Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Summer Cold
Katie sneezed all day on Saturday. On Sunday, she had a runny nose. So I went and got some toilet paper to wipe her nose. Later, we were all playing in the hallway and she pointed to her nose like she wanted it wiped again. (Elizabeth Fitts should be proud of my little germaphobe!) So I let her go get some. By herself.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
iBaby
A few weeks ago, Doug and I were in Best Buy and we stopped at the Apple station to look at iPads. I knew immediately that it wasn't my cup of tea because I didn't even know how to turn it on. Luckily, the 6th grade brace faced silly bandz wearing girl showed me and then flipped through a few screens with just flicks of her finger.
I feel quite sure Katie will want an iPad and lots of other tech gadgets based on her extreme fascination with all things technological!
Headphones - not the most recent invention - but she knows exactly what to do with them. And she plugs them into Doug's phone and listens to Pandora. Or into my ipod and listens to Glee.
DVDs - this is sort of a touchy one - we only let her get kids DVDs and definitely not Blurays because she doesn't have the most delicate touch and often times her hands are sticky.
She tries really hard to stick the DVD in the actual slot, but I'm afraid she's going to either break the DVD or the DVD player, so I taught her to just set it on top.
Graphing Calculator - I don't think I could've made it through half of my MBA classes without this gadget. Not because it could do all sorts of accounting programs, but because it had Tetris on it. And now Katie loves to type on it. But she always holds it up to her ear afterwards.
Computer - She could be the reason our PC completely crashed and sent shockwaves through our home network but she sure does look cute playing with the mouse! (Notice the marker on the keyboard - that's her handiwork too!)
Here's hoping that when she gets older and is far more advanced with the latest gadgets than either of her parents, that she will have the patience to teach us. Patience? Is there an app for that?
I feel quite sure Katie will want an iPad and lots of other tech gadgets based on her extreme fascination with all things technological!
Headphones - not the most recent invention - but she knows exactly what to do with them. And she plugs them into Doug's phone and listens to Pandora. Or into my ipod and listens to Glee.
DVDs - this is sort of a touchy one - we only let her get kids DVDs and definitely not Blurays because she doesn't have the most delicate touch and often times her hands are sticky.
She tries really hard to stick the DVD in the actual slot, but I'm afraid she's going to either break the DVD or the DVD player, so I taught her to just set it on top.
Graphing Calculator - I don't think I could've made it through half of my MBA classes without this gadget. Not because it could do all sorts of accounting programs, but because it had Tetris on it. And now Katie loves to type on it. But she always holds it up to her ear afterwards.
Computer - She could be the reason our PC completely crashed and sent shockwaves through our home network but she sure does look cute playing with the mouse! (Notice the marker on the keyboard - that's her handiwork too!)
Here's hoping that when she gets older and is far more advanced with the latest gadgets than either of her parents, that she will have the patience to teach us. Patience? Is there an app for that?
Monday, August 23, 2010
Date Night
It had all the makings of a great date night: parents in to babysit, a drive in the convertible, the promise of watching the sunset together, live music, a horse, a pasture, and the right running shoes to help us on our 5k! Not terribly romantic, but Doug and I had so much fun being together, just the two of us, running (nearly a mile apart time wise) in the Springdale 5K @ Sunset in Camden on Saturday night.
This race was a perfect precursor to the Mud Run because it's not run on pavement, but on the Springdale Horse Track. It was so pretty out there - the grass was so green (no doubt from our daily downpours) and the rest of the landscape just made you feel like you were in the country for sure! There was a quarter horse out there that was the pace horse and anyone who could beat the horse won a medal.
I haven't done an organized race since the Turkey Day 8K back in November but I've been running some to get ready for the Mud Run and I just started playing indoor soccer again last Monday so I am on the road to getting in shape!
The race started with a bubuzela which I thought would be terrifying to the horse, but perhaps that was the point to get the horse moving. I also thought I was doing a good job keeping up with the horse because I kept getting slightly spit on, but then I remembered horses don't spit, camels do, and this wasn't a camel, but a fellow runner who was chewing gum thus increasing her saliva and decreasing her awareness of those running around her. I went ahead and passed her but it winded me severely!
The grass was so high on the course so runners were told they wouldn't have any PR for this race - but not being a real runner, I had no idea what a Public Relations team or a Press Release or Puerto Rico had to do with running. Apparently it means personal record - and the height of the grass would prohibit even the avid running from getting one. But I had a PR that night in that I had my best time for ever having run on a horse track - and that should count for something even if it was my first time ever too.
I passed by the 1 mile mark water station with a bit of arrogance and disdain for those in front of me who stopped and then threw their cups in the air only for me to deflect them with my hands. And by the time I got to the 2 mile mark water station, I sheepishly paused for water thinking WWBD (What would Barret Do?) or WWAT (What would Adam think?). But then I reminded myself that this race was being run at 6:45pm in heat and humidity that only a native Columbian can really understand. It's amazing what 1.5 ounces of water will do for your system, but it was just enough to give me the strength to push on for the rest of the race. That and the shot to my ego that Doug had probably already finished at this point and I still had a mile to go. (Here he is in the middle of the pack of a runners - he's in the grey Clemson shirt)
In keeping with the horse theme, I have a little bit of Seabiscuit in me that makes me try to be just a bit faster than the person next to me. Most of the time I can't keep it up for any length of time because I get too winded but with this just being 3 miles, I did alright. I stayed right in line with one girl for the 3rd mile of the race and as we neared the finish line, I turned on the sprints. I tried my hardest to get past her but as the picture shows, she saw me coming and turned it up too. The official race results show us having the EXACT same finish time and pace time, yet she got 25th place among women and I got 26th. Go figure. Alas my dreams of placing in the top 25 of anything ever are gone.
Doug finished in great time too although his run sounds less eventful than mine probably because I have a flair for the dramatic and he just merely ran and didn't write blog posts the whole time in his head about the people around him.
We enjoyed the typical race freebies of gatorade, fruit, chips, tshirts, and recylable bags. We left shortly after we crossed the finish line and put the top down in his car and headed to the Taco Bell drive thru. Then it was back to reality at home to put Katie to bed and "pay" my parents for watching her - we gave them our reusable bags from the race. My mom couldn't have been happier!
And I can't help but post this last picture - My bib for the race has my age at 29 - which is correct - but only for another 15 days! The big 3-O is just around the corner!
This race was a perfect precursor to the Mud Run because it's not run on pavement, but on the Springdale Horse Track. It was so pretty out there - the grass was so green (no doubt from our daily downpours) and the rest of the landscape just made you feel like you were in the country for sure! There was a quarter horse out there that was the pace horse and anyone who could beat the horse won a medal.
I haven't done an organized race since the Turkey Day 8K back in November but I've been running some to get ready for the Mud Run and I just started playing indoor soccer again last Monday so I am on the road to getting in shape!
The race started with a bubuzela which I thought would be terrifying to the horse, but perhaps that was the point to get the horse moving. I also thought I was doing a good job keeping up with the horse because I kept getting slightly spit on, but then I remembered horses don't spit, camels do, and this wasn't a camel, but a fellow runner who was chewing gum thus increasing her saliva and decreasing her awareness of those running around her. I went ahead and passed her but it winded me severely!
The grass was so high on the course so runners were told they wouldn't have any PR for this race - but not being a real runner, I had no idea what a Public Relations team or a Press Release or Puerto Rico had to do with running. Apparently it means personal record - and the height of the grass would prohibit even the avid running from getting one. But I had a PR that night in that I had my best time for ever having run on a horse track - and that should count for something even if it was my first time ever too.
I passed by the 1 mile mark water station with a bit of arrogance and disdain for those in front of me who stopped and then threw their cups in the air only for me to deflect them with my hands. And by the time I got to the 2 mile mark water station, I sheepishly paused for water thinking WWBD (What would Barret Do?) or WWAT (What would Adam think?). But then I reminded myself that this race was being run at 6:45pm in heat and humidity that only a native Columbian can really understand. It's amazing what 1.5 ounces of water will do for your system, but it was just enough to give me the strength to push on for the rest of the race. That and the shot to my ego that Doug had probably already finished at this point and I still had a mile to go. (Here he is in the middle of the pack of a runners - he's in the grey Clemson shirt)
In keeping with the horse theme, I have a little bit of Seabiscuit in me that makes me try to be just a bit faster than the person next to me. Most of the time I can't keep it up for any length of time because I get too winded but with this just being 3 miles, I did alright. I stayed right in line with one girl for the 3rd mile of the race and as we neared the finish line, I turned on the sprints. I tried my hardest to get past her but as the picture shows, she saw me coming and turned it up too. The official race results show us having the EXACT same finish time and pace time, yet she got 25th place among women and I got 26th. Go figure. Alas my dreams of placing in the top 25 of anything ever are gone.
Doug finished in great time too although his run sounds less eventful than mine probably because I have a flair for the dramatic and he just merely ran and didn't write blog posts the whole time in his head about the people around him.
We enjoyed the typical race freebies of gatorade, fruit, chips, tshirts, and recylable bags. We left shortly after we crossed the finish line and put the top down in his car and headed to the Taco Bell drive thru. Then it was back to reality at home to put Katie to bed and "pay" my parents for watching her - we gave them our reusable bags from the race. My mom couldn't have been happier!
And I can't help but post this last picture - My bib for the race has my age at 29 - which is correct - but only for another 15 days! The big 3-O is just around the corner!
Friday, August 20, 2010
I've Got No Strings
I had Monday and Tuesday off of work so Katie and I packed our two special days together with lots of fun stuff! On Monday, we went to the Columbia Marionette Theater with Shelley & Caleb and Jessica & Maddie. They have shows every Saturday and the 3rd Monday of each month so we were lucky enough that our time off (my mom was in Texas) was the 3rd Monday. The kids got free admission because they were under 2 and I had a BOGO coupon from my Entertainment book. So the 6 of us got in to the show for $10!
Before the show even started, the kids had a blast. There are 4 areas set up with different themes (I assume for birthday parties). The first area is a dinosaur place with this big guy sticking right out of the wall!
The 2nd is a Wizard of Oz theme with cute little murals from the movie.
The third one is an underwater adventure, again with great murals and hands on stuff for the kids.
Lastly - is a royal area with king and queen chairs. Maddie and Katie climbed right up! (Please notice Katie's "preschool ready sit still for the picture" pose with her hands on her knees!)
After running around all 4 areas before the show, we decided it was best to just sit in one of these areas for the show since the rest of the place was more auditorium/bench seating and it would be harder to get up and out if they weren't having a good time. So we sat to the left of the stage and as the lights went down, the kids sat on our laps with juice and snacks. They were perfect for the 45 minute puppet show of Jack and the Beanstalk. They laughed and clapped, made animal noises when there were animal puppets on stage and never once tried to get down and make a run for it! I was so impressed because I set myself up to see about 4 minutes of the show and then wait in the lobby until it was over!
After the show, the theater troop brought out smaller marionettes for the kids to play with. (I'm not sure if this is just a Monday thing or if they do it on Saturdays too.) The kids got to practice making them dance and move and walk along. They really seemed to get the hang of it. They kept bouncing them up and down to make all their little legs move!
After the show, we headed over to the mall for a quick food court lunch and carousel ride. The food court has some kid sized tables where Katie sat and had her nuggets, fruit, and chocolate milk!
We let them play in the toy cars and airplanes for a while too!
I didn't get any carousel pictures, but this is where I had to pull Katie from after the carousel ride. She was dying to ride again, but we were headed home for naps!
It was a great morning spent with friends. The kind of morning that makes work so much less appealing! Which is why I was super glad we had one more day to spend together!
Before the show even started, the kids had a blast. There are 4 areas set up with different themes (I assume for birthday parties). The first area is a dinosaur place with this big guy sticking right out of the wall!
The 2nd is a Wizard of Oz theme with cute little murals from the movie.
The third one is an underwater adventure, again with great murals and hands on stuff for the kids.
Lastly - is a royal area with king and queen chairs. Maddie and Katie climbed right up! (Please notice Katie's "preschool ready sit still for the picture" pose with her hands on her knees!)
After running around all 4 areas before the show, we decided it was best to just sit in one of these areas for the show since the rest of the place was more auditorium/bench seating and it would be harder to get up and out if they weren't having a good time. So we sat to the left of the stage and as the lights went down, the kids sat on our laps with juice and snacks. They were perfect for the 45 minute puppet show of Jack and the Beanstalk. They laughed and clapped, made animal noises when there were animal puppets on stage and never once tried to get down and make a run for it! I was so impressed because I set myself up to see about 4 minutes of the show and then wait in the lobby until it was over!
After the show, the theater troop brought out smaller marionettes for the kids to play with. (I'm not sure if this is just a Monday thing or if they do it on Saturdays too.) The kids got to practice making them dance and move and walk along. They really seemed to get the hang of it. They kept bouncing them up and down to make all their little legs move!
After the show, we headed over to the mall for a quick food court lunch and carousel ride. The food court has some kid sized tables where Katie sat and had her nuggets, fruit, and chocolate milk!
We let them play in the toy cars and airplanes for a while too!
I didn't get any carousel pictures, but this is where I had to pull Katie from after the carousel ride. She was dying to ride again, but we were headed home for naps!
It was a great morning spent with friends. The kind of morning that makes work so much less appealing! Which is why I was super glad we had one more day to spend together!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
It's A Girl!
Those words sent me into a tizzy back in June 2008. I wanted a boy more than anything and I had no clue what to do with a daughter. But since 30 minutes (I needed some time to adjust) after hearing those words, I have loved every minute of having a girl. As Katie turned 21 months old on Saturday, I looked back through the month's pictures and realized just what a GIRL we have on our hands.
We had our first ever fashion show with cousins on my dad's side of the family. Including Katie, there were 3 girls and two boys and they found lots of stuff to dress up in from our playroom and then paraded down our hallway while I played dance party music. One of the boys announced each "model" and even gave them made-up names! It was absolutely hilarious and so much fun.
Katie has continued to love to dress up since then. She loves to put on Doug's socks on her feet and her hands. She loves to pick out her own shoes and clothes each morning. She is very particular and once she has decided on something, we must go that route!
We have to have a bow or a barrette all the time. After she gets dressed, she taps her head and says, "bow" as if that completes the outfit and anything less is incomplete. Granted, the bows never stay in for very long and we've lost quite a few, but it's fun to get her all dolled up before we leave. Speaking of dolls, she has loved taking her dolls and animals for walks in her stroller. She loves to sit in the stroller herself and work on buckling and unbuckling herself. This however, led to her first big booboo this month. She fell out of the stroller in the living room and busted her chin. It bled for a while and scabbed up pretty nicely and she loved having neosporin put on it everyday. It is still healing and she may even have a little scar there, but scars build character I'm sure.
The other morning, I was painting my toenails before work and Katie sat down on the bathroom floor next to me and wanted to paint hers too. She let me paint her toes and was very good about not touching them to let them dry.
As we wrap up our summer with a few more fun things planned, we are gearing up for the fall and getting ready to go "back to school." Katie is growing up right before our eyes, and we are honestly, head over heels, for our little girl and can't imagine things any other way.
We had our first ever fashion show with cousins on my dad's side of the family. Including Katie, there were 3 girls and two boys and they found lots of stuff to dress up in from our playroom and then paraded down our hallway while I played dance party music. One of the boys announced each "model" and even gave them made-up names! It was absolutely hilarious and so much fun.
Katie has continued to love to dress up since then. She loves to put on Doug's socks on her feet and her hands. She loves to pick out her own shoes and clothes each morning. She is very particular and once she has decided on something, we must go that route!
We have to have a bow or a barrette all the time. After she gets dressed, she taps her head and says, "bow" as if that completes the outfit and anything less is incomplete. Granted, the bows never stay in for very long and we've lost quite a few, but it's fun to get her all dolled up before we leave. Speaking of dolls, she has loved taking her dolls and animals for walks in her stroller. She loves to sit in the stroller herself and work on buckling and unbuckling herself. This however, led to her first big booboo this month. She fell out of the stroller in the living room and busted her chin. It bled for a while and scabbed up pretty nicely and she loved having neosporin put on it everyday. It is still healing and she may even have a little scar there, but scars build character I'm sure.
The other morning, I was painting my toenails before work and Katie sat down on the bathroom floor next to me and wanted to paint hers too. She let me paint her toes and was very good about not touching them to let them dry.
As we wrap up our summer with a few more fun things planned, we are gearing up for the fall and getting ready to go "back to school." Katie is growing up right before our eyes, and we are honestly, head over heels, for our little girl and can't imagine things any other way.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Bowling with the Homies
Katie has put together a "How to Succeed at Bowling Without Really Trying" for everyone.
1. Pick a ball that is a pretty color. It would be great if it can match your outfit, but if not, just make sure it doesn't clash.
2. Enter all of your friends' names on the score machine. Put yours last - that makes you the anchor which means you must be good!
3. Help your friends out by letting them use this neat silver thing to guide the ball.
4. Feign concern with she bowls a SPLIT - you know she'll never pick it up!
5. If there is a man around, have him help bring the ball to the silver thing. It gives your arms some rest.
6. If he only helps his sister, and not you - then make sure he knows how badly your arms hurt - maybe he didn't pick up on your subtle hints.
7. If you need to take a break for a while, there are lots of other things to do at the bowling alley. Find some quarters and get going.
8. Make sure you're back at the lane in time to watch your daddy bowl. He needs your support too.
9. Clap for your daddy because he always knocks down all the pins! And he doesn't even use the silver thing!
10. Take a group picture before you leave, but make sure you and all your friends look in different directions so there is not ONE good picture to commemorate the event!
1. Pick a ball that is a pretty color. It would be great if it can match your outfit, but if not, just make sure it doesn't clash.
2. Enter all of your friends' names on the score machine. Put yours last - that makes you the anchor which means you must be good!
3. Help your friends out by letting them use this neat silver thing to guide the ball.
4. Feign concern with she bowls a SPLIT - you know she'll never pick it up!
5. If there is a man around, have him help bring the ball to the silver thing. It gives your arms some rest.
6. If he only helps his sister, and not you - then make sure he knows how badly your arms hurt - maybe he didn't pick up on your subtle hints.
7. If you need to take a break for a while, there are lots of other things to do at the bowling alley. Find some quarters and get going.
8. Make sure you're back at the lane in time to watch your daddy bowl. He needs your support too.
9. Clap for your daddy because he always knocks down all the pins! And he doesn't even use the silver thing!
10. Take a group picture before you leave, but make sure you and all your friends look in different directions so there is not ONE good picture to commemorate the event!
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