You know, those things called Dinosaurs

The UW Geological Museum is closing due to budget cuts, so Easton, Grandma, Sassy and I decided to pay it one last visit (which could have possibly been my first visit--I really can't remember).

It was a fun little museum and since we were the only people there, Easton was able to be as loud as he wanted. They had a lot of displays that he was actually allowed to touch, which helped relieve my constant string of "No, no, no, no, no."

After we were all done and had signed the guest book I whipped out the camera.

This is what Easton looks like when saying "NO" and waving his hands at me because he doesn't want me with the camera. HE wants the camera. Little stinker.
Grandma, Easton, and Sassy outside with the big T-rex

We had to get a shot of Easton and me as well.

I'm glad we were able to go before it closed.

Card Winner

I'm sorry to make you all wait (I'm sure you have been checking the blog all day)!

But, random.org said the winner was:

#25

Carolyn H.

Congrats!

Email me your address at justkalee at gmail dot com.

A Hooded Craft

So.

Easton is too big for the baby hooded towels, but due to extreme shivering when he gets out of the tub, I still wanted to have his head covered.

So I found a SUPER easy tutorial and went to work.

And it was so, so, so, so, SOOO easy. I couldn't not share it with you.

I promise you'll want to make some. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out how to make one for myself.



Last day to enter the giveaway!

Also, let's pretend that Easton was a willing photography subject, instead of just letting me drape him with the towel while he played with his train.

Note: the tutorial gives directions for one towel, but if I were you I would use two large towels and one hand towel and just make two at once. Then you don't have half of a hand towel hanging around for no reason.

A conversation I never thought I would have

The other day when Easton was playing on our apartment complex playground, I was chatting with other moms who were there.

The conversation turned to the new minivan that one mother had just purchased.

And then we sat and discussed the pros and cons of each minivan on the market.

While Teenage KaLee sat and cringed that 26 year old KaLee was even thinking about minivans. Doesn't she know how totally uncool that is?

Note to the moms who were there, or to those who own minivans: Minivans are not uncool, they actually make a ton of sense for families. You just have to understand that Teenager KaLee doesn't respect the minivan. I don't know if she ever will.

Don't forget to enter the card giveaway!

Guess who made more cards?

I had another large order come in, so in the last two weeks I made a heckofalot of cards.

How many?

Don't worry, I'm not going to make you guess this time.

214

But, because I am nothing if not a giver (riiiiiiight), you can leave a comment (a nice comment) on this post and be entered to win an assortment of cards. There are way more than you see above, I promise!

Giveaway will be open until 11:59p.m. on Friday, June 26.

The way the other half lives

So we returned from the exclusive golf club on Saturday.

All of the events went really well.

The weather was perfect (a very big IF in Wyoming in June).

Ronnie had the best golf game of his life.*

Easton and I survived a 3 hour hike (Easton even got a nap in while riding on my back).

The food was fantastic.

But my favorite part? The part that made me realize that I just wasn't programmed for this place?

The ladies "Powder Room" had individual towels folded for you to dry your hands with.

It felt so wasteful (and a little ridiculous) to me that I was tempted to fold up my towel and put it right back where I got it when I was done.**

*While I'm sure Ronnie wishes that he had played the best game of his life, he did not. It just sounded good when I was telling the story.
**I did not put my towel back. I put it into the hamper like everyone else.

Cousins

My sister and her family came into town last week. We only got to spend one night with them (before my work events took over), but we got this priceless picture of the kiddos with grandpa!

New do

About a week ago, we buzzed Easton's hair for the summer. These are the best pictures I could get of his new look.

Helping pack the suitcases.
Making sure he will fit in the little one.

And this is when he figured out that I had the camera.

Hi there

Yember me?

Although I feel like I was just saying this exact. same. thing. ...

It's time for another huge work event for me.

This weekend.

At an exclusive golf club.

If I wasn't in charge of everylittledetail that would actually sound pretty good (oh, and if I golfed at all).

But for now, I am just trying to dig out of the name tags, place cards, hotel reservations and golf rounds.

But I do get to drive a rented mini-van out to the club.

So that's something.........I think.

18 month stats

This will be a quick post with no pictures.

Easton is currently 21 lbs. 1 oz. (3rd percentile) and 33 inches long (70th percentile). We have a tall and skinny baby. According to the questionnaire the doctor has us fill out he is at a 24 month level developmentally (but I never know how much stock to put in those).

All is well--thank goodness. He did encourage me to start thinking about getting rid of the binky.

Heaven help us.

18 months

Remember this guy?
Well, he is 18 months today (which means he gets to go to nursery come Sunday--hooray!).

I don't have many pictures this month, I really need to step it up. Easton is talking more and more (although not enough to change the fact that he has many frustration tantrums everyday). He learned to say apple, juice, Mammy (Handy Manny), Bo-Bob (Sponge Bob--he has an obsession that is not fueled by actually watching the show--which he has only seen a handful of time, it is weird). I'm sure I'm missing a few.

He also thinks he is really big. He now wants to go up and down stairs standing up--although he can't really do it yet. He never stops running outside and has no fear of falling, or sand anymore (thank goodness).

We go to the doctor next week, so I'll have official stats then. Easton is now in 18 month clothes exclusively. He is still in size 5 shoes, but has a pair or two that don't fit because his little feet are so fat (from top to bottom, if that makes sense). He has not gotten any new teeth this month, but has a few that seem to be making their way down.

He continues to be a lot of fun, naps for 3 hours a day and sleeps all the way through the night.

Easton trying on his new pair of flip flops. He loves running around in just his diaper and now that it is finally starting to get warm, he can do that once in a while.

I'll leave you with the view from Easton's eyes. Complete with fat feet, round belly and outie belly button.

KaLee's Crafting Favs

You know how I am always telling you about my latest project (be it cards, scrapbooks, or something else to keep me busy)?

Well, I have things that I cannot live without.

Okay, so I could probably live without them, but crafting without them is not acceptable.

1. My 3M ATG 714 Tape Dispenser Gun. I know you are thinking that I am talking to you in a foreign language right now. I got mine here and it is a big investment ($41.69 before shipping), but you will praise my name (and the gun) if you do a lot of paper crafting. The thing I love the most about it is the hold that the adhesive has. When I have used other adhesive, I have had cards fall apart after a few months--not with this baby. Plus the rolls of adhesive are inexpensive ($2.54 or $3.49 for 36 yards--depending on if you need acid free or not). Scrapbooking obviously requires the acid free, and I use the cheaper one on all of my cards.

2. A Cutting Mat. You can get these at Walmart. Mine is about 2.5 by 3 feet and I use it for everything, sewing, stamping, painting, gluing, the list goes on and on. It helps to have an extra layer between the paper I set down to protect the table and the table--since I always make a mess. Plus, the surface is smooth and great to work on.

3. Fiskar's Paper Cutter. Mine was purchased through Stampin' Up! ($24.95), but you can get them a lot of places. I especially like the metal that mine has mounted to it (as shown in picture). It gets so much use that the marks from 2 inches to 4 inches are barely there.

4. Paper Snips. Again, I purchased them from Stampin' Up! ($9.95) and I swear to you they are the best! I have one that I only use on ribbon (so it stays super sharp) and the other pair I use to trim small pieces of paper. I know you think I am crazy for loving a pair of scissors so much, but I swear to you--they are fantastic!

5. Scor-pal. I love this baby ($39.95), but if you don't make cards, it might not be for you. It allows you to score creases into paper wherever you want. For design, or for folding, and it is incredibly easy to use.

6. Ribbon Keepers. I have so, so, so, so much ribbon and organization is always a challenge. I love these keepers. The ribbon is not on a rod, so individual spools can be taken out of the holder easily as well as roll easily when in the keeper. Again, these are available through Stampin' Up! ($11.95-$18.95) and while I am a demonstrator, I promise I am not trying to make you buy things from me.

7. Crop-a-dile. If you use eyelets, this is the tool for you. Allows you to punch holes and set eyelets SILENTLY (key in a house with a baby). Available all over for right around $20.

There you have it, the things that KaLee loves. Let me know if I am missing anything vital--I'd love to add to my collection of stuff (as much as Ronnie would rather I didn't).

Summertime Favorites

Mint chocolate chip ice cream (okay this is a year-round treat)
Sunscreen
Blindingly white legs becoming just snow white
Fresh cut grass
Sidewalk chalk
Bike rides
The lack of jackets
Otter pops
Fireworks
BBQs at the park
Swings
Flip-flops

What are some of your summertime favs?

The Boss

Sometimes you work for people you despise.

Sometimes you work for people you tolerate.

Sometimes you work for people you respect.

And sometimes, just sometimes, you work for a person that you really like. A person that has a leadership style that works great with the way you tick. A person that just gets it.

I am fortunate to have that last kind of boss right now.

And unfortunately, he just found out yesterday that he is losing his job.

Stupid recession.

*No need to worry about me. My job is secure, but will probably be changing. I don't know how yet, but will keep you informed.

The deets

Let's just give a little family update, shall we?

Sometimes I feel like you get to read all of my random experiences and thoughts and weirdness, but then don't really know what our family is up to.

Ronnie started his internship two weeks ago. He is commuting 45 miles a day which means Easton and I get to see him less than normal. So far he enjoys it. The people are great and the firm is great. He has admitted to feeling a little overwhelmed when the work he is doing is going straight on to a judge and no one is "checking" him--but I guess he has to get used to that sometime.

I'm still working part time for the College of Business. I love my schedule. I get to make us a little money and still get to be a mom for the majority of the day (not that I wasn't a mom for all of the day before, but--well, you get it). I'm keeping busy with my normal stuff, crafting, stamping, reading, cleaning, playing with Easton, etc. We just purchased a bike/jogging trailer and if it would ever stop raining here, Easton and I plan on taking full advantage of it.

Easton is almost 18 months old and is pretty much the cutest little boy you have ever seen. You can get your fill of him on his blog.

Two, and love taps

Easton has started to count. It goes like this: "Two, Two, Go!"

We'll get there eventually.

Also, he is copying everything we do.

Last night as Karen and I were getting dinner on the table, Ronnie walked by and gave me a little "love tap" on my bum. Easton promptly walked over and slapped my bum as well (5 or 6 times). He thought it was the funniest thing ever.

Complete

It is done.

THE scrapbook.

130 pages and 44 hours later, I finished on Wednesday.

And then wept when I realized that I was breaking even. (Lesson learned, for sure).

Here are just a few sample pages for you to see. I'm working on uploading the entire thing to my online gallery--I'll update you when it's there for you crazies who want to look at all of the pages.

Company

We have my in-laws here for a few days! (Hi, Ray and Karen!) Please excuse the lack of posts.

Also, I have 109 12x12 pages that I have scrapped for the hated book so far (just 15 more to go)!

Funny story

No picture with this post--I'm sorry.

I wanted to record this before I forgot.

Last night Easton found his Handy Manny jacket in the basket next to the door. This particular jacket has a light that blinks when the jacket is in motion. It was blinking as he carried it to show Ronnie and I and he was really excited about it, but when he set it down on the ground the blinking stopped.

He couldn't figure out how to make it blink again, so Ronnie said, "Shake it!"

Easton looked at Ronnie for a second, and then proceeded to shimmy his little body.

We didn't stop laughing for a long time.

Superstitions

My 13 year old brother Jord-man (Happy Birthday!) had to come up with different superstitions that we have (as a family, individually, as a society, etc).

So I started brainstorming and came up with the following list:

• Walking under ladders (one I really believed in grade school)
• Black cats crossing your path (again, in grade school)
• Stepping on cracks in the sidewalk (probably only believed this one from age 4-6)
• Holding your breath when driving past cemeteries
• Lifting up your feet when driving over cattle guards so the trolls that live underneath don't get you
• Knocking on wood (one that Ronnie truly believes and makes me do as well)

My dad and I were talking about how interesting it is that the unlucky number 13 is so widely believed that no buildings have a 13th story. Pretty incredible when you think about it.

Anything to add to my list?