Daily Life

What to do when Kai gets too wiggly in the shopping cart


Helping Mom--he comes running when he hears the word dishes, or the sound of the dishwasher opening.

Saturday Fun

This past Saturday we made the drive to Denver to visit the Downtown Aquarium. It was actually the first time we had really gone that far into Denver and it was different than I had expected. I was surprised by how much was right there within arm's reach of the interstate. I guess that makes getting somewhere that much easier. Anyway, getting to the aquarium wasn't that hard (right off the interstate) although it did take nearly an hour. By the time we got there, Kai was ready to go. While the Downtown Aquarium can't compare to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, it served it's purpose. Kai saw lots and lots and lots of fish. He got to touch a Chocolate Chip Starfish, and Reid got to touch a stingray. Reid and I were impressed with how close you could get to everything. Kai enjoyed seeing the parrot, looking for Nemo, and hiding in the bubbles under one particular tank (you'll have to see the pictures). The only thing that bothered Kai was the noise (from the rainforesty soundtrack they had playing at super-loud volume) and the crowds. If he could be in a quite place all alone with the fish, he would have been in heaven! As it was, he just asked to be left alone in his stroller. We had a fantastic time as a family and it was definitely one of the most fun weekends I have had in a long time!

Getting to know the fish

The Bubble--Kai would have stayed here all day.
It was quiet and right up next to the fish.

Singing "Slippery Fish" with Mommy in the bubble.

The safety of the stroller. Just in case the glass isn't strong enough!

Meeting the parrot. Another huge highlight for Kai.

Must have been some good fish we were looking at....
or the turtles.

I loved the jellyfish. I thought they made a fantastic picture.

Reid touching a stingray.

Troublemaker

There are two doorknobs in our house that are different than the rest--the doorknob to the master bedroom, and the doorknob to the room we use as the toy room. The rest of the houst has lever knobs, which Kai learned to open just a little before Christmas. The two different doorknobs are your standard round knobs but they also have locks on the inside.

A couple of weeks ago Reid was looking at the knobs and commented that we would one day have a problem with Kai and the locks. I kind of dismissed it and thought that would be a problem for a 2 or 3 year-old, when he could actually reach the knob without standing on tiptoe and stretching real hard. Well......I was wrong!

Yesterday morning Kai ran into our bedroom and shut the door. Being a game that he plays frequently, I didn't worry about it and opened the door. This happened twice without a problem. The third time I must have been a little too slow because by the time I got to the door it was LOCKED!!! All I can figure is that Kai tried to open the knob and in the process turned the lock. Worst of all, the lock requires an actual key (not one of those normal little metal sticks, but a real key) and there is a frame around the door covering the edges. And there are also no screws on the outside of the knob.

So, my first reaction, other than laughing my head off, was to call Reid before he left his desk to go get lunch. Luckily he was there. He gave me a few suggestions and about five minutes to work on it, and then he called me back. We were still stuck! So poor Reid had to trek home to help us out. I spent 30 minutes trying to get Kai out--all the while entertaining him and hoping that he wasn't getting into trouble behind the door. Within one minute of walking through the door, Reid had him free! I always thought learning to pick a lock was something troublemakers did, but apparently it's also a necessary skill for the mothers of troublemakers!! It was pretty funny though as Kai would reach his little hand under the door to touch me, lay on his side to see me, and ask for kisses when he bopped his head on the wall.

Notice Kai peering out at Mommy

He started to get a little upset when I told him he was stuck, but other than that he was a good sport. It was certainly an entertaining morning!

After being rescued, Kai enjoyed lunch.
PS. Notice the new haircut.

Bye Bye Nancy

The very first person that I got to know in Colorado was Nancy. She's such a fun, friendly person that I couldn't help but like her. Nancy was the first person that we left Kai with other than family. She's also been a great friend for girls' night, Olympic TV viewing, outlet shopping, a pedicure, and lunch out. Kai has enjoyed climbing on her lap during Relief Society for book reading and seeing what random object she had in her bag. Reid even had the pleasure of being her hometeacher. I am most certainly going to miss her, and I know Kai will, too.

It was fun visiting one last time this afternoon. We enjoyed a good walk in the 60 degree weather, as well as playing in the front yard. Kai loved playing with her and couldn't stop smiling and giggling. It broke my heart when the front door shut and from the toy room I heard the little voice, "Nancy??" Hopefully we'll get to see each other again during the holidays.
We wish her and her family the best of luck--we know this is a great move for them!

A Conversation with Kai

For a 20 month old, I think Kai's vocabulary and speech is quite good. Lately he's been learning the concept of "lose". Here's a conversation we had this morning while he was drinking his milk.

Kai: Uh oh. Lose.
Mommy: Kai, did you lose something?
Kai: I lose something.
Mommy: What did you lose?
Kai: I lose milk.
Mommy: You lost milk?
Kai: I lost milk.

Pretty good, huh!

Yay Daddy! (by Kai)

Mom says that Daddy had some good news at work last week. So, on Friday Mom took me to Wal-Mart and I picked out a cake for Daddy. Mom picked out a present and I got to help wrap it. Then Mom had me draw a picture for Daddy. It was so much fun.
On Saturday Mommy and Daddy took me to GoodTimes for my first hamburger. It was yummy and so were the fries and custard. We were celebrating! Too bad Mommy forgot her camera. Oh well, we had a good time. I love Daddy!

Sock Monster

It's becoming routine now that every morning Kai helps Daddy pick out his socks. He gets the socks out of the drawer and then tells Daddy which sock goes on which foot. And afterwards, he's started to add "Need socks", meaning that he needs socks on, too. However, for Kai, socks are very adaptable. He has created his own sock monster that comes to visit Mommy and Daddy in the mornings. We all laugh and have a good time.

Celebrating in 2008

On Christmas Eve we caught a flight out of Denver to the wonderful land of Washington DC. It was our first trip back since the move, and to say that I was excited would be an understatement. I couldn't wait to see my family and friends and to show Kai the area. Thankfully, Reid bought me a digital camera for Christmas so I have many pictures of our fun trip.

Our first full day was Christmas day. Kai got soooo many presents!! We had to open the gifts in shifts to keep him from being overwhelmed--well, that and we were waiting for some other family members. Some of Kai's favorite gifts were a Winnie the Pooh (from my mom), Elmo slippers (from Santa), lots and lots of books (over a dozen!), blocks (from Aunt Amy), and a race car set. He was certainly busy opening the presents. By the end of the day he actually figured out how to rip off the paper. He's now ready for his birthday in May!

The day after Christmas I got to visit with a good friend and see her daughter for the first time in over a year and half. We had a good time and Naomi taught Kai a thing or two about how to really eat lunch! While we were enjoying lunch, Reid and the men of my family were helping my sister move to a new place.

On Saturday the 27th, we met up with Joseph, Amy, Rob, and Heather in DC for lunch. We ate at the cafe in the Museum of Natural History before looking around a bit. It was so nice out that there were a lot of people and the museum was quite crowded. So, we decided to head out into the nice weather. We walked down to the Washington Monument and took pictures of the mall, the White House, and the Capitol building. Joseph and Amy were nice enough to come with us and they also showed us a few other spots that we hadn't noticed before. We went to see the gardens behind the Smithsonian castle and we visited the sculpture garden before heading back to my parents. It was a full day and a lot of fun.

On Sunday the 28th we had planned on attending the ward that I grew up in as well as the ward that we had been in for the 2 years we were there. The meeting times were at 9 and 1. We almost made it through the 9 o'clock meeting without incident. About 5 minutes before the end Kai grabbed his yogurt melts and flung them all over the place. I sat him in the chair to prevent him stepping on them and grinding them into the carpet, and he then proceeded to fall through the back of his chair and wack his head hard! I was so glad when we could head home! As we were getting ready to attend the second meeting, Kai lost his lunch (and probably breakfast) all over the place and that ended our day. We changed him into jammies and watched Finding Nemo. I think the poor kid just needed a break.

We got to visit friends again on the 29th and 30th. We enjoyed catching up and seeing everyone. Our last day was the 31st and so we took a trip to the temple. We had wanted to take Kai to see the Christmas lights, but with concerns of traffic and New Year's Eve crazys, we settled for a day trip to see the nativities and the trees instead. It was a nice trip. I love the visitor's center!

It was a good trip. Kai ended up in our bed at some point every night and we would awaken to a little face in ours saying "Hi!", "all done", "biiiig doggie", and normally something about "Lola 'n Tigger" (the cats). He loved being the center of attention, having so many people to play with, and of course, having the cats.

We came home to find that Santa had left two more presents for Kai: his very own slide and vacuum cleaner. He's has absolutely loved both toys and we have to thank Santa for making a special trip to Colorado to save mom and dad on the shipping.
All-in-all it's been a wonderful Christmas season. I love that our years end with Christmas because it helps me begin each new year with Christ in my thoughts. I'm glad that we had the chance to remember the reason for the season and I'm so grateful for the blessings of the gospel in my life. I love my little family and am looking forward to another fabulous year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!