Deal or No Deal

Lately, whenever Katy wants something, or wants to do something, she'll stick out her hand for a handshake and then say something like this:

"I put my coat on and then we go for a walk- deal?" (Katy sticks out her hand for an expected handshake.)

"I get in my car seat and then we go shopping- okay? Let's shake hands." (Katy sticks out her hand for an expected handshake.)

"I eat one more bite of dinner and then I have a snacky- deal?" (Katy sticks out her hand for an expected handshake.)

The girl drives a hard bargain. ;-P

Sentence of the Day- Clean Plate

In an attempt to coax Katy into eating her veggies (of course, the meat was long gone) and finish her dinner, Ted said, "Look, Katy! Daddy's plate is clean. I ate all my veggies. Is Katy's plate clean?"

Katy pointed to the only clear spot in her bowl (veggies surrounding it) and responded, "This spot is clean."

Then, she took a spoonful of her veggies and proceeded to put it onto Ted's plate. She pointed to the "offering" and said, "Daddy, your plate not clean."

Oh, Katy...!

Bedtime Stories

Christmas Eve 2010

Christmas Eve 2012

Christmas Morning 2012

Christmas Stocking

Christmas morning dawned bright an early in our household, this year (just shy of seven AM). After waking Grandma up and then proceeding downstairs, we discovered that Santa ate most of the cookies we left out for him and he even left a note telling Katy what a good girl she has been this past year. (Funny story, On Christmas Eve, Katy kept insisting that Santa did not want cookies- he wanted steak, instead- hahahaha!)

Katy opened her stocking, first. She got some hair bows, a crazy straw and some other small toys in her stocking.

Then, we moved onto opening the gifts. Katy had quite the pile of gifts, but we finally managed to get through them. She loved her pacifier doll from Nana and Papa Jones and her art table from Grandma and Pop-Pop Tinkey. Some other memorable gifts include a 'My Little Pony' from Uncle Rob and Aunt Julie (big hit!) and the 'Fancy Nancy Splendiforous Christmas' book from Aunt Hope and Uncle Eric (I think I just about have it memorized from the many times I've read it out loud ;-P). She is one lucky little girl!

After gifts, the adults all enjoyed a Tinkey family favorite, Christmas Strata. Meanwhile, Lil' Miss was too busy playing with all of her new toys to be bothered with eating.

Ted and my Dad spent the afternoon at the movie theater watching The Hobbit. Mom and I stayed home with Katy, enjoying a leisurely afternoon with Lil' Miss. Katy spent most of the day in her PJs, playing with her new toys.

After the guys got home from the movies, we ate Chinese take-out (our family's tradition- hey, it's my Christmas, too, and I'd rather not spend it cooking and cleaning up from a big meal!) and then we watched the 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas."

All in all, it was an enjoyable, relaxing holiday spent with family! We need more moments like that in our lives! Merry "Splendiforous" Christmas!

Holiday Baking

"I love to 'help' in the kitchen! This Christmas, I got to 'help' Pop-Pop Tinkey make lemon bread."

"Of course, I needed to wear an apron and my chef hat before we got started."

"Watch out- I whisk a mean batter!"

(Look at that little arm on hip- cracks me up!)

"Hmmm... better consult the recipe to make sure we didn't forget any ingredients."

"Twas the Night Before Christmas..." 2012

"We had a busy Christmas Eve, this year!"

"First, we went to Kinetic Church for their Family Christmas Eve service."

"Then, we feasted on a traditional Italian Christmas Eve smorgasbord of shrimp cocktail, lobster bisque, clam linguine, crab cakes, salmon/bagel/lox and fish caught by Pop-Pop. DELISH!!"

"After dinner, I got to open one gift- Christmas PJs!!"

"Finally, the night wouldn't be complete without reading the 'The Night Before Christmas.'"

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

Speedway Christmas 2012

"Once again, we took part in the Speedway Christmas at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, this year."

"So many pretty lights to drive through and view!"

"Midway through the light tour, you can get out of the car and view the Bethlehem village, see decorated Christmas trees and take part in the petting zoo."

"I surprised both Mommy and Daddy by wanting to ride the pony at the pony ride (and actually doing it!). I made sure to get the pony with the pink saddle and ribbons in her hair. I had so much fun on my first pony ride!"

"Red velvet funnel cake- yummy!!"

"Inflatable Santa coming out of an RV... only in North Carolina...!"

Christmas at the Library 2012

"On the Saturday before Christmas, Mommy, Daddy, Grandma and Pop-Pop Tinkey and I went to the Billy Graham Library to enjoy their Christmas festivities."

"We enjoyed a delicious Christmas feast in the dining room."

"Ms. Crystal and Yaya joined us for dinner, too. Ms. Crystal made me a delectable chocolate cupcake for dessert. It was divine!"

"After dinner, we bundled up and walked over to the library for the Living Nativity."

"Look at my pretty new hat and scarf that Great-Grandma Tinkey knit me! I loved it so much that I kept them all on the whole time we were outside (a new record for me, Mommy boasts)!"

"Here is the Living Nativity. I kept waiting for the Angel and the Three Wisemen to show up, but they were running behind. In their absence, I enjoyed seeing and waiving to the camel, the sheep, the goats and even a zebra!"

"What a beautiful way to get into the Christmas Spirit by visiting the Billy Graham Library!"

All Dressed Up for Christmas- A Decorated House Tour

Living Room Mantle and "Gingerbread," the Christmas Tree

Living Room Window Wreaths, Cocktail Table Centerpiece, Family Pictures and Filled Apothecary Jars

Christmas Cheer

Christmas Village designed by my talented hubby ;-), "Snowing" Window and Decorated Chandelier

Frosty, the Snowman Fridge

Kitchen Candy Cane Window, Swag and Presents

We decided to go all-out, this year, and decorate the house for Christmas. Katy is finally at the stage were we don't *usually* have to worry about *too many* broken ornaments and/or her touching things that she shouldn't. :-) In fact, she really enjoyed all of our decorations, this year and found it fun and interesting to view all of our temporary holiday decor.

The designer in me had a lot of fun decorating and making the house picture/holiday ready. I found a lot of good ideas on Pinterest (LOVE that site! :-).

Of course, the de-decorating wasn't as much fun, but we enjoyed the red and green while it lasted..!

Nuby Mommy Blogger- Printed Birth Pillow

Nuby Printed Birth Pillow

Even though or Lil' Miss is almost three years old, we thought that it would be fun to try out the Nuby Printed Birth Pillow. The Nuby Printed Birth Pillow is described as a, "cute, cuddly way to record information of your newborn."

Here are my thoughts on the Nuby Printed Birth Pillow:

-There are no good directions on exactly what type of pen to use on the pillow to write the birth information. So, at first, I used a fine-tip Sharpie marker. Bad idea. Once I started to write, the pen bled, leading to spidery little lines coming off of my writing. I quickly switched to a regular old ball-point pen and had much better success.
-This is a keepsake pillow, so there is really no good way to clean it (not machine washable- just spot clean, hang to dry).

Overall, though, I believe this is a fun way to remember and commemorate a baby's birth!

“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.”

Wordless Wednesday- "Cookie, Cookie, Cookie is for C!"

Sentence of the Day- Retro

Fake-Out

Katy was sitting on my lap while I was looking through a catalog. We came across the above photo and Katy pointed to the pictured handset and said, "That just a fake."

Hahaha- my kid knows how to text, can swipe with the best of them on an Ipad/tablet and yet she calls a phone handset a fake.

Boy, I must be getting old!! :-)

Spelling Bee

(Before I forgot, I wanted to record this thought)

Last week, we were driving home with my mother in the car. She asked if Katy could recognize her letters, yet. I told her, "No- but she can spell her name." Then, as a test, we asked Katy to spell "Mom" and "Dad." 

Guess what?! Katy surprised both Ted and I by going ahead and spelling both words correctly! We had to help her get started by first saying, "What letter makes the 'Mmmmm' sound?" but she did it! 

Before we know it, she'll be spelling better than me (which isn't that hard since I'm a pretty terrible speller ;-P).

Nuby Mommy Blogger- Nail Care Set

Nuby Nail Care Set

Mommy/Katy Mani/Pedis are a regular occurrence in our house. Fancy Lil' Miss loves to paint her nails so trying out the Nuby Nail Care Set was a natural choice for us. 

Pros:

-Katy loved having colorful emery boards that looked like Mommy's but were sized just for her!

-The rounded, comfortable handle of the nail clippers were the perfect grip for trimming a wiggly two-almost-three-year-old's finger and toenails. Since I'm the one always trimming Katy's nails, I really liked these clippers!

Cons:

-I'm not sure I'd call this a con, but I'm not sure that I'd ever use the included scissors. I just don't really see a need for them when it comes to grooming my child's nails.

Overall, I was happy with the Nuby Nail Care Set and I know I'll be using them over and over again!

“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.”

Sentence of the Day- Peter Pan

We were having a morning, today. Every little step was a battle of wills and a bunch of, "NO!" coming from Lil' Miss. I had enough of the sass and back- talk- it was time out time- Enough, Katy Grace!

As Katy was begrudgingly sitting in her time- out chair, I was explaining to her that it's, "Disrespectful to talk back to her Mommy." I said, "We want you to grow up to have manners and to be kind and polite to your elders."

Katy quickly interjected, " I don't want to grow up, then!!"

Wordless Wednesday- "Mmmmm... Doughnuts!"

Muffin Tin Monday- Leftover Lunch

(Starting i the upper left and circling around clockwise)

Green Grapes, Babybel Cheese Wheel, Apple/Carrot/Lettuce/Orange/Celery Juice, Roast Beef, Onions and Turkey.

I'm a little late in the day in posting this one, but today's MTM is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. However, it was gobbled up, nonetheless!

Sentence of the Day- Wheeling and Dealing

While fighting the bedtime routine, last night, Lil' Miss looked at me and said, "I keep one eye open and one eye closed. Sound like a plan?"

Sentence of the Day- Fill Her Up

While eating spaghetti with my mother the other night, Katy pointed to her arm and stated, "This arm is full of of spaghetti." Then, pointing to the opposite arm, she said, "But not this arm- it not full (of spaghetti)."

Chick-Fil-A- Supper with Santa Cow

Crafty Lil' Miss making an Ornament

Last night we went to Chick-Fil-A's Supper with Santa Cow. While there was no sitting for a picture with Santa Cow, we did participate in their ornament craft and of course, we "ate more chikin!" :-)

Purse Girl!

Thanks for my new purse, Uncle Rob! I love it!

Nuby Mommy Blogger- iMonster™ Feeding Set

 iMonster™ Feeding Set by Nuby

Last night was pizza night, so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to try out our new iMonster™ Feeding Set from Nuby. I got out the plates and showed them to Lil' Miss. The very first thing she said was, "Creepy." That one word about summed up Katy's reaction to the iMonster™ Feeding Set.

However, my mom perspective has the following insight to add:

Pros:

-Colorful, fun pattern on the plate/bowl.

-Chunky-handled silverware are easy for little hands to grip (never mind that my little girl was a little weirded out by the monster design and refused to use them).

-Legs on the plate and bowl make them sturdy and steady on the table.

-LOVE the dishwasher safe (top rack, only) aspect of this set.

Cons:

-The little blue "handles" on the plate may be "just right" for little hands to grasp, but I found them difficult to hold and use when cleaning up the dishes.

Even though Lil' Miss wasn't wild about the monster pattern, she didn't let it get in the way of her eating FOUR slices of pizza. In my opinion, I thought the design was playful and fun, but I believe that it might be better suited for rough and tumble little boys, instead.

“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.”

Wordless Wednesdays- Barbie, The Princess and the Popstar

Muffin Tin Monday- Catch Up

Steamed Chicken, Broccoli, Chocolate Chip Cookies (w/o eggs, of course!), Spelt Pretzels and Mandarin Oranges.

Have you wondered what happened to MTM? Well, I haven't forgotten about it and I don't necessarily intend to stop doing MTM. However, with the holidays and traveling, we haven't necessarily been home enough to actually do a MTM. Plus, now that Lil' Miss has switched Preschools and no longer eats lunch at school, we haven't been doing as many packed lunches, as well.

So, without further ado, here is a past MTM!

We originally packed this to go with us when we went tree picking with some friends, a couple of weeks ago. Alas, I forgot it at home and Lil' Miss enjoyed it the next day. Oh well!

Sailing with Mickey

"Aye, Aye Captain Mickey!"

Cinderella, her mini-me (and Mommy photo bomb :-)

Family picture with Minnie Mouse on Castaway Cay

For my birthday, this year, we went on our very first Disney cruise. It was a short trip but we packed a lot into our three night cruise to the Bahamas.

We left Port Canaveral on Thursday afternoon. The weather was sunny and warm- perfect for a cruise! We boarded the ship to fanfare worthy of Disney "magic" and headed straight to lunch in the Enchanted Garden Dining Room. They even made a special lunch- steak, of course!- for Katy.

Since we were traveling at the holidays, the ship was dressed to the nines in garland, tinsel and lights. There was a giant, life-sized gingerbread house in the main atrium. On the first evening, there was even a tree lighting ceremony.

There were so many new things to see on the Disney Dream! The first afternoon was spent mostly exploring the ship, attending the mandatory muster drill and then getting ready for dinner.

Our first dinner was back in the Enchanted Garden Dining Room. We were seated at a table with another couple from the Philadelphia area and their three year old daughter, Ansley- a perfect match!

After dinner, we attended the "Golden Mickeys" show in the Mickey Mouse Theater (a take on the Oscars, Disney style). As expected, the show was top-notch and very entertaining. Other than a brief appearance from some Disney Villains, Katy seemed to enjoy the show.

The second day on the cruise was our day at Nassau, Bahamas. However, we chose not to even leave the boat. We woke up at leisure, Katy enjoyed meeting several Princesses and then we enjoyed the pool for the rest of the morning/afternoon. Katy loved swimming and playing in the kid's area, Nemo's Reef. It was hard to convince her to leave!

Dinner the second night was in Royal Palace Dining Room. Katy feasted on steak (again!) and the wait staff sang me "Happy Birthday!" The second night was also "Pirate" night. Guests could dress up as a pirate using the provided bandannas. Of course, Ted had his own festive Pirate garb to don for the evening. :-)

We skipped the second night's show, since it was all centered on the Disney Villains. Instead, we ordered snacks from room service and enjoyed the Disney programming on the TV in our stateroom.

On the third day, we had reservations to participate in a Gingerbread House demonstration. One of the ship's chefs demonstrated how to construct a gingerbread house and each family got to make their own. We all had fun with this project- I had fun getting fancy with the piping bag and Katy enjoyed eating all of the gum drops! Sadly, we weren't able to bring the house home, due to customs.

After the Gingerbread House demo, we left the ship and went onto Disney's own island, Castaway Cay. Katy had a blast in the kiddie water area on the island called, Spring a Leak. After that, we dipped our feet in the ocean and Katy played in the sand with her dinner buddy, Ansley. We ate lunch on the island and then went back to the ship for a rest.

The last night's dinner was in the Animator's Palate. This was our favorite dining room. It had large screens spread throughout the room that featured the cast of Finding Nemo in an interactive dialogue with the diners. Various images, clay molds and memorabilia from many of the beloved Disney animated movies decorated the walls, tables, and floor of this dining room. So much fun!

We enjoyed the last night's entertainment, "Believe." Katy loved seeing all of the princesses and Disney characters make an appearance throughout the show and she stayed attentive through it all.

After the show, it was straight to bed. The next morning dawned way too early and quickly as we breezed through customs and were on our way home. Until the next time.... we had fun!

Nuby Mommy Blogger- Insulated Magic Motion No-Spill™ Flip-it™

Nuby Insulated Magic Motion No-Spill™ Flip-it™ Cup

Between Thanksgiving in New Jersey and a birthday cruise in the Bahamas, we've been traveling quite a bit, lately. So, a new sippy cup is always a welcome addition to our travel entourage. This time, we tried out the Nuby Insulated Magic Motion No-Spill™ Flip-it™ Cup.

Pros:

-As always, I like anything that helps keep the cup spout clean. In this case, the "Flip-It" feature, helps to keep the straw clean and sanitary throughout our travels.

-The "magical designs that move with motion" were entertaining to my almost-three year old. The novelty of a new cup that "moved" helped to promote hydration.

Cons:

-Only thing negative that I have to say about the Nuby Insulated Magic Motion No-Spill™ Flip-it™ Cup, is that they recommend hand-washing.

Other than that, we like our newest sippy cup!

“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.”

Nuby Mommy Blogger- Tear-Free Rinse Pail

Tear-Free Rinse Pail

We received the Nuby Tear-Free Rinse Pail in the mail and we couldn't wait to try it out! Hubby is in charge of bathing Lil' Miss, so I had him give me some input on the use of the Nuby Tear-Free Rinse Pail. 

His thoughts are as follows:

Pros:

-Holds a good quantity of water- enough water to completely rinse our daughter's full head of hair without having to keep refilling the pail.

-Lil' Miss can hold and use the pail herself, without getting too much water in her eyes.

Cons:

-Hubby didn't have anything negative to say about this one!

So, I'd say the Nuby Tear-Free Rinse Pail is a keeper!

“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.”

Wordless Wednesday- Candy Cane Christmas Wreath

Choo-Choo!

"Daddy's work had a big warehouse sale on Saturday."

"Mommy and I went to see all the trains."

"I had fun looking at all of the trains. I especially liked controlling this Thomas train. Choo-Choo!"

Just Pretending...

As you might remember, Katy isn't too fond of Old Saint Nick. So, when Santa made an appearance at the tree farm, today, where we were selecting our Christmas tree, Katy wasn't too thrilled. Of course, our friend's daughter was more than happy to sit on Santa's lap and tell him everything that she wanted on her, "yellow list."

While we were in the car, driving to lunch, we were talking about Santa and how he was friendly and how Cecilia wasn't afraid of him. Katy was not to be persuaded by our conversation. Instead, she absolutely ended the Santa question by announcing (unbidden and unprompted), "He just pretending."

Well, there you have it folks- there is no pulling the wool over our Lil' Miss!

"Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to the Mountains We Go...."

"It's early December, so you know what that means...! 

Time for the annual Jones/Keys family Christmas tree adventure!"

"The weather was quite warm (50 degrees!) so there was no need for a jacket!"

"...search, search, search for the perfect tree..."

"We found the perfect Christmas tree!"

"New to Shady Rest tree farm, was the wagon ride. Cecilia and I had lots of fun riding."

"After both families found the perfect tree and strapped them to the cars, we went to Brushy Mountain Smokehouse and Creamery for lunch. Yummy!"

"I can't wait to decorate my new "palm tree!" (as Katy keeps referring to our newest decoration :-)

Sentence of the Day- Tickle Monster

This morning, I woke up with a scratchy throat (germs are floating around!). When I told Katy that I had, "... a tickle in my throat," she insisted that I open my mouth. As she was peering into my mouth, she proclaimed, "The doctor can pull it out."

Good Cop, Bad Cop

Now that Katy is older and able to reason and use logic, we are in trouble (as if I didn't already know that!)!

Recently, she's been playing one parent against the other. For example, if I tell her, "No you cannot have a cookie right before bed," she replies, "But Daddy lets me!" Another example, if Ted tells her not to touch some fragile Christmas decorations, Katy will respond, "But my Mommy said it was okay!" The list could go on and on...!

Thankfully, Ted has had the sense to either say, "I don't think so," or, "I better check with Mommy, first!" ;-P

Wordless Wednesday-"It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas..."

Santa "NO" Clause

Lil' Miss won't be sitting for a picture with Santa, this year. As a continuation of her fear of dressed up characters (Easter Bunny, CFA Cow, etc.),  Katy is scared to death of of big dressed up animals, people and characters- including and especially Old St. Nick!

While watching a Holiday movie, this week, we were talking to Katy about Santa. We were trying to convince her that Santa's an okay guy- that he brings her gifts on Christmas. When she shook her head at this, we asked her, "Well, if Santa doesn't bring you gifts, then who does?"

Katy very matter-of-factly stated, "You bring me gifts (on Christmas)."

Ahh, a skeptic at the ripe old age of two and a half years old!! ;-)

Sentence of the Day- "Rock-a-bye Baby..."

Ever since we got home from Thanksgiving, Katy has been sick. Cough, cold, you know the drill. Anyway, this morning, in an effort to soothe her, I was rocking her and singing "Rock-a-bye Baby" to her. In the midst of her tears and general all-around-not-feeling-well funk, Katy sat up, looked me in the eye and exclaimed, "I not a baby! I your big kid!"

So, now, our version of the song goes like this, "Rock a bye big kid... on the treetop..."

Thanksgiving 2012 Recap

"This Thanksgiving, we drove to New Jersey to spend the holiday with the Jones side of the family."

"At the Virginia Welcome Center, there was a playground- perfect for getting the wiggles out!"

"Mommy and Daddy said that the car ride was only supposed to be nine hours. 

It wasn't. 

They lied- it was12 hours. 

12 very, very, very, VERY LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG hours in the car! 

Completely closed highways! Traffic! Potty Breaks every hour and a half! DC Rush Hour! 

When we saw a man riding a horse along the side of the road, Mommy said that it was a sign. She said that it was only the first horseman of the Apocalypse. I don't think she was joking- she was pretty grumpy.

Eventually, I fell asleep in the car... at five PM in the afternoon! So much for normal bedtime!"

"Happy Turkey Day! Gobble, Gobble!"

"PopPop turned on the Macy's Day Parade for me to watch on Thanksgiving. I liked it but I was enjoyed the National Dog Show that came on afterwards, better!" (No joke!)

"One big happy family!" ;-P

"I had a yummy turkey cupcake for dessert."

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!!