"Cup Fall Down!"

Yesterday, we were driving and Katy's sippy cup fell out of her hands and onto the car floor.

She exclaimed, "Oh no! Cup fall down. Dada reach it!"

I believe that is the most words she's strung together in a coherent group of sentences. Lest I forget it, I wanted to record it on the blog for posterity. She's a chatty one, our Katy!

Little Miss Priss

Daddy's degree in college might have been illustration, but I don't believe that Katy will be following in his painterly footsteps anytime too soon. Today, I *attempted* to get Katy to work on a Valentine's arts and crafts projects using red paint and she did not want anything to do with sticking her hand or foot into the paint.

Not. At. ALL!

As soon as she saw the paint and realized that I was trying to stick her hand in the paint she started exclaiming, "Wipe! Wipe! Dirty! Dirty! Cleanit!" She was crying and wailing the whole time I tried to get her hand print onto paper. Katy just likes to be clean and truly does not like to get her hand dirty- such a little girly-girl!

Forget about trying to do footprints- Katy wanted none of that! She was hollering and crying and wailing and kicking and thrashing around as I tried to somehow attempt to finish the craft. You would seriously have thought something was majorly wrong with Katy with the way she was carrying on! Needless to say, we had to improvise WITHOUT footprints.

As soon as we were done and Katy saw me cleaning up, she dragged me to the stairs that lead to the upstairs bathroom, pointed and said, "Bath water!" (as in, she wanted to take a bath).

I really wish I could have gotten a photo of Katy's pathetic little face but I was too busy consoling her (and making sure that paint didn't go EVERYWHERE with her thrashing)- priceless!

Good-bye Toddler, Hello Lil' Miss Teenager!

"Oooh, a phone call for me! I love talking on my play phone."

"Hello!... Uh-huh... Really?... Okay... Bye-bye!"

Time for a little morning calisthenics while I talk on the phone.
(Doesn't she look like a little teenager, here?!? Where did my baby go?!?)

Wordless Wednesday (Oops- A Day Late!)- Sunday School with Friends

Night shift

To those who know us best, it is no secret that Katy is not a very good sleeper. NOT. AT. ALL.

We go to great lengths to get Katy to sleep, stay asleep and try to catch some "ZZzzzz's" ourselves. Oh, the things that I said I would NEVER do with my own child- co-sleeping was pretty high on that list- that was until Katy-I'm-A-Terrible-Sleeper came along. Not only does Katy not stay asleep, but she is also a very restless sleeper- tossing and turning every which way- sometimes while sleeping, other times while crying and saying, "Mama!" While we've gotten away from full-on co-sleeping, we do still spend our fair share of the PM getting Katy to fall sleep and stay asleep throughout the nocturnal hours.

When I saw this picture online, I have to admit that I LAUGHED OUT LOUD! Seeing it now still makes me laugh. Of course, this is only funny to those who have been there before. Fact is definitely funnier than fiction...!

MYO Pizza Playdate

As you can see from the picture, Katy couldn't wait until the pizzas were cooked before she dug into the toppings! ;-P

Miss Lauren and Joey came over for a playdate, today. We had fun playing with cars and school buses. Then, it was time to make lunch- make your own pizzas! Everybody got some dough and then got to pick from a variety toppings- ham, broccoli, mushrooms- to decorate their own personal pizzas. Kid (and Mommys, too!) friendly and yummy!

Happy Year of the Dragon!

Learning to use chopsticks!

What's in a Name?

Recently, Katy's been on a quest to find out everybody's name. We'll be reading a story or I'll be flipping through a magazine and Katy will point to a person and ask, "Name?" It doesn't matter if the person has a known name, or not, because Katy will ask, "Name? Name? Name?" until I come up with a suitable answer.

The other day, I was flipping through a magazine and Katy pointed to a little boy in an advertisement and asked, "Name?" So, I quickly told her that his name was "George." Then, later in the day, I caught Katy flipping through the magazine and she pointed to the same little boy and told me, "George." Ha!

The Ad Execs Would Be Proud

The other day we were grocery shopping. I had a coupon for the GoSqeez Applesauce that Katy likes to eat. So, while in the applesauce aisle, I'm checking out the selection when Katy squeals, "Dora!" Lo and behold, right there at just the perfect height for a toddler, is another kind of squeezable applesauce depicting Dora the Explorer. Of course, Katy just HAD to have the Dora applesauce. Perfect product placement and perfect product endorsement. Score one for the advertising industry (isn't two years old too young for this type of thing?!?!)!

Let's Rock! Elmo

Santa brought me Let's Rock! Elmo, this year for Christmas.

What instrument should Elmo play with, today?

I have a lot of fun dancing and jamming with Elmo!

Look at me movin' and groovin' and showing off my mad dancing skillz!

"Rock and Roll, Baby!"

The Things She Says...! (cont.)

Katy's vocabulary is quickly developing and maturing. Some of her cute little mis-pronunciations are becoming correct as she begins to talk like the little person that she is. However, there are still some words that she has her own lexicon for. Some recent Katy-speak includes;

"Buggy" for bug. Any speck of dust, piece of dirt- whether or not it really is a bug or not- is deemed a "buggy" and must be disposed of immediately. Katy is NOT a fan of bugs or creepy crawlies. Um, can anybody say, "Heather's daughter?!?"

"Morrow" for tomorrow. Today, while Katy was eating a cereal bar, she informed me that she was "All Done!" as she walked to the cabinet under the sink, opened it- child lock and all- pulled out a baggie, put her bar in it and the put it in the fridge with strict instruction to me to save it for "Morrow."

"Waffle Baker" for waffle maker. Tonight, we were having breakfast for dinner and Katy insisted that Daddy was cooking on a waffle baker.

"Dancin'" for when she wants the radio turned on in the car. Katy likes to rock out to the music while we drive, so she's always insistent that I turn on K-Love (the Christian radio station we listen to).

"Mother Best" for when Katy is trying to sing the song, "Mother Knows Best" from Tangled. Boy, does that kid LOVE that movie! We watch it over and over and over and over and over and over and over again and again and again....

"Dreamin'!", again for another song from Tangled called, "I have a Dream" (or something like that).

"Princesses" for Rapunzel from the movie Tangled. Um, can you see a Tangled theme going on here?!

"Katy 'prove?" for foods that we deem Katy approved. When we are cooking in the kitchen or out to eat, Katy will point to a dish in question and ask, "Katy 'prove?" In other words, she's asking if the dish is free of eggs, nuts and soy and safe for her to eat.

"Eggsoy" or "Nutsoy." When we tell Katy that something is NOT safe for her to eat, that she is allergic, Katy will instantly hold out her hand to the offending food and say, "Eggsoy" or "Nutsoy" as if they are one word.

"Hang-a-burr" for hamburger. Katy loves her meat! She's a meat and potato kind of gal and she would quickly pass over the veg in favor of a nice piece of steak!

"Shake" for either salt or pepper. Every time she sees us putting salt and/or pepper on or food, Katy insists on some "Shake!" of her own.

"Dip-dip" refers to any side condiment that Katy can dip her meal in. We've had some strange combinations, before! "Hang-a-burr" dipped in apple butter, veggie chips in strawberry jelly, bacon in yogurt.. with Katy you just never know... ;-P

"Gulpy-gulp" for when Katy is really thirsty and gulps down her water.

"Chilly Willy!" lets us know that Katy is cold and/or she touches something that is cold to the touch. She'll touch the cold object and say, "Chilly Willy!" Or, when I tell Katy she needs to wear her coat and scarf to go outside, she'll ask, "Chilly willy?" as if to ask, "Is it cold outside?"

"I-Pie-O" for Ipod. Alternately, Katy may refer to Ted's-now-commandeered-by-Katy Ipod as "Apple." Ahh, branding at it's best!

"Sticky Buns" for when her hands are sticky and messy. We had Caramel Apple Sticky Buns (compliments of the Pioneer Woman) for Christmas morning breakfast this year and true to their name, they were sticky and messy. So now, every time Katy's hands get messy and sticky (which is often), she'll tell us that she is "Sticky Buns!" Cracks me up every time!

Applesauce Squash Cake

Mommy had this "great" idea to put squash in a cake to get some extra veggies in me.

"I guess I'll give the cake a try. It IS called, "cake," right?!"

"Hmmm... not too bad... Of course, the cream cheese frosting doesn't hurt."

"I'll give the cake two thumbs up- so yummy and moist- can't even taste the squash!"

Applesauce Squash Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup raisins (I used Craisins because that is all i had on hand)

1 cup pureed butternut squash (I used more like a cup and a half)

Powdered sugar or frosting, if desired

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13"x9"x2" pan.

Cream together sugar and oil. Add applesauce and beat until well mixed. In another bowl, sift together flours, spices, baking powder and salt. Stir in raisins into the flour mixture. Add flour mixture and squash alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until center of cake is firm to the touch. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost if desired.

*Next time I bake this cake, I'd probably soak the raisins in apple juice, first, to give it some extra plumpness.*

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/8 cup butter

1 1/2 teaspoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Beat cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth.Gradually add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until smooth and spreadable.

Lucky Day!

Katy has a thing for school buses. She can spot one from a mile away, can tell you that they are yellow in color, and knows that you are supposed to stop for them when their stop sign is extended. In short, Katy LOVES school buses!!

The other day we were driving around during normal school dismissal time. So, we saw A LOT of school buses. Katy pointed out every bus we passed.

Every. Single. Bus.

Then, as we were driving into the driveway at the end of our errands, I heard Katy say from the backseat, "Lucky Day! Cool Buses!!" She was telling me that it was her lucky day because she had gotten to see so many school buses- so sweet! Ahh, the simple joys of childhood!

Lil' Chompers- Katy's First Visit to the Dentist

"Brosser les dents! Brush your teeth!"

Today was the Jones Family biannual visit to the dentist. However, today was a little different because this was Katy's first time sitting in the dentist's chair so that the dentist could, "count her teeth." We had Katy watch while the dental hygienist cleaned my teeth so that she could get used to all of the tools and sounds. We walked her through the whole process and Katy was very attentive and interested.

Of course, when it came time for Katy to sit in the chair, she was less than thrilled to be put under the lights. So, Daddy sat in the chair and Katy sat in his lap while the dental hygienist brushed Katy's teeth and *tried* to get a good look inside Katy's mouth. For the short amount of time that the dental hygienist was able to look, she was able ascertain that Katy does NOT yet have her two-year old molars and everything looks okay. Once the dentist came into the room, Katy was more interested in giving Dr. Coleman a high-five than letting her look at her mouth- c'est le vie!

As a side note, we chose to have Katy's first dentist experience be with our normal dentist- and not a specialized pediatric dentist- because she has a son one day younger than Katy. Obviously, Dr. Coleman is very good with kiddies, so we decided to give it a whirl. Hopefully, the next visit will yield a more in-depth exam. For now, though, I consider no crying and no fear of what was going on at the dentist a success!

Katy Grace Jones!

Last night while we were playing around in the art room, Katy burst out with, "Katy Grace Jones!" (sounded more like, "Kate-EEE Gwace JOOOnes!") This was a big deal because we've been working with her to say her full name and up until this point, she had yet to put all three names together at one time without prompting.

To confirm that she knew what she was saying, we asked her, "What is your name?" to which Katy again replied, "Katy Grace Jones!"

Wordless Wednesday- Another Day, Another Tantrum...

Blogging for Books- How We Love Our Kids by Milan and Kay Yerkovich

How We Love Our Kids, the 5 Love Styles of Parenting by Milan and Kay Yerkovich is an insightful, informative and real guide to parenting in today’s world.

This book takes five real-life parenting personalities (Avoider, Pleaser, Vacillator, Controller and Victim) and relates them to the personalities of Avoider/Pleaser/Vacillator/Controller and Victim children. This book helps us as parents relate to our children and better serves their needs while providing us with a better understanding of ourselves and our parenting styles. There was more than once where I stopped to think, “Hey, that describes me to a T!”

This book also talks about the seven gifts that we as parents can (and should!) give to our children. They are: The gift of insight, comfort, power, frustration, confession, laughter and God.

I applaud these authors, a married couple with four grown children of their own, for lauding morality, virtue, and Biblical principals in the enormous task of raising children. Any parent- young, old, new parent, grandparent- would benefit from the insights gleaned from inside the pages of How We Love our Kids.

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

Xtreme Play

In the ball pit!

  

Bounce, bounce, bounce around!

Already prepping for a very Mickey/Minnie 2nd Birthday Party (Coming soon!)

The weather outside is definitely chilly- way too cold for a trip to the park- so we decided to run off some extra steam at Xtreme Play (Monkey Joe's wanna be). The place was PACKED due to Cabarrus County having off for MLK holiday and there were lots of kids (and inattentive parents) literally BOUNCING off the walls. We managed to have lots of fun, though! Katy especially liked anything that had a steering wheel and she loved going down the big kids slide- my little wild child!

Berry, Berry Good!

Do you like berries?

 I LOVE strawberries, raspberries and blackberries!

I was supposed to share this bowl of berries with Mommy but somehow, they all ended up in my belly!

Berries are so yummy and delicious! ("Messy, too!" adds Mommy ;-)

Ikea BYOF (Bring Your Own Friends)

"We Love Ikea!"

Today, Katy and I took part of the Ikea BYOF (Bring your own friends) event. We enjoyed a free breakfast (when I say "we" I meant "me"- Katy just enjoyed her "hot chocolate" aka, chocolate milk), free coffee, shopped and had our picture taken with their props. Fun (free) times!

Bandanna Skirt

Katy likes her new skirt!

Ever since I received my new sewing machine earlier in the week (Happy Belated Birthday to Me- remember, I took a rain check on my actual birthday), I've been busy testing it out- I even made a pair of shorts for my nephew (and they look like shorts!)! 

Today, I sewed this cute (if I do say so myself ;-) bandanna skirt with a front pleat. I loosely based my my pattern on a combination of the following two links: V and Co. and Simple Simon and Co. Now, what to make next...?

Current Food Obsession- Cheddar Bunnies

Have you ever had a Cheddar Bunny?  

They are delicious!

                                             Katy requests them daily, hourly, by the minute...

Eating Cheddar Bunnies sure makes a girl thirsty!

Wordless Wednesday- New Sewing Machine!!

Rock 'n Roll, Baby!

"(She's) a little bit country...

(She's) a little bit rock 'n roll...

 

Don't know if (she's) happy or sad... 

(I'd say she's pretty happy, wouldn't you?)

 

(Her) music makes (her) feel whole..."

Wordless Wednesday- Ernie for Lunch

New year, new year-long project! On Wednesdays this year (maybe not every one), I'll be posting ordinary, everyday pictures without captions- hence the title, "Wordless Wednesday." So, enough words and more less... :-)

Coffee Break (Felt Fun Tutorial)

It's no secret that we are a coffee family. Specifically, a Starbucks coffee family (snobby, I know ;). Naturally, Katy shares our love with "copy" ("coffee" in Katy-speak) and she can pick out the Starbucks mermaid from a mile away. While we sip our lattes, Katy enjoys her chocolate milk and declares it to be "'licious copy!"

So, with that being said, I wanted to make Katy her very own "Starbucks" to enjoy at home. Call it the Pinterest effect, or what have you, but I've recently become very interested in using felt to create toys, quiet books, play food, etc. Felt is quiet, it is inexpensive and has so much room for expression!

So, let's begin our tutorial (my first picture-by-picture)!

Materials needed for the "Venti Cups" (adapted from the blog Sew Homegrown):

-(2x) White felt- 9 1/2" (top) x 6" (side) piece of felt- along the bottom edge, measure in 1" on each side and draw a diagonal connecting top and bottom. In essence, the top edge will be 9 1/2" long and the bottom edge will be 7 1/2" long.
-(2x) White felt- 2 1/2" dia. circle
-(2x) Dark Brown felt- 3" dia. circle
-(2x) Starbucks sleeves
-Polyfil
-Beans
-Sewing machine/scissors/needle/thread

After you cut out the felt pieces (cutting is the most time-consuming part), take the large white "cup" piece and sew down the side, creating a tube.








Pin the white circle to the bottom of the "cup." Sew all the way around.










Pin the dark brown circle to the top of the "cup" being sure to leave small opening for turning right side out and stuffing.

Turn the "cup" right side out. Weight the bottom of the "cup" with beans (you could even use coffee beans for an authentic smell!) and then fill the rest of the "cup" with polyfil.

Hand sew the opening closed, enjoy a well-deserved "coffee break" and tell your toddler that you "love them a Latte!" :)

Happy New Year's!

"Good-bye 2011, Hello 2012!"