August 11, 2009

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho....

It was a year ago this week that I worked last.

And, over the course of the last year, several times I have either saw something I wanted to purchase and decided I missed the money; or saw an episode of Grey's and decided I missed the excitement....or atleast the adult conversation. I would go on Monster and apply for positions, then change my mind and decide someone needed to be here to make the maccaroni and impersonate Elmo.

This time I didn't talk myself out of it along the way, and now that I have a parking pass and badge there is no retreat. I am rationalizing it saying that it is good for Kay,.... that a day or two away from me will be good for her....although I am not sure how I am fairing. Mostly I am not sure how to deal with the guilt. I feel so bad when I pick her up, the rest of the day I let her do whatever she pleases.

Tonight she had two packages of tinkerbell fruit snacks for dinner. Pretty sure she is going to bed at when-ever-she -wants 'o clock too.

Tired yet sleepy K?

August 09, 2009

FOR SALE OR RENT





If you or anyone you know is intrested in renting...or possibly buying our home in traverse mountian (lehi), let us know. It is the perfect home for a family ( 5 bedrooms) and in the best neighborhood ( I miss it so .)
We are looking for trusworthy/responsible people.
It will be available the first week of Sept.

Leave a comment if you want more info or picts.
Thanks

August 05, 2009

DELTA DISASTER and a QUART OF HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY JAM!

So Monday tops the list for most ridiculous days ever. You know a day is ridiculous rather than horrible when you can look back and laugh at its ridiculousness the next day.

Kaylie and I had been in Utah visiting while Jeff was doing some business. We don't like to be alone while he is away, so we tagged along. We did have to come home a few days before him however, and after Monday I am pretty certain I will not be traveling alone with Kaylie any time soon. Not becuase Kaylie was acting...well... like a toddler; but mostly because it seemed everyone that works at the ariport was acting like one.

It starts when we are in the line for security. There is an older couple behind me, and the older man keeps asking the airport staff is someone will please help his wife get to her gate. He is apparently not flying with her today. At least three employees tell him no. He appeals to them saying that his wife has a heart condition, and just looking at her you can see that she is frail. They tell him he should have asked for an escort pass, and no they cannot give one to him now.
I ask the man if he would like me help his wife. Not out of compassion, unfourtunatly. Mostly becuase after twenty minutes of witnessing how ridculously helpless the security staff seem to be, I am furious. ( Those of you who know me well, know how passionate I am about hating poor customer service.)

It was like talking to a machine with those people. It was like they had an algorithm of what to do, and could not come up with any solution using thier own brains. I am wondering if these employees are just very real looking robots....the type one might encounter over the telephone, with only programmed answers...sans heart and brain. I had a good chance to study these "people" as it seemed the aiport is almost entirely staffed with their kind.

Back to our story... now I have a toddler, a frail women, and now three bags that I have to get to two different gates on opposites sides of the airport. We continue through security. Kaylie and I are through...shoes off, shoes on agian. There is a hold up with the elderly women, and I go back to see if I can help.

Apparently this women has not been in an airplane in the past decade, and it seems she has numerous items that appear on the NOT FOR CARRY-ON list in her bag, which she intends to carry on ...not excluding a quart of homeade strawberry jam.

The lady at the security desk tells her she has to go back, and check the jam. This jam making centurian has a flight to catch in twenty minutes. There is no time to check it. I suggest that they throw it away. If you are the grand-daughter who was anticipating this jam in Austin, I am sorry.

Now we are through security, and I can quickly see that we need assistance, so I ask another idiot employee if he can call for a cart or a wheel chair at least. That will be about twenty minutes. WE DON'T HAVE TWENTY MINUTES. There is a couple of wheelchairs over behind secuirty and I ask after them. They look at each other like I have said something in a foriegn languge. Apparently the only answer for getting a wheelchair on thier algoriothm is to call for one. Looking around and seeing if one is available would be to much work.

Before they can answer me I have the old lady in a wheel chair, Kaylie on me hip, and all three of our bags and am headed towards jammy Grandma's gate. I am certain we are a spectacle, although apparently not spectecale enough to warrant assistance from anyone who is employeed for the reason of assistance. We are half way when we are stopped by a fellow passenger who volunteers his assistance.

THANK YOU fair man in the pastel polo. His gate wound up being next to our elderly women's and he said he would help her the rest of the way.

Now Kaylie and I are racing to our gate. I am out of breath.
THANK YOU tall skinny man headed out of E-70 who offers to carry our carry-on. We make it just in time for Kaylie to lie down in the middle of walking traffic and put her head on the airport carpet trying to rest, before we are boarding.

Seated next to us is a extra large man. I was already dreading a flight with a wiggly toddler in my lap, and now we have even less room than normal. THANK YOU large man whose eldest is headed for UofA in the fall. After the seat belt light went off, he moved to the only empty seat in the whole plane leavng Kaylie with a seat of her own. He said he was going to move so she could have it. Maybe he was just tired of all the climbing, noises, and kicking that accompanies a toddler on an airplane. Either way it made the next two hours bareable.

The ride was un-eventful, except for another encounter with a ridiculous stewardess. I asked the women for a bottle of water, and cup of ice. Not becuase I am picky, but becuase I know that water without a lid is likely to wind up in my lap in the prescence of K. She hands me a cup of water. I hesitate, and try to give it back.

"What is this?" she asks.
The water you just gave me.
"You don't want it anymore?"
No, she will spill this.
"So is it garbage?"
Sure...yeah...it can be garbage. I am completely baffled at this womens density.
"I cannot accept garbage at this time."

Solutions people. If you are in the businees of customer service, answers are not answers unless they are solutions.....that sounds like a good business motto.

She walks by with her cart and I pour the cup of water into the carpet.

Then I sit back and start thinking about what it will take to get us the rest of the way home........CAR KEYS.
They are with Jeff in Utah.

I get to the ridiculously difficult to navigate Phoenix airport, and know that I am locked out of my car...and my house.
I rent a car and a car seat. It is broken. They have a dozen or so to chose from and not a single seat seems road worthy. I point out to the Enterprise assitant that it is the law to replace car seats every five years, and these all seem at least that old. His lack of apathy is not suprising today. He tells me he has no kids so he doesn't know if these are good of bad child seats. Bad....I tell him, very bad.

I am driving home in our rented Impala, kaylie has fallen asleep, and I now have to figure out how to break into our home. Jeff calls me and suggests that it will be easier to break into the car. We can use the garage door opener to get in. I turn the car around.

We drive back towards where my car is parked, and I located a help call box.
THANK YOU parking garage engineer. Your descion to place this box on the outside of the elevators allows me to drive right up and call to see if someone will help me break into my locked car....keeping Kaylie in the car asleep. Someone is coming to help me. We drive to where our locked car is parked.

THANK YOU Heavenly Father. The only open parking space in the whole row is directly next to our locked car and I can park right next to it while I wait for assistance. It takes them thirty minutes to come, and Kaylie get to sleep the whole time since I didn't have to get her out to wait next to our locked car. This is huge.

Now we have a way to get into the house....and a descent seat. The car alarm that went off while we are breaking into my car has woken K up, but we are twenty minutes from home, and we have survived. I know that I can get the spare keys to my car at home, turn the Impala around and return it then take the shuttle back to the airport, then a shuttle to the parking garage and retrieve my car, but the task seems daunting after today, and with a toddler I feel like it is more than I can handle.

THANK YOU to the sweet, extremely pregnany]t woman, and her tall and slender husband...you know who you are... for helping me get my rental car back, and watching K. I was overwhelmed to the point of tears when I thought about returning to the airport. Thanks for sparing me that experience.

I know this blog is mostly a proud mommy blog and picts of Kaylie. That being said, you know it has to be big if I blog about it and it is not K. related. That and, like I said I have a passion for hating companies with poor customer serivce. After everything from the day, two things stickout in my mind...how ridiculous people employeed at the airport were and all the tender little mercies we were given along the way.

When we were leaving my parents house the morning of the preceeding story my dad asked me..."Would you ever let me fly you and Kaylie?" I said no. The risk of private planes is not something I'd like on my daughter.

Dad, I am reconsidering your offer now.

July 27, 2009

Carlsbad Vacation

Family picts on the beach -Kaylie her usual grumpy picture taking self. She is a joy all of the time, but the we try to take a picture of her and she throws a giant tantrum. I cannot figure it out. Pictures with her making a plain face rather than and angry face were the best we could get.





We just got back from a week at the beach, and kaylie is definately a Carpenter, in that she loves the beach! She was crazy happy over the ocean, and as soon as she saw it, she started pointing and squealing for it. And as soon as we put her down, she ran full speek towards the water. She had so much fun splashing, and playing in the sand, and at the park, and at Disneyland, and with her cousins. She was non-stop going for a full week. She has been sleeping great since we got home, resting up from all the fun.


July 15, 2009

They made it !



My dad and little sister are in Tanzania this month. They sent this email to my mom yesterday.


"I only have a couple of minutes. I'll try and write more later
We made it!!!! Very hard!!!! Maybe 150 started and only 12 finished. We were two of them. Our trip is going absolutely perfect. No problems at all. Very safe here.
I miss you a ton!!!! Can't wait to tell you all the details.
Ali says she loves you and miss you a bunch too. "



Sounds like they made it; the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I am so proud of them, but had no doubts they would do it. My dad thinks he is Indiana Alan and that little sister of mine is the toughest cookie I know. I am really proud of them...proud and a little jealous.


What and awesome experience.

July 06, 2009

This girl keeps me laughing....she is the silliest.


She is learning how to dress herself lately. Today she has decided that swim diapers work well as hats and sleeves.


We went to the children's museum this weekend agian on free Friday. The staff was putting tattoos on the kids as part of the party. She hardly noticed it until we went to get her in the bath later that night. When she found it she was quite proud of it.

We hope everyone had a fun fourth of july....here is a picture of K. doing what she could to stay cool at a city celebration over the holiday.

June 30, 2009

take me out to the ball game....




What kinda 14 month old sits through 7 innings of a baseball game?
We bought Jeff tickets to see the Diamondbacks and Angels game for father's day. I bought cheap seats because I thought that with Kaylie we would be lucky to make it through 3 innings. And even if she did, I didn't think we would be able to tolerate sitting in the heat.
I couldn't have been more wrong. By the time we got to the 7 inning stretch I was more done with the game then Kaylie was. And the stadium is amazing, completely air conditioned and comfortable - it was really worth going just to see Chase satdium.
Her favorite part...a dancing taco and a dancing yogurt cup.

June 21, 2009

Girls just wanna have fun



Jeff's sister Michelle and her girls drove out to Phoenix for a visit....in the heat of the summer too, what troopers! We had so much fun mostly swimming in the pool. All the girls, even Kaylie, really like the arcade a lot also. Kaylie was in heaven with some big kids around 24-7 to play with her, she really wouldn't have cared what we did as long as the girls were there too.
Hope you three had a fun visit.
We sure did!

June 17, 2009

Moms Fighting Stains


HELP!!!!!
This stain treater - dual action spray and wash - is the best out there. I would buy a bottle about every month, and had yet to lose a single article of clothing to stains. Even with everything that a toddler eats/gets into. It was a little miracle in a bottle.

And now I cannot find it anywhere.

Over the last two weeks, I have been to Walmart, Target, Fry's, Albertsons and Walgreens. I have tried four other products. And I have a pile of about half of Kay's clothes with stains that will not come out.
Please tell me if you see it at a store you shop at, or what products you use that do the trick.
And if you do see some....grab it! It is the best stuff out there.

The Progression of a Surivior

We sing the song "Survivor" by Beyonce at our house. It is Kaylie's theme song. I have no doubt that if my daughter was born hundreds of years ago and had to be a "hunter or gatherer" she would have had no problem. Survival of the fitest would not have left her behind. She has mad survivor skills.

All for the sake of hunger and a complete love for anything edible she has....

At 7 months old she found a tangerine in the back of the car, peeled it and ate it while buckled in her car seat. I was driving....completely unaware.

At 8 months she learned that if ever she was hungry there was alway food under her high chair and she could just crawl over there. I suppose that is why she threw so much of it on the floor while she was eating. Saving some for a long winter a.k.a another time when food was not so readily available to her.

As soon as she could walk she started going into the pantry and helping herself to whatever struck her fancy.

I have seen her catch flies and frogs with her bare hands.....don't worry I don't let her eat these.

She has been known to go and get washclothes, still wet from morning baths and suck them for water.

Last month she figured out how to open the frezzer and get herself popsicles.

Today she got into the diaper bag, found a granola bar, opened the wrapper and ate...no porblem. Should a 14 month old know how to do this?

And if worse comes to worse, she knows she can always turn to the dog. Not her favorite option, but hey if you are starving?

And I feed her four meals a day and multiple snacks....really I do.

I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin'

* Today jeff handed her back a boxed happy meal, thinking she would look at the characters on the box and be entertained with them until we got home to eat. Oh no.... when I got her out of her carseat in the back she was slready working on her fries. It is like she barely needs us anymore.

June 08, 2009

Blurbs



I was turned on to this product by an old girlfriend, and my sister....both great photographers. If it had thier seal of approval, I knew it was a good one.

A blurb is a photo book that you create with a program that you download for free. You just upload your picts, type some text, a few points and clicks and you have a real book. I have seen a lot of photo product books out there, but this one comes more close to commercial grade than anything I have seen.

And the best part...it is super affordable. I just sent in Kaylie's one year book. A total 182 pages, probally around 600 photos and journaling of her first year. It is only going to cost around $50. I couldn't even print all those pictures for that much. Some of the pictures in the book are a full 8x10 print too.

I also made a small book of a vacation. It is much smaller, but it is only going to cost $16. I couldn't even by a nice photo album for that.

And it just got even better. This last week I opened up my computer to find an update to install. Now you can create your own layouts, move image and test boxes and adjust sizes.

I feel like I am Zelda and I just unlocked some new weapon. This blurb thing just got a hundred time better.

It really is worth checking out http://www.blurb.com .

the hills are alive

If there ever is a Sound of Music remake, I will be suprised if it is not shot in Heber and Midway. It is so gorgeous. I couldn't get over how beautiful everything is this summer.

We were in Heber for a few days to see my little sis graduate from Wasatch. Go Sis! She is going to Utah State like me to so... Go Aggies!

Some pictures of Kaylie in my parents yard. There really was a ton of good ones, but I kept it to four for the blog.

I love the way her face is in a question the same time the flower is drooping.


Seriously gorgeous
Very hills are alive.

She loves her dogs....kisses for Oreo

way behind



A few weeks ago, Crystal and Jake came down for a little visit. While they were there we took the chance to take the girls to the children's museum. It was so great. If any of you are every in the Phoenix area with your young kids you will have to let us take you. Everything was geared towards toddlers but even as an adult I was entertained by it all.
My favorite thing was this pretend grocery store. When I was little, my parents would take Crystal and me to the children's museum in Boston and our favorite thing was the little grocery store there. We used to go the first Friday of every month in Massachutes becuase it was free. Funny enough....the Phoenix museum is free on the first Friday too. Twenty plus years later it seems they are running children's museums the same way.

It is working I guess




I just loved this picture of the girls laughing together in their pajamas. For two girls that are a genetic half match, it is funny how different they are.
Both in personality and apperance.
Thanks for the visit Freeman famliy.

May 17, 2009

How things change!



I remember anniversaries Jeff and I celebrated before kaylie was born involving nice resturants and theatre tickets, or weekend vacations. Our six year anniversary was Saturday and how did we spend it.....meeting with the real estate agent, an Elmo party, and Jack in the box drive thru. How Romantic.




How things change?



Strangely enough we didn't mind. We were together, that is all that matters really . Love ya babe.....happy anniversary!

We are swimming about everyday, and kaylie is really starting to get the hang of it. She even tries to blow her water wings up herself.

Lake Pleasant Campers



We made our first Arizona camping trip to the Lake...nothing like camping in the desert in the summer. It was actually quiet beautiful and we had a good time.

We had our second encounter with desert wildlife. Wild burros. They came to steal our licorice, but Toby, the watchdog scared them away....
If he is not getting any, there is no way he is letting some donkey get any.

We went on a hike in search of tortoise, but it must have been even too hot for them, so we jumped in the lake.
Also, look how good a hiker our little girl is becoming.

May 10, 2009

Oh, what do you do in the summertime...?




Kaylie already knows how she will survive the desert heat. Eating ice pops in the pool. I know I am awful...she eats almost three ice pops a day. I say almost three because I am bound to steal a bite or two. She even knows how to get them out of the freezer by herself, so there is no stopping her.


Also, Jeff spotted a snowie shack on our way from church. A rarity out here, ...and my summer survival necessity.


Looks like we are ready, Summer. Bring it on!

May 05, 2009

" Heeeeyy yoooouuu guuuyyss!


Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Also, does anyone remember the movie Goonies......what child of the 80's doesn't right. Kaylie reminds me of Sloth in the second picture.

......a cute Sloth.

I know I am a mean mom.

April 29, 2009

Chicken Little

I am obssesive compulsive at times.....a hypochodriac, nuerotic worrier too. I hate that I am that way. It can be a tiresome habit.

The H1N1 virus appeared in the headlines this past weekend, and I have been diligently watching CNN. I have made the CDC website one of my computers favorites, as well as many of the links Crystal put here .

I decided today to not take Kaylie to the library per the usual. Limit our public exposure.

I just got back from the Walmart where I purchased all the things the CDC is recommending to have on hand for the pending pandemic as well as filling the holes in our food storage....

I was not the only one there stocking up.

Many people I noticed had on latex gloves. All the hand sanitizer has been bought up... masks too. I went to Walgreens and it was the same story.

Many of the schools are closing here in Phoenix.

I know I am always the first to worry, just wondering if you are worried to.

Hopefully we will all look back on this in a month, and sigh....smiling at ourselves for being so worked up. Hopefully.

April 26, 2009

one year photos!




I made kaylie take pictures to mark the one year milestone.....i am not thrilled with how they turned out, but after only 15 minutes we lost all ten ballons and our patience with each other.

saturday splash!


This is a spash pad near our house. Kids and water...it couldn't get any better in Kaylie's opinon. These picts were taken with a phone, but you get the idea.



April 19, 2009

Hollywood

Our little K is spending more of her time walking than she does crawling these days. It happened so fast; a week ago she was only learning to take a step or two, and now she is cruising. The beginning of this video she is actually video taping herself, and then at the very end she starts to throw a fit.....why? Because our daughter is either a narcissist or the next Hollywood starlet. K wants me to give her the camera. She is in love with herself on screen and cannot get enough of herself performing. I am finding that I get the video camera out less becuase of the tantrums over the camera.

Even if I am at the computer she will come over and stand next to the chair, arms in the air asking to be picked up. I cannot get her to watch cartoons for 10 minutes, but she will sit on my lap on the computer and watch home videos of herself for an hour. I find it hilarous....

Maybe she'll do comedies.

O mexico !


We went to mexico for spring break with my parents and Ali. It was so fun to be able to get away with them. As you can see from the few pictures I took, we swam and swam a ton....of course, kaylie was in heaven. The resort was so nice, and only a few hour drive from our house....thanks mom and dad for the vacation!

April 14, 2009

P.A.R.T.Y !!!

We had a b-day party for Kaylie last week. We celebrated with my family, that was visiting from Utah and our AZ family, the Lukes. Kaylie was really in to it all. She understood opening presents......



she attacked her cupcake .......



and I had a lot of fun creating something special for my special K!

April 13, 2009

One year old!

Kaylie is a year old today and I am so sad my little girl has grown up so fast. Everyday we have so much fun as she learns to do new things. A little about Kaylie at one.

she weighs 22 lbs.

she has 4 teeth.

she has taken 15 steps in a row.

she has slept through the night once.

she can say mama, dada, night-night, hi, nose.

she loves ballons, books, food, bubbles, babies and kids, toby, birds, airplanes, flowers, mirrors, elmo, puzzles, photos, and car keys.

her favorite things are swimming, reading, music, playing buckin' bronco, swinging, and bathing.

her best tricks include standing up, walking, clapping, waving, tickling, playing peek-a-boo, pointing to things when you name them, getting undressed, climbing the stairs, high-fives, giving toby love, giving kisses and talking on the cell phone.

her favorite foods are blueberries, tomatoes peaches, oranges, chicken noodle soup, spaghetti, beans, guacamole, turkey, ice cream, juice boxes, and ice.

she doesn't like sitting down, sleeping, brushing her teeth, riding in the car, the blender, things in her hair or baby food.

Last year on this day, in the first few hours of our little girls life, I remember my first thoughts.... that she was the most precious thing I had ever seen...that I was instantly head over heels in love with her. I remember thinking that she looked like a rock star... mostly because the nurses had but a neon orange and lime green bow in her hair. I remember we called her baby girl, because we had yet to decide on her name, and I was in complete in awe that she was ours....still am.







kaylie on april 13, 2008 and kaylie on april 13, 2009 - 9:33 pm PST

happy birthday baby girl!

April 12, 2009

Happy Easter!




Happy Easter and...hello!