Life As We Live It

Happy Birthday Princess Katie Claire!

2010-03-14T13:54:00.006-05:00

It's hard to believe our little princess turned four this year. I begged Katherine Claire to stay three forever so I can always pick her up and cuddle with her but she insisted on turning four anyway. Actually, she's been driving us insane with the daily birthday countdown since right after Christmas. The word "obsessed" comes to mind. Where did the time go? When I look back at pictures of her from years past it all seems like a blur. Makes me want to hold on to Annalise that much longer - and be a smidgen thankful she's on the tiny side so I can pack her around longer!

This year we decided to keep it small and Katie Claire wanted a "no boys, girls only" party. It was a little iffy whether or not her daddy or her grandfather could even make an appearance. When PeePaw asked if he could come to the party while we were at Disney World, her response was an emphatic "no, you may not", which he found quite amusing. One other dad did show up and in the end "boys" were allowed. Katie Claire was having so much fun running around with her friends she hardly noticed.

The weather was perfect, a wee bit cold but everyone was so happy to finally play outside we barely noticed the chill. The girls played on the swing set and hopped in and out and on and off of the various bikes and ride-on toys outside. It was cute watching everyone take turns driving and riding. After the princesses had their nails painted and make-up applied, it was time for cake.

Katie Claire requested an Aurora cake. I brought the doll to Ambrosia and they did an incredible job recreating it. She was a big hit with all the girls!

We survived Walt Disney World!

2010-02-08T15:00:00.012-06:00

We returned from the big Wiker family vacation to Walt Disney World last Friday. Eight glorious days of fun and chaos! Deron and I, the kids and my mom and her friend all stayed on property at Saratoga Springs in a Treehouse Villa. It was nice to spread out and have the kids in their own room, which made bedtime interesting! Our villa was right on the water and the girls loved watching the ferry boats from Port Orleans and the Treehouse launch go by all day and night. Annalise would shout "boat, boat" every time she saw one pass. The guests would wave back so that was neat.

We made the mistake of taking the scenic water route on the ferry boat to Downtown Disney one night...40 long minutes later (and a three stops!) we finally arrived at our destination. Needless to say, it was our first and last Disney transportation experience. I highly recommend a rental car to get around property. It's nice that Disney provides transportation, but it's quite inconvenient and inefficient at the end of the day when you have two tired girlies in tow (not to mention their mom and her frazzled nerves!)

This was a big family vacation- Deron's brother, Dirk, his wife Rachael and our niece and nephew, Alexa and Lucas, Rachael's mom, Joann and Grammy and Pee Paw were all there. The whole trip was really Rachael's idea to begin with and she did an outstanding job planning and organizing all the activities. I think she's qualified to run her own Disney travel site now. Thanks again Rachael for all your help and also a thank you to my friend Beth for all the information (PS. the kids loved the chocolate slipper dessert!) We would have been blind without you.

At EPCOT we had lunch with the princess at Norway and we dined with them again at Cinderella's Royal Table, the most covenant reservations in all the WDW. The character meals were a little hectic, but worth the look of awe on Katherine Claire and Annalise's faces. As a lady I met on the monorail said, the most magical thing about Disney is that the little ones think it's all real...and you knew this was true by the mesmerized look on my little princesses faces.

Annalise could care less about the princesses, she was all about the Mouse! Luckily for her, we also dined at Chef Mickey's where she got to see the whole gang. Both girls were starstruck to say the least! It's like they got to meet their all time favorite actors - imagine that!?! And to them, every experience was the real deal. Ahhh, the beauty and wonders of childhood!

Before heading to the airport, we used the last few minutes on our camcorder tape to interview the girls about their favorite things about the trip. Katie Claire had a priceless response to what the best part of the trip was - seeing Alexa and Lucas. I think Annalise would have said the same! Favorite rides included: Big Thunder Mountain (if you look close, you can see Katie Claire and Deron in the front seat - Annalise and I found a good viewing spot and just happened to catch them coming around the corner) and the Dumbo rides (Dumbo, Alladin's Magic Carpets and the Baby Dino ride at Animal Kingdom). Even Annalise knew these were all the same! She kept saying Dumbo every time we would ride one of the other ones and "all done" - guessed she didn't enjoy them quite as much as Katie Claire.

Teddy Bear Sleepover

2010-01-22T10:01:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, Katherine Claire's school hosted a "Teddy Bear Sleepover" party. All the kids brought a stuffed animal to school and last night they had a slumber party. Katie Claire made it very clear that she was not staying at school overnight!

Katie Claire's bear was having a tea party

Today the kids and the teachers all wore pajamas to school. Katherine Claire went in her Ariel nightgown she got for Christmas. She thought it was so silly seeing everyone in their bed clothes as school.

The kids played outside of the classroom this morning and then after breakfast they all went in together to see what mischief the bears had made. Oh what a wild mess! Some were still sleeping, some were having a tea party, others were playing with puzzles and there was toilet paper strung down the middle of the room. It was quite a scene! I took pictures while the kids were at breakfast, but I wish I could have seen their reaction in person. I'm sure the Teddy Bear Sleepover was a big hit!

Nine Days and Counting!

2010-01-20T14:25:00.004-06:00

Still lots of last minute preparation going to make the trip as smooth as possible. Met with my friend Beth last night to compare our itineraries, dining reservations, schedules, etc. She clued me in on a little surprise I can order for the kiddos at Cinderella's Round Table - can't wait!

So excited about how the the travel t-shirts turned out for my niece and nephew. I used Avery T-Shirt Transfer paper to make them. The finished product looked more like a screen print than a cheap-o iron on. Hope they like them. They were mailed today, along with some big boy underwear for Lucas, who is newly potty trained! No more diapers, just in time for the big trip. Way to go Lucas!

Oh what irony!

2010-01-19T11:02:00.005-06:00

While checking my work email today for the much anticipated response to my hardship request, I found this in my inbox:

Congratulations!

Dear Tina A. Wiker, Congratulations on your 10 Year anniversary with XXXXX! Thank you for your dedication and contributions to our company. We are pleased to honor you with an award in recognition of this accomplishment.

Just for the fun of it I ordered another charm, complete with simulated emeralds, to match my "beloved" 5-year charm. The choices were slim: a set of $30 steak knives, a $20 pair of portable speakers, lots of men's watches, a stainless steel ring with an ittty, bitty diamond, etc. Now, let's see if it actually shows up!

Pray for the People of Haiti

2010-01-17T13:28:00.002-06:00

If you want to help the people of Haiti, but don't know how or where to donate this is a great place to send your money. This is a church in Baton Rouge - I am not a member, but I do know several people that are and this church is amazing when it comes to relief efforts and community involvement. During both Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav, the HPC was there for the people of Louisiana, their outreach efforts are nothing short of amazing.

Healing Place Church: General Haiti Relief Fund

We wanted our donation to go directly to help the people, not pad the pockets of some bureaucratic extension of the government and I can count on the Healing Place Church to do just that. Here is an excerpt from an article in the newspaper this morning detailing their efforts:

“The people of Haiti will need support for years to come. I encourage you to pray for our sisters and brothers in Haiti.”

But kind hearts have still been moved to give.

J.P. Brumfield, outreach coordinator for Healing Place Church, said the response to his church’s call for medications and medical supplies has kept the church phones ringing.

The church has collection sites in Baton Rogue and St. Amant, and Brumfield said, seeing people happily willing to stand in line to benefit Haiti’s people despite cold and rainy weather has been overwhelming.

“It has been really, really cool to see the response,” he said.

The church plans to fill up a 53-foot tractor-trailer by 9 p.m. Monday before shipping the supplies off Tuesday.

Since committing himself to Haiti on Thursday, Greene said, he has been recruiting other physicians. Nine of them will be headed to Miami either this morning with him or on Monday. From there, he said, the doctors plan to catch a connection to Haiti via relief cargo planes.

Former California oil and gas exploration executive and venture capitalist David Perez, who worked with Healing Place Church during Hurricane Katrina relief, is flying the cargo planes daily into Port-au-Prince’s jammed airport.

Greene said Perez has set up a soccer field as a medical site able to help as many as 10,000 people.

Greene, whose wife is expecting the couple’s fourth child in April, said he plans to stay in Haiti for a week. He said the need in Haiti and his calling to help outweigh lacking comforts and any safety concerns stemming from reports of civil unrest.

“I am planning on being exhausted and overwhelmed, but I’m ready,” Greene said.

Friends have set up a Facebook.com page, “I Will Pray for Dr. Craig Greene and His Family Daily While He is In Haiti.” Greene said he plans to post updates there, if he is able.

Bye Bye High Heels and Drycleaning Bills!

2010-01-15T08:06:00.003-06:00

My company just went through its fourth round of "restructuring", which is corporate lingo for "laying off", in two years. My job-share partner and I knew there was only one spot in Baton Rouge and our other partner was geographically better suited because she lived the closest to the bulk of the business. While location was a determining factor in the placement process, it was obviously not as important as we thought.

So far, I've made it unscathed and from the company's standpoint, I made the last cut as well. However from my standpoint, this is not the case. My newly assigned territory is a mere 107 miles (or 1 hour and 46 minutes) from my driveway. With two small kids at home and a part-time work schedule, a daily trip to Houma, LA is not feasible. This left me in quite a predicament.

Luckily, my manager had a solution for us. Because my new territory was greater than 50 miles outside of my current territory, I was able to apply for a "hardship" review. Hopefully, this is approved and I will be granted a severance package, which is better than the alternative...quitting empty-handed.

What next? There may be an opening in Baton Rouge within the company sometime in February, and that's always a possibility. The company has been good to me over the years and you can't beat full benefits, a company car and a paycheck on a part-time flexible schedule. It was good while it lasted! On the other hand, I'm thinking it may be time to move on, time to concentrate on the girls and our home full-time and perhaps explore more creative opportunities. First, let me see if that check is in the mail!

Wecome 2010

2010-01-13T21:42:00.003-06:00

Yes, I know I've said it before...I'm going to be a better blogger. The ease of facebook and going between two computers has killed the blogger in me, but I'm determined to find her this year. It's so important to remember the little, everyday moments and this is such a great way to capture them and share them at the same time.
This month Katherine Claire is 3 1/2 and Annalise is 19 months. They are growing like weeds and it's so much fun watching them play together...sharing makes for very interesting interactions. Katie Claire's favorite activity is playing dollhouse with mommy and daddy. Santa had no idea what he was getting himself into when he put the Barbie Dream House under the Christmas tree. Annalise is into shoes these days and fancies any sort of other accessory she can wear: crowns, necklaces, bracelets, etc. She got a couple of little pairs of dress up heels for Christmas and she cries when we take them off.

Katherine Claire is really looking forward to her birthday...I mean REALLY looking forward to it. She asks us almost daily when is it going to be her birthday. She wants a princess party and is very clear that NO BOYS are allowed!

Only 16 more days until Disney World!!! Still some planning and lots of organizing to do before we hit the road. Can't wait to see the girls in the middle of the magic!

October in Review - check back later for more pictures

2009-11-01T10:54:00.006-06:00

Wow, I didn't realize how long it had been since the blog has been updated. With the introduction of facebook, my blogging has dwindled. It's easy to just post pictures on FB, but it isn't really a place for the story behind the photos.

We are glad October is finally over; what a busy (but fun) month! There were so many parties and events - the calendar was too full. There was Boo at the Zoo, two parties at Katie Claire's pre-school, Trick-or-Treating Down the Row at LSU and finally Halloween night.

Here the girls are at Boo at the Zoo. Annalise was a lady bug and Katie Claire was a glitzy cowgirl all in pink. I was still working on the Tinkerbell costume so the cowgirl was filling in. We met the Burrell's and the Conley's there. The kids had a great time and the weather was perfect.

The church, University Methodist, were Katherine Claire attends pre-school hosted a Halloween function. The pre-school was invited, but there weren't any of her friends there so we didn't stay long. Here are a couple of photos of the girls in the pumpkin patch. It was a costume party, though our girls were the only ones dressed up.

Sorority Row at LSU hosted their annual Trick-or-Treat Down the Row event on Wednesday, October 28th. This was our first time and we were surprised how many people attended the event. It was organized chaos at its best! The Phi Kappa Psi house held a carnival for the kids. They turned the entire first floor of their house in to a black visqueen maze of carnival games. A couple of the houses offered face painting, which Katie Claire has turned into "hand painting". Mike the Tiger was out there to greet the kids, as well as several LSU cheerleaders and dance team members. What a great job they did putting this event together!

The pre-school hosted a Fall Fest on Friday, October 30th. The teachers and staff really outdid themselves! There were lots of cool games, neat prizes, face painting and cupcakes. What more could you ask for?

That night, Deron and I attended an adult only party down the street. It was fun to see all the creative costumes and catch up with old friends and meet new ones as well. We went as characters from the series Lost. Some people got it, but others had no clue. Same went for a couple dressed as "Jim and Pam" from The Office. There were dressed as a bride and groom with a cut necktie and ponchos from the Niagara Falls scene. Slim Goodbody made an appearance as well - anyone remember this guy from the 70's? Wish I didn't!

Finally, it was October 31st - Halloween had FINALLY (did I already say FINALLY!?!) arrived. It was the night of our Annual Wiker Halloween Party. Katie Claire and Annalise hosted lots of little friends and everyone brought great treats to share. The kids looked so cute running around in their costumes and playing in the backyard. The weather was perfect and from the looks of it, everyone enjoyed themselves. There wasn't as many houses open for business this year because of the LSU/Tulane game being played at home but the kids got more candy that they could (or would be allowed to) eat. On the downside, parents didn't have as much to choose from on the annual candy raid.

How much is to ask that two girls look at the camera at the same time and smile?!? After many, many attempts this was best one - at least they are looking and making the same face...whatever the face may be.

TWO much fun!

2009-08-12T00:29:00.001-05:00

Katherine Claire had an all day play date with her friend Addison today. Addison's mommy was admitted to the hospital today to have some medicines updated and found out that Baby Harper will be here sooner than anyone expected.

The girls had so much fun! We all went out in the morning and played with the bicycles and ride-on cars and of course, Annalise was in her little red "cawr". After Annalise went down for her nap, the girls got their swimsuits on and headed out again to play in the sprinkler. Here's a little peek at their day...

Annalise's New Fishy Face

2009-08-09T12:51:00.007-05:00

Annalise playing patty cake...
and how to tell when you child is
sick of having a camera in her face.

The View from Our Front Porch

2009-08-09T08:56:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the Pennington Balloon Championship in Baton Rouge. It's held just a few miles from our home so we were fortunate enough to get an incredible private viewing of all the action from our front porch. The balloons passed on Saturday morning and Sunday morning - they were so close you could see the people and even hear the release of the hot air into the balloon from inside the house!

Katie Claire starts preschool

2009-08-04T22:28:00.004-05:00

Katherine Claire started preschool today at University Methodist Preschool of Excellence. She was very excited about starting her new school she could hardly sleep the night before. She asked what her teacher's name would be, what would her other teacher's name be, would she be wearing a dress, what was she going to wear, etc.

This morning, Deron and I brought her to get a donuts and talk about what her day would be like. We then took her to meet her teacher, Ms. Billie, and then Katie Claire was soon off to explore the classroom and meet the other children. Only half of the class attended to day for an introduction. She had no problem with us leaving us, we were definitely more nervous about the new school than she was. After school, we took her to eat and get ice cream. She told us she had a lot of fun and enjoyed her new teachers and playing outside - her favorite activity of all! Katie Claire also reported she was a big girl today and indeed she was!

Tomorrow all the students will be in class at the same time so I'm sure she will have even more fun. We still can't believe our little baby is old enough for preschool! I'd love to keep her my baby forever.

One Small Step, a Giant Leap for Annalise

2009-08-03T14:07:00.005-05:00

Annalise took her first few independent steps today. We are so proud of her! She's been cruising along for quite a while and just recently felt confident enough to go from the couch to the chair without holding on the whole way.

And yes, I've been a bad blogger. I was actually a little discouraged because I wasn't really sure if anyone was keeping up so my updating went by the wayside all summer. Many of you have commented on my lack of entries so obviously someone is looking! Hopefully I will get around to a "summer in rewind" entry soon. We've been so busy redoing the backyard and vacationing: a cruise to the Bahamas and a Wiker family trip to Hilton Head. And of course, our little Annalise turned ONE on July 4th!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T00:01:00.001-05:00

No White (Eggs) Until After Easter

2009-04-11T23:41:00.003-05:00

Katherine Claire and I dyed eggs for the first time today. She loved dipping the white eggs in the dyes and seeing the colorful eggs come out. Of course, the stickers in the Dora kit were a big hit as well.

Thankfully the dye came off our hands pretty easy. It's been a long day, we'll finish accessorizing them tomorrow after church.

Annual LCOS Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-11T23:36:00.006-05:00

Our church hosted its Annual Easter Egg Hunt today. Pastor Kim used eggs with symbols tucked inside to tell the Easter story and then the kids hit the playground to find eggs. It was a really neat idea, though the younger kids were having a hard time keeping the their egg hunt anticipation in check.

At the end of the hunt, the kids headed back to the social hall to see what goodies were hiding inside their eggs. Some eggs had candy in them and some eggs had a little note that said "Jesus wants you to have an Easter surprise".There was a big prize table set up and all the kids with the special message (which was all the kids!) got to pick out a little something. Katherine Claire choose a pretty butterfly kite and an egg dying kit. Annalise stayed at home with Nanny to enjoy playtime and lots of hugs.

Easter Bunny Time for Annalise

2009-04-10T14:04:00.007-05:00

No photo available for Katherine Claire.
Evidently, she is still has leporiphobia,
the proper term for fear of the Easter Bunny!

Main Street Market Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-10T13:49:00.003-05:00

The Easter Bunny was hopping through Main Street Market spreading Easter cheer today. Lined with almost 1,000 eggs, Main Street Market hosted their annual Easter Egg Hunt this morning. The kids enjoyed balloon art, face painting and an art activity.
Katherine Claire did get a nice bumble bee balloon but refused to have her face painted. The face painting artists were exceptionally good, their designs were really bright and beautiful and lots of glitter. My sister tried to convince Katie Claire to get the Hello Kitty or Ariel design but she wasn't having anything to do with it. For the art activity, we colored a paper carrot.
The egg hunt was lots of fun and the older kids were really sweet helping the younger ones find eggs. Towards the end of the hunt, Katherine Claire found a golden egg! It was well hidden, tucked behind the tea display at the Daily Bread shop. (She had a little help). She was really excited about her find and even more excited about the big basket of princess goodies she won.

Easter at MDO

2009-04-09T23:42:00.003-05:00

Katherine Claire's MDO class celebrated Easter today. She brought home a rabbit eat hat, a large painted pink construction paper egg and a beautiful "stained glass" cross made from strips of torn tissue paper. The teachers made them personalized Easter baskets and they were of course filled with eggs hiding lots of chocolate treasures.
The party was actually held on Wednesday this time so Katie Claire missed it. My mom sent cupcakes and bunny plates and napkins for the class to enjoy today so they could have their own little celebration. We also sent painted egg cookies for all the kids.
Most of the afternoon was spent with us negotiating about when and how much of the candy could be eaten at a single sitting. The pretty foil paper seemed to get the best of her because I kept catching Katie Claire peeling the candies - of course, she wasn't going to necessarily eat them just because the paper was gone. Yea, right!

Annalise's procedure was success!

2009-04-09T23:15:00.004-05:00

Since Annalise was born, we've been massaging around her little eyes and fighting her to put antibiotic drops in them. Still, the redness, infections and discharge persisted. Some mornings, her little left eye would almost be sealed shut from the gunk that accumulated over night. Our pediatrician said that most of them time this sort of thing clears up on it's own usually by six months or at the latest by nine months. So at nine months it was time to see the pediatric ophthalmologist, Dr. Bradley Black.

Dr. Black performed the procedure on our little Annalise this morning and she was a real trooper. She barely fussed at all before the procedure, despite the fact it was almost 8am and she had not eaten since the night before. The probing was very quick and she was back in our arms within 20 minutes or less. The doctor said that with her type of blockage he did not expect a second probing would be necessary.

It should be only another week or so before her eye completely clears up and that is welcomed news. Only four more days of those miserable drops she hates so much! Thanks to Dr. Black (and my cousin, Kellie, his wonderful nurse) for taking such good care of her. Dr. Black's wife even made her a sweet little bag with her name on it and a Winnie the Pooh doll tucked inside. Kellie said she makes little bags for all his surgery patients.

a brief overview of the condition according to Pediatric Ophthalmic Consultants:

What Is a Tear Duct Obstruction?

The tears are constantly manufactured by glands within the eyelids. After lubricating the eye, the tears normally drain into two small holes ("puncta") located on the inner corner of the upper and lower eyelids. From there, the tears drain into the back of the nose via the tear duct (a.k.a. nasolacrimal duct). This is why we tend to have a runny nose when we cry! Infants with a nasolacrimal duct obstruction typically have a blockage at the most distant end of the duct immediately before it empties into the nose.

Approximately six percent of all infants are born with a nasolacrimal duct obstruction (tear duct blockage) affecting one or both eyes. Fortunately, at least 90% of these obstructions will clear without treatment within the first year of life.

What are the Signs of a Tear Duct Obstruction?

As the tears have nowhere to drain, they will well up on the surface of the eye and often overflow onto the eyelashes, lids and cheek. Normally there are bacteria in the tears which also have nowhere to drain when a blockage is present. These bacteria tend to grow within the tear duct and cause a pus-like discharge from the inner corner of the eye and on the lashes — frequently observed when the child awakens.

Making the Diagnosis

The pediatric ophthalmologist will perform all of the necessary tests to confirm that your child has a tear duct obstruction. Other rarer causes of tearing in children will be ruled-out.

Treatment

As the majority of tear duct obstructions will resolve without any intervention by age twelve months, conservative measures are usually recommended. The typical treatment protocol includes:

Tear duct massage (as demonstrated by the doctor) three times each day if any signs of a tear duct obstruction are evident.
Antibiotic eye drops three times daily as needed after the massage. These eye drops should be used only when a yellow or green pus-like discharge is present throughout the day. The eye drops should be discontinued if only a white mucus-like discharge or no discharge is present.

Probing

A probing of the nasolacrimal duct is a surgical procedure performed to relieve the obstruction for any of the following reasons:

If the signs of the tear duct obstruction persist by the first birthday.
If the pus-like discharge persists despite use of the antibiotic eye drops and massage.
If a more serious infection of the tear duct ("dacryocystitis") or infection of the skin over the tear duct occurs as a result of the obstruction.

This delicate procedure is safely performed when your child is motionless. This is best achieved with a brief "mask" anesthesia at a hospital outpatient surgical facility.

During the probing, small smooth wire probe is passed through the tear duct and into the nose. The surgeon confirms an open tear drainage system at the end of this procedure. There are no incisions or scarring from this operation. There is no significant post-operative discomfort.

Annalise is mobile!

2009-03-29T22:55:00.002-05:00

Annalise crawled today for the first time! She's been crawfishing backwards for quite some time, but today she managed to propel herself forward. We were playing ball and she bent over to get it, next thing you know she was up on all fours going for it. We are so proud baby Annalise! Such a big girl!

Party in the Hundred Acre Woods

2009-03-28T21:00:00.005-05:00

We celebrated Kendyl's, Katherine Claire and Annalise's cousin, second birthday today. The theme was Winnie the Pooh and Friends and of course it was quite an event. What else would you expect when your parents own The Gatehouse, which is where the festivites were held.

The Birthday Girl

All the decorations were super cute and and the food was yummy. There were lots of things to play on, open space to run about and even a Pooh bounce house. The weather was beautiful today and it was really nice to sit in the sun and hang out with my big girl. Annalise stayed behind with Nanny to take a nap and, no doubt, received lots of spoiling. Daddy was at home on storm debris duty.

Camp Nanny

2009-03-28T20:46:00.002-05:00

We lost our power almost immediately once the storm hit Wednesday - or rather very early Thursday morning at 1AM. Thursday night we relocated to my sister's house to enjoy the luxury of electricity. The power was finally restored to our street late Friday night...what a relief!

Here's a quick look at how we spent our days at Nanny's house. It's amazing how many things a little kid can find that they are not supposed to play with! And Annalise had some major separation anxiety issues. She wouldn't even hang out in her walker or on the activity mat. I had to carry that poor baby around all day to keep her happy. She's not at all like that at home, but I guess we were in a new place so it's to be expected.

More headaches and thankfully minimal damage

2009-03-26T21:23:00.013-05:00

Good news! The tree on our house did only minimal cosmetic damage and there was no water intrusion. The shingles will all have to be replaced on that area and some boards replaced. The playground equipment is pretty much toast and the playhouse will definitely need some repair work, but all in all a fair trade off for a house all in one piece.

Unfortunately, many of our friends and neighbors were not as lucky. It was really eerie this morning to walk outside and see the debris covering the streets, houses and cars and in the background to hear the sound of chainsaws and generators. It was very reminiscent of the aftermath of Gustav.

There is another wave of winds and weather due in about the same time tonight as last night. We are still without power so we've relocated to my sister house for the night. Hopefully, all is well when we get home tomorrow. Our neighborhood is quickly running out of trees!

This is the crepe myrtle in our front yard. This one branch was completely ripped away at the roots from the main trunk.

It's Like Deja Vu, All Over Again!

2009-03-26T04:17:00.002-05:00

I woke up about 1:15 am to scary, howling winds and the loud noise of things being blow in to the house. Before we went to bed, there was a weather advisory for a tornado watch, which we all but ignored except for the fact that it irked us to know that our DVR recording of Lost would now be incomplete. Needless to say, when I heard the weather, I immediately woke Deron and we each grabbed a girl and ran into the nursery bathroom - all I said was "do you hear that" and we were off! Guess you could say we are hurricane battered and storm ready because of it. We discussed before Gustav that this was the safest place in the house to be in during a storm - and it was the same place we were when the first tree fell!!! I suppose it has taken on it's own twisted sentimental value at this point.

After the wind slowed down and we could no longer hear objects beating on the side of the house, we peaked out the bathroom and started accessing the damage. Deron looked out Katherine Claire's window and made the comment that he didn't remember the view being obstructed by tree branches, well guess what, it wasn't just a branch but a whole tree! AGAIN!

The tree feel across the playhouse - can't tell how much damage yet. Hopefully, it is just resting on the roof and has not damaged the building, but judging by the size we're not too sure that will be the outcome. However, we do know that it crushed the awning over the landing off the sunroom. The roof of the wooden swing set treehouse is laying in the yard and Deron said he thought it looked as though the whole thing was down on its side. What a mess! Will this ever end? Therapy here I come!

** Pictures to follow. Stay posted. **

Announcing Deron's New Baby

2009-03-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

We are finally ready to do something about our pit of despair, otherwise known as our backyard. As most of you reading this know, our freshly built addition - man cave (workshop)/ ladies retreat (craft room/guest suite) - was demolished by a tree during Hurricane Gustav.
The landscape architect we hired finished the plans and the job is "out for bids". Hopefully, improvements will soon be underway. It's only been a year since we've been able to use the backyard...what's a couple more months, right!?! As you can see, the backyard has been completely neglected since the aftermath of the storm - one of the landscapers actually asked to take before/after photos for his portfolio. That's always a bad sign!

In the meantime, we've been searching the web and local stores for the perfect outdoor kitchen set up. This weekend we found it! Deron is now the proud owner of one monstrous BBQ grill complete with all the bells and whistles. The island also includes a separate burner (anyone up for a shrimp boil?) , a fridge (juice boxes only, I'm sure) and a bar on the side. We will need to put a sink in to the left of the grill and it will be complete. Hopefully we'll be serving burgers in no time!

Silly Girls

2009-03-09T20:06:00.001-05:00

Every now and then, Katherine Claire does something that Annalise finds absolutely hilarious. She starts laughing and it's like she can't control herself, which makes everyone around her laugh too!

Today, Katie Claire was riding Annalise's zebra toy and every time she said "giddy up, giddy up" Annalise would crack up. Her laugh is just too adorable not to share.

Calling all Party Animals: Katherine Claire is 3!

2009-03-07T10:08:00.005-06:00

The party was a big, wild success. Katherine Claire had a great time with all her friends and the weather was perfect. There were 12 kids, not including the babies Annalise, Holly and Steven, and it was a little crazy under that small tent but they didn't seem to mind the chaos.

The kids dinned on PB&J's, grapes, goldfish and cheese cubes while the grown ups enjoyed wraps, fruit, veggies, chips and more. Inside the zebra lunch boxes were also a few favors: a water filled jungle cup, a Crayola pad and marker set and an animal whistle, which turned out not to be a major annoyance after all. They blew sort of a nice muted sound. Katie Claire and I also made a craft for her friends: an alligator decorated with glitter glue, paint and stickers and stuffed with a bag of M&Ms.

There were animal topped cupcakes for everyone. I don't know if the kids liked the cupcake, or the icing anyway, or the plastic animals more. Katherine Claire got lots of nice gifts and she was very excited about each one. It was quite difficult getting her to take a nap when we got home knowing all those great gifts were waiting for her.

Thanks to everyone that joined us and help make Katherine Claire's birthday so special. And a an even bigger thanks to everyone for helping out with the clean up - it was a very nice surprise! Now I just have to start working on Annalise's first birthday blowout. July 4th here we come!

See more pictures here on flickr

PS. If you have any photos from the party we'd love to see them!

Happy 3rd Birthday Katherine Claire!

2009-03-04T09:31:00.005-06:00

We can hardly believe we have a three-year-old! Where did the time go? This morning when Katie Claire got out of bed she awoke to a party streams on her door and in the dining room, balloons and small birthday cake (that I made with all that extra batter from the cupcake mishap) complete with sprinkles and three glittery candles. Deron and I sang happy birthday to her at breakfast.

I went into the kitchen to grab a knife to cut the cake and before I could return, which was probably about 5 seconds, Katie Claire had already helped herself. What a mess! It was her birthday so I let her have it all to herself and she mainly just licked off the icing and was done with it.

Later that morning, we met Anya and Steven at It's My Party for an hour or so of jumping fun then we had lunch at McDonald's. Annalise was taking a nap when we left so she stayed home with daddy.

Katherine Claire's special day ended with a family get together, more cake and presents! Dad grilled burgers for everyone and Nanny bought enough cake to feed 50, though there were only ten of us. Even with all the activity today, she still can't stop talking about the big party on Saturday.

All by Herself!

2009-03-03T23:15:00.002-06:00

Annalise just started drinking juice here and there in the last couple of weeks. I'm not big on giving juice to the itty bittys but it's prune juice, a very mild constipation fighting necessity. Today was the first time I gave her the cup and let her drink from it all by herself. I'm always amazed at how much my children can do when I just sit back and watch. Annalise looked like such a big girl turning that green cup up to her mouth. She is also getting very good at raking up the Gerber "puffies" and Cheerios with her tiny little fingers and feeding herself.

Annalise...you are getting to be such a big girl,
don't grow up too fast!

Celebrating at School

2009-03-03T22:14:00.001-06:00

Today we celebrated Katherine Claire's 3rd birthday at school since she only attends on Tuesday and Thursday. We baked cupcakes the night before and Katherine Claire iced and sprinkled them herself. She was so cute naming who each cupcake was for..."this one is for Tinkerbell (for some reason she thinks her friend Isabelle's name is Tinkerbell) , this one is for Bruin, this one is for Noah....)
I didn't realize until this morning that I only baked 12 cupcakes for her class...and plus we each ate one for breakfast before I made the discovery. For some reason in my mushy mommy brain state of thinking I really thought I baked 24 cupcakes...I actually kept wondering why I had all that batter left over?!?
Of course, we arrive at school with our 10 cupcakes to find out, as luck would have it, only 12 kids showed up that day. If only we hadn't splurged at breakfast!!! No big deal, we'll just cut them in half and the fast eaters can have seconds. This was a grand plan until Isabelle (a.k.a. Tinkerbell) exclaimed "I don't want that one, I want a circle one!". Oh well, Katie Claire had fun wearing her special hat and blowing out the three candles on her half cupcake anyway. It was so sweet to her her classmates sing Happy Birthday to her and send her off with well wishes. Next year, I'll do a better job of counting.

Just a trim?

2009-02-18T15:02:00.009-06:00

For some reason when you tell a hair stylist to "take off an inch", in their mind an inch translates to a measurement of any length they see fit. I have personally learned this lesson many times and yet still I forget. Oh well, hair does grow back!

Katherine Claire went in for a haircut today, which she was not happy about. She did actually sit in the chair this time by herself, but I had to hold her hand. Not bad though for her second time in the chair. I showed Mr. Mac where I wanted her hair cut to and he told me that would be too short, it would be "too dramatic of a change"so I figured I would just step back and let him do his job.

I quickly discovered that my concept of two inches and Mr. Mac's idea of two inches was completely different. When he made the first snip my heart fell to floor with the discarded hair, but by then we had to commit to the cut. There was no turning back now! Of course, I gave him a hard time and suggested we refer to a ruler next time.

At first, I was in shock - I could also see the same look on my mom's face as Katie Claire rounded the corner to show off her new do. She just looked so grown up! By now, her little bob has grown on me and she seemed very pleased with it as well. She looks adorable and her curls are really pretty without all the excess weight. Though I loved her long locks, the reality of it was they were just thin and stringy. There may not be any ponytails on the horizon, but her hair now has lots of body and bounce and it has a really nice shape to it. And it will grow back!

Barnyard Birthday

2009-02-14T19:39:00.006-06:00

Today was Addison's birthday party and we celebrated with her at Sunny Farms. There were pony rides, lots of animals to pet (including a HUGE rabbit) and a hayride. Plus, tons of fun things to explore and a BIG tractor tire swing that kept the kids giggling!
Katherine Claire loved the tire swing and running around all the playground stuff, but did not want to take part in the pony rides or the hayride. She's going through a phase right now where she just says "I don't want to and I'm not even going to try it!" when there's something she doesn't want to do. Usually, this phrase is reserved for potty time, of the second nature, but today it was a catch all for the fun party stuff she missed out on. Oh well, her loss! The other kids had a ball and were really into all the activities.
Addison looked so cute in her little tutu and sparkly belt buckle. Her Care Bear cake was beautiful and it tasted even better than it looked, if that's possible. The decorations and favors were all so cute - Jenny did a great job! I would have more pictures of all the fun but the batteries in the camera died about five minutes into the party.

Valentine Jewelry Box

2009-02-14T18:10:00.004-06:00

After a morning doughnut run, Daddy and Katie Claire headed out for their bi-monthly Lowe's Build and Grow project. Lowe's offers these kids' clinics twice a month and they're free! If you haven't been to one with your kiddos, you should really check it out. Just make sure your local Lowe's participates on a regular basis - all stores are supposed to offer this, but we've found that only one location in Baton Rouge (Millerville) actually has their act together. Home Depot offers a similar program, but we've yet to find a store anywhere in town that has even the slightest clue what's going on when it comes to the kids' workshops. Though from our experience, that seems to be a common theme in all areas with this chain.

Today they made a little jewelry box complete with a mirror and a beautiful red heart lock. She was so proud of it and couldn't wait to show it to me the minute she got home. And of course, she received a new patch for completing her project - we sew them on her work apron just like badges in Girls scouts. It's a fun reminder for all the neat stuff she's made.

Katie Claire really looks forward to her father/daughter bonding time at Lowe's. Plus, Deron let's her "drive" a race car buggy while she helps him shop!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T09:27:00.001-06:00

Portraits from an Artist

2009-02-12T22:37:00.006-06:00

Katie Claire drew these all by herself, complete with lots of teeth. Pretty good for an almost 3 year old. I told you she was quite an artiste!

Valentine's Party

2009-02-12T22:09:00.005-06:00

Katherine Claire had her Valentine's party at school today. She brought fruit to share and a Valentine card and treat for all her friends. My sister made fun of me for putting her picture on the card, but I thought the other children would appreciate being able to tell who the card was from just by looking at it. I know, I'm a total craft nerd! So sue me! Katie Clarie made smiley faces on the back of each card, complete with hair, chins and teeth - she's actually become quite the artist! I'll have to post some pictures of her latest portrait masterpieces.

All the kids could stop eating long enough to say "cheese" and have their picture taken, all except for our little darling Katie Claire who was too busy liking the icing off her cupcake. And, yes, of course the cake part was discarded as usual. This is a picture of Katie Claire and her beautiful teacher, Ms. Nazy.

Believe it or not, some of the candy actually lasted past dinner this evening, but as you can see she did her best to make up for lost time. That's our girl!

Chunking up!

2009-02-09T22:24:00.000-06:00

Annalise is up to two solid food meals a day. She loves apples and bananas, but is slow to warm to the veggies. We moved her to #2 foods this week and they seem to be more palatable to her.

She is getting so verbal as well, babbling all the time and even saying "da da", though she has no clue what that means yet...or the power it will give her over daddy! She also rolled from her back all the way onto her tummy this week. She's been rocking back and forth for a long time and going from tummy to back too, but this was the biggie! Annalise has also learned how to make a new smacking sound which keeps her thoroughly entertained.

What a happy baby! She smiles all the time and really gets a kick out of watching Katie Claire dance around and play. Her little belly laugh is contagious! You can't help but smile when you're around her.

Check out those fat little checks and rolls!

LSU Vet School Open House

2009-02-07T21:36:00.003-06:00

The LSU Vet School hosted an open house this weekend and the weather could not have been more perfect! There was a petting zoo, lots of exhibits and a visit from our official mascot, Mike the Tiger. Some of the demonstrations were a little too intense for the children, but really interesting for the adults.

Our friend Jenny was disappointed that we ran out of time and she didn't get to see Hildy, the Fistulated Cow - apparently this cow has a see-thru window on the side of her. I wasn't sure how this was going to go over with the girls...may be a good thing we skipped it on the tour. Then there were the areas that didn't appeal to any of us, like the giant room full of preserved animal parts that wreaked of formaldehyde - it smell like I was back in anatomy class again!

Overall it was a nice outing and Katherine Claire especially enjoyed seeing her friend Addison. It's been a while since the two have seen each other now that both are ballet school drop outs. Annalise enjoyed the nice stroller ride and she loved watching all the people.

The Blues Sisters

2009-02-05T21:29:00.002-06:00

The girls showing off their new Valentine sunglasses. It didn't take Annalise long to figure out how to get them off.

She's still got it!

2009-02-02T21:21:00.003-06:00

Hair that is. It's a little sparse here and there, but for the most part Annalise has a lot of hair for a baby her age. Katie Claire doesn't like it when I pull my hair up and she was equally displeased that I did this to Annalise, however she likes her hair to be in a pony tail? Hmmm...fickle toddlers!

I'm in...so I should be happy, right?

2009-01-22T17:19:00.006-06:00

Layoffs for my group at Merck were announced today. It seemed surreal to literally sit by the phone waiting to hear your if your "in or out". Is this really going to happen? Are the past nine years really coming down to a single phone call? How will my manager start the conversation? How will it end? What will be my fate? What will be the fate of my counterparts?

I also couldn't help but think about the person on the other end of the phone and the daunting task before her. My old manger, who was a great guy, was laid off himself just two weeks ago and yes for him, fifteen years did come down to that fateful phone call. He was instantly replaced by a female manager who has also been with the organization for many years. She is a brand new face for many in our group and for a lot of people it was unsettling to have such life changing news delivered by a stranger. She was equally upset about having to lose people and the general state of the company today.

One of my counterparts asked if I was going to get any sleep last night and my response was absolutely! One because I'm an exhausted mom of an infant and an almost three year old and two because there wasn't anything I could do but wait and see. This whole process has been coming for some time, just hanging over our heads, and somewhere along the way I made peace with it. It is what it is as one of my old admired directors would always say.

At least I am not the primary breadwinner in my family, however for all lot of my counterparts, this is not the case. Our family does however depend on my job for health benefits and the thought of not having full coverage benefits was overwhelmingly frightening to me. With my family's health history, cancer is always in the back of my mind. Of course, we could afford to secure insurance on our own (and to be honest we had already began comparing prices), but individual plans are not only incredibly expensive, they can come with lots of exclusions and limitations.

Promptly at 9:30 am my cell phone rang, my scheduled time slot had arrived! My manager started off asking how my day was going (take a wild guess!) and then she said she had good news that she hoped would relieve some of my stress. My position was safe, but it didn't really reduce my stress level. The company's future still seems uncertain and I was still thinking about my counterparts. I knew Sylvia had a lot more calls to make and that they wouldn't all be as pleasant. She shared my sentiments on the situation at hand and I told her I hoped things were going to settle soon.

The rest of the reps find out their fates on February 23rd. Southern Louisiana will be reducing the sales force from about 34 reps down to 20-24 reps. There is a lot confusion and frustration over the placement process and in general the morale of our entire sales force in the tank. As we are often told regarding sales numbers, we only have up to go.

Annalise update

2009-01-13T15:49:00.002-06:00

Annalise woke up this morning with a bite on her eyelid and scratches all around her eye obviously because it was itching her. There were two tiny side-by-side marks, so I thought it could be a spider bite. Back to the pediatrician!

Luckily, it was just a mosquito bite. While we there they weighed Annalise again - she gained a whole 8.5 ounces! I guess she just wasn't eating enough even though she never showed any hunger signs. She always seemed content and was sleeping though the night without waking to eat.

Blood work is normal!

2009-01-09T10:08:00.003-06:00

The pediatrician called this morning and Annalise's blood work is normal. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers and thanks be to God for this good news! I will update this post later with more details.

Now we just have to see how the supplementing works - she will have her weight checked next Tuesday. Hopefully, by then the mystery will be solved. Thanks again for the support. We were (and really still are to be honest!) really worried about our little angel and it helped knowing others were thinking about her.

Annalise is off the charts...and not in good way

2009-01-08T21:44:00.004-06:00

Annalise went for her routine 6 month appointment today, but it turned out to be anything but routine. Our pediatrician's medical assistant took Annalise's height, weight and head circumference measurements and once again they were completely inaccurate. When she measured her head the tape was crooked so I knew the number was not correct.

I told Dr. Ronnie that Annalise seemed really small to me and that she seemed to be thinning out already. It took Katie Claire almost two years to get rid of her dimpled hiney, but little Annalise is already losing her rolls. He thought she looked pleasantly plump, but I pressed him to check her numbers.

We discussed the discrepancy in the MA's measurements at her last appointment and I asked him to double check the ones she took this time. The head circumference alone was off by 3/4", which for a baby is a huge discrepancy. Annalise's head had actually only grown 1/8" since the last appointment on 11/26/08. Normal growth would be a 1/2" a month.

Upon finding this out, he took all her measurements over and come to find out the height was off as well. At this point, he went back to her file and started reviewing her grown chart. It was marked up so bad from all the inconsistencies in the MA's measurements and the corresponding corrections it was hard to make heads or tails out of it! Needless to say, after a very to the point conversation with the Dr. Ronnie and his head nurse, that MA will not be working with my family EVER again.

To get to the point - at her last visit (11/26), Annalise was in the 50th percentile for her weight, 75th for height and 25th for her head (this didn't concern me since Katherine Claire's head measurements have run consistently on the small side). With today's numbers, Annalise had fallen off the charts on all three!

Dr. Ronnie was very concerned with these numbers considering she was so high on the chart at birth. I was upset that this wasn't picked up on when we saw him in December to follow up about the ear infections and croup. He ordered an ultrasound on her kidneys, a urinalysis and blood work. The U/S and urinalysis came back clean, we should hear about the blood work in the morning.

In the meantime, the plan is to supplement with expressed milk or formula and reweigh her on Tuesday. Hopefully, it's just a nutritional issue and the supplementing will do the trick. Please say a little prayer for her. We'll keep you posted.

Tiny Dancer Hangs Up Her Slippers For Good

2009-01-07T21:12:00.003-06:00

Ballet/Tap classes resumed today and Katherine Claire seemed ready to go. She picked out her new ballet leotard and was happy to get dressed for class. She was really looking forward to seeing her friend Addison and cousin Ansley.

When we arrived at the studio, Katie Claire went into the classroom hesitantly and I thought for a minute she was going to make it. Only a minute because that's how long it was before she burst into tears and began clinging to me like a baby chimpanzee in a Discovery channel program. So that's it for ballet for now. Perhaps we will try again in the fall or maybe we will look for another activity that she is more interested in. On the bright side, she has some new dress up clothes and a fancy $60 recital costume to hang the closet.

Attn Moms: Deal of the Day Baby Bargains

2009-01-04T21:10:00.008-06:00

This isn't the thing I normally blog about but it is my latest find and I'm crazy about these sites. Each day there is a different deal, some are better than others - mostly high end baby goods. So far I got a Fleurville diaper bag for $50, regularly $149.95. I came across this information on a blog called Baby Cheapskate. Check it out when you have a minute, there is a lot of great money saving information on this site.

www.babysteals.com
www.tottlers.com
www.mamabargains.com
www.babybloop.com

There is one other site listed on Baby Cheapskate called Shnoop, but I've read really mixed reviews on this site so buyer beware. I did purchase a stroller (actually two, but that's another story - they were holding out on the reclining one!) from them to replace the one that Gustav claimed before doing my homework. Keeping my fingers crossed they it arrive! If not, hopefully PayPal and/or AMEX will take care of it.

*************** UPDATE ********************
Both strollers arrived in a decent amount of time and in new condition - as promised!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T22:55:00.000-06:00

We attended the early Christmas Eve service so that our little ones could get in bed before Santa arrived. Katherine Claire and Annalise enjoyed all the beautiful music and Katherine Claire even held her own candle - yes, it was lit and it was brief!

Afterward, we joined my family at Uncle Steve and Aunt Joanna's house for gumbo and lots of other treats. Cousins Mieklan and Brayden kept Katherine Claire entertained and everyone was excited to see little Annalise and how much she'd grown.
Then it off to put together toys for the next couple of hours. Santa underestimated set-up time considerably...note to self for next year.

We're off to see the Wikers (of MD, PA, SC and TX)

2008-12-21T20:15:00.000-06:00

We headed to Arnold, MD to celebrate Lucas' second birthday and spend some time with all the Wikers for Christmas. Luckily, Dana and Jason (Deron's sister and her husband) are only a couple of hours away so we were able to visit their home as well. Everyone came in for Lucas' birthday party, including Grammy and Pee Paw from South Carolina and Wendy and Nathan (Deron's brother and his wife) from Texas.

We had a straight flight on Saturday from New Orleans to Baltimore on Southwest - great flight, the girls were perfect. Katherine Claire of course was wide awake and Deron was gracious enough to entertain her the whole time. Annalise slept like an angel. Even the rental car was a breeze! We owe a big thanks to Dirk and Rachael for ferrying a car seat to us for Katherine Claire. Somehow we managed to bring the car seat carrier bag, but no car seat!

Sunday we headed to Dana and Jason's home in PA. We lucked up and Jason was preaching that Sunday, so we arrived in Wyomissing in time for service at Atonement Lutheran Church. Afterwards, Dana treated us to her homemade vegetarian chili - I was a little hesitant, how do you make chili with no meat??? It was so good and I'm looking forward to making some myself soon. Thanks to Dana for sharing the recipe. She is quite the cook!
Monday we all drove about an hour away from Wyomissing to visit Hershey Park for Christmas at Hershey. Rachael, Dirk, Alexa and Lucas met us there and the kids had a lot of fun riding the kiddie rides and seeing the "pretty lights". The park was decorated beautifully and Santa was even there with all his reindeer. All for $9.95! What a bargain. And Katherine Claire and Lucas were free!
We woke up to lots of snow in Wyomissing the next morning. Katie Claire and Daddy had fun smacking trees and throwing snowballs. That evening, we returned to Arnold for more playtime with the cousins. Unfortunately, by this time all the kids had come down with coughs and colds.
Thursday we were in for a special treat - Alexa's Christmas Program at Anchors-A-Wee Preschool. The kids sang a couple of songs and then we headed back to Alexa's classroom for a party.
By Friday, the coughs and colds were getting the best of the girls of them so we took them to Alexa and Lucas' pediatrician. Thankfully the clinic was very accommodating and saw us right away. Poor little Annalise had croup and an ear infection. Katherine Claire had pneumonia and an ear infection too. Poor babies, I couldn't believe they were so sick.

Saturday - time for the party! Lucas had a Madagascar themed party, which is very fitting considering his obsession with animals. There was a ton of delicious food and the cake and decorations were super cute. The kids had a lot fun making crafts and playing games. As always, Rachael and Dirk put on quite a party!

After the party, we had the kiddie gift exchange - Christmas: Round One! The girls got lots of cute clothes, toys and books. Lucas and Alexa got lots of nice gifts too from all the aunts and uncles. All the aunts and uncles did a good job spoiling the little ones. Grammy and Pee Paw's presents were a bit over sized for our luggage so they were sent straight to the house.

The flight home Sunday was uneventful, though we were worried that things wouldn't be so pleasant with the ear infections and congestion. Both girls slept just about the entire flight - the plane was pretty sparse so Katie Claire was able to lay out and Annalise had her comfy carseat to sleep in.

We had to let Bijoux in on the fun

2008-12-10T11:56:00.002-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Merry Christmas from the Wikers!

2008-12-09T22:54:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Prima Ballerina...not so much so

2008-12-09T20:02:00.003-06:00

Katherine Claire started ballet/tap class tonight at Baton Rouge Dance Connection with her friend Addison and her cousin Ansley. She talked about being a ballerina all day and was excited to wear her little pink dance outfit. When it was showtime, it was no go time!

Before class started, she was having a ball playing in the lobby with her friends but when it was time to go into the studio she cried and banged on the door to come out. Needless to say, Katie Claire spent most of the class in my lap in the lobby. She did go back in for tap and to be measured for her recital costume but I had to stay nearby. Hopefully next time it will be a different story, or we won't need that recital costume after all.

Here she is enjoying the popsicle we promised her for participating. The jury is still out as to whether or not she fulfilled her end of the bargain.

Coming to a catwalk near you soon!

2008-12-07T22:32:00.006-06:00

Katie Claire channeled her inner diva at Sarah's 5th birthday party today. It was her first dress up party and for being the youngest one there she held her own quite well. Sarah's "Glamour Gala" was hosted at Snip-its, a kids hair cut salon.

The girls decorated princess crowns and had their fingernails painted and hair styled. Then it was off to make up and wardrobe. Katherine Claire is all about "may may", as she lovingly refers to it, so she had a great time. Of course, she choose the loudest blush and eye shadow colors available so mommy helped tone down her color palate.

After all the primping, the girls traipsed down the red carpet to some party tunes while the Snip-its Party Director emceed the fashion show telling crowd of onlookers (aka parents and other customers) the girls ages, favorite foods and what they wanted to be when they grow up. Katie Claire's responses included macaroni and cheese and becoming a mermaid. The birthday girl wants to be a mommy when she grows up...awwww!

Christmas Outings: Breakfast with Santa & a Birthday Party for Jesus

2008-12-06T10:24:00.004-06:00

This morning my nephew's school hosted breakfast with Santa. Zachary, who happens to be Katie Claire's all time favorite person, was supposed to join us but we realized at the last minute that he had to test this morning for the 8th grade program at Catholic High. It would be a great opportunity if he were accepted - the program is extremely competitive as the school only takes 25-32 students for 8th grade. Best of luck Zach!

We had pancakes and drank juice out of big people cups, which was pretty major as far as Katherine Claire was concerned because mommy usually makes her drink out of a cup with a straw to avoid messy clean ups. She kept wanting to get refills for us.

Annalise was more than happy to sit in Santa's lap while her BIG sister stood beside them and held her hand. This was a major Santa breakthrough! This is the closest she's ever been to Santa without having a complete a meltdown, don't get me wrong there were some tears. Glad to see she is making progress with the big guy.

Breakfast was the girls forth visit with Santa this year - the Birthday Party for Jesus made the fifth visit. By now, you would think the jolly old soul would be an old friend! Katie Claire opted out of sitting, standing next to or even talking to the fifth Santa. Cupcakes, a trampoline and a giant inflatable slide were irresistible (and welcomed) distractions.

Shonda and her husband Bryan hosted the party to collect toys for needy children in the area. Santa and Mrs. Clause arrived on a firetruck and Mrs. Clause read How Christmas Began, a story that answers the question why Santa comes to our house on Jesus' birthday. Throughout the year Shonda organizes a couple of different philanthropic activities - she is always looking for meaningful ways to share the blessings in her life and through her efforts, others are able to do the same. Many thanks to her for reminding us and helping us to teach our children what Christmas is really about.

Even Santa's chair is a no go

2008-12-05T10:02:00.004-06:00

My mom and I took Katie Claire and Annalise to the mall today to do some Christmas shopping. We passed the Santa set-up and noticed he was on a break so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take a picture of her and Annalise. As it turned out, even Santa's chair proved to be too much for miss Katie Claire. She cried and cried and kept peeking around the chair to see if he was going to pop out...guess she's on to that now too.

Annalise was happy to have her picture taken. She grinned from ear to ear, what a little ham!

And what trip to the mall would be complete without a visit to the cookie company?

Say goodbye to my ugly little friend

2008-12-04T19:26:00.012-06:00

No more will visitors to our home have to enter our guest bathroom and think of carefully chosen words to describe the paint job. People always say "I love it" and I never know if they mean it or not. At first glance (you know, when you are looking a buying a new house and everything seems so perfect that you don't notice their dogs chewed and clawed the heck out of everyone of the doors in the house), I actually thought the treatment was really cute, but the colors were not my favorite. Something we thought could be easily changed with a gallon of paint, but upon closer inspection we realized this was not the case at all.

I believe that when the previous owners took the wallpaper down some sheet rock came with it. And then in a good faith attempt to "correct" the problem they covered it with a very interesting, time consuming design. Yes, sometimes a faux finish can help hide MINOR flaws, but in this case the flaws overwhelmed the faux.

While the sheet rock guys were already here working on the outside, we decided to take advantage of the situation and have them take this project on as well. Now it's all nice and white, ready for a fresh coat of paint and a new life. It looks better already!!! Well, except for the area where Katherine Claire ran her fingers through the wet mud - the guys will be back on Tuesday to take care of that.

Let the Christmas Outings Begin!

2008-11-30T23:25:00.003-06:00

Someone told us the the local Bass Pro Shop in town was all decked out for Christmas so we decided to stop by today on our way to buy a Christmas tree. My sister took Katherine Claire when the first opened, but for the rest of us it was our visit. Impressive! The building is as interesting on the inside as it is on the outside. Of course, there are stuffed dead animals everywhere, which we told Katie Claire were just "stuffed animals" - we left out the dead part, but there was also a real pond in the middle of the store with live ducks, turtles and fish and a huge aquarium with local species on display.
At the entrance was a huge Christmas tree and the whole place was decorated with festive lights and giant red banners. There was a kiddie area with free Santa photos, a toy train and a craft activity. Katie Claire made a fishing bobber Santa head, which was completely dismantled by the time it reached our driveway. On the way out, there were a few smaller trees with packages under them - Katherine Claire immediately picked one up and began to open it. This year, there will be no presents for anyone under the tree until Christmas eve, otherwise I will be re-wrapping constantly. As usual, Annalise was content as could be riding along in her stroller and taking it all in.

A weekend in the woods

2008-11-29T22:31:00.006-06:00

One of Katherine Claire's favorite pastimes is to collect little pieces of nature: leaves, acorns, pine cones, rocks, flowers, berries, etc. In fact, if you ever come to visit us, you will usually find a bucket of pine cones or rocks from the neighbor's driveway or a stack of sticks on our front porch. Needless to say, a trip to the woods is always a highlight for her! She can walk around for hours looking for little "treasures" to take home.
After Thanksgiving dinner with my family, we headed out Percy Quinn State Park in Mississippi this weekend for some much needed R&R with the girls. The damage to our home from Hurricane Gustav has really taken its toll on us so it was nice to get away and not think about what needs to be done around the house. Since this was our first time to visit the park, we weren't quite sure what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised by the park's beauty and the quaintness of the cabin. The trees were already turning beautiful shades of orange and red and there were lots of leaves and seeds to examine on the ground.
Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate so we decided to pack up a day early and head back to town to get a jump on the Christmas preparations. We had a great time and are looking forward to returning the near future.

Meet Little Red (or Santa's Spy as we call him)

2008-11-27T22:54:00.001-06:00

Today a package from the North Pole arrived for Katherine Claire and Annalise. Inside, Katherine Claire found the Elf on the Shelf. You have to give the Elf a name right away - Katie Claire suggested Santa but we thought that would just be too confusing for the Elf and Santa so Deron helped her name him "Little Red".

As the story goes, Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. During the holiday season, the Elf on the Shelf watches the children by day and flies back to the North Pole (using Christmas magic of course) to report to Santa each night. By the time the children awake, the Elf on the Shelf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location. It makes for a fun game of hide-and-seek each morning.
The book that accompanies the Elf also (and thankfully) explains that if a child touches the Elf on the Shelf he will loose his Christmas magic and will not be able to tell Santa about their good deeds. It is okay to blow him a kiss before bed though.
We remind Katherine Claire often that the Elf is watching and that he knows if she is being naughty or nice. Annalise is a shoo in for nice this year so she's exempt from the old "Santa's watching" torture treatment.

Annaslise's five month check up

2008-11-26T23:33:00.005-06:00

Both girls went to see Dr. Ronnie today. Katherine Claire was really just on a "meet and greet" mission as this was her first time to officially see Dr. Ronnie, her third pediatrician - but that's a long, boring story for another day. She did need a flu vaccination and fortunately for her (and all of those in the room!) the nasal mist version was available. She escaped without the dreaded shot, however poor little Annalise was not so lucky.

Annalise weighed 12 lbs. 9.5 oz., putting her in the 50% percentile, and she measured 24 3/8" tall, which was in the 75% percentile. She did receive about 5 vaccinations, thankfully in the form of just two shots. Annalise was a real trooper, she actually cried very little.

Also, just last week Annalise began rolling over from her tummy to her back. I think this is primarily a protest response to tummy time, but it's terribly cute nevertheless. She does rock back and forth quite well while on her back. She always after those toes!

Run, run, fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!

2008-11-26T22:51:00.003-06:00

My Mom bought us a package of gingerbread cookie mix and I promised Katie Claire we would bake cookies today. We made lots of little gingerbread men, complete with white icing happy faces and little red candy buttons. She especially enjoyed placing the little buttons on each of the cookies. I was really surprised at her dexterity!

When Deron arrived home from work, he took her to deliver some of her goodies to Mr. Phil, our beloved next door neighbor. He really enjoyed her thinking of him.

Say Cheese

2008-11-21T20:48:00.005-06:00

On the way to a photo session with the kids I often ask myself why we go through all the trouble to wrangle the children, dress them up and keep them presentable for the short time it takes from our house to the studio - and why all this is so nerve-wracking for me. The drive time is usually spent beating myself up for being short with Katie Claire (and poor Deron), remembering all the things I forgot to bring with me (Annalise's shoes this morning and her bow this evening)and being frustrated with the whole process. As usual, my intentions are the best but my personality gets in the way. Admitting the problem, that's the first step right?

In the end, my hope is that the girls can look back on these photos and enjoy seeing themselves grow up. On the other hand, it's not like I don't have a camera in their face 24/7. Yes, if you know me, you know I'm one of "those moms" - my computer is destined to crash due to the sheer volume of jpeg files on my hard drive. Again, my personality tells me I must have these professional portraits made in a timely fashion or the world as we know it will cease to exist. Really, I know I have a problem.

On Wednesday, my mom and I took Annalise to get her three month pictures made - only a month late, not too bad. Then today we took Santa photos in the morning and family photos this evening. What was I thinking?!? Of course, Katie Claire was a no go for Santa. Usually she smiles big for her Christmas photo with Santa only because Santa pops out from behind the backdrop just before the picture is taken. This year she was on to it and began to cry immediately upon entering the room. Oh, well...I tried. Here are our family photos. The Santa pictures won't be ready for another week or so, check back soon.

MDO Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-20T21:50:00.004-06:00

Deron, Annalise and I joined Katherine Claire today for a Thanksgiving feast at her school. We met Katie Claire in her classroom, where the kids donned their turkey hats and sang a little turkey song.

The not-so-traditional-though-super-kid-friendly menu featured chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, green beans and salad. The school did a really great job decorating for the party. This is a picture of the place mat she made with her sweet little hand. So cute!

Weekend in Review

2008-11-10T21:14:00.001-06:00

My cousin, Laura Edwards, and Jason Zeitler were married on Friday night. The bride was beautiful and the ceremony and reception were full of wonderful little details. Deron made a very handsome groomsman! This is a picture of his boutonniere - notice the little copper "fern fronds". What attention to detail! Martha would be proud.

Saturday we took Katherine Claire to the Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic. She and Deron made an semi truck that carries a little Lowe's race car. She was more interested in all the other kids than the hammer this time, but she managed to stay focused long enough to finish the project and we are happy to report that no one lost a finger.

Annalise slept through the workshop, even with an entire boy scout group hammering away just a few feet from her.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:09:00.007-05:00

We invited a few of Katie Claire's friends over to trick or treat with her and have dinner. She had so much fun playing with the Burrell Boys, Carson, Avery and her BFF Addison. Also, my sister's friend David came with this two boys. We had a full house to say the least.

There was no doubt that Katherine Claire figured out the whole Halloween-candy connection. She had no trouble going up to strangers and holding her little spider purse out if it meant she was going to get a treat. We caught her double-fisting suckers a couple of times during the night. Even the spooky decorations weren't enough to turn her away. Actually, she loved the spooky decorations, even the scary ones!

Annalise was supposed to be a black kitty cat but the little knit hat I ordered her didn't come in until late Friday afternoon. Thursday night I made her a ballerina costume as a backup. I made a little fluffy pink tutu and bought her some tights and black onesie. But before people even arrived she was dozing off so she wore her costume for only a short while - so short in fact I didn't even get a picture of her with the tutu on. I'll have to put her back in the get up before we take our decorations down for a photo. She looked so cute - as always!

Anyone know this rock star?

Pumpkin Guts...eeeewwwwwww

2008-10-30T21:22:00.005-05:00

There was a Halloween party today at Mother's Day Out. Annalise and I showed up with apples and cheese for the class. Maw Maw made some chocolate covered pretzels sticks for the goodies bags. Of course, Katie Claire came home with yet another bag of candy. I wonder how long it will be before it all just disappears!

This evening Deron tried to carve a pumpkin with Katherine Claire and she was game until it came to scraping out the mush inside the pumpkin. She started crying and running around screaming "I don't like seeds" and "I don't like to touch that stuff" and that was the end of that.

We decided to bring that project to an end and go inside for a viewing of the "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and a living room picnic for dinner. After she went to bed, Deron finished carving the face and it came out really, really well. I was very impressed!

(*A little camera trick I learned the other day: if you want to give your photo a "color cast" hold a piece of paper of the desired color in front of the flash. This pumpkin shot was taken with a piece of orange paper in front of the flash and it really made a neat effect. It looks so spooky!)

Maw Maw spent the afternoon decorating the porch and lining the flower beds with twinkle lights while all the girls took a much needed nap! Our front yard looks great with all the Halloween decorations and Deron's super spooky pumpkin. The Wikers are officially ready for trick-or-treaters and our annual neighborhood Halloween party tomorrow night!

On another note, today was a big day for Katie Claire. When it came time to nap today we (really!) couldn't find her pacifier anywhere because she didn't put it back in her bed after she woke up. There were consequences - my new mantra! She had to go to bed without it, but she was so worn out from school she hardly minded at all. I knew nighttime would be a different story. She did protest but after about an hour of stalling and lot of crying she fell asleep with her trusty flashlight. Now, we just need to find the one we were actually looking for today so they can all become permanently lost! Stay tuned...

Our Playgroup Halloween Party: Katie Claire Wins BEST COSTUME!

2008-10-29T08:42:00.011-05:00

Tonight Deron and I took Katie Claire to the Moms Like Us Halloween party. Moms Like Us is our local playgroup and it has about 150 members. This year's party was hosted at our church, Lutheran Church of Our Saviou r. The turnout was great, our social hall was completely full of families having fun! There were crafts, cupcakes, lots of food and a even a bounce house. The kids really enjoyed themselves.

Katherine Claire took home the prize for Best Costume! We were so happy for her and she was very pleased with herself as well. She did make an absolutely adorable witch and she even kept her hat on most of the night. (Nod to mommy's sewing skills!)

For Katherine Claire the highlight of the party had to be seeing her best friend Addison. Because of our new Mother's Day Out schedule the girls had not seen each other in some time. They were so cute - when Addison arrived they headed straight towards one another with open arms and hugged. Katie Claire was SO glad to see her.

Annalise stayed home with her Nanny, where she was spoiled with endless hugs and cuddling all night!

Boo at the Zoo: Part Two

2008-10-26T18:13:00.002-05:00

We returned to the Baton Rouge Zoo today to enjoy Boo at the Zoo one more time. Katherine Claire and Annalise were joined this time by the Burrell boys, Egan and the triplets, Carson, Cooper and Christian.

Mommy finally finished Katie Clarie's witch costume and she looked adorable in it. Annalise wore some festive Halloween attire and enjoyed taking in all the sights from the comfort of her roomy stroller. The weather was beautiful, but a little too warm for her fuzzy kitty cat costume. When I tried her costume on her today I laughed so hard she began loudly chuckling back at me. It was hysterical! I was able to capture it on video - now if I can only figure out how to transfer it off the camera and onto my computer.

The monkey in the background of this photo was putting on quite a show and Katherine Claire said she wanted to stay at the cage and watch him a little longer. After a while I noticed she wasn't watching the monkey at all, she was hiding in the corner eating candy as fast as her little fingers could unwrap it. Despite the sugar high she took a very, very long nap when we got home and mommy was able to catch up on two weeks of Desperate Housewives and daddy attended to our backyard, which still looks more like a construction site than a yard. Yeah for mom and dad!

Annalise's Baptism

2008-10-21T20:13:00.008-05:00

Our beautiful daughter Annalise was baptized today at our church, Lutheran Church of Our Saviour. The service was extra special because it was performed not only by our beloved pastor, Pastor Kim Little-Brooks, but also by Annalise's Uncle Jason who is a Lutheran minister at the Atonement Lutheran Church in Wyomissing, PA and our wonderful next door neighbor, Rev. Phil Woodland, a retired pastor from University Methodist Church on campus.

We had lots of family and friends in attendance. A special thanks goes out to all those who joined us - it was so nice to see everyone there to support our little angel.

We hosted a casual reception at the church following the service. As usual, my Mom outdid herself putting it all together. The food was wonderful and the decorations were beautiful.

Boo at the Zoo

2008-10-19T20:23:00.000-05:00

Today we went to Boo at the Zoo, a merry-not-so-scary trick-or treating extravaganza, with all the Wikers of SC and MD. The kids visited treat stations throughout the zoo collecting candy and had their picture taken with a snake. The weather was perfect again today.

Alexa was dressed as Sleeping Beauty, Katie Claire was an LSU cheerleader and Lucas was Elmo. Annalise was dressed in her LSU gear as well.

Alexa and Katie Claire were so cute holding hands and chanting "candy, candy" in between candy stops. Elmo was more interested in the animals than the candy, which should come as no surprise considering his love of four legged friends.

The Wikers descend on Baton Rouge

2008-10-17T20:07:00.000-05:00

Annalise's Baptism is this coming Sunday and her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all came to Baton Rouge to meet her for the first time. Our family is pretty spread out!

Uncle Dirk, Aunt Rachael, Alexa and Lucas are from Baltimore

Uncle Nathan and Aunt Wendy came over from Houston

Uncle Jason and Aunt Dana are in from Pennsylvania

Grammy and Pee-Paw are from South Carolina

First Day of School

2008-10-14T20:10:00.009-05:00

Today was Katherine Claire's first day of school. It's actually a Mother's Day Out program - she goes from 9-2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Deron and I dropped her off this morning and she was so excited. She walked right up to the building and charged down the hall looking for her classroom.

As soon as she hit the door she was ready to play...and potty. There is a tiny, child-sized toilet in the classroom and she is crazy about it. There is one just like it at the mall that she loves to use. Ms. Cory, her teacher, said Katie Claire would just venture off to the bathroom by herself. What a big girl! She wore panties all day and kept them dry, even during nap time. Mommy made her this special nap mat for school.

When I picked her up today she was glad to see me but more concerned about getting the "departure dum dum sucker". Her hair looked like she'd been in a wind tunnel and she was about to collapse from so much activity all day. She showed me her "scary monster", which was supposed to be a scarecrow but with Halloween just around the corner she is preoccupied with, as she calls it, spooky stuff. She obviously played hard, check out the before and after hair-dos.

This is a picture of Katherine Claire with her teacher, Ms. Cory, and her project du jour.

The Annual St. George Fair

2008-10-11T23:08:00.015-05:00

After the Lowe's Clinic, we went across the street to St. George for their annual school carnival. There are always lots of great kiddie rides and activities and incredible fair food. And we couldn't have asked for better weather today - it was just beautiful!

Katie Claire had fun riding the little cars, the carousel and the train. We forgot to ride the big slide this year, which is Mom's favorite. She had her face painted for the first time, a sweet little Hello Kitty on her cheek. The other cheek was adorned with a Dora tattoo and she also got a Snow White tattoo on her arm. When we put her in the bath tonight she had a fit because we washed all her artwork away. Surprising, she sat very still while her face was being painted.

Afterward, my Mom and I took her to play games and she brought home a bunch of junk that I will have to slowly and carefully dispose of over the next few days. She did get a cute bird whistle - the kind you put water in and it makes a sweet little bird chirp. I probably shouldn't have showed her how that worked.

And of course our sweet little Annalise was along for the ride. She had a good time snoozing and listening to the music.

Lowe's Build & Grow: Spooky Skeleton

2008-10-11T22:47:00.010-05:00

Deron and Katherine Claire made the first of two Halloween projects today at Lowe's, a spooky skeleton puppet. The little stick puppet was really cute and they gave the kids a treat bag too. She was more interested in what was in her Hello Kitty snack bag from home than anything else. The ladies who hosted the workshop got a real kick out of Katie Claire and even wanted to get in on the picture taking with us.

When we got home we took her in her bedroom and shut off the lights to get the full glow in the dark effect - "pretty cool" she thought. When it was time to take a nap she was sure to ask me to take the scary monster puppet out of her room.

Ready or not...Preschool here we come!

2008-10-10T08:31:00.004-05:00

We finally received a much anticipated call from preschool this week. Katherine Claire is officially off the waiting list and enrolled for Mother's Day Out at First Presbyterian Church. I had been anticipating this call for so long and then when I heard the actual words my heart immediately filled with anxiousness - what were we about to do? Send our little girl away to school all day at the ripe ole' age of 2 1/2? Okay, drama aside, it's really just a few hours on T's & Th's. Though I know it will be good for her, I couldn't help but think about how much I will miss her. On the other hand, I am looking forward to spending some quality time with Annalise on those days.

Yesterday, we went to look at the school and meet her teacher, Ms. Cory, who we already knew through the local Clemson club in town. Katie Claire was SO excited exploring all the stations and gave both playgrounds a thorough test run. Every time we got back in the car yesterday she would ask me if we were going to school.

This morning I told her it was 5 days until school started and her face just lit up. I asked if she was ready and her response was "Yes! School is awesome!" She said she wanted to play with "all the other kids and Tinkerbell". For some reason she thinks Tinkerbell will be there...haven't figured that one out quite yet. I grabbed the video camera and tried to interview her hoping for that same enthusiastic response I got the first time, but as you can see she was a bit distracted. Maybe I will try again tomorrow on day four of the countdown.

The Great Hobby Lobby Heist

2008-10-05T22:12:00.005-05:00

Katie Claire went to Hobby Lobby with me to pick up a few things Saturday. She insisted on taking her purse in the store, which is fine since it gives her something to be "in charge of". I am used to finding extra things in the shopping cart or the bottom of the stroller, so I know to check those areas for Katherine Claire's little personal selections. It never occurred to me to check her purse....

I grabbed her little purse this morning to put a few quiet toys in it for church and found a stowaway. A set of $1.47 Dora invitations. Knowing full well the answers to these questions I asked them anyway to make a point: where did they came from and how did she pay for them. She told me she got them at "Hobby Wobby" and no, she did not pay for them. Guess where we're taking a trip to tomorrow.

She did get to buy a light up pumpkin ring while we were at the store. It was $2.99 and I gave her a 40% off coupon and two dollars to hand the lady. After paying, she slipped her new treasure on her finger and then promptly asked for her money back. Obviously, we have some explaining to do about the world of finances.

Sleep Training

2008-10-02T23:08:00.003-05:00

Just before Gustav hit, Annalise started sleeping through the night. (Defined as: sleeping from about 9:30/10pm until 5am or so, nursing and going right back to sleep until 7:30/8am). But without a handy clock around during the aftermath of the storm, scheduling was out the window and feeding time became a virtual free for all. She was back to waking up in the middle of the night looking for a meal. Annalise also started sleeping with us because my bad back made it hard for me to reach in and pick her up out of the bassinet for middle of the night feedings (plus, I just love cuddling with her all night!)

We knew this co-sleeping needed to end so that she could make a smooth transition to the crib when it was time. Also, this togetherness was keeping her in close proximity to food. It was either back to the bassinet or wrap myself in saran wrap to keep her from rooting for milk all night.

We are happy to report that last night Annalise slept through to the morning - all the way to 6am! Hopefully this is the start of new pattern and more sleep for momma.

New Wheels

2008-10-01T11:14:00.004-05:00

We we first found we were pregnant I was eager to buy something for the new baby. Since we didn't find out Annalise's sex ahead of time, clothes and cutsie things were not an option - but a new double stroller was! It came in and it was grand - all 100 pounds of it! Okay, maybe not 100 lbs., but it sure felt like it to me. I couldn't imagine getting that monstrosity in and out of the car by myself. Plus, Katherine Claire doesn't spend enough time in the stroller to justify such a cadillac.

I decided to post it on Craigslist this week and we sold it last night to an expecting couple. It is a really neat stroller and I know they will love it, as long as they don't mind lugging it.

With our new found fortune, Deron stopped in at the new Dick's sporting goods in town and bought a new jogging stroller. Thanks to our neighbor Annie for this great find! It is last year's model and it was about half the regular price. The front wheel is not fixed so it's a breeze to steer. I couldn't wait to hit the road this morning. Bijoux even joined us!

Our Gift from Gustav

2008-09-29T22:15:00.006-05:00

A crew showed up today to start dismantling our garage. The guys worked all day and are just about finished taking down the damaged part of the building. It's a shame to see it all being hauled away after it took so long to build to begin with. The first round of construction started in April and we were about two weeks from completion when the tree landed on the backside, leaving a very unwanted balcony. Looks a little bit different, doesn't it?

Hopefully, this time the process will go a little quicker and I won't pull quite so much of my hair out. And someday Katherine Claire will be able to slide in her own backyard again.

Build & Grow Clinic at Lowe's

2008-09-27T22:52:00.005-05:00

Today we took Katie Claire and Annalise to Lowe's Build & Grow Clinic to make a firetruck. Deron took her a couple of weeks ago and they made a super cute pirate ship, complete with a retractable plank. He said the Lowe's employees were really impressed with her hammering skills.

Unfortunately, Katie Claire woke up with a bit of a runny nose this morning and was not feeling quite up to par. When we pulled into the parking lot she saw all the big trucks and her eyes lit up and she started clapping. As she and Deron started on the fire truck you could tell she wasn't herself but they did finish all the hammering and Daddy helped her put the stickers on. She got a new patch for her apron as well - the kids get one for each project.

The firemen were out showing off the trucks and they gave her a hat and offered to let her "drive" but she wasn't interested. Usually, she would jump at chance to drive anything - she loves to sit in the car and turn all the knobs and jerk on the steering wheel, but not today.

By the time we got home, Katie Claire had fallen asleep and was running a fever. After a long nap and some ice cream she was feeling better. Hopefully, the fever is gone by tomorrow and she did not share her cold with Annalise today. It's hard to keep Katie Claire away from her little sister though, I know she hated not being able to hold and kiss on her today.

Trail Time for Toddlers: Part Two

2008-09-25T14:38:00.009-05:00

Today's Trail Time animal was a turtle. The craft project was too cute and of course Katie Claire was more than excited to use glue for the first time. She made a little turtle out of a box, some cutout foam shapes and buttons. I definitely see some mommy & daughter craft time in our future.
Maw-Maw and Mr. Dan joined us this morning as well. Yesterday was Maw-Maw's 60th birthday!

Annalise's Two Month Check Up...3 Weeks Late

2008-09-23T22:02:00.012-05:00

Today, Annalise saw Dr.Ronnie for her 2 month check. She is actually 11 weeks this week so we were only 3 weeks behind. Our first appointment was canceled by Gustav, our next attempt was foiled by Ike. Of course, for Annalise this was not a pleasant visit (four shots!) but for Katherine Claire it was great...all stickers and suckers. Dr. Ronnie will be her third pediatrician, but that's another story for another day!

Annalise is:

50th (close to 75th) percentile for height (22 3/4")
75th for weight (11 lbs, 11.5 oz)
50th for head circumference

Her cheeks are so nice and round; it was no surprise to see her in the 75th for weight. She is doing great and growing like a little weed!

Afterward, we went to the lakes to feed the ducks our leftover hurricane bread ration and then to the playground. Katherine Claire had a great time feeding the ducks. She was having such fun chasing after them that she almost feel in the water. And she was ecstatic to see the playground open. The parks around town have been closed since the hurricane due to all the debris. It was a yet another sign that things are returning to normal. Annalise slept through most of the post-vaccination festivities but she woke in time to give me a few smiles.

Trail Time for Toddlers

2008-09-19T10:52:00.013-05:00

Yesterday, Katherine Claire started Trail Time at BREC's Bluebonnet Swamp. The animal of the day was a spider. She colored a couple of spider pictures and then made a spider hat, which was super cute and very clever. After craft time, we hit trail to look for real spiders and other "swamp creatures" like lizards and grasshoppers. One of Katie Claire's favorite pastimes is collecting pinecones, leaves, acorns, sticks, etc. when we take her on a walk so she was sort of had her own agenda on the trail.

My hope with programs like this is to ease her in to the world that awaits her: school. The idea is that she will learn concepts like sitting still, taking directions from a teacher, taking turns and following the leader - which contrary to her belief, is someone other than herself! All in all, she did well for her first classroom-type setting.

When it's time for her to go to "real" school, I foresee her experiencing some major separation anxiety issues. Everyone was in the lobby checking out the gift shop and looking at the animals on display when the teacher announced it was time to start class. Katie Claire had a major crying fit (though short-lived) when she thought she was heading somewhere by herself, even though Annalise and I were walking right behind her. I am not looking forward to that first day of "real" school. That sounds like a job for Daddy!

2008-07-06T21:39:00.003-05:00

Everyday life can be so busy. It is such a shame that so many of the small pleasures pass us by without being given proper credit. Hopefully this blog will become a place for our family to share day to day experiences and remember those simple moments that mean so much, but can also be so easily forgotten.

With a new baby on the way and Katherine Claire in the middle of the (terrible?) twos, we will be busier than ever...and that means we will have more to share as well. Now if I can just remember to keep with my end of the deal and keep it current.