Is it Spring Yet?

Kayli looks out the window at yet another layer of ice/snow covering the ground and forlornly asks "Mom,is it Spring yet?" We've had plenty of snow fun, we've enjoyed the beauty of the sparkling ice coated trees as the sun shines down on them, we've bundled up and braved the cold each and every day, and now we're ready, ohhhh so ready, for Spring to be here!

HUGE Snowflakes!

Kayli had to stay home today due to some kind of bug that's reaking havoc with her lower digestive system, if you know what I mean? Soooo, we decided to make a quick trip to the store to pick up some Pedialite Pops, even though we really didn't want to go out in the rain. Yes, I said rain, not snow. It was raining this morning, and even looked a little like a Spring shower, with temps close to 40. We pulled out our raingear and headed to the grocery store. One hour later, we are putting the shopping cart back and look out the window to see HUGE, and I mean HUGE, THICK snowflakes falling out of the sky. You could see people stopping and just looking up at this stuff,like "where did that come from?" One single snowflake probably contained about a 1/4 cup of water! Ok, maybe a couple of tablespoons, but you get the idea. So, we get home and of course Kayli wants to run out and catch one of these on her tongue. She tilts her head back, and...PLOP, a giant snowflake drops right on her eyelid! The two of us crack up and continue to laugh as we watch this bunch of bizarre snowflakes come down. Now another hour has passed and the snow is gone and if you hadn't been outside to see it you would never know it happened, it's raining again! But Kayli and I are still laughing about that "eyeplop!"

OUCH! Kayli Joins the "Stitch/Staple Club"!

Kayli's "famous last words" were: "C'mon Nick, let's wrestle!"
Next thing I know I'm in the back seat of Marion's car, holding a blood saturated cloth on the back of Kayli's head, while Marion drives the 6 blocks to Aunt Laura's (aka: family ER doctor). Laura and Mickey were all dressed up, getting ready to go to a hospital fund raiser/gala event, but there was enough time for Doctor Laura to assess the wound, administer a topical anesthetic, then insert a couple stitch/staples, and... now, as we jokingly say, in our family, Kayli has officially joined the stitch/staple club! You only have to "pay your dues" once to be in this club, but once is more than enough, and the club never seems to lack for members... Matt, Adam, Jake, Nick, now Kayli! Most of my siblings and I had stitches as children, but Uncle Robert wins the "frequent flyer" award with 6 recorded childhood episodes requiring stitches!
Kayli says "Mom, I been having a hard day, have I?" Yes, Kayli, a hard Couple of days, and I hope we're done for a while, cuz this mom's "heart" can't take much more!

AND, here is the "scene of the c*rime"...

"My Kindergarten Hurts"

Kayli is just a few weeks away from turning 5, so today we headed for the pediatrician for her 5 year old, well-child, pre-kindergarten check-up! The doctor told Kayli this was her "kindergarten checkup"...

They took her blood pressure with the tiniest little cuff and recorded a "tiny little blood pressure"

They listened to her heart with a pretty pink stethoscope while Kayli laughed at her loudly growling tummy! (I picked her up at school right at the start of snack)

They weighed her... 30 lbs.

They measured her height...39 inches

The doctor asked Kayli some questions...
What would you do if a stranger offered you candy? "Nothin'"
What would you do if a stranger asked you if you wanted to see a puppy? "Nothin'"
So, would you go see the puppy? "I just stay with my mom." (Good answer Kayli)
What would you do if there was a fire in your house? "Run!" (Close, Kayli, but not the answer the doc was looking for... I get a "teacher-kind-of-look" from the doc, who asks me about our fire plan at home...uh, fire plan? You mean the one where it's the middle of the night and I smell smoke, so I reach over to the sleeping child in bed with me, and scoop her up, and carry her to safety? (well that would mean I'd have to tell the doctor that I'm letting my child sleep with me and well, we all know, that would open a "whole nother can of worms!")so I say nothing while the doc tells Kayli the suggested fire plan in a house should be that the child lays down next to her bed and waits for her mom to come and get her, and Kayli is looking quizzically at her because we know she's thinking "why would I do that when my mom is in bed next to me?" and then...a few more questions...and Kayli is tired of this game, so she begins to ask the doctor questions that are more interesting... "What's in that little bag you brought in here?" "Can I write something on that paper?" "Wanna see me fly?"
Time to break the news to Kayli about getting shots. I opted for letting the doctor spring this news on her. She told Kayli that part of starting kindergarten is getting a few shots. She told her that she knew this was a bummer but it was ok if Kayli wanted to cry. Kayli thought this comment was hysterical, as she threw her head back and chortled! The doctor left, the nurse came in, and administered 4 shots to Kayli's thighs while she laid bravely on the table hugging her pink bunny, while I hugged her. She didn't scream like I thought she might, she became hot and flushed, and cried quiet tears, waiting for it to be over. (Very hard on a mom's heart!) The nurse gave Kayli a sucker and left. Kayli climbed into my lap a wept for about a minute, before she looked up at me and said "That wasn't as bad as I thought."

Once we were home, Kayli wanted me to carry her out of her carseat to the house. She said "Mom, my kindergarten really hurts!" Oh my. Too funny, but I can't laugh.
All was well once we got in the house and shifted our focus to the surprises I had waiting for my little Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Day Sweet Girl of Mine!





And for Mom...

Teeny Tiny Earrings!

The request was made, the time was right, the opportunity was there, so, Kayli now has a sweet little pair of pierced ears, with a sweet little pair of sparkle stud earrings, for a sweet little girl turning 5!


It was a brrr COLD day, we needed to get out of the house, so Kayli put on her pretty new dress (thank-you Linsey) and we headed for the mall. With Kayli's birthday coming up, I told her we were going to look around for ideas to give her aunts and uncles about things she might like for her birthday. We, of course stopped at the Disney store, our favorite place to visit, followed by a leisurely walk down the corridor, when we spotted the earring boutique that reminded us about how many times Kayli has asked to have her ears pierced so she could wear pretty earrings like her mom. Once inside, she was "on board" with the piercing plan and chose her own earrings from the designated box of special "starter earrings". The process was quick, and then the ladies were ooing and ahhing and holding up a mirror, and Kayli was saying "That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." She held her head up high and announced "C'mon Mom, Let's go ride the horses" (on the carousel of course) And so we did...


and we couldn't leave without stopping to play in the playland and drive the pretend car...


and always on our way out, there's the quarter candy machine with the tiny little banana candies that we both love, and the balloon maker creating poodles, dinosaurs, flowers, swords, with those long stretchy balloons and handing them out for a dollar donation. What a way to top off a great day, including the great nap Kayli took after all this fun!!!

A Trend Setter

The Dialogue goes like this: Kayli, you have your shirt on inside out. "What?" Your shirt is on wrong. That "writing" you see on it, is like the tag. It's supposed to go on the inside of the shirt. (Giggle) "But Mom, you silly, that's the pretty part!" So, that's why you always wear the pretty part on front, so everyone can see!"
*She DOES have a point. That "tagless" label is pretty darn FANCY! AND, having never taken the time to read beyond the size, I see that it even has a "sweet saying" printed on it: "for the sweetest little girl". If it weren't for Kayli to point these things out, well I just might miss out on a great fashion trend!

Time for tea?

Anyone with young children would probably agree that you always feel like you’re saying “C’mon, Let’s Go, We need to get moving, We’re going to be late, Hurry up, etc. etc.” Child experts advise “Build in extra time” Well, I’m here to tell you…there’s no end to the amount of time you can build in to a typical preschool aged “dilly-dallier’s day”! It’s not about “time”. It’s about the free-spirited “dilly-dally here and dilly-dally there” and some would even call that “stopping to smell the roses”, but the “dilly dallier” goes on to smell the lilies, and the daisies, and the dandelions, and the… all while, I’m just trying to get us out the door in the morning, so I can get to work on time! So, this morning, after doing her bumbling tumbling routine on the bed, while pulling on her red tights, Kayli initiated a rousing game of hide and seek, of which I was a mandatory draft, then, from her “hidden position”, she noticed a toy she announced she’d “been looking everywhere for”, which reminded her of a DVD we had and “No, we don’t have time to watch that DVD”, so, deflated, she finishes dressing and moves onto “teeth-brushing” where she decides it would be funny to try to engage me in a conversation while she had a mouthfull of toothpaste and toothbrush, speaking in “mmm,mmm,mmmmm” while gesturing and pointing, as if we were playing charades, then becoming deflated again when I told her we did not have time to play this game right now, and she needed to finish her teeth. Then, she opens the top drawer in the bathroom, and begins to rummage through it, fishing out an old eyelash curler, as if it were a prize she just won…WOW, MOM, this is cool! What is it? Can I try it? Can I pleeease? It’s soo cool! Yakity yak yak yak… My explanation is brief, while I retrieve the item and casually close the drawer, promising she can look in this drawer all she wants when we get home tonight. C’mon, Kayli, let’s go. We’re going to be late. We head for the kitchen, where I begin gathering things; my bag, her bag, my coat, her coat, my lunch, her snack… and today, putting on boots, mittens, hats… then, my keys, and I reach to open the door to the garage, when from behind me I hear a tiny, little voice with a hint of an English accent, saying “Would you like a spot of tea?” and I turn around to find Kayli sitting at the little table in the kitchen, her coat is off, her mittens are off, and she is pretend pouring her “Beauty and The Beast Mrs.Potts teapot “ into a teacup, stirring it with a spoon… then she holds it up, offering it to me with a smile and says “You better blow on it. It might be hot!” ALL I CAN DO IS LAUGH!