and just for the record, nathaniel named her princess kitty princess.
lacy was already named (actually lacy simone, they called her simone, but kendal likes lacy because it sounds a lot like lucy. and lucy, for those of you who don't know, is his dog-cousin. he loves to "look at" lucy (scared to death to get near her).)
so, here is [mamacat] lacy in the front. the kitten [PKP] is in the background.
here is the kitten [pkp] - she was born the weekend before labor day.
we visited melissa for pre-thanksgiving. if i had known everyone else around her left town for thanksgiving, we would have stayed. seems that every other year there are lots of folks around! oh well, next year i'll know to ask that question!
we drove up on saturday and came back wednesday afternoon. the trip took a little over 10 hours each way, but that included 2 pee/walk stops and 1 dinner that lasted an hour. not so bad. the kids did great. they watched trucks during the day - kendal even kept saying "look hottie, truck!" and at night we opened the DVD player and watched wonder pets (on the way there) and thomas the train (on the way back - borrowed this one from melissa). in all, the kids napped at their normal time, and then sacked out at their normal time. its funny how when we are at home, bedtime (and nap for holly) is a fight!
so anyway, without further introduction, our pictures!
grace and faith walked holly around everywhere!
josh in motion...
what is funny here is the expression on their faces as a reaction to holly's crying/screaming!
holly with her sista' from anotha' motha'
have you ever wondered what an angel looks like when she sleeps? well, this is it:
holly and sam had a great time emptying melissa's tupperware cabinets! thick as thieves i tell ya!
and then... hurricane holly got a hold of the dvd storage area (beneath the fish tank). oh yea. mass destruction. (however, we did find the thomas movie!)
ah, that time of year already! you know... the weekend before thanksgiving when raleigh has its christmas parade! at least this year it wasn't cold. last year it was too cold for us to even go.
kendal LOVES parades. my biggest beef with raleigh's is the fact they didn't have many rescue vehicles in it (i.e., police cars, ambulances, fire trucks...). those are kendal's favorites. he likes the bands and the motorcycles ok, but nothing beats a firetruck really!
well, unless a train went by. then, that may have topped it all.
so anyway, here are a few pics from that. katelyn met us there. we left for kentucky right after the parade was over (well, after we ate at village deli, anyway...)
i have some blogging/picture posting to catch up on!
(holly enjoying an ice cream cone sans ice cream)
'twas out on the town last friday (before thanksgiving) and i decided to go out to lunch. i had the kids with me. i thought nathaniel would be able to meet me there (i didn't ask him in advance and he was really busy at work). so, i took them anyway. here are some photos from that! they did great!
ordered kendal and holly each a pair of squeaker shoes from sophie's chic boutique (they had the best prices... plus shipping...). i got both pairs of shoes for a little over $30. i ordered them on friday... and i got them today! talk about FAST shipping! even better... the shop takes paypal, so i could use our "profits" from the ebay sales to buy them! not a dime was drained (directly) from our banking account! :)
kendal's shoes
so holly was still sleeping when i put kendal's on him. she woke right up... the squeak is louder than i thought it'd be! but, i'm already used to it. it is nice to know where he is without having to follow him around all morning. (honestly, everywhere in our house is safe for them to be alone, but, i still like "knowing" where he is.)
holly's shoes
i put holly's shoes on her after i got her up from nap. they are a little big still, i got her size 4 which is her size right now - the shoes obviously run big - but they'll last her through the winter (won't they be cute for valentine's day?). a 3-1/2 would have been a better size, but they don't come in half sizes. she'll grow into them. she also isn't quite heavy enough to squeak yet. every few steps she'll let out a squeak and she loves it! she hasn't been on the floor (sitting) since i put them on her. she's cruising all around.
both pair are really soft and flexible. i'm surprised at that, seems that when i buy "cheap" shoes that they usually are hard, thus why i usually spend way too much on their shoes at stride rite (at least $50 per pair!). i do like these though. i will definitely keep them in mind for holly as her feet get bigger and the weather warms with spring! kendal, unfortunately, is wearing the largest size they make. so, this is it for him. :(
i'll post a video later of them squeaking. i need an extra set of hands to help holly walk... can't video and get her at the same time (walking).
last friday (over a week ago...) we spent the day with grammy and grandpa. unfortunately, my camera battery was dead - for the most part. i did happen to snap a few good pictures of grammy sharing pictures of our wedding with kendal and holly.
kendal and holly LOVE to look at pictures. and, i do believe this is the first time they've seen any of our wedding!
he calls it a horse, and he rides it down town. watch carefully, and you'll see the horse buck kendal right off! kendal thinks this video is really funny. we almost took a video of him watching it... i think it was better on film!
(note both holly and kendal making the horse noise. this is one of holly's favorite animal sounds...)
Your past times
Consisted of the strange
And twisted and deranged
And I love that little game you had called
Crying Lightning
And how you like to aggravate the ice cream man on rainy afternoons
The next time that I caught my own reflection
It was on it's way to meet you
Thinking of excuses to postpone
You never look like yourself from the side
But your profile did not hide,
The fact you knew I was approaching your throne.
With folded arms you occupy the bench like toothache
Saw them, puff your chest out like you never lost a war
And though I try so not to suffer the indignity of a reaction
There was no cracks to grasp, no gaps to claw
And your past times
Consisted of the strange
And twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called
Crying Lightning
And how you like to aggravate the icky man on rainy afternoons
Uninviting
But not have as impossible as everyone assumes
You are Crying Lightning
Your past times
Consisted of the strange
And twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called
Crying Lightning
Crying Lightning
Crying Lightning
Crying Lightning
Your past times
Consisted of the strange
And twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called
Crying...
my sister in law introduced me to white chili but i have yet to master her recipe. if my memory serves me correctly, her chili is better than this... but this week, i was CRAVING some white chili, so had to try something else... that maybe i'd have some success with.
this recipe is good. it isn't spicy (holly ate it for 2 days straight - she LOVED it), and the ingredients are simple. the only thing i had to buy was the green chilis (in the mexican food section) and an onion. everything else i had on hand (trimmed, frozen chicken breasts and broth i made from previously cooking chicken was in the freezer). oh, no, wait - i also bought a fresh garlic head for this. i have garlic-in-a-jar, but i thought i'd go "fancy" and use the fresh stuff for this recipe. don't know if it made a difference or not, but it was GOOD!
the only difference in what i did was that i put my whole, frozen chicken breasts in the pot and let them cook - and once they were done, i just pulled them out and let them cool, then i shredded them by hand back into the pot (rather than baking them first - that way you are sort of making your own broth in the pot too...). again, my breasts were trimmed, there was little to no fat on them. and, i omitted the chicken broth and used 2 cups of my own chicken stock and then i also added about a cup of water. that eventually cooked out since i simmered mine for about 3 hours. and, i used a 7 oz can of green chilis.
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, washed and patted dry. (Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.)
2 cans (14 oz. ea.) chicken broth
1 jar (48 oz.) great northern beans, with liquid
1 large onion, chopped
2 t. minced fresh garlic
1 can (3 oz.) chopped green chilies, with liquid
2 t. ground cumin (dried)
1 t. ground oregano (dried)
Garnish with green chopped onion tops, shredded cheese or tortilla chips (optional)
In a large pot, pour small amount of broth. Add onion and garlic and simmer until onion is wilted and hot. Add the chilies, stir, then add broth and beans with liquid. Mix in the cumin and oregano. Bring to a boil and add chicken pieces. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes.
(Serves 6)
this picture is of me, around 14-1/2 to15 months (christmas decorations were out...).
it looks SO much like holly (except with hair).
wait... and i have THIS dress in her closet right now! maybe she'll wear it tomorrow (i was a tiny baby, holly is a big baby. thus, my 15 month clothes fit her at 10 months!) this picture is with my cousins amy and ramey.
there are a bunch more that look just like the female version of kendal. it is like they were cloned! :)
(except with their dad's grumpiness... ha!)
like this one: anyone who says that kendal has nathaniel's mouth needs to look at this!
A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened tothe bird's chest.
After a moment or two, the vet shook his head and sadly said, "I'm sorry,your duck, Cuddles, has passed away."
The distressed woman wailed, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. Your duck is dead," replied the vet..
"How can you be so sure?" she protested. "I mean you haven't done anytesting on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."
The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room.He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the
duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, puthis front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top tobottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.
The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room.A few minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the tableand also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back onits haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.
The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."
The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill,which he handed to the woman..
The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$150!" she cried, "$150 justto tell me my duck is dead!"
The vet shrugged, "I'm sorry. If you had just taken my word for it,the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan,it's now $150."
(sleepy kendal with cheese doodle residue around his mouth.)
yet one more reason i want to live in arizona.
when the clocks turn back one hour... most folks enjoy an "extra hour" of sleep. my kids don't understand that concept. thus, according to my clock, my day starts an hour earlier. lunch is an hour early. nap is an hour early, as is dinner and the bedtime crankiness.
i wonder how long it'll take for them to reset their little internal clocks? i know last night i was asleep before 9!
kendal and holly were spiders for halloween this year. i made their costumes if you can't tell.
we had some friends come over and trick-or-treat with us. tripp was a dinosaur, and chiara was snow white. here we go!
by the end of the night, the boys were riding together and the girls were riding together...
at the end of the loop, our back-door (through the woods) neighbors were having a halloween party. though we were the first ones there, we did have some snacks and kendal and i walked a little through the haunted forest (backwards) far enough to see our neighbor, tanner, who was working one of the scare stations. kendal wasn't scared though, but, no one tried to scared him. he always said "hi" to the ghosts and goblins.
(holly had a wet diaper, was hungry, and it was past her bedtime. she only wanted me to hold her. all the kids were concerned about her!)
kendal was quite sleepy too.
afterwards, they both enjoyed a cup or bottle of milk and a little naked playtime before bed!
