Schutz Shots

August 2010

2010-09-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

We have had a very busy August including some fun day trips and lots of house projects and crossing things off the to-do list. I am finally feeling like we have most everything completed for our pending baby boy's arrival. His nursery is finished, clothes and diapers are put away and all the baby gear has been pulled out of storage. With only a few weeks to go, I am getting excited and also very nervous. Having a baby in the house again is going to be a lot of fun for all of us but also a lot of work. Kennedy has a packed schedule starting next week with preschool 2 days a week and a dance/gymnastics class on Fridays. Her birthday is also coming up the end of September and at this point I am hoping that baby boy Schutz does not decide to arrive on her birthday or within a few days of it. I have shared a birthday but would like for them to have their own special day :) I am definitely seeing a huge difference as we are approaching her 3rd birthday. She has such a delightful personality and is proving to be such a "big girl" these days. She has given up her nap which was definitely not my plan but so far is not unbearable. I think she is going to be a super big help with the baby and a wonderful big sister!

Here are some of the highlights from august (I have definitely not been very good about taking pics but here are some anyway)......

Cowgirl Kennedy

The fair

Go riders...go!

An autograph from Gainer her bff

My big girl

the nursery

July 2010

2010-07-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe July is over already. We haven't been up to that much but did find some time to go down to our good friends Russ and Laura's new beach house in Corolla. It is brand new and beautiful. The beach in Corolla is much more kid-friendly than Nags Head and Kennedy loved all the space to run on the sand and in the water without getting knocked over by waves. She also loved their private pool. Here are some pics from our trip and from hanging around at home.

The beach house and pool

exploring Corolla

The view!

Cooling off outside with her neighbor Steven

Dressing up Zoe and Zoe pleading with me to help

showing off the new rough rider flag

An autographed pic of Gainer in the mail-no way!

She was so excited :)

Our new ride

2010-07-13T12:31:00.001-07:00

So if you haven't heard....we turned in our Honda Pilot Lease and got a minivan! It just made sense. I know a lot of people are hesitant to get a minivan b/c they think it isn't cool but let me reassure you that it is very cool. There is so much room, and it drives much smoother than the SUV. The automatic doors are awesome if you have kids and the fact that it is lower to the ground is great for getting kids or babies in and out. It just has so many neat features and makes life so much easier. I am amazed at how much I love it. And who are you kidding....if you are in your 30's with kids you are not cool anyway-trust me.

This weekend Derek decided spur of the moment to make a train for Kennedy. I am thinking he should have been some kind of engineer b/c when I came back downstairs I was amazed at what he had made. It even worked....Kennedy thought it was funny and now it is cluttering up the downstairs!

An update

2010-07-07T18:21:00.001-07:00

So I have finally hit my third trimester and I am feeling good just really hot and tired. Richmond has been nearly 100 degrees for what seems like months and it is just too hot to be pregnant. We are slowly getting the nursery together and haven't made much progress on baby names at this point. Kennedy is getting really excited about being a big sister and keeps asking when baby brother is coming out. I haven't taken that many pics lately but will try to get some up soon.

I am amazed every day at what Kennedy can do as she gets close to three. She can use the computer and play games unassisted using the laptop mouse and everything. Pretty impressive since I didn't learn to use the computer until I was in high school. She loves to draw and her drawings actually resemble things at this point. If she is drawing a person it actually looks like a person! She loves puzzles and activity books with mazes and things like that. She is just becoming a self-sufficient person who can help around the house and follow instructions. She is creative and funny and full of energy. It is an exciting time and a bit sad at the same time. They grow up so fast and I find myself at times wanting her to stay little forever. I know the family dynamics are going to change and am trying to enjoy our time just the three of us before the craziness begins.

A funny video

2010-06-07T12:11:00.001-07:00

We took this video last week of Kennedy and our cat Shadow. I thought it was really funny and what was amazing about it is that our cat actually played this game with Kennedy for like 30 minutes or more.

The beach

2010-05-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

We headed out to the Outer Banks last week for a little vacation. The weather didn't cooperate at first but by the 3rd day we had wonderful weather. The water was cold but we went in b/c Kennedy insisted. It was a great vacation and so much fun to see Kennedy experience it for the first time (that she remembers anyway).

A Family Reunion

2010-05-27T12:22:00.001-07:00

So a lot of people don't know this about me but I have a half-brother named Donnie who is older than me. I haven't seen him since I was probably in high school- we just seemed to have lost touch over the years. He has a daughter named Sam-my niece who I also haven't seen since I was a baby. But I got a message a few weeks ago on facebook from my big bro and we decided to meet up at his house for a long awaited reunion. He lives on a horse farm so I knew that Kennedy would also love it. So on our way to the beach we stopped for a visit. It was great to see Donnie and to meet his wife and his daughter Sam. Kennedy loved Sam and loved her boyfriend Curtis even more. She got to ride on a horse and play with some kittens. It was a great visit!

It's a.......

2010-05-09T12:58:00.001-07:00

So we had our 20 week ultrasound and found out we are having a.....

BOY!

I kind of had a feeling b/c my pregnancy seemed so different this time. I am excited to do some shopping and finally get some blue stuff in the house. Kennedy had been asking for a baby brother and every time we asked her she said with 100% confidence that the baby in my belly was a boy. She was right and I was glad to not disappoint. Here are a few scans of our baby boy...

Skeleton shot of him looking at us

stretched out

The boy shot

Another shot of him all stretched out

April and May

2010-05-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

It is been such a busy and crazy couple of months! I started working part-time from home for Capital One again which has worked out really well. It is a good time to make some extra money with another little one on the way and I have really liked contributing to our family but keeping the freedom to stay home with Kennedy and still do lots of fun activities with her during the day.

We also decided to put hardwood floors throughout our downstairs and after Derek took out all out existing floors and they came to install-they realized the wood had a manufacturing defect. So while we wait for more floors to be ordered we have been living with just our subfloor, dust and minus our downstairs bathroom. And oh yeah during the process the floor guys cracked my glass stovetop so we have also been without a stove for the most part. Hopefully this week we will finally get our new floors!

We have managed to fit in some fun activities like a children's play, the zoo, and strawberry picking at the Berry Farm last weekend. The strawberries were amazing and Kennedy liked the wagon and train rides too.

An amazing rainbow over our neighborhood

ove

Easter Fun

2010-04-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

For Easter this year we headed up to Kennedy's preschool for an easter egg hunt. They had some cute little crafts and lots of time to play on the playgrounds. She even got her fingernails painted but decided by the next morning that it had to come off. Sunday we opened her easter basket, did some egg hunting and had dinner at Grandma's house. Kennedy loved looking for easter eggs this year and we literally starting playing that game days before Easter and are still playing it. We hide them outside, we hide them inside....over and over again.

On Tuesday I took Kennedy to Busch Gardens which turned out to be a great day. I worried that it would be a little much for just me to handle but it was one of those days where the stars aligned just right and she actually listened, skipped her nap and was still pleasant and fun. Gotta love those days! We had lunch with Elmo and stayed at the park riding all the rides including the log flume or as we called it the big roller coaster until almost 6 PM.

A "Big Girl" Bed

2010-03-25T11:01:00.001-07:00

Well it is official, my baby is out of her crib and in a "big girl" bed. I definitely didn't go over as well as I had hoped but I think I have posted before that Kennedy could really care less if she is a big girl or not. In fact if you ask her most days she will tell you she is a baby! But alas she was outgrowing her crib and we have to send it back b/c it was recalled to get another one for the new baby. So this weekend we set it up and Derek took apart her crib which resulted in a lot of tears. We went with a really cool bed made by a company called Matrix. Her bed is a tent bed but can convert to a loft bed and even has attachments like slides, ladders etc. Super cool and versatile. I wish I had a bed like this as a kid!

The first nap in it she was up and out of the bed and even opened her door at one point. But for bedtime we made sure to tell her it was rule that she not get out and to call us if she needed anything. Unfortunately she called...and called...and called. I think she woke up 3 or 4 times that night which is so out of the ordinary it had both Derek and I all in a funk. The next day nap went much better and for bedtime I think we only had to go in there twice. Last night we only had to go in once and that was b/c she woke herself up coughing. So it is definitely a process and we should hopefully have our great sleeper back in no time. It is funny though, I just put her down for her nap and in the crib she didn't question taking a nap but now asks me why she needs to do it. I just tell her that everyone takes a nap after lunch it is a rule (which works for now). Seriously wouldn't it be great if that was actually true!

the cat also loves her bed and we are constantly having to get her out

She cracks me up

2010-03-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is just such a fun age for Kennedy when it comes to her imagination and so many other things. She has developed such a great sense of humor and is constantly making me laugh. She is not only talking like a little person these days but can also make jokes. Last week she decided she needed to dress like a kitty cat to go to her soccer class. Hey why not-right? So I happily got her kitty ears on her and her tail tucked into her pants and off we went. Throughout the class and for most of that day she kept asking me...."mommy where's my tail" which I found to be hilarious. We only lost it once that whole morning but quickly got it back on!

Here are some pics of her as a kitty cat and also hanging out on the chair "like the dogs" as she says.

The second is a doozy

2010-03-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

I have heard stories from other friends and mom's about the second pregnancy and just hoped for my sake it wasn't true that the morning sickness and everything else was worse the second time around but I must say I do agree. This pregnancy is so much harder so far than with Kennedy. I have had more morning sickness and already have just about every unpleasant pregnancy symptoms that you can get all at one time including my face breaking out, headaches, heartburn, food aversion, horribly dry skin and hair, constipation, bloating, hip pain, exhaustion, and to top it all off I think my armpit hair is growing at an alarming rate! Not pretty at all and I am only just about done the first trimester. I feel like being pregnant should make women look and feel amazing (I know there are some freaks of nature out there that feel that way) but unfortunately for most of us it is the exact opposite.

Kennedy while extremely cute these days is also very much testing her limits with Derek and I. Some new phrases include "leave me alone" and "because me like it". I am determined to be consistent and tough with her b/c I know it will only get worse if I don't lay down the law but just just between grown ups...I barely have the energy to do it these days. I knew she was a strong-willed child even before she was born and actually that is how we ultimately decided on her name. We figured we need a strong name for such a strong willed little girl! The good news is that Derek and I are very aware of her "currency"-the thing that will always get her to cave and that is TV. Before she went down for her nap and was kicking and hitting in protest b/c she wanted to read her new library books she had two choices as she slashed and cried in her bed...

1. keep crying and not take a nap which would result in no tv the rest of the day or

2. to take her nap and tell me she was sorry for hitting me and not listening. She chose to lay down and listen thank goodness and even blew me a kiss as I was closing the door.

I tried not to smile in victory as I blew her a kiss back.

She is cute but don't be fooled she can be a little fireball ( not at all like her mother :))

Derek built a "luge" track in our yard with the leftover snow so

Kennedy and Gainer could practice for the winter olympics

must have been a hard training session

ready for the prom or just hanging out at home

Apparently this is what goes down at dinner when mom is upstairs

sick and laying down...hmmmm

Exciting News

2010-02-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

Well I haven't been posting blogs lately and I actually do have a good reason......
I am pregnant!....and nauseous....really nauseous
So I am 9 weeks and we went for our first ultrasound last week and everything looks wonderful! A strong tiny heartbeat and the cutest blob I have ever seen except for when Kennedy was a blob! I am on anti-nausea medicine which is helping a lot but brings with it its own side effects to deal with. It is so different being pregnant and having another little one to look after-it totally changes the game and makes it that much harder and exhausting. But.....I am thankful for healthy pregnancy this time after my miscarriage a few months ago and definitely counting my blessings. My due date is September 21st which for some of you might sound a bit familiar....that's right-Kennedy's due date was September 20th! How is that for timing! We can only hope that this baby doesn't come late and end up being born on Kennedy's birthday September 30th. She is already talking about her birthday party and don't think she would really enjoy a crying newborn as her gift. Anyway, I am napping or resting when Kennedy takes her nap so I probably won't being blogging nearly as often but will try to do it every couple of weeks for sure. It feels like I am going to be miserable and sick forever but I know that the end is in sight and then hopefully life can go back to normal soon.

A crazy winter

2010-02-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

Richmond has turned into a winter wonderland since before Christmas with snow after snow. I am so ready to see the grass again and for temperatures to warm up. Kennedy has enjoyed the weather-playing outside and sledding. So we have been bundling up and burning off as much energy as we can. I seem to be the only mom on the playground covered in snow and pushing my child on the swings in this crazy weather but we do what we have to do :)

Kennedy is doing great in Preschool and is signed up for 2 days a week next year in the 3 year old class (she just makes the cutoff). She is still doing gymnastics and has a new activity-soccer which seemed to enjoy this week. Just trying to keep her busy and active until the weather warms up and we can play outside more.

ready for sledding

oh gotta love that winter static

makes for crazy hair

Hangin out

2010-01-25T10:31:00.000-08:00

Not a lot to write about lately. This weekend we were just hanging out upstairs and decided to play a little guitar hero. Of course Kennedy is too young to really get it yet but she enjoyed watching daddy play and "helping" him. I am horrible, probably even worse than Kennedy, but it was fun all playing together. I managed to take a few pics.

Kennedy being a tomboy-she loves the backward hat look!

Kennedy helping daddy

mom on guitar hero and kennedy on the barbie guitar-a good combo

New Obsessions

2010-01-12T10:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it is half way through January already. I am not sure where the time has gone...I haven't even posted Christmas photos yet.
I do have a new obsession which is FACEBOOK. I don't know how I had been living without it for so long. It is so much fun! So I find myself during my free time (nap time) playing on facebook and not posting on my blog. I will get to it soon I promise.
Other obsessions these days are The Bachelor-I am such a sucker for these reality love shows. I am also loving my usual shows: Desperate Housewives, Brothers and sisters,Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. Nothing is better after a long day then plopping down on the sofa and watching tv! I think we all know where Kennedy gets her love of tv from!

I must say that I have seen some pretty remarkable things from Kennedy watching tv. She really has learned an amazing amount from watching Dora and Sesame Street.
1. She knows her shapes, colors, letters and numbers and knows tons of songs.
2. She knows and uses on a regular basis-Spanish words like abre for open, lechuza for owl etc.
3. She can count in Spanish (I realized this today)
4. When not watching tv she re-enacts shows and uses her imagination to play games that she makes up usually involving Dora and Boots
So far I haven't seen any negative effects from her tv watching and am just amazed at what a smart little girl she is.

Lots of Christmas fun

2009-12-23T10:43:00.000-08:00

Monday, I took Kennedy with a group from the neighborhood to the Swift Creek Mill Playhouse to see their children's Christmas play. It was so much better than I had anticipated and Kennedy just loved it. She sat so nicely for the whole show, laughed at the jokes and danced with the music. She just kept asking when it was over if we could watch it again. We had a pizza lunch there and besides her crying when Santa showed up it was just perfect. I highly recommend going to check out a show there. We will definitely be going again and will make the Christmas play a tradition.

And if that wasn't enough Christmas fun, yesterday we headed to Busch Gardens in the afternoon to check out Christmastown. We got there about 5PM so we didn't have a ton of time to spend but definitely got in the things that Kennedy wanted to do. She loved the lights and all the music and the show that they had while we ate dinner. She got to ride a few rides and then it was off to see the Sesame Street Christmas show which she loved. She cried when it was over and I told her that we couldn't watch it again. We didn't get home till 9:30 which is about an hour past her bedtime but Kennedy got her pjs on and went right to bed.

Here are a couple of pics:

she loves this ride and rode it a bunch of times

Me and Kennedy with Elmo

Giving Elmo a high five

A quick video

2009-12-20T10:31:00.001-08:00

This is just a quick video of Kennedy dancing. She usually wants everyone to join her so we all end up doing a lot of dancing in our house. Of course once she saw the camera she wanted to see it. She asks so nicely who could say no to her!

A white Christmas?

2009-12-20T10:21:00.001-08:00

Well Richmond has snow and lots of it....at our house we probably got around 7 or 8 inches which was definitely enough. Yesterday we took Kennedy sledding but it was just too cold and was still snowing and she was just miserable. Today the sun was out and was much more enjoyable. I took a couple of quick pics of our little snow bunny along with pics of the snow fort that Derek made. He couldn't resist adding a Canadian flag to the top held up of course by hockey sticks!

Long time no post

2009-12-07T19:00:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone,

I know I have been out of touch, it has just been really busy lately. Derek's parents came for a visit which was really nice. Kennedy loved having Grandma and Grandpa in her house and loved all the attention even more. It gave them a great chance to spend time together and me some time to recover and spend some time on myself. It was my 32nd birthday and got taken out for lunch and dinner which was awesome. It was also Thanksgiving and Kennedy got a huge kick of having 2 grandma's and 2 grandpas at Thanksgiving dinner. I don't think it has happened before. She kept saying "2 grandpa's.....no....too many grandpa's" and smiling! After things settled down and Kennedy's grandparents left, I decided to potty train Kennedy using this 3-day potty training method that two of her friends from preschool had success with. The method requires them learning their own body cues which means no more diapers and lots of accidents. This was physically and mentally exhausting but I can happily say that at the end of day 4 we are about 85% of the way there. Not the 100% I was hoping for but as I found out many times with Kennedy, she is an extremely intelligent child and is constantly testing and pushing. She is not one to just agree without questioning and seeing how much she can get away with. I know this does not bode well for me for when she is a teenager. She learned by the first day that saying she had to go potty was a great way to prolong bedtime. But we have started a reward system and are using the best incentive there is for Kennedy-watching tv. If she gets the jar full by telling me when she has to go and going on the potty without accidents she gets to put a cookie in the jar. If she gets it filled she gets a brand new Curious George movie. Let's all cross our fingers that this is the extra push she needs :)

Anyway, I am hoping to upload some of the pics that Derek's parents took from their trip of Kennedy soon. Here are a few of my favorites for now.

Awwwww..what a cute family if I do say so myself! Also I think

Kennedy looks like me here :)

I think she looks so pretty in this pic...

this is actually a snapshot taken at her preschool

I love how much fun she is having!

A Horrible Ordeal

2009-11-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't been online recently because unfortunately my family and I have been going through a horrible time. It is still a bit raw and hard to talk about it but I do think it is important to get it out there so everyone can understand what we have been going through recently.
I found out I was pregnant the end of October and was so very excited for another baby and a sibling for Kennedy. I was feeling great and of course now that I look back on it probably too good to be true. Anyway, a week before my first ultrasound I started spotting. Being pregnant once before, I knew this was not normal and definitely not a good sign. We went in the next day and said that the ultrasound was showing the baby at only 4 weeks instead of 7 weeks. Another really bad sign but without any way to know for sure they sent me home for the weekend and told me to be back on Monday to get my hormone levels checked. It was a long weekend and by Monday I already knew what they were going to say and that was that I was having a miscarriage. Yesterday I had outpatient surgery at St. Mary's and am recovering nicely at home. I know a lot of people who have been through this but until you actually experience it yourself words really can't describe how unbelievably horrible it is. My doctor was amazing and the entire staff at St. Mary's hospital was wonderful. Despite all the stuff that needed to be done to get ready yesterday, every single person told me how sorry they were for my loss which is exactly what I needed to hear. I am extremely sad but looking forward to moving on. I just want to thank all of my friends and family for being so supportive and helpful. We appreciate and are truly thankful for you in our lives.

What's been goin on

2009-11-09T10:19:00.001-08:00

We have all been doing really well at the Schutz household. Derek hasn't been traveling as much recently, which makes for a way more rested and happy me :) He completed a really cool project in Kennedy's room where he added built-in bookcases and a toy chest and it looks amazing. It is nice to be able to keep some of her toys in her room to play with and have a place to put them! Kennedy is doing great and everyday amazes us with how much she has to say. She loves preschool and even asks to go when it isn't a school day. She happily goes right into the classroom and really seems to be making good friends. When I come to pick her up she tells me about everything she has done and usually has a piece of artwork for us to bring home and hang up! She is also doing a second term of gymnastics which she really likes b/c her friend Meghan is in there with her. They do a lot of jumping on the trampolines and a little gymnastics sometimes :) Kennedy is still a great sleeper and a good eater. We are thinking of moving her to a big girl bed and have been doing some shopping to see what our options are. I definitely think she is ready and although she loves her crib I think she will be more comfortable in a bigger bed. Potty training really hasn't taken off yet but I hope to get to it soon. She has gone on the big potty but doesn't want to try it on a regular basis yet.
Anyway that is about all there is to report for now. I will try to post some more pics soon.

Halloween Fun

2009-11-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween this year and it was even more fun b/c Kennedy understood a little bit about what was going on. She loved the pumpkin patch and had a lot of fun painting her pumpkin instead of carving it. We participated in the Halloween parade around our lake the weekend before Halloween and b/c it was so warm she wore her princess dress rather than her butterfly costume. For Halloween we went over to a friends house for a yummy dinner and then trick-or-treating with the kids. Kennedy absolutely loved it! The only thing she didn't get was why we couldn't go trick-or-treating the next day too. She pointed to a house and said "mama trickortreat"? I explained that no we couldn't go that it was only on Halloween and her response was of course "Why?" My response back was my standard these days when I don't want to continue answering why for another 30 minutes- "I don't know honey". The only other statement that seems to stop the cycle of why questioning is if I say "Why not", which she thinks is funny and repeats back to me!

showing "Chris" the neighborhood cat her stuffed cat that looks

like him.

Silly string after dinner :)

our little butterfly

she just had to have her face painted since Meghan had kitty

whiskers on hers. Butterflies have freckles right?

Kennedy, Meghan and Carter

The girls

Kennedy wanted to hold hands with Meghan, it was too cute

not to take a picture!

Hooray for the sun

2009-10-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

It has been really chilly and rainy since last week and Kennedy and I have been missing our outdoor time. Thankfully the sun came out on Monday and it has been a bit cool but really nice. Here are just some random pics from this weekend. There was a parade on Saturday morning so we got Kennedy all bundled up including her adorable hat that Grammy and Grandpa got her in Canada. We had her pumpkin shirt on Sunday hoping the weather would get better so we could hit the pumpkin patch-no such luck but she looked cute anyway!

My "Roots" girl

finally learning how to smile for the camera

Do cat ears go with this outfit? Of course!

Eat your veggies

2009-10-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Kennedy is a pretty good eater but like all toddlers isn't crazy about vegetables especially any that are green. She likes beans and corn but pretty much ignores most things that are vegetable-like on her plate. So........I was in Books a Million while she was at preschool and decided to pick up Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious, since it was bargain priced.

I liked the concept of retaining the nutrients from veggies by steaming or roasting and then just pureeing them and adding to food. I actually needed to dust off the food processor anyway. I bought the book and headed to the grocery store where I decided to pick up my first experiment-a butternut squash to puree. I actually love, love, love butternut squash-we don't have it often but when I do I am reminded how delicious it is. When Kennedy was a baby this was one of her favorites so I thought it was a good one to start with. I got home and roasted it...then Kennedy helped me puree it. She was so curious she asked to taste it both after I roasted it and in the pureed form and said she liked it and wanted more. That night for dinner and followed Jessica's recipe for mac and cheese with butternut squash puree to have with our leftover meatballs. I used sea shell pasta b/c I didn't have elbows.

The verdict........Kennedy loved the mac and cheese and actually asked for a second helping which has never happened before :) Yippeee. I also thought it was creamy and delicious and couldn't taste the squash although I would not have minded if you could. It was like a better version of Velveeta shells and cheese.

I now have 2 bags of my puree frozen and one in the fridge to add to other dishes. Now I just have to do some green veggie purees and perhaps carrot which is another veggie that Kennedy dislikes and never eats. I am excited. I will still present veggies on her plate but will feel much better knowing they are also hidden inside her food!

A Dora the Explorer Bday Party!

2009-10-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

For Kennedy's second birthday we gave her a Dora party with family and some of her close little friends. I spent almost all day the day before making her Dora cake which was quite an undertaking. I used one of the Wilton cake pans and piped what seemed like a million different color and stars all over it. Kennedy "helped" me with the cake and some of the icing which only seemed to make it take longer. It turned out beautifully and while it was very challenging it was definitely worth it :) We had great weather for the party so the kids could play outside but also found some time to play dress up inside!

The masterpiece in all of it's glory!

10 PM the night before making the cupcakes

The Birthday girl :)

playing dress up

Sweets and more sweets

I love this pic of Kennedy's friend Meghan, smiling with a mouth

full of cake

Happy Birthday Kennedy

2009-10-01T10:38:00.001-07:00

My baby girl turned 2 years old yesterday! It was a great day....Kennedy woke up excited and proclaiming "I two"! We headed off to gymnastics class and then home where she decided she was tired at 11:30 and took a 3 hour nap. Why not-it is your birthday after all :) I found myself tearing up while she napped, mostly out of relief that we have made it two whole years with a healthy beautiful child. It is so funny sometimes to think that we have only had her in our lives for 2 years-I feel like I have known her forever and can't even fathom life without her. Derek and I have very different personalities and I feel like Kennedy is a perfect blend of both of us. She is funny but serious, smart but silly, adventurous but rational and very sweet and kind. We couldn't ask for a better little girl.
After her 3 hour nap she woke up ate a snack and headed outside to play. She asked where her friends Meghan and Carter were so I called to see if they wanted to come by and play for a bit. We all played outside and then my mom, my brother,and my brother's girlfriend and daughter, Laila came over for pizza and cupcakes. My brother Jason (aka uncle JJ) is a superhero as far as Kennedy is concerned so she was more than pleased that he came over :) We opened presents, played outside a bit and called it a day.
Happy 2nd Birthday Kennedy!

opening presents which included dress up shoes, a ballerina outfit, Dora Tent, my little ponies, and some halloween pjs

Tiny dancer

she licked all the icing off the cupcake and then asked for ice cream!

2 Year Stats

2009-09-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

Kennedy went to her 2 year check up on Friday and she is doing fantastic! Here are a few of her stats:
Weight-29 lbs (75%)
Height-36 1/2 (95%)
Head size-47 (50%)

She let the doctor do everything including look in her ears and even in her mouth. She had to get a couple of shots this time which was the only part of the visit where there were tears. We don't have another checkup until she turns 3 which seems so crazy after having checkups every 6 months or sooner since she was born. I guess just another indication that my baby is no longer a baby!

The berry farm

2009-09-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

My mom had gotten 2 free tickets to the Chesterfield Berry farm so we used them to take Kennedy this weekend. There was so much cute and fun stuff to do for kids! We stayed for almost 3 hours and had so much fun. There were animals, pony rides, hayrides, wagon train rides, barrel train rides, the corn maze and so much more. Kennedy did the pony ride which was probably the highlight of the day. She also liked the train ride and the hay ride. In the midst of all the fun, there was a major trauma. She was trying to feed the bunnies and one took a huge chunk out of her finger. It broke the skin and she was bleeding! She went on having fun so it definitely didn't stop her. However when we got home we noticed how red it was. I called the Pediatrician today and they started the conversation with me by saying that rabbits are known to carry rabies! But...they said just to soak it in warm water and soap 3 times a day and keep an eye on it. Hmmm.....We had a great time at the Berry farm-yummy food and fun but who knows my daughter might have contracted Rabies as a parting gift! Good times!

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

So today was the day and we had been talking it up big time. We had found out on Tuesday that all the other kids are much younger than her and of course smaller than her so I was slightly worried she might not like the class.

She didn't want her picture taken this morning but I managed to get a couple really quick. We arrived and stood outside the classroom with the other kids and parents. Then one by one the teacher came out and took each child in. After the first child went in, Kennedy said she was ready and I thought perfect! She took the teachers hand and for a split second when she realized we weren't coming she looked back like she might cry but after everyone was in we peeked through the 2 way mirror and she was fine and tending to doll babies already. I went to Target got a coffee and spent an hour shopping all by myself! Yay! I came back a bit early so I could watch and again she was fine. They were having "rest time" which was pretty hilarious. All the kids kept getting up off the mats and a few were coming to the door and trying to open it. Kennedy was half laying there looking at the teachers like "why I am doing this"!

She was the last to leave and while the other kids were coming out one by one she was sitting in a teachers lap reading a story. The teacher came out sweating at the end and said that it was a "very busy class" and that "she had definitely gotten her workout for the day"! Hahaha. I got a huge hug when Kennedy came out and she told me all about how she went outside and climbed and that she had fun. She also said that the baby cried and needed a nap (hehee that was one of the little boys who cried when they went in and at the end too). I am just so proud of her. She did amazing!

Dress Up

2009-09-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

Kennedy is very into playing "Dress Up" these days which I just love. She likes to wear my "pretty" shoes and anything else of mine she can get her hands on.

Today she had a playdate with her BFF, Meghan, and here are some adorable pics of the pair!

A busy schedule

2009-09-02T10:38:00.001-07:00

Kennedy is going to have a lot on her plate this fall. We signed her up for a mommy and me gymnastics class for 5 weeks starting in a couple of weeks. Her little friend Meghan is also going to be in the class which I am sure will be a huge hit. We also got a call yesterday from Winfree Preschool....I had put Kennedy's name on the toddler waiting list and they called with a spot. It is just a one day a week class with 5 children and two teachers. Today we went to take a look and bring back some paperwork and it was just wonderful. The director is so nice and the classrooms have all been completely renovated and are full of wonderful activities for her age. She seemed really excited about it and because she is so social I hope she will really enjoy it. I of course am very nervous about it. I hadn't expected for her to get in and now that she has, I wonder if I am doing it too soon. I guess we will have to wait and see how it goes. I think in my head it is a great idea for her to learn to interact and socialize in an organized "school" setting and gain some independence from me for a few hours a week. In my heart she is my baby and I want to keep her home with me forever. It is a dilemma but I am excited to give her the opportunity and see how she does with it. When we left she said, "I go to school and play, and have snack and mama come get me". We will see if it is really going to be that easy :)

Teeth Whitening

2009-08-31T10:17:00.000-07:00

My brother has a business that does mobile teeth whitening called- A Brighter Smile here in Richmond. I had noticed that my teeth (mostly my front teeth b/c I have caps) had some stains on them from drinking coffee and soda so I had him whiten my teeth about a month ago. It takes 20 minutes and the best part is that you can do it at home! No need to go to the dentist, get a babysitter and all that jazz. You sit in a chair and he puts the light up to your teeth and 20 minutes later, a brighter smile. He also has a location you can go to if you don't feel comfortable having someone in your house. It is a really cool idea and I was totally impressed with how easy and effective it was. If anyone is interested in getting their teeth whitened just let me know or leave me a comment on the blog and I can get you in touch with my brother Jason. He has told me that he will do it extremely discounted for my friends and referrals. What a great deal!

I must have grown an inch

2009-08-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

I noticed when Kennedy got on her tricycle yesterday that her feet now touch the pedals just right. She must have grown an inch or so since she rode it last. She can now ride it and pedal comfortably and has even got the hang of steering!

Pics from Canada

2009-08-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

Well I am finally getting some pics loaded from our trip.

Hello Canada....Goodbye

2009-08-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well we made it back last week from our trip to Canada. All I can say is that Kennedy was a wonderful little girl. Every time we go somewhere I am just so amazed at how cooperative and flexible she can be. She did great on the airplane... we had been building it up for months and it definitely worked! Considering going there was almost 6 hours on two planes, we had to wake her up at 5:30 AM and she didn't get to take a nap until 2:30 PM or 4:30 our time she was just an absolute angel. Coming back home she was even better and we didn't get home until midnight. It was a nice trip and Kennedy loved spending time with her grandparents, cousins and uncle Scott. We all enjoyed the cooler weather! I will have pictures up soon hopefully :)

Unplanned trips and going fishing

2009-08-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Whew it has been a really busy couple of weeks. We took an impromptu trip to DC to stay with Derek while he was on a business trip. I found the trip exhausting but we learned a ton about Kennedy and how adaptable she can be. We spent the first day with a good friend and her daughter and had a really late nap. Then we went into the city and had a late dinner with friends at the hotel. B/c the room was so small Kennedy had to sleep in a pack in play literally right by our bed. We have never done this before and I honestly wasn't sure she was going to sleep...but she did after a couple of times of laying her back down. I don't think she slept good mostly b/c she has outgrown the pack and play but she didn't get up once or call for us which was great. The next morning we went to some museums and then headed home with another really late nap. I think she had fun and overall it was a nice break in our week and really lucky for us she got right back into her normal sleep routine.

This weekend we met some friends down by the lake to have the kids go fishing. Kennedy doesn't have a fishing pole but borrowed her friend Meghan's. She caught a couple of fish and had a lot of fun. I think we will be getting her a pole of her own and Derek one too!

Catching her first fish! After we got it off the hook she

picked it right up and threw it back in :)

A great weekend

2009-07-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

Some weekends seem to fly by and others seem to be just the right amount of time. This weekend was one of those rare weekends that seemed to be just right. Friday night we went to Short pump mall and walked around and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory-YUM! Saturday we got some chores done and decided to have our first movie night! We ate dinner early, had an early bath and got our pj's on. We then popped in Elmo in Grouchland, turned down the lights and had yummy snacks like popcorn and M&M's (beans as Kennedy calls them). She sat through the whole movie and really seemed to have a great time. As far as children's movies go...this one is a good one. Had some good music and a good message about sharing. It is on sale for only $5 at Target and I definitely recommend you pick it up. I definitely can't wait to have another movie night. Perhaps we will make it a Friday or Saturday night tradition! Here are some cute pics of Kennedy in pigtails!

A very tall girl

2009-07-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

So Kennedy is very tall for her age...like 95% tall. What this means other than her wearing 4t clothes already and not even being 2 is that people think she is older than she is. This always makes things awkward for me b/c usually they expect her to be talking or acting like a 3 or 4 year old. I noticed this in storytime the other day when in the middle of the story, Kennedy got up and started running around and pulling books off the chalkboard. I got a very stern look from the lady doing storytime which made me feel a bit embarrassed and frustrated at the same time. This is of course typical behavior for a not quite 2 year old and sitting still for 30 whole minutes is well impossible. I think she thought she was older which is what I get all the time. So even though she wears a size 7 1/2 shoe and 4t clothes and has hair passed her shoulders already doesn't always mean she is a badly behaved 3 year old. It could just mean that it is a very tall 2 year old :)

One Year Ago

2009-07-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

That's right...it has been a whole year since I decided to quit Capital One and stay at home with Kennedy. I guess the big question after a year is...do I miss working? Was it worth it and have we been able to manage?
I can truly say I don't miss working at all (of course there are moments when it would be nice to have some adult conversation and a cup of coffee in peace) but for the most part I have absolutely no regrets at all about quitting. It is most definitely worth it and we have been able to manage just fine. We aren't putting large amounts of money away in savings but I am OK with that for now. When I made my decision, I really was overwhelmed with vendors and co-workers who reached out to me and told me what a good decision I was making and how in some cases they had wished they had the courage to do the same thing. All I can say is that you live once and you should always do what is in your heart. I think I have learned a ton being home with Kennedy. Day to day I would say that staying home is way more challenging than working was for me...it is just a different kind of challenge. I know it is not for everyone but I am happy with my choice. The days recently where Kennedy looks at Derek and says "Da-da no go to work", only reminds me of how lucky I am that I get to stay home with her! Obviously that is thanks to a very supportive husband who works really really hard. Thanks D!

Craigs List

2009-07-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

So I had my first encounter with Craigs list and I must say was very pleased. Kennedy is very into her Little People toys and they aren't cheap. They really are the only toys that she plays independently with so I took a look on Craigs List and there was someone selling 2 sets that she didn't have for only $5 each! I quickly emailed the lady and arranged to pick them up over the weekend. They are in great shape and are so cute. Kennedy likes them a lot, and I am actually OK with the small village in the corner of my living room as long as she is playing by herself some. Sometimes it pays to be a thrifty shopper!

Highlights

2009-07-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

We have been managing to stay pretty busy lately and some of the highlights include eating lots of ice cream, going to the pool, Maymont, getting a wagon finally, hanging out with some friends, and planning our trip to Canada. Kennedy has been a bit of a mystery these days. She moves from one extreme to another-happy to very very grumpy. Last week she stayed mostly on the grumpy side :( I think now that she has some words she gets extremely frustrated when she can't get us to understand what she wants. She also is definitely testing the boundaries. She has been trying to stay up later and has resorted to hitting when she is mad. That one of course gets a direct trip to time out which she knows but still tries on occasion. She has also been taking really long naps which could be great but I think it part of the problem with getting her to bed before 8:30 PM.
Kennedy has also developed a really close friendship with a little girl in our neighborhood-Meghan. It is cute to see them talk and play together and to even ask to see each other. When Kennedy got her wagon she immediately told me that the empty seat was Meghan's seat and she folds it down when Meghan is not riding in it. How cute is that!
Here are some pics from the last few weeks....

Her first ice cream cone!

The pool is all about eating snacks with Kennedy...
funny I thought it was about being in the pool

Exploring at Maymont which was very disappointing this last trip. Maymont
used to be full of animals and things to see but now seems to be mostly empty.
We still found stuff to do though!

What a cool tree!

Kennedy and my mom jumping on rocks

Out like a light....we had to wake her up that day

Sophie got a bath which almost never happens. We put a bow on her

and what a good looking pug she was!

4th of July

2009-07-06T10:08:00.001-07:00

So I didn't take our camera out for the 4th and I really wish that I had. We went to a block party in our neighborhood by the lake and it turned out to be a lot of fun. It is hard to believe that last year Kennedy wasn't even walking yet at this same party! This year was definitely a different story. Before we even left to go, Kennedy was parading around the house chanting party, party! All the food was yummy and Kennedy when I would turn my head would make a b-line for the food table. All of the older kids were really nice to Kennedy and held her hand and played with her and she loved running after the boys on their scooters. There were little fireworks and when it got dark big fireworks. I debated about letting her stay up but she was having such a good time we decided to roll with it. About half way through the fireworks she looked at them and then at us and said bye-bye. She was ready to go home and go to bed (it was 9:15). We wondered if she would be grumpy the next day but it wasn't bad. Definitely worth letting her stay up and see them. I am glad she wasn't scared and had a really good time!

Busch Gardens!

2009-06-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

We took a little vacation to Williamsburg to go to Busch Gardens and Water Country and had a blast. The original idea was to see the new Sesame Street Forest(the newest kids area at Busch Gardens) but that ended up being a bit disappointing. Too many big rides, long lines, and no shade. However we loved the Land of Dragons and other kids areas and even had breakfast with Elmo and friends! Water country was fun and a nice break from the heat. Overall it was a really fun trip. I loved seeing how proud Kennedy was when she was able to ride some of the little rides by herself. She is definitely a daredevil! She called all the roller coasters-Choo Choo's and wanted to ride all of them! At Water country she was mad that she couldn't go down the big water slides! We got the year passes so I am sure we will be back soon. Maybe next time I can ride some roller coasters too!

It's Like they Know

2009-06-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed that when you need to get something done or be somewhere, your child seems to plot to do the opposite. It is like they know or something. As a baby, Kennedy would always have a huge messy poop (sorry for the bathroom talk) right before we were getting ready to leave to go somewhere. Now she decides she must take a nap or really wants to sit down and play independently with her toys...I mean really? Like I could get her to do that otherwise! Anyway, I am convinced they know....and as babies have some sort of pact to try to make getting things done difficult. Sigh......

First Movie

2009-06-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the summer they are having free movies at certain Regal Cinemas. All films are G or PG and start at 10AM. Kennedy went today to see the Tale of Despereaux and all I can say is I am glad that it was free because we stayed for a total of ..... 33 minutes! I think she just got scared and this particular movie was a little to life-like for her but it was a good test run. She likes tv so much that I was thinking she would like this just as much. I guess we just need the right movie or perhaps it is just a bit too soon. In any case the first third of the movie was good :)

Where does the time go?

2009-06-12T11:07:00.001-07:00

So I came to the realization this week...that my baby is not a baby anymore! She is an almost 2 year old sassy little girl. But I must say that these days the only word for her is delightful. She is so sweet, loving, and fun. She definitely can have her moments but for the most part we just have a great time together (I guess all those time outs a few months ago have paid off-now all I have to do is ask if she needs a T.O. and she straightens up). She is talking in sentences and her hair is even long enough for a ponytail! She also is answering yes instead of everything being "no"!

Here hair twisted up with a bow-she likes that better

than a ponytail

What is she like 15?

The other day Kennedy saw her little friend Meghan riding on a bike with her Dad and that was all she could talk about for days. I had said it was cool and so she just kept saying "Cool, Cool"! So to see if Kennedy would like it, they were nice enough to let us borrow the bike. Well Kennedy loves it and I get a workout at the same time-yeah! She just keeps saying cool and when I ask if she is ready to go home she says no. I don't think she realized that my legs were about to fall off! We are definitely going to have to get me a bike with a seat for some bike riding! Here are some pics....

Dora helmet or bike hat as we call it :)

Me being a good role model and wearing Derek's helmet

Look at that happy face!

New Skills

2009-06-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

I took a couple of short videos showing off Kennedy's new skills....front flips, hopping and running :)

She was too quick for me and every time I went to record she was done. I finally got this one although not her best :)

Running and hopping her new favorite pastime. I like how at the end she tackles me trying to tickle me!

More Vaccines

2009-06-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Today I took Kennedy to get a couple of vaccines that she was a bit overdue for. I have been splitting up her shots which means I usually have to bring her back in between well-checks so we can be caught up on everything. For some reason this time was harder than the others. I guess b/c she is talking and is much more like a little person than before. Now she is aware of where we are going and what we are doing and I hate to put her through pain and have her know that I initiated it. I also don't want her to hate going to the doctor although I know I may not be able to avoid this. She did well and it was quick and dirty like I knew it would be. She cried and refused a sticker after b/c she was angry and offended. I don't blame her. But I got it over with and now we don't have to worry about it until her 2 year check. Vaccines just scare the crap out of me although I know they are important and very needed. I guess just one of the many things I am going to have to do for her that is unpleasant. Kennedy is strong and so resilient and always impresses me with how she handles these kind of situations.

Summer Fun

2009-06-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging very much and I really don't have a reason. Just busy with summer I guess. We are doing a lot of playing outside which means Kennedy is usually dirty, wet or a combo of both. For one reason or another she usually ends up naked outside at least once a day! Here are some pics of her in her swim diaper (usually we don't even manage to get one of those on her) just having a great time in the backyard. You can also see the glory that is our new sandbox that Derek built. It is huge! We had some of the neighbors over today to play in it and it can definitely fit at least four kids comfortably :) I know that Kennedy will outgrow a lot of the things in the backyard but for now it is perfect.

Just a glimpse of the sandbox, that is only half of it!

such a cute little person park :)

Skinned knee kind of summer

2009-05-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid always having scraped up knees and I guess Kennedy is just going to be the same way. We play outside so much and now that she is running she is definitely taking more tumbles. Right now she has one nasty knee that she has fallen and scraped up twice. She is really good about it but won't let me put a Bandaid on it even when it is bleeding!
We had two birthday parties on Saturday to go to and while I forgot to take pics at Drew's party, I did remember to take a couple at Kennedy's little friend Meghan's party. Kennedy was very pleased that she got a goody bag at both :)

Oh those beautiful knees!

The ladybug themed party-so cute!

Kennedy talking to the dog statues at Stonypoint mall

Might as well go for a ride on one while I am here!

Water Fun

2009-05-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

Kennedy is loving her new water table although it means a very wet little girl. I was cooking dinner while she was on the deck playing and I looked out and noticed her hair was wet. I wasn't suprised the rest of her was soaked but was a bit puzzled in how she got her hair wet. I watched, and realized she was dipping the top of her head in the water and then shaking the water off like a dog :)

Here are some pics of Kennedy and some with her friend Fielding who came over and also loved the water fun.

Christmas in May?

2009-05-19T11:04:00.001-07:00

We decided it was time to get a few things for Kennedy that we knew she liked from her playing with the kids next door. So on Sunday I brought home from Target one of those ride in buggies and a water table. We haven't been able to play with the water table with actual water in it yet b/c it has been so cool but hopefully we will get to soon. We even got the dogs a couple of toys when we were picking up dog food which hasn't happened in a very long time. Here are a few pics of the new stuff and a few pics of Kennedy playing dress up this morning. There is also a pic of Kennedy on the potty reading a magazine(lid down of course)...heheehee. She is by no means ready for potty training and neither am I, but she is starting to get curious about it.

Pics from the Schutz Backyard

2009-05-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

I finally took some pics of our backyard. Most of the projects are done....we still need to build a bigger sandbox in Kennedy's new play area, put in our step stone walkway, and finish the flowerbed. It is slowly coming together.
Derek has been traveling a ton so I haven't had much time to blog lately. When Kennedy wakes up in the morning she will say: Da-da go to work on airplane? And I will say yes or no today he went on the choo-choo or go look he is sleeping. It is cute, I wonder what she must think-perhaps that he is an airline pilot or train conductor!

Fun with Daddy's tie

My new flowerbed and finally some green grass :)

Kennedy's play area

new little landing patio to stop the mud from
getting tracked inside

a home for our fire pit table finally :)

Still a work in progress

the pugs just hanging out on the deck

More Rain? Seriously?

2009-05-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, it has to stop raining. That is all there is to it. It has been raining for more than a week and I am so sick of it. Kennedy is used to getting 2-3 hours of outdoor time a day at least and with it raining for the past week we are both grumpy. So I put her in the car today and we went to Inflation Nation to blow off some energy and it definitely did the trick. We were laughing, running and bouncing for 2 hours and then picked Chick-fil-a up on the way home. So now it is nap time and I am sure after all that activity she will sleep for a good 2 hours.

Tomorrow I start teaching skating again which I am a little anxious about. I haven't had skates on since I was 3 months pregnant with Kennedy. It usually only takes me a few minutes to get back into it, but jumping on the ice for the first time in 2 years to teach a class makes me a bit nervous. I will be teaching on Fridays and Saturdays, just a couple of beginner classes. I am glad to get back into it and looking forward to getting Kennedy in skates soon :)

The sun is currently out and for my sanity let's all cross our fingers that it stays that way for the afternoon.

Yardwork and more Yardwork

2009-05-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

I have not been keeping up with my blogging and a lot of that has to do with our many house projects. This weekend we put the small patio at the bottom of our deck and picked out what rock we want to use for our stone path from the fence to the driveway. I would say we are about two weekends away from having everything complete. Kennedy has been very good with all of the projects, she even happily joined us at Lowe's twice today :)

I can't even believe how much she is talking lately. She repeats most things I say and is stringing lots of words together at a time. She just gets more and more fun every day!

Here she is playing with one of our yard sale purchases-a home depot tool bench. Not really a little girl toy but she seems to really like to play with it. There is a picture of a guy in a hat and she says it is Da-Da and pretends to give him nails and screws. Very cute.

Very busy building something....I think the orange and blue

goes nicely in our breakfast nook...don't you?

I need longer arms!

What we have been up to

2009-04-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Things are busy as usual at the Schutz household. Kennedy just finished up her swimming lessons which I think was really good for her. We also have been doing a backyard remodel putting in a play area for Kennedy (pics to come shortly) as well as lots of other yardwork. Finally we have time to do some of those things again although this heat is making it not nearly as pleasant as I would like!
This weekend was our neighborhood yard sale and this year we wanted to be out early to get some good stuff for Kennedy. So....Kennedy had a sleepover at Grandmas :) and we went out and got up early to go to the sales. We got some great items and Kennedy and Grandma seemed to have a good time as well.

It has been so hot we haven't even wanted Kennedy outside but last night she had a great time playing on the deck, naked with some buckets and a pan of water. It initially was because she had gotten so much sand on her from the sandbox that the only solution was to strip her down, but it ended up as a hilarious time. I wish I had taken some pics but it didn't occur to me until we were done. Here are some pics of our pretty little girl around the house though.

Being silly on the floor.

Wearing my new bathing suit.

Look at those pouty lips. Looking a bit disheveled

Ah there we go, looking more put together and smiling :)

Chocolate

2009-04-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to put a post about a chocolate company that Derek discovered for a while now. It is called Recchiuti Confections in San Francisco and it is THE BEST chocolate I have ever tasted. When Derek goes to California he always picks me up some and I try to savor it for as long as I can. It is definitely pricey but in my opinion so very worth it. So if you like chocolate or if you want to lay a hint to your significant other (mother's day is coming up), Recchiuti is the way to go. You can order online at : http://www.recchiuti.com/index.html. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

Independence

2009-04-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

So I know that Kennedy is establishing her independence and this is very normal but it just might drive me insane in the process. Her newest way of asserting herself to me is to refuse to get undressed or usually to refuse to get dressed. Most mornings lately she is either walking around in her diaper, or still in her pajamas at 2 in the afternoon. She also throws a huge fit when we change her diaper including kicking which can be really interesting with poopy diapers :)
Sigh......Now for some almost funny morning discoveries.....
The other morning, we found her with her arm out of her pajama shirt and mistakenly through the neck hole. I am not sure what the ultimate goal was but it was obviously a failed attempt at undressing herself. This morning we found her with one leg up on the top of the crib trying to make an escape. Her leg got stuck and she was extremely upset about this. Derek will be lowering the crib to the last setting as soon as possible! I am not ready for a big girl bed yet. So I am practicing my breathing and trying not to let all of this new found independence get to me. I wonder what we will discover tomorrow morning?

The Chicken Dance

2009-04-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

My mom got Kennedy an Easter card that was recordable and played the chicken dance. From past experience we have learned that Kennedy just loves the cards with sound. Well we have yet to stop doing the chicken dance. Here is a quick video of her dancing to it. At the end in case you don't catch it...she says "I want Moy! (as Kennedy's interpreter I will tell you that is "I want more!").

Easter!

2009-04-13T17:40:00.001-07:00

Easter was a lot of fun this year with Kennedy. She was just old enough to understand candy and easter egg hunting and we did a lot of both :) We started out the morning checking out the easter basket and getting bundled up to go look for eggs outside. Once she realized there was a jellybean or M&M inside the eggs she was even more excited!

After nap it was over to grandma's for more easter baskets and egg hunting. It had warmed up enough to put on the pretty easter dress which I was really happy about.

The end in sight for Teething!

2009-04-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last week Kennedy was all off because of her bottom canines coming in. Her naps were short, she was having nightmares and waking up much earlier than usual. Teething just seems like it is going to go on forever although I do see the end in sight. The only ones left for her are her 2 year molars-Yippeee! Here are a few pics from one morning when Kennedy decided to get up at 6 AM. It worked out that we were sporting our matching pajamas that day :)

Kennedy was the only one happy to be up so early!

Wearing Daddy's hat...our little tomboy!

18 months!

2009-04-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

Kennedy had her 18 month check up today and it went amazingly well. She cooperated with no crying through the whole visit until the shots of course. Her stats:
Weight: 26 lbs 10 oz (80th percentile)
Height: 33 1/2 inches (90th percentile)
Head: 46 cm (30th percentile)
The doctor said she is doing great and is on track if not a little ahead on her development. We got two shots today and will have to go back in a month to get the other two she was scheduled for. Today she got the dreaded MMR shot which I have been putting off for quite some time now. I am not worried so much as cautious as it is a live virus and has been known to be linked to autism. She had not had any reactions to vaccines so far so I really have no reason to believe there will be any issues with these.
We have made it 18 months..and happy and healthy! We are definitely very blessed!

What's not to like about the Easter Bunny?

2009-03-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

We had our neighborhood Easter Party today and Kennedy had a blast. The weather was perfect, and Kennedy pretty much loved everything about the party including the Easter Bunny! When she wasn't stalking the Easter bunny, she was getting her arm painted, eating yummy iced cookies and playing outside with sidewalk chalk. I am so glad Derek went home and got the camera b/c we ended up getting some great pictures. At one point she put her arms out for the Easter bunny to pick her up. After some cute pics on the bunny's lap, we had to a lot of negotiating to get her to get off! Definitely something we have learned about Kennedy is that she loves a good party. As soon as you say the word she gets excited and wants to be the first to arrive and is always the last to leave!

The Map!

2009-03-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

Kennedy has developed a bit of an unhealthy obsession with the show Dora the Explorer. Since starting to watch this one, she started saying "Map" over and over and "Backpack" and has even picked up some of the catch phrases like "oh Man" and "yum, yum, yum". She asks to watch it a lot but is starting to learn that we don't get to watch it but a few times a day. Yesterday she kept climbing into the chair in the living room and saying "Map" over and over. I don't think it is a bad show for her to watch it is just setting a limit for how much and sticking to it.
She is getting her bottom canines and is very grumpy this week and it was definitely tempting yesterday to give in and let her watch it to stop the tantrums, but I did hold strong. How much tv is too much for an 18 month old anyway? The pediatrician says an hour a day which is definitely hard to do. We are more like 1.5 to 2 hours a day right now. I always watch with her and it is great snuggle time. She is also picking up a lot of words which is cool. I am not sure what the right answer is but in the meantime, I will just have "I'm the Map, I'm the map, the map" repeating in my head all day!

Here she is saying her favorite words. Sorry for the horrible video but she doesn't understand the camera and just gets closer and closer. She loved watching this one after I shot it and made me play it over and over. She is very happy with herself :)

Watching her show, very serious!

What's for Dinner?

2009-03-24T10:13:00.001-07:00

So...I have never really liked cooking dinner. I am much more of a baking fan but now that I am staying at home, I am usually on dinner duty. I have really started to enjoy trying out new recipes and seeing what Derek and Kennedy think. I also have developed a love for my crock pot since I got a great big one at Christmas time. I can start something while Kennedy is napping and play outside in the afternoon, come home and dinner's ready! I found a really yummy chicken recipe that I thought I would share with everyone.

6 chicken breasts
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package of cream cheese
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 envelope of Italian dressing mix
1 package of sliced mushrooms

Sprinkle chicken with salt and cook chicken in batches in oil over medium heat (2-3 minutes per side) until browned
Transfer chicken to slow cooker
Add soup, cream cheese, white wine and italian dressing to hot drippings in skillet. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and smooth
Arrange mushrooms over chicken in crockpot and spoon soup mixture over mushrooms. Cover and cook on low 4 hours. Stir before serving. So yummy!
Try it and let me know what you think :) I think we will have this tomorrow.

I also found a blog that has 365 days of using your crock pot. This lady has been on the Rachel Ray show and others b/c she decided to use her crock pot every day! I am not that ambitious but it is definitely interesting. Here is the site: http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

My Legend of Hockey

2009-03-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well Derek is playing in the "Legends of Hockey" game at the Coliseum this Saturday. It is basically former Renegades and Riverdog players going against the VCU team this year. It starts at 5:30 and the Renegades game follows. It is always fun to see old friends and to remember what those hockey days were like. People will still come up and ask for Derek's autograph which feels a little weird but also really cool. Last year we brought Kennedy who was only 6 months old and happy to sit and watch. I am sure this year will be very different but hopefully she will get a kick out of seeing dad on the ice!

Go Derek!

The Park

2009-03-18T10:02:00.001-07:00

We went to Wishing Well Park, a favorite place of ours on nice days. Kennedy is getting so big, she can even climb up on most of the structures and slide down by herself! Days like today where I get to hang out outside at the park and play with Kennedy are when I just can't believe how much I love my job or depending on how you look at it, my lack of one! For all of you stay at home moms out there you know it is the hardest job you have ever had but boy is it a blast! Here are some pics of her playing and having a great time.

Rainy Day ideas

2009-03-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, you are always looking for things to do when you can't get your little wild child outside. Some suggestions for outings when the weather is yucky:

1. Home depot or Lowes-in case you haven't been here with your little one....they love it! I guess it is the big aisles,ladders, cool forklifts, and especially the door section where Kennedy will go in and out of the display doors forever if you let her.
2. Target-always a fun place to visit to get some shopping done and to get out of the house. Kennedy doesn't always stay in the cart at this store so it usually involves a lot of running around
3. Inflation Nation-this is a great place in Richmond with huge inflatables. We just have a blast when we visit going down the huge slides and bouncing around.
4. The pet store-another good place to run around and to get in a little learning about animals. We practice making the animal sounds and playing find the different animals.
5. Barnes and Noble-Storytime seems to be more of a 2+ thing but if they are under 2 years old they will still like to go and sit on the stage and pick out books. You can even score a yummy coffee from Starbucks while you are there!

What we are up to

2009-03-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Well it has been raining here in Richmond for almost 5 days now and that means you have to get creative to find ways to entertain your little one. Luckily Kennedy has hit the age (almost 18 months) where she is a little more content and will entertain herself some. She also likes to go on outings so we do that a lot when the weather is yucky. Today we went to Inflation Nation a great big warehouse with huge inflatables to play on. Kennedy and I both love this place and have a great time sliding down the huge slides and bouncing around!
We are looking forward to better weather that is on it's way! Other than that, Kennedy is growing like a weed and really starting to talk. She not only has about 25-30 words but has started putting words together like "all gone". She has also started using "me" when referring to herself and things that she wants. She also has begun singing which is just plain adorable :) She is very outgoing but also still very much a mama's girl. Kennedy is not been a very affectionate child to this point but has started snuggling, hugging and kissing more. Yay finally!

Derek Turns 30

2009-03-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an interesting week. Derek turned 30 last Thursday and we celebrated by going out to dinner and with a little barbecue on Saturday. It was tons of fun, but in a lapse of judgement being tired and hungry I ate some potato salad that had probably sat out a little too long and woke up with food poisoning Saturday night. Ugghhhhh. I am finally feeling better almost 5 days later and of course now the weather is cold and rainy. Here are a couple of pics of Kennedy enjoying the warm weather in a cute new summer dress :)

Swim lessons

2009-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics I took before Kennedy's swim lesson last friday. She did really well but was the only child that showed up for the class. A little more one- on-one time that Kennedy or me would have liked. This was just something fun to do for the remainder of the winter and just to get her more comfortable with the pool before summertime. No expectations...however the instructors really wanted her to paddle and kick and blow bubbles. She obliged a little but for the most part just wanted to hang onto mommy and get out of the pool, run to the other end, and then come back and jump in!

More vacation pics

2009-03-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pics from our vacation thanks to our friend Helen and her camera.
Kennedy looks like a Sumo wrestler in her snowsuit but as you can see had a lot of fun sledding with her friend Fielding. Right now at home we are dealing with our own winter wonderland with about 7 inches of snow which doesn't happen very often in Richmond!

TGIF....almost

2009-02-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

Whew, it has been a busy week. Today the weather was awesome so we after we went to Barnes and Noble for Storytime (which Kennedy wasn't the least bit interested in) we went to Wishing Well park which is a great little park in Salisbury. She had a blast and threw a huge tantrum when it was time to leave :) We played outside this afternoon and she even tolerated a run in the running stroller after dinner. Yay for me. She was super fun today but also really hard to manage at times. I even had to put her in time out which went over way better than I thought it would. After her minute she gave me a hug and that was that.

All I can say is that the day ended with her pooping in the bathtub,which has never happened to me before. I know completely gross but it also cracks me up b/c it was a totally appropriate ending to our day today. She was so cute looking at me with this worried look and saying Uh-oh over and over again. LOL.

Anyway, tomorrow we start mommy and me swim lessons at the YMCA which I think will be so much fun. I will be sure to take lots of pics in her cute new bathing suit.

Vacation

2009-02-22T17:58:00.000-08:00

We went on a family vacation for an entire week last week to Bryce Mountain. This is a ski resort about 3 hours NW from Richmond in the Shenandoah mountains. The house we rented was amazing and we were lucky to have lots of friends visit as well as my mom for a few days. Kennedy was great-up for anything and sticking to her routine of sleeping etc like a champ. We did some sledding, took a trip to the Shenandoah caverns and Derek and I got to go skiing one afternoon-yay. Here are some initial pics...

Yes this is where we stayed...awesome right?

our little snow bunny :)

In the caverns...unfortunately a poor choice in clothing for Kennedy,

Her brown outfit blends in to all the pics of the caverns :(

Here we are taking a rest. It was $500 fine to touch anything

in the caverns. Try telling a 17 month old that one!

cool display of bears from a previous Rose bowl parade.

Lounging around

2009-02-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

Just a relaxing weekend so far. The weather is fabulously warm so we have been spending a ton of time outside playing and exploring. Here are some random pics from us lounging around.

Check out the new trick :)

If you have a child eating finger foods and you don't have a

snack trapper you must get one. They are fantastic!

How adorable am I?

Look no spills mom!

Boots

2009-02-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

So Kennedy has been just mortified of the cute boots, Grandma got her for Xmas. But.....yesterday her little friend Meghan came over and we had her put them on. Kennedy then wanted to put them on and has wanted to wear them ever since. Yay!!!!!!!!!! Oh the power of peer pressure :)

First Snow

2009-02-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was 60 degrees and today we woke up to some snow! You gotta love the weather in Richmond! Kennedy seems to be afraid of anything involving cold weather...this would include her very adorable snow boots, her new snowsuit and her mittens. Hmm...so we went out without those items. She seemed a bit freaked out by the snow as well so we were only out there for a little bit but managed to catch a few pics of her first time seeing snow :)

Feeling Better

2009-01-29T10:40:00.001-08:00

We are both feeling better today. I got Kennedy a humidifier for her room and boy did that help get rid of her cold. It is this cute pediatric one from Crane that looks like a frog. Super cute and really quiet. Now we just need one for our room-maybe not a frog one though! Kennedy had a much needed play date this morning and seemed very happy before going down for her nap. Hopefully the weather will be nice this weekend and we can get some time outdoors.

Here are some pics from this morning. She actually posed for a few pics and then wanted to look at them on the camera :)

Looks like she is giving me the thumbs up!

Cabin Fever

2009-01-28T10:33:00.001-08:00

Kennedy has had a cold since last week and I seriously might lose my mind. I of course got the cold as well and b/c of the nasty weather we have been stuck in the house. All Kennedy does every couple of minutes and insist on going outside. If I ignore her she grabs the diaper bag and her coat and stands by the garage door. I am not sure where she wants to go but we have been battling over it for days. The worst part of having a sick child is wondering what to do. Should I take her to the doctor or is it just a cold and I will be exposing her to more sickness????? It is just so hard to tell and b/c they aren't telling you if their ears hurt etc, you really are just guessing. Anyway, we have been sticking it out for the past week and she does seem to be getting better. I, however and am on the verge of insanity which as a stay-at-home mom is something I am very close to on a daily basis even with a well child. Sigh.......

Catching up

2009-01-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well the sleep problems are getting that much better although we did put in a night light and she has not been waking up in the middle of the night.....however she is waking up at 6AM on the dot every day. Blah....I am just hoping it is b/c she is getting her K9 teeth in, which are the worst of them all.
Other than that we have had ton of playdates for Kennedy. Last week on Friday we went to a playgroup in the neighborhood, Saturday Baby Drew drop by with his parents for a little visit, Sunday we had Kennedy's friend Fielding and her parents over and today (Tuesday) she had her first playdate with a little girl in the neighborhood Megan. She seems to really enjoy other kids but it is funny b/c she is much more laid back than when she is just with us. At home she can be quite loud and demanding :)
Here are just some random pics, I finally downloaded.

she is already giving me that look :)

Yes we still have the binky and are more stubborn than ever about it!

teasing the dogs with her snacks...a favorite pastime

Check out that face...it is from those dried fruits which leave

this horrible red dust that dries like cement on their faces.

I kind of like the red beard look

Sleeping issues :(

2009-01-16T09:38:00.001-08:00

With every new milestone comes new challenges. Kennedy has always been such a wonderful sleeper that this new challenge is quite frustrating for everyone. We think Kennedy is having night terrors. She has been waking up crying hysterically during the night. Sometimes one, two times. There really isn't any way to console her. Last night was better but she woke up at 6AM hysterical instead. I am not that surprised just b/c I have always had nightmares and "episodes" where I talk or sometimes think I see things when sleeping. My mom had the same thing and from what I read it can be hereditary. Just the other week I woke up screaming b/c I thought I saw someone walk into our room. Apparently Kennedy has now joined me in having weird sleep issues.
No new pics this time....I will try to take some this weekend.

15 month Stats

2009-01-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

I took Kennedy for her 15 month Dr's appointment today. She is doing great but it always feels really good to hear the doctor say it :)
She weighs 25.1 lbs (80th percentile), length 32 (90th percentile) and head size 45 (50th percentile). The doctor said she was a bit advanced for her age in vocabulary. Usually at 15 months they would have a handful of words but Kennedy has more like 10-15 and is constantly having "conversations" with us. Basically she just looks at you and starts talking nonsense but will use inflection asking us questions and waiting for us to respond. It is quite cute. She is going to be quite the chatterbox. The only thing we do need to do, is start her on a vitamin b/c she is still refusing milk. We gets lots of dairy in her otherwise but just to be on the safe side we are going to supplement to make sure she is getting enough calcium and vitamin D. Only one shot today and because we are on a modified vaccination schedule we will split up the 18 month shots into 2 visits.

I can feed myself....sort of

2009-01-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

Kennedy is very into feeding herself these days. She is getting better at it, but boy is it messy. It will be fabulous once she gets a little bit better at it, for now we are just dealing with lots of cleanup and usually some food in the hair etc.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

We didn't do anything too crazy for New Year's Eve this year but our good friends Rebecca and Dan were nice enough to invite us over. They had lots of yummy food and fun for the kids with a huge inflatable trampoline. I wasn't sure if Kennedy would be able to hold her own with the boys (three, 3 year olds) but she totally did and had a blast. She can be very quiet but also extremely adventurous. You can see in the pics we started out cautious but then the jacket came off and she got a bit crazy :) We were home by 7:30 and Kennedy went straight to bed. I would like to say we stayed up till midnight but we didn't quite make it this year.

Pics from the Holidays

2008-12-27T17:46:00.001-08:00

We had a great Christmas even though it seemed to fly by this year. Christmas Eve we did a huge dinner before going to church including a whole turkey(Derek insisted I take a picture). Kennedy did great at church considering we hadn't taken her to a service since she was mobile. She made it till the very end when I had to take her outside to run around. The funny thing was the other two children her age that were there, were also outside :) Christmas day was extremely overwhelming but fun for Kennedy. She really liked her toys but by the end of the day was just exhausted from the overstimulation. She got lots of fun things including a baby doll, little kitchen and shopping cart, the little people school bus, books and so many more things! She should be entertained at least for a little while now :)

Look what I can do

2008-12-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick video of Kennedy's latest achievement....climbing up on the chair by herself. She is very happy about it, but I am of course very concerned she is going to fall off and break her head open. She can't quite get on any of the other furniture yet but it won't be long!

Random pics

2008-12-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

Just some random pics from yesterday afternoon. Grandma came for dinner and Kennedy just loves playing with her reading glasses. She looks so grown up here but a little cross-eyed :) I also love that when she smiles now, you can see her teeth!

Bye Bye Baby Rat Tail

2008-12-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Well I finally did it. I cut my baby's hair. She had been growing an awesome baby rat tail for a long time now and felt like at 15 months, it was time to cut it. Her hair looks so different to me without it-I can finally see her neck in the back! Anyway, I put it in the scrapbook and took a pic.
It is kind of hard to see but here it is!

Here is a funny pic of Sophie snoozing yesterday.
Kennedy was putting her bracelet on her and playing by her head but she just kept on sleeping. Poor Sophie :) LOL

First Words

2008-12-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

Kennedy has about a handful of words other than mama and dada (which lately she is shortening to ma and da) that she can say. It is so exciting that she is beginning to be able to communicate with us with actual words other than grunts and cries. I really can't wait-it is just so hard guessing what they want and worrying that you aren't understanding them properly. The words she has pretty much mastered include:

bye

apple

down

beep

ball
she is also working on a few like diaper,doggie, and bike. She understands everything we say and even takes directions like "give this to daddy" or "bring me that ball" which is really cool.

Here are some pics of her giving her favorite bedtime buddies Gainer and kitty cat a ride on her bike.

Oh the Sickness

2008-12-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

Well we have all been really really sick at the Schutz household. It started with Kennedy and what seemed like another cold but Thursday she started throwing up and continued all day. She also refused to eat or drink and go to bed. Friday I took her to the doctor (not our doctor but another in the practice who I can't stand but that is for another time) that told us she probably had a virus but her ears etc looked good. Friday night was really bad. She just would not go to bed and I felt bad b/c she was sick so we let her stay up for a while. Well a little while turned in to tantrum after tantrum until 1 AM. Derek and I were mentally and physically exhausted and finally just had to let her cry it out which I hate. Saturday night I got sick and I mean really sick, up all night sick. I felt horrible and if Kennedy felt anything like I did no wonder she didn't want to go to bed. Yuck. I was in bed all day Sunday and then Sunday night Derek got sick with the same thing. He had to miss a business trip Monday morning b/c he was feeling so bad. Finally today I am feeling back to normal. I absolutely hate being sick and am the worst sick person ever. Anyway-things are getting back to normal and hopefully we will get a break from sickness for a while.

Evening Craziness

2008-12-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

I took this video the other night after dinner. Kennedy is being silly and a bit crazy climbing on the sofa :)

Christmas is almost here

2008-12-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

We have put up all the Christmas decorations and Kennedy is enjoying them. She points to the ornaments and lights, and brings me the presents from under the tree to open. I can't wait to watch her experience everything this year and to start traditions that we will carry on for years to come.

Happy Turkey Day!

2008-11-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving and Kennedy really seemed to enjoy herself....
She ate....and ate.....and ate some more. She tried and liked just about everything including deviled eggs, country ham, turkey, stuffing, and green bean casserole to name a few. Her favorite seemed to be the ambrosia. However, she ate so much that after we put her to bed she woke up about an hour later screaming with a belly ache. We gave her some gas medicine drops and she watched a bit of TV with us and after about 30 minutes she went back to sleep. We didn't take many pictures but here are the few we did take from the day:

I got up this morning and braved the crowds for Black Friday. I didn't think it was too bad and enjoyed being out for a day of shopping with just myself and my mom.

BRRRRR!

2008-11-26T07:55:00.000-08:00

With the cold weather, I still want Kennedy to get some time to play outside. So there are lots of layers going on these days. She doesn't seem to mind the cold weather, however as many of you know-I hate it! The thing is, that her favorite activity is going into other people's yards. I don't know what it is but she just won't stay out. Her favorite yard belongs to the Cho family. She loves to walk up and down the pavers they have on either side of their driveway. I am sure that occasionally they see us in their yard and think that I am crazy. I try to discourage the behavior but she just has a huge melt down if you try to make her leave. We aren't out very long so I feel bad not letting her have her fun. All I can say is sorry Cho family-your yard is just awesome and we just can't resist! You can't be upset with this cutie can you?

Where's Laina?

2008-11-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

So I haven't been blogging very much recently....you ask why???

Well that would be because Kennedy is now only taking one nap a day for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Yikes I know. This leaves much less time to clean, do projects and of course blog. Now that I have started to get the hang of this new schedule I should be able to post more frequently. Here are some pics of Kennedy doing some art projects including pudding finger painting! She liked it but then didn't like being all messy...heheee

she doesn't quite get these crayons yet but she loves

stickers!

LOL-pudding beard!

This is messy but delicious!

I think she is looking more like me these days

I like the pucker lips in this pic

Morning cuteness...Derek got me matching pajamas to these

We look so cute together-I will get Derek to take a picture of the

two of us wearing our Pink Elephants Iceskating Pajamas soon. Yay!

Our Little Helper

2008-11-16T17:38:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have posted anything b/c we didn't really do much this week. We were stuck in the house with Kennedy fighting a bit of a cold and the weather being yucky and rainy. She was feeling much better by the weekend which was good since I had a lot on the to-do list.

The major project on the schedule was to paint the downstairs hallway and foyer. The one thing I will say about being home is that all the little things that aren't finished or you would like to change really start to bug you when you are looking at them all day every day. The people that lived in our house before us had try to touch up the paint but somehow used a slightly different color and I was just sick of looking at all the weird spots on the walls. Kennedy has been very into helping me and decided she would climb the ladder with Daddy and try to help him tape.

Such a good helper. And who needs pants to help anyway!

What am I doing Mom? Oh just climbing this ladder :)

After all the work this weekend it was time for some fun. My good friend Rebecca got us tickets to Disney on Ice on Sunday. We got Kennedy dressed up cute and headed to the Coliseum. We weren't really sure how this would go. The show was 2 hours long and Kennedy really only sits still for increments of oh.... ten minutes. But we were really impressed at how well she did. She sat still and watched for almost the whole first half before getting really antsy and a bit fussy. We had some snacks and watched another maybe 15 minutes before Dad had to take her for a walk on the concourse. But for the most part she loved it and was very well behaved. Considering she skipped her afternoon nap and was exhausted by the end she was exceptionally well behaved. That's my little girl-future figure skater I knew it!

some pics with mom and Dad before heading out

Let's go already!

No seriously let's go!

Whew showing a little leg :)

I got this funny hat when I got cotton candy at the show.
I don't like the hat nearly as much as I liked the cotton candy!

The Zoo

2008-11-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

We took Kennedy to the zoo and she loved it of course. We fed the giraffes and they gave all of us a quick bath as well :) She had so much fun running to each exhibit to see what was in there. It was a perfect day to be outside and we got there just as all the kids on field trips were leaving. If you live in Richmond and haven't made the trip to the Metro Richmond Zoo you definitely have to. I love it just as much as the kids do!

my favorite is the Orangutans-so cute and smart!

The best part of the zoo is feeding the giraffes-so cool!

We voted

2008-11-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

This morning Kennedy and I sucked it up in the rain and went to vote. It was around 9:30 and I figured we might have missed the crowd trying to go before work and those that were going to go at lunch. I brought lots of snacks and stuff to play with-so much it was hard to carry everything in, but I didn't need it. It took 10 minutes! She did not want to hold my hand or have me hold her so even though the line was short she fought me the whole time of course. At one point she let go of my hand and took off running and I had to drop everything and sprint after her. I didn't expect anything less from my stubborn little girl. But besides her not wanting to sit still, we carefully made our choice and were out of there and home for a nap super quick. Yay!

Please everyone vote today even if there are long lines, nasty weather or you have to bring little ones with you. It is just so important.

From the words of the man I am trusting my vote to...

"If you are willing, if you are willing to endure some rain, if you are willing to drag that person, you know is not going to vote, to the polls, if you are willing to organize and volunteer in the office, if you are willing to stand with me, if you are willing to fight with me, I know, your voice will matter. So I have just got one question for you Virginia, are you fired up? Are you ready to go? Fired up? Ready to go! Virginia, lets go change the world."