Oooh, the Weather Outside is...

…anything but predictable! In this one week we watched the temps go from below zero to high 60s, then back down again. We’ve had rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We would go to bed in the quiet stillness, and awaken in the night to loud rolls of booming thunder or wailing, swirling high-speed winds. The day the temps climbed to the 60s, we just had to head outdoors. I gave Kayli the choice to walk or ride in the stroller (with visions of her nodding off for a nap) She added “Option C”, to take her stuffed kitty for a walk in the doll stroller. Not much of a workout for me, but the walk was entertaining, as Kayli pointed out all the “important sights” along the way. “Look, mom, there’s a crack in this sidewalk, and this one and this one… “Look, I found a ‘tree star’” (that’s “leaf” in dinosaur language) “Mom, why all these sticks on the ground?” “Hey, mom, it sure is a beautiful day.”

Santa Ate the Pretzels!

What a great day! The first discovery was that Santa ate the chocolate covered pretzels we left him. The oatmeal we left for the reindeer was gone, just a few crumbs spilled, but we all know that reindeer are messy eaters. Then, it was one exciting discovery after another, from the giant dollhouse, to the ruby red sparkle shoes that both Kayli and her Bitty Baby got! Kayli asked Santa to bring her some keys like mom’s, only in her favorite color, green. Well, sure enough, there in the reindeer bowl was a beautiful set of green keys on a sparkle star keychain! Holy Moly! Then, there was a tiny baby doll with all the stuff a “little mom” needs for a baby. Kayli always likes to tell me “I’m a little mom named Kathy, AND, I’m a super hero that saves today!” Wow, sounds like a big job for such a little girl. Well, the Santa toys continued with a Winnie the Pooh Bath toy, and the Princess jewelry, and the Princess Jewelry game, and the Dora the Explorer computer game. We took time to sing “Happy Birthday” to Baby Jesus, as Kayli held the figurine from our manger in front of the tiny cake we bought. Then, she blew out the candles and we had cake for breakfast! Mmmm. Then, we just played and played, til we both needed a nap. We had a nice Christmas dinner at Kevin and Karen’s house with the rest of our family, and got to open MORE presents! Amidst the big pile of presents from Grandpa, was the best Surprise EVER, a remote control dinosaur! This T-Rex walks and roars and moves it’s head and tail and opens and closes it’s mouth to show it’s sharp teeth! Anyone that knows Kayli’s love of dinosaurs can only imagine her excitement over this toy!
On Christmas Eve, Kayli’s “Christmas exchange buddy” gave her a really cool TAG reader system that reads stories to her! We just met a new character named Olivia the pig. She gets into lots of mischief, and Kayli thinks she’s hysterical!
This Holiday season has been SOOOOOOO MUCH FUN!!!

Are You "Cited"?

Last night, I'm reviewing with Kayli the highlights of Christmas eve and Christmas day. I tell her that Santa will be coming in two days. He will bring presents because it's Baby Jesus's birthday. I remind her that we all go to church tomorrow night so we can sing to Baby Jesus. Kayli loves to sing! Yes, of course she wants to know if we'll be singing "Happy Birthday" then, if not that, then what? Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? or Santa Claus is Coming to Town? because "I love those songs, mom." A little more explaining about church, then Kayli says "But, Mom, are you cited 'bout the toys???" Oh, yes, Kayli, very excited. More than you know.

I Like the Reindeer, but not the Guy with the Puffy White Beard!

Kayli begrudgingly sat on Santa’s lap while we were in Redmond, WA. Then when we came across him at a holiday festival back home, she wanted NO part of visiting him! Then, once again, there HE was with Mrs. Claus at the Nursery, and then again at her daycare holiday party (he’s everywhere!), and when asked why she was afraid of Santa, Kayli said she just didn’t like “that puffy white beard!” She really liked the live reindeer we saw, and would prefer to focus on Rudolph and his role in bringing the sleigh full of toys to all the good little girls and boys!

Some Call it Bedtime

In our house, a nice warm bath, followed by stories, then snuggles in the rocking chair, does not lead to relaxed slumber, at least for Kayli. Although I AM feeling pretty relaxed after all of this, it is at this time that Kayli does some of her deepest thinking: “Mom, why our tummies have holes?” “Mom, why you like broccoli?” “Mom, why you have to clean the house?” (Good question) After picking up the day’s clutter from around the house, I’m usually in the computer room “working” while Kayli is supposed to be falling asleep. She pops her head in to tell me: “Mom, my kitty just can’t sleep. She try AND try, but she just can’t!” I send her back with suggestions for kitty. She comes back to tell me her “jammies” are too hot. I tell her to feel free to take them off. It seems quiet for a long while. I go to check on her. I find that she has changed her “jammies.” She spotted something more appealing for night time wear, a sporty summer skirt and tank top, complete with matching socks and slippers! I smile, tell her she looks beautiful, and tuck her under her blanket. She says “Mom, let’s pretend this a swimming pool” Ok, fine, you pretend to sleep in that swimming pool. Don’t splash too much. This comment is met with gales of laughter. Ok, I know, I’m not helping…so back in the computer room, as I continue “working/blogging”, I hear Kayli talking (to her entourage of snuggle friends, kitty, bunny, puppy, Rudolph, Care Bears) She’s telling them how food makes you grow. Then, she shouts “EVERYBODY SING!” and launches into a rousing rendition of the “Growing Song” “I’m growing a little bigger, growing a little stronger, growing a little taller every day AY AAAAY …” “Good singing everyone.” A period of time passes, all is quiet, it’s about 10:30 p.m., I quietly climb into my bed…I’m starting to doze off, and in the darkness I hear a tiny little voice: “Mom, did you turn off the Christmas tree?” Yes, Kayli, I did. Thanks for asking, I took care of everything. You can go to sleep

The Candy House

You may think this is a gingerbread house, and that’s what it says on the box, but Kayli really prefers to call it “The Candy House” since that is really all she sees, and the gingerbread is just a "holder" for the candy!

Teeny Tiny Bit of Snow

As I mentioned before, about the snow we found when we got back from Seattle, such a thin layer covering bits and pieces of the ground. Regardless, all Kayli saw was SNOW! She begged and begged to go outside the next day to "play in the snow". Well, by midmorning, temps were already at 50 degrees and I knew my only chance of snow might be the back SHADED porch. Sure enough, there it was, and there was no time to waste, with the sun high in the sky. So, I donned Kayli in her new Dora boots, parka, and mittens, and out we went. She was beyond thrilled to scrape together little snowballs from the snow remnants on the porch and steps, then warning me "Here comes a snowball!" throwing them at me! Squealing with delight, she said "Mom, we having so much fun, are we?" Yes, Kayli, we are!

(Recently, we had another snow and I would definitely vote for the kind of snow day we had with temps in the 50s over this recent one with temps in the 20s but windchill well below zero! Kayli also discovered that your hands and feet and cheeks get really cold really fast when they're immersed in that snow and that old North wind is blowing, Brrrr!)

How do you say Headache?

Kayli and I have had the kind of colds with stuffy noses recently. I know I have had some pounding sinus headaches, but Kayli never complained until one morning, while I’m trying to get her dressed, she is holding her hand on her head and says “Mom, my forehead has a tummy ache” Well, doesn’t that just say it all? Time for a decongestant!

Up Up and Away!

Kayli got to fly on an airplane for the first time since our trip back from China, when she was 20 months old. We flew to Seattle for Thanksgiving. Kayli was soooo excited! We talked and talked about the trip. I made a picture story book about the trip that we read. I made a calendar for Kayli to cross off the days leading up to “airplane day”. On the day of the trip, she did great! We all took off our shoes, and coats, and bags when we got to security. Kayli followed me through the door, but forgot to leave her pink bunny behind, so we had to send “Bunny” back with the security agent. Grandpa was detained for a while as we got everything back together. Kayli was so proud to climb into her seat on the plane and buckle herself in. When the plane began to climb up into the sky, she was “glued” to the window. We enjoyed a fabulous time in Seattle. The highlight for Kayli was her cousins’ big dog named Rocky, who was a large standard size poodle. Kayli and Rocky would stand eye-to-eye, and Kayli would quietly talk to Rocky, like he was her very own “Clifford the Big Red Dog”. She would tell him to sit and he would. He followed her everywhere. She held lengthy “conversations” with Rocky, and then I’d hear her say “Well, Rocky, I have to go now, see you later.” It was just sooo cute.
One day, while at the darling outdoor shopping arena, we came across a tiny little Christmas cottage where Santa was waiting for visitors. Kayli was suspicious of this character, after all she’s been hearing about him so far (knowing when she's naughty or nice), but agreed to sit on his lap and smile for a picture. Our trip home was far more eventful, with looooong waits in line, security scrutinizers, and a 5 hour departure delay! Mom had to pull lots of tricks “out of her bag” to keep the time moving. Kayli “played” with her gummy worms, wiggling them around, and doing all sorts of “tricks” with them before eating them. She watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on DVD. She loved riding the “moving sidewalk”. She would alternate between walking on it and sitting on it. Woohoo! We arrived back in KC about 1 a.m. and to the extreme delight of Kayli, there was a light layer of snow covering the ground. She kept telling people about it. She yelled to our shuttle driver “Hey, I saw snow on your car.” And when he didn’t respond, louder she yelled “Hey, you know I saw snow on your car.” The people on the shuttle, who are all pretending to be very serious, looking at their shoes as we ride, couldn’t help but crack a smile or two!