Not the best of weeks ...

This is how my poor little girl looked for most of the week. I had kept her out of school the previous Friday because she had a dry cough and was snotty, but the 102+ fever she had on Monday got her taken to the doctor and strep tested. Was "just a virus" ... but a nasty one. Caused me to lose my voice and require antibiotics to stop coughing up thick yellow goop. And daddy didn't escape healthy either ... despite heroic efforts consisting of dousing himself in various hand sanitizers after coming into contact with me or Kendall and relocating to the guest room to avoid me "breathing on him in my sleep." He moved back to our room once he started coughing too and it became clear that his efforts at staying healthy were in vain.

I attempted to go to work on Wednesday and was politely told to go home and rest. What they failed to realize is that my nice quiet office was significantly more restful than my germ infested home with my pitiful and very needy little girl. My mom was most helpful this past week and Grandmother brought enough food for several days. By Friday, I was concerned that Kendall's fever was still returning every time I missed a dose of Tylenol or Ibuprofen and took her back to the doctor. Of course, just as I was telling the doctor that "the child hasn't eaten in a week" she requested her snack and proceeded to down it in front of him. She also had no fever at all, was singing when he walked into the exam room, and announced "I ALLLL better now!" as she threw her hands in the air and then wished him a happy birthday in song, first in English, then in Hebrew. I hope I don't ever have to see this particular pediatrician in this office again. Pretty sure he's still laughing at me. Here she is at her second, and pointless, visit to Pediatric Associates of Dallas last week.

She officially missed 4 days of school with this illness. Since both Chris and I were still feeling "unwell" on our normal Saturday "Family Fun Night," and we didn't want to risk any potential for a relapse that might keep Kendall out of school any more days, we kept "FFN" low key and at home. We ate pizza and watched the first Toy Story movie - well, Chris watched it while Kendall played in the general vicinity of the television and I watched her to make sure she wasn't destroying anything (or any dogs) in the house. Mid-movie, we paused it and made ice cream sundaes. Kendall was ALL about this and, at least temporarily, set aside her beliefs that "ice cream is too cold for me." She had rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce,
chocolate sprinkles, chocolate chips, bananas, and whipped cream on her sundae.


It was a nice end (setting aside the high decibel screaming fit for a binky right after the sundae) to an otherwise miserable week for all of us.

Binkaholics Anonymous

"Hi. I'm Kendall. And I'm a Binkaholic."

I'm seriously starting to worry that the child may go to college with a box of binkies. And I have to admit that it's more than likely my fault ... some weird genetic flaw she inherited from her mother, who went to college with a teddy bear ... and on her honeymoon with the same teddy bear ... and to the hospital to have binky-girl surgically extracted ... with the same teddy bear. Only when Kendall was old enough to have a stuffed "friend" in her crib did I break myself of my 30+ year Bo Bear habit. So maybe she'll give her binky to her baby? Bo Bear is on his last threads. I wonder if a plastic and silicone "comfort object" might last 30+ years?

So many people have offered advice on "breaking the binky habit." The best, of course, was from her doctor when he told me to "just get rid of it" before she turned a year old and before she could talk. Ahhh .... hindsight. I attempted the binky fairy route and told her that when she's ready, the binky fairy would come at night, leave her a BIG PRESENT and take her binky to a baby who needs it. The words "BIG PRESENT' went largely unheard and Kendall started pointing out various and random babies we came across saying, "THAT baby NO get MY binky!" I didn't like the way she started to look at babies. So as protection for all babies upon whose paths Kendall might accidentally cross, I dropped the binky fairy concept.

I tried "breaking" the binky by cutting the tip off so it didn't "work." She demanded that I go to the store and buy her a new one. Don't think that method is going to work now that she knows binkies come from the grocery store and are there in great quantities.

For the past year, she really only has used them for naptime and nighttime. She doesn't even get them in the car anymore unless she's expected to sleep there. But some serious binky regression occurs when she's sick. And she's been sick A LOT since she started school. So every time she recovers from a various illness, the following week is brutal. And with each illness, it's worse. This time around, she's having 3-4 screaming fits daily that last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. And she's asking to "go bed" all the time ... so she can have a binky. She even asked to "brush teeth" at 10AM this morning because after she brushes her teeth at night is when she gets her binky for the night. When she was finally told that, yes, it is NOW bedtime this evening, she climbed the stairs faster than I've ever seen her climb. And at the top, she smiled this huge smile and said, "I get my binky now! SO (ex)cited!!" It about broke my heart.

I'm running out of patience with the screaming fits. I may or may not have given her a ring pop (picture below) to stop the fit in the middle of Family Fun Night this evening. Yes I realize that a ring pop is essentially a binky with a crapload of sugar added, therefore damaging her teeth exponentially.

Really might have to hire a psychologist to help with this one. Anyone know of a Bink Shrink??

1st Movie Theatre Experience = FAIL

Well, not a 100% failure, but most definitely a waste of money. Going to the Northpark mall movie theatre to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie was my brilliant idea for "Family Fun Night" last Saturday. Here is the sequence of events:

1. Purchased ridiculously priced tickets ($33 total) online early in the day to ensure that we could get in if the (children's) movie was sold out when we got there on a Saturday night at 4:30. (it was)

2. Stopped at 7-11 for reasonably priced candy to smuggle in. (Twizzlers, M&M's, bag of Hostess powdered donuts = $7)

3. Got to the theatre before it they even opened the doors so we played games on my iPhone until we could get in.

4. Purchased 2 small drinks at the concession stand. ($10)

5. Secured awesome seats.

6. Took the 5 pictures seen below before the theatre filled up.

7. Patiently sat through forty minutes of commercials and previews (some appropriate for children, some not) and one mind numbing and very disappointing Disney short about the Loch Ness Monster that purported to portray some inane message about it being ok to cry.

8. Kendall regularly asked "Where is Winnie the Pooh??" I finally stopped answering, "He's coming up next" after the first 5 previews, and just started saying, "I really don't know!"

9. Winnie the Pooh FINALLY started.

10. Kendall grinned and sang along (quietly and appropriately) with the song. Was SO cute!

11. Immediately after the song, Kendall got out of her seat and announced (none too quietly) "I ready go home now." We attempted to reason with her but she started down the stairs so we gathered up our luggage with which we had arrived carrying our smuggled food.

12. Immediately after getting into the car, Kendall announced that she wanted to go back to the movie. I'm pretty sure Chris's foot got just a bit heavier on the gas pedal at that point.

She has asked regularly to go back to see Winnie the Pooh over the past week. I have now purchased a $1.99 Winnie the Pooh movie (the 1977 version) from Amazon.com to view on my computer. We'll try that next before attempting any more $50 Family Fun Night movie failures!

The Age of Excuses?

I don't recall anyone telling me that Kendall's ability to make excuses for EVERYTHING was going to flourish starting at about 2 and a half, but boy has it ever! Here's a list of various excuses from just the past couple of days:

1. "It's too cold for me" - given as to why she wouldn't drink a milkshake.

2. "All the food in there is for dinner" - given as to why she refused to eat anything out of the refrigerator.

3. "It kinda scares me" - this one is given for a lot of things, but yesterday it was the excuse for not taking a bath.

4. "I have bad dreams there ... about trucks taking my poop away" - given as to why she didn't want to nap at school. (okaaaaay??)

5. "I soooo sleepy" - also given for many things but was especially amusing this morning when it was given about 30 minutes after a 13 hour sleep as to why she didn't want to eat.

6. "It's too spicy for me" - given as to why she wouldn't eat watermelon. (when that excuse was rejected, she then decided it was too cold)

7. And my favorite: "It's too OLD for me" - given as to why she didn't want to watch the news and insisted that we watch Dino Dan instead.

God help me, I think she might have the makings of a politician.

A new way to wear a swim suit

Kendall wore this suit on her head for a good 30 minutes this morning. Turning down all offers of assistance with its removal. She did, however, remove her pants.

"Look Mommy! My have ELEPHANT EARS!"

I thought this was a particularly astute (and accurate) commentary from the backseat on the way to camp the other day.

Little Things I Want to Remember - 6

1. "Dino Dan is SOOO COOOL, Mommy!" (holy crap she's 2 going on 12!)

2. I told Kendall I was taking Rehnny to the vet for his annual check-up this morning. She informed me that she would then "stay home with TWO doggies." Ummm, is she doing subtraction??? (and no, she did not stay home alone with Ginger and Ralphie)

3. When asked the name of the doctor she was taking her hi-hi's to go see, she responded "Dr. OFFICE!" Classic.

4. "It's all droopy!" - refers to wrinkles in a blanket or towel she has laid out ... or sometimes a bandaid with a wrinkle.

5. "Bandy" = Bandaid.

6. "Yamen" = Watermelon.

Because every girl needs a grass skirt ...

.... underneath her ballerina costume ...

... while drumming on the dog.
As Nana says, "what a wonderfully odd little being!"

The Rockin' Rainbows!

Here is Kendall's very first "show choir/glee club" experience!!! Her camp class is called the "Rockin' Rainbows" and they performed their class song at the morning assembly/flag raising this morning. I was SO excited! We rehearsed all weekend and she was GOOD! Really GOOD! Even performed on command in front of Nana, Grandmother and Pops. On "show day," however, stage fright kicked in and she did very little on "stage." Still super cute! This back-stage mom has some work to do, though. :)

"Looking for ... WHO???"

Several times now, when I've picked Kendall up from school after work, after she yells, "MOMMY!!!" from across the room and runs to me (which is, by the way, the absolute best sight and sound in the world), she tattles on herself and says sadly, "I cried a little bit." When I ask her why she cried, she gets this huge grin on her face and says, "Cuz I was looking for YOU Mommy!" and points her finger right in my face. Often she repeats herself.

Well, this past Monday was no exception. She announced that she cried "a little" because she was looking for ME. We stopped at Nana's house on the way home for a quick visit and when asked how her day was, she immediately told Nana, "I cried a little bit." Right on cue, Nana asked her why she cried. At which point Kendall grinned that same grin and said, "Cuz I was looking for YOU Nana!" Hmph. I believe later in life this type of behavior will be referred to as "brown nosing."

My little Camper!

This post is pretty late considering the fact that Kendall has now been attending "Camp Simchah" at her school for 4 weeks now. And the only pics I have of her are on the way home. But she's having a great time! So far, in 4 weeks (she goes 3 days a week), she has ridden a horse, petted a goat and a rabbit, gone on a hay ride, made TONS of art and jewelry, tie dyed a t-shirt, attended a water festival, gone swimming, and learned enough new songs to stage a fairly lengthy musical. And these are only the things I know about, I'm sure there's more. She is there MWF mornings and stays in the afternoons on Mondays and Wednesdays (my office days). The napping at school thing made me a bit nervous, but she settled right in, mainly due to her new Minnie Mouse nap mat. She's never had much of a problem sleeping anywhere and school/camp appears to be no exception. Of course, I don't doubt that she is exhausted after her camp mornings that are packed with activities. It's unbelievable how much they cram into 3.5 hours, including a snack and lunch! The only issue has been that she does not want to swim there. They have baby pools and splash pools set up in the toddler area and they all get into their bathing suits and have "swim time" right after morning assembly (where I was thrilled to see that they say the Pledge of Allegiance each day!). Kendall, however, other than a couple of times, has refused to get into her suit and prefers to sit with the teachers and watch the other kids play in the water. Apparently she does not like to be splashed ... can't say I blame her! It's no big deal, though, and they never force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. She has her same teachers (Miss Lori and Miss Ashley) that she had for spring semester so that's an added bonus! Now that I'm picking her up all the time (which I LOVE!), I inadvertently got her into the habit of expecting a "treat" or a "present" in the car for the ride home. And, of course, what she wants is a milkshake or chocolate milk. The problem with this is that she then refuses to eat supper and it is suppertime when we get home. Last Friday I got her a jumprope instead and she spent the ride home asking for/demanding her milkshake. I was tough and didn't give in, but it's harder on the late pick-up days after a long day at work! Fridays are her 1/2 days. Here are a couple of pictures of her enjoying her milkshake on the ride home ...

... and being silly with her sunglasses!

Indoor Safari Trip with Nana

Kendall and I took Nana up to Plano to show her the Indoor Safari. This time Kendall refused to climb any of the structures that she was so bold with last time, nor would she go down a slide without me. And sliding down slides into ballpits with slime, snot, and other random unknown kid secretions does NOT make me happy so we spent more time checking out other areas of the park.
Nana was nice enough to ride the train with her ... although I'd have done this. It's probably a bit less germy thant he ball pits!
Love this pic of my kid and my mom!
Then, the oddest thing happened. Kendall wanted to GOLF! And then she didn't want to stop.
She walked around like a little pro from hole to hole, putting her ball right on the edge of the hole and then knocking it in!
Gotta love this form!
And as soon as she hit the ball in the hole, she had to exchange that ball for a new ball. And often the club for a new club.

Pretty sure this isn't acceptable behavior on golf courses ... but maybe she was eyeing the path for her next shot?
And it wouldn't be a trip to Indoor Safari without passing out the (probably lice infested) safari hats they have lying around that place. Makes my head itch just looking at them!
All in all, I will say that Indoor Safari is very clean. Definitely cleaner than the Dallas Children's Museum and DEFINITELY cleaner than the Dallas Chuck E. Cheese! I wish it was not a 45 minute drive to get there, but I have now purchased $25 worth of 1/2 off tickets so we'll be back there at least 5 more times!

4th of July Weekend ... and following week

Last week was a busy week! Uncle Chip, Aunt Debbie, and cousins Lindsay and Landon came down from Kansas for the long weekend and stayed with Uncle Brian, Aunt Amy, and cousins Mason and Maya in Colleyville. We all had a very nice (albeit chaotic with 5 kids running around!) dinner at Grandmother and Pops' house Sunday night. Love this picture below of of Pops with the girls at the piano. I call it "Charlie and his Angels!" Playing the piano with Pops is one of Kendall's favorite things to do when she's there!

Then on Monday, the 4th, we hung out in Colleyville by the pool. I forgot my good camera so these pics are from my phone. Hope to get some better pics from Amy! Here are all the g-kids with Grandmother and Pops for the annual attempt at their Christmas card photo.
And here is my weirdo wandering around the house in Mason's football helmet ...
This picture of Landon and Kendall cracks me up!
Wish I'd gotten this pic with my good camera but it's not too shabby for a picture taken with a phone (probably b/c it's an iPhone!)
Nana made cupcakes for the 4th of July that we brought with us. The kids sang "Happy Birthday to America" and Kendall kept asking when "America" was going to get there. I never did figure out how to answer that one!
Blue icing. It appears that I don't have the capacity to think about the consequences of colorful frosting because even though it is now a regular occurrence, I continue to be surprised at the colors of my child's mouth.
2 days after the 4th of July festivities, we had Nana's birthday celebration. It was low key and consisted of Nana picking up her own dinner from Royal Thai and meeting Kendall and me at our house for supper. It was a work day for me and a school day for Kendall. Kendall did have time to make Nana a birthday crown! We are VERY into crowns at our house these days.




On Saturday night, we decided to check out Chuck E. Cheese in N. Dallas. Kendall loved it and immediately figured out that she always needed "more coins" to put in the games (or rides) and to get "more tickets" so she can "buy presents." I can't decide if I'm disappointed or impressed that she so quickly fell for the gimmick of such a horrible money trap! IF we return to a Chuck E. Cheese, we will be finding a cleaner one in a nicer area of town. (side note: I just realized that Kendall wore the same outfit on Wednesday and Saturday night. Even though she has a closet full of unworn clothes. Need to be more conscious of that!)


(and the child LOVED the nasty pizza at that place!)
Finally, on Sunday, we had an "All Day Family Day!" Started out at a playground (yes in the heat) and then had lunch at the Purple Cow (there are no pictures of that because there was really only a short amount of time when all three of us sat at the table at the same time. Chris and I ate in shifts and Kendall ran around the restaurant with the other parent in pursuit.

Keeping with our new "big girl" theme, she insisted on the big girl swing!

After nap we spent some time on the back porch where Kendall spent all of 10 seconds in her pool....
...decided to have a "luau" with her hi-hi's ....
.... got frustrated with something (not sure what) ...
... took her suit off and retired back into the cool house through the doggy door.
But not before I got this sweet picture!! :) Was a great weekend with lots of time with Daddy!