She melts my heart

This pretty gal is growing up on me.

It hurts.

I put a shirt on little Kenna today that Kelsey used to wear when she was two years old. I swear that was just a few months ago. 

Its so cliché, but where has the time gone?

 

These two pictures were taken exactly one year ago, to the day.  

 

And here she is a month ago.

So much growth in just a year.  Physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, socially, in every way.

Holding her chubby little hand years ago melted my heart.  Everyone loved this cute little social bug girl of mine from the very beginning. 

We used to go to the grocery store and she was so friendly with everyone.  When we passed another mom and daughter duo shopping she used to say "Mom, look at that pretty girl.  She's my friend!" Even though had never met them.  She has always been a social little butterfly, full of compassion, smarts, and laughs.

 

She still melts my heart.

When I see her longs legs spread out on her bed as she sleeps, when we laugh at her morning hair, when she comes home with the highest midterm score in her honors science class, when she sits down at my sewing machine to make her cat a bed, when she helps me in the kitchen with dinner, when she reads Kenna a Dora book that I used to read to her, when I find crazy-faced selfies of her on my phone, when she sings in the shower, when she accepts her fate of watching the kids with a smile while I run an errand, and even when she suggests I change my shirt into something nicer, she melts my heart.

 

Sometimes I get too caught up in mourning that the summer is over so much that I miss the beauties of the fall season.  Sometimes I get so caught up in missing my little Kelsey girl that I forget she is still here and mine to enjoy.

And I do enjoy her.  So so much.

She is growing up, but she is growing into a pretty incredible person, and I am lucky.

And, just a little photographic evidence of the 162 or more crazy girl photos I get to find on my phone.

She melts my heart.

crickets, sand, and raspberries

Its mid September and I am trying not to mourn. 

The weather here has been incredible and Autumn really is so beautiful in this high mountain valley I live in, but still, I mourn the loss of summer.



Its been a good one.

One of the things I will miss tremendously is crickets.

I love love love to hear the crickets sing me to sleep with my window open at night. 

That's just one of those simple summer pleasures for me.

I am going to keep that window open for as long as possible!

 

But fall means I am actually baking and cooking again.

In the summer I have the hardest time cooking.  It just seems way too hot and its the last thing I want to do when there are so many more fun things going on outside.

I was feeling fallish and I made some pumpkin cookies today from a recipe from a blog I read. 

So good, so easy.

1 spice cake mix, 1 15 oz can of pumpkin, and a half a bag of semi sweet chocolate chips.

That's it.  THREE INGREDIENTS!

Mix it all up, bake at 350 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes.  DONE!

Thank you KERIN!

 

Another great thing about fall is the sandbox.

For some strange reason, the sandbox is a hot spot in the spring and the fall.

But not in the summer.

My kids hardly touch the sandbox in July and August.

I can't get them out of it in the spring and the fall.

 



My floor is constantly gritty from their sandy little bodies returning to eat dinner that I ACTUALLY cooked after they have spent time in the sandbox making mermaids out of themselves for hours before we eat. I actually made them strip down in the garage last night before they came in.

There was a nice pile of sand on the concrete.

 



So, here is to more scouring baths and an enjoyable fall.

I am trying to not miss summer, but still, oh how I miss it already!

One funny thing today:

Emmitt and I were picking our raspberries and putting them in a colander.  He is my fruit bat and eats more fruit than all my kids combined.  He loves it.

After he picked a rather nice juicy red handful he said "I just love the dark red raspberries.  They are like flavor bombs in my mouth." 

I love him.

 

 



Yesterday Emmitt asked me to lift him up to look out the laundry room window.  Our neighbors across the street fly an American flag everyday and he told me he wanted to see it.  So I obliged.  He disappeared and I didn't think anything about it. 
He had helped me decorate our little seasonal decoration area for the 4th of July a few weeks ago and seemed to enjoy it very much since it didn't involved flowers like our spring, Easter, and other recent decorations.  
So last night I saw this on our front porch.  It made me smile then it brought tears to my eyes.  I love that in his 5 years of life experiences, he has a love for something that I love as well. 

Kelsey and Shrek

On July 3rd 2004, Kelsey became a pet owner.  She was two years old.  My aunt Noreen gave her this little kitten that she had named OREO.  Kelsey was in her 'princess phase' at the ripe old age of 2, so she renamed her new kitten FIONA, after Shrek's princess.



Having a veterinarian in the family, we soon learned that FIONA was a male, and the new kitten became SHREK.  SHREK has been an incredible cat for the past ten years.  We love him.  He is a year-round outdoor cat and is the most patient fella with all our kids, but he loves Kelsey the most.

 

 Kelsey had a great idea a few weeks ago that SHREK needed a bath.  First one ever.  So she got some Head and Shoulders shampoo, conditioner, water at the perfect temperature, multiple towels, and got busy.  Even though he is a good cat, I was sure we were going to have a rodeo.  But Kelsey's sweet-talking and cooing the entire time she had him in the water proved effective.

 

 I love this photo.  SHREK'S look of incredulousness at the situation is fantastic.  

 

The bath was truly a success and I was very surprised.  It just shows how much that cat loves that girl.

When Kelsey told her dad what she had done, he once again stated what a great cat she has.  Then he asked what kind of shampoo she used.  She told him and he laughed and laughed.  Apparently, one should use baby shampoo for a homemade cat bath and no conditioner.  Kelsey replied smiling "But his dandruff is gone and he is just SO SOFT now."

 

 

My mom calls her 'nerdy techno baby' or something like that

Kenna loves my phone.  She loves anyone's phone.  She loves remotes.  She loves the computer.  She loves the ipad, Kindle, tablet, anything techno.

She is good at them too.  She can get to someone's games, Instagram, Facebook accounts, apps store, you name it, in no time.

If you are not careful, she may video you while you are putting on your makeup.

So, since I use my phone as a camera sometimes, she often messes up the cutest picture I intended to take because she wants my phone.  And cries.

 

Consequently, if I am not ready with my phone in camera mode, this cute picture can change

 

to this picture in about 1.2 seconds.

I am actually sort of concerned that Kenna will look back years from now at photos I took and think she had an awful time as a one year old and was a grumpy monster.

She really is a happy sweet girl,

unless she wants my phone.

This super cute girl was ready for church and looking so cute

until I got the phone out for a photo!

Same story, different day.

She wanted my phone.

 

 My super cheesy girl has turned from "cheese" to "whaaa!."

I hope she out grows this stage soon.

 

 

The other day she was looking so cute on my sewing table, just smiling and laughing and being cute.  I got my phone out to capture the darling moment, and this is what I got.

 

I did do a trick the other day when she was playing Batgirl.  I turned the screen view so she could see herself while I took this one.

No tears, but still not a great picture of my little Batgirl.

oh how we love homework

We have been experiencing some very nice spring-like weather here lately.

So when Kendal gets home from school, she and Emmitt want to be outside.

Yesterday I told her that when they came in from playing, it was homework time.

Kendal isn't too fond of homework time.

An hour and a half passed after she had been home from school, and Kendal still hadn't darkened the door.  Usually some after school hunger drives her inside.  Not the case.



I went out to see what was keeping Kendal and Emmitt so engaged that her hunger could be forgotten.

They were in the chicken coop with a dust pan, broom, cardboard box, and face masks.

CLEANING!

 

The prospects of doing homework must have been truly awful to think it was a good idea to clean out the chicken coop without being asked to do it!

 

my mama kitty

Kenna woke up from her sweet nap today with this crazy hair that I call a Rooster Tail.  That is what my mom called them, so that is what I call them.  It reminds me of being a kid and hearing my mom say that.

Anyway, Kelsey, my 11 year old just said to me "Mom, did you know that mother cat's have a lot of hair balls?"  Kelsey loves cats.  We have two outdoor cats that she adores and they love her too, so I wasn't surprised to hear this statement/question about cats.  I figured she had learned it at school or on one of her many youtube adventures.  So, I agreed with her. 
Then she said "Wanna know how I know?"  I asked her how.  She made me fall apart laughing when she said "I tried to lick Kenna's rooster tail down earlier today." 

State of the Household Address

 State of the Household Address:

 Kelsey loves to spend her extra time watching crafting youtube videos.  She got the great idea to make a duct tape mannequin of herself the other night.  So we did.  Silly girl.

 After I wrapped her up good and thick, I cut her out.

Then she taped the opening closed and stuffed it with newspaper.  It now sits in her room with a shirt on.  Silly girl.  I think I would have bad dreams with a body watching over me all night!

 The next night she wanted to make a melted crayon project she watched on youtube as well.  

 

Today her Colonial/Revolutionary War project was due at school.  I think she had to do 5 project units and for one of them, she made this sweet poster about period clothing.  She is a smart and responsible girl, and loves to create.  Create anything.

 Kendal is wearing an eye patch on her left eye for 10 hours, 6 days a week.  She is really great about it.

We took her to the eye doctor 2 weeks ago and in the first month she wore the patch, her vision with her glasses went from 20/70 to 20/25.  He thought that was incredible progress.  She has to wear the patch for 2 more months to refine her sight and make that eye stronger, and then she should be great!  YIPPEE!

She loves to play with baby Kenna and is the most helpful little girl around.

Her imagination is in full force and she and Emmitt are always superheros, royalty, or anything else they can dream up.  She is such a sweet little gal and tries so hard to please her parents.

On the days I can get Emmitt to wear real clothes instead of his Spiderman suit, we enjoy a mellow little boy.  When Spiderman or The Hulk take over, he is a wildman!  He usually goes to help Matt on the farm on Tuesdays and Saturdays and loves to help take care of the cows and fences and do whatever it is they do all day long.  He is a busy little boy, and loves it when his sisters get home from school.

Sweet Kenna is now 8 months old and is crawling all over the place.  When we need her to stay semi-still, we put her in the walker.  She can still follow me around the house with her wheels though.  She is a fantastic nighttime sleeper and has a wonderful temperament.  She makes us all laugh with her easy smile and magic blue eyes.

Matt is busy with work of course, and it is trich testing season for the bulls in state.  After his real work, he is busy collecting trich samples from bulls to be incubated and tested for any STD's.  March 5th 2011 was his big accident while trich testing bulls.  He broke 11 ribs, most in multiple places, broke his sternum in two places, separated his shoulder, and then deflated a lung.  With the 2 year anniversary coming up, we are glad he is well, although he still hurts from that accident.  The farm keeps him busy as well, but he loves it and enjoys the work.

I am busy, and suffering from some SPRING FEVER!

Good bye February and hello to March!  YIPPEE!

I can't take a hint

My Kenna turned 6 months old on Christmas Day.  WOW!  Has the time just flown by!

 She is such a sweet little baby and I tell everyone that she is the most mellow babe on the planet.  Well, recently she thinks she is big stuff - getting on all fours and just a rocking!

 

Santa thinks she is a big gal too, because he brought her rice cereal for Christmas!

All my other children were eating all their veggies and fruits like crazy by the time they were 6 months old.

I have just been lazy with Kenna.  Real food is such a mess, and look at those thighs and cheeks - Creme ala Rachel has been good to her so far!

Anyway, I got out the rice cereal Santa graciously brought yesterday and gave it a whirl.  First bite - not impressed.  Second bite - which was really the first bite, just reinserted - gagging and spitting out again.  Third bite - a fresh spoonful once again rejected.

 

Fourth bite, just because I can't take a hint - more gagging and ultimately all of her stomach contents running down her bib and thighs and into the bumbo chair.  Yeah, we will try again another day!

But my little Kenna is an angel.  I love her so much.  Her giggles make me smile and I can't help but find joy in everything about her - even going through 3 sets of clothing EVERY DAY!