Seriously??

The child has been putting her own shoes and socks on for a couple of years now.  But really, why bother when you have a grandparent per foot to do it for you?  

As a follow up - a little over 24 hours after this picture was taken, Kendall asked Saza if he would "blow on her (freshly painted) toenails to dry them off" and he asked her if she was out of her mind.  Maybe I won't have to beat her back into a tolerable 4 year old when they leave.  

Welcome BACK to the Dallas Zoo!

Wouldn't be a proper visit without taking Nana and Saza to the zoo!  

(and look who's big enough to reach the giraffe feeding stand - Jamie the baby giraffe!)

Can't wait until Kendall's big enough to ride a camel by herself.  Sitting on the hump is not fun.

JCC - Purim Celebration 2013

Bubble bubble toil and trouble

Valentine's Day 2013

Started off the day with some heart shaped pancakes for breakfast!

Then a trip to visit both Daddy and Mommy's offices to deliver some cake pops.

(think she can "work" her way through private school?)  :)

Kendall received a nice Valentine box of goodies from Nana and Saza with a new Hello Kitty dress made by Nana ...

and a new princess towel (hood made by Nana) ...

and Doc McStuffins and Lambie dolls (made by Disney)!

For dinner, I made heart shaped chicken quesadillas (that Kendall inhaled!)

Then she got her present from us.  

Stompeez!!!  (coveted slippers that are air compressed so the ears pop up when she stomps down)

And flowers from Daddy!

"Fabulous"

I had to take Kendall with me to have my eyebrows waxed yesterday.  Explaining the need/desire to have hair yanked out of my face to a 4 year old was somewhat of a challenge.  When I told her it was to make me pretty, she responded with "But you're already pretty, Mommy.  You don't need to be any prettier!"  When I was finished swooning, I told her it was to make me "fabulous."  She had no argument for that. 

She was very amused by the whole ordeal and when we left, the lady asked Kendall if she could do anything for her.  Kendall's response caused the entire place to erupt in laughter:

"No thank you.  I'm already pretty fabulous!" 

Naked cooking

If it were socially acceptable, and I didn't have to worry about hot oils spattering on me, I'd cook naked.  

Cake Pops

When Nana moved back to NC, I inherited a cake ball/pop maker.  Kendall reminded me of this the other day when I asked what kind of valentines treats she wanted.  I had completely forgotten about this thing but God forbid Kendall forget anything.  So I made red velvet cake balls.  From scratch.  They were actually easy ..... despite the fact that many of them came out looking a bit like clams.

Dipping and decorating them was less fun and exponentially more messy.

Finding ways to stand them up while they dried was also a challenge.  

The entire project took 4 hours.  They are tasty.  But I don't need 4 dozen of them in my house and will be visiting Starbucks the next time any of us have a craving for a bite size piece of cake on a stick.  

I think the cake pop maker will be taking a one way flight to NC next month.

A stab in the heart ....

Kendall talked me into new socks yesterday to wear at nighttime.  Specifically, she said to me, "Mommy, I need new socks to wear with my jammies because I'm not into Mickey anymore."  She may as well have told me she was running off and marrying some 50 year old man covered in tattoos who still lives in his mother's basement.  I'm sure I'm not the first mom to cry in Target ....

Sampling of recent pics from school

Here is a small sampling of some pictures of Kendall at school over the last few weeks.  She continues to do very well and really enjoys her little class of 7 in Miss Michelle's class!  And I continue to be very impressed by the amount of learning she's doing this year!  She is still taking swimming and gymnastics at the JCC, and has also started tennis this year so she remains busy.  The bonus of the schedule this spring is that all of her extracurricular activities (except a Saturday morning dance class) occur while she's at school and I'm at work so it's nice and low maintenance for me.  :)

4 year check up

2 shots in the legs - no tears until after the shots (when I'm sure her legs were sore!).  After going to great lengths last fall to select a new pediatrician's office and finally escape the incompetence of the administration at her previous doctor's office, the doctor we selected (Dr. Curtis) was out on medical leave during the time of Kendall's annual physical.  So we saw Dr. Watkins and LOVE LOVE LOVE him!  I think we'll be returning to him.  Kendall still wants to see Dr. Curtis, but Dr. Watkins is older and more experienced so I think we'll stick with him while he's still there.  And he was wonderful with her!

Stats

Height:  40.75 inches (75th percentile)
Weight:  40 pounds (75th percentile)
Blood Pressure:  86/64

She passed her vision and hearing tests with flying colors and, aside from a rash on her backside because she's still in pullups at night, she got the thumbs up!

"Better" princess pics

"Better," of course, depending on perspective.  

A royal __ ___?

 (and no, she does not know what this gesture means or that it's even rude - she was just trying to be funny ... and succeeded!)

Mall date with the Conleys

Fridays are traditional pizza nights (and wine nights for the mommies) with our best buddies, the Conleys, next door (well, two doors down actually, but we ignore the weird people in between us!)  This past Friday, we decided to mix things up a bit and all met up at the mall to do some shopping.  The kids all had Disney store and Build A Bear gift cards from their birthdays and managed to destroy both stores.... but I'm pretty sure we made up for it at the cash registers.  After the shopping spree, we had a fun dinner at La Madeleine where the kids ate ridiculously priced Kraft Mac 'n Cheese and french desserts.

There was some "computer work" at Build A Bear (actually, I have no idea what these computers do, nor do I particularly want to know):

Following the purchase of a bed for Snowflake, the birthday bear, (and a slight but short-lived tantrum when Kendall was told she was not building a new bear) there was dancing at Build a Bear:

Then there was climbing and sliding at the mall duck/turtle pond area.  I've always considered this climbing/sliding activity to be dangerous, but there are always kids doing it.  I suppose if there have been a lot of injuries, surely the mall would've been sued by now and roped it off or something, right?  

Finally, the best way to find a toy that's been lost since Halloween is to purchase a replacement.  I'm sure the original Scully will surface within the week.  

The only downside to this brilliantly planned night out was the lack of wine for the moms who had to drive.  Next time maybe we'll incorporate drivers into our plans!