Category Archives: Family

Operation Winkie

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Tonight I went on a secret mission.  Replace Winkie the Rockstar Bear.

Winkie went with us to Omaha.  I took this photo shortly after our departure from home.

We returned home last night and we realized that Winkie did not make it back.

I called the hotels where we’d stayed.  I have a feeling he might have been left lost in the sheets and bedspread in Lincoln.  Nobody seems to have found him though.

Davey was looking for him last night, but then he fell asleep.  Davey loves “Wink” (he recently gave him that affectionate nickname), but he can fall asleep without him and he is not desperately attached.  However, I knew he would not be happy to lose Winkie for good.

We decided to replace Winkie.  So tonight after dinner, I made a quick quiet trip to the mall.  Davey’s Pa (David’s dad) arrived today, so Davey barely noticed that I’d left.  They all went to the playground and I headed to Build-a-Bear to purchase a new Winkie.

Somehow Winkie’s blue shirt was still in the car.  I don’t know exactly how Winkie lost his shirt.  So new Winkie has on the old shirt.  I gave him to Davey and he didn’t notice at all that this was a new Winkie.

I debated all the way home as to whether I was pulling an elaborate trick on the poor child.  I don’t like the idea of that at all, but then on the other hand, is Winkie a homogenous good?  I mean the new Winkie is exactly like the old Winkie.  There is not a lick of difference.  Old Winkie was not really very worn at all.  So I have tried to convince myself that Winkie is a homogenous product (This took me back to some business class that I had in OSU.  I knew this would come in handy one day).

So I still don’t feel too good about it, but for now I guess I will let it go.

Old Winkie = New Winkie.

If You Put a Little Boy in a Tux

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Davey was a ringbearer at my cousin’s wedding this weekend.  He had such a fun time (we all did!).  I took almost 400 pictures, so I’m thinking I can blog about the wedding weekend just abit.

I learned that dressing wiggly wriggly Davey in a tux required at least two people, and it still wasn’t easy.

Then I was reminded that I usually photograph him in just candid shots.  He’s not a fan of posing with a smile.  Here is what he does:

(He is standing here with his cousin.  He loves hanging out with her!)

We went outside to wait for our rides to the church.

He decided to have a good ole time posing with Daddy.

And a little of this:

Followed by abit of this (David is blurry, but Davey is in fine form):

After all that, he needed a moment of rest.

It didn’t take long though until he quickly perked up.

I like this one of him looking up at his Oma.

 

And finally, here’s a little of what the wedding photographer must be sorting through.

Davey smiling at the flower girl.

And this (minus the red-eye).

 

 

 

 

Thursday Catch up

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It’s been a busy week!  We are back to school and the first week is always hectic.

On Monday, when I came downstairs, there was Davey waiting.  He was jumping up and down.  “Mommy, I get to spend the whole day with Daddy!”  He was very excited about the WHOLE DAY aspect.  They went to tumblin’ and to the mall playground.  Luckily, they met me for lunch as well!

I’ve not had much time to knit, and it’s just been pretty hot this week so I have not been able to knit on my wool/alpaca Girasole too much.  It makes me sweat. I have high hopes that it is going to cool down soon, and then I will get back to that.  In the meantime I’ve been making some leaf dishcloths.  They go really fast and are made out of cool cotton.  A friend told me about “I Love Cotton” from Hobby Lobby.  I like it.  It’s softer to work with then the Sugar ‘n Cream although I do like it too.  I also like how the I Love Cotton feels after it’s washed.  So that’s it on knitting.  Not much time this week for that.

Davey has a new expression for me.  This morning I asked him to pick up some books he’d tossed on the floor.  I had to ask him several times, and finally I heard, “Mommy.  You’re giving me a headache of that!”  I don’t know where he got that one. Despite that though, he did pick up the books for me. 🙂

Ok errand time.  Davey loves for me to list off the errands we need to do.  He also loves to go to the grocery store and once we have gotten everything, I have to list it all.  Davey looks and says “CHECK!” for each item.  He loves that.

We are also going on a short trip, and Davey wants a new cd to listen to.  He has made a list of the songs that he wants on it.  His choices are influenced by the Just Dance game he was playing some.  So he wants “Cotton-Eyed Joe (and he always enunciates the “ts”  So it is CoTTon”), “Who Let the Dogs Out” (this is a favorite of David’s.  – actually he can’t stand it, but Davey loves it), “Eye of the Tiger”, “Ring of Fire” and of course a little Gaga.  I have to discuss the list with him again because I am forgetting a few songs.

I haven’t taken any new pictures this week so I am putting up an old favorite.  This was Davey at the fair in Arkadelphia in September 2009 – just about 2 years ago!

More letterboxing and a Haircut

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We went on another letterboxing hunt yesterday.  It was at a small park in Arvada.

I always love to get a picture of David and Davey walking along.

This hunt involved finding 5 boxes.  We think that one was missing, but we found the rest.  It was a fun one where you had to use clues from the first 4 to figure out the clue for the final box. Since we were missing the box, it made figuring out the clue a little more difficult, but it was a word puzzle so I  had a lot of fun with it.   So here they were approaching one of the boxes.

The park had a playground, and so after the first box, Davey was really more interested in the playground.

He still helped us though, and here he is helping me with the last stamp.

And a hug to finish things off.  Can’t beat that!

So that was another fun excursion in which we discovered a really nice little park. (David would add that he did get a mosquito bite.  If David is around, Davey and I don’t typically have to worry about mosquitos.  They love David best.  It was also a little brushy and itchy reaching for some of the boxes.  I need to add a pair of gloves to our letterboxing supplies!)

After our letterbox hunt, we went for lunch.  While we were eating (Qdoba), Davey decided that he wanted to get a  haircut.  That kid loves to go get a haircut.  We decided he did need a trim, so there just happened to be a place a few doors down.

I had not taken any haircut pictures for awhile – maybe none with my camera since his very first haircut:

I also always have loved this picture where you can see in the mirror how he is smiling up at her.

So back to the present day.

He had some interesting expressions.  He’s very watchful.

And another one – now in this picture, his eyes look just as brown as can be.  But they don’t always look like this.  I just checked and I could see the blue in there.  If people ask me what color his eyes are, I still don’t know.  I’ve asked other people to help me decide.  I just asked Davey and he said, “Tangerine”.

He worked hard to hold his head down.  At first, when she told him to look at his toes, instead of lowering his head, he lifted his feet.  Makes sense!

He was so proud after his haircut.  We’d put the camera away by then, but I wish I had taken a picture.  He was looking around as he walked out, just a grinning away.  Pleased as punch.

Busy time and Karate!

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It’s been a busy last few days.  We start back to school on Monday so I’ve been planning my classes, writing syllabi and all that fun stuff!

As a result,  I have not had much time to knit or blog.  My Girasole is coming along.  It is turning into a very large purple blob.   I knit a couple of hexipuffs yesterday while I was at tumbling and karate with Davey.  That’s about it!

Speaking of karate, it was great fun to watch Davey experience it for the first time.

He was ready to get started:

He learned the basics of the bow:

David took this through the glass so the picture is not great, but I love Davey’s stance here.

This being little gym karate, there was lots of running and activities to go along with the karate.  Here they took off practicing with their hands up (David says it is the guard position).

And because there was running and other tumbling activities combined, Davey quickly got hot and got rid of the top part of the gei and his belt.

He was tired when it was over because he’d also had a tumbling class earlier that day (we’ve changed that and will go on two different days now).  He had a great time though and can’t wait to go back.

I bought a new dress today.  I don’t know if Davey had ever seen me in a dress.  I tried it on when I got home.  Davey liked it.  He told me that I looked like Lady Gaga.  I guess that’s the only dressed up person he’s seen in awhile.  I hate to admit that he even knows who she is, but he enjoys her music.  Funny kid.

More Letterboxing and Tinkerbell

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Davey and I went on another letterboxing excursion today.  David had meetings at school so Davey and I decided to head out.  I didn’t know it was going to be one of the hottest days of the year, but fortunately, we were mostly in the shade, and we finished before it got too too hot.

So we went to an area that had the prettiest stream running through it.  There were actually 4 boxes hidden out there.  We could not get to one of them because that portion of the trail had been closed for restoration.  We found the other three though!

So we set off with our packed lunch and letterboxing supplies.

Davey carried the backpack.

Not really.  It was a little heavy and bulky on him.

I took the backpack and off we went.

Doesn’t it look like he has found a snake here?

Looks like Davey has him by the head.

It’s a stick.

Davey always looks so pleased to find a letterbox.  He does not hesitate to reach in and grab it.  I have to stop him and we poke around with a stick first.

We stopped for lunch in a shady spot by the stream.  It sounded so nice with the water flowing past, and it was a such a pretty spot.  My picture just doesn’t do it justice.

We attempted a long-armed shot together.

After lunch, we had one more box to find, and then it was time to head home.

On our way home, we stopped at Target.  Davey wanted to get David a present.  Something they could do together.  He got very excited to find a game called Molehill Mania.  They whacked something with a mallet, and then these little moles pop out which have to be captured.  I didn’t play it with them, but they had a good ole time.

While at Target, I found a lunchbox in the $1.00 section.  It was actually $2.50, but it was perfect.  I’ve been looking for something inexpensive to carry my hexipuff supplies for my beekeeper’s quilt.  I have had more fun with preparation of this project.  At some point, some knitting needs to happen.

So I would not usually have chosen Tinkerbell, but it was that or Toy Story or Spiderman.  You can probably guess what Davey’s choice was.

It is perfect though. I didn’t want plastic or cloth bags, because my needles and/ or scissors might poke through.

Small pleasures.

And then everything is all packed away nicely (I’ve got to stick some stuffing in there too).

So now all that’s left is the knitting!

Monday mish mash

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Today Davey told me that he wants a Surprise Party for his birthday.  He said that he wants to walk in and everyone should be hiding.  I was instructed to hide under the couch (that will be a bit tight).

Then he said that he has to start working on forgetting that he wants a surprise party so that he will be surprised.

So we will try to pull this off best we can.

I wound some yarn this morning.  Here is my yarn swift.

My hands serve as the winder.  This is actually kind of relaxing to do.  It probably saves me time, as I am terrible with a yarn swift.  I have a knack for making a huge tangled mess 90% of the time.

I probably just need more practice.  Maybe I will get one one of these days.

This yarn is Madeline Tosh Chunky.  It is for a hat I am test knitting for my friend for her book.  It is incredible yarn.  Soft and squishy.  It feels great to knit with.  I love it.

Let’s see, oh yes – Davey and I had a lovely picnic lunch outside today.

He also decided that he wanted a super squirter.

Unfortunately it was a little much for him to wield.

And finally yesterday Davey and I went letterboxing again.  We went 2 for 3.  Two boxes were so much fun to find.  Clever clues and one was in a particularly pretty location.  It was a big open area with the mountains to the west.  Very nice.  The third box had been placed by a bridge.  I think that creek flash flooded at least once this year, so it may have washed away.  Or I just didn’t find it.  Either way, Davey has so much fun exploring the area around where we find the boxes.  One box was under the ridge of a really big flat rock, so we sat there for awhile.  The second was in a park, and we looked at totem poles and walked all around.  It’s enabled us to find new fun places around here.

I could be a spokesperson for Letterboxing America!

Oh and I almost finished my second hexipuff today at McDonald’s.  Davey played at the playland.  We are in search of Smurfette, Gardener and I think his name is Grumpy?  No luck today though.  Apparently Smurfette is a hot item and difficult to find.

That’s quite a mish mash!

Letterboxing

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We went on a new adventure today.   My sister and Kev had told us about their experiences Letterboxing in Virginia.  I’d never heard of it before, but it sounded like great fun.

It’s kind of like geocaching, except instead of using GPS, you follow written clues.  I found two great websites which list letterbox sites all over the country.  Letterboxing and AtlasQuest.  I went to the website and quickly found several in our area.  They provide you with clues to locate a hidden box which contains a stamp.  Many people handcarve the stamp.  Sometimes there is an inkpad in the box, but we brought one with us and our own stamp.  Once you locate the box, you take the stamp from the box and stamp your own little book.  We bought a small sketchbook to record our letterboxing finds.  We also used our stamp to stamp the book that was with the letterbox.  We had a plain letter b.  We need to get adventurous and carve our own stamp.

David read us the clues.  This was a great first adventure as the box was very near the parking lot where we’d parked.

Davey was right by his side with our little book.

We were directed to a line of pine trees and then to a specific space in between two of them.  Once there, we looked behind a bush and found:

Davey looked behind the concrete block (we checked it, but this would have been more dicey in Oklahoma.  It’s not so snakey here – or at least not so poisonous snakey).

His hand emerged holding the container.

We were all so excited!

We did our recording of information and stamping.

Then it was time to carefully put it back.

This was great fun.  The directions for this clue were great and we had no trouble.  Some of the boxes will involve longer walks or hikes.  I’ve got a couple of relatively short ones ready to go for tomorrow.  I think one will be about a mile walk which should be just about right for Davey.

So I highly recommend this and am so glad I learned about it.  Davey found it to be a great “treasure” hunt, and he is excited to go again.

 

We climbed mountains, made cinnamon rolls, danced…oh and superheroes!

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My sister and family left yesterday.  We did a lot of fun things in just a few days.

I have a tradition with my nieces.  We always make cinnamon rolls when they come to visit.  I make the dough and roll it out.  Then they apply butter and cover it with cinnamon and sugar.    Davey joined in too this time.

We made a mess, but it was fun and the best kind of mess.

Davey reunited with Uncle Kev who also became his new Superhero Super Pal.  He had a great great time playing with him.  They read stories,  Kev made up stories, they went to the comic book shop.  It was super fun. 🙂

We climbed Pike’s Peak (or Peaks Pike as David likes to call it).

Or better, I should say we rode up the mountain on the Cog Railway.

This was a beautiful trip.  David took what I thought was the coolest of photos.  He said it was a giant bald eagle.

It was actually a big ole black crow.

We made the trip to Breckenridge, and we had a fun afternoon in Boulder.

We also had some time to play around the house, and Davey had the best fun dancing with Mikayla and Jadyn.  He was so excited that we were able to rent “Just Dance” the Smurf version (He is all into smurfs thanks to McDonald’s latest Happy Meal toy).

Koko Puff even wanted to join in the fun.

Davey was having so much fun that he could not be confined to a single spot for dancin’.


Yesterday morning, they had to begin their trip home.

We made one short stop at an open space near our house so that Mikayla and Jadyn could see a prairie dog village.

I got a few last pictures.  Here Davey is making a run for it!

And hugs.

It’s time now for us to plan a trip to the East Coast!

 

 

 

“If You Rock the Gondola…”

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My sister and family are here.  They arrived Sunday, and we are having a great time!  Monday we went to Pike’s Peak and took a train to the top.  Maybe I’ll post some pictures of that as well, but today we went to Breckenridge.

Davey loves walking hand in hand with his cousins.

We walked around Breckenridge and had lunch.  One of the main things that we’d wanted to do was to go down the alpine slide.  This involved a trip up the mountain in the gondola which is a totally enclosed ski lift.

But.  David doesn’t like heights much.   Davey was sympathetic and kept a tight grip on David’s hand.

Davey had found something to be hilarious here.  I can’t remember what exactly, but I love his forward leaning laugh.

David was not enjoying himself much.  We were all having too much fun with it (He was too though – despite his discomfort of being suspended in the air, high above the ground).

It was at this point that he said, “If you rock the gondola, I’ll knock you out cold.”  You can tell we were worried.

Davey did also keep a watchful eye for his Daddy.

But then it was more fun and a fist bump with Uncle Kev.

Davey was too small for the alpine slide (well we didn’t want to put him on the ski lift.  He could have ridden down with David).  So instead, he bounced in a bouncy house.  Then he “panned gold” with his cousins.  He loved that too.

He thought this was just greater than great.  I don’t think he cared much about the panning, he just liked doing what his cousins were doing.

On the way back, Uncle Kev came up with a great game.  At each stop, the doors would open.  So Kev helpfully used his mind to shut the doors when we’d take off again.   Oh Davey thought this was great.  He wanted to use his mind too.

He really Worked his mind!

Thanks to the great minds, we made it safely off the gondola!