Wordless Wednesday--Sunshine, Sidewalk Chalk, Bubbles, and Rocks

Now that the weather is more delightful than frightful, we spend a good deal of time outside. We had fun playing with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and rocks. I have no pictures of Kenly throwing rocks and sticks in the creek because she would be in the water if I let go long enough to take a picture.

Gotta love a little girl who shoves rocks in her pockets.

March Madness

March has been a great month full of wonderful surprises. I can't believe that April is almost here and that Kenly is closer to 2 than she is to 1. How can I almost be the mother of a 2 year old? Not possible, right?

Kenly and Adam play with blocks on a nightly basis. Adam builds a tower and then Kenly knocks it down. Adam has been teaching her to wait and to ask before she kills the tower. We'd hate for her to have her head knocked off in the nursery because she knocked over someones tower without asking.
Adam builds towers with windows. He and Kenly crawl around on all fours looking at each other through the windows. It is adorable to watch.
While Adam was working on his National Boards, Kenly and I went to Augusta to hang out with Nana and Papa for the weekend. While we were there, we went to a hot air balloon expo. It was good fun, and Kenly nearly lost her mind with excitement. Then she got tired and grumpy and we had to leave the premises quickly before I snatched a knot in her tail.
Kenly wanted to run under the balloon that was being tossed about by wind gusts. Toddlers don't take too kindly to being restrained.
The balloons were tethered. They were doing a dusk show...the fire is so cool at night. This balloon was tied to four cars and people were paying money for a short ride up into the air.


Kenly is really into giving kisses. If she likes/loves something, she wants to kiss it. It is too cute. I frequently hear, "Kiss. Kiss it mommy."
We tried to fix the grumpiness with an apple, but it didn't work. Oh well.
This month we also tried Play-doh. Kenly is a fan, but she wants me to make her things. She doesn't really play with it unattended which is probably good. We would have less play-doh because I'm sure she would try and eat it.
She asks to play with the play-doh by name though.
March has been a good month, full wonder and childhood magic.

Duckett House Getaway

Mops and Pops came up to allow Adam and I to run away to celebrate his 34th year on this Earth. Adam had a FLANC conference all day Saturday, so I got to hang out with Mops and Pops a bit.

After Adam got home from the conference, we took off for Hot Springs, North Carolina. We love Hot Springs. In fact, Adam proposed to me in Hot Springs, so it will always be one of those special spots. We have never splurged on a Bed and Breakfast in Hot Springs. Most of the time we camp or stay in rustic cabins. So, I decided we were staying at the Duckett House. We loved the house. It is homey instead of Victorian and elegant. When you walk in your are greeted my the loving, loyal dog and a cat named Monster. The rooms are beautiful, but more country than fancy. After we checked in, we took off to the Magnolia Inn to eat at Martha's. We had a lovely dinner in a room all to ourselves which is a good thing. Adam and I were absolutely giddy--getting away can do that to us. We finished dinner and headed back to the B & B to get ready for our soak in tub #5 at the hot springs. We had an hour long soak in our favorite tub that sits where a creek and a river meet. We headed back to the Duckett House relaxed and ready for bed.

The next morning we got up to and had a few cups of coffee sitting on this porch swing. There is a lovely creek that sings to you as you swing. We had a delicious breakfast served family style in the dining room.
After we finished breakfast, we packed our things and headed home. Just a few short hours recharged us and we were ready to hug our little girl. When we got home, Mops, Pops, and Kenly had gone on a walk-about. We met her at the top of the stairs when she got home. I nearly melted when she bounced and squealed, "EXCITED! Mommy and Daddy home. Yay."

A Beautiful Mess

Adam's birthday was March 16th. I wanted to make him a card he couldn't forget. Enter finger painting. In the past, we have used finger paints to capture Kenly's growing hands and feet, but never have we turned her loose with finger paints. What fun are finger paints when they are all controlled and orderly? So, after Adam left for work, I stripped Kenly down to her diaper and turned her loose with the finger paints. At first she was hesitant. She rubbed the paint into both hands like lotion. Then, with one small stroke of her hand against the paper, she was hooked. She screamed, "EXCITED!" I couldn't keep up with her requests for more paint. She'd say, "More Mommy. More Peeze." After painting the paper became old hat, she decided to paint her body. By the time she was done, she had finger paint from the top of her head to her belly button. When all was said and done, I toted my little work of art to the tub for a scrubbing. We used her masterpiece as a small part of her Daddy's card, and he loved it.



I love that her hands are all blurry in this picture. She's painting her stomach so furiously that she's all a blur.






We used what was left of the finger painted masterpiece to make some Easter cards that might be coming to a mailbox near you.
Who knew I could be so crafty with a little time on my hands?

Bedtime Battle

Tonight at bedtime, Kenly put up a fight. She didn't want to sit. She didn't want to read. She wanted to fight going to bed with every fiber of her being. Here's a snippet from tonight's bedtime ritual.

Mama: We've read four books. It is time for bed.
Kenly: (picking up a book, opening it, and hiding her face) I hiding. (said in a whisper)
Mama: I can still see your feet.
Kenly: (reaching down to touch her toes, forsaking her hiding spot) I find 'em.

She cracks me up.

Spring, Sprang, Sprung

It feels like spring is on the way with all its wonderful splendor and pollen, but I'll take it....I'll take it. I already feel more alive with just an extra hour of light. Since spring is springing around here, I thought I'm spring into action and post a few pictures of the princess. She's ready for some outdoor romping and adventure. These are a few of my favorites from the past few weeks.

Kenly got a camera from the WeeTrade Sale for $1.00. It is actually a ViewFinder, but she doesn't get that quite yet. She loves to say, "Take a pikcha" Smile. Cheese." She then wrinkles her nose in a most adorable fashion and produces the strangest smile I've seen.

She loves watching Toddler Tunes. She stares at the TV in fascination. She can almost sing all of the songs, and she can tell you what comes next when she is watching.

She's learning to love on her baby dolls.

She likes hanging out in the tent Pops got her. It much more fun if you can get Daddy to hang out with you. How cool is Adam? He'll play babies with Kenly, helping her feed them with bottles.
She's getting good at building towers with her Mega Blocks. She is also displaying a bit of OCD when she puts her blocks away. She wants/needs them to be apart. Forget putting the tower in the bag in three large pieces.
She now sleeps with a red pillow. She loves to snuggle on the big bed. Snuggling requires several pillows and the bear blanket. Snuggling with Daddy after work is a new favorite.
We think she is cutting her two year molars. We've been thinking that for over a month now, but we see no progress. She drools like crazy, puts everything in her mouth, and wants to chew on ice pops. She's wishing for warm weather in this picture.
We are seeing the terrible twos emerge about 5 months early. If she doesn't get what she wants, she can be found in this terrible state. Or she might bite, pinch, hit, or throw something. When she is reprimanded, she often pokes out a lip, makes it quiver, and says, "I sorry. I lub. I lub lots." (lub=love)
Life is good. Kenly grows more precious and full of personality every day. Could we be ready for another one?

Inquiring Minds want to Know

I took Kenly for her 18 month well visit last week. She was a real trooper even though she had to get two shots. She's still a lollipop with her 95 percentile head and her skinny, lanky body. She's growing a progressing normally, and Dr, Dephouse made me feel like I was doing something right at this visit.

Here are her 18 month stats.

Head--19 1/4 inches (95 percentile)
Height--31 3/4 inches (50 percentile)
Weight--22 pounds and 5 ounces (25 percentile)

It good to hear a medical professional say that your daughter is doing great.

In closing, here is a picture of the girls being adventurous on the big inflatable slide at STJ's House of Bounce. We had fun.

Wordless Wednesday--Roaring Like a Lion

Just for the record...March 2010 roared in like a lion. Please, oh please, let it leave like a little lamb. I love snow, but I'm ready for flowers and days spent frolicking in the park.

Potty Pride

It's official. Kenly made her very first pee pee in the potty. We've been putting her on the potty right before her bath for about a month now. Nothing. Not even a piddle. So, tonight Adam put her on the potty as part of the routine. He handed her a few squares of toilet tissue because she loves to wipe her little "yaya." The water was running so we didn't hear a thing. But, when we took her off the potty, we saw pee pee. It was obvious that she made a pee. Not much mind you, but she made a pee. I jumped up an down, clapped, and cheered. We asked her if she made a pee pee, and she looked at us with pride, and said, "yes." She loved the celebration.

Who know I'd be so proud of the smallest piddle in the potty?

Not Me Monday

Are you so lazy that you sometimes wipe your own nose with the Kleenex you just used to rid your child's face of snot? Do you find yourself wondering how your child's sippy cup found its way into the hamper? Well, join the crowd. Celebrate your imperfections with me and everyone else over on MckMama's blog.


Every window in my house does not look like this. My daughter is not responsible for the smear that look strangely like dog snot. I would never leave this mess because it is futile to clean it. How does my daughter create this mess? Glad you asked...
I would never photograph my daughter licking the windows in my house. Nope, not me. I would never let her do something so gross and unsanitary. I always guide and direct when I see inappropriate behavior.
My child has not picked up some strange diapering methods. She does not try to put the diaper on her baby's head.
I do not have clue how Kenly got these Wolverine-like scratches on her angelic face. I'm always attentive, watching my child's every move. She never comes to me with strange marks I can't quite explain.
I did not pay $5.00 for Kenly to play at a bounce house only to have her spend most of the morning playing on a toy that she can play with at home. Nope, my child is always up for adventure.

What have you not been up to this week?