Going Crunchy

In the ongoing effort to cut expenditures and save where we can, we've decided to go crunchy. What exactly does that mean for the Jones household? Well, it means that once we run out of paper towels and paper napkins, we are going to switch to cloth. We've stocked up on kitchen towels and we've created an extra cubby hole in the kitchen for the extra towels. We bought red cloth napkins for Mommy, green cloth napkins for Daddy and lots and lots of white cloth napkins for Katy to use during mealtimes. Also, that means that we're going to be drinking from reusable water bottles (in fun colors, of course!).

I've also been doing a little research on homemade cleaners and I've been trying out a couple of concoctions to keep us clean and tidy. I wish I could say that I'm altruistic enough to be doing this strictly for the environment, but those who know me best, know that tree-hugger I am not. It's a nice side benefit, though.

Going crunchy may include cloth napkins and towels. However, I won't be giving up the TP or the Clorox wipes anytime soon ;-P

A New Year, a New Blog Template!

"All Things Katy!" is officially two years in the making! Can you believe that we've made it this far?! I can remember when I first started keeping this blog- before Katy was even born- on January 1, 2010.

Now, Katy is almost two and running all over the place, saying lots of new words, putting together more and more concepts and astounding us with her daily growth. So, in commemoration of this milestone, I decided to change things up a bit and update the blog template to give it a fresher, more fun look.

So, here's to two great years in the blogosphere and more to come. Good-bye 2011- we had a great year! Hello, 2012- we look forward to all that you have in store for our little family of three!

Happy Birthday, Cailin!

Cake Time!

Yummy "Muffins" (aka cupcakes)

Time to Open the Presents!

Today, we helped our friend, Cailin celebrate her 3rd birthday. "Tangled" was the theme and Katy was in heaven because she LOVES "Princesses" as she calls Rapunzel. Katy had a ball playing with all of Cailin's new toys and Daddy and I had fun catching up with Cailin's mommy and daddy (aka Miss Robin and Mr. Brian). Happy Birthday, Cailin!

"Now You're Cooking With Gas!"

Last night, we went to a free cooking class at the Concord Library. By we, I do mean the three of us- Katy included! The theme was "Cooking for a Healthy New Year" and it was put on by local small business owner and entrepreneur, Gina Guthrie of Bocca Felica. Ms. Guthrie walked the audience of about 30 people through recipes such as Black-eyed peas, Tortellini soup, Pear Salad and a Brie appetizer. We had fun watching all of the food be prepared but the best part was sampling all of the goodies!

Katy has watched me cook since she was itty bitty and I love that she has an interest in cooking and baking and food in general. While we were waiting for the demonstration to begin, Katy and I walked up to the front, where all of the food was displayed and Katy clearly stated several items- onion, lettuce, orange and soup (for the soup pot she saw on the burner). I love that Katy wants to be a part of cooking and creating meals. She always comes running when she hears me getting out pots and pans and insists on "helping" me "stir" or "measure" ingredients in a bowl. For now, everything is fun and exciting- I just hope the culinary interest lasts, though. Even if you don't like to cook, everybody can benefit from some basic knowledge in the kitchen!

Bark Like a Dog- Katy has the Croup :-(

Katy woke up Christmas day with a common cold- runny nose, stuffy head, watery eyes- nothing too major. She seemed to be getting better as the week went on so we thought things were on the mend. That was until last night. Katy went to bed without any incident. However, she woke up at a little before midnight coughing and crying. This coughing, though, sounded more like a dog barking than a normal cough. We were already using a humidifier and Vicks vapor rub, so we added a teaspoon of honey to our treatment at midnight (Katy was able to cry and breathe so we weren't concerned enough about the cough to take her to Urgent Care/ER). 

Then, first thing this morning, we made an appointment to see the doctor. As soon as the doctor listened to Katy's chest, he diagnosed her with croup. Apparently, croup is caused by a virus and is spread just like the common cold. Also, croup can result from a cold. Croup is the swelling of the voice box and windpipe. So, while the coughing sounds alarming (especially in the middle of the night!), croup is pretty common and can be treated with relative ease. The doctor called in a prescription and we were out the door less than thirty minutes after we had walked in. Temperament wise, Katy seemed fine. She was laughing, playing, talking and eating (boy, is she eating!!) like normal. If she didn't have the cough and runny nose, you wouldn't think anything was wrong.

Here is a link from Baby Center about croup and what it sounds like: http://www.babycenter.com/0_croup_1615.bc.

Barbie Girl

"I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world..."

One of my childhood loves was playing with my Barbies. I loved, loved, loved playing with them. I loved to dress them up, do their hair and- shock of all shocks!- design elaborate homes for them to live in (I guess I should have known that Interior Design was my calling from a very young age).I can remember summers playing Barbies with my cousins, Beth-Ann and Amy. 

This year, Katy received a Barbie and a Barbie car for Christmas. I knew she'd like them both because she a) loves dolls and b) loves cars. So, after we had presented the Barbie and car to her, I unpacked all of my childhood Barbies, furniture, clothes and accessories for Katy to enjoy. Katy had a BLAST!!! playing with all of the Barbies. 

Talk about a study in nature vs. nurture. Katy has (to the best of my knowledge) not seen a commercial, advertisement for Barbie. Yet, as soon as she opened her Barbie Christmas day, she knew that it was a Barbie and she knew exactly what to do with it once she saw all of the clothes, furniture, etc. from my childhood. 

It was so fun to see Katy interacting with the dolls I used to play with and come up with soap-opera-like histories for each doll. Katy did really well dressing the dolls, making them "pretend" to cook and interact with the kitchen accessories and drive the Barbie car. 

After playing with the Barbies for a good 45 minutes straight (that's like an eternity to a toddler!) two realizations came to light; a) my Barbies are a good 25+ years old so that made me feel old and b) We're going to need more room in the playroom to house all of Barbie's STUFF!

Impromptu Jam Session

"Go tell it on the Mountain!"

 "Over the hills and everywhere!"

"That Jesus Christ is Born!"

We had an impromptu jam session in the car, today, to Sheryl Crow's rendition of "Go Tell it on the Mountain!" Katy loves to sing, snap, clap, sway and bounce to the music! She usually insists that Mommy and Daddy join in with her. I'm sure we look pretty crazy to the people in the car next to us... :-)

Hot, Fresh and Now! Visit to Krispy Kreme Distribution Center

Yum-O!

Today, we joined our MOMs Club of Concord friends for a tour of the local Concord Krispy Kreme Doughnuts distribution center. The center is located minutes away from our house but we only recently found out about it's existence. Ms. Conway of Krispy Kreme, took us on a tour of the factory. She was pretty patient- all things considered- with our loud, boisterous crew of 31 (most of them being five and under). We got to see jelly and apple filled doughnuts being made. We got to see the doughnuts come from the proofer, onto the flights, through the baker, be hand filled, glazed and boxed. As a sweet treat to end the tour, we even got to take home a couple of chocolate sprinkled doughnuts! So fun!

Christmas Morning at the Jones Household 2011

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Katy must have been a good girl, this year because boy, did Santa deliver! In the Jones household, Santa give Katy three gifts- something she wants, something she needs and something for the future. She received Let's Rock! Elmo, big girl panties and a contribution to her 529 plan from  Santa, this year. In addition to her gifts from Santa, Katy got a Barbie, a Barbie car, dolls, doll accessories, games, art supplies and various stocking stuffers. Even though Katy woke up Christmas morning with a cold, she had a good time and did really well opening the gifts all by herself. Merry Christmas!

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas..."

Merry Christmas 2011! 

Love, T, H and Lil' Miss

Thunder and (No) Lightning

No walk is complete without saying "Hi!" to Thunder, the cat.

Our neighbor has and outdoor cat named Thunder. It is necessary, in Katy's opinion, to stop and wave "Hi!" and "Bye!" to Thunder EVERY time we walk by his house. Our neighbors must think we are stalking them, or something because Katy loves to stop and talk to Thunder for minutes on end (don't worry, we're not!). I like Thunder because Katy gets to enjoy a cat without the sneezing and sniffles on my behalf- Achoo!

Hook and Ladder

"Helping" Mommy decorate cookies to give to the local fire station.

Katy taste-testing the icing- gotta make sure it tastes good before we give it away! ;-P

Concord Fire Dept.

Watch out world- Katy takes the wheel in the fire truck!

Today, we delivered a plate of decorated sugar cookies to our local fire station. We want to teach Katy to have a giving and thankful heart- and not just focus on Santa and presents at Christmastime- and thanking the men and women that keep us safe throughout the year is one small way we can do that.

When we walked up to the station, there was a fireman standing outside. He was kind enough to let us in and show us around the station. At first, Katy was kind of afraid of all of the large trucks, flashing lights and equipment. However, once the fireman said that Katy could "drive" the truck, Katy immediately perked up and got very excited. She even told Daddy to "get down" so that she could sit in the driver's seat all by herself.

Thank you to those that serve and protect us throughout the year!

700th Blog Post- Blog Love

This is the 700th blog post of All Things Katy!

Usually, I like to share some numbers and stats having to do with Katy, our family, etc.during these milestone blog posts. Instead, I'd like to share with you some blog statistics and share some link love with those who have sent traffic our way. In our little part of the blogosphere, All Things Katy! has been pretty popular (popular for us, that is- peanuts in comparison to the rest of the world). So far, as of today, we've had....

-20,902 pageviews since the inception of All Things Katy! on January 1, 2010.
-We've had readers from the USA, Indonesia, Russia, Germany, Canada, France, Israel, Qatar, South Korea, and Trinidad and Tobago, even though we technically only have one "real" follower. So, if you, dear reader, feel so inclined, feel free to follow All Things Katy!
- http://www.moneysavingmom.com./, https://www.facebook.com/,   https://www.google.com/  and http://www.thethriftymama.com/ have been our top referring sites in the last month.
-On December 2, 2011, we had 378 unique pageviews. This was the single most pageviews we've had in one single day- that's a lot for All Things Katy! I believe this to be mostly due to the fact that I did a review for the soon-to-be released, The Money Saving Mom's Budget.
-The Money Saving Mom's Budget- Book Review has been the most popular post being viewed 515 times.
-Cookie Monster Birthday Bash has been the second most popular post being viewed 341 times.
-"How to feed baby rice cereal," "cookie monster party theme" and "cookie monster cupcakes" have been popular word searches that have led people our way.

Goes to show that you can't always predict your audience and blogs are most certainly a very public forum to express yourself! Happy blogging!

Christmas Cookies with Friends

Some of the kiddos decorating sugar cookies. 

Let's just say there was more eating than decorating going on ;-P

Our little Cookie Monster (eating and enjoying egg/soy/nut free cookies, of course!)!

Today, we joined the rest of the moms and kiddos for the MOMs Club of Concord Christmas party. We decorated sugar cookies, painted plaster ornaments, made crafts, played and ate lunch. There was laughter! There was crying (that's what happens when you put together over a dozen kids under five)! There was lots of playing! Merry Christmas!

Sweet Baby Face

Sweet Girl

Have you noticed that most of Katy's recent pictures are of her taken from behind? That's because she's usually running full-steam ahead of me (or, as Katy likes to announce, "Katy, runnin'!") and I'm usually chasing her a few steps behind. So, for your viewing pleasure, here is a *rare* picture of that sweet baby face!

One day, I'm going to miss Katy's soft, baby cheeks and her nose that mirrors my own. I love the way Katy will so willingly give me kisses, hugs and pats when I ask. I love that she announces every action, as she is doing it- "Katy jumping! Katy running! Katy eating!" I love how perfectly Katy's tiny, little hand fits into mine as she reaches up to hold my hand in a trusting, innocent sort of way. I love how Katy will hear music and start dancing with wild abandon- bottom out, arms clapping and swinging! I love that giggle, Katy!

I want to remember every feature, and cherish every moment but I can tell that each day seems to accelerate Katy's maturity. Everyday, it's evident in the new word that Katy speaks, or the way she puts concepts together. Even her facial features sometimes seem to change from day-to-day.

Who knew that you could fall in love again with your baby girl, every day?

Dolly and Me (cont.)

See-Saw with Baby

Climbing with Baby

Baby wants to drive!

Wild and Crazy on the Jungle Gym!

After some chilly days, we were finally able to go to the playground, today. Katy insisted that Baby come along and it's clear from the pictures that Baby had to do everything that Katy did. Climb! Slide! See-saw! Wherever Katy is, Baby is sure to follow. Katy even insisted on bringing extra "diapers" (aka, Katy's pull-ups) in her old diaper bag along for Baby before we walked out the door.

Katy's Got Talent

Click here to view this video

Last Sunday, Katy made her stage debut along with the rest of the Kinetic Kids, as they sang Christmas songs for the congregation. Ted and I knew that the kids were slated to sing on Sunday but we just didn't realize that the Toddlers were going up on stage, too (we thought they were too young). So, we found ourselves without a camera of any kind (yikes!) and had to treasure the moment in our minds. Thanks to our friend, Lindsey for taking this video so that we could share it with you! This video is from the first service where Katy was a little more tame. During the second service, Katy clapped and danced along to the music like she was born to move to the music!!

Dolly and Me

Katy "feeding" baby.

Breakfast with a friend.

Katy loves to take care of her baby dolls. Behind books, dolls are probably her toy of choice. She loves to feed, rock, dress and hold them. Katy will put the dolls to "bed" and tell me that they "Shh- napping!" I've even heard her talk to the dolls like I talk to her- singing "Rock a Bye Baby" and saying, "Missy." More than once, I've had to kiss Katy AND baby good-night or give baby a "sip of water," too.

Katy is quite the "Little Mommy" with her dolls!

Future Candidate for a Degree in Animal Husbandry

Katy kept calling out to the camel and couldn't understand why it was sitting so far out of her reach.

Llama, Llama Holiday Drama

Baby Kyloe (Scottish cow with long, wavy coats)- this one's for you, Nana Jones!

Today we went back to the Billy Graham Library to pet the animals from the nightly Living Nativity that we got to see last week when Nana and Bapa Jones were in town.

First, though, we joined Elizabeth's mom, Crystal, for a nice lunch at the main office. It was a nice break to Crystal's day and I'm sure she enjoyed seeing her daughter mid-day. Katy was a good eater and ate all of her hot dog, most of her fruit and probably would have eaten Elizabeth's hot dog if Crystal hadn't insisted that Elizabeth finish her lunch.

After lunch, we walked the short distance to the Library where we spent time watching and petting the animals- by "we" I mean the girls pet the animals and I followed them with Purell- hee, hee. ;-P Katy loves animals! Surprisingly, she actually named them all without me prompting her- camel, donkey, cow (or kyloe), sheep and llama.

After petting the animals got old, we went into the Library to visit with Bessie, the animatronic cow at the beginning of the Library tour. We also had time to go into the Graham boyhood home so that Elizabeth could see it decorated for Christmas. We had a good time and it was a nice change of pace for the day.

Shoppes at University Place Playground

Katy on the Boardwalk, watching the ducks float by.

Look at that wind action with Katy's pigtails!

Climbing

Elizabeth and Katy having fun exploring a new playground.

Today, we finally met up with an old friend of Ted's from NJ, who now lives in Charlotte. We took advantage of this semi-warm weather in the middle of December and met up with Lauren and three-year old Joey Domm at the playground at the Shoppes at University Place. Lauren has been kind enough to keep inviting me to various playgroups, activities and parties but our schedules never seemed to match up until today.

Now, I'm pretty familiar with this shopping plaza but I had no idea about this hidden gem of a playground. The equipment was all wooden and fort-like. Katy had a blast crawling in and out of the structures. Next time we go, we'll be sure to bring some stale bread for the many geese, birds and swans that float by in the lake next to the playground.

By the time we parted ways, Katy was tuckered out from her morning's adventure. We had fun!

Small Group Christmas Party

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

Evelyn, Kylie and Katy hanging out at the party.

Last night, we hosted a Christmas party for our Small Group and the Perkins' Small Group. Everybody brought a dish to share and we enjoyed a casual night together with friends during this busy holiday season. It was a great way to end the fall season of small groups with laughter, conversation with friends and good food!

Juicy Fruit (and Veggies, too!)

Shhh! Don't tell the Katy she's drinking her veggies!

Ted's parents gave me a Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer for my birthday this year. A slightly strange gift, I acknowledge. However, I actually really wanted one (even if it seems like one more appliance to collect dust on the shelf).

My parents have been juicing for awhile now and when we were visiting once, my dad made a juice consisting of veggies and Katy gulped it down and asked for seconds. SOO.... I was hooked- not so much for me, but for Little-Miss-I-Don't-Like-To-Eat-Veggies. We went to the store and stocked up on fruits and veggies- oranges, apples, cucumbers, carrots, pineapple, mango, grapes and celery. We juiced up a concoction of cucumber, apple, carrot and oranges. I handed Katy a cup full of juice and she gulped it down- veggies and all! Hmmm... I could get used to this veggie consumption! Juicing your own fruits and veggies sure beats all that talk about arsenic in manufactured apple juice, don't you think?!

Thank you for the birthday gift Mom and Dad Jones- we're putting it to good use!

The Things She Says...

Strong and Silent is definitely NOT Katy's type. She is as chatty as they come saying something funny, amusing and sometimes embarrassing every day. Here are some recent excerpts and exchanges between Katy and I:

Today, I was corralling the girls up the stairs and said, "Let's roll.." Katy finished my thought by exclaiming, "Peeps!" since I typically say, "Let's roll, peeps!"

We were watching videos of my friend Meg's children on her blog, http://megguanxi.blogspot.com/, when Katy pointed to her youngest son, Judson, almost three years old and declared, "Judd- boyfriend!" Ha! Daddy wasn't too pleased with this declaration of love.

Katy got into my box of birthday/sympathy/anniversary/thank you cards last night. She was shuffling around and sorting them when she announced to me that she was, "Couponing." Hmm.... think I use coupons much?!?

The other night, Katy insisted on cuddling my Bible before bedtime. When I kept hearing rustling sounds I went into her room and asked her what she was doing. She replied, "Reading Bible." How can I be mad at that?!?

The Christmas Singing

The Christmas Singing (Chapter 1 Excerpt)

Blogging for Books- His Little Princess by Sheri Rose Shepherd

His Little Princess by Sheri Rose Shepherd is a sweet collection of letters, Bible verses and poems written for princesses of all ages. This book is a touching reminder that every one of us is loved and that we are made in God’s own image. Playing off of the “princess craze” that has young girls crying for Disney dolls, dress-up and tiaras, His Little Princess shows girls the true meaning of being a princess in God’s court.

This book is set up as a collection or writings/verses that can be read individually or as a collection. His Little Princess is simplistic its approach, yet sophisticated enough for even older girls to get meaning and truth out of it. The book references Bible verses so it has the potential to spark some deeper, theological and thematic discussions between parent and child.

In conclusion, this book is a positive collection to any library.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

"Merry Christmas, Baby (a little early)!"

Can you guess what Katy was watching while she "helped" decorate the Christmas tree?!

"Are all of those presents under the tree for me?!?"

Opening the Fisher Price Nativity set from Nana and Bapa Jones.

Thanks for the Band in a Box, Aunt Megan and Uncle Jason!

"I LOVE my new dolly carrier from Nana and Bapa Jones!"

Nana and Bapa Jones are in town this week to celebrate Christmas with us (a little early). So, after church, yesterday, we had a traditional Christmas dinner- ham, baked pineapple, mashed potatoes, homemade breadsticks and roasted brussel sprouts- all of which were Katy-friendly foods! Katy also had the opportunity to open her gifts from her Jones grandparents a little early. She had fun opening her gifts and playing with all the fun, new toys!

With the help of grandparents, we were also able to decorate for the holidays, so we no longer look like Scrooge. Our tree is up, lights and bows adorn the outside and we've already opened some presents- we're ready for Christmas!!

Christmas at the Library

"Rocking around the Christmas Tree" with Nana and Bapa Jones

Yesterday evening we went to the Billy Graham library to partake in their holiday festivities. Nana and Bapa Jones are visiting for the week and we are celebrating Christmas with them (a little early). There was a live Nativity, carolers, story time on the porch, carriage rides and of course the Library and Billy Graham home place were open to tour, as well. Katy's favorite part of the night was seeing all of the animals in the Living Nativity. There was even a baby kyloe (aka, Scottish cow that has a long, wavy coat) which Katy LOVED (must be that Scottish heritage :-). It took a lot of coaxing to separate her from her new, furry friends!

Every Child Ready to Read

For the past eight weeks, Katy and I have participated in the Cabarrus County Library's "Every Child Ready to Read" program. Every other Tuesday evening, we took part in an hour-long session with the Library's Family Literacy coordinator, Ms. Kimberly, We talked, sang, read, wrote and played our way to learning how to better prepare our children the basic fundamentals of reading before they reach Kindergarten.

According to the program, there are seven pre-literacy skills that each child should have before entering Kindergarten. They are:

1. Phonological Awareness

2. Letter Knowledge

3. Print Awareness/Print Conventions

4. Narrative Skills

5. Vocabulary

6. Print Motivation

7. Background Knowledge

While the above set of skills use big words, it basically breaks down to the fact that you should introduce your child to letters, number and the enjoyment of reading- books, signs, letters, etc.- from early on. Reading and talking to your child is the number one determining factor in a child's success rate at school.

Our class was small- just one other neighbor boy, Caelin, who took all four classes with us and another little girl who attended two classes- and we got lots of hands-on time. Together, we read stories and learned how to make reading enjoyable, fun and exciting to our not-yet-reading toddlers.

Even though Ted and I make reading a priority in our home (how could we not with both mothers being teachers- mine being a reading coach?!), I still learned a lot through the workshop. I learned about different ways to approach reading- singing, acting out, through activity and interaction. The workshop was also good at guiding me to the "next step" in Katy's at-home, everyday education. For example, since taking this class, we've been making a more concentrated effort to have Katy narrate her day to Ted, to "use her big girl words" instead of just pointing and whining, and to use normal, adult words (not just "dumb down" our vocabulary) when speaking and conversing with Katy and with others.

Now, for a little bragging. :-) According to the workshop, an average 24 month old should have about 300 words in their vocabulary. While I haven't sat down to count each and every word that Katy speaks on a regular basis, in the correct context, I know that Katy talks ALOT!! I can carry on conversations with her and I've found that she's a fun and funny little girl (she's got her Daddy's sense of humor- thank goodness!)! Katy's gotten pretty good at letting us know what she needs and wants. She can tell us if something hurts and/or if she needs/wants something. Katy is at the stage where she'll parrot back whatever she hears, so we definitely need to mind our p's and q's.

Yesterday, my back was really hurting. Sometime in the afternoon, I said aloud, "My back hurts- I'm just getting old and decrepit." Later, when we were playing, Katy was being a little rough for my poor back's condition and I told Katy, "Mommy's back hurts." Katy replied, "Back hurts? Kiss, kiss!" After she proceeded to kiss my back- because when doesn't a kiss make everything better?!- she then said, "Mommy 'crepit." Great! My toddler thinks I'm old! Ha- Hilarious!

Polar Pole

"This is MY Polar Bear friend!"

Pat, pat the Polar Bear

Hugs for Polar Pole!

When we got home from Thanksgiving, our house was cheerily decorated all thanks to our kind neighbor. It was nice to come home and be welcomed by festive, ribbon-bedecked wreaths in the windows. We are so thankful to have such nice neighbors!!

Katy's favorite decoration, by far, is the giant blow-up Polar Bear that she's named, "Polar Pole." Since Polar Pole comes on at night, we tell Katy that Polar "naps" during the day. As soon as the sun sets, though, Katy almost always drags either Ted or I to the front door and states, "Polar Pole!" to let us know that she wants to visit her "friend." Once we are outside, Katy loves to "tickle" the giant Polar Bear's feet and give it a "high five!" She's even been known to give him a hug, or two.... or, ten. ;-) It's REALLY hard to tear Katy away from Polar Bear in order to go back inside.

Sick Baby

Apparently a purse, princess PJs, a cuddly blanket, a movie and the "mote" (remote in Katy-speak) make everything better!

Today, I celebrated my birthday by cleaning up baby vomit. Poor Katy did not sleep well (poor parents, too, as we were up with Katy all through the night!) last night and she got sick a couple of times throughout the early morning hours. Once she got everything out of her system, though, Katy seemed much better. She was able to fall back to sleep, cuddled in Daddy's robe, in her own bed. Ted, on the other hand, had to get up and go to work and I could not fall back to sleep and ended up doing a couple of loads of laundry (sick baby vs. bed sheets- the sheets didn't stand a chance).

Just the other day I told Ted that I dreaded the day that Katy got sick to her stomach because I very much dislike the thought of cleaning up somebody else's you-know-what. Dirty diapers, spit-up- somehow I managed all of those. God has a sense of humor- he really does- I'll get the joke... one day.

I make a poor nurse maid and being the target for a sick baby is no fun at all and not much of a way to start your day- let alone your birthday. I've been monitoring Katy's symptoms since her morning episode and she seems okay- happy and smiling and laughing. There is no fever and I've made sure that she is keeping well-hydrated. I even got her to eat some toast, applesauce, yogurt and of course, her beloved "brock, brock " (aka, chicken). It's good to have my happy baby back- let's just hope it sticks and that neither Ted nor I get sick, too! I've been in total decontamination mode since this morning- Lysol and Clorox are LOVING me, today, with the amount of wipes and disinfecting spray I've used! Plus, I think my hands are raw from the amount of times I've washed them- do we have enough Purell to get through the day?!?

As for my birthday celebration, I'll take a rain-check, please!

Another Year, Another Tree...

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Saturday, December 3, 2011

In Search of the Perfect Christmas Tree

Free picture collage created with Smilebox

Today we made our annual trek to the N.C. mountains in search of the perfect Christmas tree. There was no snow, this year (our first without snow!) and it ended up being a good thing. Why, you ask? Well, because I forgot my winter coat. Yes, I forgot my winter coat fully knowing (and even anticipating!) snowy conditions in the mountains. Somehow, between making sure that Ted and Katy had all of their boots, scarves, mittens, snow suit for Katy, hats, bungee cords, snacks, drinks, camera, coupon, checkbook, directions and items to return to the Keys', I forgot MY coat. At least Ted had the diaper vest to wear (along with his "lumber jack flannel") and graciously allowed me to wear his coat for the day. C'est le vie!

This year's trek up (and back!) the mountain was not nearly as treacherous as last year's, due to the lack of snow. We met the Keys family at Shady Rest Tree Farm http://www.shadyresttreefarm.com/ and then proceeded to all take the hayride out to the tree fields. We took our time finding our family tree and Katy had a blast hiding and darting in and out of the trees. Just like we practiced in the car, every time Daddy found a tree he liked or wanted to examine further, Katy would exclaim, "Bigger! Wider! Taller!" Hee, hee!

Now that Katy is older and talking more, it is fun to see her interact with Cecelia Keys. The two were holding hands through the tree field and HAD to sit next to one another at lunch. Between the tree farm and our traditional lunch at Fire Mountain, Katy kept yelling, "Celia, come!" from her car seat.

We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and then parted ways. It's always fun to get together with good friends like the Justin, Karen and Cecilia Keys!