Instagram: January 2017

Hallee turned 3 months old this week! (On the 28th). She continues to be a joy. Traveling these last few days made me realize that I rely on the car seat or the swing to put her to sleep as she isn't great at doing that on her own. However, she is a great little sleeper when she gets there. Still sleeping thru the night and napping great. Hallee found her voice this month and enjoys shrieking. She will give big grins but doesn't laugh easily. She loves attention and watching what is going on.

Flight landed at 12:50am. 7 Lopez people departed. Gathered 16 bags, 2 car seats, a stroller and made our way to our shuttle. We were a sight to behold so I documented it. Now, Home Sweet (cold) Home.

This (baby sleeping on my lap) won't last much longer. Trying to be better about being a "yes" mom (like Sister Hinckley described in the history of President Hinckley). Today, it was acrylic painting for the older girls, a bazillion books for Brynlee and a lap nap for Hallee.

Someone wasn't sure what baby powder does...

It's blurry, and you'll have to turn your sound up, but these are some of the cutest baby coos you've ever heard.

Sister shenanigans.

Who hates to meal plan? (me, raising my hand). Who hates not having a meal plan even more? (me jumping up and down and raising my hand). One of my resolutions this year is to meal plan every week. My nights and weeks go so much better when I have a plan, so I'm committed to do it. A while ago I set out to create a rotation of 8-8 weeks of meals with no repeats so I could hypothetically just continue to rotate through it and never actually have to plan again. Here's the first 6 weeks. I grew in lots of things my kids eat as well as things that I love that they will need to learn to love. Now I'm committed to do 2-4 more weeks and I'll seriously be set.

Devynee got invited to an ice skating birthday party and the older kids got to tag along. It sounds like they all had a lot of fun, but will be nursing some sore bottoms and bruises for a few days.

Kendree is playing basketball for the first time this year and is improving by leaps and bounds.

Easton is playing basketball for the second year. This year they start shooting foul shots and calling double dribbles, traveling, etc. Easton is quick on the court and improving his game.

Brynlee's babies (there are 2 or more) are always using the baby equipment that Hallee isn't in.

Since this is pretty much my laundry mantra, this sign obviously had to come home with me from Hobby Lobby.

It's been a while since Instagram got a look at this cutie.

Oh, the things kids say...

Just a few of the recent things the kids have said that I've made sure to write down.

September 2014 - Devynee calls the living room, the "hallroom." This is a little confusing because the hall is also the "hallroom." Keeps me on my toes.

September 2014 - During my work meeting at the beginning of the month, my saint of a mother was watching the two girls all day long.  She had her visiting teachers come to visit.  One of the women is named Bunny.  When my mom introduced Kendree to her, Kendree naturally fell in love with her name and in true Kendree fashion asked about 20 questions about why her name was Bunny, who named her Bunny, etc.  My mom had mentioned that Kendree was cute when Bunny came to visit to my dad on the phone, so when he got home, he made sure to ask her about Grandma's friend that she had met.  Kendree animatedly told Grandpa that she had met Grandma's friend, [insert a pause here] "Alligator!" She then said "No! [insert another pause here] "Bird!" Grandpa decided he better give a little prompt and said "Was it an animal that hops?" and Kendree yelled out "BUNNY!!!!!" Oh, how I wish I could have been there for that one.

September 2014 - Devynee is running naked down the hall.  Kendree runs past yelling "Avert your eyes! Avert your eyes!"

September 2014 - Easton still calls Chicago "Chi-chag-o." I just wanted to document it, since just about two months ago he figured out that the baseball team is the Yankees and not the "Ankees."

September 2014 - Kendree was very frustrated with Easton in the car (the reason escapes me) but she wanted to let him know how she felt, so she turned to him and said, "You are DICULATION!!!" I have no idea what she was trying to say, but she made her point.

September 2014 - We signed up Easton for his own fantasy football team that Ronnie essentially runs for him.  When he is talking about players on the Green Bay Packers, he always calls them "Green Buy" first and then has to correct himself.

Cousins Visit!

My sister, Erc, came to visit for a few days in August, and the kids loved being able to play with their cousins.

One day, they came over to Cheyenne and we took the opportunity to go to the Children's Village at the botanical gardens.

I didn't get any pictures of all of the water wading we did (it was HOT), but did snap a few of the puppet show area.  The kids have a bit to learn about how the whole thing is supposed to go...

Group shot to prove we were there.

 

Then we went for some Hawaiian shaved ice.  The coconut ice cream addition was divine!

We had a great day and love spending time with Grandma, Aunt Erc and the cousins!

Frugality Boot Camp

Over the President's Day weekend, my mom, Erica (sister), Alicia (sister-in-law) and I traveled to Utah to attend a Frugality Boot Camp put on by www.funcheaporfree.com. My dad agreed to be our chauffeur (actually, he went to visit his mom and be our chauffeur). I originally saw a post about this website by my good friend Nicky, (Hi Nicky!) and began following the blog.

Everyone budgets so differently and I've never found a system that I could get behind (I refuse to do cash-based because all I can think about is the points/bonuses I'm missing out on from my credit card - which I pay off every month, by the way).  Jordan (the girl behind this website) has a system that has worked for me for over a year now.  It can be cash or credit card based and it just makes sense to me.

Anyway, we were able to score tickets to the boot camp for super cheap (after all, it is a frugality boot camp) and we made a girls trip out of it.  Thanks to all of the husbands, aunts and uncles who made it possible!

Here's a few links to the things she talks about that I have implemented successfully:
The Envelope Budget
The 3-month Rule
Multiple Bank Accounts (I don't actually have 7, but more makes things surprisingly simple)

Anyway, like most things in life, you have to use what you can and take other things with a grain of salt. :)

During the weekend we were able to eat at some of our favorite restaurants (Zupas, new pizza place in Pleasant Grove, Baskin Robbins) and spend plenty of quality time together.

It should be noted that on Sunday morning I SLEPT (as in actually slept and not just laid in bed) until 10:10 a.m. My mom and dad were taking bets and my mom thought I was asleep, but my dad was sure that I was just reading in bed.

It. Was. Glorious.

Later that day we were able to travel to Morgan, Utah to listen to my cousin's homecoming talk and visit with more family, then we hit the road for wonderful Wyoming.

The weekend was fantastic.

I only took out my camera for three pictures.

At the boot camp.

And of course, at Baskin Robbins.

100 Children's Books

If there is one thing I could spend all of my money on, it is books.  Specifically children's books.  I love them.  I have to be even more diligent because Easton gets book orders now, best day ever.

 

I've been wanting to build up my children's library and have been scouring the internet for different children's book lists.  Caldecott winners, best books overall, etc.  I found this list published by Scholastic and thought it would be a great place to start. 

 

Books we own (and have read) are underlined and the ones I have read but do not own are in red. We do pretty decently with the top 50 and it goes downhill quickly from there.

 

I don't think any one list can contain all of my personal favorites, maybe I'll aspire to compile a list of my own...

 

1. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

2. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

4. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jacks Keats

5. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

7. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

8. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

9. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

10. Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel

11. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

12. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

13. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

14. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

15. The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

16. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

17. Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

18. When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan

19. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

20. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

21. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

22. Corduroy by Don Freeman

23. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

24. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

25. The Giver by Lois Lowry

26. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

27. Black on White by Tana Hoban

28. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

29. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume

30. My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco

31. The Mitten by Jan Brett

32. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

33. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

34. Swimmy by Leo Lionni

35. Freight Train by Donald Crews

36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

37. The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don & Audrey Wood

38. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

39. Zen Shorts by John J. Muth

40. Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton

41. Matilda by Roald Dahl

42. What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry

43. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

44. Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

45. The Composition by Antonio Skarmeta

46. Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

47. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

48. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

49. Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport

50. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

51. Sylvia Long's Mother Goose by Sylvia Long

52. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

53. The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

54. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges

55. Smile! by Roberta Grobel Intrater

56. Living Sunlight by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm

57. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

58. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull

59. Dear Juno by Soyung Pak

60. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes… by Annie Kubler

61. The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

62. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

63. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

64. My Truck Is Stuck! by Kevin Lewis

65. Birds by Kevin Henkes

66. The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

67. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

68. Counting Kisses: A Kiss & Read Book by Karen Katz

69. The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks by Joanna Cole

70. Blackout by John Rocco

71. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

72. Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

73. Tea With Milk by Allen Say

74. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

75. Holes by Louis Sachar

76. Peek-a Who? by Nina Laden

77. Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

78. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

79. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

80. What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

81. Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

82. Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows

83. Yoko by Rosemary Wells

84. No No Yes Yes by Leslie Patricelli

85. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

86. Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

87. Rules by Cynthia Lord

88. Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard

89. An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston

90. Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault

91. Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh

92. What Shall We Do With the Boo Hoo Baby? by Cressida Cowell

93. We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States by David Catrow

94. I Took the Moon for a Walk by Carolyn Curtis

95. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

96. Gossie by Olivier Dunrea

97. The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

98. First Words by Roger Priddy

99. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman

100. Animalia by Graeme Base

Preschool!

My good friend Chelsea and I decided to do a small preschool with our kids and a few other friends as well.  We hold it one day a week at Chelsea's house and teach 8 kids total (4 of which are our own).  We have 4 kids that will be going to Kindergarten next year, 3 that will go the year after that, and then there is Kendree. 

She gets to pretend that she is just as old as the other kids (her favorite).

We had to take first day of preschool pictures, so here they are!

This boy thinks he is hott stuff.  He totally knows how to do preschool, this is his second year, you know!

 And this girl is looking older and older (couldn't be because she is actually getting older!).

So far, we have had one day of preschool and it was a success.  It is crazy, loud, fun and the kids love every minute! Chelsea and I are working out the kinks in time management, etc. but we've just about got it down.  As long as the two babies still take morning naps, we'll be set. :)

Leap Day

February 29th was quite possibly the 3rd greatest day ever, at least in Easton's mind.

His favorite would be his birthday, with Christmas taking a close second.

But on February 29th, Mama told him that we were going to have dessert for dinner and dinner for dessert.

He could not believe it. (His exact words were "What the heck?!?!?")

And so, we all got a heaping bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup and sprinkles for dinner.

Mama even let Easton and Kendree have small second helpings before dessert was served (burritos, rice and beans).

The easiest tradition ever, since I only have to do it every four years. I can't take any credit for the idea though.  That goes to this cute girl.

Photographic Evidence:
Seriously, the word "cheese" leads to some pretty funny faces on Kendree.

 Can't even take the time to smile.  That ice cream might disappear any second.

 Even this one loved Leap Day, just look at that dimple!

Because that is what is most concerning?

Those who know (and love!) Ronnie, know that he has a bit of a "germ" issue.

As in, he really thinks about germs, and how he can stay away, and if things are safe to eat, etc.

Seriously though, I love him.

So anyway.

We were watching Fear Factor the other day (on our DVR, which means I have no idea what episode it was, in case you were going to ask. Also, who else LOVES that that show is back on TV? Did I just age myself?).

Okay, so we were watching Fear Factor and the stunt was going into a tank of 3000 gallons of cows blood (or some other non-important number of gallons) and retrieving cow hearts, which you then had to put in the MOUTH of your partner, who then had to spit them into a container.

So pretty much the sickest thing ever (except for the snake cages, I could never do that in a million years).

And after the first couple is done, the second couple is gearing up to start and Ronnie turns to me and asks (with genuine concern on his face)...

"They better be using new cow hearts, because I wouldn't want to put a cow heart into my mouth that someone else has had their mouth on."

After I caught my breath from my laughing fit, I replied with,

"Really?  That is the most concerning thing about this stunt?"

And that, my friends, is why we will never win the $50,000 prize.

The Vote

The time has come. 

The time for you to vote as to whether you think this little one will be of the sister or brother variety.

I'd give you some hints if I had any, but I feel as if I'm lacking in information.

Heartbeat? It is always there, but this doctor's office has only told me the rate one time and I can't remember what it was.

Morning Sickness? Well, I was "sicker" with this one than either of my others (read: I actually felt a little nauseous throughout the day if I didn't have food in reach), but it was nothing like what other women have to go through.  Plus, I didn't have a lick of sickness with Kendree, and she was(and is) a girl.

Carrying the baby? I'm definitely not carrying high, but I don't know that I'm carrying low either.  I suppose you can deduce that one for yourself based on the update pictures.

So there you have it...let's see who gets this one right. Feel free to vote with the poll on the right hand side. If you are brave you can tell us your vote "out loud" in the comments just for fun.

And go!

Burning Questions: My Answers

Thanks to all of you for your answers to my burning questions!  It was great to get some other opinions/stories.  I'll just go ahead and warn you that in true KaLee fashion, my answers may be longer/contain more information than you care to know, but it's my blog and I can do what I want! :)

When you eat a baked potato, do you "hollow" it out and only eat the meat of the potato, or do you eat it all, even the skins?
Both of my parents eat their entire potato, so I grew up believing that "grown ups" eat all of the potato.  I hollowed my potato out all through college and then one day after Ronnie and I were married I decided that I was officially grown up and began eating the entire thing.  Since starting to do that I have been informed by more than one person that it is not normal.  Thanks to those of you that made me feel like I had some kindred spirits out there!

Have you ever broken a toilet seat?
I, myself, have never broken a toilet seat.  The other day I was giving Easton a bath and leaned over to grab something while sitting (on top) of the toilet and it made a weird popping noise and I thought that I had, hence the question.  I will say that I really believe that toilet seats get brittle after a certain amount of time though.  Also, Ronnie being the germ-a-phobe that he is, makes us buy a new toilet seat to install every where that we have lived (minus family's houses--we trust them).  They are super cheap and really worth every penny.

Do you really get over the "ick" factor of a dog licking you if you live with one for long enough?
Your responses were great on this one.  I can't STAND dogs licking me, but feel like it should be something I should be able to tolerate as long as it isn't on my face.  I'm working on it.

Do you address your aunts and uncles with the aunt and uncle titles?  Do you use them when you talk about your siblings to your kids?
I've been trying to make up my mind as far as what I want to do with Easton, now that he can actually address his aunts and uncles by name.  I grew up not using the titles, unless I was talking about my aunts and uncles to someone else, but Ronnie grew up using the titles at all times.  I don't use the titles when talking about my siblings, again, unless there is someone around that the converstation would make more sense to with the titles thrown in there.  Clear as mud?  My one worry is that I will be contributing to all the disrespect that us adults complain about all of the time.

Motorcyles--Awesome or Death in Metal Form?
I'll admit my opinion is a bit misinformed, seeing as I have never actually ridden one, but judging from the fact that snowmobiles and 4-wheelers cause me to scream like a little girl and constantly tell whomever is driving to "SLOW DOWN RIGHT NOW!"  I'm going to have to say that death it is.

Thanks again for playing along!  Maybe when I get a new list of questions I can't stand to have unanswered, we'll do this again.

Burning Questions

Happy Friday!  We're supposed to have nice weather (for Wyoming) around these parts this weekend, and I couldn't be more thrilled.  Because I do things without explanation--I have some questions that have been driving me crazy.  Don't worry, after you share, I'll be sure to let you know my answers on Monday.  In the meantime, I can't wait to see what you all think.

When you eat a baked potato, do you "hollow" it out and only eat the meat of the potato, or do you eat it all, even the skins?

Have you ever broken a toilet seat?

Do you really get over the "ick" factor of a dog licking you if you live with one for long enough?

Do you address your aunts and uncles with the aunt and uncle titles?  Do you use them when you talk about your siblings to your kids?

Motorcyles--Awesome or Death in Metal Form?

And then I keep some promises from forever ago...

The other day I was searching for something on my blog and realized that many times I had promised you to post pictures, or let you know when something happened and then I didn't.

All of that is changing today. With no further ado, I give you my previously unfulfilled promises.

Lake Powell Pictures (promised 6/15/2007)

Daddy-o and the houseboat.

A sideways picture of Jord-man and his sand castle.

Ronnie and Adam enjoying a ride on the tube "Big Bertha." (That's really the tube's official name).

You know I love you when I post pictures like this. The only picture taken of me the entire trip.

Baby Shower Pictures (promised 10/22/2007)

Me, Grammy, Cousin Jill, Mom, Sassy and Erc.

Alene, Val, Me, Mom, Jill, Jenn, Ashley, McKenzie and McKell.

Me, Mom and the fabulous Grammy.

Nail biting update (promised 11/15/2007)
I did not so much keep up this breaking of habit. After Easton was born and my nails returned to their previous, weak, state I succumbed to the biting again. I've found it is definitely a nervous habit and in my case, more of a bored habit. Nothing to do? Check out which nail you can chew on. Thanks to this pregnancy I have now gone one week without biting. So count this as attempt #2,749.

Forgetting about Labor? (promised 12/21/2007)
You don't so much forget, but more become okay with going through it all again. Plus, in my case, you make yourself a promise that you will really REALLY push this time, so that baby can come out more quickly than 2.5 hours later (although, in my defense, it was not so much the level of my pushing that was the issue with Easton).

Deodorant (promised 1/6/2008)
I have now been using deodorant exclusively for almost two years. I love it. My white shirts don't have yellow stains on them anymore, I sweat less and everyone is happier. I will tell you that it takes time for your body to adjust to no anti-perspirant. For about 3 weeks I was more sweaty than normal, and then my body calmed down and we all lived happily ever after.

Picture of my mom in my glasses (promised 1/20/2009)

Remember my new glasses? Here's a pic to refresh your memory.

Well, my mom looks really good in them, see?

In fact, she looked so smokin' that she allowed us to convince her to get a similar pair of her own and now she is even more foxy.

The dreaded scrapbook in its entirety (promised 5/29/2009)
You can view all 130 pages here.

Changes in my Job (promised 6/5/2009)
My job has not changed dramatically. I still work with donors and alumni of the college, plan events for the big wigs and help with other general events. I now report to the dean, and don't so much have a day to day boss that I check with all of the time. This works out great, as I can get direction when I need it and otherwise just continue to do what I have always done. I do have to write a lot more of the articles, etc. for the college and that is not so much a favorite change, but I deal.

Adam's Happy Homecoming Pictures (promised 8/5/2009)

See? He did make it home.

And Erc and Alayna rejoiced (as did the rest of the fam).

Halloween Pillow Pattern (promised 10/21/2009)
I've scoured the internet and can't find a source but for your reference the pattern is called "Halloween Pillow" and is made by Images in Fabric. The pillow measures 14" x24".

Musicals

You know how I have always wanted to live in a musical?

Well these people in Belgium got to do it.

Belgium Do-Re-Mi

Love it.

Groovin'

You know how sometimes you get into a groove?

If you are me, you are never NOT in a groove.

For the last week, I've been in a stamping groove, resulting in neglected house, child, and husband.

So, to make myself feel better, I counted the number of cards I have made in the last week.

Here's a sampling. (Click on the picture to go to my online card gallery).


And now for a little giveaway.

Guess the number of cards I made in the comments.

The closest guess will win a sampling of cards.

Hint: It's above 100.

You have until Thursday, April 9 at 11:59pm.

Oh, the things we say...

Normally people do posts about funny things their kids say, but with Ronnie and I in the same house, kids are not necessary.

Scene: While watching Jon & Kate Plus Eight.

R: They got dogs?
K: Yeah, two German Shepherds.
R: I don't think they are German Shepherds.
K: They will be.

{Don't you love it when things grow up to be different things?}

Scene: Ronnie had just teased me about something, so I proceeded to chase him and then tackle him on the couch.

R: What are you trying to do [insert 10 second pause] lay on top of me?
K: You were going to say "squish me," weren't you?
R: No.....crush me.

{No offense was taken from this comment. It was too funny to do anything but laugh}