Daddy, Let's Go Look for Bugs!

Almost every day when Daddy gets home from work, the first words out of Kara's mouth are: "Daddy, let's go look for bugs!"  Her favorite bugs are roly-polies (which were Daddy's favorites as well when he was a kid).  She also enjoys finding slugs, worms, beetles, ants, and grasshoppers (though those are very hard for her to catch).

Since we got home from our visit to Georgia, Alabama,  and Florida, life has been pretty busy.  Daddy has been working long hours on a recent project (which he successfully completed about a week ago), and Kara and Mommy have been keeping busy with gym classes, art classes, and play dates with the other kids in the neighborhood.  We also broke out the hiking backpack for our first hike of the year during Memorial day weekend.

The first weekend of June was an exceptionally busy weekend.  We kicked it off by visiting Louisville's Touch-A-Truck event.  Kara was very impressed with the helicopter they had there, but she was immediately drawn to the little train they had driving around the parking lot.  After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, Kara finally got her turn, which was very short-lived.  It was probably a little too much for her, and we got her out before the ride was over.  We spent the rest of the time crawling around dump trucks, bulldozers, and school buses.  The next day, we headed over to Aunt Amy's house for a "June Birthday" family party (Mommy's and Grandpa S.' birthdays are both in June).  Kara had a great time playing with Grandma and Grandpa's new puppy (a Chocolate Lab named Ruby), Aunt Amy's dogs (Belle and Briley) and running around the yard.

Some recent Kara quotes:
"You do it yourself!" - To Daddy after he asked her to help him clean up her puzzle.

"Those are the coolest socks I've ever seen!" - Checking out Daddy's work socks

"Look, a stinky sock!  I am making a mess with Daddy's clothes."

"I am being a goofball!"

"Let's go show this to Mommy" - excited to show off her latest bug find to Mommy (she seems to be particularly proud of her worm and slug finds)

"My rolling pin broke again, oh dear.  I need glue to fix it."

During the closing credits of Beauty and the Beast, Kara jumped up to dance and announced to Mommy, "I am beauty and you are the beast.  Let's dance!"

Link to pictures

The Beach!!!

At the end of April, our little family went to visit the family in Shorter, Alabama and take a road trip to Destin, Flordia.  Kara's first trip to the beach!

We flew into Atlanta and stayed with our friends Heather, Justin, and little Sean the first night.  Kara loved visiting them all and sharing Sean's toys.  After getting back home, Kara got a scrape on her knee and said she needed to show it to Sean.  I guess Sean's fascination with showing off boo-boos wore off on her. :)

As always, Kara enjoyed seeing Mimi, Papa, Uncle Trey, and GiGi in Shorter.  She gets a lot of attention (and usually a few new books and toys) when we visit.

For the middle part of our trip down South, Mimi, Uncle Trey, Mommy, Daddy, and Kara headed for the beach in Destin.  Kara was beside herself with the sand and the ocean.  It was really windy and chilly the first night, but she insisted on getting out on the sand.  After that, the days were much warmer.  We stayed right on the beach, so Kara basically dragged an adult or two with her every morning to the water.  Some highlights included "fishing" with her Mickey mouse fishing rod, feeding real fish on the docks, and collecting sea shells.  Enjoy the pictures!

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

Hello Spring!

Wow, what a difference a month makes!  As soon as the calendar changed to March, the weather started getting warmer.  It's been in the 60's or 70's most days this month.  Mommy and Kara have been taking advantage of the warm weather.  We hooked up the bike trailer and have been exploring the city.  Mommy and Kara also went down to the Denver zoo one day with Kara's friend Corabelle. a Kara has been having a lot of fun with gym classes and art classes.

On a less happy note, we found out that Kara is allergic to peanuts.  While eating a dinner with some peanut butter in it, Kara's hands broke out in hives.  About a week later, Mommy and Kara headed to an allergist where it was confirmed.  It's possible Kara will grow out of the allergies, but Mommy and Daddy are going to have to keep a close eye on what she's eating.

Kara Quotes:

"I want a garden with tomato plants like Eli [a little boy down that lives down the street] does.  I don't have tomato plants yet!"

"I never do anything I want to do" - and so it begins....

Link to pictures

Snow, snow, and more snow

We've been getting more snow this year than we got last year.  Daddy went to Denmark for two weeks in January and was greeted with two feet of snow when he got home.  Kara also got a bad stomach bug early this month, followed by a cold (with Mom and Dad).  Between getting sick, the snow, and the cold weather, Mommy and Kara have been spending a lot of time indoors.  We're all ready for Spring!

We finally buckled down and got serious about potty training this  past weekend.  So far it's been working out really well.  She's only had a couple little accidents since then and will actually initiate going to the potty these days.  We're so proud of her!

Kara is starting to speak in complete, (mostly) grammatically correct sentences, like, "Can I come along?" or "I will put on my shoes and then we go out to eat."  It's amazing how fast she's growing up.

Some quotes from Kara:
• "What's that?" - Kara's favorite question, she asks at least 100 times a day
• "Yum, oranges.  They're my favorite."
• "I'm going to go pee pee in potty.  I be so proud of me."
• "Can I go shopping?"
• Daddy to Kara - "Where was Kara born?"  Kara - "In South Ta-ta-lina" (she still refers to herself as Ta-ta)

Link to pictures