Luckily we had the camera out the other day, because McKenna was being hilarious. It has been chilly here, so we turn on the gas fireplace. Rylee LOVES it, so we put her bed right by it. McKenna felt the need to tuck her in.
--Where did the doggie go? Must be under Blankey--
--There is Rylee. "Night Night"--
--Give Rylee kisses--
--Now she is all covered up--
--And here is Rylee with Blankey and Bear--
--This one has nothing to do with Rylee's nap, but it was too funny. She is trying on Mr. Potato Head's glasses--
Of course the day before Thanksgiving was the first snow of the season. Mac wasn't sure what to think. She kind of walked around in it, in her new boots. And she was wearing the snow suit I used to wear when I was her age. She would not leave her gloves on, so when she grabbed the snow she would drop it and say "owie." We didn't stay outside very long, but I think she was unimpressed.
--She didn't want anything to do with her hat or gloves--
I needed a break from school - seems I have been studying non-stop for weeks now! Luckily Damon and Shelly were getting a break from Nolan on Friday night. So, Gona and Baca watched Mac and we went with Damon and Shelly to the Latin King. It is an italian restaurant in Des Moines. The wait was over an hour, but it was kind of nice just to talk. We had a yummy dinner and came home and went to bed....not really exciting, but was nice to just sleep!
Saturday morning we had a meeting at 6am. We had to go through our practice dry run for the day after thanksgiving sale. It is quite the orchestration, with where to stage product and how to set up the lines. We do about 8 saturday's worth of business in one day....a january week's worth of business in one day...so it needs some planning.
That night we drove to Newton with Gona and Baca and went to a lavish wine dinner. Auntie Em and Kade came over to watch Mac. The winery is run by a nice couple, he is a doctor, and she runs the events. They have weddings, dinners, private events, etc. She is a gourmet cook and made everything that we ate that night (all of which was fabulous!) They served a different wine with each course, and I was surprised at how good some of the Iowa wine was!
Here is the menu:
Asparagus with Smoked Salmon & Baked Brie with Jazzy Cranberry Chutney paired with The Grate White, off-dry white wine ------------------------------- Heartland Harvest Chowder with Corn, Peppers, Cilantro and Carrots paired with Vesper White, semi-sweet wine ------------------------------- Mixed Greens with Fresh Pears, Apricots, Toasted Almonds, Honey-Apricot Vesper White Dressing and Maytag Blue Cheese Crumbles paired with Harvest Home White, sweet wine ------------------------------- Pork Tenderloin Roulade with Caramelized Onions & Rolling Hills Wild Mushroom Sauce accompanied by Wild Rice Pilaf in an Acorn Squash Ring paired with Rolling Hills Red, off-dry wine ------------------------------- Decadent Dark Chocolate Mousse with Raspberries served in edible chocolate dish paired with No. 2044 Red, dry wine ------------------------------- Jubilee Blush Granite (pronounced Gran-yay) paired with Jubilee Blush, sweet wine
It was amazing, especially the mousse....yum! Thanks Gona and Baca for quite the treat!!! The atmosphere and the aucustic folk guitarist was awesome! You can check out Sugar Grove Vinyards next time you are in Iowa! It is where Emily and Aaron are getting married this summer! McKenna is their flower girl, and we can hardly wait!
I got to spend my whole morning with McKenna. And since the cable is out, we pretty much just played with no TV, which was kind of nice! We read stories, and played legos. Then we danced and had pretend drinks (her new favorite game is tea party.) I just love this age, and am very envious of mothers who get to stay home everyday and enjoy all these moments. Lately with school, crazy work schedule, and general stress, I feel as if I am missing out on such a wonderful part of her life :(
I thought I would take this time to write down some of her favorite words, and activities, more so she can read this later and laugh, and so we don't forget this amazing time!
Favorite words: Owie (anything from socks that are too tight, to a mark on her dolls head is an owie) Up I Love Ew Momma Daddy Dawhe (doggie) More (she drags it out so it sounds like mooooorrrrreeee, with a high pitch at the end) PU (stinky diaper) Baby (every baby in the store) Hi Bye No (classic for toddlers) Dis (for this...everything is dis) Meow (for kitty) Walk (when she doesn't want to be held, or when she wants to go to the park) Dink (drink) NaNa (banana) Bae (for bear) Ba ee (blankey) Abby (her best friend at her nanny's house) Cracka (crackers) Edmo (elmo) Baw (ball)
Activities: - She loves to cover her bear up in the cradle and "tuck him in" - Playing fetch with the dog - Walking to the park, climbing the toy and going down the slide - Walking down the stairs by herself (which is my biggest fear...) - Opening drawers in the kitchen, taking everything out, then putting it back - She loves to make a mess, but usually somewhat tidies up when she is done (has OCD like her mom!) - Pulls all the cushions off the couch and lays on them reading books - Pulls books off a bookshelf then puts them back (do you see a theme) - Every time we are trying to get her dressed she thinks it is hysterical to run as fast as she can to get away - Loves giving kisses, but not hugs - Loves snuggling on a lap to read books - She has total control of the radio in the car, and has to listen to her music going and coming from the nanny, she gets mad between songs when there is a pause - She loves elmo, as soon as elmo's world comes on tv, she stops what she is doing and starts to dance and scream "edmo!" - She likes to put on mommy and daddy's shoes and walk around - She thinks putting her head down and looking between her legs upside down is really funny - She'll stand on the scale and watch the numbers appear (must be watching mommy and daddy do it) - Very good sleeper. We tell her we are going down for a nap, and she gets her bear and blankey and goes right to sleep - She loves books with babies, people, or lots of busy pictures so she can point out what she knows when you ask her "where is the ball? where is the zebra?" etc - You have to trick her into getting back into the stroller after a trip to the park, or she would never leave - She gets really jealous when anyone hugs mommy or daddy, and really jealous when mommy holds another baby - She has to have a drink of water and a small bag of cereal when we go to Heathers in the morning....our poor cars are covered in cereal....I never thought I would be those people! - She is just now starting to fit into her 18 month clothes, and still wears some 12 month stuff - She can make all the animal noises on the see and say except the rooster...that one is hard!
Favorite Foods: - bananas - applesauce (she likes to put cheerios in it and eat it like cereal with milk) - milk - cheese and crackers - grapes (#1 fav) - noodles - bread - mixed veggies - strawberries and cottage cheese - any cereal, cheerios, kix, puffins - oatmeal - eggs
I could go on forever, but thought this was a fun glimpse into Mac's world!
Sorry it is sideways - here she is looking between her legs
I have debated about when is the best time to get a picture of your child. There is never a best time. I want to get a canvas made of all my kids (including future unnamed children) at the same point in their life. I think I have decided that 18 months is the time. I need your help to narrow down which picture I should get the canvas made of. Please vote and let me know! Just make a comment with the picture you like best:
--Picture #1--
--Picture #2--
--Picture #3--
--Picture #4--
--Picture #5--
--Picture #6--
--Picture #7--
Remember they can all be in B&W, sepia or color! Thanks for voting!
We had a great time visiting with Gramma Rue this weekend! She got here on Saturday and Daddy, Mommy and Mac went to pick her up. We just had fun playing most of the week. I had a counseling conference on Monday. Got to go and network with various school counselors from around the state. That night Mac started feeling kind of icky. She had goobers in her eyes and a runny nose, so we made an appointment to take her to the doctor tuesday. Monday night we went to Gona and Baca's for a yummy dinner. We had a good time visiting and eating. Between doctor visits, dealing with broken cable TV, studying, and class, I feel like I barely got to see my mom. She did a great job of babysitting though, and is looking forward to doing it this summer when we go to Europe! By the end of the week Mac definitely knew who Gramma was. Luckily we get to go back to Washington at the end of December, so goodbye's weren't too hard this time around!
BTW - doc visit was very successful - she had a sinus infection, so we got drugs. Also got a flu shot, yuck! She is 22lbs, 30.5 inches, and has a 19.5 inch noggin. That means 25th percentile for height and weight, and 95th for head! Giant brain!
Kathleen has so cleverly "tagged" me in her blog. The idea is that I have to write 10 random facts about myself - then "tag" 5 others to do the same on their blog -
Here I go (1) I am obsessed with all things superman. Most people know this about me, but it is still my favorite random fact. I have a collection, and religiously watch Smallville, and even Lois and Clark when I work out. (2) I could have 10 kids. This may shock some of you. If I was a lottery winner, I would definitely adopt, have or perhaps be a foster parent to lots of kids. I love being a mom and watching them learn. We'll see if I sing the same song when they are teenagers. (3) I have OCD, well not in the literal sense, but I think I am borderline at times. Not so much in the open and close a door 10 times thing, but in a I have to log every dollar spent, must have everything in its place kind of way. My poor husband.... (4) I secretly want to be an iron chef. In my previous life I think I was a chef. I sometimes just know things, and have no idea how I know them. That is another thing I would do if I won the lottery, have a bunch of kids, and feed them 5 star meals :) (5) I am in grad school for counseling. I am surprised at how few people actually know this about me...so here you go - I am going to Drake and hope to be done with my masters in education sometime around 2010...that seems so far away! (6) I am voting for Hilary. She agrees with almost everything I do regarding the big issues. I also think that the country would really thrive under a woman's leadership. (7) I've been dating/married to Josh for almost 8 years. Lucky for me, if he has put up with me this long..I think I have a shot! (8) We are going to Europe for last vacation before baby #2. We are going to Italy, Greece and Turkey for two and half weeks next summer - I can't wait! (9) I can wiggle my ears (can you tell I am running out of things to type?) (10) This year I was the cat in the hat for halloween, but if you read my blog - you already saw that. Kathleen I hate you for tagging me :)
Okay - the people I am tagging are as follows: Bryan, Chelsey, Brandon, Tali and Megan
--Where did the doggie go? Must be under Blankey--
--There is Rylee. "Night Night"--
--Give Rylee kisses--
--Now she is all covered up--
--And here is Rylee with Blankey and Bear--
--This one has nothing to do with Rylee's nap, but it was too funny. She is trying on Mr. Potato Head's glasses--
--She didn't want anything to do with her hat or gloves--
--Trying to grab the snow--
--closeup--
--trying to run in her new boots--
--Looking at the trees--
--waving at a bird--
--running--
--sitting on the bridge--
--playing with flowers--
--smelling flowers--
--looking angelic--
--picking flowers--
--sepia family--
--B&W family--
--color family--
--the (very cute) end--
--Picture #1--
--Picture #2--
--Picture #3--
--Picture #4--
--Picture #5--
--Picture #6--
--Picture #7--