Weekend fun

Friday night we took Jeff to dinner and a show for his birthday. We had plans to eat downtown at Red Rock, Squatters, or one of the other nearby restaurants. Ben and McKenzie came over to watch the girls, and we headed out. Unfortunately we were running a bit late and we didn't realize that the outdoor expo was in town. The shortest wait for a table was one hour, and we didn't have time for that. We ended up getting a quick snack at Starbucks before going to see Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood from "Whose Line is it Anyway?" They were so funny, and we had a great night out. We'll have to try dinner another night.

Kennedy got her second haircut (really just a trim) on Saturday at Cookie Cutters. She asked for princess buns, and looked so cute! Then we went out to get sushi for dinner, even though Kennedy reminded us several times, "I don't like sushi." Well, she's only had sushi from Costco, and that doesn't really count. We ordered her a kids meal with teriyaki chicken, but she did try some sushi. And, she liked it. Not really a surprise because she loves, loves, loves rice!

We had hopes to go to the library today, but the late opening time didn't work well with nap schedules. Instead we had a quiet day at home, and then dinner at Jeff's to celebrate his birthday. Happy 18th birthday, Jeff!

Surprise dinner for Aunt McKenzie

Saturday was McKenzie's birthday, so we surprised her with dinner at Beth and Ira's house. The kids had a great time playing together, even if Kennedy was a little bossy. When we got to the house Kennedy noticed that they still have up their amazing 12-foot Christmas tree, so she said, "Beth, Christmas is over!" Beth told her that she needed help taking it down, and that she should mention it to Ira when he got back from the store. Of course she did saying, "Ira, you need to take that tree down right now!" She gets a very serious look on her face and even does a bit of the finger wag. Even though it is adorable coming from such a little girl, all I can think is do we do this to her all the time? I don't think so, but maybe I'll have to watch myself.

They played hide and seek, and when Ira found them giggling inside the pantry, he knocked on the door with a "Little pig, little pig, let me come in." Kennedy answered, "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin!." Kennedy also directed some playtime in her cousins' bedroom, taking care of their sick babies. Then Jake made them into a "cousin sandwich." Huck wanted to be in the middle and shouted, "I want to be the cheese!" Kennedy, Eliza and Huck all took turns being the bread (top and bottom slice) and the cheese.

Eventually Kennedy just needed some time to herself and she settled down on the couch to read. Macy loved all the attention from her aunts and grandma...until the end of the night when she let everyone know that she was ready to go home and go to bed. It's hard to get her to wind down in an unfamiliar place.

Earlier in the day, Kennedy was taking charge at her Little Gym class too. She felt it necessary to run halfway across the room to tell Maya that she needed to get off the red mat while the air-track was being set up.

Macy also gets it from her big sister every now and again. "Mace, you need to eat your food!" - and then after dinner - "Mace, you are all messy. You need to take a bath!" Kennedy is even getting down on the floor trying to move Macy's arms and legs to teach her how to crawl. When Jake and I were laughing about it later, I told him that being a leader is a good quality that will serve our daughter well in life.

She's so close

Macy is so close to crawling. She gets up on all fours, rocks a bit and then makes a few tentative hand, knee, hand, knee motions. She's getting very good at rolling and lunging to get what she wants. She can get back up to a sitting position all on her own. She is even pulling up to her knees on anything sturdy that she can reach. All these things are a huge accomplishment for such a little girl. Kennedy took her first steps before she was nine-months-old, so it's fun to have this baby stage last a little longer with Macy. And, it's been nice to not have to chase her all over the house. I think that's about to change though!

I’m convinced that Macy is saying a few words. She says “mmmm, mmmm, mmmm-ahh” when she really wants me to hold her, especially if she’s with someone else at the time. She makes a sound like “E-Dee” which I think is her word for her sister. I think I have heard her say “dada” a few times, and when Alley the cat comes around, there is a distinct shout of “Ahh.” I’m also trying to teach her the signs for milk and more. She might be catching on to these, but it’s hard to tell. Kennedy used to come see me at work everyday, and she always greeted me with a waving hand, like a tomahawk chop. I finally realized that she was doing the sign for milk – the real reason for her visit. Macy often flaps both her arms when she sees me, so I wonder if she's starting to catch on.

Sick girls

Last week Macy was sick with a high fever, so I took her to the doctor's office. It was suggested that we wait a day to see if other symptoms developed before doing a catheter to rule out an UTI. The next day she had thrown up in bed and still had a fever of 103, so we were back in the office for the test. The results looked negative, but then a two days later we got the call with the official culture results...yes, she did have an UTI. Just as we suspected. Thanks to antibiotics, she is feeling much better now.

Kennedy was sick on Tuesday. The day started out great, but while we were driving to Grandma Sue's house she started to say she didn't feel well. I thought she just wanted to stay home and play after the long weekend, but then she threw up. Minutes later, and after a change of clothes, she was fine again, so she went to school. I know, against all the rules. When she was picked up at the end of the day by Grandpa Brent, she said, "I'm having a really hard day!" What else went wrong? Besides getting sick in the car, she had a potty accident at school, and Maddox stepped on her fingers! She even took a nap after school back at Brent and Sue's, which is unheard of for this girl! Then when we got home, while I was bringing Macy in, Kennedy threw up again on the living room rug. While I was cleaning it up, she kept apologizing. That evening she was back to normal, and we had a great time playing "shopping" with her cash register.

Jake's Birthday

I'm way behind on posting, as Jake celebrated his 34th birthday much earlier this month (I hope he doesn't mind me sharing how old he is!) We packed two parties and lots of food into one day. The day started out with a chance to sleep in a bit before we serenaded him with "Happy Birthday!" Then we had an impromptu birthday party for some stuffed animals in the girls' room, complete with more singing and dancing. I gave him tickets to an upcoming comedy show, so we'll arrange for a babysitter and have a night out on the town.

Then we were off for a breakfast celebration with my family, where we got to give our new Christmas gift, an electric griddle, its inaugural run. Jake, birthday boy and chef extraordinaire, made pancakes, bacon, ham, and eggs. Jeff brought along his griddle too. Macy loved eating pancakes for the first time. Kennedy, as usual, ate everything and loved it.

For dinner we went to celebrate with Jake's side of the family. His mom made his requested dinner of ribs and brussel sprouts. Macy loved eating baked beans for the first time. Kennedy and Eliza got the special task of putting all the candles in the cake. I think they were clearly impressed with his age when they could see how many 34 candles really are.

Happy Birthday, Jake! The girls and I love you very much!

Looking back at 2009

Happy New Year!

Andy and Meg surprised us with a visit on New Year's Eve. It was so great to see them, and it was Meg's first time meeting Macy. We ordered take-out from their favorite Indian food restaurant, but before the food was picked up my mom had to take my grandma to the emergency room (she's now home and recovering well). That unfortunately changed the tone of the evening, but we ate and played a few games, and almost made it to midnight. Macy fell asleep about her normal time, but Kennedy was up until 10:00. Then she crashed on the couch until we bundled them both up to go home.

Highlights from 2009:

JANUARY - Kennedy started school at Montessori. Jake's birthday.

FEBRUARY - I think I had a cold the entire month, made even more miserable by being pregnant. I finally read The Count of Monte Cristo, now one of my favorite books.

MARCH - Kennedy's 2nd birthday - she gets a tea set and some play fruit and vegetables. It's the beginning of her favorite new activity, "Let's play with the kitchen!" We decorated the living room and dining room with crepe paper and hosted two festive family parties.

APRIL - A very exciting month! Kennedy has surgery to get tubes in her ears. Our 10th anniversary. Easter with egg dying and dinner at the Club. Waiting, waiting, and then finally Macy was born, five days after her due date, on the 23rd! It was the most amazing experience and completes our family. Kennedy gets a baby sister and her new kitchen.

MAY - Mother's Day just keeps getting better and better. Shared my birthday with Eliza and made family tie-die shirts. Jake and I go on our first date since having Macy - to dinner and a comedy show. Kennedy gets her first haircut and goes to her first birthday party.

JUNE - The school year ends and we take a family trip to Moab. We spent a long weekend hiking in Arches, playing games and swimming at the condo with Jake's family. Jake loves celebrating Father's Day with his two girls.

JULY - Fun night out at a Bees baseball game. I get a precious gift from Jake, a custom designed mother's ring with the girls' birthstones. We spend the 4th in Torrey at the ranch of some family friends, where we take the girls along in packs on a great six mile hike in Sulfur Creek Canyon. We learn that Kennedy has kidney reflux again, and choose to treat it with medicine rather than surgery. The girls and I go to the Oregon coast to visit my grandparents. Macy rolls over for the first time. And, we have our annual family trip to Sun Valley. Busy month!

AUGUST - Uncle Andy comes to visit. Annual Spruces camp out in a huge rainstorm. Jake works the night shift supervising a sewer lining project. Kennedy goes back to school. We take our first visit to the Children's Museum.

SEPTEMBER - My maternity leave comes to an end, and even though I'd been working reduced hours, it is so hard to leave the girls. We start our living room/dining room/kitchen improvement project (which is still not completely done - more to paint, and saving for counters and backsplash to complete the rest of the kitchen upgrade.) Another date night, this time at the zoo fundraiser. Bad luck for both of our dads, followed by visits to the hospital and rehab center to see them for us.

OCTOBER - Macy's first experience with food, and her first trip to the emergency room. The girls loved carving pumpkins, but weren't very cooperative for my favorite pumpkin patch photo op. For Halloween Kennedy was a kangaroo and Macy was a bear, and we had lots of fun at the school carnival.

NOVEMBER - Macy is tested for kidney reflux, and we learn that she doesn't have it! A delicious Thanksgiving meal for the animals at the zoo and for us at Beth and Ira's new house.

DECEMBER - Macy gets three teeth. Kennedy's debut stage performance. Christmas preparations and celebrations, including a trip to see Santa. And best of all, the girls got everything they wanted and more (and so did I - a happy family, a steam mop and a new back door) for Christmas!

What a great year. I hope 2010 will be just as exciting for our family.