Last Weekend

So now that it's almost the weekend I can finally get around to a post about last weekend.  I mean, it's not like blogs are supposed to be timely or anything.

Last weekend was a really good one, and even included some Pinterest success stories, which given my track record isn't exactly the norm.

Saturday was Lyla Snoozapalooza '13.  She slept from 7pm to 9 am.  NINE AM.  I slept in until 8 and had an entire hour to drink coffee in peace, which was kind of amazing.  Except for the slight paralyzing fear I always feel when she sleeps too long and all I want to do is bust in that room to make sure she's still breathing.  Am I the only one that does that?

Once she finally woke up I started my Pinterest experiment #1, power blueberry muffins.  And they were SO delish.  Lyla even helped out with the stirring, in between dancing to the Spice Girls with her dad.

You can find the muffin recipe here.

 
After muffins and a trip to the park we came home and Lyla took a 2 1/2 hour nap.  Have I mentioned that she is officially down to just one nap a day?  And it's typically 2 hours right on the dot.  But why not throw in that extra half hour when she got 14 hours of sleep the night before??

When I went into her room I found out that Carlos, our Mexicat, had snuck in and napped in her crib with her the entire time.  Lyla was ok with it.

Sunday we went to church and MADE IT ON TIME.  Can I get a "hallelujah"?!  Then we went out to this super cute area just north of Minneapolis to have brunch and take pictures with one of Ryan's rugby teammates for Rugby Mag.  It was hotter than Hades and soo humid, so we decided to sit outside for brunch.  Never mind the frizzy, sweaty messes we were all becoming before said photos.  But brunch was delish, and it was fun to get to know the other couple, so not a total failure. 

Is anybody else getting sick of seeing her in the same dresses over and over and over??  I am.  And yet all of the stores are now carrying sweaters, jeans and boots and it's in the 90's every dayyyy.  Come on Fall, can you just live here all the time?

To celebrate the heat that night I went ahead and made some piping hot chicken tortilla soup.  Another Pinterest find, which was tasty, but I'd save it for a nice cool day.  Lesson learned.

I also made a tomato-avocado salad, which it turns out isn't super photogenic, but very, very tasty.  And it didn't have sweaty, frizzy hair, so that's nice at least.

I know, I know.  My photography is breathtaking. 

You can find the soup recipe at the bottom of the page here, and the salad recipe here.

- K

The Renaissance Festival

While Ryan's parents were in town we went to the Renaissance Festival, and it was hilaaarious!  I hadn't been since once in Denver, forever ago.  I'd completely forgotten what a spectacle it is, and how seriously people take it!  It was so fun eating, drinking and people watching.  Lyla found out that she's a big fan of caramel corn and turkey legs, and couldn't keep her eyes off the elephants.

My favorite moment (maybe ever?) was a brief second while Ryan and his dad were watching a jousting show.  Lyla wandered over to some wooden steps and patted the spot next to her, beckoning for me to sit with her.  When I sat down I looked at her and she reached up and, like her dad and I are constantly doing to her, she gently brushed my hair off of my face.  I can't even explain the rush of emotions it caused in me.  Oh, how I love that baby.

- K

 

A Visit From Grandma and Grandpa

As it turns out no one likes to visit Minnesota in the winter... or the summer.  But with Joan the Nanny out of town for two weeks, Grandma and Grandpa had no choice but to come help.

We got a bit of a reprieve from the heat and humidity and managed to find lots of fun things to do.  During the week while Kassi and I worked Lyla drug her grandparents on a tour of every park in the cities.  She is becoming a bit of a savant of parks.

On the weekend we hit Prior Lake Farmers Market which is world renowned for its healthy, organic fair.  We ate donuts and croissants.

We made a day of it with some rugby in the afternoon.  And if there is one positive to us having added a dog to menagerie of animals and babies at our house is that we can take the who troop out to rugby games.  Oh, and I made my return number 8... which wont make sense to most of you, but for me its like I have been wearing the wrong size shoes for two years and just got back in the right fit... make sense?

To be continued...

- R

My Strong Willed Child

 

 

The other day Lyla and I went to the park with Kevin, and these are the only two pictures I was able to take before whisking her off the playground and forcing her little butt to go back home.  Don't let that smile and those pigtails fool you, this girl is a sassy one.  She is one smart cookie and tests her boundaries all. the. TIME.

 

I've said a lot of prayers for my baby girl in her 18 months, and among many other things have prayed for her to be strong and confident, to have a strong drive and that she always knows exactly what she wants and goes after it.  (Having suffered from a bad case of indecisiveness all my life I hoped she would be able to avoid that.)  As days go by and I see her little personality developing I can see exactly these things coming out...which I now realize will be so good for her in the long run but probably very hard for her parents over the next 18+ years.  Sigh.

 

Going back to the park the other day, she is getting really good at climbing around that playground by herself and I can finally start to trust that she isn't going to accidentally trip and fly 15 feet off the dang thing.  For the longest time it was a heart attack waiting to happen for me, so I'm glad we're past that point.  However, she now thinks it's hilarious to run straight at those open areas, grab the bars and stick her little body as far over the edge as possible, then stick out a foot too.  I mean, one wrong move and she's asking for a broken leg!  Not to mention finally giving her poor mama a legit heart attack.  So now as soon as she does that I pack her up and send her little booty back home.  Unfortunately she hasn't really figured out she's being punished.  Or else she just doesn't care?  They say consistency is the key with this discipline thing, right?  So one day maybe one day she will actually listen to me.  Right??

 

For the time being I've started on a journey with Dr. James Dobson and The Strong Willed Child.  Wish me luck.

 

- K 

Denver

A few weeks ago we were able to make a trip to Denver for a few days.  It was a complete whirlwind, but it was so good to be home, even for just a little while.  And having grandparents around to get up with the babe while you sleep in just really isn't that bad.

We saw a lot of family and some friends, but it never seems like we have enough time in the day to fit everything in.  There are always so many more people we wish we could see.

I definitely wasn't on my A game with the picture taking while we were there, but here are a few from the trip.  :)

- K

her "hello, i'm working VERY hard over here, people" face

playing with grandpa

 

taking a stroll with her first kiss, dexter

more fun with grandpa

 

good to see all these guys

auntie jo!!

kitty hunting with grandpa

 

captured one!

lounging with auntie kate

18 Months

This little lady turned 18 months today, and I celebrated by singing "It's Your Half Birthday After All" to the tune of "It's a Small World" all day long, which she seemed to love.  She might be the only one that enjoys my singing, and I'm afraid those days won't last much longer.

We also went to the park, but I think she enjoyed the walk home the most.  We stopped on the path for a good 20 minutes while she busied herself by manhandling the stroller, eating goldfish, spilling goldfish, taking a break to sit and suck her thumb, and repeating all of those things again and again.  She was so entertained, and let me tell you, I'll take it over another Barney episode ANY TIME.

Today I kept thinking about how insignificant a period of 18 months really is in life.  A year and a half of marriage or a year and a half into college, it's just not that impressive really.  But these 18 months, in my hundreds of months, have been the biggest deal.  They have redefined me and are absolutely the most significant months of my life. 

Happy Half Birthday, my sweet Lyla Rose.  I love you more than you ever will know.

- K

Aaaaand, We're Back

OK, so it's obviously been a while since I've posted anything and we've got a lot to catch up on.  I didn't know where to start so I decided to just go with our trip yesterday to the Como Zoo, since that's really as far back as my memory goes these days.

The Como Zoo is an amazing free zoo that we love.  For some reason the official MN state zoo mostly has things like groundhogs and deer, and other super exciting animals, but the Como Zoo has all the classics like lions and zebras.  Not to mention the fact that being free it tends to also bring out the people zoo, if you know what I mean.  Unfortunately I didn't catch any pictures of that.

Happy Monday!

- K