The Bug's Life

My Contributions to the Baby Name List

2012-01-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

One of the questions Mommy and Daddy are hearing a lot lately is, "Do you already have names picked out?". Their answer is a firm "no"!

It took Mommy and Daddy a looooong time to agree on a name for me. Daddy tends to turn down any name that's remotely trendy or "snobby". Mommy has a laundry list of names that will not be used for her offspring because they conjure up nightmares of past students (her own and/or those of co-workers). And both of my parents really want to pick names that have strong meanings to them.

Oh yeah, there's also the little issue of needing a multisyllabic first name...you know, since our last name is monosyllabic.

Soooo, here is my personal list of suggested baby names. Suprisingly, the names do fit at least some of the above criteria:

1. Totty

2. Taggy

3. Umvilical Cord (nickname Cordy)

4. The Other Katelyn

As much as I love these names, I'm getting the vibe that neither of my parents are sold on them yet.

Guess What?!

2012-01-15T16:23:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be a big sister!

(Well, actually, I prefer the term 'little sister who is older'...since I'm not really big yet.)

The vast majority of the time, I am very excited about this new development. I already enjoying talking to the baby and giving him/her hugs and kisses each night.

Mommy and Daddy have spent the last few months covertly preparing me for this big news, which I think was a wise move on their part. I already know that when the baby first comes out, it will only eat, sleep, cry, and pee/poop. I also know that you have be veeeeery gentle with little babies...although I think my interpretation of the word 'gentle' may be different than Mommy's.

Our baby's due date is July 14 but, judging by how things tend to go in our family, the actual delivery date will likely be later than that.

In just 4 weeks Mommy and Daddy will get to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. My thoughts are leaning towards girl, but I keep reminding myself (and anyone else who asks) that it could be a boy. If I end up being right, though, this is probably how Daddy will feel about living in a house full of women:

2011 in Review

2011-12-31T11:58:00.000-08:00

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Happy New Year, Friends!

2011 was a good year for me, but I sure am looking forward to what 2012 has in store!

Merry Day After Christmas

2011-12-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

I hope you had yourself a merry little Christmas. I know I sure did!

My Moss cousins were with us for Christmas this year...and there are few things in this world that make me happier than playing with my cousins McB and Baby C-Wa!

Unfortunately, Mommy and Daddy didn't get to spend so much time with them. Daddy came down with strep throat just a few days before Christmas, so he spend a good portion of the holidays quarantined at our house. Grampa came and rescued me, though, so that I could play with my cousins in a germ-free environment! Once Mommy knew that Daddy was on the mend she joined in the festivities, too.

Thankfully, by Christmas Eve evening Daddy had enough antibiotics in his system to be able to join the rest of the Moss clan in Christmas merriment! (I'm missing a whole lot of pictures here because Mommy forgot to take our camera to the Moss Christmas celebration. I'll have to catch you up with those photos once we get some of the pics from Gramma and Grampa.)

We also celebrated Christmas with the Pierce side of the family on Christmas Day. Between both sets of Grands and my own parents, I have three stockings to open at Christmas...and I think I have decided that stockings are awesome!! I just love seeing all of the little treats and treasures that are hiding inside.

On Christmas morning, Mommy and Daddy gave me this cute little pink guitar.

I've sure have been jammin' with that thing! Even though I love it, Daddy is a little disappointed that it didn't quite live up to its online claims. He got it all tuned up for me, only to hear it back out of tune the instant it was placed back in my hands. Oh well, I'll have fun with it...even if Daddy has to wear ear plugs while I play!

My parents also gave me this other (unfinished) gift, which was actually sitting in plain sight in our garage for the last week or so. In fact, when I saw Daddy building it I asked if I could get in on the action. Since I assumed that he was building a bookshelf (instead of a dress up storage unit for me) he saw no harm in letting me join in the fun. Here I am "helping" while wearing Daddy's hearing protection headphones and playing with his air compressor hose.

And here I am this morning helping Daddy paint my Christmas present. Aren't my parents sneaky? They know if you give a preschooler a paint brush you can get her to help create her own present.

When Daddy and I are finished painting my dress up storage shelf it will look like this, but brown.

Did any of you help make (or buy) your own Christmas gifts this year? If not, you should really give it a try next year.

Yay for Christmas!

2011-12-22T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hey, ya'll! Mommy's got two whole weeks off of work, so she's letting me get in a teeny bit of blogging time.

Right now, the most exciting thing happening in my life is Christmas! I love the songs of the season, the beautiful decorations, the yummy goodies that keep magically appearing at our house, and (of course) the presents.

Speaking of presents, I did get to exchange them this week with my good buddies Ian and Preston. I gave them the game "Don't Break the Ice". The three of us took turns playing (well, Preston was really the only one who truly played the game) it for a while, until I decided that the mallet make a much better wand. Mommy knew the game had made a huge impression on me when she overheard me tell someone later in the day that I gave the boys a game called "Put the Gorilla in the Snow".

A few weekends ago, my family got into the Christmas spirit by helping stuff 350 stocking for kids in our church's neighborhood. We filled the stockings with yummy candy and fun toys (Mommy even spotted a tiny Guy Smiley doll in the mix). I sure did have a good time filling those stockings, even though I seriously slowed down the assembly line!

Current Cuteness

2011-11-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

There have been a few phrases coming out of my mouth lately that Mommy thinks are just too cute. Some of them are factually incorrect, but she just can't bring herself to correct me yet.

Her favorite phrase is my answer to anyone who asks how much I weigh. For the past few weeks, my reply has been, "Fortyfifth pounds of dollars years ago."
The first few times I said that Mommy had to ask me to repeat it over and over. She just couldn't figure out what I was saying. Even though she know what to expect now, she still has no idea where I came up with this mashed up statement.

Mommy also likes it when I ask her to sing the "Baby Jesus" song. I think she said it's actually called "Away in a Manger".

Usually, if someone asks me what I want to do when I grow up my answer is either "be a princess" (which Mommy is always trying to steer me away from) or "I don't want to grow up." Last week while I was in the car with Mommy, though, I randomly announced, "When I grow up I am going to be in Haiti and Tajikistan." Mommy thought this was pretty exciting since it appeared I was desirous of emulating my Daddy and Auntie (this past summer Daddy went to Haiti, Auntie went to Tajik and Haiti). When she asked what I planned to do in Haiti and Tajikistan, though, she realized that my aspirations only involved "riding in the back of the bus".

Just about any time I am describing something that happened in the past I refer to it as "yesterday". I went to Jasmine's wedding, visited the splash pad, and hunted for Easter eggs all just yesterday. It was a very busy day.

An Early Thanksgiving

2011-11-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, Daddy hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for the young adults in our church. (If you're wondering why I didn't include Mommy's name in that last sentence, it's because she didn't do any of the work for this little party. It was allllll Daddy!)

We had 31 people at our house that night. 31 people and a lot of really good food! There were so many people and so much food that Daddy decided our best bet was to eat outside, Pilgrim-style (you do know that the Pilgrims had globe lights and paper plates, don't you?).

When the night was over, we had banana pudding, peanut butter pie, cake balls, some kind of delicious spice cake, stuffing, turkey, brisket, and fruit salad left in our fridge. Mommy's thinking she may not have to cook for at least a week.

My favorite part of the night was roasting marshmallows and making smores with my Daddy. I was in such a good mood that I even let Mommy eat the last two bites of my smore sandwich. Of course, I also threw a fit at bedtime when I demanded the remainder of said sandwich...only to find that it was deep inside Mommy's belly.

Mommy's favorite part of the night was this:

Evidence that nearly every single toy I own was played with and loved on that night. You probably can't tell in this picture, but even my dress up basket was raided by a few of the boys who were playing with me.

All in all, it was a really great way to kick of the Thanksgiving season. Our family is certainly thankful for each and every member of our young adult group at church. They really are extended family!

Dancing the Night Away

2011-11-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

Friday night, my family was thrilled to be guests at the wedding of our friends, Tammy and Ali.

"Aunt" Michele did a fabulous job on their cake (no suprise there). Her cakes are always just as delicious as they are beautiful, but Mommy thought this one was especially yummy.

Being that the wedding didn't begin until 7:30, by the time the reception partying got started I was already a bit of a crank-a-saurus. That means the whole family picture that Mimi envisioned taking place was not eeeeven gonna happen. We did, however, manage to walk away from the evening with this great picture of Mommy, Mimi, and Auntie.

And this is where I spent the vast majority of the evening!

My routine went like this:

Dance, Dance, Dance

Eat Dinner

Dance, Dance, Dance

Eat Cake

Dance

Throw a Fit

Dance

Forced to leave the dance floor to head home

The wedding was an hour away from our house, so by the time I got to bed it was around 10:30. Even though I really did have the time of my life at the reception, I sure did make Mommy and Daddy pay for my late night the next day!

Trunk or Treat

2011-11-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Hey, guys! We're still alive over here in the Moss household. I have had many requests for a little blog update, so Mommy reluctantly agreed to let our computer be used for some non-school related work.

For Trunk or Treat this year, Mommy made me a little sheep costume.

It was based on her very favorite childhood costume that Mimi made for her.

(Mommy decided to forgo face paint with me...I guess she saw that as one huge meltdown waiting to happen.)

Here are a few of my other friends dressed up for the night's festivities:

Mr. Ian was a biker dude...or "motorcycle man" as he called it.

And Leila was an adorable ballerina. Her Mommy had initially intended for her to be Zoe from Sesame Street, but Leila would have nothing to do with the Zoe hat "Aunt" Michele made for her. I think she looked great as Ballerina Leila, though!

One of the best parts of the night was getting to sit on a real live horsey!

But my favorite activity (that didn't involve candy) was bouncing in this teeny bounce house.

I did wait in line for the regular sized bounce house, but as soon as it was my turn to crawl in I started to flip out about the amount of "big kids" I would have to share it with. This guy, however, was right up my alley!

Streamlining the Morning Routine

2011-09-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

Even though Mommy's job is 30 times closer to home this year, she's been seeking out ways to streamline our morning routine. Here is one thing that she's started doing that has really helped get our mornings rolling...and thereby enabled her to sleep just a little bit longer!

Create a Clothing Plan

Each weekend, Mommy has been planning out what she and I will wear for the upcoming week. She checks the weather forecast, looks at what we've got going on each night, then decides what the two of us will wear each day. Once that's done, she pulls all of the clothes that we'll need to make sure that everything is clean. Then she irons all of our outfits at one time and hangs them up together in our respective closets. Here's a little picture of our clothes ready to go for the week.

This new habit means that all Mommy has to do in the morning (or usually the night before) is grab the "outfit of the day" and throw it on!

Sunday Best

2011-09-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...you are in shock. It's been forever since I've put together a Sunday Best post. And it's been foreverer since I posted two days in a row.

Our Sunday started out like just about any other Sunday. Once we got to church, though, things became a little more unroutine! By the time we left church after service, Mommy's jeans had throw up on them (from a little guy in the nursery), my head had been banged twice, and my leg had fallen victim to a painful little bug bite.

Thankfully, all of those things were easily taken care of with a little help from our washing machine, Mommy's kisses, Zyrtec, lunch, and a nice nap.

We had our own little sitcom moment in the evening when I slipped and banged my knee on the kitchen floor. Mommy took me to the bathroom and lovingly placed a cutie Dora bandaid on that boo-boo spot. Then, she gave me a great big hug and said, "I sure do love you." I gave her a big squeeze right back and replied in my sweetest toddler voice, "I sure do love my bandaid."

I'm Still Alive!

2011-09-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since you've heard from me, so I thought I should probably let everyone know that things are still going well in the Moss household! Here's what we've been up to in the last month or so:

I started taking dance classes at a dance studio super close to our house. My class is called Creative Movement and it's designed for 2.5-3.5 year olds. We meet once a week for an hour and I love it! So far I've learned the "Bear Walk", "Camel Crawl", "Turkey Tuck", and demi-plie.

Mommy has had two major changes in her life. The first is that she is back at her old school this year. Our family knows that this move was God-ordained, but that doesn't mean that it's been easy (in fact, this is a big part of the reason that you haven't heard from me in the last month and a half)! Even with all the difficulties Mommy has encountered, she is really enjoying being back at her "old" school...and working less than one minute from home.

Mommy's second change is that she has joined a Zumba class...and she loves it! A little over a month ago, "Aunt" Tara discovered a Zumba studio right next door to my dance studio. She and Mommy tried it out one night and were hooked immediately. This one hour workout is jam packed from start to finish, and it has caused Mommy to discover that every single spot on her body is capable of sweating. Even with all that sweat, though, Mommy generally has a huge smile on her face through the whole workout. And that smile just keeps getting bigger as she's beginning to notice more definition in her calf, thigh, and ab muscles.

Daddy has had a really busy month and a half, too. At the beginning of August, he spent a week leading a team from our church on a missions trip to Haiti. While he was there, he learned to listen to the Holy Spirit with greater clarity and developed a greater desire to personally support the missionaries our church is in partnership with.

Daddy also recently had his acting debut, as he was "cast" in an in-house JC Penney promotional video. And just let me tell you, most of us have noooo idea the amount of time that goes into shooting a 30 second video clip. Whoowee.

Katelyn, Version 2.5

2011-08-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

I hit the big 2.5 at the beginning of this month! (That's 2 and 6 months, in case you were wondering)

Here are some things you should know about me at 2.5:

I wear mostly 2T clothes, but can still fit into a few of my 18 month dresses and tops. I even wear one or two pairs of 12 month shorts (that's what happens when you have no booty).

I'm just getting into a size 7 shoe.

I am a big fan of nursery rhymes. That's not really anything new, but I have fairly recently started acting them out in real life. I'll stick my thumb inside a PB&J, pull out a "plum", and declare what a good girl I am...or I'll put on my purple bonnet and walk around the house looking for my sheep...or I'll sit on a countertop and call myself Humpty Dumpty. While I was in Canada, I got to visit a little nursery rhyme filled park called Storybook Gardens. I thought I was in heeeeaven!

I spend a lot of time singing, and even make up my own songs from time to time.

I love to dance! Mommy and Daddy have been thinking about enrolling me in dance classes soon.

Before I take a nap or go to bed at night, I like to make sure everything is picked up off the floor in my room. (And Mommy said, "Amen!".)

I am very into clocks. Digital, analog, and (especially) cuckoo versions are all just fine by me! This is a picture of me trying to show my "Animal Baby" magazines to the cuckoo bird inside my great uncle's cuckoo clock.

I will eat just about anything (at least once, anyway), but my very favorite foods are macaroni & cheese, chickpeas, mango, plain M&Ms, black beans, and scrambled eggs. I am not such a fan of olives, hard boiled eggs, mushrooms, or soy milk.

I really want a baby brother and a baby sister. I tell my mommy that at least a few times a week, hoping that she'll eventually get the hint. So far, though, I don't think it's working.

My New House

2011-07-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Gramma and Grampa decided that I needed a new house. That's right...my very own new play house!

Daddy and Grampa have been slowly putting it together (way too hot to tackle this thing in one fell swoop!), and I've been enjoying every bit of the process.

I even invited a few family members into the partially finished house for a little dance party.

I kind of doubt Grampa and Daddy will be playing in here too much once the roof is put on!

Here's what the finished product should look like. I can't wait!

FAQs

2011-07-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

This summer I have become a master at the art of questioning. I ask questions all day long. Although I love to hear the answers, I often keep asking follow up questions until I finally arrive at the answer I'm most interested in: "I don't know."

Isn't it just so much fun to stump people older than you?!

In case you're wondering, here are a few inquisitive statements that have caused delight, agitation, confusion, and/or uproarious laughter in my home:

"Should we cuddle? Should we snuggle?"
Mommy and Daddy just love to hear me ask this one. I utter these words just about every time I wake up from a nap...even though I know the answer will always be "Yes!"

"What is that smell about?"
My olfactory senses have become much quite keen over the past few months. In fact, I probably ask this question at least 5 times a day. Body odors, certain foods, animals, and unsanitary conditions all drive me crazy. Earlier this week, I had a mini gag fest over my own gass passing!

"What is heaven?"
This question seemed to stump Mommy the most! I'm pretty sure she thought she had another year or so to prepare for this one. For all of the heaven-related thinking, singing, and learning Mommy has done in her lifetime, she was really suprised at how difficult it was for her to explain heaven to me.

"Mommy, when you were in high school, did you poop?"
By far, this is the question that has elicited the most laughs. I can't even tell you how many times I've heard Mommy repeat this question to other people...which, of course, has only ensured that I will keep asking it. At least it's one Mommy always knows how to answer!

Exciting News

2011-07-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Mommy opened up an email on Sunday afternoon that got her super excited. It was from the mother of a girl who was in Mommy's first grade class last year. In the email, the mother explained that she...well, why don't you just take a look:

Wanted to let you know that over the last few months I have been working really hard on a new project, a Magazine for little girls ages 6-11- "SPRINKLES for girls like you!!"

After being challenged with what was next (entertainment wise) for [my daughter], God laid it on my heart to do something about it and I did! The first issue is complete and has been little girl tested and mommy approved, lol.

I am pretty amazed with how God has put it all together and is continuing to bless! I would love for you to visit my website www.forgirlslikeyou.com. You will see previews of what's inside the first issue, as well as information on how you can subscribe or show your support. Also PLEASE feel free to SHARE it with anyone you know who may be interested!

There are two main reasons this email was so exciting to Mommy. The first reason being that she completely agrees with the writer of the email- it is difficult to find entertainment that is appropriate for girls in the middle & upper elementary years. They're too old for Dora, yet too young for Beiber Fever (even though they don't think so).

The second (and main) reason this email excited Mommy was the fact that she was inspired by another mother who saw a problem and created a solution. Mommy sure is good at finding problems around her...but she's not nearly so good at the solution side of the things. This email reminded her that she shouldn't be resigned to a victim mentality when facing problematic social issues.

Oh yeah, there's also the excitement of the magazine in and of itself. Knowing the creator of the magazine (as well as its inspirer), it's bound to be good!

Please check out www.forgirlslikeyou.com for more information!

Sneaky Poppy

2011-07-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

While Mommy and Daddy went on a little movie date tonight (Captain America, if you're wondering), I was busy playing with Mimi, Poppy, and Auntie.

I've known Poppy for 2.5 years now, and there's one thing I figured out about this guy early on: Poppy doesn't say "no" unless it's dangerous. Which is why the following actions and conversation were able to happen tonight.

Me: Poppy, I want a banana.

Poppy: KK, I don't think there are any more bananas.

Me: No! I want my own banana.

Poppy: Look right here in the fruit basket. There aren't any bananas left.

Me: Let me get up there and see.

Poppy picks me up and sets me on the counter.

Me (looking in fruit basket): There aren't any more bananas. Let me stay up here, though.

Poppy (of course) lets me stay up on the counter. I open some cupboards, check out the drawers, and eventually become attracted to Mommy's countertop canisters.

Me: Open those up, Poppy.

Poppy (of course) opens up each canister, one at a time.

Me (upon Poppy opening the canister with sugar): What is that?

Poppy: What do you think it is?

Me: I don't know.

Poppy: Lick your finger and stick it in there, then taste it.

Me (after licking my finger and sticking it in): It's sugar!

Poppy: Yeah! Do you want to do it again?

Me: Uh huh!

Poppy (of course) lets me stick my finger in two or three more times.

Poppy: Shh, don't tell Mommy that I let you do that.

Me: Shh! Okay.

Poppy opens up the flour canister.

Me: What is it?

Poppy: Lick your finger again and taste it.

I lick my finger and taste it, then make a yucky face.

Poppy: What does it taste like?

Me: Paper!

That Poppy sure is a fun guy! He even agreed (of course) to wear my Bo Peep hat while we played in a homemade tent.

Flying With a Toddler

2011-07-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

Our trip to D.C. earlier this month included 3 separate airplane rides. If you know Mommy, you know that 3 tries at something is enough to make her think she's a semi-expert in that area.

So, since Mommy is now a semi-expert at flying with a toddler, here's what she thinks you should know:

1. Take your carseat.

Nearly all carseats on the market are approved by the FAA for flight (there's a little sticker on the side with this info). Not only are we tots more secure in our carseats than in the airplane belts, but most of us will also feel more comfortable in our regular rides. I just don't see a nap (like the one pictured above) happening without the help of my big 'ol carseat.

2. Don't do it alone!

Mommy realizes that sometimes this one really isn't an option...but she sure did appreciate having some extra hands on this trip. Flight #3 was especially nice. By that time around our little band of travelers figured out that our best boarding bet was for Poppy and Mimi to get on the plane first. They set up the carseat and got the baggage placed in overhead compartments while Mommy and I made one last (full sized) potty run. By the time we boarded, all I had to do was hop into my carseat. Which brings me to Mommy's next tip...

3. Don't even think about answering that early boarding call!

Take advantage of every minute you have to burn off your tot's energy. Mommy made sure I was moving and grooving while we waited to board our planes. She (and the rest of my family) took me to the bathroom, let me run through uncrowded areas of our terminal, found stairs for me to walk up and down, and walked with me into lots of little shops.

Lots of airports even have these nifty little play areas. Mommy was more worried about mid-flight meltdowns than germs, so she was more than happy to let me play here!

4. Wrap up a few suprises.

Mommy wrapped some special snacks and a few small toys for me to open while we were on the plane. These were super fun for me to open and kept things interesting the few times I got bored. Mommy and Mimi also both packed some new books for me to read.

5. Hand over the gum!

Up until these plane rides, Mommy had been a real stick-in-the-mud when it came to me and gum. No matter how much I asked, she just wouldn't let me give that stuff a try. Once our plane started descending (and I nearly started screaming), though, she quickly changed her tune. That little stick of chewy goodness sure did bring a nice measure of peace to the remainder of our plane ride!

6. If your tot gets carsick, fly prepared for the worst!

Apparently, carsick tots are often airsick tots. On our first flight, Mommy let me ride sans-Sea Bands...and my body chose landing time to let her know that was not a good idea. Thankfully, she did have my ever present towel ready in the outside pocket of her carry-on. That thing was thrown over me just in time. We really didn't even need it, though, because Mommy also decided to try out the little throw-up bags the airline provides. 99.99% of my sickness went right into that little bag.

After that little near-fiasco, Mommy made me wear my Sea Bands for the rest of our air time. Between the Bands and the diversion that gum chewing provided, I managed to make it through the rest of that time throw-up free!

Now that I've shared Mommy's flying tips with you, I'm sure that she would love to hear what helps keep your flying experiences sane. What would you add to her list?

Wanna See Something Beautiful?

2011-07-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

How about the most beautiful bride ever...at least in Mommy's memory.

Doesn't Jasmine look fabulous?

She even looks gorgeous when she's making fun of bridal gown advertisements.

(Those first two pictures are from Jasmine & Lamar's wedding photographer, Georgetown Pics Photography.)

Not only was Jasmine beautiful, it was also evident that she was full of joy and excitement on her big day!

She even took me for a little spin on the dance floor.

Which I loved so much that I decided to find my own dance partners when Jasmine had to move on.

Here's a pic of the bride and groom with some high school friends.

Mommy was really excited to see Ugochi and Marcus (on the far left and far right) at the wedding. She loved catching up with them and probably could have spent all night chatting it up (big suprise, right?).

This wedding clearly made an impression on me. As soon as Mommy wrapped me up in my hotel bath towel the night after the wedding, I declared that it was "my wedding dress".

I put up a big fuss about that train, too! Mommy is hoping I'm not a Bridezilla in the making...you know, like 25 years in the making.

One Little Monkey

2011-07-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

5 Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed is one of my all time favorite rhymes.

So you can imagine how excited I was last night when I found out that Mommy will allow a little bed jumping when we're staying in a hotel...on the first floor...after 12+ hours of being strapped in a carseat.

Thankfully, there was no head-bumping or doctor-calling involved.

Good Food, Here We Come!

2011-07-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

24 hours from now, Mommy and I will be on our way to visit my Great Nana and Papa in Illinois. While there, we plan to make a stop at this place.

Oh, Dairy Barn III...how I have missed you!

After a few days' stay in IL, we'll be moving northward to visit our Canadian family. Anytime we go to CA, our first stop after crossing the border always involves a little

and some

from Tim Horton's.

Oh Timmy's...how Mommy has missed you.

I was only 6 months old the last time we were in Canada, so this will be my first experience with Tim Horton's!

And, just for reference, here's what I looked like the last time I was in Illinois.

And the last time I was in Canada.

I hope my family recognizes me!

A little bit of D.C.

2011-07-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July weekend, I took a little trip to Washington, D.C.! One of Mommy's good friends, Jasmine, got married in Baltimore on the 1st...so Auntie, Mimi, Poppy, Mommy, and I all hopped on a jet plane to witness the nuptials and take in a bit of our nation's capital.

Mommy didn't take her camera on this trip (gasp!) because she knew Poppy would take more than enough pics to share. She hasn't snatched the pics from Poppy yet, though, so I thought I'd share these iPhone/Windows Mobile shots until she can get it together.

Here's our beautiful Capitol building. Pictures really can't do this guy justice.

And here I am entertaining (or perhaps being entertained by) Poppy while we wait in line for our tour of the Capitol.

All ready for Jasmine and Lamar's wedding!

Checking out the merch at an America! store in Union Station.

The base and portion of the midsection of the Washington monument. That's Mommy and me strolling beneath its massiveness.

Sweating it out at the awe inspiring Lincoln memorial.

And taking a break from the heat with a little story time at Barnes & Noble.

Aaand completely conked out at dinner a few hours later.

Notice those sunglasses? I put them on myself, thank you!

Uh Oh

2011-06-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night was Water Night for the toddler/preschool kiddos at church.

Can you guess who's Mommy didn't know about it?

Sunday Best: Backwards Day Edition

2011-06-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today was an undeclared backwards day for me.

When Mommy asked me what I wanted for breakfast, I quickly replied, "A turkey sandwich."

This is my breakfast request about once a week. When I first started asking for it Mommy would look really contemplative for a second or two, then shrug her shoulders and say, "Sure!"

So, a yummy turkey sandwich with cheese got my day started off.

After church we went to Mimi's for lunch. Not Mimi's as in Mimi and Poppy. Mimi's as in

photo from mimiscafe.com

If you've been there before, you know that they serve their breakfast menu all day long. Which means this was my lunch

Lunch for breakfast and breakfast for lunch!

Here are a few other things I did (kind of) backwards today: did not take a nap and somehow managed to miss the potty completely, resulting in a big poopy mess all over the floor (as well as my shorts, feet, and legs).

Just Plain Awesome

2011-06-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our recent Mossy weekend. They aren't quite Mossome, but I wanted to share them anyway.

This little girl was a big hit with the whole fam. She's 4.5 months old, and the sweetest little baby any of us have ever met.

Mommy asked Uncle Brian and Aunt Becky where they could put in an order for a similar baby on their next go-round...but Bri and Beck weren't giving away any of their secrets!

I spent lots of time playing (and sometimes fighting) with my cousin, McB.

Notice that cast on his arm? It's waterproof! How awesome is that?

Oh, and that's a sippy cup in his hands. Not a soda can.

The Exotic Zoo Resort we stayed at had a little fenced in area that allowed us to hobnob with farm-type animals whenever we wanted. Each morning of our stay, as soon as my little eyes opened up, the first words out of my mouth were, "Can we go see the animals?"

I loved it!

The more exotic animals were kept at a safer distance. We did get to pet many of them on the little guided tour we took of the zoo, though.

They also had a super fun playground that Micah and I thoroughly enjoyed.

Aaand, we got to see some ostrich eggs gettin' all warm in an incubator.

You'd think that would have impressed me. Honestly, though, by the time we got to the ostrich eggs at the end of our tour, all I cared about was washing my hands.

"Why, Katie Bug," you say, "you are so hygienically minded!"

Nope, not at all. After petting lots of animals, Mommy told me that I couldn't suck my thumb until we washed my hands. I was getting a tad tired and hungry, so my no-thumb resolve was beginning to wear thin!

One Mossome Trip

2011-06-24T02:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend, the entire Moss clan was able to be together for 5 whole days! That's right...me, Mommy, Daddy, G-Gi, G-Pa, Gramma, Grampa, Aunt Becky, Uncle Brian, McB, and C-Wa all got to spend a whole hand's worth of days together.

Do you know what Daddy and Uncle Brian call that?

Mossome*

[maw-suh m] adjective- having the characteristics or qualities of the Moss family or it's traditions, while concurrently possessing a high level of awesomeness

Eating G-Gi's apple and banana pie? Mossome.

Chillaxin' with my cousin, McB? Mossome.

Checkin' out my cutie cousin, C-Wa? Mossome.

Spending a few nights at an "Exotic Zoo Resort"? Mossome!

Feeding a "llama, llama, misses mama"? Mossome.

Taking a bath with a Daddy-made sprinkler cup? Mossome.

Spending lots of time with all of my Moss lovies? Well, of course, that's Mossome!

I've got a few more pictures I might share from our little "exotic" getaway...but they're just plain awesome (not Mossome), so I'll wait to share those in another post.

*Daddy thinks the word should be spelled "Mawsome". Mommy votes for "Mossome". Uncle Brian, what say you?

My Tall Genes

2011-06-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, Daddy's Grandma and Grandpa Moss flew into town from Wisconsin for a nice summer visit. I've had a lot of fun hanging out with them the last couple of days. Daddy thought that we needed to decide on simple monikers for them, since "Great Grandma" and "Great Grandpa" are kind of two mouthsful.

We quickly decided on "G-G" for Great Grandma...

and "G-Pa" for Great Grandpa. Pretty clever, huh?

And can you tell where I get my vertical genes from?

What Are You Reading?

2011-06-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

Mommy and I are both making big dents in our summer reading lists.

If any of you mommies-of-tots out there haven't checked out this book yet, I highly recommend that you do so soon:

(photo from ericlitwin.com)

I love this book! Mommy borrowed it from the librarian at her old school several months ago. We only had it for two weeks, but I still ask Mommy to tell me the story a few times each week. To enjoy this book to fullest, I suggest that you check out this YouTube video of the author reading/singing the book. It'll really help you get in the proper reading grove.

Mommy has read a handful of great grownup books this summer. Here's one of her top picks...so far:

(photo from rebeccaskloot.com)

Mommy has tried and tried to explain this book in a sentence or two, but she just can't. It covers such a huge amount of material, raises an enormous amount of questions, and imparts vast amounts of optimism and sadness all at the same time. If you're a fan of nonfiction, Mommy thinks you'll like this book.

Mommy's nose can currently be found in this book:

(photo from amazon.com)

After which, it will be located here:

(photo from eriklarsonbooks.com)

(And believe you me, ^this^ is where her nose can't wait to be! Mommy was first introduced to the nonfiction novel through Erik Larson's work. She's a big fan of that guy.)

Mommy's literary game plan runs dry at Garden of the Beasts, though. So she'd love to know what you are reading this summer!

Any recommendations for Mommy?

Or for me?

The Art of Compromise

2011-06-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

Over the last week or so, I've been awakening to the art of compromise.

It all started one evening when I told Mommy that I was finished with dinner and wanted to leave the table. The rest of my family was still eating, so Mommy told me that I needed to sit at the table a little bit longer. I responded with a very determined, "No. I'm done." Mommy said that she would set the timer for five minutes, and I could get down when it went off.

My response?

"No. Not five minutes."

Mommy's response?

"How long do you think I should set it for?"

"Two minutes."

"We'll do three."

"Okay."

Little did Mommy know that this one coversation would be the gateway to my new habit of wheelin' and dealin'. That lady really didn't know what she was getting herself into!

Here are a few pictorial examples:

Mommy and Daddy are staunch "no socks with sandals" people. But this past weekend, I absoultely refused to take off my frilly socks (I had worn them to a wedding earlier in the day) when it was time to go to dinner. So, Mommy and Daddy decided that they could bend the rules in favor of peace.

This may not look like compromise to any of you, but it definitely was.

When I got home from the aforementioned wedding, I quickly took out my Little People figurines for some play time. As we were getting ready ready to leave the house for the (also) aforementioned dinner, Mommy told me I needed to clean up my Little People.

"Noooo!" I yelled in her general direction.

That little exclamation was met with a firm, "KK, you need to obey. Mommy said to clean up your Little People."

Tears welled up in my eyes. Mommy had pulled out the 'o' card. I knew what that meant: respond appropriately or receive an appropriate consquence. I made my argument quickly, so as not to waste any negotiating time.

"But, it's her wedding!" I cried out.

At first, it looked as if my efforts at a compromise were unfruitful. Then, I saw Mommy's face soften (probably with a little silent prodding from Daddy) and heard the wonderful words, "Okay, the wedding can stay today."

Success!

This is What Compromise Looks Like

2011-06-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

Can you spot the compromise in these two pictures?

It's pretty easy in this one.

But not so obvious here.

Sunday Best

2011-06-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday!

I don't know if you can tell or not, but I was sporting some curls this morning. That's because Mommy got some hair-doing advice from another mommy yesterday. I'll let you know more about that later!

Car anti-Sickness

2011-06-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that last summer I developed an extrodinary ability to become sick in the car. Considering that both Mommy and Daddy were car sick kiddos growing up, this really shouldn't have come as a suprise to anyone. The genes were just stacked against me on this one.

Knowing that there is a (nearly) direct correlation between the temperature outside and the likelihood of me getting car sick, Mommy decided that she needed to take some preventative measures this summer.

I'm a pretty hot natured person. Combine that with the fact that there are no rear air vents in Mommy's car, and you get one easily overheated tot! So, when our Texas temps started soaring a few weeks ago, Mommy made the bold move to turn my carseat forward facing.

She also came across these little guys in the One Step Ahead catalog.

Those are Sea Bands for kids, and they are touted as a natural way to kick the nausea and vomitting that accompany motion sickness. They were under $8.00 on Amazon.com, so Mommy decided to give them a try.

After more than 26 hours in the car for our Alabama getaway, it looks like

Forward Facing Carseat + Sea Bands = 0 Car Sickness (almost)

I did throw up a teeny, tiny bit on the last leg of the car ride back home...but that is waaaay better than any of the substantial car trips we've taken over the last year.

Guess who's going to be buying a few more of those Sea Band guys in the near future?

A Few More Things

2011-06-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few more things that I did on vacation last week:

Ate ice cream almost every day. It was awesome!

Found lots of things to entertain myself with inside the home of the family friends who let us stay with them. I enjoyed playing with their friendly dog, watching their outside cats through the kitchen window, picking blueberries in their yard, and bouncing on their mini trampoline.

My favorite activity at their house, though, was opening and closing their doors. They these awesome lever handles (as opposed to the knobs on the doors at my house) that were super easy to open! I spend a good portion of each day opening as many doors as I could...so I'm pretty sure that Mommy and Daddy are glad to be back in our leverless world.

I didn't discover this USA puzzle until the day we left, but I sure did love putting it together all by myself!

(Just kidding! Mommy put it together and I mostly undid what she was doing.)

I also threw more than my fair share of little fits. The two days we spent at the beach were both nap-free days, so I don't think that the fits should have come as any suprise to my parents!

School's Out!

2011-06-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

Over the last two days, I have been 'chided' by at least 5 people for allowing one month to go by with no blog posts. Well, chide no more, dear ones...school is out for the summer and Mommy has given me free reign of the keyboard once more!

If truth be told, Mommy has actually been out of school for one week already. We spent 7 days in the Gulf Shores area to kick off the summer, so Mommy and I decided that it was best for me to hold off on the blogging until we returned from our trip.

This was actually the first nuclear family vacation our little threesome has ever embarked upon, as all of our other vacations have included members of our extended families. It was really nice to have Mommy and Daddy all to myself for a whole week!

We hit up the beach a couple of times. I loooved playing in the sand...

and didn't even mind it when that gritty stuff turned my Cheerios into an extra crunchy snack.

We also visited the Gulf Coast Zoo.

As far as zoos go, it's a pretty teensy place...but that actually makes it perfect for toddlers and preschool age kiddos. There were even two of these pretty birds strutting their stuff around the little snack shack.

We also checked out the bee-oooo-tiful town of Fairhope.

I mean seriously, the place was gorgeous!

(Mommy kept her eyes peeled for Stepford-esque wives the whole time were were there.)

Fairhope had a super long fishing pier...which I just loved walking on. And which provided the setting for Daddy's favorite picture of our whole trip.

I've got a few more vaca shots I'd like to show off, but this is gonna have to do it for now...I forgot how much time this blogging business takes!

Yes, We Did Celebrate Easter

2011-05-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

I know some of you were beginning to wonder...but our family did celebrate Easter this year.

In fact, this is the tail end of me shouting "Jesus is alive!"

We started our Easter out with a celebration service at church. According to Mommy, it was one of those services where you could feel the joy, excitement, expectation, and gratitude in the air!

Mommy had hoped to get a few pictures of me and my friends while we were at church, but she was called upon to help out in our busting-at-the-seams nursery...so a lonely, front yard, post-service shoot had to suffice.

After a little wardrobe change, we headed over to Mimi and Poppy's for some family/friend fun.

Isn't this shot of Karsyn and myself so cute?

Apparently, at last year's egg hunts I sidestepped all of the eggs in favor of rocks. There was none of that rock picking this year, though!

Check out this camping chair that Mimi and Poppy bought for me to use at their house. This thing is cooomfy, I tell ya!

Here's a shot of our (almost) whole Easter crowd. It's missing Karsyn, Bobby (Karsyn's grandpa), and Pastor Poppy...but we managed to get the rest of the crew in!

Even though this post is a bit tardy, it's always the right time to say,

"He is Risen, Indeed!"

A Blog Worth Reading

2011-04-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

I do plan to get an Easter post up some time soon, but before I do that I thought you should know about a blog that is well worth your time.

Our good friend Dani recently started a blog called Weights and Measures . It's all about her journey to/of/in weight loss, exercise, and healthy eating.

Dani has made dramatic and inspiring major changes to all of the above mentioned areas of her life. If you need a little bit of proof to entice you to click on her link, I offer this picture of Dani from October 2010 (she's the one on the left)...

and a picture of Dani from this past Sunday.

See what I mean? Dramatic and inspiring.

Dani, I am very proud of you and I am equally excited to see where you are headed!

Hill Country Visit

2011-04-23T19:38:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of the month, Mommy took a day off of work so that our little family could spend the weekend with our extended family in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. We had such a great time while we were there!

I got to help give my new baby cousin, C-Wa , a bath.

Mommy thinks she is quite possibly the most easy going infant on the planet.

We celebrated my cousin McB's 2nd birthday.

Didn't his mommy do a great job on this construction cake?

I spent lots of time playing in McB's sandbox. I even tried to convince Mommy to let me take my dress off so that I could experience it's wonderful grittiness all over.

She said no.

McB and I dyed eggs with Gramma and Grampa.

And I spent lots of time getting as close to C-Wa as the adults would allow.

I just love that baby!

I also threw a fit or two...

but Gramma knew that letting me sit next to C-Wa would calm me right down!

We sure do love our Hill Country family. It's too bad we don't live closer to them.

And, for nostalgia's sake, here's a picture of my first Hill Country visit almost exactly two years ago.

A Texas Tradition

2011-04-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

If you have lived in Texas for any part of your life (or even if you've just driven through the state in the spring), you know that taking pictures in the bluebonnets is a yearly Texas rite of passage.

Well, for some strange reason, my parents haven't managed to get me in the bluebonnets until this year.

I guess I'm officially a Texan now.

Even though I started out as a really grumpy one.

Mommy finally got the message that I was "vaywee, vaywee hungee" and put some Cherrios in my belly.

Which magically produced toothy grins...

(In case you're wondering, that's my cousin Julie with me.)

...silly dancing...

...and peek-a-boo poses.

After our long photo shoot, Mommy, Auntie, Mimi, Aunt Zsa, Courtney, Julie, and I headed to Downtown Denton for a yummy lunch at Beth Marie's. Isnt' this one of the funnest places you've ever seen?

Mommy and I shared some "Texas Doctor" (Dr. Pepper and praline) ice cream for dessert.

Well, we kind of shared it...

Do you love wild things?

2011-04-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Because if you do, you might like to know that Target has some fun "Where the Wild Things Are" items in their Dollar Spot right now.

Mommy and I thought these would be especially fun for a boy birthday party.

Or a teacher's prize box.

Or just because.

(I tried and tried, but I just couldn't rotate this picture. No matter what I did, that sucker just wanted to stay on it's side. Wild thing!)

Dino-roar Party!

2011-04-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my family made the long trek (all 3 minutes of it) to the Ortiz home to help my good buds, Ian and Preston, celebrate their birthdays.

"Aunt" Tara did a great job of dino-fying their house.

Mommy tried and tried to get a good shot of this fun dino banner, but this was the best she could get. It really doesn't do it justice, though.

These creatures were part of the goody bag treats!

(Now that I think of it, though, I haven't seen the one I brought home in quite a while. Hmm, I have a sneaky suspcision that Mommy snuck that thing off to school.)

Tia Diana, the boys' aunt, made these adorable dino cakes for them. I love it that they each had their own cake!

There was also a great assortment of cupcakes.

Gotta love the iPhone in "Uncle" Oscar's hand!

When present opening time came around, Preston and Ian were the most polite openers you have ever seen. They did a great job of looking for and thanking the giver of each and every gift.

Ian really stole the show, though, when he modeled his new aviators for 5 serious minutes.

Ian may have loved those glasses, but everyone else loved the bounce house that the boys got for their birthday. This thing fits perfectly inside of the front room of their house.

Now that's a kid gift that keeps on giving!

Saying My Prayers

2011-03-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

Mommy and Daddy pray for me every night before I go to bed. About six weeks ago, they started asking me if I wanted to pray, too. I jumped in with both feet. This was my bedtime prayer for about two weeks straight:

Father, thank you for our food. Bless it to our bodies. In Jesus' name, amen.

I'm not quite sure why, but that little prayer caused chuckles to rise in Mommy and Daddy's throats every night.

That prayer became so routine and predictable that it really threw them for a loop last week when I switched things up with these new nightly words:

Father, thank you for this day. Please help me to learn and grow. And learn and grow. And honor you. And play. In Jesus' name, amen!

I'll also throw in the occasional prayer for the two Elmo dolls that I sleep with. They need it, you know.

Easy, Peasy, Yummy in my Tummy

2011-03-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

Last fall, when she was busy learning how to cook, Mommy picked up this little cook book/magazine on a Walmart whim.

After thumbing through the magazine several times, she made lots of mental notes of 'fun' recipes she wanted to try...and then she promptly forgot about each and every on of them because she discovered recipe blogs and allrecipes.com.

Fast foward a year and a half to Mommy's Spring Break. She decided to glance through some of her old recipes to see if she could discover anything that our family needed to give a try. Mommy was more than happy to come across this super easy recipe for pizza burgers.

Daddy, Mommy, Auntie, and I were also more than happy to eat them Sunday night. I thought you may want to give them a try, too.

*******

Open-Faced Pizza Burgers

(photo from tasteofhome.com)

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds ground beef (Mommy used ground turkey)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce

1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained (Daddy's allergic, so we skipped these. Mommy and Auntie both thought they would be a great addition, though, so we'll have to seperate batches next time.)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

6 hamburger buns, split and toasted

1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pizza sauce, mushrooms, sugar and oregano; mix well. Spoon onto buns; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Place on ungreased baking sheets. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted (it only took about 1 minute for us).

*******

Everyone in our family gave this dish two messy thumbs up. Daddy's not a leftover man at all, but even he said he'd heat up the leftover meat for one of his regular 9 o'clock snacks.

My Statty Stats

2011-03-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Last week I popped into Dr. Hull's office for my two year well child (not baby) appointment. Here's what I found out:

I weigh 24.6 pounds (20th percentile).

I am 35 inches long (75th percentile).

Dr. Hull was quite happy with my 16 percentile jump in the weight area. I think she was beginning to become a teeny bit concerned about me when I saw her 6 months ago.

I've also got a few status updates regarding my Potty Training Progress (because I know you are all just dying to get this information):

Wednesday- One pee-pee accident, zero poo-poo accidents

Thursday- Zero pee-pee accidents, one poo-poo accident

Friday- Zero pee-pee accidents, zero poo-poo accidents (because I didn't go at all)

Saturday- Zero pee-pee accidents, zero poo-poo accidents (because I didn't go at all, again)

Sunday- One pee-pee accident, zero poo-poo accidents (I finally decided to go right before bed)

Everyone in my house is pretty happy with the developments above...especially the two times I managed to get my poo-poo in the toilet! Mommy recently read that kiddos cannot truly be considered potty trained until they have been accident free for 6 months, so I still have a loooong way to go.

Then again, Mommy remembers wetting her pants twice in the 2nd grade (both times in PE because she was too scared of her PE coach to ask him to go to the restroom).

She also wet her pants/skirt a couple of times at work after I was born...but that was for a completely different set of reasons!

Hmm, I guess that means Mommy wasn't potty trained until she was 26ish?

Sunday Best

2011-03-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what I look like before Mommy gets me dressed and ready for church? Well, here you go:

I pulled that pair of comfy striped socks out of Mommy and Daddy's dirty laundry. Nice, huh?

And here's the dressed and polished version of me:

I love those two ponies!

Today was my first diaper-free day in the church nursery. Considering that I hadn't had a pee pee accident since Wednesday, Mommy was feeling pretty comfortable about putting me in there.

I did have one leetle accident while I was nurserified, though. Guess that's what happens when you're in a new (meaning not at home) place with a new potty!

This whole potty training business has me one part proud and one part plastered-to-Mommy's-side.

Proud because I am 'a big geel' now and don't have to mess with that bulky diaper. Plastered to Mommy's side because...well, I'm not totally sure.

What I do know is that I have been super clingy to Mommy this past week. I guess it could be because she's been home with me all week long. Taking into account the fact that she was home for a week at Thanksgiving and two weeks at Christmas without me feeling this way, though, I'm inclined to believe that it has something to do with potty training.

It can be a bit stressful, you know?

Potty Training: 2 Days Down, 625 To Go

2011-03-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I just capped off my second day of potty training. I know my family is only two days into this thing, but here's what we have learned so far:

1. Even girls can have wild spray.

2. My Baby Bjorn potty is easy to use, easy to clean, and does a great job of containing said wild spray.

3. A toilet training seat might be even easier. It would eliminate (giggle, giggle) the extra step of cleaning out the potty. Mommy and Daddy will probably get one of these the next time they're potty training someone (and no, that is not a hint).

4. Character panties are way more motivating than solid colored panties!

I thoroughly enjoy looking down at Dora/Snow White/Kai Lan/Spongebob and telling them that they are still dry.

Telling pink that it's still dry? Not nearly as much fun.

5. According to Mommy's calculations, learning to go pee-pee in the potty is roughly 40 times easier than learning to go poo-poo in the potty.

6. I should not be asked if I have to go potty. I should be told it's time to go potty.

7. Stickers have no hold on me. None.

Mommy started out Day 1 by setting a timer for 5 minutes and letting me choose a sticker each time the timer went off and my panties were dry.

You can see how long that worked for.

8. Juice does have some hold on me.

Today I got to have a drink of juice every time the timer went off (10-15 minute intervals) and my panties were dry. Juice is something I normally only get at birthday parties, so that was a huge treat...and it gave me more opportunities to practice going potty.

Here's the bottom line of the last two days:

Monday- 5 pee-peed panties, 1 poo-pooed panty

Tuesday- 2 pee-peed panties, 3 poo-pooed panties

Not too bad, if you ask me (or Mommy, or Daddy)!

Family Dance-Off

2011-03-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

Get Healthy as a Family, Dance!

Submitted by Emily Patterson on behalf of Primrose Preschools

Dance can be a fun, easy way to introduce physical activity into your family's daily routine. As a provider of educational child care, Primrose Schools has recognized and is actively fighting against the childhood obesity epidemic. Your family can join in the fight- all you have to do is dance!

The Family Dance-Off supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals, which collectively treat 17 million children annually for every illness and injury imaginable.

Families are encouraged to record and submit a 30 second video of themselves dancing to promote fitness and strengthen family ties.

Participating in the Family Dance-off is easy:

1. Record a 30-second video of your family's best dance moves. Don't be afraid to let loose and be silly!

2. Visit The Family Dance-off site and upload your best take by March 19th.

3. Share your video with your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

4. View and vote daily (you can place five votes per day) for your favorite family dance video!

What would a competition be without prizes?

Primrose Schools is providing prizes that aren't only great for your family but for your whole community, with $65,000 in donations to local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals:

Grand Prize: $5,000 and Primrose will make a $30,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

2nd Prize: $3,000 and Primrose will make a $20,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

3rd Prize: $1,500 and Primrose will make a $15,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

All 14 Finalists will also receive a FLIP camcorder

Visit The Family Dance-off site for details on how to take part in the fight against childhood obesity, participate in the competition, and view past competitors.

Wish Us Luck!

2011-03-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning marks the beginning of hardcore potting training at my house.

Mommy was beginning to doubt her choice of timing, but when I managed to keep my diaper dry for a little more than 6 hours today (including a 2.5 hour nap), it was confirmed to her that right now is the right time.

The above mentioned dryness did require about 8 trips to the potty...but isn't that the whole point of potty training?

Personally, I'm feeling pretty good about this new endeavor, too. This evening, I proudly told Poppy that "I'm gonna go potty trainin' tomorrow!"

Will my enthusiasm and cooperativeness remain throughout the day?

Only time will tell!

If any of you mommas out there are contemplating potty training any time soon, you might want to check out Gilt's website right now. They just put up a Potty Time themed sale, which includes the Baby Bjorn potty pictured above for only $18!

They also have this Leslie Patricelli board book for $5.

I haven't had the pleasure of reading this book myself yet...but if it's by Leslie Patricelli it's got to be good!

Look at these characters!

2011-03-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

Friday was Character Dress Up Day at Mommy's school.

Considering the amount of time that Mommy and her teammates spent talking about and preparing for this day, I'm sure that the teachers were every bit as excited about the day as the students!

Here's Mommy in her Fancy Nancy getup.

Another teacher on her first grade team dressed up as Fancy Nancy's mom. Her daughter (a kindergartener) was Fancy Nancy, too.

Purplicious and Pinkalicious!

Mommy called them the Liciouses. They are both named Ashleigh/Ashley, so she could have called them the Ashleys, too.

Bet you didn't know that Harriet the Spy is Batman's mommy. It's true!

Corduroy's owner, Lisa.

Aren't those first grade teachers clever?

The kindergarten team is quite clever and creative, too.

Just check out Thing 1! Look closely, and you can see 'Mother's new dress' hanging behind her.

The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.

Ms. Frizzle. Take a gander at those earrings!

Dora the Explorer.

Did you know that 'Aunt' Tara and Mommy teach at the same school this year? They do!

Tara looked fabulous as Camilla Cream from A Bad Case of Stripes.

Mommy's students looked fabulous, too! Every one of them spent a lot of time and effort on their character costume. Mommy can't show their pictures, but she would like you to know that Madeline, Fly Guy, Greg Heffley, Katie Kazoo, Horton, the Cat in the Hat, 3 Fancy Nancies, 2 Junie B. Joneses, 3 Skippyjon Joneses, a princess, and lots of other characters inhabited her room for the day.

Leila's First Birthday Party

2011-03-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

Guess who turned one last week?

This little, cutie...that's who!

My family had a blast celebrating Leila's first birthday at her family's house on Saturday. Leila's mom, 'Aunt' Michele, did a fabulous job of making everything beautiful and fun. And by 'making' I really do mean 'making'. I think Michele made just about every little decoration you'll see in these pictures!

Well, except for maybe these balloons.

Michele just started sewing a few months ago, but she's already quite the seamstress.

She used her machine to make all of these banners (which she would brush off as easy, peasy).

She made the adorable tutu outfit Leila wore to her party and these super cutie party hats, too!

And, of course, Michele made the ever clever birthday cake.

Those glittery red circles were delicous, by the way. I ate several of them all by myself.

Isn't this trail mix bar a great idea?! There was something for everyone here. Leila's Aunt Danielle (who I also think is my Aunt, too) spent hours picking out these goodies at Whole Foods.

And here's one of the gifts I gave Leila. It's Mary Englebreit's "Mother Goose" anthology.

'Aunt' Michele and 'Uncle' Ryan gave the same book to Mommy when she was pregnant with me. It has been one of my favorite books for at least a year now, so Mommy knew just what we needed to give Lei when she recently found out that Lei didn't have it in her own library. I just know she's going to love it!

Happy Birthday, Leila! You sure know how to throw a great party!

Grown Up Party

2011-03-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

Last week, my family headed over to "Uncle" Oscar and "Aunt" Tara's house to celebrate the birthday of our friend, Tammy.

You may remember Tammy from a post I wrote last winter. At that time, she was the director of a faith-based women's rehab center in Ireland. Well, she's living stateside now. And she is once again following the voice of God as he leads her into a new endeavor...rescuing victims of human trafficking in the Dallas area.

Suprised? Mommy was, too, until Tammy told her that the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is one of the fastest growing battlefields in the fight against human trafficking. Please pray for Tammy and her team as they allow God to work through them to build this mission from the ground up!

Happy birthday, Tammy! We are so glad that you are back in Texas!

It's Her Party, But I'll Cry if I Want To...

2011-03-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

A few week's ago, I helped my friend, Emily Kate, celebrate her 3rd birthday.

Emily Kate and I have gotten to be good friends this year at Miss Toni's house, but our parents have been friends for a long, long time. My daddy and Emily Kate's daddy were even roommates for a while!

Here's a pic of the birthday girl playing "Pin the Hat on the Polar Bear". EK was really great at that game!

I wish that I could say I was more than happy to jump in on the party-gaming fun...but that would be a lie. While the other kids were playing their hearts out, I was glued to Mommy's lap with the occasional tear streaming down my cheek. Anyone who tried to cheer me up was met with a quick grumpy-brow-furrow!

I did perk up a little bit when I noticed this super fun Fisher-Price dollhouse...

but I didn't really become myself until the cake and ice cream were served!

It was at about this point that Mommy realized I hadn't eaten lunch that day. I went down for my nap earlier than usual so that I wouldn't have to be woken up mid-nap to go to the party...but when I did wake up Mommy completely forgot to put a little yummy in my tummy. Think that explains the teary eyes during game time?

I was finally getting warmed up right when the party came to a close. Thankfully, the warmup came just in time for my mommy, EK's mommy, and EK's grandparents to snap a few shots of the two of us playing a little duet on our 'flutes'.

Happy Birthday, Emily Kate!

Maybe next year Mommy will remember to feed me before your party.

Party Animals!

2011-03-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

I have been one crazy party animal for the past month! Mommy, Daddy, and I have been to one party just about every week (including my own) since the beginning of February.

Instead of sharing these super fun shindigs with you, I've been secretly hoarding them all on Mommy's PC. They really are just too exciting to keep to myself, though, so I thought I'd spend this week blogging about each of them.

First up is the owl themed first birthday party of my good friend, Karsyn.

Karsy's Aunt Brooke sent this birthday banner all the way from Colorodo. Brooke is a very clever crafter.

And check out this cutie outfit Karsyn's mommy ordered for her from Etsy. This is the shirt...

and here's the fun and full tutu!

When "Aunt" Brandi was wondering how they would be able to find room in their house for all of their party guests, Mommy reminded her their garage would make an ideal place since "Uncle" Adam keeps it clean enough to eat off of the floors.

(Seriously, he does. Mommy thinks that they miiiight store 7 noncar items in there.)

Doesn't this make a great extended dining room?

"Aunt" Michele created this adorable owl cake to go along with Karsyn's party theme. Isn't it precious?!

My family thinks that Michele always knocks those cakes out of the park!

Karsyn clearly agrees.

Brandi made sure to include the kiddos and the grown ups in the party favor corner.

That yellow basket held goody bags for the little ones and the vase was full of yummy cake balls for the older set!

Here's a picture of me showing off the owl clippy that was in the girl's goody bags.

Happy Birthday (+1 month) , Karsyn!

Stay tuned for more pics from our party-full month.

Hooray for Dr. Seuss' Birthday!

2011-03-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Even though this is not a teacher blog, I thought Mommy would appreciate it if I showed you some pics of the fun her class had in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday.

They started the day out by reading a whole lot o' Seuss.

After reading Green Eggs and Ham, Mommy's students practiced collecting data by asking their classmates the question below.

Then, they determined how the data they collected could be organized,

and worked independently to display their data in a graph.

Please note the use of a title, key, and numerical labels. Hooray for learning!

At the end of the day the teachers read Oh, the Places You'll Go! As a response to this great story, the students wrote a letter telling about some places they would like to go. The letters were attached to a red or white balloon, and each first grader sent his or her balloon afloat as part of a big balloon release.

The letters included the address of Mommy's school and the email address of one of her teammates...so if one of the letters happens to make it your way please know that 150 first graders are eagerly awaiting your reply!

Here's a snapshot of Mommy's team on this exciting day.

Can you tell that someone we know quite well forgot that she was supposed to be The Grinch?

Oh well...there's always next year!

Sunday(s) Best

2011-02-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

I've kind of fallen off the Sunday Best Bandwagon, so here's a mash up of the past two Sundays.

Don't you think breakfast always tastes better with a balloon? I do...

especially if you can figure out a way to make the balloon part of your breakfast fare!

I'll bet you can't find me in this picture!

The leapord print dress I wore to church last week sure did keep me well camoflauged.

Last Sunday night, Lighthouse held its annual Missions Banquet. Missions is a huge part of the life of our church, so this is one of our biggest nights of the year.

We support 50 missionaries/missions ministries around the globe, and each of those has a table dedicated to it at our banquet. This year, Mommy and Daddy's young adult ministry hosted four different tables.

Daddy's table was for 2 of the brand new church plants we are supporting. Daddy planned this set up all on his own!

Auntie hosted a table for one of our missionaries in Northern Asia.

Every year, there are a handful of missionaries that are actually able to join us in person for this big event. This year, my family was super happy to have Karsyn's grandparents with us.

They have been missionaries to Mongolia for the past 14 years.

Mommy and Daddy's good friends, Mel and Jillian, are slightly newer faces to missions. They, along with their two kiddos, will be leaving for northern Asia this summer.

Although their feet have yet to touch ground in the country God has called them to, their hearts have long been there!

Here's a shot of the whole shabang...minus the youth and kids' rooms.

Works Every Time

2011-02-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that two year olds can be big fans of negativity. As in the "No! I don't want to!" variety.

Since this negativity has become a frequent little pastime of mine, my mommy has been working to figure out a way around it.

I think she's succeeded.

This is the direction conversations go in our home several times each day:

Mommy: We're going to have broccoli for dinner.

Me (in a crying voice): No! I don't want to eat broccoli.

Mommy: Oh? Well, Mommy is going to eat broccoli.

Me: Yes, I want broccoli!

Mommy: It's time to get ready for bed.

Me: No! I want to play with my doctor kit.

Mommy: Well, Mommy's going to get ready for bed soon.

Me (as I run towards my room): I need to put my jammies on.

I think that woman's got me figured out!

It's my party!

2011-02-19T20:54:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of my Elmo-themed 2nd birthday party!

Mommy was hoping that she would be able to avoid a cartoon themed birthday party, but she just couldn't think of anything else that would make my face light up like that furry little red guy.

The favor, hat, and party horn table was probably one of my favorite parts of the party! It took incredible levels of self control for this toddler to keep her hands (and mouth) off of every item here.

Those balloons came from the Dollar Tree, by the way. They were a big hit.

The hats, on the other hand, were a little more controversial.

Preston may have been their only real fan.

We snacked on reds (Strawberries, bell peppers, craisins, and cherry tomatoes) and oranges (baby carrots, Cheeze Nips, Goldfish crackers, and (more) bell peppers).

Mommy also Elmoed these Oreo cookies. They looked a whole lot better than they tasted!

Several months ago, Mommy asked me if I wanted cake or cupcakes for my birthday. "Cupcakes!" was my oh-so confident reply. Mommy thought it would be fun for me and my friends to decorate cupcakes at the party, so this was what my 'cake' spread looked like...

and this is what the decorating looked like.

Hindsight is 20/20, though, and if Mommy had to do it all over again she would have held off on this little culinary adventure until my 3rd or 4th birthday. Most of my friends and I just weren't old enough to really get into the decorating spirit.

Thankfully, Playdough was a very age appropriate choice!

I recently developed a strong dislike for the "Happy Birthday" song. The last few times I have heard it sung I burst into tears. Knowing that this would likely be my reaction, on the morning of my party Mommy asked me if I wanted people to sing to me. I gave a pretty firm "no"!

Even without the song, I still became quite upset when, come candle-blowing-time, all eyes were on me ...and I still ended up in tears.

Thankfully, my disconcertment wasn't anything a little present-opening couldn't cure!

And speaking of presents, check out the fabulous one my Grandpa decorated for me.

Isn't he clever?!

Thanks for checking out my Elmo party! This party was

Me at Two

2011-02-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some things you should know about me at the tender age of two:

I refer to myself as KK, Katelyn, Katelyn Moss, and (less frequently) Katelyn Elizabeth. It is anyone's guess which of the above names will come out of my mouth when someone asks for my name.

I love food and am a pretty brave eater...though I seem to lose some of that bravery when I'm away from home.

Every morning, the first words out of my mouth are, "I want to play." Another commonly spoken phrase of mine is, "Come play with me." That playing is fun stuff, I tell ya'!

According to me, the following activities qualify as play: putting on dress up clothes, kicking beachballs, caring for babydolls (mine are named Emma and Lola), chasing my puppies, using playdough, painting, drawing with markers, and doing anything that involves going outside.

I love to help Mommy clean. The broom, dustpan, and microfiber dust cloths are my dirt-fighting weapons of choice.

I look forward to going to see Miss Toni and my three little friends at her house every weekday!

My little potty gets used a couple of times a week, but that's about it. I think that thing is getting lonely...but I'm not making any immediate plans to remedy said loneliness.

Reading is still one of my favorite pastimes. Right now, I am really into Fancy Nancy, nursery rhymes, Pinkalicious, this little paperback, and my Bible.

My current dream time companions are a ladybug Pillow Pet, two Elmos, and the blanket that came with my crib set. Sometimes I ask Mommy and Daddy to kiss my Elmos goodnight when they are tucking me in.

While I still love Elmo, my new favorite TV show is Blue's Clues. Thanks to Netflix, I get to watch that cute little puppy with Daddy when he gets home from work.

Even though I prefer to be on the move, I am not too old to enjoy cuddling with my Mommy and Daddy. I think they really like that!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

I highly recommend this meal

2011-02-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

Mommy recently make the world's most delicious veggie lasagna. This thing was so good it prompted Daddy to comment that if all meatless dishes tasted like this one, he'd have no problem becoming a vegetarian.

I really think you should try this recipe soon. Maybe even tonight!

Hearty Vegetable Lasagna (from allrecipes.com, with a few deletions and additions from Mommy)

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles

~~1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced~~ (Daddy is allergic to these)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, sliced

2 medium carrots, grated

3/4 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons ~~vegetable~~ olive oil

2 (26 ounce) jars pasta sauce

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 (15 ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 package of frozen spinach, cooked accoring to package directions

2 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Rinse with cold water, and drain.

2.In a large saucepan, cook and stir ~~mushrooms~~, green peppers, zucchini, carrots, onion, and garlic in oil. Stir in pasta sauce and basil; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

3.Mix together ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, cooked spinach, and eggs.

4.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread 1 cup tomato sauce into the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer 1/2 each, lasagna noodles, ricotta mix, sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layering, and top with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese.

5.Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

The allrecipes.com version says that prep time is 25 minutes...but it actually took Mommy 60 minutes to get this thing ready to go in the oven. She did all of the prep work the night before, though, so it really wasn't so bad.

No matter how long it takes you to make this dish, though, I can promise you that it will be worth every minute!

Welcome, Baby Sarah!

2011-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

Late last Thursday, my brand new baby cousin entered our world. I had been eagerly awaiting the day that "Aunt Becky's baby come out"...and I think I was just as excited as the rest of the family to discover that the baby was a girl!

Here are a few pictures of my family's latest pride and joy, Sarah Leanne:

Born February 3, 3011...

6 pounds, 10 ounces...

19 inches...

long Moss fingers and toes...

perfect little face!

Sarah, my family is so excited that you are here! We love you tons and can't wait to meet you in person.

Happy (Belated) Birthday to Me!

2011-02-06T19:35:00.000-08:00

I turned two years old on Friday!

The day did not look like your average birthday (although it is hard to know what an average birthday looks like when you've only had two of them), but it sure was fun.

You see, my good friend, Karsyn, is exactly one year and one day younger than me. Our mommies decided that they would take turns having our birthday parties on our birthday weekend so that we can still celebrate together even though we live 5 hours apart. Karsyn got the birthday weekend this year since it was her first birthday. I'll get it next year. Maybe*.

So, this is what my birthday looked like: woke up in a hotel, spent the late morning traveling in my carseat, arrived at my family's destination 19 hours later than I should have (thank you trecherous, icy roads), promptly vomitted from carsickness (thanks again, icy roads), spent the afternoon playing with a good friend who lives 5 hours away, opened some presents, and ended the day by spending the night in the beautiful home of a stranger.

Nope, not your normal birthday. But still a whole lot of fun.

Unfortunately, my Mommy forgot to pack the camera for this exciting birthday filled weekend. So, until we can get copies of Karsyn's grandparents pictures, the only proof of my birthday fun is right here:

Riding Karsyn's trike.

Posing with the '2' shirt Mimi sent for me to open on my birthday.

Opening presents.

Even though we were in Lubbock to celebrate Karsyn's first birthday, "Aunt" Brandi was super thoughtful and set aside some official birthday time for me...complete with yummy pink strawberry cupcakes! That meant a lot to my family.

*The birthday-weekend-trade-off plan our mommies made now has a wonderful kink in it because my new baby cousin, Sarah Leanne, was born the day before my birthday! I'll make a separate post for that little cutie later.

Look what I built!

2011-02-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

Even though we were iced in on Tuesday, my family managed to brave the slick streets for a quick trip to Men's Wearhouse. Poppy and Daddy had already planned to head there to pick out a new suit, and at the last minute Mommy decided that she and I should join them.

Think that had anything to do with the fact that I was already a cranky, stir crazy toddler by 10:00 in the morning? I think so.

I made a bee line for the big tri-view mirror as soon as we stepped foot into the store. After a few minutes of spinning in circles and admiring my reflection, I noticed two metal rulers resting on the floor. Apparently, the MW staff uses these to help take measurements for alteration purposes.

I found a much better use for them, though. After a few adjustments, I proudly looked at Mommy and annouced, "I made a powerline!"

Pretty realistic, huh?

Well, hello there!

2011-01-29T20:27:00.000-08:00

Bet you thought I fell off the face of the earth, huh?

Nope, I didn't.

But I have been so busy with a recent bout of croup, having indoor picnics,

awkwardly posing in front of my artwork,

trying on Auntie's glasses,

playing with leftover snow from last February,

attending an early Valentine tea party,

and getting ready to turn two years old that I just haven't had managed to make my regular appearances in the blogging world.

Maybe I'll find my groove again this week.

Going Bonkers (again)

2011-01-20T07:35:00.000-08:00

Last week my second cousin, Julie Page, turned a whole hand old! I helped celebrate by joining Ju, her family, and lots of her friends at Going Bonkers on Saturday afternoon.

Mommy and Daddy didn't even get one picture of me with the birthday girl. That's probably because she was having the time of her life "going bonkers" with all of her big girl school friends.

Or maybe it was because I was a leeetle overwhelmed by the massive amounts of people who were trying to enjoy birthday parties or get all of the "it's been too cold to go outside all week long" energy out of their kiddos.

I did manage to find a safe haven in this red race car, though...

and an even safer haven in the arcade area upstairs. Daddy and Mommy helped me win these tickets. I have no idea what purpose they serve, but I sure did enjoy carrying them around!

I think you all know what I enjoyed even more than carrying tickets, though. Cupcakes! And Capri Sun!

Those are two tasty treats that rarely dance their way across my taste buds. But when they do, I am one happy little girl!

And here's someone else who makes me happy. It's my Uncle Kenny!

I wasn't too sure about this guy for the first year of my life. Since Thanksgiving, though, I have decided that he is quite alright!

Happy fifth birthday, Julie!

You are a beautiful young lady and a wonderful friend.

I am so glad that we are cousins!

(Please tell your Zsa that I am sorry for stealing this picture from her Facebook page.)

Look Out, Fancy Nancy!

2011-01-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

There's a new diva on the rise.

And this one employs the use of plumes for a lot more than pens!

Although, to be quite honest, I think we would make much better friends than rivals.

Sunday Best

2011-01-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday, ya'll!

This dress is another one of those little numbers that Mommy's been waiting and waiting to put me in. It was given to me by a friend at church about a year ago...so Mommy was glad that the weather and my clothing size finally worked together today!

And, because Mommy and I were ready for church super early this morning, we had some fun trying...

and trying...

and trying to take a cute mommy/daugther picture.

Clearly, the operative word here is trying.

But even though Mommy and I weren't able to master the duo shot, we did manage to get this cutie shot of me at Preston and Ian's house tonight. This was right after Preston showed me how to use his play thermometer to take my oral temperature...

and right before I attempted to use it to take my rectal temperature.

Don't worry, "Aunt" Tara. I wasn't able to get through my dress/tights/diaper shield!

Mommy's Top 10 Katie Bug Quotes

2011-01-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

Mommy and Daddy are constantly amazed at how my vocabulary is growing and developing. It seems to them that I am adding hundreds of new words and concepts every few weeks.

Since my speech abilities are changing at such a rapid pace, I thought it would be a good idea to record Mommy's 10 favorite Katie Bug quotes as they currently stand.

#10

"I'm reeeeeady!"

Where are we going?"

"Let me pick you up."

"I'm fusstrated!"

"I understand."

"Oooooh, that's cold!"

"What's come next?"

"So nice to see you!"

"I missed you!"

"I wuv you so much, Mommy!"

Sunday Best...with even more parenthesis than usual!

2011-01-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

Happy cold Sunday!

Mommy put me in this dress as a prophetic act this morning...

(Yes, we still have our Christmas decorations up.)

(Can you tell Mommy had just slathered my face in Eucerin?)

and, low and behold, it was snowing by the time I was picked up from the church nursery!

By the time I woke up from my nap, though, all of the snow had melted away.

(Like my nap hair? And the dress on top of my dress?)

Mommy and I capped off the day with a nice, little inside picnic.

And now the wait is on to see if tomorrow's school day will be delayed, cancelled, or go forward as planned.

A "Sunday Best" Extra

2011-01-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday in the nursery, we made little masks out of paper plates and yarn. I was so excited about my mask and showed it to Mommy as soon as she came to my class to pick me up.

When she checked her Facebook in the afternoon, she found that our nursery coordinator had posted this picture and conversation on her wall:

Nora (our nursery coordinator): Is that Katie Bug?

Katie Bug: Ooh I tooted...hehehe.

Nora:: Oh no, you tootie patootie.

Katie Bug:: Yes, I tooted with my mask.

Don't you know my Mommy was just so proud of me?!

Sunday Best

2011-01-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday, all!

Today kicked off 21 days of prayer and fasting for our church family. For several years now, the Lighthouse has devoted the first of the year to a focus on prayer. We set aside extra time during the week to pray corporately and we're encouraged to set aside extra time to pray individually.

As part of that prayer focus, Daddy found this little video to play at the beginning of today's service. It's by Daddy and Mommy's favorite spoken word artist, Amena Brown.

What are you focusing on at the beginning of this new year?

Christmas Break Play Date(s)

2011-01-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but one of the things Mommy and I really miss since she's gone back to work is regular playdates with our friends. In fact, we miss those playdates so much that we made sure to pack Mommy's two week Christmas Break full of them! Here's a peek at all of the playing we've been doing:

On the first day of Mommy's break, the two of us went over to Kelly and Cooper's house. Kelly and Mommy taught kindergarten together for five years, then they both stayed home during the 2009-2010 school year after Cooper and I were born. Kelly is still at home with Cooper this year, and Mommy really misses having her across the school hallway!

Then, on the morning of Christmas Eve (Mommy and Daddy do not see eye to eye on whether or not the whole day can be considered Christmas Eve...so I think that description would satisfy them both), I headed out to Chick-Fil-A with Mommy and Auntie to meet our good friend, Jasmine.

(Yes, I know this one's not techincally a playdate...but Jasmine did play with me!)

Jasmine lives in the Washington, D.C. area, so we consider every chance we get to see her a real treat!

On the Sunday after Christmas I got to play with another friend I don't see much...Karsyn!

Karsyn and her parents, Brandi and Adam, came over to our house for what was admittedly not my finest playdate hour. Even though I was excited to see her in my home, I did not want that little cutie touching any of my toys.

Mommy can't remember for sure, but she's fairly certain that this picture illustrates one of my carefully orchestrated move-the-toy-out-of-her-reach manuevers:

Luckily for me, Karsyn is a good sport...she didn't even seem phased by my less than gracious hosting.

After Sunday's playdate fail, Mommy was glad (albiet a bit nervous) that we had more Moss house playdates in the works. She figured that it would be good for me to get in some more toy-sharing practice before my birthday party in February! Thankfully, my sharing skills improved with each subsequent playdate.

On Tuesday, Leila came over to my house to play. She even brought along her mommy, Michele, and auntie, Danielle. We had a good time playing with my toys, reading books, eating snacks, and listening to my new "Wee Sing Bible Songs" CD.

The next day, Preston and Ian Ortiz came over with their mommy, Tara. I'm pretty sure that the three of us managed to play with every single toy I own. We are good, I tell ya'!

My playdate whirwind was brought to an end when Mommy, Auntie, and I went to visit our friends Kimberly and Camden. Camden's family used to go to church with us (his mommy also taught at Mommy's school before he was born), but they moved almost an hour away a few years ago. We miss them a lot...and we really enjoyed spending a couple of hours catching up with them.

Camden is clearly a bit older than most of my playdate pals, but he sure did do a good job of entertaining me and putting up with my general toddlerness!

Looking Back

2010-12-31T12:47:00.000-08:00

A quick review of the resolutions Mommy and I made at the beginning of 2010 brings two truths to light:

1. I am stellar at making resultions and keeping them.

2. Mommy is not so stellar.

Mommy is okay with her less than stellar status, though. Her take on resolutions is that they can be a vehicle to getting you a closer to where you want to be...even if you don't keep them 100% of the time.

Even though Mommy's resolution list is no where near complete, she'll continue the practice of creating new resolutions again this year. And so will I.

Neither of us are quite ready to go public with our lists, though, so please enjoy this 2010 pictorial flashback in the meantime.

January

February

March

April (when my hair finally started to fill in)

May

June

July (with a little residual redness from my mosquite run-in)

August

September

October

November

December

Hope For Hurting Hair

2010-12-30T10:55:00.000-08:00

One of the items on Mommy's Christmas Break to-do list is "Find a hair care product that works for Bug's dry hair".

If you're wondering what she's talking about, take a look at this pic:

See that frizz in the back? Yeah, that's what we're trying to control!

Back in October (when my hair was last cut) the hairstylist at Cool Cuts for Kids suggested that Mommy stop using baby shampoo on my hair. She said those shampoos can have a slightly drying effect on toddler hair.

After posting a request for non-drying toddler shampoo recommendations on a popular discussion board for mommies, Mommy and I headed out to Target to buy this guy:

After using this shampoo for a few days, Mommy noticed a slight improvement in the moisturizationess of my hair. Unfortunately, as the days got shorter and the air got drier, that improvement pretty much disappeared.

So, Mommy quit shampooing my hair every day and started using Pantene conditioner along with the Suave Kids shampoo. Once again, slight improvement...but no match for Mother Nature.

Mommy's next step in the fight against dry hair was to venture outside the cozy confines of that mommy discussion board she trusts so much. Yup, she got brave enough to Google! A search for "frizzy toddler hair" brought up several recommendations for

So we gave it a shot! This stuff definitely provided a short-term balm to my hair woes, but once I took a nap, rode in my carseat, or sat in my highchair we were right back to square one.

Just when it looked like there was no hope left for my reddish mane, this guy entered the picture

Mommy had been eyeing him in the corner of my bathtub for several weeks. He actually belongs to Auntie, but he costs quite a bit more than Mommy was wanting to spend on a toddler hair care problem. Auntie suggested that Mommy give him a try, though, and on Sunday morning Mommy finally took the plunge. Take a look at the results:

Impressive, huh?! And that's after several car rides and one long nap!

So, in summation, it would appear that the custom Katie-Bug-no-more-frizz equation is as follows

2 or 3 washes per week + Free & Gentle shampoo + Bed Head Self Absorbed conitioner = No More Frizz

Mommy is thankful that she can now cross one item off of her Christmas Break to-do list!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T07:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

The festivities were kicked off with brunch at Mimi and Poppy's house where I tried out the sleigh,

rocked baby Jesus,

read the Christmas story with Daddy (this is a pre-present-opening requirement in the Pierce household),

received training on the finer points of gift unwrapping (pull down the corner pieces first, slide hand under center seam second, pull hand up third),

and tried out the Dora costume wear that Mimi and Poppy gave me!

Every Christmas Eve night, both sides of my family get together to eat dinner and celebrate. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of our group shot yet...so you'll have to take my word for it when I tell you that it was a cutie!

Poor Gramma was battling a non-flu virus all week long...but she still managed to make her scrumptious cranberry pudding. This is a tradition Mommy has looked forward to ever since she and Daddy started dating!

Christmas Day

I woke up a liiittle earlier than Mommy and Daddy would have liked...so my first present of the day was joining them in their bed until they were ready to get going!

When they were finally ready to wake up, I found this amazing easel among my Christmas presents!

Then we headed over to Gramma and Grampa's house for Christmas breakfast, complete with Grampa's homemade donuts (another Moss Christmas tradition)...

and opened some more Christmas presents. These leather gloves were actually given to Mommy, but I just can't pass up a good glove when I see one!

Once our presents had been opened and played with, Great Grandma and Grandpa Moss had been called on the phone, and my nap had been taken my family piled up in the car and headed north to Aunt Lisa and Uncle Kenny's home.

It didn't take me long to discover my cousin Julie's stash of dress up clothes there. She was a really good sharer, too!

Merry postChristmas, from our family to yours!

Sign Language as a Second Language

2010-12-27T07:49:00.000-08:00

Emily Patterson is a communications coordinator for Primrose Schools. She recently contacted Mommy about the possibility of contributing an article to my blog. Mommy thought her article on teaching young children American Sign Language was something many of my mommy readers would enjoy:

Sign Language and Your Baby

The ability to communicate in a variety of ways to the widest possible audience and the skill of versatility are two things that are vital in a economic time like the one we are facing now. Along with the rising need for people with bilingual ability is the need for those with the ability to communicate non-verbally, with benefit of the disabled- primarily the deaf.

The growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it's likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.

Signing Before They Can Speak

The best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language has proven to be the early ages of 2 to 5. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well. This can be taught at home or some child care programs incorporate it into their curriculum.

Many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes whom don't share their language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate. So it may not be as odd as you think.

Research shows that sign language is actually innate. An article from the Boulder Daily Camera presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:

"...by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children
can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children
can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces
frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves
before they know how to talk." (Glarion, 2003)

The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which proved that young children who are taught sign language at an early age develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that "using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration...[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music" (Glarion, 2003).

The Best Time To Start

Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the Austin child care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of child care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum.

Sunday Best

2010-12-26T19:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday after Christmas!

Today was a super unique day for my family because Daddy took the day "off". The pastors at our church each get to choose two Sundays a year that they would like to take as vacation days, and Daddy took today off since he was off this past Monday-Friday. It was really nice for the three of us to be able to get ready, ride to church, check-in to the nursery area, check-out of the nursery area, and ride home together.

Somehow, though, we still managed to be just about the last people out of the sanctuary this morning! I'm pretty sure that had something to do with the fact that these cuties were in the service today.

Little Miss Leila

Mr. Nolan Mote

Cutie Cousins, Madison and Karsyn Headley

(Madison's brother, Ethan, was at church, too...we just didn't manage to get a picture of him.)

We don't get to see these tots (or their parents) often, so everyone in my family was thrilled to get to see all of them in one place today.

Lei and I even gave each other a few sweet kisses...

...right before I had a classic toddler meltdown!

This is what happens when a 22 month old is out of her regular routine for one week.

Mommy and I will be working hard to get me back in the groove this next week!

He Came!

2010-12-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

How glad we are that He came!

Christmas Clothes

2010-12-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

Last year, I had eleven or twelve cutie Christmas outfits. That was just enough to keep me festively dressed each day between Thanksgiving and Christmas (with washes, of course).

This year, however, Mommy learned that the selection of Christmas attire in retailer's toddler sections is not nearly as abundant as the selection in the infant section. That's okay, though, because I still managed to acquire a decent collection of Christmas clothes.

Here's a rundown of what I've been sporting over the past few weeks:

This little red velvet dress is my official Christmas dress this year. A family at Mommy's old school gave it to her when she was pregnant with me. She remembers being so touched by their thoughtfulness (she never even taught either of their daugthers), but slightly bummed that I probably wouldn't be able to wear it because it would likely be way to small on me by Christmas 2010 (it's an 18 month outfit). Little did Mommy know that it would fit this petite toddler perfectly!

The angle on this shot isn't the greatest, but this reindeer shirt is quite cute in person.

(Yes, I am still sucking my thumb. This issue may be the subject of a soon-coming blog post, so I'm going to leave it at that.)

Mimi found this gingerbread outfit on the Dillard's clearance rack last year after Christmas. She did a pretty good job of predicting my clothing size, don't you think?

I think this present pillowcase dress is probably Mommy's favorite. It was made by one of Mimi's fellow school nurses. My friends, Jillian and Karsyn, have this same dress too...we just didn't manage to get our pictures taken in them together. Maybe we can give the photo shoot a shot next year (when we're wearing them as shirts)!

Even though the quality of this iPhone pic is less than stellar, there's no denying that this is one adorable little gingerbread shirt. Personally, I prefer to refer to it as my "gingerbread man girl" shirt.

Guess what I just realized?

Almost all of the Christmas outfits above were given to me by Mimi! That women has great toddler taste, I tell you.

But you know who else has great toddler taste?

Moi.

Who else could pull together this festive ensemble on a moment's notice?

(In case you're wondering, that's a hand-me-down Walmart brand onesie, Kid-to-Kid purchased green and white polka dot BabyLegs, and Petsmart snowflake dog sweater.)

Movin' On Up...

2010-12-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

...to a big girl bed, that is!

Well, actually it's just a toddler bed. But it's still an exciting change!

Mommy and Daddy didn't plan on making this change so soon. In the last two weeks, though, I've tried to climb out of the crib a few times when I was playing in it. And I've asked to sleep in a big girl bed a couple of times when nap time rolled around.

I think the book below is partially responsible for my sudden interest in big girl beds. It's called My Goodnight Book and my Great-Aunt Pat sent it to me at Thanksgiving via Nana and Papa Guth. (Mommy had this book when she was a little girl, too, so she was thrilled to add it to my nightly bedtime routine.)

The little girl in the book sleeps in a real big girl bed. Mommy and I talk about her bed every time we read the book...so the idea of a BGB has been working it's way into my head over the last few weeks.

Since Mommy and Daddy didn't know how easy this transition would be for me, they figured they better give it a try on a week that neither of them have to work. Heading off to the office is really no fun when you've been up all night with a little one, you know?

Thankfully, though, my first night in my new bed went great! It was just like any other night...except for the fact that I was laying on the floor when Mommy came to get me in the morning. She's not quite sure when that move occured, but she knows it was sometime between 4 am (when she knows I was still in the bed because she could hear the eyes on my Elmo doll bumping up against the bed slats) and 7:45 am (when heard my "Mama, Mama" whimper and came to get me up).

I really didn't mind the floor, though! When Mommy opened my bedroom door, I was comfortably draped over my huge stuffed bear and one of my favorite blankets with a huge smile on my face.

Ah, freedom!

Cute, Easy Christmas Crafts for Kiddos

2010-12-21T18:17:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a last minute Christmas craft idea to try out with your (school-age) kiddos, you might want to check out these two cuties Mommy received from students last week at school:

That candy cane Rudolph was made by wrapping brown yarn around two candy canes and adding googly eyes, a tiny red pompom, and a little ribbon-tied bell. They were a huge hit with Mommy's first grade students!

The North Pole sign definitely looks more challenging (Mommy's not even going to try to dissect how that one was made), but is sure does look adorable on my little Christmas tree!

Sunday Best!

2010-12-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

(Please pretend that it is still Sunday when you read this.)

Happy Christmas Sunday!

Every Sunday when Mommy and I* are getting ready for church we talk about why we go to church. Since my very first Sunday at church (Easter 2009), mommy's mantra has been something along the lines of, "We go to church to worship with other Believers." Her wording may change a bit from week to week, but the message is always the same.

As Mommy was getting me dressed this week, she told me that this Sunday was special because we were going to focus on the fact that God the Father sent his son, Jesus, into the world as a baby. I listened intently, nodding my head in agreement with every few words. Once my white leggings and black sparkly shoes were in place, Mommy put me down on the floor and asked, "Katelyn, who are we going to church to worship?"

My quick response was, "Jesus...and Ian."

Mommy seemed to think that was a bit humorous. But don't worry...she did correct my theology.

*Daddy would love to be part of this weekly conversation, too, but he has to get to church super early to prepare for the worship service.