July 2016

The summer is just flying by.  It seems like every weekend is jammed packed with activities, and we still aren't getting everything done that we want to.

The first weekend of July, we headed down to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to check it out.  While we were there, we got an annual membership to the museum. If anyone wants to meet up there, let us know!  Both girls had fun, though Emily was ready to go back home well before Kara had seen everything she wanted to see.

Kara stayed up for the first time this year to see the fireworks on the 4th (they start around 9 pm).  Emily went down at her usual bedtime (and thankfully stayed asleep through the fireworks), but Kara stayed up and watched Zootopia with Mom and Dad.  There's a local fireworks show that we can see from our backyard.  After the movie, we got ourselves set up in the backyard and enjoyed the fireworks show.  We eventually got Kara down to sleep around 9:30.  We paid for it the next day, though, as Kara was quite grumpy and moody since she didn't get enough sleep.  Maybe someday we'll be able to do exciting things with the kids without worrying too much about sleep.

We went up to Breckenridge for several days later in the month (separate blog post to follow soon).  We attempted to do our annual backyard camp-out the weekend after we got back, even getting as far as getting the tent set up, but Kara had a bit of a melt-down as were getting everything ready.  It was probably too much excitement.  We'll try again in August.

Kid quotes:

- After dinner one night, Emily chose jelly beans as her dessert (the girls get a small dessert if they eat all their dinner). Mom said Emily could have 3 jelly beans since she's 3 years old.  Emily grabbed 4 jelly beans, and Dad pointed out that Emily was only supposed to get 3.  Looking very innocent, she quickly popped one into her mouth and showed dad the 3 left saying, "look there are 3."

- After our 4th of July grill out, Mom said, "Wow, I am stuffed!"  Emily promptly replied, "We don't having stuffing, we have bones inside!"

- We've been having some minor issues with rabbits eating things in our garden.  Emily noted, "Something's eating our plants like bunnies... or sharks..."

Link to pictures

May 2014

May was a very busy month. Between Kara's first year of preschool coming to an end, Mother's Day, a trip to the circus, and lots of playing, it felt like we were always doing something.

The weather for May was pretty nice for the most part. The weekend before Mother's Day, we got out the sprinklers because it was so hot. For Mother's Day, however, we were treated to a rare May snowstorm. Only about 2-3 inches stuck to the ground, but it was a very wet snow. Perfect for a snowman!

Kara's year of preschool came to an end. Her class had a family picnic for her last day and treated all the parents to a song. All the kids are going to be coming back for the next year, so that'll be fun!

Kara and Daddy went to the circus.  It was Kara's first circus experience, but she definitely knew what to get. She started off with some cotton candy before getting a hot dog and washing it all down with a snow cone. So much junk food! Kara liked the elephants, tigers, and the tumblers, but her favorite act was the man shooting out of the cannon.  She just kept looking at Daddy while he was getting the cannon ready and saying, "I think he's going to shoot out of there! I can't believe it!"

Emily is officially a toddler and full of mischief. She gets pretty clingy when she's tired or hungry, but she is often toddling around the house trying to keep up with Kara! The girls are starting to play together, which is very nice. Emily finally cut her two top teeth and it now up to 4. She has also been working on talking. She mostly relies on the old point and grunt method of communication but occasionally throws in words like da (dog), bur (bird), Biggo (Bingo, the name of her favorite stuffed dog), aada (all done), baba (baby), peeka (Peek-a-boo), boo (boo!).

Kid quotes:
"great. u took the chicken." - text message Emily sent from Mommy's phone to Daddy.  We're still not sure how she pulled that one off.

"Oooooh, nice!" - Kara when Daddy showed her a picture of the Dream Chaser, Daddy's new project.

Link to pictures

The Chatterbox

We haven't been great about taking pictures recently, but we have a few good ones of Easter and the crazy weather we've been having!

No, the pictures aren't out of order...We had a few record high's the weekend before Easter, which prompted us to get out the sprinkler and water table...then Monday it was cold and dreary and Tues it snowed! It was odd, but Kara didn't seem fazed. :)

Kara and Mommy went on an Easter egg hunt with friends on Sat, then two at home on Sun. She had a blast finding the eggs and twirling around in her dress. She had lots of fun with G.G. K. and Grandma and Grandpa S. Who doesn't love being the center of attention? Not Kara!

Kara is really getting into her talking groove. She amazes us on a daily basis with her language skills. She must be listening to us, on some level...

Kara often says, "I don't know the word" when she's searching for the right word. A recent example went down like this:
Kara: I want some cereal
Mommy: Would you like some Cheerios?
K: No, I want the one... I don't know the word.
M: Bran flakes? Cheerios?

K: No, the ones with the soft things.
M: Marshmallows?
K: Yes! Marshmallows! I want those!

Other Kara quotes:

"Mommy, I am your friend" (April 8th)

to Mommy - "We will always be friends" and "We are best friends" - both spontaneous after taking my hand for a walk - :O (April 18th)

"It's a pretend turtle. It's not a real turtle." - after an egg from Grandma and Grandpa S. "hatched"

"Why is that so funny?" and "What is so funny?" Deadpan with questioning hands in the air, as some older children where shouting and laughing at the playground - hilarious!


Link to pictures

Visit from Mimi and Uncle Trey

I don't know where the time went, but August seems to have flown by!  On August 10th, Mimi (aka Grandma H.) and Uncle Trey and  flew in for a visit from Alabama.  Uncle Trey regaled us all with stories of the adventures he had during his year in South Africa, and Mimi had some cool gifts for Kara from her recent trip to Africa.

Mimi and Uncle Trey were hoping to escape the heat of Alabama, but unfortunately they were treated to record August heat in Colorado.  We were able to have some exciting times, though.  One day, we went to the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster. Kara had a great time looking at all the bugs and butterflies.  We also got out to the Farmer's Market in Boulder a couple of times.  And Uncle Trey was a big fan of our local Thai restaurant (he went three times during his two week visit).

Unfortunately, Daddy had to go to Denmark on a business trip, so he missed most of their visit.  But Mimi and Uncle Trey kept Mommy company and helped look after Kara while he was gone, so it all worked out!

First half of the month


Second half of the month

Potty Training - The Beginning

We have just recently started with potty training. Kara is getting to the point where she doesn't really want to wear diapers and seems to be interested in using the potty. She also starting pointing at the toilet and saying "pee pee, potty." So, Mommy went out and bought Elmo's Potty Time (which Kara watches almost every day) and a training potty. So far, Kara has not gone pee pee in the potty, but she has whizzed all over the bathroom floor on several occasions. Yeah, isn't potty training fun?

We've been keeping ourselves pretty busy for the last month. On the weekend of the 4th of July, our friends Drew and Stacy and their son Dax came over to check out our new house. Kara and Dax had a lot of fun playing in the sprinklers. Later that weekend, Mommy's Uncle Randy, Aunt Tracey, Cousin Brad, and Brad's girlfriend came to visit. Kara had a lot of fun entertaining the crowd.

Temper tantrums are pretty much a daily occurrence these days, with her first "major meltdown" happening today and involving animal crackers and the library...

Kara (who refers to herself as "Tata") has a vocabulary that is expanding quite a bit and she can usually get her point across. "Tata shoes out park!" "Music dance!" "Watch Mickey" "Mama lap sit read" "Tata poot" :) Kara will specify the books she wants to read - as in "Nigh Nigh George" (Curious George), "Chi Chi Boom!" (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom), "Eggs, Ham" (Green Eggs and Ham), "Waan tooo fish" (One Fish Two Fish...). It's pretty cute... when she's not yelling at you. "Bubbles! Bubbles bubbles bubblessssss!!" Ah, toddlerdom.

Link to pictures

Let the Summer Activities Begin!

Kara has been having a lot of fun so far this summer. We started off the summer by heading to the "Taste of Louisville" in downtown Louisville. Kara had a great time walking though the crowds and getting to see all the people. On the same day, they had "Touch a Truck", which is rumored to include a helicopter that flies in.  We decided that Kara was still a little young for that, but that should be a lot of fun next year!

The weather this June has been quite warm. It's been in the high 80's to mid-90's almost everyday. Kara's room faces south, so Mommy and Daddy have been trying to keep her cool. One day, Mommy got out the sprinklers and let Kara play in the water for the afternoon. Kara had a great time!


We are finally moved into the house, or, at least, the boxes with our stuff are at the house. Last Saturday Kara spent her first night away (at Grandma and Grandpa S.'s) so we could move without a munchkin underfoot.  There were no tears, just a wave and a few "bye bye's."  She came back home Sunday morning happy and ready to help unpack.  Kara has been really excited playing with her "new" toys that have been in storage for the last 9 months.

As far as Kara is concerned, Mickey Mouse is where it's at. At least 5 times a day, she'll point at the TV and say, "Mickey, please." When Mommy and Daddy say that Kara can't watch TV right now and has to wait, she says, "Mickey, wait!"

Kara is becoming quite proficient at speaking these days. She'll pretty much mimic any word. Mommy said "bathing suit" and Kara immediately repeated it. She's also getting pretty good at combining words to create basic sentences. This afternoon, she said, "Momma sit, book read." She also likes to dance. She'll point at the radio and say, "music, dance." Mommy will put on some classic rock, and Kara will bop to the music. Rock on, little girl!

Link to pictures



Kara reading through her magazine while Daddy gets breakfast ready.


Practicing turning the lights on and off.