Bits N Pieces of the Last Few Weeks

When 'Bumpa' and Gramma Jo came to collect Aunt Sus last weekend we were able to have a little birthday cake for 'Bumpa' Sunday afternoon since his b-day was on Mon. I tried a new recipe for an ice cream crunch cake that was very simple, and turned out to be pretty yummy! Of course I couldn't find my camera until after the candles were blown out...but at least i found it. :) Bumpa telling her the candles are hot ...

and then letting her have a swipe of 'frosting'.Miss Kate loves to try on shoes. The bigger the better. :)She needed a little wall support to get into grandpa's boots. She needs to work on her sense of style I'm thinkin'. ;)

She also loves hats...especially Aunt Susie's.Trying to sneak off in Gramma Jo's shoes while she is finishing packing up to leave Sun. afternoon.That is the extent of pics I got while they were here since I am pretty bad at remember to bring out the camera.

Now on to the next 'bit'...

Miss Kate thinks that at 17 mos she pretty much knows how to do all things concerning cooking baking and helping in the kitchen. She jumps and runs whenever a timer goes off in the kitchen and is always there to assist in loading and unloading the dishwasher. She also likes to help clear the table or carry dirty dishes to the kitchen. The other day when the bread timer went off she rushed into the kitchen to peer into the oven and see what was done this time. I followed along behind as usual... only to watch her open the kitchen drawer, pull out the oven mitt, put it on and begin to open the oven, fully intending to get that bread herself. She was very disappointed to be told it wasn't done yet and we had to set the timer for more, but she dutifully put the oven mitt back where it belonged and tromped off to play once again. Since the camera happened to be sitting right there on the counter I was able to catch it on camera.

I can do this Mom, really I can.See, I've got my oven mit on and everything.You mean its still not done. How much longer do I have to wait?

And the next 'bit'...

I have to laugh when Miss Kate tries to put more than one word together as it usually comes out all mangled. Like when she tries to say 'happy puppy' or 'bye-bye puppy' or 'happy baby'. This morning I heard her crying in her room around 5:45 -just after Mr. Wise guy left for work but before I could fall back to sleep- so I went to bring her into our room. I put her down in bed and crawled in beside her only to find her wide awake (I certainly was not). She was concerned that Daddy was not there (she kept saying Daddy?, Daddy?) so I told her that he had gone to work for the day and we would see him at dinner time. She promptly sat up and waved at the bedroom door saying 'Daddy Bye-Bye' over and over again...only half the time it came out Baddy Dye-bye or Dabby Bye-dye. Of course when I burst out laughing she was sure I was ready to get up and play with her. I assured her I was going to sleep and suggested she do the same but I don't think she fell asleep for over an hour and even then she only dozed lightly ...but at least she was quiet so I could sleep. She was still ready to get up before I was and climbed down to play. I slept for another 40 min. undisturbed and found no damage done when I finally rolled out of bed to find her. I think she just went into her room and lay on the floor with her blankey.

And now for the last 'piece'...

The other day it was nice enough out that we were able to get out and rollerblade. I haven't done it since last Oct. /Nov. so its been awhile since Kate has had the joy of flying along in her stroller. (we have kept it to walking-much slower) She LOVED it. She kept making engine noises and on the hills she would go 'Wheeeeeeee'. She was very content for the whole hour and a half ride. We went to Cascade Park which is somewhere on Valley Rd. several miles from our house and down this VERY looong hill, which is so much fun to do on rollerblades. Definitely a wheeeeeee!!! (not quite as steep as Gerber hill but twice as long)

Looking down at the park from 1/2 way up the hill.

The only problem is that once you have gone down you must get back up... The good news is about half way back up your butt is on fire which means the workout is very effective...the bad news is your butts on fire and you're only half way up AND there are 2 more hills and several miles to go before you get back home. :) (Being 5 mos pregnant and pushing a 25 lb toddler only enhances the fire.) :) I'm not complaining...it feels too good to be working out once again.

This is not the top of the hill and only shows about 1/2 of it but the road curved back the other way again so I couldn't get all of it in one shot. You can see the entrance to the Park if you look closely right next to the telephone pole and about 2/3 of the way up the fence.

Here is a parting shot from the little champion rider. :)

Ya'all have a good day now.

Daily Findings

I have realized lately in my daily doings, as I go about the house, I collect things that have migrated to odd places (courtesy of Miss Kate) and return them to their usual residence without much thought. I decided I should start taking photos of some as I know this stage will pass all too quickly and I'll forget about it. Although I must confess I would just as soon forget some... for instance... We try to keep the bathroom doors shut at all times since Miss Kate has been caught churning her little fist in the toilet before...and has also found it a convenient place to drop things into. (She loves water)

What's in YOUR toilet???

At least it had only been a day or two since the last cleaning, but still... UGH!

I never know what I might find in my kitchen drawers and cupboards...

The can of olives(or the tomato paste) is her favorite thing to steal from the pantry because of the convenient size.(small enough to hang onto)

And the toy hot dog has found its way into the pantry numerous times.

I find all manner of things in the bath tub, usually a toy and or some clothes...but today it was my kitchen towel.

I keep a basket of basic travel supplies for company in case they forget something, and this is Miss Kates favorite thing to get into. She will spread its contents hither and yon putting a shampoo bottle here, a toothbrush there and some dental floss and lotion somewhere in between. I found this shampoo and toothpaste on her shoe shelf.

...And if your wondering where the missing tennis shoe is...you might check one of the kitchen cupboards.


Well, look who's in the kitchen once again...

Finding her cans of choice from the pantry

and hauling them away to the living room to mix in with all the other toys...

..Or leave them neatly lined up on the coffee table. (Occasionally she surprises me.) :)

How bout we take em for a ride in the dolly stroller...

At least it keeps her busy...
until she comes across something more interesting.

(when she walked back out of the bedroom she stepped on the olive can and it slipped across the floor under her foot and she ended up taking a hard seat on the floor. I told her it was her own fault when she whined about it. Such a mean mommy.) :)

Unloading the clothes drawer is always exciting.A favorite pasttime of hers.

She loves to gather an armful of shirts and wander around stuffing them in odd places...or drape them around her shoulders like a scarf.

Just leaving them in the middle of the kitchen is fun too. :)

Always check the garbage cans before emptying them. They are a handy place to drop treasures into.

And sometimes she wanders around collecting choice objects into a grocery sack. For some reason she likes to pick up random things and put them somewhere else that apparently seems a better place for them to her. I guess she watches me tidy up the house too often and that is what it appears i am doing...just moving things from one place to another. :)

Often I find things stuffed in Mr Wise Guys shoes...they're nice and big so lots of things fit in them... ;) She frequently stuffs her socks into our shoes but a few times i have found this too...

I'll spare you any photos (though i do have some) of her other love... that of finding any loose panties, clean or dirty, and wearing them about her neck(by sticking her head through a leg hole)...or on her head like a hat. She is very proud of the fact that she can pull them on and off from around her neck by herself. At least she keeps the days from getting boring, leaving so many surprises around for me. :)