another day, another bike ride

i've begun a little summer morning routine, which includes going to get a newspaper & then coming back home to enjoy my coffee while skimming the headlines & then completing the daily sudoku puzzle (or at the very least putting forth a valiant attempt to). on the days that little miss kennedie goes to school i typically jog to get the paper - yes, you read that right, jog (mind you it is not a long distance to retrieve the paper - but i try to go a little further each time) on days that she is home, kennedie has been accompanying me on her bike :) i don't mind giving up this part of my solo morning routine up for a little extra kennedie time, even if i don't get much of a workout, it takes a little longer & we move a little slower. the time together is precious & i enjoy every minute!!  

on the way :)

on the way back :)

 

flight days

for the first time in the four years we've lived down valley - we made it to flight days - a summer celebration in eagle. whether we've been in canada, florida, salida or somewhere else, we've just never been around for it. so this was a first for us & i must say - it was quite fun :)

the party started friday night - kennedie & i headed to eagle with my friend heather for the free concert, take in the park scene & to see what flight days was all about. there were food & vendor booths - some of the same people we saw the weekend before at FIBArk in salida! - and i believe the same carnival set up as well! kennedie quickly found a face painting tent & was at it again :) that girl loves to have her face painted! she also enjoyed her first snow-cone & loved dancing to the band - which was made up of some local kids - one whom tommy coached & had in band - she was terrific & kennedie was particularly impressed with (she'd stop dancing just to watch her sing)

 saturday we got up & ready early so that we could take advantage of the pancake breakfast in the park before the parade :) where we met up with kennedie's best pal calvin & his mom, dad & aunt. the kids were too distracted by the park to enjoy the pancakes - which meant more for mommy :) 

we made our way over to the parade route to snag a spot in the shade - let me just say that a parade route of only about 5 blocks gets very crowded very quickly! kennedie, along with all the other kids in the area, passed the time waiting for the parade by dancing & running in the street. 

apparently every year a HAT helicopter starts the parade by flying very low over the parade route - which is quickly followed by a huge just of wind caused by the proximity of the propellers/machine to the ground i'm sure! but it was a huge surprise & hats, blankets & other objects went flying! 

 once the parade got underway, both kennedie & calvin were impressed or confused (hard to tell which!) by the shrine clown trying to juggle/spin a plate. as soon as the candy started to fly - kennedie knew exactly what to do! however, she was not as lucky this weekend - too many other kids around (note to mom & dad - find a place by older people like you did in salida - it makes for a much fuller bag of candy at the end of the parade) - which worked out just fine anyway, she only gets one piece of candy in the end no matter how much she has :) the fire truck at the end shooting the water was a hit as well. 

after the parade ended, the group headed back to the park to let the kids ride on the train - kennedie is kind of obsessed with trains :) they had a fantastic time. 

pulling back into the 'station'

the park was getting super crowded so we headed home for lunch & naps for all :) overall, our first flight days experience was great fun! lots of good times were had with friends! sunday morning kennedie said when she woke up.."yesterday i go to parade, big wind and get candy and calvin ride the train!"

father's day

some pictures to honor the amazing fathers in my life :)

the father of my daughter, the love of my life & kennedie's favorite playmate - daddy :) 

 

my dad & kennedie's grandpa :-)

 

my dad's dad, my grandfather & kennedie's great-grandpa norris

can't wait to celebrate 100 years with you next month!!

tommy's dad, the best father-in-law ever & poppy to kennedie : )

 we love you guys with all of our hearts! we wouldn't be the people we are today without your love, encouragement, guidance & strength!

FIBArk weekend

kennedie & i made our way to salida, my hometown, this weekend for FIBArk - an annual boating festival, complete with carnival, parade, live music, merchandise & food tents & yes, a beer garden :)

i think in my 26 years since my family moved to salida, i've missed this event only a hand full of times. 

we got into town on friday afternoon, met up with my sister (auntie t.t. as she is so lovingly referred to by her niece) & headed downtown. first stop - free face painting booth :) 

after taking a look around the park, we grabbed some ice cream & headed at the bridge to see what was happening in the water. kennedie enjoyed watching the free style kayakers practicing in the hole - she also wanted to go play in the water, which mommy wasn't going to let happen after our last river encounter (see previous happy birthday grandpa post). 

auntie t.t was trying to make kennedie smile & look at the camera at the same time

t.t. had a 10 yr high school reunion to go to - whoa is she old ;) - so kennedie & i headed back grandpa's. we went out to dinner then headed back to the house so kennedie could get some shut-eye & mommy could enjoy the beer tent & live music with auntie t.t. (our DD), uncle matt & their friends who were in town for the festivities. the park closed down at 10ish so we went over to a local bar & were thoroughly entertained by both the techno-style band but mostly by the intoxicated people dancing to the music :)

saturday morning was parade time! t.t & her friend katherine met us at grandpa's house & we went down to grab a sweet spot on the street to watch! kennedie loved the parade & collecting all the candy that came with it :)

here are the picture captions  - from top row l-r (they're kind of mixed up!) putting some candies in her bag; checking out the stash so far; patiently waiting for the parade to begin - row 2: collecting her goodies - mommy liked the floats throwing little bags of gold fish; kennedie liked the candy better; group photo - row 3: enjoying her first ever icy pop - thrown from a float - very smart on a hot sunny day!; wasn't anticipating the clown hug - she just wanted to give him a high five; showing off her blue tongue after a sucker

after the parade, we stopped at amica's for lunch. lunch was followed by walking around the park some more in hopes of kennedie napping in the stroller - which worked for a while. during her short nap mommy & auntie t.t. played a fun game just outside of the beer tent! 

guess what game it was?

a giant connect 4!! mommy won :)

after kennedie's short lived nap - she was woken by the awesome karaokers - and mommy's failed attempts to get her to nap some more, we headed to grandpa's to chill & watch a movie - curious george. we went back down to the park to watch the hooligan race & so that kennedie could enjoy the 'kid's oasis' - they fenced off the park part of the park (if that makes sense) and put up some jumpy castles which she just had to get in! however, a bouncy castle full of kids is quite different that her own that she gets to play in by herself - therefore she spent most of her 2 1/2 minutes inside telling the kids to 'be careful kids' & 'stop kids stop' hence the short duration of her jumping. she found solice in the clown who made balloon creations & chose a green sword (really?) from him. 

that's her pirate face - arg!

kennedie played at the oasis - in the sand & on the swings - until past bed time! so we grabbed some park food for dinner & headed home. mommy, grandpa & grandma carla enjoyed some 'enhanced' hot chocolate (odd choice you might think, but the wind was pretty chilly while we were out!) while kennedie ate her left over pizza & an orange for dinner. 

overall we had a fantastic FIBArk (First In Boating on the Arkansas) weekend!

coffee

anyone who knows me, knows how much i love (NEED) coffee!!

apparently, kennedie has inherited the trait :) well, not quite to the extent that mommy has, but loves it none the less. now, before anyone actually freaks out, let me explain that i DO NOT actually give my 2 year old daughter coffee...

when we are at home & she asks for coffee, i make her a  tiny cup of 'hot cocoa' (which is really just a little bit of hot chocolate mix & some warm water - really i can't even see how it might taste good but she seems happy with it) & if we happen to be out & she asks for it (which has only been once & happened to be last friday - "i have coffee too mommy?") i got her a vanilla steamer - so kennedie has not actually ever consumed caffeine from her own or mommy's cup of joe :) 

enjoying her steamer :) but disappointed it wasn't chocolate coffee

cheers mommy :)

i remember drinking coffee with my mother & grandma when i was little - so i figure our bond over coffee is in her genes :) 

backyard = fun!

our backyard has turned into the perfect play place for kids of all ages :)

thanks to nanny & poppy kennedie now has her very own bouncy castle! it's the perfect size for our backyard & is super easy to put up (literally just plug it in) and take down. kennedie also has her mini pool, sandbox & slide (not pictured) as well as numerous other outdoor toys to make time in the backyard all that she could wish for & more!

there is also plenty of room for adults to relax, in the sun or shade - with or without cocktails :) 

yard games of all sorts await the competitive spirit...with our abundant back yard, we hope to be hosting many fun get togethers as the summer goes on!

phrases

two-year olds say some pretty great things :)

here are some of my favorite phrases from the mouth of our very own 2-year-old

"no problem"

"just a minute"

"oh no!"

"knock, knock-who's there-kennedie"

"look at me guys!"

"ready, set, go!"

"night, night, sleep tight, bugs bite"

"i love you to pieces too"

"that's ok"

"yummy in my tummy"

"comin guys?"

"cool"

"i don't want to"

"i me know" (i don't know)

"let's go guys!"

"no way!"

"all by myself"

"ah man"
"one more time" followed after that time by, "last time" so she gets 2 more times :) 

other cuteness :)

"good mornin" (any time of day)

"poke a rosie" (her name for ring-around-the-rosie)

"no basketball...just hockey" while watching the playoffs with her daddy

"walk away" - she used to say that when she was mad at us :)

"bunny's my favorite...i just love him" when talking about her bunny she takes to school for show & tell

happy birthday grandpa

kennedie & i traveled to salida 2 weekends ago now to visit auntie t.t. & uncle matt who were down for the week/weekend to do some work on their house & grandpa dave & grandma carla who had just arrived home from a visit to florida. it was the prefect weekend to visit because it was also the weekend before grandpa's 65th birthday!! 

tina, kennedie & i went out to do a little shopping downtown and picked up the party preparations while we were out. we all went out to dinner at amica's (my favorite lunch/dinner restaurant in my hometown) and came home to a black forest cake & ice cream. kennedie LOVES birthdays - she can sing the birthday song all by herself :) and she loves to blow out candles, so grandpa let her help. i missed capturing the blowing on camera, but what i did happen to get was kennedie stealing a cherry from the top of the cake once she had finished blowing :) that's what they put the stems on for anyway right?

kennedie continued her way around the cake stealing & eating all of the cherries before anyone else had a chance! she also had 2 scoops of ice cream :) she must have her mother's sweet tooth!

sunday morning we all got up at a leisurly pace and made our way to the patio (my favorite breakfast spot in salida!) and had a yummy breakfast!! afterward auntie t.t & uncle matt had some running around to do, so grandpa suggested we take a walk down by the river. 

we were walking along the path when kennedie noticed some kids playing along the river bank, which due to the low - 'high' water, was more like a beach! 

 

the river play was all fun & games until kennedie started throwing mud...mommy said we'd have to go unless she stopped so kennedie decided she would just run away from me....out into the river. mommy quickly kicked off her sandals & headed it just in time to grab my stubborn toddler out of the water she had fallen into face first after tripping over a rock - luckily before the current caught her - one of the scariest moments of mommy's life (considering mommy was a river ranger & took the classes about having to rescue swimmers & knows just how dangerous the river can be!) the parents of the other kids playing in the river, were like "wow, that didn't even phase her" as kennedie said to mommy, after gasping - "do it again?" both mommy & kennedie were soaked, so river time was over. we walked up to find grandpa, made our way back to the car & drove home...mommy is still having nightmares about the river incident.

memorial day...2 wks late

alright, this is the 2nd attempt at this post - this version is sure to be much shorter and not as eloquent as the one i just completed but disappeared into thin air...i'm not a happy blogger right now.

it started something like this....

a lot has happened in the last 2 weeks - and obviously i haven't been doing a good job of keeping up with my blogging...so hope you're ready to do some serious reading. i'm hoping to get all of my blog ideas from the past 15 days posted in the next 3...we'll see how that goes.

memorial day - the brummers invited us over for a memorial day bbq - which worked out well, considering we had no plans. i threw together a fruit salad, tommy sliced a watermelon & kennedie played while we got everything together - then we were off. 

their backyard is the perfect place for a get together - swings, cards, sandbox, slide & a pool for the kids; yard games & beer for the adults. kennedie, the water-lover she is, went straight for the pool. mommy tried to discourage water play (it was pretty cold & she had forgotten to pack an extra set of clothes) but kennedie would have none of it. reluctantly i stripped off her clothes & let her saunter around in her diaper both in & out of the water. besides, watermelon eating is much better in the nude - did you know watermelon stains? kennedie & macklin had fun scooping & dumping water as well as playing with cayle's construction vehicles in the pool! and between the two of them, they probably finished 1/4 of the watermelon themselves :)

after 'helping' daddy play cornhole with the guys, kennedie decided she was ready to eat some lunch. the soft sugar cookie with about 1/2 inch of blue frosting was her favorite part ;)

once she had had her fill, the allure of the pool was too much to bear, she just couldn't resist. this time it was cayle who joined in her water play. kennedie was also very curious about the doggy door...having never seen one before - she had to explore that too!

thanks to the brummers for all memorial day memories!

catching up

it's the weekend...& apparently, the only time i have time to blog is on the weekends :)

so, now i have to catch up on our week - which all started last weekend!

sunday, kennedie got to have a long-overdue playdate with her best buddy calvin. the plan was to meet at the park & do a picnic & playground date - but, it was pretty chilly & windy that morning, so we decided to relocate to our house! calvin & his mom, amanda, came over around 11 for lots of play time & lunch. play dates with two 2-year olds are interesting. we've had friends over to the house before & things have been fine - so i'm attributing the early events of the playdate (tears, tantrums, fights) to age. kennedie was quite distraught to have her buddy playing with her toys - "mine, mine - no mine" "my piano" "my (fill in toy of choice here)" holy cow! i know she shares toys at school with her friends, so this must have been an ownership issue since the toys at school are 'everybody's' & these toys are 'hers'. after putting out quite a few fires, & trying unsuccessfully to explain the situation we decided to venture outside to the back yard & give things a try. there were fewer quarrels outdoors & we had fun with bubbles, slides, cars & sandbox. there was much more parallel play than cooperative & interactive play, which was great - but didn't lend itself well to getting any pictures :( 

after we went inside for lunch (kennedie ate like a champ, calvin was more interested in kennedie's toys) the kids started playing hide-and-seek. this is by far, kennedie's favorite game right now - although she always hides in the same spots & jumps out before anyone has a chance to find her ;) calvin started bring out all of kennedie's large stuffed animals, piling them & then jumping in & covering himself up - kennedie thought this looked like fun & joined in - enter interactive play!!! they started covering each other up, digging each other out & then we started playing the game - one would go & count in the kitchen while the other hid - in the stack of animals (until mommies encouraged & helped find new places to hide). it was definitely fun to see them playing WITH each other & it was over far too quickly :( but we look forward to seeing calvin & amanda again soon!

good-bye hugs