Living with a Princess

Catch Up

2010-11-14T11:25:00.001-05:00

It has been brought to my attention (by more than one person) that my blog needs to be updated. Thank you, Captain Obvious!
So, the next few posts should catch you up through mid October. I'll try to get caught up through the weekend by the end of the week. Don't expect a lot of commentary. Just sit back and enjoy the picture show!

The Pumpkin

2010-11-14T11:05:00.002-05:00

Yeah, so I don't know how to carve a pumpkin.

Okay, well I do, as we did this as kids, but pumpkin guts smell gross and I have absolutely no desire to scoop out pumpkin innards, so we don't carve pumpkins at the Spears house.

My sweet little angel child, however, was so proud of her pumpkin. What kind of mother would I be if I denied her the joy of pumpkin decorating?!?!

I was going to result to painting a pumpkin face, but then I found these nifty little pumpkin push-ins at the neighborhood Walmart. Basically your pumpkin becomes a Mr. Potato Head! :)

I figured K would have fun with this and it would be less messy too, meaning J wouldn't go into OCD shock.Isn't he cute? It's her little pumpkin/dog, aptly named "Pumpkin Dog." Throughout October, he sat proudly guarding our porch (and the orange lights around the column in honor of Halloween), welcoming us home each evening with a happy little smile on his little pumpkin face!

Fair Night with the BFF

2010-11-14T09:50:00.001-05:00

Kensleigh had a great time at the fair with her best friend, Christa. They were so adorable!
It was so funny listening to the two of them talk each other into riding the rides! I'm glad we were able to work it out so that the girls could enjoy the fair together...it's always more fun riding with a friend than a stranger...especially when you are three.

By the way, I think we have a little dare devil on our hands. They rode the mini roller coaster EIGHT TIMES!!!!

Corn Maze

2010-11-14T09:35:00.000-05:00

Kensleigh's class took a field trip to the corn maze. I must say I was a little jealous. I've never been and it seems like it would be fun. In honor of the trip, and the pending holiday, I made matching candy corn dresses for Kensleigh and Christa. Here are some photos....

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T19:37:00.001-04:00

She's Just So...

2010-10-10T13:59:00.000-04:00

.... darn adorable!!!! Here are some photos of K from the last few weeks.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T19:57:00.001-04:00

Halloween. Costumes. Decisions.

2010-10-01T21:41:00.000-04:00

So we start planning holidays pretty early around here. Basically so that I can wait until the last minute to sew whatever needs to be sewn for the occassion ;-)

Anywho, for the last....3 or so months, Kensleigh has been dead set on being an apple for Halloween (last yr she was a cupcake) No matter what alternative suggestions I offered her, she was adamant about being an apple. Guess who has no idea how to make an apple costume that doesn't look cheap or retarded?!? Yeah, me.

So the other night when Jason was working, I spent hours searching the internet for cute apple costumes. (Little bit of useless information for you.... Most child apple costumes are worn by little brothers dressed as apples to compliment their sisters Snow White costumes.) So I finally found two costumes that looked do-able. She wakes up the next morning, I show her.

"Oh, I just want to be Tinkerbell," she says.

Guess who's making a Tinkerbell costume that doesn't look cheap or retarded?!? Yeah, me.

Beach Photo Shoot

2010-09-26T11:47:00.001-04:00

Here are our favorites from our Beach Photo Shoot for 2010.
We took K out right before sunset one evening and I took these photos of her. It amazes me how much she has grown since we were there last year for our Family Photo Shoot!

Family

2010-09-25T08:59:00.003-04:00

We had dinner @ the Olive Garden with Jason's family one night. We try to get everyone together for at least one night whenever we go down, since they rarely travel up this way.

We were able to spend time with Jason's Grandma on several different occassions during our visit. I think she really enjoyed being around Kensleigh. We spent a few hours at her house, saw her at the family dinner, and also had dinner with her, Jimmy & Mary the last night we were in town.

We also got to see the finished product on the house that Jimmy (Jason's uncle) built for he and Mary. Let me tell you, it was GORGEOUS! We had a very good time with them the last night and shared many stories and laughs! It is always nice to spend time with them, as they are always so nice to us.

Cheese-It's and Seagulls

2010-09-18T12:09:00.001-04:00

Watch how quickly the number of birds multiply!

Just the Two of Us

2010-09-17T06:22:00.001-04:00

There aren't a ton of pictures of just the two of this, but we did manage to snap this photo before dinner one night. Of course, this probably would be a much better photo is Jason had something on other than a "wife-beater" (DISCLAIMER- He did put a "real" shirt on for dinner.)

A Little Goofy...

2010-09-16T17:11:00.001-04:00

..a LOT OF FUN!

Kensleigh's favorite thing to do when we go to Florida is play at this Goofy Golf course. This is REAL DEAL, old-school goofy golf...with handmade obstacles and everything. It's right in the middle of town, costs $6 for our family of 3 to play, and has been in existence for FIFTY-TWO YEARS!

I think it's awesome that Jason used to play Goofy-Golf here as a kid.. on the exact same course!
There is something very small town and refreshing about it, don't cha think?

It's our tradition to pose with a photo holding the club over your head for every hole-in-one shot that you make. Notice how many times Kensleigh is posing. Her best game yet! She even got a hole-in-one on the 18th hole, wining a free game. So of course we had to go back a second night to play. And a third....

Razzle-Dazzle

2010-09-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

This picture cracks me up!

Jason took it after K woke up from her nap one afternoon.
I'm not sure if she is mid- yell or mid-song, but I still think it's hilarious!

The first of many

2010-09-15T19:53:00.001-04:00

Here are the first of many photos from our family vacation to Navarre Beach. Also consider this a preview of what's to come...photos of Kensleigh...and more photos of Kensleigh...oh wait, here are more photos of Kensleigh! Oh well, if you don't like it leave.

P.S. - Don't you just love the photos of her and Jason in their "floatie" race?!?!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T06:07:00.001-04:00

We're Home!

2010-09-12T21:13:00.003-04:00

Boo!
We had a great time in Navarre Beach, Florida {Florida's Best Kept Secret} and really hated to come home. This is a promise- One day we will go down and stay. Just remember that I warned you!

I'll post pictures over the coming days, though most of them are of the beach or pool. That's pretty much what we did this trip, with a nightly round of Goofy Golf and dinner thrown in. It was great! In the mornings we enjoyed bike rides along the island. I wish we had an island at home I could bike ride along....

Anywho, here is a picture of Kensleigh and I that was taken at the halfway point in one of our morning rides. We had stopped at a little park for her to play after riding across the bridge you see in the background. Yeah, THAT bridge.

It's 1.5 miles long. Which is 3 miles total. Did I mention that Kensleigh's seat is on the back of my bike? So yeah, I rode over the bridge with 40 extra pounds on the rear. Literally and figuratively speaking. Plus another mile to the condo and back. Go me.

Can't Wait for Friday

2010-09-02T06:18:00.001-04:00

The Spears Family is having one of those weeks... you know, the "what else can go wrong?!?!" sort of weeks where it seems like everytime you turn around something else is happening!??! Yeah, that kind. Luckily we're almost to the finish line. Let's just hope everything that needs to go right from here on out does so.

By the way- yesterday's "Wordless Wednesday" photo is another image from the Kensleigh Collection. This is called "I am supposed to be eating dinner, not taking photos."

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-01T04:23:00.001-04:00

I could never work in a sweatshop

2010-08-26T06:05:00.005-04:00

If you want to see what I've been doing in my "spare" time, check out this post on my "other" blog.

After you read it, you'll understand the title of this post. Seriously. I'm just not that fast.

P.S. Feel free to leave a comment here or there [or both blogs!] singing my praises. I LOVE reading those! tahehehe

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-25T20:48:00.000-04:00

Success!

2010-08-24T05:52:00.000-04:00

After a bit of trepidation, Kensleigh joined in with her classmates at her first tap class. She came out of class all smiles and excitement.

Guess this means we'll be returning next week. and the week after and the week after. and ... Yeah, so pretty much until June.

Off to school, off to school....

2010-08-21T09:40:00.003-04:00

My baby started back to school on the 18th. At 3 1/2 she has moved up to the younger 4K class.

3 1/2?!!? Wow! How is it even possible that she is already 3 1/2?!?! Where did my baby go?!?

She is very excited about her class this year. There are 16 kids in her class, including her best friend, Christa, as well as her buddies Ryan and Samuel. Her teachers are Ms. Heidi and Ms. Ashley, who will be teaching her how to write her name, her phone number and address, as well as some Spanish. Minus the Spanish, those are things she hasn't mastered yet, so I hope they find their groove and start learning them soon, for reasons you can see below.

Here's a snippet of the conversation we had when I picked her up after her first day:

"How was your new class?"
"fine."
"What did you do today?"
"Nufing. I played."
"That's all? You didn't learn anything today?"
"No."
"You teacher didn't teach you ANYTHING?"
"No mommy! Well, her tried to teach me, but I already knowed it."
"You already knew what?"
"She said colors. But I already knowed all of the colors."
"Oh!"
"She said shapes. I already knowed all of them too."
"What about spanish?"
"Miss Ashley counted in spanish. Her said 'uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco.' But Mommy, I telled her I already knowed that. I could say all the way to diez, because my daddy already telled me that!"

Need I say more?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T00:57:00.002-04:00

Family Portraits

2010-08-13T05:46:00.000-04:00

Jason and I decided to be like all the rednecks at Chuck-E-Cheese and take advantage of their photo booth to get some good, high quality portraits made.It really is a good picture though, don't cha think?

Budding Photographer

2010-08-12T05:25:00.004-04:00

Kensleigh picked up the small digital camera off the counter last weekend. She wanted to take some pictures.

Before I continue this story, let me give you a little background on Kensleigh and taking pictures. When she was 2, we got her one of those Little Tikes cameras for Christmas. It is digital and has two little viewfinders to place your eyes. Simple right? Yeah, well, not so much.

She would turn the camera the opposite way, put her eye up to the view finder and push the button. Of course the flash would go off right in her eye. It's a wonder she isn't blind already. She probably sees permanent spots. Regardless, of HOW MANY TIMES we showed her the right way to hold the camera, she continued to turn it around. There were lots of close up shots of her eyes and cheeks. And the whole flash thing was such an issue, that we finally ended up hiding the little pink camera in the office closet.

So, you get the whole gist of it right? If not, let me break it down for you... She pretty much sucked at taking pictures and operating the camera.

Fast forward to the past weekend. She picked up the camera and wanted to take pictures. Being the ever patient parent that I am, I showed her how to operate the camera, how to look on the BIG, LARGE screen on the back of it to see what you were taking a picture of, how to push the button. You know, the basics.

Once she was confident she understood (that would be pretty much about the same time I opened my mouth to say, "Let me show you how to do it." to which she responded, "okay, okay, okay. I know. okay." [I have NO IDEA where she gets this lack of patience from!!!] Anywho, so off she went around the house, snapping photos like a little New York fashion photog hyped up on Starbucks and Lord knows what else.

I finally put the camera card in the computer to take a look and what she shot. Surprisingly, she's pretty good. I say surprisingly given her history with cameras. [See above.] On the other hand, no surprise, given what an awesome artiste I am. [Yes, that was a shameless plug.]

Now granted, these images are through the eyes of a 3 year old, but her composition is good, her shots are focused, and, let's be honest- it's quite adorable. I'm thinking of starting her own blog to showcase her work. Whatdaya think?!?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T05:54:00.002-04:00

It's Your Birthday... We Gon' Party like it's Your Birthday...

2010-08-07T05:14:00.005-04:00

Friday was my Nana's birthday, so Friday evening, our little pastry chef baked her Nana some strawberry cupcakes. We woke up Saturday morning and decorated them with pink icing and sprinkles, then packed up and headed to the lake to visit with Nana and her friend, Ms. Peggy, who was visiting from Michigan.

We had a nice little visit, with Kensleigh providing loads of entertainment, as always. We capped off the day with our own little rendition of "Happy Birthday!", complete with party hats, decorative napkins and, of course, cupcakes!
Happy Birthday, Nana! We love you!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T06:40:00.000-04:00

the other blog

2010-07-23T18:02:00.001-04:00

I resurrected my Product Review Blog. As you may remember, I started in back in December of 2008, but it got overwhelming, so by May of 2009, I had put it on indefinite hiatus.

In April of this year, I decided to give it another go. I really enjoy writing, and I like giving my opinion on things. I've made better contacts this time around and have received some really great things to review...and giveaway!

I just settled on a blog design that I really, really like and have tried to be pretty consistent with my posting. And I LOVE doing giveaways!

Why? I love entering other people's giveaways and know how excited I get when I win. Why wouldn't I want to share that?!?

As a matter of fact, I'm hosting a giveaway right now.

What is it? Well....to see that, you need to visit my blog!

July - Weekend Trip #2

2010-07-19T19:49:00.002-04:00

Summers are so busy for us! We love to travel around! it's too hot to stay home- we're just cooped up in the house anyway. For our second weekend trip of July, we headed up to the lake to visit with Nana.

She wanted to have some "one on one" time with Kensleigh, but we didn't want to wear her out either, so instead of leaving her for a weekend, Jason and I spent quality time together on Saturday while Nana and Kensleigh did the same.

We went geocaching in the Thompson / Grovetown / Lincolnton area, then had a late lunch and headed back. Kensleigh and Nana baked brownies, swang and picked "veg-a-buls" in the garden.

I thought Kensleigh would wear Nana out, but it's seems the opposite was true. When we got home around 530, Kensleigh was asleep. She woke up to eat for maybe an hour and then went back to bed. We calculated that she slept roughly 15 hours!

Needless to say when she woke up on Sunday she was full of energy! We went to church with Nana, then came home for lunch with her and Hammie. After that, I helped her do some cleaning under the cabinets, Jason hauled off some trash and she and Kensleigh played and looked at pictures.

I wished I could've stayed for a week and relaxed, read some books, spent time with Nana. Nana and Granddaddy's was always my place of choice to go to relax and decompress- to bad I can only do that for short amounts of time now. Ah...the real world. Responsibilities. Bah-humbug!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-14T05:34:00.001-04:00

Pittsburgh Day 2

2010-07-10T09:36:00.000-04:00

Our second day in Pittsburgh, Andy and Kensleigh made brownies.
Yep, you read it right. 7:30 AM.
After brownies for breakfast, we all got ready and headed into Pittsburgh for a 2 hour river boat cruise aboard the Gateway Clipper Fleet's "Majestic." This cruise included views of all three rivers as well as a show for the kids. Kensleigh was pretty skeptical about participating in the show, but she finally warmed up to it. Sorta. I had to sit with her.

We really enjoyed the cruise. The scenes were wonderful- nothing we could of ever experienced from driving in the car, the prices were affordable (Kensleigh rode for $1!), and we all had fun!

After our cruise, we explored Station Square, which houses Pittsburgh's Hard Rock Cafe as well as various other shops. We had lunch at HRC, so that I could buy a shotglass to add to my collection, which, I forgot to buy. Oops! Maybe next time!

After lunch, we did a few hours of geocaching around Pittsburgh before heading back to Cranberry Township to rest up for day 3!

Pittsburgh... Local Eats

2010-07-09T02:17:00.006-04:00

Whenever we visit new places, I like to have a least one meal in a local restaurant. This goes back to my childhood vacations in which us kids would always ask to eat a the chain restaurant and my dad would say, "You can eat (name of chain) at home- we've gonna try someplace new." I hated that answer then, but now, I use the same line! We've discovered some pretty good eats following this philosophy though!

So... on Friday evening we had dinner at a place called Monte Cello's in Cranberry Township, the town Andy lives in. We'd discussed cooking dinner at Andy's apartment, but as Kensleigh pointed out, "you don't have a table!"

Monte Cello's is a locally owned Italian restaurant that has been in the Pittsburgh area for over 30 years. They currently have 8 locations within the area.

Monte Cello's serves pizza as well as a wide array of Italian dishes. Man do we love Italian food!

Especially GOOD italian food. Monte Cello's is not only VERY GOOD, it's also very affordable!

We all opted for the dinner dishes (lasagna, manacotti) which came with salad and a mini loaf of bread for each of us. This for under $10 each! K had a slice of pizza which ran $1.50. It was absolutely delicious! I tell ya, it's a good thing that we don't live in Italy because I think we would eat pasta dishes every day!

So, the moral of the story is that if you ever find yourself in Allegheny or Butler County Pennsylvania, check out the local Monte Cello's!

Pictures from Pittsburgh .... Part One

2010-07-08T13:42:00.000-04:00

We spent the July 4th weekend visiting with Jason's brother, Andy. He moved to the Pittsburgh suburb of Cranberry Township back in April. Kensleigh was super excited all week to go to "Hits-burg" and see her Uncle Andy. Neither Jason or I have ever been that far north so we were quite excited to experience a new place as well. If you ask Kensleigh about "Hitsburg" she will tell you "long drive." And she would be correct. It was. But once we finally got there we had a blast!

Here are some pictures from our trip. The first day, we slept in, then visited the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. before the trip, Kensleigh and I visited the zoo's website to get a peek at all the animals they had. She was intrigued by the "nasty, ug-ey naked rats." To those of you who have no clue, that would be the hairless mole rat. And yes they are UG-EY. We saw them. Along with a HUGE array of other animals.

We really enjoyed the Pittsburgh zoo because it felt much more "natural" than the Riverbanks Zoo here in Columbia. And, we got in free with our Riverbanks membership- always a plus!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-07T16:42:00.002-04:00

Jason

2010-07-05T21:54:00.004-04:00

NOTE: I planned to publish this on Father's Day, but didn't get all the pictures together in time, so it's a little late.

This is Jason.

He is a husband.

A father.

A son.

A brother.

A friend.

He is also a police officer.

He does his best to keep drunk drivers off the streets.

He tickets careless parents who don't understand the importance of having their helpless infants strapped into carseats.

He stops people who drive carelessly and recklessly through the same neighborhood streets that your children play in.

He is an Army veteran.
Like his father and his grandfather.

He left home at 17 and moved to an Army base across the globe.

He lived there with no family. For 7 1/2 years.

He deployed to combats zones.

Kosovo, Bosnia and Iraq.
Twice.

He has lived through things that you could never even imagine.

He has witnessed death in it's rawest form.

He's withstood temperatures hotter than any South Carolina summer.

He has survived.

This is Jason.
He's not a millionaire. He doesn't drive a fancy car. Or have a fancy job title.
He doesn't have a college degree.

Does any of that really matter?

Because let me tell you what he is:

A dedicated family man.
A loyal friend.
A responsible adult.
A hard worker.
A human being.

Your son. Your brother. Kensleigh's father. My husband.

When is the last time that you really took a look at who he is?
When is the last time that you actually picked up the phone and called him?

That you asked to him to dinner "just because"?
That you told him that the work he did mattered?

When is the last time that you told him you loved him?
That you were proud of him?
That you appreciated his sacrifices?

When is the last time that you told him you are honored to call him a member of your family?

If there's one thing that you should learn in life, it's that the people you love aren't around forever. While they're still here, you better make it a point to let them know how important they are to you.

Don't assume it.
Speak it. Live it.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T23:38:00.000-04:00

Here's hoping everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July!

We celebrated by watching fireworks explode over the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-30T05:34:00.000-04:00

Cooking

2010-06-25T06:22:00.001-04:00

Kensleigh baked brownies for the Family Reunion on Saturday.
Her favorite parts:
1. Cracking the eggs.
2. Licking the bowl.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T06:21:00.000-04:00

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-22T21:49:00.012-04:00

Kensleigh took her daddy out to dinner the Friday before Father's Day. She came home, changed into her very pretty dress and sandals, put her make-up on, grabbed her purse with the money to pay for dinner tucked securely into her Hello Kitty wallet and said "Daddy- we are going on a date!"

[She did her make-up herself.] They ended up at O'Charely's for chicken nuggets and cheetos. Daddy had steak. And they shared a hot fudge sundae.

On Sunday, she woke him up to give him his Father's Day gifts... A Delorme South Carolina map, which he needs for a geocaching challenge he wants to do, some cache containers and a gift certificate for a massage.

Kensleigh also made him a few items at school that she gave him as well. I'm not sure if you can read the paper that says "My Dad Is", but it says "likes blue," "goes swimming with me," "takes me to the waterpark," "funny," "plays with me," "policeman." She also made one for Mother's day for me. It said "My Mom Is" and "makes me chicken nuggets." Oh- you were waiting for more? Nothing more. : ) : ) : )

We then headed out to take Jason for his favorite breakfast... Krispy Kreme!

Then it was off the VanPatten's to get the boat ready for Father's Day on Lake Murray- riding and geocaching. And swimming. Someone did some swimming too...

These are the moments...

2010-06-20T09:16:00.006-04:00

....that I will forever cherish!

Happy Father's Day, DAD!

Scratch-offs

2010-06-14T18:04:00.006-04:00

Jason is starting her early!

Actually, he came back to the car saying "Do you FEEL LUCKY?!?!"

To which she replied, "Daddy, I am very lucky because I always get prizes, so I will help you be lucky."

How can you resist that?!?!

For the record, she won $19.

Jason is actually testing out a theory he has on lottery scratch-offs.

I'm not explaining, but you're more than welcome to call him if you want him to explain it to you.

I'll let you know if it proves true... or we go broke ;-)

So Excited!

2010-06-09T19:45:00.010-04:00

I received this is the mail from the folks over at Magellan today.

It's the Magellan explorist GC, their new GPS made just for geocaching.

I'm going to be testing it out and comparing it against Jason's Delorme, the handheld gps he uses for geocaching. After a few test runs, I'll post my review on my product review blog.

YIPPEE!!!!
Cannot wait to test it out!!!!!

Weekend Getaway - Part 3

2010-06-05T14:11:00.002-04:00

Monday was our last morning at the mountain house. We had to be out by 10am because new renters were coming in at 3pm. Kensleigh didn't want to leave. "I don't want to go to our home house! I want to stay at the mountain house!," she cried. We assured her that we would be back again. How can you resist those views?!?!

It was overcast and rainy on our final day. We also had to have Cali picked up from the boarding facility by 6pm. So, we decided to check out the shops in Chimney Rock Village, and then head home, caching along the way.

The shops are like most tourist shops with little knick-knacks, candies, tshirts, jewelry, etc. As we were making our way along the main street, we came to the Chimney Rock Gemstone Mine & Store. The mining part of the facility was located downstairs on a deck overlooking the river. We decided to walk down and check it out.

I remember doing gold-mining on a vacation that we went on one year as kids and it was a total bust, so I was pretty skeptical. There was a family of 2 kids who were mining when we went down there, so we stood and watched them for a few minutes. During that time, the little boy uncovered a HUGE amethyst rock. Then they showed us everything else they had found. It was pretty impressive.

Jason asked Kensleigh if she would like to try and of course she said, "YES SIR!" So we bought the $20 family size bucket and got her set up. Jason showed her how to scoop the dirt from the bucket into the mining pan and then let the water flow through it to wash away all the dirt. She was so cute to watch! Every time a new rock would appear her eyes would light up! She was SOOO excited over her finds! And then... she found a BIG OLE PURPLE ROCK THAT'S SO PRETTY! (amethyst) Wow! She was THRILLED! After showing it off to everyone, she got back to searching. After a few more rocks, she found a geode, which looks like any old rock. However, the guys at the gem mining station will break it open and inside are quartz crystals. Or as Kensleigh exclaimed, "DIAMONDS!"

I've included some photos below of her mining expedition. In the last few, you'll see all the stones that she found as well as her DIAMONDS! All of these gems are now proudly displayed in our living room ;-)

A Weekend Getaway- Part 2

2010-06-04T00:28:00.005-04:00

Our second day (Sunday) in the North Carolina Mountains found us putting on our walking shoes, packing trail mix and other goodies, and grabbing our hiking sticks. Off we headed to Chimney Rock Park. If you have never been, the views here are breath-taking...and totally worth the climb.

Not sure how Kensleigh would do with all the hiking, we started out along the children's Trail...the Great Woodland Adventure. This trail is about 1/2 mile round-trip and offers different interactive stations for kids to learn about various wildlife. Not surprisingly, Kensleigh did much better than I did during this warm-up hike! I kept up, but this trail is at the bottom of the mountain..and it was HOT!

After she did so well on this trail, we mapped out the remainder of our day. We didn't want to tire her out too much, but did want her to see the Chimney Rock overlook and the Hickory Nut Waterfall. Both trails are fairly long. And the trail up to the overlook is steep. We decided to do that one first and finish up with the grand finale at the falls.

Let me just say that our girl did an AWESOME job! Her little legs got a workout that day! She's under 4 ft tall, so yeah, she walked a little slower than some of the hikers. She has shorter legs and had to take many more steps than us adults. At the same time, in such terrain, she was actually keeping the same pace as many others.

We overheard other kids much older than her whining about the climb. Not our little trooper! She had her little hiking stick and she did AMAZING! Many adults that we passed along the trail commented on what a great job she was doing.

She never complained, she never asked to stop, and she never asked to be carried. If our goal had been to zip along as many trails as possible and not stop to let our child enjoy the beauty of what she was seeing, then we could have carried her. They rent the kid backpack carriers for $8 a day, but that wasn't the POINT. The point of the entire trip was to slow down, relax, enjoy the beautiful mountain scenes and enjoy each other. And that we did!

After a fairly steep, fairly strenuous 1 mile hike, we made it to the top of Chimney Rock, enjoyed the breathtaking views of Lake Lure, a nice long sit-down lunch, then found her a prize in the gift shop and off we headed along the trail. Onward to the grand finale! Hickory Nut Falls!

This hike was the longest of the day at 1.5 miles round-trip. But it was SOOOOO worth it! The falls were beautiful! They were even allowing people to climb over the rock to the falls and stand in the water. Of course my two little daredevils did it while I stayed on the overlook and took photos. (I knew if I went too K wouldn't have as much fun b/c I'd be scared to death the entire time!)

We made the trip back in record time (nature calls!), caught a bus ride to our car and headed out to find some dinner. Might I mention this was Kensleigh first bus ride as well. On a yellow school bus nonetheless. Need I say she was THRILLED?!?!

All in all, a very fun adventure that we thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely on the list to do again!

A Weekend Getaway - Part 1

2010-06-01T21:45:00.003-04:00

Jason and I are really good savers. Seriously. If we "splurge" on anything, it's after much research, price comparison and serious contemplation. This includes vacations. Last year was the first "real" family vacation we'd had in.... well.... um... ever. And it was awesome! A week in Navarre Beach, just the 3 of us. Someday we'd like to take a cruise or a trip to Vegas, but right now, we'd rather save the money or spend it doing something to make our little girl's eyes light up. So that's what we do.

That being said, we've tried to plan several short distance, long weekend getaways this summer. We made the decision last month to use a very small amount of our tax refund to rent a place in the North Carolina mountains over Memorial Weekend. And I must say, after the May that we had, I'd so glad that we did that!

A co-worker recommended the Hendersonville area of North Carolina for our destination- a short 2 hrs from our house. He also referred me to vrbo.com for a place to stay. VRBO is a listing site for homeowners who rent their vacation homes.

After much research and price comparison, I found a GREAT DEAL. The house we rented was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with mountain views that was located 6 miles from the village of Chimney Rock and 20 miles from the town of Hendersonville. Of course, renting without seeing is always never-racking, but the house was really nice! And the views were GREAT! Here are some photos of "our mountain house" as Kensleigh called it.

The first full day we were there (Saturday) we drove down to Hendersonville for the day. They have a children's "fun" gallery, HandsOn!, that we took Kensleigh to for several hours in the morning. It is similar to the Charleston Children's Museum that we visited last summer. She had a ton of fun playing with all the exhibits. In fact, it was quite a chore convincing her to leave and go have lunch.

We ate lunch at a place in downtown Hendersonville called Hannah Flanagan's. Our service was HORRIBLE. Kensleigh actually took a nap while waiting on the food, that's how long it took! I'll just let it be said that I'll never eat there again.

After the looooooooooooooooooooong lunch that we had, we hit the streets of downtown Hendersonville for their Memorial Day Market and Craft Fair. Some pretty cool stuff out there, though it all started to look the same after a while. For you plant people though....TONS of plants! Kensleigh needed a rest after such a full day, so we packed up in the car and hit several geocaches in the area while she napped.

After rest time, we found a putt-putt place at a little park next to the high school that is owned and operated by the City of Hendersonville. Of course, we had to stop and play a round. It was actually a very decent place and we had a lot of fun, though K still needs to work on her form!

For dinner we stopped at a local Mexican restaurant, Papa's and Beer. Jason fell in LOVE. With the food, not the mexican greeter girl. Though it may be safe to say he felt affection for our server who totally hooked him up on his fajitas! The portion sizes were huge and the food was outstanding. Not to mention that our server was very attentive and on task. I have no doubt that anytime we go back to the mountains we'll be stopping here for at least one meal.

My First Solo Geocaching Adventure

2010-05-23T17:20:00.000-04:00

I'm going to take just a moment to brag on myself. Typically I wouldn't do this, but I am so excited and SO proud of myself! Though we have been geocaching for almost a year and we have over 1000 finds, the only time I ever go out to cache Jason is always with me. This has always been his gig, with me being the sidekick.

Last week, however, I had to make a trip to an area we rarely travel and noticed that there were several caches along my route. Ten to be exact. I decided I'd go for it, so I read the descriptions for each cache on geocaching.com and decided that I would try to find 9 of them (the tenth had too many logs about ants for me to attempt alone.) I mapped out my route, with a print out of each cache description, the coordinates, and put them in the order i would encounter them along my route. And then, feeling a bit nervous and also excited, I set off.

I was using the Garmin nuvi b/c I didn't feel like my training on the Delorme was up to par, but the GPS was quite cooperative that day. Thanks to all the hunting I've gone on with my husband, I found 8 of the 9 very quickly after arriving at ground zero. Only one of the 9 caches eluded me.

I tried it on the trip down and couldn't find it. The clue I had made no sense to me either. I decided to continue my journey and try it again on my way back. Still no luck. I sent Jason a message, who encouraged me to think outside the box and try again. I decided I should take a break so I grabbed a quick snack at the local McDonald's.

While I ate, I thought about the cache. I really had two options here. I could give up and go home. On a first solo outing, 8 finds of 9 isn't a bad start. Or, I could eat, rejuvenate and try again. If I went home defeated, at least I could say I gave it my best.

So for the third time that day, I drove over to the cache site. With a clear head and a full stomach, I walked to spot my GPS directed, took off my sunglasses and within 90 seconds had an "ah ha" moment. I walked right to the cache, retrieved it, signed the log and was on my way! (By the way, even after I found the cache, I never understood the clue.)

I did it! I found NINE caches! By myself! My first day out! With the nuvi, nonetheless! Needless to say, I was elated!

A test for our readers....

2010-05-18T20:24:00.009-04:00

Please choose the best answer.

This is what ____________ looks like.

A) cute

B) sweet

C) spoiled

D) adorable

Obviously there is no right or wrong answer here, as...let's be honest... she is definitely ALL OF THE ABOVE!

NOOOOO! We Aren't READY!!

2010-05-16T09:16:00.009-04:00

My little baby is growing up. As in getting bigger.
Taller. Smarter.

As in she now has a pink SIXTEEN INCH Disney Princess bicycle with training wheels, pink streamers, a pink and purple basket, and a super cute little pink bell.

As in she can ride it by herself like a champ.

Meanwhile Jason and I are sniffling and wiping tears at how quickly she has grown and how independent she can be.

How did this happen so quickly?
And why didn't anyone ask us if we were ready yet?!?!?!

Super Hot Dog

2010-05-15T23:07:00.001-04:00

Lately, Kensleigh has been on a hot dog kick. She wants her daddy to grill her hot dogs for every meal. Seriously... nothing can dissuade her. One night recently, when Jason and I we're both exhausted, we decided we'd just grab something out for dinner. We're thinking Applebee's, Ruby Tuesdays. She's thinking hot dogs. Taco? No, hot dogs. Chicken nuggets? No, hot dogs. Pizza?!? No, hot dogs. Geez.

I think she sensed our exhaustion and knew she could easily wear us down. We relented. Took her to Sonic and bought her the biggest hot dog they have. Her eyes were as big as saucers when we got home and opened that bag. The hot dog was as long as her forearm! And wouldn't you know...she ate the whole thing!!!

Nothing Beats an Oreo...

2010-05-15T15:45:00.003-04:00

...except a glass of milk!

Seriously is there anything better than a late night snack of oreos dipped in milk?!?!

I THINK NOT!

Kensleigh has recently discovered this delicious goodness herself...

You Are My Sunshine

2010-05-13T16:15:00.013-04:00

This blog post is the hardest one that I have ever written. And it makes me so sad to even write it and publish it. You see there is one main reason I even started this blog.

After Kensleigh was born, I wanted my Nana and Granddaddy to be able to see her and watch her grow up. Since we live over an hour away and Jason and I both work full time, a blog seemed like the perfect solution. I know how much they both loved to check the blog and see her pictures and read the silly stories about her.

Even now, I can see my Nana sitting on the computer checking the blog and calling down the hall, "Granddaddy!" so that he could come down to the computer and check out the new pictures.

This past Sunday morning, my Granddaddy passed away unexpectedly. I love my daddy dearly, and I love Jason with all my heart, but no one has ever held a candle to my Granddaddy.

My Granddaddy was a very loving and sweet man. He loved my Nana very much. And he loved to pick on her too. In fact, there were many times when I would visit and the two of us would get going on poor Nana-boo. I remember one time we went out "yard-saling." I found these ridiculous strand of lights with plastic fish over the lights that would glow when you plugged them in. Nana thought they were horrific, but Granddaddy and I got so tickled over them. We bought them and promptly went home, and strung them up over his fish cleaning station in the backyard. I bet if you looked in his garage of stuff you'd still find them.

When I was little, my Granddaddy would sit me on his lap and sing "You are My Sunshine" to me over and over again. He never stopped singing it to me either. Last Memorial Day we were up at the lake house visiting, and we took a ride in the boat. Kensleigh was sitting in Granddaddy's lap helping him drive, while Jason, Nana and I enjoyed the breeze. Granddaddy started singing "You are My Sunshine" which lead to an good-natured argument between my daughter and I on who he was singing to. :) I'll never hear that song and not think of my Granddaddy.

I am so thankful that my sweet baby girl was able to know her Granddaddy, able to feel his love and share many memories with him. Granddaddy built swings for her babies, was at every birthday party and had the opportunity to attend her school Christmas program in December. Kensleigh loved her Granddaddy and I hope she never forgets how much he loved her too. There aren't many 3 year olds who can say that they had a tight relationship with their 75 year old GREAT Granddaddy, but she did, if only for a short time. We tried to get her up to see them as much as possible and she could always get Granddaddy to stand out and push her on the swing for-ev-er. Her giggles and laughter made him smile. And that made me smile.

Jason's grandfathers died when he was young. But one great thing about my Granddaddy was that he didn't discriminate. When Jason and I got married, he became one of their grandchildren. My Granddaddy became Jason's Granddaddy. My Granddaddy loved to fish. Jason...not so much. But Jason liked to spend time with Granddaddy and learn things from him. Everyone else had to bait their own hook. Jason..not so much. Granddaddy always smiled and laughed at Jason, but for some reason, he never required him to bait his own hook. (For the record, he never made Jason take fish off the hook or clean them either.)

I love my Granddaddy. It hurts my heart that he is not with us anymore. Looking around the house that he and Nana built and shared together at the lake, you see his presence everywhere...in the garden, on the porch, in every room. It's going to be hard to be there without him. But I also know without a shadow of a doubt that my Granddaddy has already found the perfect brush pile in heaven, cast his rod and is catching more fish than he knows what to do with. Trust me...there will be a fish fry in heaven soon.

I just wish I could give him one last hug and say, "Granddaddy, I love you so much. I will miss you so much. But I promise you that I will never ever forget you. Thank you for your love and support. If I can only be half the person that you were, I'll be satisfied."

When you care enough to send the very best

2010-05-07T03:32:00.007-04:00

Jason is out of town this week. He left on Tuesday to go to the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte for training for the Swift Water Rescue Team. Every spring and summer their team ends up hauling several people out of the Congaree River who underestimate the currents. He went up there for training earlier this year and seems to really enjoy it.

He comes home today and Kensleigh and I are very excited.

I don't sleep very well when he isn't here... a habit that dates back to his deployment days. I guess I had kinda broken that pattern of uninterrupted sleep when he was working the 12 hr days/nights patrol shifts. Now that he has a more normal schedule though, more than one night of him not being here messes up my sleep! Plus as much as he drives me crazy sometimes, I just miss him :-)

Kensleigh misses her daddy too. She's been talking to him via phone and video, but she's ready for him to come home too... except that means she has to go back to sleeping in her bed! She was successful in conning her mommy into letting her sleep in Mommy & Daddy's bed. Probably not a habit I should start, but at the same time, she's 3 and she's not going to want to snuggle with her mommy forever! I'm trying to remind myself to slow down and savor the moments.

In fact, that's what we have been doing this week. Wednesday we had dinner at O'Charley's with our friends, the Berrier's. (O'Charley's is K's new favorite place to eat because they serve Cheetos with their chicken nuggets.) And yesterday Kensleigh wanted something to do.... so we did a craft project. Actually, SHE did a craft project. All I did was cut out the pieces and show her an example of the finished product. She got out her glue and her markers and did the rest.

I love this kid to pieces. If nothing else, this week was a gentle reminder to enjoy the moments and let the rest fall behind. After all, it's the moments that make up your life, not the stupid little stresses that bring you down.

And yes, I realize that this whole post sounded like a Hallmark card.
Kiss off- I'm having my moment! :-)

If you want to learn more about Geocaching...

2010-05-02T20:04:00.003-04:00

check out this series I published on my product review blog.

"How to Become a Geocacher"

Just remember to scroll from the bottom and read up, or you'll be really confused!

Oh the Thinks You Can Think!

2010-04-29T22:14:00.006-04:00

Think left and think right and think low and think high.

Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try! - Dr. Seuss

When Jason got home from work, I had to run out to the store to pick up an ingredient that was hindering me from completing our dinner. When I returned Kensleigh came into the kitchen.

"Mommy!" she exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement. "Would you like to see my new babies?!"

"You have new babies?"

"Yes! Would you like to see them?"

"Sure!"

"Here they are!" she said as she made a sweeping motion into the air with her hand.

"Oh! They are imaginary babies," I said.

"No, Mommy, they are just NEW babies." Then she shook her head and scampered off upstairs.

A few minutes later, I heard her jumping around upstairs. Shortly thereafter, she came running into the kitchen again.

"Mommy! Have you seen my babies?"

"Yes, you just showed them to me."

"No, mommy, I know I showed them to you but I can't find them!"

"Oh, you lost them?"

"Yes! They were jumping on the couch, and I told them to stop and then they fell off and now I can't find them."

"No, sorry, I haven't seen them."

She shook her head and scampered off. A while later she came down to ask if it was time to eat.

"Not yet," I said. "Did you find your babies?"

"Yeah. They were in the ca-puter room layin on the floor."

"Did you get them?"

"No, they was too heavy. I just leaved them up there."

Evidently they are still up there, because I haven't heard anything else about them.

A New Illness for the Baby Book

2010-04-29T17:39:00.000-04:00

Ha! Don't you love my post title?!?! Jason will get a real kick out of it seeing as I haven't had time to update a baby book since Kensleigh was about 6 weeks old! But I have a blog, so that counts, right?!?!

Anywho, on to the part you really want to read...

Little Miss Kensleigh gave us quite the scare the other night. Fever of 103.4 and labored breathing with no other complaints. Of course the first thing i thought was the croup, which you may remember is what landed her in the hospital for 2 days last August.

After conferring with the doctor after hours ...
SIDEBAR: yes, I'm one of THOSE parents... but I don't abuse the luxury- emergency situations only.
...I gave her Motrin every 4 hours, lay awake all night long listening to her breathe and met the Dr at the office at 830 the next morning.

One look in her throat and he diagnosed her with strep throat. He said the test wasn't even necessary- he could see a big patch in there. So we're on antibiotics and hoping this kicks it- maybe it will kill the sinus infection she's had the last 2 weeks too. Her fever stayed pretty high (103/104) for about 24 hours, but today is day 2 of antibiotics and the fever is at the low 100's.

Jason stayed home with her yesterday (when she was lethargic with fever) and I got day 2. I should've campaigned harder for day 1. Today she's feeling much better and is totally restless. I finally got her to nap at 4:00, so hopefully i can regain my sanity before she wakes up. Tomorrow barring any catastrophe we're going back to school/work!

In other news, the tube in her left is gone, while the one in the right still looks good. Some fluid on the left. Wonder if this is why the sinus infections are appearing more frequently?

Sunday Funday

2010-04-25T21:55:00.009-04:00

While Jason was off treasure hunting, Kensleigh and I enjoyed a "just girls, not boys" afternoon.

After 2 MARVELOUS hours at Chuck-E-Cheese, home to change clothes. Can you tell she dressed herself?! ;-)

And then MORE FUN!

Aside from Popscicles on a stick (her request and a special trip to Bi-Lo) and swinging (but not playing the playhouse b/c daddy needs to kill all the bugs first), she also painted a lovely photo of "My Little Ponies" in watercolors for "Mis-mer Mike" who is daddy's (caching) friend.

I was worn out by 7:30.

When it rains...

2010-04-25T00:27:00.004-04:00

...the best thing to do is build a tent out of the kitchen chairs and a fitted sheet, put your dollhouse inside and play play play.

Then, go to the pantry grab a box of mix and tell your mom you REALLY REALLY want to make brownie mix!

After a quick detour to the grocery store up the street b/c your mom thought she had vegetable oil, but couldn't find it, you're in business! Minimal spills, a few taste tests and 35 minutes later... Voila!

Yummy yummy BROWNIES!

A little Greener

2010-04-21T19:16:00.002-04:00

One thing that Jason and I would really like to accomplish this year is to put our house on the market. We love our house, but at the same time, we are definitely ready for a change of scenery (and a neighborhood pool!)

We have been talking about doing this since late last year, however there are several things that we need to get done in and around the house first....and with a very active 3 year old and both of us working full schedules it seems we never have time to get all of that finished!

We made a step in the right direction this past weekend. Every spring, there is a huge plant sale at the State Farmer's Market. My boss was telling me what great deals you can get there, so Sunday, we decided to go check it out... we were in need of a tree, a bush, and a few inexpensive flowers for Kensleigh to grow in her "garden." (Curb appeal.)

WOW! If you're a plant person and you have never been to this sale I highly recommend that you go! There were plants everywhere....more plants than you could imagine. For someone with a green thumb, it was surely plant heaven! It was overwhelming for us brown thumbers though. I hadn't a clue. So I did the most logical thing...

Plant Guy; "Can I help you guys with anything today?"

Me: "Yes, what is the hardest thing to kill in everything you've got here?"

Plant Guy: "Seriously?!?"

Me: "Yes. I need a tree and a bush. Impossible to kill. Whatcha got?"

Plant Guy: "For real?! Ok, well...."

True story. He sold us a crabapple tree. Same conversation took place with another vendor on the subject of a shrub bush. We bought one from her, but I have no idea what it was called. It looks like a rose bush but not. Helpful, huh? LOL! Before we left we let Kensleigh pick out some flowers to plant in her garden. She chose pink Vinca and purple Ageratum.

Monday after school, Kensleigh and I got to work planting all of our purchases. She was a great helper and she loves to plant! Could it be possible?!?! Could two brown thumb people really produce a green thumber?!

Funny Photo of the Day

2010-04-19T09:26:00.003-04:00

I really think that the turquoise blue bathrobe with bright yellow rubber duckies is a nice touch.

Deal of the Day

2010-04-18T09:38:00.008-04:00

Spring is here, which means yard sale season is in full swing! Jason and I really enjoy checking out the local sales. Sometimes we find great deals, sometimes not, but it's a fun way to spend our Saturday mornings. This weekend was one of the big neighborhood sales that we always try to hit- we're pretty much guaranteed a few good finds there!

We picked up a few things, mostly for Kensleigh, but our deal of the day was 11 cloth diapers. Obviously we have no use for these, but our geo-caching pals Mike & Michele are using cloth with their son Tate. (ref. post below for photos of Tate) These diapers are in excellent condition (I have my doubts that the original owner really used them for very long) and they retail for $18-$20 each! Of course we got them for the bargain price of .......... .............. wait for it........... TWO DOLLARS A PIECE!

Do the math- we got 11 cloth diapers for roughly the retail price of one! Yea for us! Though I still think that disposable is faster and easier, I must admit that these diapers are quite adorable. Suffice it to say that cloth has come a long way!

**NOTE**If you are considering cloth, you can read Michele's review of cloth diapers here.

The Ice Show

2010-04-16T22:41:00.002-04:00

Last night we went with Lisa & Christa to see Disney on Ice at the Colonial Center. The girls had an absolute blast! This show was definitely worth the price of the tickets. We had great seats, were able to see all the acts clearly and it cost our family of three less than $50 to attend. By far, this show was the show that kept Kensleigh's attention the most. She didn't get restless or bored at all during the entire 2.5 hour show. We would definitely do this one again!

Front Page News

2010-04-12T23:17:00.002-04:00

Becky called me today. She was eating lunch at one of the local restaurants and grabbed this little local paper to read. Couldn't believe it when she saw our Little Miss Priss smiling back at her.

Of course I immediately called Jason and told him to go pick up as many copies as he could find.

The article actually talks about all of the shoes that Kensleigh and Christa both collected. Although I sent a photo of the two of them together along with this one and one of Jason unloading the boxes at the S4S warehouse, this is the one they ran.

Makes sense...Kensleigh sitting with the donation boxes does coincide with the story much better than Kensleigh and Christa in their matching tutu's before the circus. But give me a break- Christa was sick with stomach flu in Beaufort when the boxes were packed and loaded for delivery...so it just wasn't possible to get a photo of the two of them together.

Anywho- that's not the point. The point is that they collected 1750 pairs of shoes... and the editors at the Cayce-West Columbia News thought enough of their efforts to put their story (and photo) on the front page.

Baby Tate

2010-04-12T16:46:00.006-04:00

On Sunday, our geo-friends Mike and Michele came over to pick up some items and Kensleigh got to meet Tate Thomas VP. Did I say Kensleigh? I meant "baby hog." Yes, this child LOVES babies! She loves to hold babies and marvel at their little features...little feet, little hands, little ears- you get the picture. Speaking of pictures, here are a few:

Tate was born on Tuesday 4/6. Isn't he the cutest?!?! Jason and I went to visit in the hospital so I held him then. Jason passed on the opportunity at the hospital b/c little babies make him nervous, but finally relented and held him when they came by the house.

Enjoy the photos.

Oh, and just to clarify some things:

Yes, he is adorable and super sweet.

No, it doesn't make us want to have another one.

No Kensleigh doesn't need a brother or sister, she has a dog.

Yes. we are all content to be a family of 3.25.

The end.

Hooray for Spring!

2010-04-10T16:25:00.005-04:00

Spring has sprung..FINALLY! What a beautiful weekend we enjoyed here in SC!

Saturday the four us packed up the Jeep and headed up to Clarks Hill/Lake Thurmond. (Cali never misses a trip to the lake!) My cousin and her family were in from Florida, so we had a family fish fry at my grandparents house. There were people EVERYWHERE! All 4 children, 6 of 8 grandchildren and 8 of 9 great-grandchildren. That's a headache waiting to happen right there! :-)

Other than a slight mishap- we went on a boat ride and ran out of gas...with Bailey and Cali in tow. (Bailey talks nine thousand miles a minute and Cali whines anytime Jason moves from her side.) After breaking our backs to row to shore and calling for assistance, we were rescued by Grandaddy aboard the "Nana B." As luck would have it, on the way back in, he ran out of gas so then we had to tow him in. Despite all of that everyone made it back to the home base alive, so I guess all's well that ends well.

Kensleigh had a really good time! She swang on the swingset, blew bubbles, ran barefoot in the grass, chased bubbles, attempted to ride her tricycle backwards..downhill, and then convinced Grandaddy to push her on the swings some more. Even when we were stranded she entertained herself by throwing pine cones in the water. She was on the move the entire time, so it was hard for me to get any really great photos, but I'm sharing what I have. The purple blur is my child.

The Tale of Two Families...

2010-04-08T23:18:00.004-04:00

Jason and Nick have been friends since middle school, since Jason first moved to Aiken from Charleston. In high school, they were inseparable and then Jason joined the Army and went off to Germany to drink beer, while Nick stayed in Aiken and got married to Krystal.

Fast forward several years... Nick and Krystal had a baby, Makayla, and Jason & I got married. Then we moved to Texas and Nick, Krystal & Makayla lived in Aiken. Jason got out of the Army and we moved back to Aiken. Finally the four (five) of us could hang out again...but only for a short time, as we moved to Columbia roughly two months later.

When we first moved here we were good about staying in touch. Nick would call each time they came to Columbia and we'd meet for dinner somewhere or we'd try to have dinner every other visit to Aiken. We did really good for a while! Even for a few months after Kensleigh was born we would make a point to get together. But admittedly Jason and I are terrible at long distance friendships... And we lost touch for sometime.

Facebook is good for allowing you to keep up with people though. And Nick is terribly persistent. Recently the Huttos have welcomed the newest member of their family, Kayden Grace. Nick has become anorexic (well almost, I mean come on- he lost a supermodel), Jason's schedule has become more flexible and Kensleigh has a later bedtime. And we have all made an effort to revive our friendship.

Kensleigh loves playing with Makayla and holding baby Kayden "wif the little feets." We enjoy getting out of the house and spending time with friends. It's a win-win situation all the way around. In the last two weeks, we've had dinner with the them twice.... or as Kensleigh would say in disbelief, "AGAIN?!?!" (Of course that was because they were in the area...the true test will be when we are in Aiken.)

So the whole point of this rambling blog is that it has been good. Good to hang out. Good to spend time. Good to laugh. And it's kinda comforting to know that there are some friendships that last. You may lose touch with those friends, but you haven't lost time. You can pick up wherever you left off and it's like you were never gone...

Shameless Plug...

2010-04-05T20:45:00.001-04:00

...for my etsy store.

As you know, we purchased our embroidery machine back in October. Since then we've have a steady stream of orders coming through, with a slight slow down after the holiday season. While we still depend strongly on word of mouth (that would be you guys) to get the word out about us, we've explored other avenues as well.

A lady at a local maternity consignment shop has talked with me about doing embroidery for her business. Unfortunately in maternity consignment there isn't a huge demand for embroidery...thus far- but we'll see how it goes.

The other option we're exploring is an online marketplace called Etsy. Etsy is a focused on handmade items. These items cover a wide range including photography, bath & beauty products, toys, jewelry, clothing and knick-knacks. Etsy is basically a crafty cross between Amazon and Ebay. The really cool thing about Etsy is that sellers have their very own customizable storefront to list and sell their items.

As of now, I have 9 items listed on my etsy store and have had a total of 10 sells since I opened in December of 2009. If you haven't visited my esty store, I encourage you to do so.

Pink Toodle by keilann designs on Etsy
(you can also view my current listings inside the yellow bar on the right side of this page "my Etsy shop")

If there is a particular item that you would like to see me add to my store, please let me know! I'm always open to suggestions! Until then, happy crafting!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T23:19:00.001-04:00

We sure hope everyone's Easter weekend was as enjoyable as ours! We had a very busy, very fun weekend...in fact it was rather depressing (and difficult) to get up and go to work and school this morning!

On Saturday Kensleigh and her BFF, Christa, attended an Easter Egg Hunt at one of the local churches. Kensleigh and I went last year and she had a great time, but this year Jason was also able to go, which Kensleigh was super happy about. After the egg hunt, we headed off to a birthday party for Wynton at Monkey Joe's which is basically an indoor inflatable playground for kids. She wore herself out, but proved once again that she is a tough little daredevil when she wants to be :-)

After Monkey Joe's we headed over to Mike & Michelle's house. They are some friends that we met through Geocaching, which is Jason's latest hobby and something fun and affordable that we can do as a family. (I'll post more on that later.) Michelle is being induced today with their first child, Tate, so Jason went over to make sure their carseat was properly installed to bring Tate home safely. We ended up staying for a lot longer than we anticipated, but had a good time getting to know them.

Sunday morning the Easter Bunny visited and left a few surprises for the Spears family. Then we headed off to church with Christa and Lisa. Afterwards we enjoyed a nice lunch at Ruby Tuesdays, then the Christa and Lisa came back to the house so the girls could play.

And play they did! From babies to scooter, make-up to tricycles, art projects to swings...they were like 2 little tazmainian devils! Boy were Jason and I exhausted by the time they went home! Fortunately, so was Kensleigh so it make for a short night, which oddly enough didn't lead to an easier morning! Oh well...at least the weekend was a blast! Enjoy our photos....

World Autism Awareness Day

2010-04-02T14:10:00.011-04:00

Today is April 2, 2010. Today is Good Friday.

Today is also World Autism Awareness Day.

Growing up, I knew what autism was... Friends of my parents had a daughter, Michelle, who was autistic. I remember she had straight brown hair and she would sometimes flail her arms and yell out if she got upset. But the thing I remember most is her eyes...eyes that seemed to always be looking at something no one else could see.

I'm not sure if it's because I've become a parent and thus associate more with other people who are parents, but I have noticed that over the last several years, more and more people that I know are directly affected by autism.

In fact, 1 in 68 families in the US have an autistic child. 1 in 68!

If that caught your attention (and it should), consider this...
• More children will be diagnosed with autism this yeah than with diabetes, cancer and AIDS combined.
• Boys are 4Xs more likely to have autism than girls.
• Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the world.

So what is Autism, exactly?
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a persons lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders. Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups. It impairs a persons ability to communicate and relate to others. Autism is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors. The symptoms of autism can range from very mild to quite severe.

Currently there are no effective means to prevent autism, no single effective treatment, and no known cure, although early behavioral intervention during the preschool years can result in significant improvements in IQ and language ability.

Parents are usually the first to notice the "red flags" of autism which include:
• No big smiles or joyful expressions by 6 months
• No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions by 9 months
• No response when the child's name is called by 10 months
• No babbling by 12 months
• No back-and-forth gestures such as pointing, waving or reaching by 12 months
• No words by 16 months
• No two-word meaningful phrases by 24 months
• Loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age
If your baby shows any of these signs, request that your pediatrician evaluate them immediately.

Raising a child with autism is no easy task. Not only do these parents devote themselves to helping their child thrive and grow in every possible way, they must also deal with scrutiny from people who only see a child who "misbehaves" and "acts out" by a public who doesn't understand this disease.

With that said, I dedicate this blog post to my friends Jenny T., Nicole H., & Sara B. and their super-special kiddos Mason, Grady & Andrew.

Keep up the awesome work!

Commenting

2010-03-31T07:36:00.000-04:00

There is a little ~~link at the end of this post and each post~~ box on the top right of this page that has been and will be available on this blog.

Find it. Learn it. Love it.

And get into the habit of leaving a comment. If you're reading this blog you should be leaving comments every time. Otherwise you just seem like a weird, deranged stalker type.

And frankly, that's just creepy.

*Revised at the request of my lovely husband who foresees that no one would leave comments the other way. :-)

LOCAL PRESCHOOLERS COLLECT SHOES TO BENEFIT SOLES4SOULS™ Inc.

2010-03-28T08:16:00.006-04:00

West Columbia, SC – March 23, 2010 – What began as a way for two local moms to instill in their three year old daughters the desire to give to those in need had grown into so much more. Following the disaster in Haiti, local moms Tequila Spears and Lisa Berrier teamed up to organize a shoe drive at their daughters’ day care. Their goal was to collect 500 pairs of gently used shoes for Soles4Souls, but that number quickly grew.

The two week shoe drive held at White Knoll Baptist Child Care Center netted 800 pairs of shoes. Three year old Kensleigh Spears and Christa Berrier didn’t stop there. With a month left before Kensleigh’s dad, Jason, could deliver the shoes to the Soles4Souls warehouse in Roanoke, Alabama, the preschoolers decided to increase their goal. Together, they sought to collect an additional 400 pairs of shoes, bringing their shoe total to 1200 pairs. With an outpouring of support from friends and family, the girls collected 1750 pairs of shoes in one month.

On Saturday, March 20, 2010 all 1750 pairs of shoes were delivered to the Soles4Souls warehouse in Alabama. “Our girls are in awe of the vast number of shoes they have collected and as a parent, I couldn’t be more proud knowing that 1750 people who didn’t have shoes or lost everything will have the BASIC thing that we take for granted every day,” states Berrier.

“It's never too early to start teaching our children the power of giving. We believe that this is a great lesson as well as a great organization to support,” said Spears. “It’s mind-blowing to think that two little three-year old girls were instrumental in making a difference in the lives of 1750 people.”

They're even on Facebook!

2010-03-28T08:08:00.000-04:00

We're Baaaaack......

2010-03-21T10:51:00.000-04:00

Well, spring has sprung and the Spears are back! Yes, that's right...we're returning to the blog world! We still have tons going on, but we're going to make a solid effort to blog at least once a week for all of you Little Miss Kensleigh junkies out there!

So, to start us off, here are some photos from the months that we've been MIA:

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

Hiatus

2010-01-01T19:05:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let you guys know that we're taking a hiatus from blogging for a while. The time change effects me every year, but this year it seems to have hit me a little harder than most. Between a 3 year old and embroidery and wanting to go to bed at 8pm, I just don't have the time or energy to keep this updated right now. I'll continue to add photos on facebook, so if you'd like me to send you a link to view those, let me know (you don't have to have an account) Otherwise, we'll see you again in the spring! Happy Hibernating!

It's A Bird... It's A Plane...no, wait...it's

2009-12-09T08:19:00.002-05:00

Kensleigh on a swing?!!?!

Yahoo!

Kensleigh's swingset is complete!

Daddy and Jason worked a long day on Monday to finally get the frame up and swings attached.

The excitement and expression on Kensleigh's face when she saw it was well worth it though, I do believe!

Kids Bath Towel

2009-12-08T20:12:00.000-05:00

Here's another item I am offering for sale.

A large child's bath towel monogrammed with your choice of initial.

I have designs available for both boys and girls.

What a great personal gift for your little prince or princess!

Contact me for ordering details.

Kensleigh Fix

2009-12-06T20:03:00.000-05:00

Ribbon Shirt

2009-12-04T19:52:00.000-05:00

Here's a new item I am offering for sale...

The Zebra Ribbon Shirt which can be personalized with Name

When you purchase this shirt, included are

Long-sleeve crewneck shirt or onesie*

Zebra Ribbon

Additional polka-dot ribbon and matching bow

One large letter embroidery

Up to 10 letter name embroidery

*Onesies available in white only.

AVAILABLE SIZES

Infant Onesie 0-3 m, 3-6 m, 6-9 m, 12 m and 18 m

Toddler Shirt 2T, 3T, 4T, 5T

For ordering information, check out my etsy site.

Puttin' on the Ritz

2009-11-14T14:58:00.001-05:00

Jason and I attended the SC National Highway Safety Council "Alive at 25" Coalition Benefit Dinner on Thursday. Jason accepted an award on behalf of the Police Department for their participation in the program and was also recognized for being an instructor of the program.

The most exciting part for me is that the event was semi-formal, so we got to dress up! meaning Jason had to wear a tie :-D He hates to get all dolled up, but he looks so spiffy and handsome when he does!

Embroidery

2009-11-02T21:50:00.005-05:00

Jason and I have a new business venture. Embroidery.

I've been longing for an embroidery machine for quite some time. We did our research, determined what the best machine for our vision would be, and I got to searching. I set a price that I wanted to spend and had resolved that if I couldn't find a machine at that price, it wasn't meant to be. After weeks of searching, negotiating, getting my hopes up and then losing the deal in one way or another, I finally found "the one."

Granted we had to travel all the way to the Alabama side of Atlanta to get it, but it's ours. We own it fair and square. And for 1/3 of the retail price! Go bargain shopper! So, that being said, Pink Toodle by keilann designs is now open for business! Spread the word and send anyone you know of looking for embroidery gifts and monograms my way!

Here's a photo of my machine as well as some of the items I've monogrammed :-D

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T14:34:00.001-05:00

Hope that everyone had a Happy and Safe Halloween! The entire Spears family got in the spirit this year! Kensleigh of course was a cupcake. I decided that I would make the costume. Sigh. After many trials and errors, I finished it at the 12th hour and she was able to wear it for her preschool party on Friday. Remind me of this next year when I have the bright idea to make her costume!
Jason and I also dressed up this year. I won a gift certificate in a blog contest to buycostumes.com, so we were able to get our costumes for free! Can't beat that! I was "Little Red Riding Hood" and he was "The Big Bad Wolf" No doubt you'll see these costumes again! Oh, and lets not forget the final member of our family, Cali the "lovebug." Yes, I made her tutu myself. The morning of. What can I say- it was a last minute costume change! We took Kensleigh to a Halloween Carnival at one of the local churches, where she was able to play games and win candy. Cali enjoyed the festivities and attention as well. Everyone loved the lovebug and Cupcake! After the carnival we taught Kensleigh how to trick or treat at the houses on our street. She had a blast! Enjoy these photos:

Happy Trick or Treat

2009-10-29T12:32:00.001-04:00

Little PowderPuff

2009-10-27T23:15:00.002-04:00

Who says football players can't have wings?

Gamecock Football

2009-10-26T21:53:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to attend the USC Gamecocks Homecoming game on Saturday October 24th. Since Jason was working and unable to attended, I decided to surprise my 9 yr old nephew, Chandler, with seats on the 50 yard line.

Oh yeah...and pre-game field access. One of the perks of working in marketing, I guess.

Not only was he able to walk around on the field prior to the game, but he had the extreme privilege of standing at the tunnel in the smoke as the "2001" song was played and slapping hands with the players as they ran onto the field. To say he was in awe is an understatement. Even more exciting, he could be seen on the espn coverage of the game.

I'm not even sure if he really understands the magnitude of what he experienced, but he'll have these pictures to look back on forever.

South Carolina State Fair

2009-10-24T09:49:00.001-04:00

Jason and I took Kensleigh to the fair last night. Here we were looking for little "kiddie" rides and our little daredevil wants to ride the purple dragon roller coaster! After verifying that she was tall enough to ride, and also explaining that mommy and daddy couldn't ride it with her, she said, "Ok. Is it my turn yet?" Obviously she wasn't to be deterred. She ended up riding it FIVE TIMES. With her arms in the air! Needless to say she loved it. And the swings. And the "potin-candy."

Pumpkin Fest

2009-10-12T14:19:00.002-04:00

Saturday we attended a Pumpkin Fest at my mom & dad's church. They had food, vendors and games for the kids. Plus a talent show, live music and a silent auction. oh and cloggers. I love the cloggers. A girl I worked with at Red Lobster owns the clogging studio. She's still as skinny as she ever was! oh...and she had a baby 7 weeks ago!
Regardless, I love watching the cloggers! I really hope Kensleigh takes up clogging!

Anywho, I took some of my dresses and tutus and set up a little rack. I had a few people take a card and say they would email- we'll see if that pans out. I had one sale too! I was excited about that. The dress is for a 7 year old though- I'm used to making toddler size dresses so this one will be a new experince for me. I have to have it ready by Thursday, so wish me luck! In the meantime, here are some photos to enjoy. As you can see, Kensleigh really thought the concessions were wonderful!

Family Photo Shoot

2009-09-29T08:32:00.003-04:00

One of the major things that I wanted to do while we were in Florida was a family photo shoot on the beach. I researched before our trip and found a local photographer via craigslist. She met us out at the Gulf Island National Seashore at sunset and she took photos for about 45 mins. I got the disc on Saturday...the photos turned out GREAT! If you're ever in the Navarre/Fort Walton/Destin area and need photos, be sure to give Elizabeth a call! You can view her work here.

Kensleigh's Book Wish List

2009-09-20T14:19:00.005-04:00

Kensleigh got a new book last week titled "Bear Feels Sick" by Karma Wilson. It's really cute, and she loves it. Turns out there are several in a series of 'Bear' books. There's also another cute series about a Llama by Anna Dewdney. I'll be searching for these books at low prices, but it never hurts to have others searching as well. Here is her wish list:

Facebook

2009-09-16T22:21:00.004-04:00

Jason says I'm addicted to facebook. I think he might be right. I can't help it. I love it. Here's why:

1) You can reconnect with old friends... I've found people I haven't seen since middle school!

2) You can find out what anyone is doing at any random times....some things, admitedly, I'd rather not read about.

3)PHOTOS! Everyone posts photos on their facebook page...and if you're their friend you can view them all. That's at least an hour of your life lost to photo-stalking someone!

Serioulsy though, it's fun to catch-up with people you knew in your "other life" and see what everyone has grown up to do. For example, my friend Shaunna, whom I used to work with at Red Lobster is now a dentist. She has her own blog and tells very humorous stories about her patients. Oh...and she gave me a shout-out too b/c I became her first blog follower. Read the kind things she said about me here.

My friend, Chevon, whom I've known since elementary school, opted to graduated a year early from h.s. and we lost touch. Thanks to facebook, we "chat" constantly- my stories of Kensleigh and her antics are a source of entertainment for her. Of course she thinks they are all hilarious. (No kids for her yet...they won't seem quite so funny when she's living it!) Oh- and congrats to her on her recent engagement....which I found out about through facebook :-D

I also use facebook to promote my business, keilann designs, and it has been good for exposure.

Are you a facebooker? Why or why not?

Help us win!

2009-09-15T01:43:00.000-04:00

WE NEED YOUR VOTE!

I entered this adorable photo of my two girls in an "I Love My Pet" photo contest.

If you think this photo is adorable too, please vote "This photo is great! I think it should win" [that is the bottom option in the drop down menu] by following this link. Thanks in advance for your vote!

Day 8

2009-09-13T01:39:00.000-04:00

Visit with Grandma Spears

2009-09-12T07:34:00.001-04:00

We were able to visit with Jason's Grandma Spears on Friday. She is 101 years old and still a spitfire. She really enjoyed seeing us, especially little Miss Kensleigh. She was beaming and showing of her "pretty great-granddaughter with those beautiful curls" to everyone. Kensleigh entertained her by showing her every item in her backpack. Every. item.

Day 7

2009-09-12T01:31:00.001-04:00

Day 6 [more]

2009-09-11T01:28:00.001-04:00

Day 6

2009-09-11T01:25:00.001-04:00

Day 5

2009-09-10T01:24:00.000-04:00

busy day. no photos. :-(

Day 4

2009-09-09T08:10:00.000-04:00

Day 3

2009-09-08T08:36:00.004-04:00