If She wasn't cute-

Let me start this post by saying. I love Whitley to Pieces. I love her with all my heart, but she has her days or in this case her months that I honestly wonder if I will survive. She has become so extremely clingy, everyone else is chopped liver if mom is around. NO one, Ryan included, can get her a drink, take her to the potty, read a book, wash her hair, etc. I try to remind myself that in a few years I will be the last person she will want help from. But when I am up to my elbows in meatload and she needs to potty it really isn't fun to try and clean off fast enough to run upstairs and put her on the potty!! One example that happened last week. Whitley turned two in november, almost 3 months ago and have not got her pictures taken yet. This is not because I am lazy- well maybe a little bit- but because about 2 days before our appointment she jumps off my bed into the dresser, throws a fit when getting her hair cut so she has super short bangs, manages to scratch, bump, or otherwise have some injury to her face. So that I have to cancel the picture appointment. So finally last Saturday the stars all aligned. Her bangs grew out, the scars were healed and we head to kiddie kandids to get pictures done. We planned a fun day at the mall, I had got gift certificates from my work and we planned to get pictures done, eat, shop a little -the works. Whitley had other ideas. Whitley looked so darn cute!! She sat still while I put her hair in piggies and then curled them in tiny little ringlets. We get to kiddie Kandids and of course we have to wait for 45 minutes!! When it is our turn whitley refuses to let go of me. We try everything, she is determined to not sit where they want her to, she doesn't want to hold the flower, or sit on the bench, She will do nothing. I am so embarrased first because my kids DO NOT act like that, second because I HATE everyone to stare at me. Third because other customers are trying to bribe Whitley to get her pictures taken by giving her marshmallows. So embarrasing. Finally We give up and leave with two hours wasted and no pictures. no shopping or eating! I'm starving which makes everything worse:) On the walk to the car, Whitley falls in the muddy rain water and ruins the super cute tights I had just bought. It was a terrible day!! If she wasn't cute and couldn't be so darn charming when she comes up to you and yours arms aren't in meatloaf, with her blankie and wants to "hold". We would be in trouble. I promise if we ever get over this phase and get year old pictures I'll post them. But for now I need to go put a sweet little thing on the Potty!

WINTER FUN!

Karden and Whitley have been having a fun time with the snow. They love it when it is "nowing". Karden has been having fun with daddy plowing walks. The kids have also loved sledding with their cousins, Bradley and Brooklyn. Grandpa Norman got a sled big enough for all 4 grandkids. They had a so much fun!!.
It was so fun to hear the squeals up and down the road in Goshen. I don't know who was having more fun, the kids or grandpa!!
Sorry Gavin next year you can go play too, we promise to take you out of the box!!

Thank You Santa!!!!!

Wow!! Did Santa ever visit our house? This is our first clue that Santa was here, a Thank you note for the cookies and a smashed Pepsi Can (yes our Santa prefers Pepsi over milk!!)

It was a fun Christmas Morning, both Karden and Whitley actually understood what you were supposed to do and loved every minute of it.They both got more toys than they needed, In the words of my 94 year old little grandma " Santa must of had his eyes closed most of the year Karden if he thought you were this good!" This is the aftermath of toys when we had finished. I should of gotten a picture before hurricanes Karden and whitley blew through the front room!

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and we are ready to see what 2009 brings!!

Too Much KSL!!

Today Karden and Whitley were fighting over a pink plastic high heel dress up shoe. Whitley had it first and Karden really wanted it. Don't ask me why, We have hundreds of dollars of toys in this house and the toy of choice is one plastic shoe from the dollar store. It wasn't even a pair. ONE SHOE!!
Karden is trying everything to get Whitley to give him the shoe. Bribery, finding other toys for her, even telling her mom will give her candy. Finally Karden has had it. He gathers up most of her dolls, her doll stroller and the closest paper he can find and scribbles something on it and puts it in the corner. When I see what he has done I ask him what the paper says " For sale: All of Whitleys toys because she won't give me the princess shoe!"
This is when you can tell that I buy and sell too much stuff on KSL!

PS- When telling Ryan this story and telling him I was putting in on the blog, he asked me to substitite the shoe for something more manly!! Sorry Honey the story just isn't the same without the shoe!!

HO, HO, HO!!!

What does Santa Claus Say? If you ask most kids the answer is
HO, HO, HO!! Whitley being 2 and not very vocal even knows what Santa says. (Just don't let that big hairy guy get too close, but that is a whole other post.) So anyways if you ask Karden what Santa says he will say. HO, HO, Ho, AND A BOTTLE OF RUM!! Were does this come from I don't have the foggiest but I have a strange feeling Grandpa Norman might be the culprit. So if you see a drunken Santa wandering the streets come Christmas Eve, send him our way.

Zoo Lights!!

The zoo + Christmas Lights= Perfect December activity.
What could be better, we headed up on Saturday night and weren't quite sure what to expect. Ryan went begrudingly, he says no normal person has already been to the zoo 4 times this year. He doesn't exactly get my fascination with the zoo. But It was great even Ryan was pleasantly surprised!!
It was so cute, and the weather was great. It was a little chilly but there was no snow. Most of the animals were off exhibit for the night but the ones you could see were very active. The kids loved all the lights, and throughout the zoo they have animated animal displays.
Karden loved the carousel and again choose to ride the praying Mantis. We are 4 for 4 on riding the praying mantis.

Whitley had other ideas and had a complete meltdown when I tried to put her on the baby hippo. We ended up sitting on the stupid little bench that doesn't move. But oh well!! She really loved the light up elephant grandma and grandpa bought her.
I highly reccommend it, it was a great night and it will become a yearly tradition. Just don't tell Ryan :)

Diabetics Beware!!

Well the Christmas tree is finally up and this years theme is "candy". My mom, sisters and I do a Christmas tree exchange and we each do one themed tree, from tree topper, ornaments to tree skirt and then each year we swap trees. So I have a different tree for 5 years before repeating themes. It is really fun. I got this one from my mom and it is really cute.
Whitley has had a hard time realizing that the candy is fake. She has taken a few bites out of they styrafoam Suckers and Karden had a blast decorating the tree, well actually it was two branches!!!!
Now my next task is to take down the Thanksgiving decorations, I know My house looks a bit strange with a turkey on the front door and christmas lights in the yard. Good think I don't work until Wednesday!!