She Wonders How She Got So Lucky

I wish we had a camera at our side all day, so that we could share some of the truly priceless Kaitlyn expressions today, but even a picture would scarce do justice!

After a day with Mommy AND Daddy home all day, and then getting Chicken Parmesan and pasta (and rolls!) for dinner (Kaitlyn's favorite "adult food"), she really hit the jackpot.

Daddy suggested we go out for ice cream.

Two nights in a row Kaitlyn got ice cream, and she thinks Friendly's has better ice cream than Baskin Robins. Daddy had a five (5!!) scoop peanut butter cup sundae, Auntie Kris had a three scoop peanut butter cup sundae, and Mommy had one scoop of coffee ice cream with hot fudge. Who's ice cream did Kaitlyn like the best? Mommy's.

She clapped. She "oohed". She bounced in her seat. She stuck her spoon out and exclaimed "Cake! Cake!" (we really tried to convince her it was ice cream). She covered her face in "Mommy Cake!"

Two nights in a row. She really wonders how she got so lucky.

In other news, BB got a bath. Now Kaitlyn's neck smells like fabric softener from wear she hugs BB in her sleep.

Strike!

Tonight Kaitlyn and I went to visit Auntie Kris' bowling league. Kaitlyn was very excited to see Auntie (who claims that she bowled better with Kaitlyn there).

Kaitlyn was entranced by the bowling! After Auntie's first frame when she returned to the table Kaitlyn clapped for her and announced "I bowl". Throughout the evening she kept trying to convince us that "I bowl. I bowl."

After bowling, Auntie hopped Kaitlyn up on sugar with a taste of Baskin Robbin's "Making Cookies" ice cream. As you can well imagine, Kaitlyn quite enjoyed herself!

Flashback Friday: Biltmore Estate Trip

Here are some more pictures from our trip to Asheville, NC this summer. We stayed at the Mill House Lodge in Flat Rock, right outside of Asheville. They had a small lake with paddleboats and canoes, and our apartment opened right next to the spillway (at the "mill" part of the Mill House) with a lovely private deck.

Our second full day there we went to the Biltmore Estate. Grandmama and Papa had been before, but it was a first trip for the rest of us. Before we set out (not as early as the picture would have you believe) Uncle David treated Kaitlyn to part of his toast - her first breakfast of the day.

You can't take pictures inside the actual house, so we have lots of pictures from outside.


Kaitlyn enjoyed the house more than would be expected. After a bathroom break with Grandmama, the pair wandered through the house and Kaitlyn made sure that she got held up to the windows of half-doors. She wanted to see what was going on! Naturally inquisative, or really, really nosy. You decide.

After the house tour, we all enjoyed a cool treat - huge ice cream cones! Even Kaitlyn got to try some, and when Uncle Stephen let her actually lick his cone (instead of a little spoon tip here and there) she made her move, grabbed the cone, and stuck her whole face in! Vacations are made for being a little spoiled; especially when your grandparents and uncles are there.

The day ended with a tour of the winery (and tastings for those of age and so willing) and a lovely dinner at an Asheville Italian restaurant. What a great trip!

We Can See!

Yesterday Keith and I visited the eye doctor. Both of us were in dire need of new corrective lenses - I had been wearing my old glasses for nearly a month, and Keith's glasses were so scratched and perma-fogged that it's a wonder he could see at all. I now have bright, shiny, new tester contacts (my contact brand for 10 years has been discontinued), and Keith... has a prescription. He also got fitted for contacts, and after going for a session in "putting in and taking out" next week he will be glasses free, too.

We joked about how Kaitlyn - with all six of Keith's family and all five of my family bespecked - has no chance to escape corrective lenses, but it turns out there is only a 75% chance that she will. Shocking! She probably will still need them, but there is a chance.

Contacts aren't the only things helping us see - the power is back on. I had planned a lovely post with some summer pictures, but tornadic thunderstorms passing through the area cut our power just before Survivor. I was running through the house, closing windows, as the lights flickered and died. Kaitlyn wailed in the den, until I could pick her up as we stumbled for flashlights.

After a delicious dinner of peanut butter banana sandwiches for both of us, we hunkered down in the family room. Kaitlyn wasn't sure what to think of the darkness. "Lights?" she questioned.

"No, honey, the lights are out," I explained.

Her chubby legs ran over to the doorway, reached up at the light switch and said, authoritatively, "Lights on." Just pick me up, Mom, I know how to turn them on!

"No, honey, we have no power. No lights."

Furrowed brow. Deep thoughtfulness. "TV?"

"No TV. Lets go get a radio." By the time we had a few candles lit and she was swinging her own little flashlight, she thought this was quite a fun game. Kaitlyn spun around, and swung her flashlight's beam in high-arcs, dancing to the music. She decided to clean up her toys and ask to go to bed early (seriously, I'm not trying to say she was fussy, she really likes to go to bed), and after being convinced I couldn't turn on the fan she settled down with BB and a flashlight-nightlight. BB still plays music, even when the power is off.

Keith had power all night, but I wouldn't say he was comfortable, as he was working in the rain. The power came on sometime between when I went to bed and he got home - about 1am, if the clocks are to be trusted.

Parenting Works

Sunday night I finally acquiesced that Kaitlyn could go to bed (what an odd child we have, that asks to go to bed), and she seemed very happy. I looked around the semi-messy family room and thought "I'll throw the toys in the toy box before Keith gets home". Then Kaitlyn picked up a book, walked over to the toy box, and plopped it in. She looked at me with pride (while I am in shock), and starts to sing "Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share..."

Her version sounded more like this "Keenup! Keenup! Rahrahrah. Keenup! Keenup!..." but we had sung this song often, so I recognized it at once.

We're getting through! Parenting works! Wow!

In parent news (what do you mean you only read for Kaitlyn pictures?), the van gave us a scare with crazy whining noises. It turned out a bit of power steering fluid made all the difference in the world.

Word of the day: Zenana. Is this what Kaitlyn calls bananas? No. It is the word that Keith came *thisclose* to being able to play in Scrabble tonight. How do we know it's a real word? It was seen while challenging "Zena" (even spelled Xena I would have called shenanigans). For those wondering, this links to Wikipedia's definition of Zenana, but we'll just leave it that it is in reference to a part of a building for women in Islamic and Hindu cultures.

To the fair we go (or we will go)

*As of now, I'm going to write in first person instead of a weird third/second person mix.*

Today I packed up some items to go to the VA State Fair! Keith, Kaitlyn, Kris and I will all go to the fair on Oct. 5 when I will compete in the Nimble Fingers Speed Crochet contest for the second year. I have had many requests for pictures of a few of my items, so here we go!

First off is the duct tape purse and wallet pair. I made a lot of duct tape stuff in college, but this was Keith's first introduction to my madness. Can you believe there is an entire category for duct tape items at the fair?

Here is the mini-tote (purse size) that I crocheted out of strips of plastic party tablecloths. The picture is a little dark, but it is purple, yellow, and speckled.

This lion was made for Kaitlyn's nursery, but never finished in the whiskers. But she recognized it when she saw it on the table, and was very happy to say hello. I told her not to hold it, but that she could say hello, and give the lion a kiss. She chatted happily to the lion for a minute, and then grabbed it tight. I asked her to let it go, and then had to take it.



She was not happy.

I showed Kaitlyn the picture of her crying on the camera, and said "That's a sad baby! Can you show me a happy baby?"

In other news of what a brilliant child Kaitlyn is, when we were climbing the stairs to go to bed, she counted the first three stairs very clearly "One, Two, Three" and then repeated other numbers up to about eight after me. I would doubt my own ears, but Kris was there and can vouch for it!

Kaitlyn's Growing Vocabulary

• The aforementioned counting to three
• 
  "Pepsi!", while pointing to a two-liter bottle - yikes
• "hand!" means 'please hold my hand'
• "hold!" has an implied "you", as in 'you hold my cup please' is "hold! cup! please!"
• Basically, and noun has an implied "my", and any verb has an implied "you"
• Favorite word of the week: "Hairbow!" With hair her length, she is understandably only happy when her hair is pulled up in a hair tie, but she also likes taking the tie out and waving it around.

Ice, Ice Baby

Kaitlyn's dictionary grows every day.

One of her favorite words right now is "Ice!" (everything Kaitlyn says has an exclamation point) She guzzles water like it's going out of style, but prefers it cold and ice filled (true irony, given Katherine's ambivalence to the stuff).

"Ice! Ice!"

It's one of her favorite phrases.

"Ice! Ice!"

Whether we're at the refrigerator or she is or the refrigerator is back at the house and we are out shopping, she calls for it.

So we taught her, for our own amusement, to tack on another word she loves. "Baby!"

Our little Vanilla Ice.

In like a Lion; Out like a Lamb

The "Terrible Twos" are upon us. Kaitlyn's just precocious, getting there a few months ahead of schedule.

Today she threw one full-blown tantrum - over getting her diaper changed. We're going to write it off a bit to being tired (after a bad night's sleep with a stuffy nose), but this was really above and beyond tired.

In news that makes Keith want to throw a mini-tantrum, Kaitlyn has a favorite TV show. It's not Sesame Street. It's not Boobah. It's not even Barney.

It's Dancing with the Stars.

Katherine doesn't mind, because of the way Kaitlyn watches. She dances along, and claps, and wants everyone else to dance along, too (that might be one of Keith's sticking points). "Up! Up! Dance! Dance!" These are Kaitlyn's favorite words during the show. She even cheered for Julio Iglesias singing an 80s song, though Keith and Katherine could just laugh.

Kaitlyn surprised us with saying "Dance, Daddy", but also surprised us with "Hold, please" (holding out her water cup). We know she knows a lot of words that she doesn't yet say, but each new word used so well still makes us marvel.

To the Doctor's We Go

It was time for a checkup (and some dreaded shots) so Kaitlyn and Mommy went to see the doctor today.

Kaitlyn is tall, and not as chubby for her height as she used to be, at 33-3/4 inches and 33 pounds.

The doctor looked in her ears and eyes and mouth, just like we practiced at home, and when he listened to her heart and lungs, he listened to Jezzy's heart and lungs, too (of course Jezzy came... for moral support).

While waiting for her shots, Kaitlyn completed Jezzy's physical exam by using her tongue depressor to look in her mouth, identify her nose and ears, and listen to her heart. Jezzy, it was determined, is "good", but "poo poo".

Jezzy was very helpful during the shots. She hugged Kaitlyn, and so did Mommy, while the nurse gave one, two, three shots. While Kaitlyn looked very worried, she didn't cry at all until the last shot (which the nurse warned would sting), and then she quickly recovered to say an emphatic "bye! bye!" to the needles and get the promised sticker (seen in the picture, opposite the arm holding BB, as Kaitlyn gets ready for a long overdue nap).

What a trooper!

Another Week

Another week has flown by here in Dohlchester - where does the time go? Last night we all made an uncharacteristic trip to Sagebrush for dinner, along with Auntie Kris. Kaitlyn was remarkably well behaved, but when a restaurant loses your order and the meal takes over 2 hours, you have to figure some mischief will slip in. She prayed for patience and help in being a "good girl" several times (she likes to pray), but she still managed to get a little overexcited with her balloon and used it to bop Keith's drink - right onto Auntie's lap! Really, it was funny, but not when Kris tells the story.

Speaking of Kaitlyn, we have some pictures! First, at the top is this week's Sunday dress, handmade by Grandmama (or HKL Designs :-) ). Kaitlyn likes to twirl in this picture, and relishes the extra attention she gets from everyone who sees her when she looks so cute. Speaking of "Grandmama", she's closer to saying the word. Now she has "Mamama" and "Papa", plus her "ookle"s (uncles). And she has really picked up on Uncle Stephen calling her "Niece", and sometimes decides to proclaim herself "niece! niece!"

Picture two was taken by Daddy one morning this week when he went to get Kaitlyn from bed. It's almost a given that she will have "B.B." (Bedtime Bear) clutched tight, but this particular morning she had BB, Dolly, and Woof Woof (really cleaver names) all smooshed into her chubby little arms. Did this make her happy and content? Not really; she demanded to know where Ellie was (she was in the wash).

Last but not least, we have Kaitlyn with her newest form of transportation. Not that she just got the Tike Bike; she just recently learned to ride it. The Tike Bike was a gift with a curse - "that [Kaitlyn] will ride it just like [Keith] did". Keith's early childhood idea of fun with a Tike Bike was riding it repeatedly and purposefully (if you believe his dad) into his dad's leg, until the day Pop rebelled and tossed the bike down the stairs. Yikes!

In other news (if you can call it that), we've basically decided not to renew our season passes to Busch Gardens. We need a sabbatical after two straight years to appreciate it more (and for them to open some new rides!). We're thinking of getting passes to King's Dominion, instead. That would include Carowinds, near-ish to Kat's parents, and has just been bought by Cedar Fair parks, which included Dorney Park near-ish to Keith's parents (and just plain near where the Millers will be living next summer)(when they are "the Millers"!) There would be the temptation to use the pass for Cedar Point, too, which could be a positive or a negative. If we go ahead and get passes, we can go to Fear Fest this fall, too. Hmmm, tempting. If we get passes, will any of you come with us? Mom? Suz and Steve? Anyone?

A Week in Dohlchester

Another week has slipped by, and we have been remiss in not updating at all. But how could we supplant the picture of our cutie froggy girl?

How about a picture of Tante Suzanne and her fiance, Steve?

Suzanne and Steve are getting married in May of 2007, and this week Suzanne asked Katherine to be a bridesmaid and Kaitlyn to be the flower girl in her wedding. How exciting! Katherine and Suzanne met in high school (long story, involving a McDonald's Filet-o-Fish sandwich) and bonded over being co-editors of the yearbook. Steve and Keith have a bond, though they had never met until last month, in that they are both proud PSU grads. Yay for Suzanne and Steve! Kaitlyn will have to practice her aisle-walking, but as much of a little flirt as she can be, it should help that she will be "on the arm" of the dashing 4-year-old ring bearer.

In other Dohlchester news, Katherine received her tags for entry at the State Fair, Kaitlyn discovered the joy of a "Tike Bike", and Keith learned how to play football without ever running to the right. He was not all together successful, however.

Froggy Went Courtin'

OK, we're biased, but isn't she cute? The dress is Chocolate Soup (thanks to Mrs. McKnight), the shoes are Wal*Mart (thanks to Nana), but the sweet baby girl is all from God!

Of course she's getting to be all grown up. We just found out that she has been promoted yet again in Sunday School. Whew! It will be a relief when she gets to classes where they promote just once a year, because she really was just starting to get used to the Toddlers class.

The sermon today was on Romans 16 and finished the pastor's series on Romans. Also, who knew Phoebe was a Biblical name?

Chesterfest 2006

One of the great things about living in Chester is that it is really working to create a small-town feel in what is basically a "bedroom" community. One of the ways they are doing this is by holding Chesterfest each year. This year is the 5th Annual Chesterfest, and our third time going. Wow, has it grown!

Kaitlyn's two favorite parts were the Republican booth (where she got her prized flag which she gripped and waved for the remainder of the day) and the petting zoo. They had pony rides, too (at the very reasonable price of $4), but as much as Kaitlyn loved looking at the pony, petting the pony, and "arf!"ing at the pony, as soon as she thought for a second she was going to sit on the pony she went a little ballistic. OK, maybe some other time.

But she tired her little legs out running back and forth between the bunny pens and the main animal pen full of goats, a few sheep, and a llama. She does seem a little worried in this picture, though!!

We also tried out Pizza Express (although, oddly, no one got pizza), entered an estimated four thousand raffles (fingers crossed for Ruth's Chris gift certificate!), and loaded up our buggy with one wooden Christmas ornament, a pack of "lawyer clay", and brochures from the Chesterfield Historical Society. Sweet.

By the time we got home, Kaitlyn was ready for a nap, and it was off to work for Keith.

Chimney Rock, NC

In June the three of us joined up with Katherine's parents and brothers for a trip to the NC mountains (Asheville area). We were going have just this one post of pictures, but there were so many excellant pics from our day at Chimney Rock (sadly, before Uncle David could join us) that this post is all Chimney Rock. **WARNING: lots of pictures**

First we have Little Miss K, getting ready to ride the elevator to the summit. She is helpfully pointing out the rock wall behind her.

Once we got to the summit, we rented a baby backpack (Keith was sweet enough to carry Kaitlyn all day)(well, almost), and headed up to the top of Chimney Rock. From there, we had views for miles around (although it was a bit hazy). Like father like son, Stephen and Dad both locked the binoculars on their eyes. What were they looking at?

A very short hike from the chimney was what is called the Opera Box. There were some neat old pictures of folks in there pre-guardrails wearing evening wear in honor of the name. We liked the guardrails, though.

For lunch we whipped out the cooler and cooked some hot dogs there at the park. Yummy! Kaitlyn enjoyed being spoiled - check out that Oreo mouth! She enjoyed the oreo eating more so than the extra-vigorous tooth-brushing that evening.

After lunch we hiked to the base of the waterfall. On our last trip (some 15 years ago) we took the path to the upper edge of the waterfall (through locations used for filming Last of the Mohicans), which was quite strenuous. We thought the moderate to strenuous hike would be better. Good choice, based on how tired these three got on the "less-strenuous" hike!

Getting to the waterfall made the hike (and the subsequent hike back) more than worthwhile. We have roughly 7 million pictures; here are a few.

The three of us at the waterfall. -->

<-- Dad under the main waterfall.

The lower falls that Stephen scrambled all over. -->

As much running as Stephen did, he had enough energy leftover to volunteer to take Kaitlyn the whole way back, including the many stories of stairs to return the pack. Kaitlyn doesn't seem to know what to think of this, but let us tell you that she sure thinks highly of her uncle! "Uncle" is now one of her favorite words. Coincidence? We think not.

Pizza Night

Tonight was pizza night in Dohlchester. Since Keith worked in a pizza parlor (like his brothers before him), this doesn't mean calling Domino's or even Papa John's, but rather a homemade pie with even the dough from scratch.

Here is our dough recipe. You can tell we make it often, since this recipe is memorized!

Place, in order, into the bread machine pan and set for dough cycle:

7.5 oz water (3/4 cup+3 Tbs) warm water

2 Tbs. olive oil (or vegetable oil)

1-1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup wheat flour*

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp yeast (or 1-1/2 tsp bread machine yeast)

*2-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour can be used if you just don't want (or don't have) wheat flour

Keith's tips for a great homemade pizza:

• Use a preheated pizza stone, like you can get from Pampered Chef, with a little cornmeal down to keep it from sticking
• Put the cheese on first - not the sauce! Mozzarella is a favorite for all, but grate some white American (we get ours from the deli) for about 50% of your cheese.
• Still no sauce - add fresh garlic and pepperonis for a classic pie.
• NOW the sauce. Water down commercial sauces to spoon evenly over the toppings. "Sauce down" your pepperonis so the don't get too crispy.
• Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees (if no wheat flour is used, decrease temperature and time slightly).

Kaitlyn loves Pizza Nights. When we make it from scratch it's hard to say no, since we know it's a lot healthier than ordering out (it's a lot like giving her a ham and cheese sandwich).

Wednesday in Dohlchester

Tonight was movie night at Dohlchester (after Wal*Mart, Michael's, Target, KMart, Sam's Club night, that is).

We watched Nanny McPhee, a movie we had rented in the past but didn't get to watch (long story, but in theory we still have a free rental floating out there, somewhere, but our Movie Gallery unexpectedly closed!) It had some cute moments, but on the whole was entirely derivative and predictable. That being said, if the kids want to watch it when they're older, we won't stop them.

If you're looking for a movie with a quasi-magical nanny that brings a somewhat dysfunctional family to a happy ending, Katherine suggests Mary Poppins (Keith is distracted by the singing and dancing and can't see what a great movie it is).

If you need the element of "unexpected" marriage across classes, Katherine suggests The Sound of Music. Keith's objections to singing and dancing stands, however, and he says it is actually worse due to Nazis.

A Few Pictures

What's new in Dohlchester? Keith has put back in for evenings, and Katherine is still working some mornings. "What is it that Katherine does?", you may ask. In fact, many of you have. Basically, I do marketing and web development (more web development at the moment) for Virginia Review, a professional journal for Virginia government. It's not Vogue. But it is just one mile from the house, relatively in my field, with flexible hours and fine pay. Also, I am doing web development for a new site set to come live in the fall. More on that when it happens.

The picture to the left is of Kaitlyn being treated to one of Grandmama's molasses cookies at White Lake. Just after this picture was taken, Kaitlyn thrust her other hand in the bag, too, and chose a whole handful of cookies. She was "persuaded" to just take one.

To the right is a picture from the Chesterfield County Fair. Katherine won 4 ribbons for crochet, for Kaitlyn's "Just Like Daddy" blanket, for the bear from the nursery friends set, for the christening dress she pattern tested, and a blue ribbon for her first doily ever. Keith and Auntie Kris both enjoyed fried candy bars. Katherine and Kaitlyn (reluctantly on the SweetPea's part) abstained. Kaitlyn did get to feed some baby goats and pet some animals, but she liked them better from a distance. The picture is from the "Corn Crib" sandbox of corn in the Kid's Tent. Wow. Ok. A sandbox of corn. She had fun, though.

Then to the left is an older picture from before our PA trip of Kaitlyn learning to feed herself. She was very very proud of herself and very very messy. It would have helped if she had learned that a spoon goes bowl side down into the mouth, not flipped. Oh, and if she hadn't stuck her goopy hands in her hair to take out her hairbow. She enjoyed feeding herself much more than the ensuing bath.

That's it for this evening! Have a blessed Wednesday!

Back From The Lake

We made it back! Safe, sound, and 12 hours ahead of schedule. No pictures yet, but some were taken (of course!).

After figuring that we would need to leave by 8 am (waking up by no later than 6am) to get back in time for work, we decided that leaving at 8PM the night previous would make more sense. We would have had to go to bed not too long thereafter in order to get up, anyway.

The new location had no private pier, but that didn't bother Kaitlyn! She saw the lake and exclaimed "Pool!" She was even more excited to see her family. And the cookies. A funny story that combines the two: Kaitlyn was given a Molasses Cookie (Grandma's specialty, now made by Mom Hudgins), just as Grandmama (Kat's mom) went to the ladies room. "Mmmmm!" she exclaimed. "You'll have to tell Grandmama how much you like those." She ran over to the bathroom door and banged on it yelling "Grandmama!! Grandmama!!" OK, maybe you had to be there.

Either White Lake has gotten "gikkier" or we're getting old. It's probably the old thing. While Kaitlyn didn't seem to mind floating or walking through floating patches of lake vegetation, we had no desire to get in. But, loving Kaitlyn as we do, we waded, splashed, and floated for what seemed like hours a day. The "waves" thrilled her, and she laughed with delight as each one splashed against her. Why doesn't this child love the bathtub?

The game tables were in full-effect. Nertz, Cranium, Taboo, Outburst, Apples to Apples... we make powerful allies, but terrifying opponents.

An M&Ms Pine Bark Update
This did not work well. (a) the M&Ms didn't crush well in the food chopper; (b) the M&Ms didn't melt well, and (c) the M&Ms didn't spread well. There must have been a better way to do this. For the result I was going through I think that using milk chocolate chips with the usual recipe would be best, and then after spreading top with some M&Ms crushed by a rolling pin.

What did work well? Making the recipe with peanuts. Since I had the food chopper out, I ran a big handful (1/3-1/2 cup) of dry roasted peanuts through. I sprinkled about 1/2 of the small pieces over the saltines before pouring the butter/sugar over, then the other 1/2 of the smaller pieces before sprinkling the chocolate chips. I saved a small handful of larger chunks of peanuts to sprinkle over top of the chocolate once I spread it. Yum! THIS I can recommend.