First (real) Snow

The first real snow of the year came on Saturday...and we promptly bundled up and went to the park. Lovely way to start Christmas week!

Cravings, etc.

Last time it was cantaloupe, fried rice, and hamburgers. This time it's turkey dinner (with cranberry), lemon cupcakes (have yet to indulge), and ham. Don't remember having cravings this early last time...then again I was violently ill most days!

Thankful for small favors. And the baby that is apparently taking ALL the extra calories and putting them to good use. Still weigh the same as I did 10 weeks ago. Despite Thanksgiving weekend!

Dreading what Christmas might bring...calorie wise. ;)

Only one more week of the first trimester. Feels like quite a feat!

Tuesday

It's Tuesday. Which means that yesterday was Monday...which really means that I didn't do much yesterday. Mondays are like that...they follow Sundays. You see my point? Sundays are NOT restful. Ever. Despite our best intentions, etc.

The ward boundaries were changed on Sunday and I am sad to see so many of my new friends leave our ward for the new one. Super glad I failed to return any borrowed items yet...means I have an awesome excuse to drop in on those friends at least once before Christmas. And before the snow comes and makes it impossible to cross town...

Have big-ish plans for the day. Hitting Wal-mart to pick up Harry Potter VI on DVD as a Christmas gift (not-so-secret) and some cheap-o knitting needles. My youngest brother-in-law wants to learn to knit mittens...so I think we'll learn together over the holiday. Assuming he meant it when he asked. Also picking up some books that came in to the library...thank heavens! Need some reading material. Had the crazy idea to cook a turkey today. And then I realized I hadn't thawed it out. Maybe tomorrow? Sounds good right now...

Kiffer says "I feel better...no see the doctor". Yesterday he said, "I sick...see the doctor...help me feel better?". Confession: I "lied" and told him that Daddy was learning to be a sort-of-doctor (because how do you explain "pharmacist" to a 3 year old?) and would give him some medicine to help. He bought it...until he tasted it! Glad he is well. He could use a trip out of the house.

Superman has 2 finals today...of 5. He'll be done on Thursday morning at 8:30am. Fabulous!

Baby #2

...will be coming at the end of June. We're excited and can't wait to meet him/her!

*Ultrasound from last week.

Thanksgiving in KY and Kiffer's Birthday

We spent Thanksgiving weekend in a cabin in Kentucky with family. An awesome way to spend a holiday!

Kiffer enjoyed playing nicely (most of the time) with Cousin Lindsay and sometimes just sat and watched Baby "Cake" (Kate). I am so glad they get to see each other as often as they do! Pretty fun to have a cousin so close in age.

We hiked a couple times and discovered that Kentucky has some incredibly interested geology. Natural Bridge State Resort Park and Skybridge (same park). The kids did great! Such troopers.

Saw so many wild turkeys...excellent timing. :)

Kiffer turned 3 over the weekend and he was thrilled to have candles to blow out...but was not all that interested in eating the cake right away. Opening presents is the best...or so we were told. He really likes to open them...and sometimes fails to notice what is inside.

Good thing we had a pre-Christmas as well...more presents to open!

Did not take as many photos as I thought I had...hope to get some from all the other cameras eventually. Somehow failed to take a single photo (with my own camera) of Kate and Kiffer. Oops!

Halloween 2009

Technically we had an extended Halloween of sorts...pumpkin carving on the 16th, ward party on the 24th, trick-or-treating on the 29th, and Boo at the Zoo today. Phew! That's a lot of Halloween.

Apples and Punkins

Saturday morning we took Kiffer to pick some apples (canning applesauce this week). I'm not sure if he enjoyed picking them, but he did enjoy taste-testing quite a few! Wish we'd been able to do this at Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa's house this year. (We miss you!)

Punkins weren't too great (and terribly expensive)...but he enjoyed sitting on the biggest ones he could find and running through the patch.

It's finally FALL!

Waffles and Popples

Steve made waffles this morning (as it's "pajama Sunday"). Apparently Kiffer has some trouble with the "f" and "th" sounds. So, he calls waffles, "popples". Hysterical!

Yes, we're working on the pronunciation issue...but in the meantime it's just fun to hear him create his words.

This is not the first time I've thought about Popples this week....loved mine. He/she was white with brightly colored features and I loved that he/she rolled up. Still wasn't as cool as my Pound Puppy, though!

Dizzy

After dancing to Bare Naked Ladies' "The Canadian Snacktime Trilogy: Popcorn"...

Mommy, I get "bizzy".

I can't stop laughing!

Plans

I had fun plans for the day. They were GREAT plans. Woke up more sick than when I went to bed. Guess it's my turn to have whatever the boys had the last two weeks. Ugh.

Still have to bake cupcakes and cookies for enrichment tonight. And Kiffer has Parachute Play and Tumble class in a couple hours.

My most ambitious plan was to clean the house. Not happening today! Oh, and make a video of Kiffer. He's becoming such a ham! And he speaks SO well now...maybe tomorrow.

I think it's going to take more than a week to get use to having Daddy gone most of the day. Everyday. Man, we're so spoiled after our 4 month summer!

Goodnight

Me: Goodnight, sweetie! I love you.
Kiffer: Goodnight, squeezie! I lub you!

Busier Than It Seems

The only decent photo I got while camping...spent most of my time trying to make sure Kiffer didn't escape to the lake or parking lot. Kiffer and his friend "smiling" for the camera...all bundled up as it got cold over night. Kiffer woke up and immediately asked to "play with the kids". That's all he cared about! Seems he forgives easily...the night before the big kids (11 years old for crying out loud!) had been trying to steal his glow sticks.

Jelly Bean School was at our house this last week. There are 5 boys (2-3 years old) in our group. We "studied" the ocean (animals)...do you know how funny it is to hear a 2.5 year old say "sea star"? Hilarious! Mostly they enjoyed eating the goldfish and gluing eyes on the jellyfish finger puppets. They also spent a great deal of time in the sandbox...and now most of the sand is on the patio! Naturally. Kiffer had some trouble sharing his toys. Hope it goes better for him when he's at someone else's house.

We also started Parachute Play and Tumble this last week. Kiffer is one of the oldest and certainly the most energetic. It's a parent-child class...which means I get a work-out, too. While he doesn't like to follow the circuit so well (gymnastics course)...he does like the dancing/singing and the teacher.

Steve starts school this week...finally! He has orientation tomorrow and starts classes on Wednesday. As much I've loved having him home 24-7 for the last 3+ months, we're ready. We need a schedule!

Gone Campin'

Preparing for the ward camp-out, spending the night in a tent with a toddler, hopefully swimming a little in the lake, enjoying campfire talk with new friends. Back tomorrow.

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

We're in love with the zoo...we've been twice in the last week and plan to go tomorrow. This is "Tangy"...named by Kiffer (as he can't say 'orangutan'). They had lunch together yesterday!

Last Week in D.C.

We saw a LOT, walked a ton, avoided the heat by taking the metro when possible, and saw a few Imax films (including Harry Potter VI). Ended up enjoying the trip enough to ignore the camera for the most part! Only a few decent shots to share...enjoyed the monuments by night and those night-time shots are terrible. Need to learn to use the new camera!

Our new favorites: The National Postal Museum, The U.S. Botanic Garden. We still adore the Freer, Sackler, and The Natural History Museum. Thoroughly enjoyed the National Geographic exhibit on lions...incredible photos and stories! The Museum of the American Indian had a fascinating exhibit on tribes today. Last time we went the Museum of American History was closed, so this time we visited there first. Absolutely loved seeing Julia Child's kitchen and the exhibit on Lincoln.

We had a great time and can't wait to go back...next time we'll take Kiffer. I'm sure he'd LOVE the Natural History and Air & Space.


*Photos: Postal Museum, Steve and the Capitol, Botanic Garden

Colors

While quizzing Kiffer on the colors of the M&Ms he was eating...we came to "brown". I knew he didn't know the color, but asked anyway. His answer? "Chocolate!"

Out

We're out and about...spending the week at Grandma's (Kiffer)...and D.C. (just the two of us!). Cannot even tell you just how much we're looking forward to this! Be prepared for lots of photos next week. (Because you can never take too many monument photos.)

Pets...or no pets?

Having found a new favorite pet store...we are now enjoying a little animal therapy when the mood strikes. I love the bunnies, Kiffer loves the fish, and Steve makes friends with the birds.

We ALL like the hamsters. Thinking hard about getting one. Is Kiffer too little? Will it be more work than a dog? What if we go out of town?

Any thoughts?

Donkey Boy

It would seem we've lost our fear of "big" animals. ;) We're so comfortable with them that we don't mind if they nibble on our fingers. Cute, huh?

How cool is this?!

Doodle Bread...so cool.

Ohio State Fair

Christopher's favorite part? "Fun parking on da grass." Apparently he gets a real kick out of us driving off the road.

Catching Up

I have no idea where to begin! It's been a busy few weeks. How about a list of things we've done?

-Mark and Rachel's wedding
-found the perfect apartment (2 bdrms and a basement!)
-rode the train in downtown Kent on July 4th
-moved in
-birthdays x3
-sent Anna off to the MTC
-spent time with Grandma and Grandpa
-spent time with friends at the lake (so nice to see our Ann Arbor friends)
-went to Wal-Mart one too many times for random things we thought we still owned
-finally got internet at the new place
-obtained a library card
-explored some rather large indoor malls with amazing playgrounds
-located a super cool park...think we'll spend most days there while Superman's at school

Doesn't look like much, but it feels like it. We're exhausted and slowly catching up. Next up? Ohio State Fair! And then Superman goes hiking with his dad and brothers while Kiffer and I spend the weekend with Grandma. I assume that's the last of the "big" adventures for the summer...but you never know.

*Photos from riding the train.

We're ALIVE!

Not sure I'm totally "with it"...but we're here. We made it to Ohio. And we're exhausted. Didn't take too many photos...but I'll post them this weekend. We still have the same cell numbers, so if you need to contact us, go ahead and call!

Keeping Busy

We have 5 days until we leave (bumped up the time frame so we can stop in Provo to see my siblings). We're nearly completely packed (just the clothes we want to wear next week and bathroom stuff still unpacked). So, what shall we do all week?

Today: Steve's micro final, my quality time with the new dentist (cavity...icky), strawberry-rhubarb pie making, Kiffer will most likely "swim" in the kiddie pool, and our evening walk

The rest of the week: ??

We're having a little trouble filling up our days...who knew that could happen?

Preparing

We're slowly getting ready to make the big move to Ohio. Only 10 days left to get finished up. No matter how many times we've moved there are ALWAYS things to do that we forget about. This time that includes: getting our mail forwarded (which the USPS recommends doing at least 2 weeks in advance), getting reimbursed by the ward for all that Scout stuff we didn't need to buy, visiting the dentist (ugh), finding someone to take the play structure/slide, re-stocking Mom and Dad's food storage (we used ALL the oats), teaching in nursery one last time (assuming they remember to release me), and attending an end-of-the-school-year bbq at a friend's house.

And finals. Superman still has finals. Poor guy!

Needless to say, we'll be somewhat unavailable for the next 2 weeks or so. See you on the other side!

Rock-a-baby

The other night he requested "rock-a-baby in the chair". So, I rocked him in the rocking chair while we sang "rock-a-baby in tree tops". Should have taken a photo. It was a ploy to extend bedtime, but it melted my heart. He is not a cuddly kid!

This morning he had me move his little white rocking chair to his room so he could rock himself and sing. Sweet.

Doing Our Part

2 hours of entertaining/teaching 18 month-3 year olds (12 of them!) each Sunday...in the middle of lunch/naptime...in a teeny-tiny room...with several who are potty training. That's "doing our part". And it's exhausting. Just glad one of them is mine...makes it worth it!

Arrrgh!

Says the pirate who thinks all boats are pirate boats and all fishermen are pirates.

We enjoyed a wonderful weekend up north: first visiting the great-grandparents at the "parm" and then at the "shoshen". Did you know that kite flying is serious business?

We're Boring

...but busy. I really ought to post some photos or something! Anything! I'll see what I can come up with...maybe a video of Kiffer talking about the ghostlight? (from Cars)

Eggs

It's a good thing he likes to eat them! ;)

Cleaning my room is fun to do, to do, to do...

...to do. Um, yeah. That's how the song goes, but I'm not sure it's true! ;) Those of you with kids in nursery probably know this song is merely meant to convince kids that various things can be fun to do...singing, cleaning, etc.

Anyway, the point is that I have a lot TO DO. And that song is stuck in my head. I'm posting my "to do" list because somehow making it public is a better motivator than that silly song!

clean room
clean kitchen and all those dishes
laundry
potty training (because he's just TOO into the little potty/underwear and why keep putting it off?)
mail some stuff
finish those pjs (x2 because Katelyn asked for them for her birthday and I didn't get them done and because I deserve a new pair)
bake some oatmeal cookies for Superman (using all those raisins Kiffer got in his basket and won't eat)
edit photos (Easter, tamale making, etc)
post those photos

Okay, maybe it doesn't look like much...but it sure feels like a LOT! (Sewing and potty training can be time consuming.)

First Real Hike

Kiffer went on his first "real" hike on Monday. (meaning he actually walked part of it himself) We're so proud! He hiked about 1 mile of the 3 miles on his own...uphill for a good portion of that. At the top he kept saying, "sit down?". We thought it was funny until we realized just how far he'd actually walked...and that he really was tired! The animal crackers helped...and he got to ride the whole way down.

*Lower Table Rock: view of Mt. McLoughlin and Upper Table Rock

It's Beachy

Over Superman's break we enjoyed a couple days in Winchester Bay: crabbing, walking in the sand (or running as the case may be), kite flying, watching the shucking of oysters, eating clam chowder, and roasting marshmallows on the beach. The weather was "iffy", but it was a great couple of days!

Kiffer REALLY enjoyed the sand and the "shoshen" (ocean). He now talks quite a bit about "dabs" (crabs) and how they are swimming (when we threw them back for being too small) and have eyes (that wiggle!). He was VERY upset about all the "boken" shells. Oregon isn't known for having fabulous undamaged seashells...it's the norm for me to keep the mostly whole shells and not worry too much about the minor damages. Kiffer disagrees.

*Winchester Bay is VERY "beachy"...