happy during the flight. So, for the past couple of days we've been getting ready for the trip and trying to get a good start on Christmas shopping so it's not too crazy when we get home.

On Sunday night, my good friend Dave from junior high and high school stayed with us as he traveled through town on business. Well, he actually traveled well out of his way to see us, which was so nice of him! All three of us (Dave, Daddy, and me) stayed up late catching up on news and reminiscing. He's doing terrific and it was great to spend some time with him. Of course his visit was way too short. We're hoping that maybe someday he and his wife can come visit and stay a little longer...or that we can go out to see them in California. And of course we have our 20 year class reunion to look forward to very soon. Did I just really type 20 YEAR class reunion and very soon in the same sentence??? I think I hear my bones creaking...

KK is 16 months old!

What a fun month this has been! If I could use one word to describe KK's personality lately, it would have to be "funny." She has a way of making us laugh, and her own laugh just melts me completely. The mirror is her best friend; she loves to dance and make silly faces for herself. She still does her cute looks out of the corners of her eyes, or with her head down and her eyes up. She has also started making devious "I know I shouldn't be doing this, but watch me do it anyway" faces. She often makes sure you're watching her before she starts to go for something she shouldn't. She is just so darn cute!

KK's vocabulary is developing quickly. She knows too many words for me to list, but her latest are: light, hot!, please, more, no, day, one-two-three, yellow, blue, and a raspy little roar sound for green. Most of the words are very clear, but a few of them still need some work.

While she has been doing better with eating, she's still hit or miss. We've tried having her use a baby spoon a couple of times but she's not really interested. She did use a baby fork the other day, but she gagged herself on the first bite and then refused to try again. Plates and bowls are also a joke - even if they suction onto the highchair tray, she can get them off and onto the floor in half a second. She'll drink from a sippy cup or from a straw, and with help she can drink from a cup. However, she is still VERY attached to the "ba-ba." Besides two bites of an apple the other day, she's still not going for whole/solid fruits or veggies (except for corn and bananas). Most of her food ends up on the floor. She seems to be growing fine, and she's definitely getting heavier, so we'll just have to be patient and let her go at her own pace.

Today was also my 36th birthday, so KK and I shared a birthday cake. This is one food she keeps saying "more!" to!

Happy 16 month birthday KK!

Fare thee well, Greg Wiggle.

As a former children's choir director, I am probably more interested in children's music than the typical parent. I actually love listening to kids music in the car and definitely know the words to more children's songs than regular songs. I also love watching kids TV shows...the more music and songs in them the better. So, I was very sad to learn that Greg The Yellow Wiggle will be leaving The Wiggles due to health problems. This morning as we faithfully watched The Wiggles, I actually got teary eyed more than once. This is one of KK's favorite shows and I hate to see it change - it has enough singing and dancing and colors to keep her interested for the entire program (not the mention the bonus of the "Go Baby" show that follows). She LOVES it! I also think it is sad when someone has to stop doing something they love because of their health.

So, even though Purple Wiggle Jeff is my favorite (partly because I think he may be Native American - Navajo specifically, based on his appearance and last name...) we will miss Greg Wiggle very much. Goodbye Greg Wiggle, we wish you the best.

On a happier note, today was babysitting co-op Friday and we hosted at our house. The kids were wonderful. This group has been playing together since they were only a couple of months old and they do SO well with each other. Today they were all really fascinated with the snow outside, and loved looking out (and banging on) the windows while one of the other moms and I played with all of the toys. : )