Watch KK Grow

Stories about life with KK, and some other random topics now and then...

Friday, June 29, 2007

Fun Friday

We had a great day today! We started at music class this morning, then came home and splashed around in the backyard at the water table and in the teeny-tiny pool we picked up last summer. KK didn't quite get that the water table is a table and not a pool itself; she ended up sitting in it most of the time. Then, Daddy came home from work early and surprised us by taking us to the big pool. We swam for a couple of hours and had such a fun time. After a nap, Daddy took us downtown to have dinner and there was a concert playing so we hung out and KK danced like a chicken right in front of the stage. (She got her dancing skills from Daddy for sure.) Everyone thought she was pretty funny.

While we were downtown, KK convinced Daddy to buy some very special friends for her shoes (the kind of shoes I vowed she would never wear, but have learned to love because of their amazing convenience). She's thrilled, but I'm sure it's going to be a battle to get her to watch where she is walking now. All in all, we had a very very fun day!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Changes

This week brought a few little changes. Since my work project is over, Wednesday was KK's last day at school. It's actually a very good thing, as the preschool is closing as of tomorrow. It was part of a church and the church could not afford to run it any longer. Apparantly the biggest challenge preschools face is parents not paying tuition. Sad for everyone involved, especially the parents who were faced with finding new care for thier children in two weeks, which was the length of notice the church gave to everyone. It sounds like the preschool will be merging with another local preschool and they'll move into a new church very soon.

On a happier note, sometime when Daddy and I weren't looking KK decided to learn how to do the BIG slide at the park! She used to be a little challenged by even the little slides - she'd go down on her back and fly off the end. Now, she not only has learned to sit up, but has learned to climb the ladder up to the big twisty slide all by herself! Our neighbor took her to the park a few days ago and told us that she was climbing something big, but we assumed it was the steps to the small slide. Imagine my surprise yesterday when I was throwing bumpers for Buddy and turned around to find her on a platform that you can only get to by climbing a steep ladder! (She's getting help in the picture above from her friend, Mason, but she can "Do it!" all by herself too.)

Speaking of Mason, isn't this the cutest picture? He's a neighbor boy who absolutely adores KK - and she can spot him two blocks away. Very sweet!

Monday, June 25, 2007

Ya'at'eeh!

Hello, in Navajo! I've returned from an amazing week in Utah. I've been home for almost two days, but I don't remember much of them. I guess that is what happens when you spend seven nights sleeping on the floor with teenagers. I do remember Daddy and KK meeting me at the church. KK came running to me with her arms outstretched and her pony-less hair flowing in the breeze. (Her hair grew while I was away!!!) I have never seen anything more beautiful than her running towards me with Daddy close behind! : )

So what did I do last week? I chaperoned a group of 30 high school students on a mission trip to the Navajo Reservation. I was also a small group leader for four amazing young ladies throughout the week. While the mission trip was coordinated by the company I used to work for, and I used to go on these mission trips as a staff member, this time I was there purely on a volunteer basis as a youth group chaperone. I loved it, and actually prefer it to being on the staff! Here are pictures of the youth group I went with and of my small group: (We took the group to Elitch Gardens on our way to camp)

Here are "my" girls, Jodi, Kelsey, Kaitlyn and Challys. (Ugh, I look so old!!!) Once we arrived at camp, I was teamed up with five young people from different youth groups (there were a total of 400 people at the camp) and we were assigned a work project for the week. My work crew consisted of three 16 year old boys, and two young women - 18 and 25. We re-roofed, stucco-patched, and primed and painted a house for an elderly Navajo woman named Lucy. Here are some photos of my work crew and the people we served: Jeremy, Mike, Virgil (hidden, Lucy's son), Lucy, Nick, Me, Sarah (in front), and Elise
Back: Mike, Elise, Virgil (son), Roy (son-in-law), Nick.
Front: Me, Sarah, Jeremy.

The last picture was taken on Thursday after Roy had talked to us about the Navajo culture and showed us some of his prayer fans made of Eagle and Hawk feathers. This was a huge milestone, as the week didn't start out all that great. There is an obvious mistrust of outsiders, and an almost-as-obvious undertone of dislike and contempt. When we arrived, we were met by Roy who told us we couldn't go into the house, and that we could use the outhouse "over there" with a wave of the hand. That was pretty much it. After a couple of days of watching us work in the 100+ degree heat, the family started to see that we were really there to work. They came around us more, teased the boys about missing their girlfriends, and invited us into the house to see pictures of the family and to meet Lucy. One day, the two sons were going to take their mother into town for lunch but she changed her mind because it was too hot. They still wanted to go, and they asked if I would look after their mother while they were gone. This was a HUGE honor and I was happy to do it. I brought her lunch, and she slowly said "thank you" to me in English. These were the only words she said to me all week and yet they filled my heart completely because I knew it wasn't easy for her. Here are some pictures of the work we did:
Front Before:
Front After:
Back Before:
Back After:
Side Before:

Side After:
The roof was completed almost exclusively by the three 16 year old boys. We had help on the first day from our local support team who got the shingles on the roof using a hydraulic lift (Thank GOD!! Those suckers are heavy!) Other than that, they only stopped by once a day to make sure we were doing things right. I was so proud of how hard these boys worked! The girls...well...they made sure the dogs were pet and the sheep were watered and they played with the granddaughters when it wasn't too hot for them to be outside. Once the roof was done the boys slowed down quite a bit too - but they worked hard on the roof and that was awesome. I must say that I was most impressed by Mike - he worked hard the entire week (he's Japanese, not Native American, just in case you were wondering. Everyone kept asking which tribe he was from and he thought that was hysterical even though he truly does look Native American.) Here is the proud threesome after they got the last nail into the roof. When we completed the work on Friday I went to say goodbye to Roy, the son-in-law who had greeted us on Monday. He reached out to shake my hand and then surprised me by pulling me in for a long hug. I almost lost it and I knew that all of the work had been worth it. On Friday night, we were honored once again by the entire family (minus Roy) coming to our last program at the school we were staying at. It was kind of loud, so Lucy didn't have much fun, but I was really proud to be sitting with this amazing family who allowed us to be with them for a week. Our crew with Lucy's family members from right: Colonel (son), Alberta (daughter), Jacinda and Naomi (granddaughters), Virgil (son), and Lucy.

Finally, meet Sophie. Sophie is...I mean was...a Rez dog (puppy) who found her way into our sleeping room - along with her 32 ticks, fleas, and no-doubt worms - and ended up smuggled in the back seat of my car on the way home after our main leader told the kids she could NOT come home with us. Sneaky girls. The mom of one of our youth group members is a vet and she got the honors of bringing Sophie home. She sure is cute, but I'm glad she's not mine!

It was an amazing week! KK had a great time with Daddy, Grandma, and other friends and family - so hopefully they'll let me go to camp again next summer! : )

Friday, June 15, 2007

"The Pony"

Daddy loves it when KK has her hair in a pony(tail) almost as much as she does. If I forget to put one in, I am gently reminded with "Pony in?! Pony in?!" - or Daddy will ask me to put one in because he thinks they're so cute. Since I'm going to be gone, Daddy asked me to help him learn how to do a beloved pony. He practiced for quite a while (rather unsuccessfully) and then finally asked, "Isn't there a faster way to put a pony in? Isn't there a machine or something?" HehHeh. This week is gonna be more fun than I thought. : )

I won't get to post for a while, so I want to wish Daddy and Grandpa (MY Daddy) a very happy Father's Day! I'll miss you both while I am on my trip!!!! KK and I love you both!!!! xoxo!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Beach Babes

Yesterday our playgroup met at a local park that has a fun water feature to play in. We suited up the kids and let them splash around for over an hour. I think they had a great time, and they all looked absolutely adorable! I love how laid back the little guy on the left is in this picture. Cuteness! I think I've mentioned before that this group has been together since the kids were around 2 months old. It has been great to watch them grow together - their vocabularies are taking off and they all have so much fun playing. We're lucky to have made such special friends!

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Final Project

This week is my final project for work, and soon I'll be leaving to serve at one of the project locations on the Navajo Reservation. I'm excited and exhausted all at the same time. It has been a wonderful experience working for this organization again. One of the best things about being involved this year is that several people I used to work with came out for training and we were able to spend some time together before they all headed off to their own projects. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for these friends, and it was an honor to spend time with them this past weekend. Here we are after a rousing game of mini-golf up in the mountains.
Brian, Dan, Me, Kent, and Bruce

I can't wait to share more about my upcoming trip when I return...

Winnie the Pooh makes them seem so friendly...

Today we were all outside; Daddy was working on the lawn and I was grabbing things out of my car. KK was in the garage sitting on her bike (we could see her, we didn't let her play in there alone of course). Suddenly she started shrieking and crying. Daddy and I both flew to her but couldn't tell what was wrong - she was still next to her bike and there wasn't anything around her. Then it appeared. A big fat ugly bee was crawling out from between her chubby little thighs. Mean ol' thing had stung her! She handled it like a champ - better than her Daddy did when he got stung a couple of weeks ago. She only cried for a minute, and then spent the rest of the day saying "Bee! Bee sting you??? Bee! Sting!" while nodding her head briskly with eyes wide. And all of her books made her believe that bees were so cute and friendly. Reality can be so cruel.

Here is a happier picture. Pigtails or airplane wings? Hmmmm...

Saturday, June 09, 2007

My little mouse

KK got into her diaper bag and decided to help herself to a piece of blueberry bread I had stashed in there...except she didn't bother to take the wrapper off and just started munching right through it. So THAT'S the trick to get her to eat! From now on, I'll just wrap everything in plastic!

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Vegas!

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...but I'm not one for following the rules so I'll tell all (just don't expect anything too exciting!) First of all, Happy 60th Birthday Mom/Grandma! We had a great time celebrating Grandma's birthday with a long weekend in sin city. Some of her friends surprised her by showing up in Vegas which was really cool! We spent a lot of time at the pool, went to a couple of shows, and put about, oh, one dollar in a slot machine. (At one point I was up $6! Of course I never saw it in the end...Daddy teased me for losing 600% on my investment. I felt like a high roller! heh.)

Grandma has always wanted a tattoo, so for her birthday I got her TWO! Of course they are the henna kind that only last a few weeks, but it was fun and she can test out how she'd like a real one.

Another highlight of our weekend was going to Margaritaville and having (what else) a margarita. KK's favorite Jimmy song came on (Bama Breeze - go ahead and call social services on us...) and for a moment we got a little sentimental about how much we missed her.

More great news...Uncle Rod FINALLY popped the question and put a big shiny diamond on Auntie Shawna's finger right before the Celine concert. Yay!!! We are all thrilled beyond words!

KK had a fabulous time while we were gone. She hung out here at home with our friends Anna and Nancy for the first two days, and then went to spend the rest of the weekend with Uncle Geoff and Auntie Jill. She went to a petting farm, swam in a lake, went to Build-A-Bear and brought home a sweet pink teddy bear that she named Ruby (just like her Godcousin!), and learned to say "Woman! Get me a beer!" For real. I'd say we ALL had a fun weekend! : )

THANK YOU Anna, Nancy, Geoff and Jill for taking such good care of our sweet girl while we were gone!!!!