Happy New Year!

Will try to get back on track with this blog.  I need to post 6 months of pictures!  Maybe several smaller posts will get me there!  Until that happens, here is our New Year's card we sent this year:

Kaylee "reading" a book

I'm not ready for a full on blog post, but wanted to share this, because it's cute.  I love her very precise pronunciation.

Kaylee reading

Edited to add:  Well now that I noticed that it's just a link, I guess I'd better go get some pics. 

 

Spring 2013

We've had a really busy and fun Spring!  We went on a road trip all together to FL for a wedding, visited in Ft. Lauderdale area for a few days, then to Tampa Bay for a couple more and Jacksonville on the way home.  We also had swimming lessons, a visit from the Pinders, a visit to the Georgia Aquarium downtown, climbed a rock wall, went to an Art Festival in Sandy Springs, did bungee jumping, learned how to do a wall-headstand, got another haircut, went out for Japanese food, and went hiking in the Mountains, went to our first Braves game, and lost a first tooth, just for a start!

Bring on the pictures!

Sleepy Princess Rapunzel

Sharing a milkshake with Daddy at Steak & Shake

Head Stand at Chuck and Angila's

At Sandy Springs Artsapalooza, we took turns hanging out with Kaylee at the kids activities, looking through all the artist's displays, had a fresh fruit popsicle, listened to some music, and just had a great afternoon together on a nice sunshiny day!

Yum!  Nice and cold!

 Hanging out together!

Kaylee about to enter the T-Rex/Gorilla bouncy house slide

Bungee Jumping

 One evening, we went on a date with Ms. Nicole and Cahlil at Steak & Shake.

Kaylee and Mama waiting for supper

Ms. Nicole and Cahlil, our good friends!

 At the end of April, we ventured to South Florida to attend cousin Tim's wedding, and stayed in town for a few days to catch up with long-time friends we hadn't seen in years!

Acting out at Zaxby's in Ocala:

Kaylee and Daddy

Kaylee and Mama

Group shot, including Princesses!

Close up!

Tongue shot! 

Funny Face!

 

 Finally made it to Fort Lauderdale!  What a long 10 hour drive from Atlanta!

Daddy and Kaylee getting ready to go to the hotel pool!

The Incredible Hulk Kaylee!

Kaylee getting a few holes in during the wedding and reception!

The Princesses and Mermaids were partying in the tent on the green!

Kaylee having a spin on the dance floor with Tim before we left the party! 

Out to brunch at The Cheesecake Factory with the Disney Princesses! 

(Thank you, Aunt Jennifer!)

We got to hang out with Todd, Katie, and Wyatt, Travis, and Megan!

 Admiring the aquarium at Flanagan's in Weston, FL!

Kaylee saw a children's hair salon, and wanted a haircut.

Heck, yeah! 

She likes it!

Trying on an Iron Man mask

Riding in the Spinny Go Round

Looking at Daddy taking the picture!

Yum!  Pepperoni Pizza at Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall!

Climbing the Rock Wall

Hello Kitty and Kaylee

Kaylee in front of the Rainforest Cafe

Visiting Macey.  Hanging out in the doggie kennel!

(Kaylee's a little obsessed with jail and cages these days.) 

Friends!  Macey and Kaylee

While in Tampa Bay area, we ventured out for Japanese with Courtney and Chris and friends.  Kaylee enjoyed sitting around the hibachi table, drinking Japanese soda in the glass bottle with the marble, and using Chopsticks.  She thought the onion ring volcano was pretty cool too, and enjoyed her soup!  It was fun to see her experience this kind of meal. 

Seated around the Hibachi Table

Strawberry Soda

Soup

A few tempura veggies, some rice... Chopsticks!

Group shot - saying goodbye to Courtney and Chris

Hugs with Papa Ted

Lizardile Dundee

Also while were in the Tampa area, we got to go spend an evening with the Pinders, and on our way back home, we stopped in Jacksonville for the night, to spend some time at a Johns/Griffis Reunion, seeing Papa Ted, aunties and uncles, and lots of cousins.  It was fun!

Some other randoms...

Daddy and Kaylee snuggled up napping...

Kaylee playing on Mama's bed while Mama

does work on the computer...

One day, we met up our friends downtown, who treated us to a visit as their guest to the Georgia Aquarium.  It was really, really nice and we can't wait to go back!  Thanks, Caroline, A, and M.  :)  We love hanging out with you!

Admiring the Jelly Fish

The big room-size tropical tank.  I love the hot pink and bright blue ones!

Kaylee getting up close and personal

Had to sit down and watch them for a while.

It doesn't happen often, but occasionally Kaylee lays down and takes a nap.  About twice a month.  LOL! 

Quick nap in Mama's bed.

We also spend a bit of time entertaining ourselves at McDonald's or Chick-Fil-A playgrounds, the mall (which has a carousel, train, play area, and interactive dance pad, as well as the Disney Store, Build-A-Bear, the Lego Store, and "The Mario Store" (Japanese product store, Hello Kitty etc.).  Kaylee LOVES the mall.  We also go to the parks a lot, and Daddy and Kaylee go swimming at the apartment complex pool quite a lot, also.

Posing sweetly and innocently for a picture,

after a very long cranky afternoon. 

Mama found this glittery skirt at the thrift

store, and created a mermaid tail for Kaylee! 

Giving Daddy a ride on the carousel!

Digging in the sand pile

Getting a really big push from Daddy!

Hanging out at Morgan Falls Park

On the interactive advertising Dance Pad at the mall.

Kaylee also started swimming lessons this spring.  We signed her up for a round of 6 sessions in May.  She did really well, is not afraid or nervous of the water, and got through most of the Preschool 2 level.  Her instructor, Weaver, ended the class by telling her she did a great job and to work on big arms!  We used Swim Atlanta's Roswell location. 

Ready for her fist swim lesson!

Jumping into the water

Practicing swimming with Weaver

Obviously more comforable, messing around during class!

Ready for swim class, the last week

Lunch at the mall after her last swim lesson

Riding on the Carousel!

Swimming with Daddy at Wills Park Pool!

Kaylee also really likes the kids apps available on iPhone.  Ian and I got iPhones this spring and I have been trying educational and motor skills and logic apps on her.  A couple of her favorite games are "The Princess Game" which has a myriad of puzzles, getting dressed and accessorized, coloring, etc.  She also likes another game called Happy Jump which has a lot of cheering in it!  She somehow figured out how to do screen shots, so I find a lot of random stuff in my Picture Roll in my phone now... like this: 

Princess Puzzle

Little Ms. Grumpypants

 Little Ms. "I love my new satin PJ pants"

Silly Kaylee, wearing a sheet like a sari...

Waiting for Daddy's car at the AAA Repair Center

Where's Kaylee?

 Sitting on the Target Ball

One nice weekend, we decided to go visit Anna Ruby Falls and Helen, GA.  Anna Ruby Falls is in the mountains, as you can see from the GPS below.  It's part of a park, and it's about a mile hike uphill to the gorgeous waterfall.

Getting ready to go through the gate!

Daddy, happy to be doing something outside!

Posing on the bridge that's about halfway up...

Posing for Mama

Playing with a snail

Posing on the lower viewing platform

Posing on the main viewing platform, in front of Anna Ruby Falls

Daddy and Kaylee starting the walk back down.

We live in the pretty small apartment, and have been trying to regularly purge clothing and toys here and there as Kaylee outgrows them.  We just really wanted to keep some of her younger toys in an easy-to-view place, so we picked up a shadowbox frame and one day I filled it up.  We donated her big duplo building blocks to our small group leaders, and took some toys to donate to Salvation Army, and we packed a couple boxes of toys to hold on to for her to decide on someday.  As soon as she is OK with these toys being for looking at only, I'll probably hang the box in her room so she can see it.  For now, it's living in my closet.  It's so hard to part with anything, so many cute things and books.  As it is, I have a couple boxes of onesies and tshirts I have held on to, hoping to make a tshirt quilt for her someday, maybe a gift to her when she turns 16 or goes to college. 

Toy Jail

Recently, our besties travelled up from Florida to spend a long weekend with us here in Roswell.  We had a LOT of fun with them; girl time, guy time, kid time, park time, splash time, yummy time, Nintendo Wii time!  It was so great to see them and get to hang out for a few days! 

The Littles and the Daddies having lunch while the gals

visited the cake decorating shop and the Hong Kong Market!

Will and Kaylee at the East Roswell Splash Park

 Polka Dot Burrito Kids

We took a trip to The Varsity in Alpharetta...

 

We took a trip to Wills Park

Kaylee playing the outdoor xylophone

We stopped at Dairy Queen after Wills Park!

Kaylee wanted to taste Daddy's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard

Super Mario Wii down time!

For Father's Day, our entire church went to watch the Braves Game instead of attending service.  It was our first time, and we had a lot of fun at Turner Field!

Walking in from the parking lot

Walking up the ramps to our section

Checking out the elite tailgating section

Almost done climbing up the ramps!

The view from our seats!

 The Scoreboard at Turner Field

Group Shot!  Father's Day 2013

Kaylee enjoying some Cotton Candy

Doing the Tomahawk Chop

Atlanta Skyline behind Turner Field.

See the Coke Bottle and the Chik-Fil-A cow? 

Watching the game...

At the Braves game, Kaylee lost her first tooth!  She had come to me earlier in the day and said it was loose.  Then she ate some pizza with Daddy, and her last bite of crust make the root break off.  All of a sudden, when we got back to our seat, she wiggled it around and popped it right out.  She spent the rest of the night making sure our entire section of the ball stadium knew she lost her tooth.  It was too cute!  That night, the Tooth Fairy came, bringing a gold one dollar coin, and her very own box of Strawberry Tic Tacs.  Which didn't last an hour, let me tell you.  That girl *loves* her some Tic Tacs.

"My *tooth* felled OUT!"

See?

"Look, my tooth felled out!"

 "Look, my tooth felled out!"

Kaylee posing by one of the big baseballs

on our way out of the stadium after the

seventh inning stretch.

 

And that, friends, is Spring 2013, with Daddy, Mama, and Kaylee.  Later this week, we are driving to Maine/NB with cousin Erica (she is meeting up with us here in Atlanta), and we are very excited to see what summer holds for us...  Hopefully we'll do lots of:

Camping, campfires, canoeing, reading stories, visiting Grandmother during our road trip, visiting with friends and family, gardening and flower picking with Pam and Grampy Rioux and Nana, riding with Papa on his lawn tractor, seeing Uncle Jeremy, going for ice cream, swimming, playing with neighbors and puppies, polishing our fingernails, maybe a couple short road trips, friends coming to join us in Maine for a few days, and a long road trip home to Daddy at the end of summer!  Stay tuned!

My big girl is growing fast!