Idaho and Arizona

We were so lucky to be able to head home for the holidays despite the fact we were just out there a few months ago.

First we went to Idaho. I didn't take many pictures for some reason, but we did a ton while out there. Some of the un-photographed events were playing with cousins, attending Jared's brother's wedding (HOW DID I NOT TAKE ANY PICTURES OF THAT?!?!?!?), hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa, wedding preparation and meeting Santa.

I did manage the take pictures of a few things. The first day we were there Jared says he needs to shovel the driveway before church...what the heck?!?!?! I was baffled, the driveway is HUGE! I also wasn't sure why he felt the need to do manual labor before church...until I hear the 4 wheeler fire up. Ooooohhhhhh, there it is. This wasn't a case of work, Jared was in HEAVEN plowing the driveway and playing with the dogs.
Kerrigan watched the whole time through the window. We attempted to go outside, but the 2 energetic black labs were enough incentive to stay safely in the house!

Experiments on Kerrigan's hair were frequent...pigtails were spotted numerous times on her head. Also, we tried sponge curlers in K's hair. The first attempt went horribly awry (see the Who picture below), but we managed to save the day with some unreasonably cute pigtails.

She also got to open birthday presents from Jared's family.


Then we rented a car and drove to Flagstaff. Again, not many pictures were taken. I was lucky enough to capture this moment, though:
Poor Jan got played for a fool : ) jk Jared stuck his prize badger (complete with teeth and nasty claws) pelt on her bed while she was sleeping. When she woke up, she thought it was a skunk (apparently color blind in the a.m.) and fell to the floor in fetal position. Poor girl has zero fight or flight reflexes.
Kerrigan discovered her love for sports, and was frequently spotted carrying footballs and basketballs around. She also got to spend quality time with Grandma Great who was down taking care of my "recovering from surgery" mother.

Since our video camera was used more than our picture camera Christmas morning, I only have a few pictures from Christmas. Soooo, I paired those with the temple lights.

Can you believe we are wearing COATS in PHOENIX?!?!?! I realize it is December, but really, COATS!

Now all I need is a New Years post, and I will be all caught up...or mostly caught up : )

The Birthday...

No, not mine- I believe I have sufficiently expressed my feelings on my own increasingly old self.

Kerrigan turned 1 on December 5th. The lucky girl was able to share her birthday with her BFF Kate (I assume they are BFF, it is kinda hard to tell at this age).

So many people showed up to support the birthday gals, and they both scored a lot of loot- thank you so much everyone!

First we opened gifts, I love that they are old enough to enjoy this:

Then cake was consumed. This was my first attempt at cake decorating, and I am fairly certain a profession in the cake decorating industry is NOT in my future (in case you were wondering, it is supposed to be a lady bug with flowers around it...not a red and black blob).

I think next time I will copy Tina and do scrapbooking decorations...isn't it too cute?!?!?!

Kate was a little more into the cake eating than Kerrigan, who acted surprisingly prissy when it came to getting a little dirty. I thought through our own examples we had taught her better : )

And finally, the birthday attire (no, they were not in their birthday suits). Check out these sweet threads. They looked cute in their coordinating tutus!

I can't believe these little ladies are so old!

While in AZ, my ultra talented sis took K's one year old pictures. Can't wait to show them off!

A Little Catch Up While K Sleeps...

Let's rewind almost a month and a half ago and play a little catch up.



We will call this portion "The Eve of the Day of Thanks and The Actual Day of Thanks".



That is right folks, I am only now writing about Thanksgiving, HOW EMBARRASSING!!!!



We decided to go to see the floats for the Macy's Day Parade the night before the actual parade. We thought we were SO smart to avoid the crowds and stand in the cold for hours just to watch a parade.

Unfortunately, we did not take into account the thousands of people who experienced the same stroke of genius!

It was soooo crowded. We waited in the rain for a really long time to get onto the streets that contained the balloons (are they called balloons?). At one point, I swear they were herding us like cattle, which really bodes well with a child in a stroller.

The first street was so jam packed full of people, I nearly reached my claustrophobia limit. Luckily, the second street was much better, and had my 2 favorite floats...a smurf and the Pillsbury Dough Boy.




Afterwards, we partook of the goodness known as the Shake Shack. While there, Kerrigan and Ben perfected the fist pump, or the pound as we call it. She discovered if she held out her fist, Ben would pound it...a game she thinks is hilarious!


Thanksgiving Day: The menfolk played a game of football...the womenfolk huddled near cooking ovens to prepare food and keep warm. I had every intention of going to watch the game- that is, until I felt the frigid temperatures from my balcony...NO THANK YOU!!!!

Kristin did a beautiful job with the table settings. Kerrigan represented the Indians, while I guess the rest of us represented the Pilgrims. Gotta be politically correct (or incorrect, not sure)!
Good food, good friends, more good food...the end!

Boy I Have Some Catching Up to Do...

...but this is all ya get until the suitcases are unpacked, sleep patterns are restored, my house resembles a home more than a tornado disaster area, groceries are bought, mountains of dirty clothes are laundered and put away and colds caught during travels are beaten:

Isn't returning back to real life soooo fun? It is DEFINITELY a multiple Dr. Pepper day!

26...

I am officially closer to 30 than I am to 20....gross!

That's all.

My Little Revelation

So earlier today I was complaining about my finicky eater (thanks for all the advice-keep it coming!), and tonight I hear the song, "It Won't be Like This Too Long" by Darius Rucker on the radio.





I had never heard it before but immediately fell in love with it. It talks about the little moments we have with our children that seem hard at the moment, but when they grow up they are the moments we will miss.





Yes, it is hard to take her to a restaurant when she is throwing food in all directions. Yes, my carpet is looking very sad/disgusting these days.



Yes, sometimes I get tired of saying, "Use your nice voice please" and the sound of whining.


Yes, I struggle sometimes doing chores while holding a child who refuses to be put down. Yes, I am never on time anywhere due to diaper blow outs and spit up.





Yes, sometimes being the mom of a one year old is HAAAARD!





But someday I am going to have to beg her to eat a meal with me. Someday it will be like pulling teeth to try to have a real conversation with her. Someday (it is already starting) I will wish she would snuggle up with me on the rocking chair. Someday she will be way more independent than I will want.





I don't know if I will miss the blowouts and spit up, but I will miss them as an excuse for my tardiness : )





My heart absolutely aches to think when I look down someday, I won't see this face staring back at me (please note the cute piggies, they made their first appearance today) :

This phase will not last forever, and I can guarantee I will miss it when it is gone!

Here are the lyrics, kinda long but worth the read!

He didn't have to wake up

He'd been up all night

Layin’ there in bed listenin’

To his new born baby cry

He makes a pot of coffee

He splashes water on his face

His wife gives him a kiss and says

It gonna be OK

It won’t be like this for long

One day soon we'll look back laughin’

At the week we brought her home

This phase is gonna fly by

So baby just hold on

‘Cause it won't be like this for long

Four years later ‘bout 4:30

She's crawling in their bed

And when he drops her off at preschool

She's clinging to his leg

The teacher peels her off of him

He says what can I do

She says now don't you worry

This’ll only last a week or two

It won’t be like this for long

One day soon you'll drop her off

And she won’t even know you're gone

This phase is gonna fly by

If you can just hold on

It won’t be like this for long

Some day soon she'll be a teenager

And at times he'll think she hates him

Then he'll walk her down the aisle

And he'll raise her veil

But right now she's up and cryin’

And the truth is that he don't mind

As he kisses her good night

And she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her

‘Til her eyes are finally closed

And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart

Cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long

One day soon that little girl is gonna be

All grown up and gone

Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by

So, he's tryin’ to hold on

‘Cause it won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

My Plea for Help!!!

As I mentioned in the previous post, Kerrigan has started becoming a picky eater...what the HECK?!?!?!

She used to eat and enjoy all foods. We started giving her nibbles of our food early in, with the hopes of avoiding this very problem. Jared gave her mashed potatoes 3 days after we brought her home, for heaven's sake!

Up until 3 weeks ago, we thought we had succeeded...boy were we wrong!

She either refuses to try stuff (waving her hands in front of her face, knocking food out of my hands) or if she does take a bite and doesn't like it, she just lets her mouth hang open until it falls out.

I can't seem to find the common factor in what she doesn't like.

She never has a problem with chicken nuggets, french fries, bread, tacos, burritos, (usually) quesadillas, cheeseburgers and baby food. She always eats her baby food, but I don't want to have to carry a jar around with me all the time!

I have tried baby spoons and forks, my spoon and fork, finger feeding, letting her feed herself, making it fun and cheering at obnoxious decibels when she does take a bite and swallow (which usually works for a few bites, if I can get it in her mouth).

I have tried different textures, flavors and temperatures.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!??!?!?!

So, anyone who has dealt with this, I am in desperate need of advice! How did you get your picky eater to not only eat, but also eat a well balanced meal?

HELP!