vacation week

We told Kaylea that she didn't have to go to school this week and that she was on vacation with Mommy & Daddy.  She interpreted this to mean she was going to Disney World (this is what she told her daycare workers).  Well, we didn't go to Disney World, but we did stay pretty busy while we were off this week.

Thursday night, we went over to play with Owen.  They exchanged presents and played and we got some quality adult time.

Friday we drove back to Southern Indiana to see some of our friends there.  We saw Bud Friday morningn and then headed to see the Niemeier's.  Kaylea & Alton exchanged presents and played together.  Kaylea loved swinging in Alton's basement swing.  She also enjoyed pushing Alton in the swing.  Alton loves to dance and he has some good moves (wish I would have gotten a video).

Friday night, Kaylea went to play with Aunt Shannan while mommy had a girl's night out and Daddy got to spent some quality time with his parents.

Saturday morning we woke up to snow!  We had a playdate at Chuck E. Cheese.  We hung out with Kaidyn, Lucas, Tyler, and Aidric.  Kaylea had a blast.  It's hard to get all of the kids to play together, but it was fun watching them when they decided to interact.

My mom picked us up and took Kayela to see Barbara and her cats.  Kaylea then got to hang out with Nana & Pop while Mommy & Daddy went to watch the basketball game (GO CARDS).  I convinced Jordy that if we showed up at the Yum Center, we would be able to find tickets.  Of course, we did...we were way up in the stands, but we were there and it was a great game.  Even as season ticket holders, we hadn't been to a UL vs. UK game in many years, so it was nice to catch a great game.

After the game, Jordy & I met up with Brittney & Bill at Wick's for a little adult time with some friends we haven't hung out with in awhile.  It was nice catching up.

 

Kaylea was going to spend the night with Trina.  I didn't think she would, but when we hadn't heard from her by 11pm, I thought she had fallen asleep.  Then my phone rang at 11:30 and Kaylea missed mommy.  I headed to get her and brought her back.  She had fallen asleep when I got there, but I took her back with my anyway.

 

We got up this morning and picked up Brenden for breakfast.  We had a great time and hit the road to come home.  I was shocked that Jordy had her to sleep before 9:00 tonight.  We are going to work on getting her back on schedule, but not before we celebrate New Year's Eve tomorrow night.

christmas day

Kaylea was overwhelmed with presents.  I almost wish she didn't get so many.  I really want her to understand what Christmas is about.  We worked on giving this year and she had fun handing out gifts, which made me happy, but she had even more fun opening all of her presents.

 

We started the morning at Nana & Pops and celebrated with Shannan & Brenden.  We followed it up by going to Trina's and celebrating with Linda, Meagan, and Mikey.  Kaylea was tired and ready to go home.  I was shocked she didn't pass out in the car.  We drove home and played with all of her toys before we all crashed early!

 

 

twas the night before

Jordy's parents always have his family over to celebrate on Christmas Eve.  We had really debated going home.  When you have a little kid, you really want to wake up in your own house on Christmas morning and let your child run around and play with their toys and have breakfast.  Traveling is not my idea of a good time.  We decided to suck it up this year, because we knew the party wasn't coming to us and made the drive home.

 

We arrived around 6:00 and Kaylea made a new friend.  She met her second cousin, Caleb.  She was excited to meet him and really liked playing with him.  Caleb had his first tea party.  Kaylea liked it because he did whatever she told him to.

 

We got a hotel room at the Hampton Inn that night because we thought it would be last hectic.  We were so wrong!  Kaylea was not having it.  She is such a homebody.  She did not want to stay at the hotel.  She cried and cried.  We let her watch TV and turned on lights, and finally at 1am, she went to sleep.  We had to wake her up at 7:45.  Considering she didn't have much sleep, she had a great day.

 

our christmas day

Kaylea certainly didn't lack in the gift department.  Santa definitely took care of her.  I want her to understand the importance of giving, too, so we talked about that as well.  When she woke up, she seemed to be half asleep, but she went with it.  She spotted the two things that Santa went out for at the last minute - a Bouncy Dog & a LaaLaaLoopsy doll.

 

Jordy and I exchanged gifts this year (sometimes we do and sometimes we don't).  Can you believe I actually asked for 2 small kitchen appliances?  Yep, I am officially old because I was excited to get them and try them out!

 

Kaylea got to play with her toys before we headed to nana & pop's for our Christmas Eve celebration.

 

 

 

new puppet theater

 

my mom using my new griddle/grill

 

DJ Kaylea

christmas eve (sorta)

Like last year, we celebrated Christmas a day early so Santa could visit Kaylea in Lafayette.  Kaylea made cookies for Santa with a little help from mommy & Mimi.  We had breakfast for dinner.  I asked what kind of milk we should leave out for Santa and she said white.  We left a couple of carrots for Rudolph and sprinkled reindeer food on the ground so Santa could find his way.  She had no trouble falling asleep, so it wasn't long before Mr. & Mrs. Claus were off to work.

 

sparkles

Day 1 - Sparkles arrives with Christmas pajamas for Kaylea

 

 

Day 2 - Working on Daddy's computer

 

Day 4 - Daddy is starting to get into this!

 

 

Day 5 - Blocks

 

Day 6 - Sparkles colored the milk green!

 

 

 Final Night - on the final sleep in our house, Sparkles left Kaylea  note thanking her for letting her live with us for a few days and telling her that Santa knew she had been a very good girl.

ornament exchange 2012

We had our annual ornamen exchange this year.  We decided to give Kaylea an ornament of Mickey from Disney World since she took her first trip there this year.  Jordy selected a martini glass with pink rhinestones for me (I think it's a cosmo), and I got him a tablet.  I thought it was an iPad, but I guess it's close enough.  This is one of my favorite traditions that Jordy & I started before we got married.

 

good intentions

I worked on Saturday - the last day before 10 days off.  Jordy called me and asked what time I was coming home.  I knew he was up to something.  Sure enough, he had rented a limo and invited some of our friends to come with us to look at Christmas lights.   I wasn't sure how it was going to go with 2 three year olds and a baby, but it was worse than I could have imagined.  Kaylea had gotten up early and didn't take a nap, so she was tired.  It started out great - the kids were excited and were great, but that's where the fun ended.  Kaylea didn't want to look at the lights, she wanted to get out in the cold and dance.  She cried, which lead to the baby crying.  She and Owen didn't get along as great as they normally do either.  They did have fun looking at some of the lights and stopping at McDonald's, so it wasn't quite a disasterous as I make it sound.  When we got back to the house, Kaylea crashed on the couch.  She kept complaining that her knee was hurting.  She was screaming at one point.  We have decided it is growing pains.  We were talking about making the limo a yearly tradition before we left the house, but I think we'll have to wait a couple of years!

 

 

playing hungry hungry hippo before we left

end of the world

We went to an end of the world party on Friday night. I guess the Mayan calendar ended at 12-21-12, so it was going to be the end of the world. We knew it wasn't ending because, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." But we had fun anyway. Kaylea put on her Santa hat before we went. The kids had a great time and actually spent some time playing together and not just independently.

 

 

 

shaving her legs - lol 



 

bud

 

My dad came to visit on Tuesday. He wanted to see us and go to basketball practice with Kaylea.  He and I have a strange relationship.  He was the best dad in the world growing up - we spent every Saturday together, he never missed a sporting event, he took me to school everyday...but our relationship changed as I got older.  I now accept it for what it is and just go with the flow.  Kaylea loves Bud and I have no idea why, but we go with it.  She was so excited that he was coming to visit.

 

He took us out for dinner.  Kaylea wanted McDonalds, but picked Logan's when we suggested a real restaurant.  We headed to basketball practice.  She had fun with Bud.  I have been very disappointed with her new coach.  Half way through the class, she said they had free time.  We can have free time at home in the garage.  I want the class we paid for.  She even packed up the goal and put it away 5 minutes before class was over. 

Kaylea showed off for Bud before it was time for her to go to bed.

 

the ornament she made at school

cookie party

This morning we hosted a cookie decorating party and Kaylea was so excited.  We let her stay up late on Friday night getting ready for the party and she was hyped up Saturday morning.  When our friends arrived, we played for little while and then started to decorate.  The kids have come a long way.  I actually didn't even help Kaylea with her cookies.  I let her do with them whatever she wanted (mostly because I was busy passing out cookies)

 

We had lunch and then made reindeer food.  I also had a Rudolph craft and jingle bell necklaces.  It's hard to believe we have only been in Lafayette for a year.  We are so blessed with great friends and awesome playmate for Kaylea.