Strawberry Picking

Every year, one of my favorite things to do is to pick strawberries. Growing up we would go to Holden Brothers Produce, plastic tubs in hand, and fill them up with fresh strawberries. I'm sure I ate a few before they made it to the tub. It was a tradition.

One of the things I have looked forward to is taking Kylie to pick strawberries for the first time. Since strawberry picking season in Wisconsin is almost up, I decided this morning to make haste to the strawberry patch, and see if I could pick enough to make some homemade jam, and save a few for putting on top of pound cake. It was a good plan, execution was a little lacking.

Taking a 13 month old who wants to walk ALL OVER THE PLACE to pick strawberries is only a good idea if Dad is coming too. I learned this the hard way. As Kylie and I made our way to the appointed row, she decided she'd rather visit with the other kids that were picking strawberries a few rows over. Before I knew it, she had walked over a few rows of strawberries to make it to her new "friends", and had taken a few falls in the strawberries along the way. Therefore, she had strawberry juice all over her bum, pants, and shoes. I ran to grab her before she got too far, picked her up, which proceeded to transfer the strawberry goo to my favorite jeans. What was supposed to be a wonderful, picturesque opportunity is now disasterous. I managed to feed her some goldfish while I grabbed as many strawberries as possible, and made my way to the car. Little one kicking and screaming the whole time. (I love that she's fiesty!!) Note to self: go on a day that Steve can come too. I did manage to take a couple pictures before the outfit was "decorated".

Despite the poor planning on my part, I'm glad that we got to go get our strawberries. They are beautiful and delicious, and I think despite her times of frustration, Kylie had fun. This experience taught me that I still have SO MUCH to learn as a parent, and I'm grateful that I have my little buddy Kylie with me to share in my successes and failures (such as today....)

Father's Day

This Father's Day, Kylie and I decided to surprise Steve with new pictures for his desk at work. The pictures he had on his desk were from when Kylie was two months old, and she looks so different now. So we hatched a plan. On Tuesday nights Steve has an activity with the youth at church (young men), so Kylie and I could get dolled up and sneak away for the photo session, and he wouldn't know about it. Our friend Kara, a professional photographer (you can see more of Kara's photography here), met Kylie and I underneath the overpass (doesn't that sound so mysterious??) in downtown Wauwatosa, and took some great shots of Kylie and I. Some of my favorites are below:

We picked out a collage frame, put our pictures in it, and presented it to Steve. He was pretty surprised, and I was quite pleased that I was finally able to get a gift for Steve that he didn't guess ahead of time. He always seems to figure out my surprises!

We hope Steve had a great Father's Day. He's such a dedicated Dad and thoughtful husband. We love you Steve!

P.S. A big thanks goes to Kara, for capturing our moments on film, and for being patient with us!

Kickstarting the Fitness

Running lately has been a challenge. I have my jogging stoller, that I love, but the weather has been cold and rainy lately, making running outdoors a little on the difficult side. I can't run indoors in our gym, because the treadmill is a little too interesting to someone who crawls all over the place now. What to do?

First things first, I needed new running shoes. So I picked up these beauties, and even got them on sale. The friendly sales guy gave me $5 off the purchase price (why he did that is a mystery to me, but I'll take it), and then I used my $10 off coupon from my entertainment book, and these babies were just the right price.

Next, I got a deal on a family membership at the Y. Three months for the whole family, only $177 dollars. Who could pass that up? Now I have zero excuses for not exercising, and I'm well on my way to running Crazy Legs next year. Hopefully..

After a Long Nap

Someone had some crazy hair (see the sides?). I love it. And I love that she is actually getting more hair now...

New This and That

This weekend we went out and bought an outside rug for a new frequently visited spot - the balcony. Since the air is warmer, the flowers are in bloom, and the birds are chirping, it is a great place to be. Notice the plastic lattice that Steve put up, to keep someone from sticking their head through the bars. She loves her new outside space. Nana O'Brien - notice she has on her new pink pants. They are perfect!

Kylie also loves her new dress that Grandma Rosie crocheted for her, for her 1st Birthday. It is very soft and snugly. She enjoyed wearing it to church today.

Kylie's One Year Stats

Today was Kylie's one year checkup, which meant more dreaded immunizations. She was a real sport during the examination. We found out that her belly button is closed more than before, so this is less of a concern. She is ready to convert to Vitamin D milk from formula (this makes the budget happy). And she can eat pretty much anything, as long as it is the appropriate size to prevent choking (this also makes the budget happy). All in all, a clean bill of health.

Her one year stats are:

Weight: 22 lbs., five ounces (70th percentile)
Length: 2 feet, six inches (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 18.11 inches (75th percentile)

One wierd thing - the pediatrician said to cut raisins into pieces, to prevent choking. Who does that?!

Mother's Day Surprise

We went down to Sarah and Danny's for Kylie's birthday on Friday night, and spent the night. On Saturday morning, early, we got up for Steve's gift to me for Mother's Day - a weekend away. Sarah and Danny watched Kylie for the weekend, and we got to sneak away to Nauvoo, IL for a little rest and relaxation. It was wonderful. Our first trip together since Kylie's birth was just what we needed, time to focus on us. We have decided that we should get away once a year, just the two of us.

Steve had confessed this past Saturday that he had planned this trip - I guess he couldn't keep the secret anymore. What a great surprise! He had even made reservations at a cabin in Nauvoo, that was so quaint and secluded. I loved it!

When we got to Nauvoo on Saturday, it was about midday and we ate lunch in downtown Nauvoo at a restaurant called Emma's Pantry. Delicious! We then went on a carriage ride through the woods of Nauvoo and listened to accounts of the Pioneer people who lived in the area in Joseph Smith's time. It was a touching experience, and I am grateful that this ride could be part of our trip. We also visited the temple, which was uplifting. The rest of the time was spent relaxing and reading. (Steve watched movies, while I read or slept....). Sunday morning we got to sleep in, since church didn't start until 10am. You can imagine how long it has been since we were able to sleep in....That was fabulous!!

Thank you Steve, for all of your work to make this trip happen. And thank you to Sarah and Danny for watching Kylie. You guys are so good to us!

Outside our little cabin in the woods