Ladybug Party Pictures

These pictures are out of order..but you get the idea. Silly Blogger couldn't get them the way I wanted them. Dad, if you are reading this the picture of Kristen opening a present is the camera! She loves it!

Kristen's Ladybug Party

Saturday, July 19th we had Kristen's Ladybug Party. She had been excited about this party for about three months. We talked about it almost everyday, thinking and planning what she wanted to do with her friends. So this was it. We had friends and family over and we celebrated ladybug style. We ate a little Rubio's Baja Fresh lunch, played "Find the bugs" game and each child potted a flower to take home. After we potted flowers we came inside and Kristen opened her presents, and boy was she thrilled! After presents we sang Happy Birthday (thanks to Amanda!) and ate Ladybug cupcakes. It was a fun party and most importantly Kristen had an blast. Each child took home a mason jar filled with live ladybugs to take home to their gardens!

Some sweet pictures

One of my favorite pictures....

One of Paul's favorite pictures...

The new table where we have food available to ALL animals and babies...

Kristen's "mad girl" face...

Kristen's "happy girl" face...

Falling

Today Austin fell off of our Radio Flyer horse and was stuck between the wall and the horse with his head down and feet straight up. He also fell off one of our kitchen chairs. He fell off of my back while we were playing "horsey". He fell off of a kiddie stool that he was sitting on. It was a falling kind of day I guess. He is fine, no serious injuries. Actually no injuries at all, just spooked a couple times and a few tears. He's so tough.

Inspired...

One thing I forgot to mention in my post below was a very special moment at Chuck E. Cheese. Kristen was riding a ride while clutching her three, very dear, tokens in her hand. The ride stopped and she turned around to see a little girl sitting on the "Barney" ride. Kristen said, "I wanna give her a token, Mommy". She proceeded to put the token in the ride for the little girl and said, "There you go!". The ride started and the little girl had a smile on her face. Kristen was so happy for her, gave her a smile back and went on with her, now two, tokens.

She inspires me...I love her love for others.

Pictures from Kristen's Birthday

Kristen's 3rd Birthday

Today was Kristen's 3rd birthday..and I still can't believe my baby girl is 3! Where does the time go? I know I am going to blink and she will be 18...well let's not think about that. Anyway today was a very fun and relaxing day enjoying her.

It started off with Kristen waking up and yelling MOMMY at the top of her lungs! I went running into her room to see her with her hands on her face saying, "look at all this, balloons, hats," and I said, " HAPPY BIRTHDAY!". She was so excited..it was so sweet.

Later in the day, Daddy came home early from work and Uncle Joe (Paul's brother) came over. Kristen and her Daddy decorated her cake and then we headed to Chuck E. Cheese. After winning 400+ tickets we ate a little pizza played some more and then headed home for cake and presents!

Before we left, Paul put out the presents so that when we got home Kristen would see them right away...and she did while jumping up and down. It was so cute! She got some presents and a doll that she has been wanting for quite awhile...her name is Carrie. Kristen is the best little mommy. I love watching her interact with the doll....I pray she will be a great mommy one day. After playing with all the toys, we ate some cake, played outside, and went night night!

I kind of wanted the day to be longer..I think birthday's should be stretched out over a 3 day period...one day just doesn't have enough hours to reminisce about the good years that have passed. Ya know what I mean?

Still can't believe she's three...but so excited about this next year of life.

Fun things about:

AUSTIN right now....
1. He says "animal" all the time, he is obsessed with animals right now
2. He loves to try and count and sing his ABC's
3. He climbs on EVERYTHING and thinks it is funny when he gets to the highest point. These places include the kitchen island, window sills, backs of chairs, tops of tables, counter tops, etc. (The other day he had climbed on top of the counter in the kitchen and was standing over the stove top...uh oh!)
4. He is a cuddler
5. He talks, a lot, and repeats almost everything you say
6. He loves Mickey Mouse
7. He likes to drink whatever Mommy or Daddy is drinking (coffee, tea, soda, water, milk, etc.)
8. He likes to walk on his tiptoes and pull at the front of his shorts in a crouched position
9. He climbs on Mommy's back anytime I get down on the floor
10. He doesn't really like to eat

Wave of Milk

Sometimes I think that I am having a bad day and then I realize that someone else is probably having a day much worse than mine. So if you have had a bad day today mine might not be as bad or it might be worse, but hopefully it will make you laugh!

Well we had gotten home from Trader Joe's and I went to put a bag on the counter, the handle broke off (silly bags) and POP went the GALLON of whole MILK! All over my floor and underneath my fridge...right before dinner...so needless to say dinner was a bit later tonight.

A new song

While driving to Orange County today Kristen and I made up a song about her horsey that is on a stick (you know the ones with a head on a stick that you put between your legs and ride around on?). Here is how it goes:

Kristen has a horse with no legs
Kristen has a horse with no legs
All Kristen's horse has is a stick and a head, a stick and a head.

(Repeat)

Kristen's horse has a stick with a head
Kristen's horse has a stick with a head, but poor horse has no legs!

Noses

Kristen has stuck a few things up her nose in the past month. The first thing was play dough. She did this at a restaurant, then began to cry because her nose was stinging..we couldn't figure it out until I tilted her head back and all I could see was orange goo in her nostrils. Paul tried to pinch it out which didn't work too well so I had her blow her nose and you should have seen the amount of play dough up there...let's just say she has big nostrils.

So yesterday she was rubbing her nose telling me that it hurt. I asked her why her nose was hurting and she said that the button was doing it. WHAT??? A button?? I couldn't believe it...I got tweezers and went in for the kill...no luck. The button was totally out of site. I had no idea what to do, then it came to me, have her blow her nose. There it came the pink, gooey, button. Thank goodness we didn't have to go to the ER for a button up the nose.

Cinderella's Legs

Yesterday Kristen was playing with her "polly pocket like" Cinderella, Ariel and Sleeping Beauty. She walked away for a minute and before I knew it Austin was dipping Cinderella's legs into his yogurt, like a spoon, and sucking it off. I reacted to quickly so I didn't get a picture...so bummed.

Viva Las Vegas!!!

That sounds so cliche but I really wanted to write it (the title that is!). :) Our trip here was great we made one lunch stop and one pee stop and the rest of the way we were riding smooth! Both children did great! It was awesome, and enjoyable, surprisingly!

For dinner we met up with Donna (so great to see her!) and went to the Rainforest Cafe...Kristen and Austin couldn't get enough of all the animals..they loved it! Then we went and looked at the male lion at MGM Grand for awhile, good times although he was napping.

So pretty much all day Kristen has been asking to go in the pool. Even on the drive here, she kept pointing out in the distance and saying, "Look there's the pool! Marmer and Joe are swimming!". It was super funny. Anyway, we told her that after dinner we could go in the pool. Well by the time dinner was over and we got back to the hotel it was a bit late to jump in so I thought it would be a good idea to go and put our feet in! The feet were in for about two minutes and then they both sat in the water pretty much simultaneously! It was hilarious and so darn cute! They were so happy..we will go back tomorrow and truly enjoy it with our swimsuits on.

Austin's moves

We have a serious dancer in the family...his name is Austin. He dances at every type of music..especially if they have a good beat. Tonight we were eating dinner and he couldn't stop dancing. He was eating, standing on his chair, and dancing to the music we had playing in the background. We wonder where he gets it...if you ever have seen Paul or me dance you will know why I wonder. I tried to get a few pics of him dancing but it didn't really work...so I will try and catch some video of it!

Floods and a black eye...

Midday Wednesday, Kristen told me that she needed to go pee-pee. So I told her to go ahead and go in her bathroom. She was gone for a few minutes and came back in and then left again. Next thing I know she is flying into my bathroom telling me that something is leaking! I thought oh no biggie just the sink or something! Oh NO...her entire bathroom floor, toilet and sink space, was covered with water half way up the baseboards...my carpet in the hallway was beginning to get soaked...aaaaahhhh! I couldn't believe it, the toilet was overflowing like a waterfall, no joke, around the entire rim! I looked into the toilet and saw that 2/3rds of a new toilet paper roll was blocking the water from going down. My girl is known for this, we call it toilet paper stuffing! I finally got the toilet to stop running. In a panic I tried to throw every towel down to sop up the water...it wasn't working. There was so much water that the towels were just sinking to the bottom of the bathroom pool...it was pathetic. So i called Paul because I had no idea what to do to get all the water up..he's so SMART...he said SHOP VAC..and I hung up the phone. I don't think I even said goodbye. I got the shop vac and started vacuuming up the water...genius..pure genuis, my Paul is.

While I was vacuuming up the water, Austin somehow fell onto the vacuum and got his 1st black eye! Through lots of tears, tons of water we got through the craziness of the flood.

"Jesus, Help me!"

Tonight I was trying to get Kristen to eat a part of her dinner before i gave her an artichoke (one of her favorite's) and it turned into a bit of a fit. She was throwing a bit of a fit, and I told her to go into the hallway and finish her fit there. She ran to the hallway threw herself on the floor and cried some more. After a few minutes she starts crying out, "Jesus, help me, Jesus, help me!" My heart sank instantly. I felt horrible and joy all in the same moment, horrible because I had pushed her a bit too far for unexplained reasons, and joy because she was crying out to Jesus..I love that she is calling on the One that will always be there to help her! God is good!

Getting blood drawn

Today I took Kristen to the doctor to get her leg checked out. She has been having chronic pain in her knee for about six months. So, Dr. Jim recommended that we have an x-ray, and blood work done. The x-ray went really well. Kristen thought it was very cool that mommy was wearing a green costume (lead jacket) and that we were taking pictures of her bones. Next we went to the second floor to get her blood drawn. I tried to tell Kristen what they were going to do when they drew her blood, but you can only do so much telling. Kristen's name was called and we went back to endure the needle. She got the first poke in her right arm, but no blood. She was such a trooper, the tech moved the needle around a bit but still missed the vein. I couldn't believe Kristen didn't cry. Of course, all I could think was now we have to poke the other arm. I was right, and thankfully the blood came quick! Kristen felt the pinch of the needle this time and cried! She was such a trooper! The technicians gave her bandaids and tons of stickers. Afterwards, Kristen continued to tell me, "Mommy it hurt when they take mud (blood) from me". I was so proud of Kristen, so I told her we could get something special. Her first request was M&M's, and then it was a doll. We went to Toy's R Us and she picked the baby she wanted..I love my girl.

Last day in SF

We had decided that on Wednesday we were going to go to some museum in SF. We thought that both Kristen and Austin would totally enjoy the Aquarium of the Bay. So, down we went on a Cable Car to Pier 39. We first ate lunch at La Salsa, and man did we eat. Kristen and Austin ate so well. It was wonderful that they had full bellies! After eating we were off to ride the double decker carousel. Wahoo! Paul took the kids up to the second story and put them each on a horse. They loved it! It was so fun. Austin was so happy that he kept clapping the entire time.

After the carousel, we were off to the Aquarium of the Bay. Kristen had an absolute blast running from fish tank to fish tank showing us each of the fish, crabs, seaweed, sea anemone, etc. Austin enjoyed sitting in front of one fish tank and saying, Loo, loo (look)" while pointing at all the fish. The best part of the aquarium was the archway aquariums with huge sharks and enormous fish in them. We went through these aquariums about three times. Kristen could not get enough of it! Austin fell asleep on round one, which was a bummer because he wasn't able to see the sharks. After the archway aquariums we went upstairs to the tide pool tanks where Kristen was able to touch leopard sharks, bat rays, skates, many starfish, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins. She throughly enjoyed this touching everything! We had the best time at the aquarium!

After the aquarium we went to Ben and Jerry's and had some yummy ice cream. We sat around the pier and watched people. Really we watched Kristen eat chocolate ice cream and get it all over the place...total entertainment!

We then went back to the hotel for our rest time. After rest time we went to dinner and Puchinni and Pinetti's. It was italian food and it was absolutely delicious! Then we walked up to Walgreens and bought Austin a cable car, and then to the Disney Store because Kristen saw it and really wanted to go there. We left there with a Beast and Lucy. We then hopped on the cable car and went back to the hotel, packed up and fell asleep!

Thursday we took a shuttle to the airport (much better than our adventure in getting there). Got on the plane and came home! It was so nice to get home, but we all miss SF a little bit.

Two days in and we are having a blast!

Yesterday we set out for a boat ride. All Kristen could talk about before we left was going on the airplane and riding on a boat. So, we thought doing a boat ride in the bay would be perfect. Well we were in for a new adventure and that was figuring out the MUNI system in SF. The concierge gave us a map that had all the bus lines, trolley lines, street cars, etc., little did we know that this map was over a year old and some of the bus lines and their routes were changed. AAAAHHHH, is all I have to say. We walked around for I don't even know, probably an hour trying to find line 15 and it didn't exist. It was changed into 9x. Go figure..so once we figured this out we were doing pretty well, but could of course still improve our MUNI skills. We got to Pier 39 and ate at Boudin, which was delicious. Then we waited to get on the boat. We got on the boat and we were off. At one time, Kristen was crawling over the side of the boat to "get in the water Mommy". Whoa! Overall, we all really enjoyed the ride, especially going under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Afterwards, we went and checked out the Sea Lions. Kristen and Austin loved them! They just watched, and Kristen tried to find all the Mommies, Daddys, and babies. Then we were back to the hotel for a rest. We rested, Kristen took a nap and Austin played with his trains. After rest time we went to a restraunt called Umbria. It was an Italian restraunt and it was delicious! So yummy..we enjoyed every bite! We walked back to the hotel and hit the bed. (Pictures to come)

Today, Tuesday, we were in route to go and fly kites. This is one of Paul and Kristen's favorite things to do together. First we went to find a good MUNI map. None were to be found. Then we went to get on a Cablecar and talked to a local man who helped us tremendously. We got on the Cablecar which was so fun, and were off to the Ferry Building for a little lunch. We cruised down the building looking at all the vendors, and settled on a little Mexican food place called Mijitas. It was very yummy. Before that we walked past a vendor who had PB&J sandwiches for sale, and approaced us by saying it was National PB&J sandwich day. We couldn't pass this up, especially because it was an easy lunch that we knew the kids would eat..and boy did they. After the ferry building we went to the Marina greens, which was a long strip of grass with nothing to interfere with the kites. (this area was recommended to us by the local guy that helped us earlier) We spent a couple hours picking flowers and flying kites..what fun. It was nice and relaxing, all we were missing was Raleigh to play fetch with. After kite flying we got back onto the bus and came back to the hotel for a rest. We tried to rest but our energy was high. After trying to rest we took the bus down to Mel's Diner for dinner. It was yummy as always (a place Paul and I have frequented before). Kristen had a great time eating a pancake for dinner (it's amazing what you do on vacation that is you wouldn't normally do at home, but that's what makes it fun right??) and Austin slept throught most of it. We then had some dessert (banana split and a Black and White shake) and were back on the bus to go back to the hotel and sleep. So everyone else is asleep now, and I am off to join them. (pictures will hopefully be up tomorrow)

San Francisco, here we are!!

Oh my what a journey today has been. We left out of John Wayne airport and thought we were in for an uneventful plane ride. Boy were we wrong. Austin didn't stop moving the entire hour and twenty minutes. He wanted up, down, to lay sideways, see who was behind him, crawl under the seats, spit pretzels at the people behind him (or maybe he was sharing :) ), and of course sing Old MacDonald, over and over. It was super cute, all of it, but extremely exhausting. So, we thought we were good when we touched the ground, but who knew the fun had really just begun.

We flew into Oakland, which is a bit of a ride to the city of San Francisco, and decided to take the BART into the city. Well from the airport we took the AirBART, which was basically a big bus that shuttled us to the actual BART station. Picture this, Paul and I each pushing a stroller with a child in it, Paul carrying the pack n play, and our largest suitcase, and I was carrying the medium suitcase. (Don't forget we were both pushing an individual stroller..with child in tow..funny picture!) So, we tried to get onto the AirBART..and that entailed getting up in the bus with all our stuff, putting the suitcases away, folding up both strollers, and putting the children on our laps. Needless to say, people were waiting...patiently. Finally the AirBART is on its way to the BART station. We get off the AirBART...last ones off of course and go to buy our tickets for the BART. A few homeless people were at the ticket stands to kindly help us figure out where we wanted to go and also, of course, to make sure we got the right tickets...all in exchange for a ticket for themselves! What a deal!! What is crazy about this, is that the homeless man that helped Paul buy his ticket was the most helpful person at this station, everyone who worked there just stood and watched us...probably laughing inside..we were a funny sight! Then Paul tried to go through the exit of the entrance into the BART. (If you have every been in a subway this will make sense) After a few minutes of trying our tickets in the exit we soon realized we needed to move over to the gates that actual were for the entrance. We got through the gates to find that no one was there to help us figure out what line we needed to take to get to the address of our hotel. So, we resorted to college students...they are so helpful! We got on the right line and were on our journey, very quickly. We didn't even have time to get situated and sit down before the BART driver was off! Paul and I nearly fell over! Once seated we thought..sweet we are good for at least 30 minutes. A sweet lady sitting in front of me waved and talked to us the entire way..which was nice...We got to Montgomery Street where we needed to get off, and got off, amazingly. The BART driver had a tendency to shut the doors before people were completely off the BART. So we found our elevator, and were on our way up to the street. We got up to the top and in front of us were more gates to put our tickets in. Paul put his ticket in, took it out, and the gate didn't open. So, after a few tries the BART worker came over and asked us where we were trying to go. Paul told him we wanted to get to the street and go to Kearny St. The BART worker then told us that we were trying to re-enter into the station..who knew..now we were trying to go in, instead of going through the exit...we were so confused! He helped us to the exit of the BART station (rocket science I swear!) and we were blessed with escalators and no elevators in sight (remember what all we are carrying, luggage, two strollers, kids). So, up the escalators we go, and a nice man asked Paul if he needed help..Paul of course said YES please! This man, from El Salvador, helped us up the escalator and then up to more long flights of stairs with all our valuables!!!! Lord bless him! We then got to the light, had no idea which way was Kearny St. so we pulled out old faithful, the AAA map! A kind lady with a full mustache (even trimmed, no joke) told us we looked like we needed help. I told her we did and asked her to help us find the way to Kearny St. Kindly, she pointed us in the right direction...7 blocks later in downtown SF (again pushing and pulling everything) we made it to 750 Kearny St., the beautiful Hilton Hotel! We stuck out like sore thumbs and got a lot of funny looks, but who cares right? It was a time of building a serious memory we won't forget. What a day...I have never been so happy to see a hotel..let alone a bed. Goodnight!

1st Haircuts

Today Paul and I took Kristen and Austin to get their first haircut. We went to Sharkey's over by Costco...and it was a great experience. Austin sat in a jet while getting his lovely locks trimmed, and Kristen sat in a Barbie jeep and got a about two inches cut off! We were so proud of both of them. They both did great, sat there, tried not to move, and came out with great style! It's amazing to me how much older Kristen looks now that we have had her hair cut. Austin actually looks a little bit younger to me. Overall it was a great experience..and if you are looking for a place to get your child's hair cut, try Sharkey's.

The Movies

Today we took Kristen and Austin to see, "Horton Hears a Who". It was so fun to watch them be totally engrossed in something while stuffing their faces with popcorn! They shared a seat, so through part of the show Austin put his head on Kristen's shoulder...it was adorable..I wish i would have had my camera, but people probably would have been annoyed with the flash going off in their eyes. They both had a blast, and literally ate as much popcorn as they possibly could! It was a super fun afternoon....and also Austin's first time to the movie theaters.

American Idol

Paul and I went to the American Idol (AI) dress rehearsal last Tuesday. It was so much fun, especially to spend the day with Paul and be able to just hang out. It was also very neat to see the boys sing. The craziest part of it all was how tiny the stage was! They can fit only about 75 people into the first studio that they use. The only bummer about going to the AI dress rehearsal and not the actual taping was that we didn't get to see the judges. We saw Ryan Seacrest, and all the contestants but no Randy, Paula or Simon...sad. They actually had fake judges, real people that were suppose to represent each judge and the fake judges somewhat resembled the real judges...funny! Anyway, to sum it all up, it was super fun and very surreal. Can't wait to see who's gonna win it this season..who do you think??

Singing and Humming

Austin's favorite song is Old McDonald. He loves to sing the EIEIO (more like OEIOIEO) part, and snort like a pig. He gets the biggest laugh out of it.

A couple of nights ago I was putting Austin to bed and as I hummed a tune, he hummed right along with me. It was so cute, and totally warmed my heart.

Screaming and Ssshhing

Today Kristen was screaming (throwing a fit) in the back of the car. Don't ask me why because quite frankly I don't remember. Anyway, Austin began to SSSSHHHH her, and it made me laugh. Trying to laugh inside is not easy, but I succeeded and laughed out loud later.

Backtalk

Today at gymnastics Kristen was jumping on her side of the trampoline while another girl was jumping on the other side. Well Kristen decided that she wanted to jump on the other side so she just moved on over. Miss Elaine asked her to go back to her side and Kristen replied, " No I want to jump on this side!". Then mommy stepped in and used her stern voice and Kristen got back on her side, needless to say, quickly!! Wow, I have got some hard days ahead..she's only 2!

Preschool

Today I registered Kristen for preschool for the fall of 2008!!!! YAY!!!! I can't tell you what an exciting feeling it was to walk out of the building and know my little girl will be starting her school journey this year! YAY Kristen!! Can't wait for you to begin your school year at Hope Children's Center Preschool!

Sleepyhead

This is what happens when you try and get your child to eat his dinner when it's past his bedtime.

Gran and Grandfather

The past three weeks we have had the pleasure of having Gran and Grandfather in town! Kristen and Austin loved having them here. Of course they are missed! Gran and Grandfather would come and play all sorts of crazy things with the kids. They got pretty good at knowing the kids schedule and would take over so that I could errands run. It's amazing what you can get done without having to carry your children with you. We also got to go swimming at the resort they were staying at. It was a blast! Kristen remembered a lot from last summers swim lessons, which was of course a moment to be proud! Austin loved the water and anytime we would take him out he would get upset and try and walk back in the pool. It was hysterical. We dry him off and he would try and walk right back in, he had no fear. He also wanted to jump off the side like Kristen, but he soon realized it was much harder for him to get his feet off the ground! It was too cute. Pictures to come....

Why

The past few days Kristen has been asking "WHY" after everything I say!!!! AAAHHH!!! I wasn't expecting this to happen until she was about 3 or 3.5...? WHY now?

Biting

Today Austin got frustrated with Kristen while they were sharing toys. They started to push and shove with the toy, and I sat back and thought, "Let's just see where this goes." Bad idea. It ended up that Austin eventually bit her, and she screamed like I have never heard her scream. I tried to run over before he bit her but of course I was too late. He didn't break the skin but she has 4 nice teeth marks in her little wrist!

Beach Party

Tonight we went over to Orange County for a beach bonfire with family. It was very fun to just relax..watch the sun set and hang out. The best part of the night was watching Paul and Kristen roast her marshmallows to make her first ever S'mores. She loved eating her S'more and when asked if it was good she gave us a thumbs up!

Austin enjoyed a little roasted marshmallow, but most of all he was fascinated with the sand. At first, he wasn't so sure how to get his bearings on the sand. But after a few times of not getting to where he wanted to go, he just started going for it and was walking just fine looking for sticks and other treasures! It's so neat to watch them be fascinated with simple but pleasurable things in life..like the sandy beach and yummy S'mores.

New hair = New Mommy

Funnies

Today Kristen randomly said, "Mommy, I need chocolate." I said, "What for?". She responded, "My mouth."

Nights

Night time in our household is not the easiest. Sometimes it takes Kristen 2-3 hours to fall asleep after she has been put to bed. It's weird because it's not like she wants to play she just is fidgity, can't keep still, and just pretty much can't get herself to relax. Actually it's sad to watch and frustrating to go through night after night. So, yesterday night I had come downstairs after a few hours of trying to soothe and relax her and before I knew it she was up again wiggling around. I went upstairs and she said to me, "Mommy, I am just really sad, I just can't fall asleep." I have to say that this made my heart pretty much sad because I just don't know what to do for her. It also was kind of an answer that I have been hunting for. Is she just not wanting to miss the action, or is she not really able to fall asleep? So, all that to say I am trying to have more patience at night time, but it's tough.

BLEACH..great cleaning chemical

Well today I was putting Austin down for a nap, while Kristen was busy playing downstairs. Before I took Austin upstairs Kristen was pretend dusting with a basting brush! I thought, "How cute, she is cleaning!" Well I came down from putting Austin down for his nap and saw Kristen taking her cleaning to the next level. She was holding the BLEACH bottle! At first I couldn't figure out what she was spraying until she said, "Look Mommy I clean dis reawl good!" It was our new leather ottoman/coffee table thingy!!! AAaahh! "Stay calm" I told myself. So I ended up telling her that the cleaning bottle was off limits, and I thanked her for her cleaning. Needless to say the ottoman has a new shine and her shirt is no longer purple but white..with a bit of a bleach scent.

My lounger and my beauty queen

Aaaccckkk, Yuck!

Tonight I gave Kristen some milk. I hear her making this noise, "Aaaaccccckkkk, aaaaccckk!" I asked her what was wrong and she said, "This is not good, yuck. Mommy this milk is gross!" I wasn't sure what was wrong with it until I smelled it. It was definitely rotten. I felt bad..but it sure was funny.

Fire, call 911..nah, just throw it in the sink...

A few days ago I was making egg sandwiches for dinner. So, I was cooking up some bacon and had a second pan ready to put an egg in for Kristen. Meanwhile a paper plate (for the bacon) with paper towels was sitting behind the pan that was for the eggs. I turned on the flame for the egg and "whoosh" went my paper towel plate with bacon. Of course I am frantic and start to blow on the fire (already knowing this really doesn't work), and it of course spreads quickly. As the fire continued to burn all I could think was that I needed to call 911 because my house was going to burn down. For the life of me I could not think of what to do. Kristen was frantically running back and forth saying, "Mommy is that fire? Hot Mommy!" My next attempt to put the fire out was to throw my wet dish rag on top of it...stupid..the fire just cinged the dish rag and went up around it. Now the fire is from my stovetop to the bottom of my microwave...almost to my cabinets..and again all I could think was to call 911..nevermind the fire extinguisher that is sitting two feet away. Well finally I got this grand idea to pick it up and throw it in the sink and turn the water on. Wow, what a miracle that it put my paper towel plate bacon grease fire out! I no longer needed to call 911, but I did need to rescue my very burnt bacon that was drowning in water.

Shake your booty!

Tonight before dinner we had a family dance party! We do this pretty often, but tonight I was teaching Kristen some new moves. I taught her the "Shake your booty" move! It is so cute, she doesn't really get her booty shaking, just her arms (kind of like the chicken dance). I also taught her a few more moves....get down and boogie!!

The Verdict is.....

STOMACH FLU. Isn't that just great! So far today, Kristen has been doing so, so much better. We are still praying that Austin doesn't get it...hopefully Kristen won't be contagious too much longer! I have decided that I am going to carry around a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol in it! So, when we use public potties, we will all get a spritz of alcohol..! I have to say i am happy to have my girl semi- back to normal!

Waiting for sicky bugs to pass

Well we thought last night we were over this sickness with Kristen, but unfortunately it continues. Coming from both ends now...but able to keep a bit of water down. So, I am hoping tomorrow will be the last day of this crazy stuff. 72 hours is the longest stomach flu, right? Can you really hurl for more than 72 hours? Might be a record for the Guiness Book of World Records!

At a stand still

Last night at about 8:30pm Kristen started violently vomiting. Afterwards she felt better and i thought something from dinner must not have settled right with her tummy. Well i was dead wrong. Who knew that she would continue to wretch for the next 13 hours. It was insane. It stopped this morning and then she spiked a fever. Tonight she was finally able to keep down some liquid and food. I hope tomorrow she wakes up and it will be totally gone!

If you read this, please pray that the rest of the family stays healthy and does not get any symptoms..especially Austin. Thanks in advance.

Few random favorite pictures

Potty Training...Wow.

Yesterday, January 14th we started potty training Kristen. My mom came out to help me with Austin, which was a huge blessing. Well it started by taking Kristen's diaper off and putting her on the potty. The first time she didn't go, so we went ahead and put the beautiful Cinderella panties on her. She got in the chair to eat a snack at the table and soon began to pee. While saying, "Uh oh, Mommy this is not good" I rushed her to the potty. I think I shocked the pee right out of her because no more went into the potty. So, then we put new panties on and explained a little bit more about pee peeing on the potty and she went on her way. Could not have been a few minutes later when I saw her poo poo face emerge. I knew that I missed the moment and we already had poopies in the panties. So we again went to the potty cleaned up and explained a bit more about poo poo and the potty, put new panties on and she was on her way. Well that was it and all that needed to happen, because the rest of the day she went on the potty EVERY time!

Today, January 15th Kristen went in the potty every time again!! Today she continued to tell me when she needed to go potty and proceeded to go. Poopies even happened all be herself on the potty today! It was an amazing day! We will see what happens tomorrow!

Dental Checkup

Thursday Kristen had a dental checkup. After the dentist was done looking at her teeth, he looked up at me, paused, and said, "Her teeth are excellent!, absolutely excellent!" I was a super proud mama at that moment.

Kristen did really well and let Dr. Baker poke around in her mouth. I was a definite proud mommy! I couldn't stop smiling and telling her how proud I was of her.

Santa 2007

This past Wednesday we went and visited Santa. Kristen was so excited, but when we asked her if she wanted to sit on Santa's lap she would say, "NO!". Well after seeing how jolly Santa is Kristen was very excited to give him a hug and sit on his lap for a picture. She did great, all smiles and no tears. Austin was very tired and pretty much looked at us like, "what are you doing to me and who the heck is this I am with?" It was pretty funny. The picture of the two of them with Santa is classic; Kristen is smiling big, and Austin could care less about smiling.

100% Walking

Austin started totally walking, about 1 week ago! (11 months) It is so fun to see him toddle across the room and look up and smile at you because he knows you are so proud of him!

I think it's time...

Yesterday morning (11-24-07) Kristen went pee-pee on the potty for the first time ever!! We were so excited..we did the potty dance and all! I am thinking maybe next week we will tackle potty training........aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Not too excited about it!

A little caffeine doesn't hurt....right??

So yesterday I took the children to Costco and before we went in Kristen asked for a hot dog, so I ordered the hot dog combo (hot dog and a drink). I also got her a water cup so that she wouldn't have any of my diet coke that I had been thirsting for. We got our combo and were on our way shopping! Well, I had been having sips of my oh so desired diet coke while Kristen munched on her hot dog. (Austin was eating the bun!) After awhile it got a little difficult to hold onto my soda so I put it in the cart next to Kristen, big mistake. When we were almost done shopping, I was parched and reached down to find my diet coke totally EMPTY!! Kristen had sipped away ALL of my diet coke, while her little body filled up with caffeine. And boy did it fill with caffeine, I think we finally got her to go to sleep at 10:15pm...she usually is asleep by 7:30. Amazing what caffeine can do to a little body...

Boo

Kristen started this game, "Boo", right before Halloween. What it entails is that she says, "Boo", and then we act scared. She gets a big kick out of our reactions. Well in all this fun we have everyday, still even after Halloween, Austin has picked up on it. So every now and then he will say, "Boo" and we of course act scared and he laughs his pants off! It is so cute. He tries to "Boo" Kristen and when she hears him she says, "Oh, you scared me!". It's so fun to watch them interact in so many different ways.

Halloween 2007

Haloween was so much fun this year! Kristen was a Bumble bee and Austin was the cutest turtle! Kristen totally understood what Trick or Treating was all about this year. After the first house she realized they were putting some good candy in her pumpkin and she wanted some. She did a good job waiting until we got home and then she got a few pieces to enjoy! Austin just loved being in his turtle costume and being pushed around in the stroller. Uncle Joe did take him up to a few doors and the people loved seeing him! We had a great time this year!

Disneyland's Mickey Mouse Trick or Treat

Last night we packed up the car after dinner and were off to Disneyland for the Mickey's Trick or Treat night. Kristen was dressed up as a bumble bee and Austin was a turtle. They were adorable! Well the night started out by going through a few stands that were Trick or Treat stations. At these stations Disneyland workers would give you two huge handfuls of candy. The first time we went through one, Kristen opened her bag and said, "Trick or Treat" and to her suprise got a ton of candy. She looked into the bag to see what it was that they put in there, and she figured out it was candy. Well from there she was the happiest girl, holding her candy bag tight and eating it ALL night! She had so much fun..you should have seen her eating NERDS..it was too cute. I taught her how to tip the box up in her mouth to get more than one, she loved it! She was a candy eating pro by the end of the night. She had so much fun, hanging out, eating candy, going on rides, taking pictures with Mickey and Minnie, and just being with the family.

Austin had a good time as well, although he didn't get to enjoy any candy, he loved looking at all the lights and characters, and of course everybody dressed up in costumes. It was a super fun night, the children were totally in their element which is always so fun to see.

Some time away

This weekend Paul and I went to Warner Springs to have some alone time..and left our children with my mom (Marmee) and Uncle Joe. Paul and I had a great time just hanging out and playing golf together (me for the first time). Who knew golf was such a hard game? I would have never put those together!

Kristen and Austin had a great time with Marmee and Uncle Joe. They played non-stop! Kristen couldn't stop talking about all the things that they did while Mommy and Daddy were away. We would talk to them both on the phone before they went to bed, and every time Kristen would rehearse what they did that day. The neatest thing was that while we were away she told Marmee and Uncle Joe that, "I miss my Mommy. And, I miss my Daddy." Can I just tell you how good that makes you feel as a parent. I know those days that she actually misses us will be few..so we just have to soak it all in for now!

Almost walking!

Today Austin finally got behind his walker dealy/thingy and pushed and walked at the same time!!! (10 months) YAY!!! He is so close. I think if he knew he was able to walk without holding onto something, he totally would! He is so cute when he walks, because he doesn't really bend his knees at all..so he just walks like he has sticks for legs..so cute!! I am really excited for him to walk..crawling is good, but I could do without dirty hands and knees from dirty floors!

Yay and Bye Bye

Austin claps now when he hears other clap or you say, "Yay" while clapping your hands. It's so cute. He also just started waving "bye, bye". He is 1o months. Amazing how fast this year of his life is going by...I would have to say that it is going to fast...actually. Another thing he is doing is eating more table food, such as cheese, meat, peas, black eyed peas, carrots...and a few other things. He is finally not gagging over everything and he seems to really be enjoying trying all these new foods and textures. It's so fun to watch him look and examine something new that I have put on his tray. He has to take a good look at it before he will put it in his mouth!

Funny Words

I love the way Kristen says, elbow, BELBOW. It is just the best thing to hear when you wanna smile. She is speaking in full sentences which is just crazy to me. It's neat to watch her wheels spin as she tries to put together a sentence that makes sense. Sometimes she says the cutest things, like, "A sneeze my nose" for "I need to blow my nose". We love her...she makes us laugh everyday!

Croup

Austin (9 months) has croup...so sad. I have to say that this is probably the scariest illness I have ever experienced...he is on steriods...which seem to be helping..hopefully this won't last for more than a few days..so I am praying anyway.

Kristen feeding Austin

Kristen is very into what Austin is eating and also into feeding him pretty much anything. Usually she tries to feed him what is on his tray, like cheerios. Well today she thought it would be a good idea to feed him her dinner, which consisted of salmon, yogurt, and brocoli. Luckily only a few bites of yogurt made it into his mouth once I clued in and turned around to see what my two sweeties were up to!

Eyes of love

Tonight I was feeding Austin while Kristen was eating her dinner at the table. Every few minutes Austin would look over at Kristen and just smile a little grin. It was absolutely adorable..and it was just so obvious how fond he is of her!

Play Wax...

A few days ago I was waxing a few hairs off my chin and Kristen looked at me and said, "Mommy what's that?". I told her what I was doing and not two minutes later she was off playing. Later in the evening, the wax was sitting on the stairs to go up to my bathroom, Kristen was sitting on the stairs ready to go to bed and she looked at me and said, "Mommy, play wax?" I laughed and explained to her that wax was only for Mommy and we hope she never has to use it!

Pee pee and poo poo....

This morning I was changing Austin's diaper and of course I wasn't fast enough and he decided to go pee pee...but the craziest thing was he peed in his own eye! I felt so bad..so I quickly undressed him and put him in the bathtub, and not two minutes later did he poo poo all in the tub!!! aaaaaaahhhhh! What a bodily function morning!

Eczema

Both Kristen and Austin have Eczema..sad..Kristen's little hands are all red and itchy..no fun.

Army Crawl

Austin has begun to do the Army Crawl!! 7 mo. He loves to stand and has two teeth now! He is getting so big...we are anxious to see how much he weighs at our next appointment.

Austin's new tooth!

Austin cut a tooth...yay for the 7 month mark.

It's been awhile...Kristen's now 2

Well a ton has gone on in the past month. We went to Ohio to visit my dad and Judy and had a great time. Kristen and Austin loved spending time with Grandfather and Gran. We went to water parks, the zoo, hung out with family, and swam in the pool until we were prunes! Kristen remembered a ton from her swimming lessons..we were so proud. Austin went into the pool for the first time and loved it! We really had a wonderful time!

Kristen turned 2 on July 11th. Auntie Stacy came out for a few days and both Kristen and Austin loved having her here (and me too of course!). For Kristen's birthday we went to the park and ate some packed dinners..and then Kristen played her heart out..she and her Daddy flew kites, and Auntie Stacy went down the slide with her many times. When we got home we opened some presents and ate cake..good times. Kristen really enjoyed opening presents..she gets it now!

We had her birthday party on July 14th and we celebrated Winnie the Pooh style. The tables were covered with red gingham table clothes and blue honey pots that Daddy painted. We had tons of balloons..that Kristen loved...a few streamers..and a big cling on thingy that had Pooh and friends that said "Happy Birthday!". We had hamburgers, salad, watermelon, baked beans, and good o'le cake. Kristen loved opening all her presents and has enjoyed playing with everything. She was so cute when we sang Happy Birthday, her face looked like, "Really, for me, my birthday, wow!"

Kristen also got her Big Girl Bed..which as of now is box springs and a mattress..with super cute bedding! She loves it...although she has had a hard time sleeping at night...tonight was the first night that she fell asleep within an hour..usually it has been a 2-3 hour battle...let's not talk about it..it gives me the shivers thinking about it!

Two is a good age! We are excited about this year to come!

Cereal then Pears

A few days ago I gave Austin cereal for the first time and he loved it so much that he didn't want to stop eating. We started him on Oatmeal cereal and he just can't get enough...then we tried pears.

Tomorrow it will be a week since we started cereal..so I thought today would be a good day to try a new food, pears. Well I am not really sure how well it went..because at first it looked like Austin really liked the pears, but then he started shuddering every time I gave him a bite, and then he just started to cry..so as of now I am not sure if he had had enough food or if he just doesn't really care for pears...we will see.

Tomorrow we will try again.

Laughter

Recently Kristen has been making Austin laugh with the silly things she does. (They are 22 months and 5 months) All I have to say is when this happens I usually stop, drop what I am doing and just watch and smile...it is the best thing to me right now...

Sprinklers

Today we were suppose to have swim lessons for Kristen, but since it is Memorial day they were cancelled..so we had Kristen all ready to go swimming and needless to say, she was really bummed she wasn't going to get in the pool. So Paul and I thought fast and we thought of running through the sprinklers! Let's just say that Kristen had the best time running through the sprinklers with her Daddy..Austin and Mommy just watched and took pictures! It was pretty cold out, but Kristen just kept on running back and forth, back and forth. She really loves water.

SD Zoo

Two weeks ago we went to the zoo and Kristen, and Austin too, saw an elephant in real life. Kristen is very into elephants...I should say all animals and of course what sounds they make (22 months). It was so fun to see her reaction to the huge beast just walking around...she was pretty amazed.

The love that Kristen shows to Austin is exactly the love that I want them to show to each other the rest of their lives. Austin always smiles at her with sweet adoration.

Tonight we were rocking in the rocking chair, reading a book, when Kristen just started to gently rub Austin's head just the way he likes it. His heavy eyes blinked slowly and began to shut, but of course Kristen moved on and was ready to go to bed herself.

This is the love I pray for daily. This sibling love. I want it so bad for them. I want them to be two peas in a pod, always looking out for each other, and always reaching out a hand when one is in need, hugging each other with a kiss on the cheek. Sibling love.

Tonight

Before I lay Kristen in her bed I pray with her. Tonight I closed the door and as I was about to walk away I heard her start praying again..boy it made me proud.

Earth worms...

Two weeks ago, Kristen and I were working in the front yard. We were pulling weeds and moving dirt around. All of a sudden I came across an earth worm and as I pulled it out of the dirt and I showed it to Kristen. At first she just stared at it, and I explained to her what it was. Then the worm started moving and she did a deep excited sound that goes something like this, "hunh, hunh, hunh, hunhhhh". She was so excited and couldn't believe that the worm was moving. After looking at the worm for a few minutes I explained to her that worms live in the dirt so we would have to throw him back in the flower bed. So we did..and she went over to where she thought the worm landed and said, "Where'd go?". About an hour later I found another worm. Kristen was filling her buckets with dirt when, "plop", I dropped a worm in her bucket. She couldn't believe there was another worm. She played with the worm for a little bit and then told me, "back, back", which means "We need to throw him back". So we did just that. I love that my girl is into earth worms...

Kristen's words

The other day Kristen bonked Austin on his head with her head and said, "Sorry Austi, head ow". It was so great to see almost a total 5 word sentence!

Austin's cool moves..

On April 17, 2007 Austin rolled over!! He also can get his pacie to his mouth with no help..hallelujah! (4 months) He is very interested in toys and loves to reach out and grab them when you hold them above him. We love him here in the A-Team house!

Gymnastics

Kristen started gymnastics last Thursday, March 29, and had a blast. She jumped on the spring floor the entire time of her class. She loves to jump, and amazingly she can get both feet off the ground.

Dancing Feet

Sunday, April 1st, we went to a wedding for our good friend Lisa. This was the first wedding that Kristen could really enjoy..and boy did she. Once the dancing started it was all over. Kristen sat with Marmee and watched all the people dancing for about an hour. She swayed back and forth and finally Marmee asked her (for about the fourth time) if she wanted to go out and dance. She was ready and her feet hit the dance floor. It was all over from there. She danced with Marmee and me for at least an hour. Her feet didn't stop moving. She had the best time out there...she's got beat for sure. I wish everyone could have seen her shakin' her tush..it was so fun to watch.

Rollie Pollie

I love when Austin is on his back and curls up by grabbing his feet...he loves his feet..but the best part of it is he looks like a rollie pollie. He is so adorable.

Praying for Pooh

Tonight on the way home, Kristen reached her hand out from her car seat and said, "Pray". This means lets all bow our heads while Kristen says a prayer. Well tonight she went through and prayed for Daddy, Mommy, baby (Austin), Uncle Joe, Marmee, Raleigh, her food, and then she went on to pray for Pooh, honey, Rabbit, Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, and Pluto. It was so dang cute to listen to her innocently pray for those who are makebelieve.

Lumpy...

In the movie, Pooh's Heffalump movie, there is a character named Lumpy. Lumpy is suppose to be a heffalump, also known as an elephant. Well Lumpy is small and he wants to make a trumpeting sound like his mother, but he can't. All he can do is a "Pflpbt" sound. (Put your lips together tightly and blow out and you will know the sound I am going for here.)

Well Kristen really likes Lumpy. Today I put her down for a nap and about 15 minutes later I hear, "Pflpbt, Pflpbt, ha ha ha ha ha". She was making the sounds of Lumpy and then laughing really hard. I went upstairs to peek in her room and she was sitting in the corner of her crib spitting out her pacie's, making Lumpy sounds and laughing. It was so hard for me not to burst into laughter while peeking through her door, but of course I bit my tongue so she wouldn't hear me...oh these are the moments that make you keep going.

Toys

Today 3.22.07 Austin brought a toy to his mouth...he found his feet a couple days ago..he thinks they are neat.

Weight Gain...

Austin is having the hardest time gaining weight..I have to say that while breastfeeding every child should gain weight appropriately and have no problems..sometimes I don't understand why there is so much stress with breastfeeding when all I am doing is using the two sacs for their sole purpose-to feed a baby-At 3 months he weighs 9 lbs. 14 oz.

On a side note..we got a Bumbo seat for Austin and he loves it..he sits up in it even though he can't sit up on his own (This is the purpose of the seat) and smiles like he is having the best time..

Markers

The other day..I let Kristen draw with her washable markers that she loves. I usually watch her with a pretty close eye..but this day in particular I was dealing with our accountant on the phone and lost track of time...looked over and Kristen and noticed that her face was colored with marker..I went over to her and she said, "uh oh Mommy"...while holding up a marker with the end (marker end) up in the air...that had been totally bitten off!!!! She had bitten all the marker ends off...good times with a 20 month old!

Good Times...

The best feeling is when your child shows you that they love you..with a hug that isn't asked for, or a smile that isn't prompted. It can make you feel like you are the best mom in the world.

Austin has been laughing a ton when mommy tickles his tummy or behind his ears. He is growing to be so long..he is almost out of the infant carrier at 3 months old! I have really been enjoying moments with him throughout the day. I love to cuddle with him, and tell him I love him and watch him smile. He is mesmerized by the TV..I think he likes to watch the movement. I am pretty sure he cant' see that far, nor in color yet. I can say now that I am enjoying breastfeeding so much more. It is so nice to have a baby that desires to nurse...I am learning to treasure the breastfeeding moments.

Kristen and I really played together today. Some days I feel like I don't get down on the floor much with her and play. So today that is all I did, while the dishes piled up and everyting else I needed to get done. But I have to say I feel so much more accomplished by spending quality time with her more so than getting the dishes done. We built blocks, played chase and just had a good time!

Being a mom is so rewarding...

Talking..milestones

Kristen has been repeating pretty much every word that we say..she also is recognizing zoo animals and saying their sounds without being prompted..she's so dang smart!! Can you tell we are proud??!!

Laughing

Austin laughed for the first time Tuesday, February 20,2007. Paul was, of course, jostling him around!

Pray

Kristen has now learned how to pray..before meals we pray for Mommy, Daddy, baby Austin, Raleigh (our dog), Marmee, and Uncle Joe. She loves to say Amen and clap when the prayer is over...

Play food...

A couple of days ago Kristen was playing with her kitchen and was making me all kinds of pretend food. She would hand me a plate and a fork and I had to pretend what I was eating. Suddenly it clicked to her that I needed some food on her plate so she took my plate back and went to her kitchen and got me a piece of "plastic" pizza, ran over to me and said, "Mommy, Mommy!". It was so fun to see her pretend playing.

She also loves to get water from her sink in a cup, (that has no actual water) and run over to me to have me drink it..it is the best water I have ever tasted!!

Wow, has it been a long time since I have written about what Kristen is up to and now her baby brother Austin! Well, Kristen absolutely loves Austin..she can't get enough of him. She loves to tickle him, especially his feet, kiss him and take pictures with him. Every now ant hen she tries to pick him up..but mommy comes to his rescue of not being dropped on his head. She also, loved to cover him up with a blanket and tell him, "Night, night". She has been excited about him since the day he was born. When she first met him she just couldn't stop looking at him and smiling the biggest smile I had ever seen. There is no doubt she loves her brother.

So, what new things is Kristen doing..talking up a storm. She has her own language plus english thatshe uses regularly everyday! Right now she is into praying with us. She loves to say, "Pray" when we tell her we are going to pray, and she also loves to hold our hands during the prayer. A couple of weeks ago at dinner she bowed her head when we started to pray, but instead of Daddy praying, it was Kristen. She said, "Dea Lor, biddi boddi baddi bah. YaY!!" She was so excited that she was the one saying the prayer.

This week Kristen has been super sick with a high fever, bad cough, double ear infection, and super sore throat. Good times here! The greatest part is when we saw the doctor and she asked Kristen to take a deep breath, Kristen was able to follow her example! It was so fun to see her be able to do that.

Tonight, Kristen was playing at her kitchen, totally pretending. She was taking her play dishes and washing them in the sink, meanwhile pretending to wash her hands in between each dish. It is so great to see her mind pretending and her reaching great milestones.

Other things have happened I just can't think of them now..so until I remember..have good times.

Poo Poo

Today when Kristen woke up from her nap I walked into room and she said, "Mommy, I poo poo." The best part was that there was actually poo poo in her diaper!

Halloween

The cutest pumpkin to ever walk the streets was our little Kristen! She loved every minute of Halloween. It first started when the children began to ring the doorbell and we were still eating dinner...Kristen wanted to see who was at the door. She wasn't afraid but instead was so excited to see other kids that she continued to say HI to them over and over. It was so dang cute. We then got her dressed in her pumpkin costume and Marmee dressed up as Anne of Green Gables. Mommy and Daddy were just their plain old selves. Kristen walked to the first house, we rang the doorbell and when the door opened she stood there with a great big smile while the lady put candy in her pumpkin (the one that Grandfather and Gran got for her). Kristen was so thrilled and could not believe this lady had given her something. As we went door to door Kristen just said HI to everyone and walked around like she had been Trick or Treating for years! She was a total natural. When Kristen's pumpkin got too full of candy she stopped and emptied it out into the bigger pumpkin that Mommy was carrying...she new whatever that was that she was getting in her pumpkin must be good stuff and she needed to have more room!

When we were finished Trick or Treating we came inside the house and the first thing that Kristen wanted to do was to go through what people had put in her pumpkin. She pulled out two lollipops and soon realized she could put them in her mouth...and that they tasted great! We put Kristen in her highchair and took the wrappers off both of the Tootsie Pops and let her go to town on them..I have never seen a tongue lick so fast in my life! Her excitement was so fun to watch! After the lollipops, she wanted try chocolate for the first time...she had a few bites of a Hershey's bar and loved it! She really had a great time and we can't wait for the years to come!