Kallie’s Vocabulary

 

Heat, Zucchini and Barbies

Not too much new going on around here…we’ve started back up with our homeschool co-op, which is very different this year since Makenna is in the elementary classes now.  She goes to an art class, current events/geography class, sign language and Lego club.  She seemed a little bored with the length of the classes, which I’m not surprised about.  Fifty minutes each class is a little long for a 5-year-old attention span, and hers is longer than most!  But she loved seeing her friends again, and is making more friends at Awana and MOPS.  It’s so cute to hear her ongoing “friend count”.  😉  So besides those things, we’re just chugging along with school and roasting in the sweltering heat.  My attitude toward the hot weather is getting worse each year…no part of me will ever think it’s right to be having weather in the 90’s every day when the pumpkins and fall decorations are coming out…..hmph!!  (Rant over.)

So I haven’t taken many pictures lately, but I have a few.  Here are the girls helping me make our bi-weekly batch of zucchini bread.  I can’t ever make it fast enough because we just scarf it!  I guess it’s our new pumpkin bread, since I heard we won’t be having canned pumpkin AGAIN this year.  I can’t even describe how desperate I feel not being able to get pumpkin….I LIVE for pumpkin!!  hahaha…

I walked in on Kallie styling doggie’s hair/ears:

Makenna was excited to spend her birthday money a couple weeks ago, and the day came upon us that I swore would never come: the day Barbies entered our home.  Honestly, if you’re able to cover up her naked body, Barbie actually looks pretty wholesome compared to the other dolls out there today.  I decided to choose the lesser of two evils, so now we have Barbie sisters that ride around in their convertible with their tops hanging off and their ratty hair snarled all over their heads.  Such is life!  😉

We got a brunette for Kenna and a blonde for Kallie.  How fitting.  🙂 

We celebrated Mark’s mom’s birthday last week with a family dinner at Carrabba’s…yum!!

I’ll end with some photos courtesy of Makenna:

She knows how to get a great smile out of Kallie!  🙂

Just your typical 5-year-old questions.

Makenna started Awana last week, and is VERY proud to be a Sparky.  😉 They give the kids a few weeks to get through their little introductory book and to memorize John 3:16, and then she can get her vest and first book.  Well, needless to say, she had John 3:16 memorized in one day and recites it over and over all day for us.  Love it! 

She’s always been extremely inquisitive about Jesus and more specifically, the crucifixion.  I’m the lucky one who gets to answer ALLLLLLL her questions and boy does she keep ’em coming!  Learning John 3:16 has brought about a whole new slew of questions, ranging from “How much blood came out of the holes in Jesus’ hands?” to “What does it MEAN that Jesus died for our sins, why did he have to DIE?”

But this one left my mouth hanging open…she was playing by herself yesterday and wandered over to me and asked, “So if Jesus watches over us and protects us, who watched over everyone for the 3 days between when Jesus died and He rose from the dead?”

She’s BARELY FIVE, COME ON!!!!!  Hahaha….I love this girl.  🙂

Baby Days are Gone…sniff.

Yes, we still have one in diapers and I still wash a mountain of sippy cups every few days.  I still dig funk out of the crevices of a highchair every day, and Kallie can’t escape from her crib yet (but she’s verrrrry close).  But I’m feeling a bit emotional lately about not having a BABY anymore.  I wasn’t prepared for our 2nd child growing up at what seems like breakneck speed, simply because she has an older sister and learns things younger and faster.  I can’t believe the things she does and the mannerisms she has just because she watches Makenna and drinks everything in like a sponge.  This can be both good and bad, as you all well know.  😉

Lately I’ve been saving some of our school reading to do after Kallie wakes up from her nap, so that she can sit in with us, and she’s been surprisingly content just to listen.  She loves reading books of course, but it’s impressive that she’ll listen to science reading and stories that are way over her head.  She loves to “count” things, “read” words in books, and has just started singing “Happy Birthday” since the weekend’s festivities. 

Today I was working in the kitchen and kept hearing a little voice calling “Mama…Mama…” over and over.  When I finally went to see what was going on, I found Kallie posing just like this:

She’s such a cutie patootie.  Poor babe, I hope her hair gets out of this awkward stage soon.  😉

On the flip side, we have also seen the arrival of the “NO” monster, and more recently, the “NO WAY”s….ugh.  It was super cute and we all got a good laugh the first day, but it quickly turned ugly and we now hear this phrase about, say, 800 times a day.  It’s her response to everything we say!

Cute, huh?  Ha.

It’s official, we have a kindergartener.

Way back when Makenna was a brand-new, fresh-smelling little newborn, Mark and I used to stare in awe at her and talk about how tiny and wonderful she was and how blessed we were.  And there were many times when I would suddenly look up in horror, with tears in my eyes, and ask him, “But what about when she goes to kindergarten???”  He would get soooo exasperated with me and tell me to quit worrying about things that were forever far away.  Ha.  Yeah buddy, look where we are now!  I may have avoided (or maybe even just delayed) that emotional scene of watching your child go into the school for the first time, turning your back and walking away alone…but the fact that she is becoming a big girl is hitting me head-on, every day, in so many ways.  More about that later.

Monday was Makenna’s actual 5th birthday, and we spent a very quiet day catching up from all our traveling.  There was a cool breeze so we went over to our old neighborhood park and spent a while playing.  Then we went to her favorite restaurant, Chili’s, for dinner.  The girl loves her chips and ranch, just like mama!  😉

Happy Birthday my little love…you make me so proud to be your mommy, and I could not have created a more perfect firstborn for our family.  I love you so much more than I could ever say!!

Last Weekend

So we were home from IL for about 4 days when we got a great opportunity to spend the weekend with the fam at the same resort we went to for Mark’s dad’s birthday in May.  What a perfect way for Makenna to spend the weekend before her birthday: swimming, hitting the waterslides, and just being away from home!  I decided to do her cake and presents while we there since we were all together.  It was a fun change.  🙂

Little sis got a new doll of her own:

It’s not a family trip without putting all the babes in the tub together!

Kenna hittin’ the slide:

I am not exaggerating when I say that it rained just about every single minute of the entire weekend, from the moment we arrived until we left.  It was a bummer, but we still had fun.  Naturally, as we’re packing up all our stuff to leave Sunday evening, this happens:

Naturally! 

Zach’s, Zoo, Randoms, and Home

On Tuesday, Mark and Kylie had to go home, so the first part of the day was spent getting them ready and to the airport.  It was pretty sad, knowing we were all staying a few more days without them.

That afternoon we went to Zach and Tara’s new house, and the rest of the family joined us later for a delish meal prepared by Tara.  Zach picked a good one!  😉

The girls getting in some play time with Lowan: 

Grammy and the girls:

I love this one, even though Lowan’s head is down, because of the way Kallie is checking him out like, “Dude, why can’t you sit up?”

It became clear as our visit went on that Chloee was Kenna’s bud, and Kimi was Kallie’s bud.  Kimi is such a sweet girl and took the best care of little sis, making sure she got in to play with the big girls when they were leaving her behind. It made my heart so happy to see all of them playing together.  🙂

Kenna and Levi in a quick pose:

Then off to their separate toys…Levi’s being his hands.  😉

Wednesday was our planned zoo day but Tuesday was a rough night, therefore making Wednesday a rough morning, so we put off our visit til Thursday.  Katy wasn’t going to come, being that the trip to Chicago with Levi was kind of tough, but in the end she ended up coming and we were SO glad she did.  Levi was an angel and we had the best day.  I’ve been telling everyone that I never dreamed my sister would have a baby, let alone that we would suddenly be at the zoo together with our strollers!  I loved it.  🙂

The very first animal we saw was the cheetah, and boy…. he saw Makenna and made a beeline for her!!  Kenna didn’t even flinch but Kallie was like “Uhhhh….does anyone care that this giant animal is running toward us?!?”  She was a little shaken up at first.  But she relaxed once she realized he wasn’t going to get us, and started making her”rawwwwrrrr” lion sounds.

Kenna staring down the cheetah:

Next we saw the leopard and he was pretty chill, so Kallie felt more comfortable taking a closer look.

Kate and snoozing Levi:

Kate, Mom, and the monkeys:

The train ride was probably the highlight for me and the girls…so cute and fun!

Waiting anxiously, each with their ticket in hand:

Pardon my giant pit, ugh…love Kallie’s face!!

She wasn’t too sure when we started moving though….

Couldn’t leave without some masks!

We decided to stay one extra day, so we spent that day at home, packing up and pretty much dreading the impending goodbyes.  Levi kept us smiling though.  🙂

My mom made the drive home with us, and this time we did stop overnight.  Holy COW, were the girls wound up that night…they were pounding back and forth across the floor forever.  I swore I was going to get my first complaint from other people about my loud kids.

But we were in bed by 9, slept amazingly well, and on the road again by 9.

I started losing my patience on that last stretch…I was way past my tolerance level on public bathrooms, coolers full of watery food, and packing and unpacking.  Kallie was starting to get sick and I was done.  But we made it!!!  The girls were wonderful once again and we ended the trip feeling great about the whole experience.  At least I did, I’m not sure about those I tortured around me….  😉

Family Day #2

The NEXT day we headed out to spend some time with both sides of Mark’s family.  We spent most of the day at his grandma’s house (his dad’s mom), and the best part about Farmor’s house is that she doesn’t redecorate very often. 😉  Haha…the girls had a blast exploring and playing with all the little gadgets Mark’s grandpa made, and looking at the old books that you just can’t find anymore.  Mark had fun scoping out original pieces of the house that would probably be worth some real cash these days. 

It was an absolutely beautiful day, so we spent as much time as we could outside.

While I was taking this picture of the girls playing the organ, the phone rang and I managed to capture their expressions when they heard it.  They didn’t know WHAT that sound was!  I realized that almost everyone we know doesn’t have a house phone anymore, just cell phones, and they had never heard a real-life, old-fashioned phone ring.  How crazy is that….

There’s a little lake by the house, so we took the girls over there to feed the fish.

Of course we weren’t there five minutes before Mark decided he needed to go buy a pole and try to catch something….and he sure did!

I love the picture below because there is a picture from when I was little, probably exactly Makenna’s age, and my dad is holding a tiny fish and I’m standing as far away as I can get because I’m so scared of it.  That was exactly what Kenna was doing here (the fish is blending into Mark’s jeans).

(p.s. If you want some shades like Farmor’s I can hook you up.)

But she was an old pro in no time.  😉

Farmor had a date with friends at 4, so we left to go meet Mark’s mom’s side of the family for dinner at what used to be one of their pizza restaurants (they don’t own them anymore, but still enjoy some perks).  I’d say we ate their pizza, oh, 5 times while we were there.  Considering we were only there a week, you do the math. 

We thought we were only having dinner with Mark’s grandma, but a whole crew showed up and it was so fun!  I made everyone pose for a group shot before they left since this is a VERY rare event.  Next to us are his uncle David and aunt Kim, aunt Terri and uncle Mark, and sitting down are Grandma Fran and Aunt Grace, who I love to death.  She’s just the sweetest thing every time we see her, and she loves the girls.  Kenna took right to her and was cuddling up in her lap. 

This is Joe, who has worked in the family business since waaaaaay back when.  He proved to be a lifesaver to me, since he has daughters of his own and jumped right in to play Polly Pocket with Kallie when she was getting antsy.  It was hilarious!

And yes, I am the biggest of nerds, but I wanted a picture in front of my old stomping grounds on the way home:

Haha….yeah.  Not a teenager anymore, that’s for sure.  😉

Friends and Family

The next two days we spent with friends and my side of the family.  It was so great to see and hang out with everyone.

Gramps, Miss Ellie, and Kenna:

That was one of those tear-jerker moments for me, seeing Kenna play with the dollhouse that my gramps built for me when I was a little girl.  The girls played with it the whole time we were there…talk about a trip down memory lane.

The three ladies above are so special to me.  They are three of my mom’s best friends, and they could all be my second moms!   On the left is Judy, who babysat me when I was a wee little tyke and wetting my pants because I was too shy to ask to go to the bathroom.  In the middle is Gail, my mom’s lifelong friend who I love dearly and feel like her family is my own.  On the right is Wanda, who I didn’t really meet until I was a teenager, but is just as sweet and special to me as the others.  To see Kenna goofing around and chatting it up with them just made my day.  🙂  Please come visit, you guys!!

Blurry, but cute one of Kenna and Levi:

I don’t know why I can’t manage to keep clothing on my child when she’s being photographed!

My cousin Zach and I grew up together and it is SO weird that we both have kids now.  Even stranger is that he and Katy have babies 2 months apart.  Here is Zach with Levi and Katy with Lowan…I love how Katy looks like, “Yep, just gonna take your happy baby and leave now, you can handle the screaming one…”  😉

Getting in every second of cuddling I can:

Makenna was pretty excited to have a new passenger in her stroller on our walk over to the big family party:

Even my grandma Isabelle (my dad’s mom) and my aunt Sue were in town, so they came over too.  It really is awesome how much family we got to see!

Kenna, my grandma Isabelle, and Kylie:

As soon as we walked in the door, Kenna was instant pals with my little cousin Chloee, who is 7 years old.  I think all the sweet toys they have might have had something to do with the lack of shyness.  😉

More family…L to R: my aunt Sue, aunt Laurie, cousin Alison, uncle Mike (who hates pictures), Kenna, Mom, grandma Isabelle:

Zach and Tara, with sleeping Lowan:

Ellie, Gramps, Mike, Mark, Zach:

My sweet aunt Laurie with Lowan….love her.

Shari and Mike have the BEST backyard.  That little house in the background is a playhouse for the girls.  They loved driving the Jeep:

My hottie aunt Shari and cousin Chad:

I remember when he was born and now he’s graduated from COLLEGE and has a real job!  Oy……I’m old.

We have a lot of August birthdays in the family, so we took the opportunity to celebrate them all in one shot:

Gramps got the cake, hence the “MacKenna”…he calls her Mac.  😉

All the birthday kids plus Levi…Kenna, Kylie, Chad, Mike, Tyler: 

A grandkids and great-grandkids shot!  Gramps and Levi didn’t get the memo about this being a HAPPY picture.  😉

The whole fam, minus my dad, uncle Gary, and Jake:

Me, my mama, and my sistas:

One of my favorite pics of all time…Kenna’s face and Kate floating like a genie:

Makenna went to bed a very happy girl…just like she did every night.  🙂

Levi and Chicago

We were all up bright and early the next morning…no rest for the weary.  The girls were ecstatic to see everyone, but mostly their new cuz.

First meeting:

Kallie needed a little reassurance that Grammy still loved her, and not just the new little bundle of cuteness.  😉

We were too excited to wait until our “scheduled” day to go to Chicago, so we decided to go right away.  We caught the train and headed into the city that afternoon.

Makenna seemed to take it all in stride, but Kallie was pretty wide-eyed about how loud and busy the city streets were.

Kenna in front of the Sears Tower:

She wanted to take pictures in front of the buildings, but didn’t seem too interested in actually looking up at the skyscrapers.  I guess it’s kind of overwhelming to a kid…she was more interested in the little plastic dog she got from McDonald’s.  Despite my constant nagging, “Kenna, LOOOOOOOK!!”  Hahaha…

Me and Kate in front of the Art Institute:

Everyone seemed so shocked that we went to the city on such a hot day, but it honestly felt great with the breeze.  I guess enduring the southern heat has made us tougher in that department.  Now Katy on the other hand….carrying a baby all day in that carrier was NOT an easy task, poor thing!

An actual family pic! :

It was SO crazy when we got to Millenium Park and right over our heads flew the Blue Angels!!!  We just happened to be there the day of the airshow, and there they were.  That was VERY surreal.  Seeing them fly over our house every week and seeing them fly between those buildings were two very different experiences!

The girls had fun playing in the fountains:

And of course we had to visit the bean…

Last bean picture, I promise…I just love little Kallie in the corner:

We had pizza for dinner (of course!) before heading home.  The babes were tired and we wanted to get started on the long ride home.

The sad ride back:

It was especially sad because Kallie was upstairs having a screaming tantrum, haha….I guess she decided to show us the limits of her endurance as an angel child.  😉