A Place We Love

One of our favorite places to hang out is "The Ranch", a big piece of beautiful property owned by our friend Calvin's parents less than two hours outside of town. KK is best friends with Calvin and Kelly's kids Bobby & Lindsay, and they had a blast together this weekend, despite the near freezing temperatures! (Darn unpredictable North Texas weather....)

We all look forward to watching the kids grow up here together. They are getting so much easier now that they are big enough to run and play outside.

"Cupcakes on My Hands"

Today Katelynn was chattering on and on about wanting "cupcakes on her hands." I had no idea what she was talking about, but she was very adamant about it.

Then, flash back to the morning and -ding!- lightbulb:

KK took a shower with me as she often does, especially when she wakes up too early and I lay comatose on the couch with Caillou on for an hour. While in the shower I told her to hold out her hands. I filled them up with big fluffy piles of shaving cream, which she loved. She stood there staring at them, transfixed, then rubbed the cream all over her legs with glee. We repeated this process a few times.

Big piles of shaving cream in her little hands.... cupcakes on her hands!

Mash-N-Taters

All kids have words and phrases that they say incorrectly, but in such a way that is so darn cute that we encourage the mis-pronunciation. My brother called Raisin Bran "Bran-ees-man". I called the Merry-go-round the "Merry-round-go". Katelynn calls mashed potatoes "mash-n-taters."

She gets very excited when we are going to eat mash-n-taters and talks about them a lot. It is so adorable that not only have we not bothered to correct her, we have started calling them mash-n-taters ourselves.

It is the little things like this that bring daily joy to life with a toddler!

Introducing Isabelle

My beautiful niece Isabelle Eden came into the world on February 26, 2009 weighing 1 pound 9 ounces and 11.75 inches long. I thought it was time to introduce her on my blog. She came very early and it has been a very scary time for her mommy and daddy and all of the family. She will be spending a lot of time in the NICU so that her little lungs have time to finish developing and get strong. If you want to follow her full story, here is a link to the website that my brother Griff and sister-in-law Jen set up:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/isabellebabb

Izzy, we love you, and we can't wait till Griff and Jen can bring you home!

Gifts

KK is getting better about understanding the concept of gifts - especially when they are for her. Recently her Nanna gave her a puppy dog, new shoes, and a new coat - all on the same day! She appropriately displayed her appreciation by trying them all on at once. Thanks Nanna!

KK's Placemat

As I wrote the title of this post, I realized it might be a bit of a misnomer. Perhaps it should be titled "Silly Perfectionism." Or maybe "Mommy's Anal Retentive Attention to Detail When it Comes to School Projects of Any Sort."

A few weeks ago, I received a note from Katelynn's preschool that I should send ten pictures of her favorite foods the next week, which would be used to make a placemat. The note suggested that pictures could be clipped from magazines or that we could send pictures of our child eating some of the favorite foods.

I have been a lover of "projects" since about... well, birth probably. The annual Science Fair was always one of the big highlights of the year. I also want my projects to look good. So I knew I would not be satisfied with magazine cut-outs. I googled "Free High Resolution Food Pictures" and the world wide web did not disappoint. I found so many beautiful food pictures all for the taking! I had them printed up at the local Walgreens.

The results are below. In case you are wondering, Katelynn's placemat was the best in the class and mommy shamefully admits she felt a little smug about it...

It Finally Clicked!

Last fall we bought a Radio Flyer tricycle for Katelynn. She enjoyed being pushed on it (though our backs did not) and would sometimes ride around on it Flintstone style since she could not figure out the concept of the alternating pedals. Daddy has worked with her off and on since we got the trike, but things still were not clicking for her.

This week something finally all came together. Not only can she properly use the pedals, she knows how to steer quite well. This morning she went around the pool table in circles over and over and over. She is pretty thrilled about it too!

Pretend Play

Katelynn is really getting into "pretend play" these days. As already noted by guest author Nanna, she likes picnics a lot. Lately at home we have been laying out one of her beloved blankets and spreading out her grocery cart of fake food. She likes to be in control of the picnic and can be a bit stingy with the dispensing of food, though. However she was successful tonight in getting Daddy to eat an artichoke, which was definitely a first.

Tonight I also found her with a baby doll laid out on the floor. She was trying to get her Gerber training panties onto the doll and was having an interesting interchange with her. "Lay still! Don't get up!" "You need to put your big girl panties on!" The tone was pretty convicting; I knew right away that she was imitating her mommy!

The Fruit & Cheese Addiction

Gene and I seem to get into our little food routines. We get on a kick with one thing or another. For going out, lately we have been addicted to Mooyah burgers. At home, we have become a little....errr.... obsessed with fruit and cheese plates.

It started out simple. We didn't like the way an experimental meal turned out one night, so after KK went to bed we went in search of a good snack. Gene suggested some cheese and crackers, then asked for an orange to go with it. It seems things have escalated from there, and it has become a tradition at least 2-3 nights per week. Every week when I grocery shop, I make sure we have at least three kinds of cheese and two kinds of crackers. I always buy tons of fruits at my beloved Super H-Mart so we are covered there.

Even when I intend to make a small plate, it seems to somehow grow... and grow... and grow. Hopefully our waist lines don't grow too much!

Interesting Grocery Finds

There are lots of unique items sold at the Asian grocery store that most of us would find a bit... strange. There is an extensive fresh fish market, and this alone is a sight to behold for those of us that were raised on beef and chicken and the occasional fish filet. Most of it is sold with all the eyeballs, fins, and other parts still intact. They also sell a lot of live fish, crabs, lobster, etc in tanks, and for this reason KK always looks forward to her visit to the fish section of H-Mart.

Sometimes I see items that just make me laugh though... they are so out of the realm of what I am used to eating in my little world! I couldn't resist snapping a quick picture of this one.

Seeing the World Through Katelynn's Eyes

By: Guest Author Nanna

KK has brought a new enjoyment of life to Nanna and Pop-Pop. We love watching her grow and learn. She makes us laugh, sometimes she makes Nanna cry, but that's another story. Today I want to tell you about seeing the world through Katelynn's eyes.

Katelynn gathered up tissues from the box on the shelf and spread them out in a circle. She smoothed them until she liked the arrangement, and she told Nanna and Pop-Pop and Mommy and Daddy to sit down. She went to the kitchen drawer and got out five serving spoons. I'm talking about the spoons I use to serve mashed potatoes, the biggest spoons I own. We were all instructed to sit down and eat our (invisible) spaghetti. She joined us, and we all ate our invisible spaghetti. When we finished, someone asked for cake. KK went to her room and brought back five square blocks and set one in front of each of us.

I grew weary of trying to get the block onto the humongous spoon, so I picked it up. A little hand reached over and gently pushed my hand down and a little voice said, "Nanna, use your spoon." I tried the clumsy spoon and block thing again and again, and then reverted to picking it up with my fingers. Each time I was gently told, "Nanna, use your spoon." No yelling, no hitting, just gentle reminders.

Getting tired of the game, I picked up my magazine to read. Now mind you, everyone was still pretending to eat cake in our little circle, so what would it hurt if I read for a minute. Another gentle reminder, "Nanna, it's not time for books, it's time to eat." So, I put my magazine down and pretended to eat cake. A little while later, I tried to get away with it again, and I was gently reminded, "Nanna, it's not time for books, it's time to eat."

This entire game gave me great insight into Katelynn's world. We give children utensils they can't handle well, and food of odd shapes and then tell them not to use their fingers. We take them from an activity they are absorbed in and tell them it's time for something else.

I was also impressed with KK's manner. She didn't raise her voice. She gently reminded me again and again and again that I needed to use my spoon or put my book down. Once in a while she also moved my hand for me, if I didn't do it quickly enough. It told me a lot about how her mom is treating her, and I approve!