21 months!!
Hey Kenya Kay,
We are on Spring break now and loving every second of it!! You are taking a nap so I'm trying to write a quick blog in between laundry loads... I can't believe it's been 3 months since I've blogged last, it all seems like a big blur now but I'll try to catch you up with some pics and stats.
You are getting so big (and heavy) and talking so much more. You use 4+ word sentences and some of your choice phrases crack me up. Of course they're all escaping my brain right now but your phrase of the week is "No more work Mom!" and "Mommy Kenya day" cause we are loving Spring break together! Your favorite color is still orange and you want everything to be orange, but red, purple and green are close runners-up. You were pretty disappointed the other day when you got a pink balloon from Krispy Kreme but we managed to keep it together and be appreciative (though we did have a total melt-down at Toys R Us cause the pink golf club was in the clearance bin and the orange one wasn't - we redirected the meltdown and still came home with the pink one which I'm not sure was worth the $1.50 we saved on it but you are learning I don't give into your tantrums or cuteness as quickly as everyone else). You always ask for orange peppers and cheez-its, but cucumbers are another new favorite food too. With your love for orange has also come a love for all kinds of construction and trucks (though trains are still your fave and you are so happy the weather is nice so we can book it running down the block to see it as soon as we hear the whistle). Your Uncle Bradley has promised to buy you an orange van (and an anteater) for your 32nd birthday, but somehow after meeting the Easter bunny (from a distance cause you were not about to sit on his lap) at the mall the other day you're convinced the Easter bunny is bringing you an orange truck even sooner for Easter (which you talked about the whole ride home). You have a new aficion (I'm thinking in Spanish now and can't come up with the English word) for Elmo lately and are obsessed with www.sesamestreet.org where you bang on the keyboard like it's your job. Your new favorite song is Wheels on the Bus where you make up all kinds of new verses about anyone new you meet like Bob (from Daddy's work) on the bus goes "bob, bob, bob" and your Uncle Bone (our friend Brian from the DR who you nicknamed) goes "bone, bone, bone"... I think you have at least 20 verses now (some we will leave off the blog cause I'm not sure who reads it or if they would like how you identify them ;)... speaking of embarrassing things you point out, these days every type of skin bump, bruise, freckle, pimple, spot, or anything else is a "rash" (which you call "ash") and are not afraid to point out on anyone you meet either (especially me of course), or sometimes you walk around holding your booty when you have a diaper rash saying "ash, ash, ash" which of course sounds like something else and has random mama strangers shooting me looks...
Well the laundry is ready to change now and I'm not sure how much longer you'll nap so time for the photo roll and then our Spring break recap (I'm so sad it's coming to an end)...
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| Your 2nd Valentine's day was celebrated with everything heart shaped... from pancakes to cucumbers to pizza!!! |
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| You were pumped when I brought home my Valentine stash from my kiddos - they sure know how to treat a teacher right! |
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| You and your dad have been doing afternoon tea parties every afternoon (until he went back to work full-time at Velocity last week :*( - you always yell out "Tea's On Dad!" - sometimes you try to drink all the creamer while he's getting the tea ready! |
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| You and your dad made this huge abstract art piece together one day and Santa added to it by running across it and leaving our carpet all kinds of stained... now it's framed and hanging on our living room wall :) |
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| You and cousin Gav hanging out at the rehearsal dinner for Auntie Kaitlyn's wedding in Detroit! |
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| Hanging out at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and showing off the collage you made! We went with Auntie Jess and Uncle Bone - our long lost friends from the DR who moved to GR (we couldn't be more excited!) |
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| Your Nana brought out early Easter treats when she came out to visit!! |
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Which I think brings us to... Spring Break!!!
We started vacation off in style with free balloons, doughnuts and hats from Krispy Kreme. You loved watching the doughnuts go through the machine with your face pressed up against the glass alongside a bazillion other curious kids. This was the first of three trips this week - now you walk in like you own the place. (and we did buy a dozen doughnuts for Daddy's work the other day... we're not total freeloaders ;)
Friday night was family date night at Noodles & Company thanks to our friend Dom Ford!! Then it was off shopping at Home Goods which was the worst idea ever (we will not take you back until you're a teenager as it almost cost us hundreds of dollars in damage). Then it was back to Krispy Kreme because it was a very windy stormy night and your balloon from the morning was violently sucked away which you were traumatized by. Even after a new ORANGE balloon you still cried for the green one that was sucked into the sky. Now when we drive by Home Goods you talk about (and sometime cry for) your balloon going bye-bye to be with Jesus.
Saturday we went to see Tia Melissa's (which you love saying) new house in Mason! She treated us to tostadas and some cool treats from Panama and Cuba!
Then it was off to four days on the east side to visit friends and family. Your Grandma Dorr had just had spinal surgery so you were very into taking care of her by bringing her every toy in the house. You didn't sleep a wink being in a different place and were running around the kitchen at 2am so I'm not sure how much help to Grandma we were really were. The weather was beautiful so we had fun walking around downtown Royal Oak and Uncle Bradley took us to the Detroit Zoo.
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| Bird House |
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| We could not get out of the park without riding the carousel (no matter how much Uncle Bradley tried to distract you) |
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| having too much fun |
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We got to see Auntie Tracey and baby Sawyer at PF Chang's and hang out in the Spring exhibit at Somerset and go across the Sky Bridge (which took foreeever)... you could easily find mom's pink car in the parking lot looking down (I think it's pretty easy to find a beater among all the jags and BMW's)...
You and cousin Gav also had too much fun playing and had some serious dance parties as well. He taught you how to do "party hands" and now you love to raise the roof all over the place.
Now we're back to home sweet home, you are sleeping again and we're just having fun hanging out.... I'm just loving eating breakfast together, cuddling up on the couch to Sesame Street, feeding the ducks (with Mama's friend Kelly), reading stories (
Guess How Much I Love You? is your favorite lately to act out), going to parks to play (you can spot a park from a mile away) and anything else...
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| playing in the front yard |
Yesterday we made the trek to the Critter Barn in Zeeland for their Spring Fling... you were in HEAVEN holding baby ducks and bunnies and even feeding a baby goat milk from a bottle!
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| Hen house |
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| Baby bunnies |
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| feeding the goat |
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| baby lamb |
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| up close and personal with your favorite animal in the world! |
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| selfie with Mama outside the barn - if only I had time for photo shop ;) |
One last piece of news... we have baby birds!! Juan Pablo and Fiesty had babies and you love to talk about them! Your beloved Tuky (our favorite bird) passed away which you haven't forgotten, you talk about him all the time still and pray for him every night (he is also with Jesus and the green balloon). Grandpa and Grandma are back home from Mexico now though so I think we're taking all the birds (I've lost count how many) back down to their real home in Kalamazoo. We're going to have a cook-out tomorrow and wish great Grandma DeYoung (you say "Bate Bamma") a happy 91st birthday. She just came home from traveling (and dancing) around Spain on her own - how hip is that for a 91 year old?
Well chica, you'll probably wake up any minute so I'll end this novel of a blog entry now. As we say every night in your bunny book... I love you SOOOOOOOO much - to the MOON and back!!!!!!
Love always,
Your Mama
