17 posts in one

I'll try to keep it short, I know I tend to ramble on. Lots of little stories from the past few weeks, we'll try a little photo thing, and I'll make it short on words.

I got really started packing the house this past week. I feel so bad having people watch her as often as I'd really like-so I suffer through having her with me while I pack. The pic below is her version of "helping". Mom's packing, so I'll unpack something! She also would come and sit in my lap hugging my neck saying "sit, sit" (which is her version of stop what you're doing and pay attention to me, doing what I want). Ben and I packed her room today, which involved packing up her old baby clothes. I bawled for a good 1/2 hour putting her little tiny clothes in a box, it's so sad!

Oh the pink car. Kyndal loves all forms of transportation, with cars being her most favorite. So Ben bought her a little pink Hot Wheels car, and she is highly obsessed with it. She pushes it around the house, to each of her little toy stations. At least 7 times a day she forgets where she left the car so it's "find it pink car!". So I stop what I'm doing, and find it pink car. I've narrowed down each of her little stash areas in each room of the house so at least I've got it down to a science and it doesn't take too long any more. Her little face lights up, she laughs and says "mommy find it pink car!". Does my heart good. She usually has it with her when she eats as well, so one day while she was being particularly goofy eating bananas (REAL bananas!!!!!!!!!), we had a little photo session.

Now that it's manageable outside (ok, this week it was downright chilly), we've resumed our favorite activity of evening bike rides. Kyndal loves to ride the bike, and will bring it up randomly throughout the day, so as not to deprive her of joy in life-we go at least 5 times a week. Playing peek-a-boo ("Kyyyynal, Kyyyyynal...... Boo!") with the camera. She also finds several areas throughout the house to play peek-a-boo with us, it's fun. After the 20th time of saying "where's Kyndal" it does tend to wear on us, but it's pretty cute.

I went to the Carrie Underwood concert! Ben's niece Brittain and I went, it was super fun. Got valet parking for the first time in my life-let's do that more! Little Big Town was the opener and they were fabulous all by themselves. Carrie was so good, really her voice is amazing. She also did a Fleetwood Mac song with Little Big Town, and while I might be the only person who knows who they are, it was DANG AWESOME. I haven't been to a concert for a good long while, it was great to go. As an added bonus, the baby was really loving it and kicked and jumped around basically the entire time. There is a distinct lack of pictures from the concert because none of them were really clear enough at all to post. Kind of like looking at someone else's ultrasound picture. I know what's going on, but you sure won't!Ben's niece, Brittain (JD is her momma).

Nicole and I took the girls to the zoo! The first trip of many I'm sure, we bought year passes which are a WAY better deal than not buying year passes. Anyway. It was fun, we got hay-snowed on at the giraffe area, I am still cleaning it out of my purse. The tiger was up the tree. I didn't know they did that so much, but the guy was seriously at the top of the tree. Kind of cool though, walking back by the exhibit we saw him jump down out of it. He was really pretty and all strong looking, but my question was how do animals maintain muscle mass in a zoo pen? Do they take them for 60 mph runs on the savannah that the general public doesn't know about? Here are the otters. 7 trips to that zoo and never once have I seen them out swimming around. Kyndal insisted they look distinctly like "lizzads", which after some observation, I guess they kind of do. Really enormous fuzzy lizards, but in the water they do look rather lizard-like. She dismissed me telling her they were otters really quickly. "Lizzads". Ok Miss K. And now begins the fun part of my zoo day. After letting Kyndal whine out a little fit by herself (no less than 10 feet away from me) and having a lady stop and ask her "Oh, are you okay? Where's you're mommy?", I thought I was done for the day with bad-parenting point outs. Nope. We ate lunch next to this really fun looking tree house play area thing. Kyndal of course wouldn't eat after she told me she was hungry so I let her down to go wander. Well, some Einstein (ha, see? Brian Regan again!) decided a little creek would be all quaint next to the kids play area. Before I could waddle myself over to her she'd made her way in. So I played the relax-it's-only-water card and let her go. I was sitting where I could watch her every little move and was also hungry. Let's go over Kyndal's personality a little. If I hovered over her, and didn't let her wander or be free to run, or otherwise try to direct her at all-she gets really pretty grouchy about that. So after 21 months of life (see that word? that means she's alive), we've got a pretty good system down. I sit where I can watch her, I turn around when she walks behind me, I pay great attention to her. And she wanders and wanders and wanders and does her little Kyndal thing. So far, this has been fine! I'm still fine with it, because I'd rather have a happy child than never ever venture out of the house because she'd be satan child. Well, there were three 7 year olds who clearly think I am in the wrong! One girl told me she was playing in the water and getting wet when I was sitting there taking pictures of her. Two other girls picked her up and started to walk away with her because she was getting all wet. YEAH, got it thanks. Then, this mean old too-dressed-up-for-the-zoo lady goes "Is she by herself?" all snotty when I'm standing right there telling the girls to put her down because they're squeezing her stomach out her mouth and she's mad about it. Lady, she's 2. Do you think I would really let her be alone? Also, I'M RIGHT HERE TALKING TO HER. Why someone at the zoo thought it would be cool to put water next to the play area, I'll never know. K can't be the first one to find it! Or maybe, other mothers are SO much more attentive and in control of their children that they wouldn't dream of allowing their children to get their shoes and pants wet. Heaven forbid. I got a cute picture, and isn't that all that matters? Plus, her clothes went through the washer and you know what? They're dry now! Ha, isn't that just crazy? This is where she had mud on her hands and was highly distressed about it. Yeah babe, you are in water. Mud comes with the territory. And this is where I document how white trash I am. I love her face too, it's like she knows she's supposed to act all dub-T to really rub it in. Oh, and I found out at the car she'd messed her diap too, isn't that awesome? Even more white trash and unattentive! And here's Mya being the best little girl that she is. Wish we could have gotten the two of them to look at the camera! Next time. All in all, the zoo was really fun and I'm glad that we get to go as often as we want (although I'll copy Nicole next time and bring lunch), and I'm glad that we have good friends to go with! Well, this was really long, I apologize. At least this time it's mostly pictures so you don't have to go cross-eyed trying to read it! Oh, real quick though-for those of you who know the Kyndal-eating-food saga, we have made a breakthrough. Not sure if it'll ever happen again, but tonight she ate fruit! She eats bananas regularly now, but tonight she was adventurous! She ate watermelon-like 8 pieces of it! And one whole strawberry! And three chunks of honeydew melon! And half a grape!!!!! It was almost like getting slapped right in the face! I could have cried.