The Orf Family

Bass Pro/Cabela's

2012-02-01T15:13:00.003-06:00

She asked me if I'd take a pic of her.

So we went to Bass Pro Shop & Cabela's last Saturday. Jay wanted to get a gas meat smoker to smoke various meats in. He smoked a turkey breast on Sunday & it sure was good! Next up will prlly be some pulled pork. Kendall loved sitting on the 4 wheelers & all the boats.

She said the cutest thing to me yesterday. She said, "Mommy, you're my best friend & I love you lots!!" So sweet. :)

At the mall

2012-01-30T16:03:00.002-06:00

I wanted to look at a couple things at the mall. I told Kendall that if she was good for me that she could go on the "rides". She rode on 4 of them at 75 cents a piece. Money well spent if ya ask me since she behaved!

Cruisin' around

2012-01-25T15:42:00.008-06:00

Roasting mallows with grampi

Alia likes to follow Kendall around. Kendall will drive her little car to one spot & then Alia ( in her walker) will catch up with her & then Kendall takes off again. It's pretty funny! Alia is crawling all over the place now too.

Arcade at the bowling alley

2012-01-19T15:20:00.011-06:00

Last Saturday we were gonna take Bella and Kendy bowling, but the bowling price was by the hour and pretty crowded, so we just let them play in the arcade area. Doesn't take much to amuse kids!

Magic House

2012-01-17T11:13:00.010-06:00

SCORE!

So does a 3 year old!

Her favorite thing was the grocery store.

Kirstie & I took Kendy to the magic house last Friday. I think she had a fun time. She was able to do a lot of the activities and some things that she wasn't able to do last yr when we went. She loved collecting diff foods at the "grocery store" & then pretending to check out.

Is Doctor Orf in??

2012-01-12T15:26:00.005-06:00

These pictures are from before Xmas, I just never got around to posting them. She's bothering the dog, as usual!!!! Love/hate relationship, those 2! One minute she's picking him up, the next minute she's saying "Rascal won't stop looking at me!!!!!!!" in a whiny voice.

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-05T14:02:00.003-06:00

2011 just flew by!!! Hope everyone has a great 2012!

Merry late Christmas!

2011-12-29T14:16:00.016-06:00

Alia's 1st Christmas

Cutie cousins

Matching pj's courtesy of Jason

laptop from us

Cookies & milk for Santy and carrots for the reindeer. Looks like they liked them! :)

An easel from Santa

Kendy's gift to us. They made this tree at preschool out of little flower pots.

Hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas!!!!!! We had a good one. It's just nice spending time with the families.

Christmas in Wisconsin

2011-12-21T14:53:00.012-06:00

Great Aunt Elaine & Gma L

Cuties Kate & Kendy

Peanut butter pie (see story below!)

Helping mash the taters.

Last weekend we drove up to Wisconsin to celebrate Xmas with all our family up there. We went to Gma Liebner's big Xmas party on Sat nite & then we celebrated with Gma Capuano and family on Sunday. It was really great to see everyone & we had a good time.

Funny story about the peanut butter pie. So Irene spends like 2 hrs making this totally homemade pie on Sat nite. It looked so good. She put it out in the garage overnite (they put stuff in the garage cuz it's cold out there & the fridge is full of food.) So Sunday morn, she goes to look at it. She sees that some of the crust has been nibbled at & u can see little footprints on it. Dang mouse or a chipmunk got into it!!!!!!! So we couldn't eat it now. Needless to say, Irene wasn't very happy, but she also laughed about it. Merry Xmas little mouse. Hope u enjoyed the peanut butter pie!

Kendall's 3rd Bday Party

2011-12-13T12:08:00.017-06:00

Sweatshirt from Great Grandma C.

I made some cookie pops for favors.

Love how she's studying the DVD

On Saturday, we had Kendall's bday party at our house. I can't believe she is 3 yrs old already!! Where did our little baby go?! It was a fun time & she got a lot of presents. I think she was exhausted at the end of the day though. :) Thanks everyone for your generosity!!!!

Cookie Decorating

2011-12-08T15:34:00.006-06:00

Kendy, Kirstie & I helped my mom decorate xmas cookies last Friday. Kendy lasted longer than we thought w/ the decorating but then she got bored. Can't wait to eat some on Xmas!! :)

Breakfast with Santa

2011-12-07T12:53:00.009-06:00

Checking out the goody bag

Little Miss Alia

Making ornaments

Piggy races (kendy's purple pig won!)

Well, Kendy doesn't look too happy!

Last Saturday we went to a breakfast with Santa. It was really nice. They had donuts and juice/milk, some little games/crafts for the kids to do and then they got to sit on Santa's lap and tell him how naughty they've been!! :)

Preschool Christmas Program

2011-12-06T14:49:00.006-06:00

Kendall & Cara (BFF's!)

Our little Xmas tree

Last night was Kendy's 1st Xmas program. It was so cute!! Kendy sang a little bit but overall not many kids in her class sang. At least she didn't suck her fingers though! They sang "The Happiest Christmas Tree", "Santa Claus is coming to Town", "Rudolf" and "We wish you a Merry Xmas!". U can totally tell who the outgoing kids are cuz they sing super loud & do all the movements. The shy ones just kinda stand there and don't really sing & do much. We didn't get a lot of pics. They kept turning out dark with a flash and without. Bummer!

Naughty or Nice?

2011-12-01T10:01:00.003-06:00

Kendall likes to think she's on the nice list. Jason & I beg to differ. :) She tells us we are on the naughty list when we tell her something she doesn't want to hear. Like for example, "Kendy, time for bed!" She says "No, you're on the naughty list!!!!!!!!"

Arts & Crafts

2011-11-30T14:27:00.007-06:00

Last Friday night, Kendy & I went over to Gretchen's to work on some projects. I think Bella & K had a fun time together. They were playing dress up and Bella put one of her dresses on Kendy. They played Doctor. Ate pizza. Did little crafts. Played hide n seek. At one point they were both upstairs and Bella sent Kendy downstairs to ask Gretchen for a hammer. K says, "Gretchen, Bella needs a hammer!" Gretch says "What do u need that for?" K says "I DUNNO!" It was funny the way she said it though. I think Bella is gonna make a great big sister!

Thanksgiving Day Parade

2011-11-29T11:26:00.010-06:00

Some hot choc to warm up!

This was Kendy's 1st parade. I think she liked it, but started getting bored towards the end. It was a bit slow moving & ended up being 2 hrs long. But it was fun. Lots of marching bands, inflatables and floats.

It was too quiet.

2011-11-22T11:28:00.005-06:00

Rascal says "Can I get a new family for Xmas???? One with no kids!"

Last Friday, I got out of the shower & realized it was very quiet. Not a peep from Kendall. I noticed her bedroom door was closed. So I went in there. She had put Rascal in her bed, put the bed guard up so he couldn't get out & had put bows all over him. That poor dog! He puts up with a lot from her!

Happy Birthday Jason!!!

2011-11-21T12:24:00.001-06:00

Hope you have a very happy bday!! Kendy & I love you!!!!!! (I tried uploading that video of Kendall on here too, but I kept getting an error.)

Peek a Boo!

2011-11-16T12:11:00.002-06:00

Rascal went in Kendy's tent (or maybe she shoved him in there). Kendall calls it a "temp" though.

Story time w/ the babies

2011-11-15T15:34:00.006-06:00

Kendall is so motherly! Her fav thing to do is play with all her babies. These include Sleeping Beauty, Molly, Cindy, Katelyn, Jessie & Emily. Last nite she put Emily to bed and I heard her saying "Now I lay me down to sleep" with her. It was so cute. and by the way, she's reading them some Harry Potter book with zero pics. haha.

Zoo with Alia

2011-11-08T13:55:00.011-06:00

Alia liked the guinea pigs

Brushing the baby goat

New baby elephant named Kenzi

She didn't want to sit up on this ledge.

On Saturday, we went to the zoo with Alli, Johnny and Alia. This was Alia's 1st trip to the zoo.

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-03T15:41:00.006-05:00

Halloween

2011-11-02T11:04:00.008-05:00

Cards are the World Series Champs!

On Saturday nite, We dressed up and went to Helen Fitzgerald's with Lenny n Gretch. Well, G and I dressed up. Lenny and Jason both have complexes about dressing up or something. But we had a good time. They had a costume contest and it was fun to see how creative people can be.

and I haven't announced this yet on here. But Gretchy Gretch is pregnant!!!!!!!!!! Yippeee!! I'm so excited!!!!!!!! She's due April 23rd. Can't wait. :)

7th Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

2011-10-31T14:33:00.014-05:00

On Saturday, we had our annual pumpkin carving party. We lucked out again with the weather & it was a really nice day. I think everyone had a good time!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!! BE SAFE!

Preschool Halloween Party

2011-10-26T15:45:00.005-05:00

Sleeping Beauty

Kendy & her bestie, Cara

Awwww, Kendy!!!!!!!

Coloring pumpkins

Putting sprinkles on cupcakes

Today was K's Halloween party at school. Andrea helped out & took all these pics for me. I think they turned out soo cute. She said Kendall had a fun time.

Alia spends the night

2011-10-24T15:55:00.009-05:00

Love her onesie. It says "Daddy says no dating til I'm 25!"

Already taking the socks off. It never ends!!!

So happy at 6am!

Kendy just loves her cousin!

Last Saturday, we watched Alia for the night. Alli & Johnny were in a wedding and spent the night at the hotel. We had a fun time with Alia. She is a really good baby and I think Kendy really enjoyed having her over too.

Pumpkins Galore

2011-10-17T15:13:00.008-05:00

Cute little puppies!!

I love turtles! This was a baby one. Um...Nice hair Kendall! It was super windy!

3 feet tall!

On Saturday, we went out to "Pumpkins Galore" in Wright City. I liked this pumpkin patch. There was lots of stuff for Kendall to do and most of it was free or a very small fee. Plus they had funnel cakes, which is always a plus in my book!!!!! :)

A day with Alia

2011-10-12T09:03:00.011-05:00

"Hey guys!!!"

Kendy fed Alia her garden veggies.

Kendall was helping stroll Alia. Alia kept putting her hand on Kendy's. So sweet!

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of watching my niece, Alia, for most of the day. I admit I was a bit nervous watching 2 kids but everything turned out well. We had one incident where they were both crying at the same time, but we got past that. Alia was a really good baby though! Kirstie came over & we took the girls up to the park for awhile too.

Pumpkin patch with K's preschool

2011-10-06T15:00:00.010-05:00

Kendy & her friend, Kara. The teacher says they are good friends & stick by each other.

Kara, Bradley, & Kendy

Playing in the corn kernels

Loved the kitties. They were so cute all snuggled up.

It is so hard trying to take a group pic of a bunch of toddlers!!!!

Yesterday, I took the day off and went to the pumpkin patch with Kendy's preschool. It was really fun & it was nice to see some of the kids in her class cuz she sometimes talks about some of them. I was glad to meet her friend, Kara and Kara's mom. She talks about Kara quite a bit so now I can put a name with a face.

Mom's 60th Bday!

2011-10-03T11:52:00.011-05:00

Kirsten made this chocolate cake. The whole thing was homemade.

The Bday girl!

On Friday nite, we had a surprise Bday dinner for my mom at Grappa Grill. I think she was really surprised! The other big surprise was that Cory came down from WI for the weekend. We all knew she was coming but my mom didnt. Kirsten did a good job of coordinating everything. We all had a good time!! Today is actually my mom's real bday! HAPPY 60th MOM!!!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

Movie night with Ben

2011-09-29T10:36:00.002-05:00

Kendy & Ben watched a little bit of "Bolt" the other nite & ate cheeseballs together. But Kendy has a curfew & had to go home at 7:45pm.

Bella's 5th Bday party

2011-09-28T12:40:00.008-05:00

Last Saturday, we went to Bella's Bday party. It was at Laurel park & it was a really nice day for it. I think all the kids had fun playing together.

Alia's Baptism

2011-09-20T14:25:00.009-05:00

The Godparents: Alli's friend, Kim and Jason

The Godfather :)

Last Sunday, my niece, Alia was baptized. The weather wasn't super great, but at least it stopped raining. Allen & Janet hosted a nice party at their house afterwards. Alia got a lot of nice gifts.

Grandparent's Day

2011-09-15T14:30:00.009-05:00

Obviously, not doing what she's suppose to

Kendall had a Grandparent's tea at her preschool on Monday. Jason's parents and mine were all able to attend. I wasn't there but my mom said the kids sang 3 songs and Kendy had her fingers in her mouth the whole time. I guess she was prlly nervous with a bunch of people staring at them. 2 other girls wore the same apple dress that Kendy did!

Janet's Bday

2011-09-14T15:21:00.006-05:00

Grammie & Grampie and their 2 fav girls

These pictures are from Janet's Bday over the weekend. On Sat nite, we all went to church together & then ate at Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Of course, Kendall loves being with her cousin, Alia. She really doesn't leave her side. She even helped feed Alia her applesauce.

Blue eyed girls

2011-09-13T11:38:00.006-05:00

Just hanging out

Rolling over

These pics are about a month old, I never got around to posting them. Alia is 5 months old in these.

Zoo with Molly

2011-09-07T09:47:00.011-05:00

Apparently, it was vulture awareness day. This lady was telling the girls
how vultures eat dead things. Just what they want to hear, I'm sure.

Cute baby giraffe

Some guy held out this branch & the giraffe came right over to get it. They really are neat creatures. I've never seen one this close up before.

My friends, Erika & Matt, & their daughter, Molly came to St Louis from KC for a visit last weekend. We went to the zoo & had a nice time. It was massively hot (high 90's) but we survived. The sucky thing is that the next day it was in the 70's. Oh well. and I really think that Molly & Kendall could pass for sisters, maybe even twins!

Florida

2011-09-01T14:49:00.013-05:00

Just call us Pinkies!!! We got stuck on this ride for like 10 min.

Where we stayed in Orlando, super nice place!!!

Feeding frenzy!!!

Jason & I took a little trip to Orlando, Florida. I got pink eye 2 days before we left though and had to deal with that the whole time we were there. Jason also got it. Then we got it in our other eye. So not too fun unfortunately!! But we were able to make the best of our trip! We went to Universal Studios & spent all day there. We went to the pool & outlet shopping. Played some mini golf. We drove up to Sarasota/Siesta Key one day and spent the day at the Beach & stayed the nite there. Had some yummy seafood. It was nice to get away with just the two of us!! I already want to go back!! Thanks again Gretch and Janet for watching Kendall!!

1st day of Preschool

2011-08-23T13:40:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Kendy's 1st day of preschool. She cried when I dropped her off (I knew she would), and the teacher said to just quick leave or it makes it harder on the kid. So I left & I got a bit teary eyed. I just felt bad that she was upset. When I went to pick her up, she looked happy to see me. The teacher said she hardly cried after I left and that she was very quiet. She must have liked it though cuz she was singing "Pop goes the weasel" & "Old Macdonald had a farm". Hopefully she will be more outgoing once she gets use to it. She will be going on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30am-2pm. Our sitter, Andrea, is a lifesaver & will be taking her & picking her up since I have this little thing called work that I have to go to. :)

Artistic!

2011-08-18T11:17:00.002-05:00

Andrea's daughter, Josie, took this pic of K last week. I thought it was cute.

I'm still here!

2011-08-17T15:23:00.004-05:00

I know I've been MIA lately. Kendy has been sick the past few days so I've been at home with her. She had a fever for about 3 days. Then her nose started running like a faucet. I think she is doing better today. This little girl has never really gotten too sick so that was quite a change for us. She starts preschool on Monday so I'm already thinking she'll be sick more this year from being around all the kids.

These pics are from when I went to the eye dr last week. I somehow scratched my eye (Not sure how I did it), but it was so uncomfortable. I could barely keep my eye open. So I had to make 3 visits in one week to the eye Dr. Kendy and I were bored in the room so we started taking pics.

Ben's 2nd Bday party

2011-08-09T10:24:00.007-05:00

So excited to go to the party & give Ben his gift

The Bday boy

On Saturday, we went to Ben's bday party. We had a nice time. I think Kendall had a lot of fun. She woke up on Sunday and said "Can I go to Ben's bday party again???" haha.

The gang's all here.

2011-08-03T14:46:00.004-05:00

Kendall wanted some of her babies to watch "Dora" with her one day. So she went upstairs & got them & lined them all up. From the left is Jessie, Emily, Molly, Kendy, Mickey & Arthur. :)

Aquaport

2011-08-01T14:11:00.005-05:00

A couple weeks ago we went to the aquaport water park with Gretch, Lenny, Bella and my sister, Kirstie. It was a really fun place with all kinds of slides and a lazy river. The lazy river was my favorite part and it was pretty fast moving. Bella n Kendy were just content to pour water out of their watering cans into cups. The things that amuse kids!!

Spinning on the ones and twos

2011-07-27T16:01:00.004-05:00

Kendall loves listening to music! Her favorite song is "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga. But she sings along to quite a few other songs too.

I pick him up!

2011-07-25T11:51:00.006-05:00

Rascal looks thrilled to be picked up, doesn't he?

Rascal got his hair cut a couple weeks ago. Kendall seems to be even more obsessed with him when his hair is short. When we went to pick him up at the groomers, Kendy said "He's SOO tiny!!!!!!!!" It was funny.

Strike a pose!

2011-07-21T14:06:00.005-05:00

Kendall loves her great grandma C.

Wedding Part 2

2011-07-20T10:19:00.012-05:00

The newlyweds

Katelyn hugging Kendy

Little Miss Lucy

Let's do tequila shots!

Maggie, Kate, Kendy & me

Kendy was a dancing fool.

Melissa & K

Heather & Marcus' Wedding Part 1

2011-07-18T13:46:00.013-05:00

My uncle & Heather

Cousin Drew carrying the ring bearer & flower girl

Kate & Kendy

We drove up to Wisconsin over the weekend to attend my cousin, Heather's wedding. The wedding was held at my old church that we went to when we lived up in WI. The reception was at a really pretty country club. We had a really good time!

My favorite girls

2011-07-12T13:09:00.009-05:00

Look how big Alia is getting!!

Alia loves her Aunt Nee Nee :)

Little Alia is almost 4 months old! She was so cute the other day. She kept smiling and she was blowing spit bubbles. Kendall still wants to hold her all the time. We took some of K's old baby stuff over to Jay's parents house so we can store it in their basement. Kendy was so excited to put Alia in her old bouncy seat.

Weekend festivities

2011-07-05T11:40:00.012-05:00

Pic of all the kids at Donnie n Jen's

Kendall is obsessed with Sam.

Going thru the doggy door

Happy 4th of July!!

Kendy & Ben

Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th! We went to Donnie n Jen's annual BBQ on Sunday. It rained most of the time though & the fireworks that nite were cancelled. :( On the 4th, we went with Ben and his parents to the little fair by our house. We let the kids jump around in the bounce houses for awhile. Then we decided it was just too hot. We were all drenched in sweat so we went back home and spent the rest of the day inside.

Science Center

2011-06-30T13:58:00.003-05:00

Andrea took her kids and Kendy to the science center the other day. Here are a couple pics she sent me.

Pretty in Pink

2011-06-29T09:05:00.001-05:00

Andrea took this picture of Kendy last week. I think it's really cute.

It's Tea Time!

2011-06-27T12:54:00.010-05:00

All the food we got, plus we got a tray of desserts

Kendy's 1st cup of tea. She loved it. She drank all mine.

We're headed to the Royal wedding!

Bella likes to do poses.

On Saturday, we went to Sister's Tea Room in Fenton with Gretchen and Bella. It was a cute little place. We did the "High tea" option. We got quite a bit of food and a bunch of diff teas to choose from. I don't usually drink tea, but I got a vanilla one and it was pretty good. Kendall ended up drinking it though. Then we had fun in the "dress up" room trying on various hats. or maybe Gretchen and I had the most fun up there laughing at all the silly hats! :)

McDonald's playland

2011-06-23T13:18:00.004-05:00

Last nite, we went up to McDonald's with Stacey and Ben. Jason is out of town and Stacey's husband works nights so we figured we'd take the kids out and let them play. I think they had a good time, I had to carry Kendall out, she wouldn't leave.

Just chillin'

2011-06-22T10:56:00.003-05:00

Zachary's playground

2011-06-15T14:50:00.008-05:00

We took Kendy to this playground last Sunday. It's a really nice one. Plus they have a little sprinkler section to play in. Kendy was afraid to go in it though cuz of all the wild boys jumping around.

A summer staple!

2011-06-13T14:46:00.004-05:00

Jason's & my favorite summer treat is a Sno-cone or as Kendall likes to call them "ice cones". We wait all year for our fav sno cone place called SnoBiz to open for the season. Then it's game on!! We usually get a sno cone about once a week. It's cheap & it's good. They have 10 gazillion flavors & all these special ones with cream or marshmallow or chocolate toppings. It's a sad day when they close in the Fall. Sometimes in the winter there are days we wish it was still open!

Beauty Parlor

2011-06-09T12:30:00.005-05:00

My poor dog! Kendall likes to pretend blow dry, flat iron & brush Rascal's hair. He's a good sport overall & just sits there.

Summer band concert

2011-06-07T11:23:00.008-05:00

Bella and Kendy

Going to get ice cream

Kendall & I met Gretchen, Bella & Carson (G's nephew) up at Frontier Park last Thursday for the summer band concerts. Gret's brother and sis-in-law both play in the municipal band. I think Kendy enjoyed it, she was dancing along with Bella. We also enjoyed the ice cream, but that goes without sayin!

Thanks Gretch for some of these pics. I stole them off your facebook page. :)

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T14:58:00.011-05:00

Little Alia

Addie & Kendy

Trying to get them to do poses

Kendall's 1st Cards game!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy weekend!! It went by too fast!! On Saturday, we went to the park with Gretchen & Bella and then had lunch down on Main St. On Sunday, we went to a bbq at Alli's house. Kendall played with Addie the entire day & they had a fun time together in the sprinkler and playing on the swing set. On Monday, we went to the Cards game with Lenny, Gretch and Bella. Good times!

Loving cousins

2011-05-24T15:05:00.010-05:00

Kendall is such a good helper w/ Alia

So excited to spend time with her cousin

Kendall and I went to visit Allison & Alia last Friday. Alia is already 2 months old. Can't hardly believe it!!!!! She's starting to smile a lot now. Kendy had fun showing her all the toys.

A nail polish incident

2011-05-23T08:19:00.005-05:00

So this is what I woke up to last Friday morning. Kendall comes running in our room saying "Look Mama!!!!" I was half asleep and kinda squinted at her and saw red all over her hands. At first, I thought it was lipstick, then I thought it was blood, then I realized it was nail polish. My next thought was "Great, it's prlly all over the carpet or my bathroom floor!" So I went to investigate and luckily, she did not get any on the floor. How she managed that I'm not really sure. She did get some on these new towels I had just bought. Then I had the task of getting all this polish off of her. 10 round cotton pads and a bunch of polish remover later and it was all gone. Phew! I have all my nail polish put away but somehow she managed to find one in my bathroom closet that wasn't put away. Guess I'll have to put everything up high from now on.

I need it!

2011-05-19T11:32:00.006-05:00

Here are a few more pics from when Melissa & Patrick were here. We went down to Main St. & met up with my mom and Kirsten for lunch & then we looked around in the shops & of course, had ice cream. :) We were in one of the shops & Kendall really liked this purple watch, she kept putting it on. I told her "Put it back!!" She says to me, "I neeeeed it!" REALLY??? I'm thinking she got that from Aunt Kirsten. But anyway, I said "U do not NEED a $25 watch at your age!!!" Silly girl! Luckily she put it back.

Something else kinda funny that she did recently: She was upstairs and I heard her talking about nail polish & taking it off her toes. I went upstairs and she has the round cotton pads out and the caladryl lotion. She had already dumped some of the caladryl on the toilet. Apparently she thought it would take the polish off.

More Grant's Farm

2011-05-12T13:30:00.000-05:00

Patrick & Kendy feeding a Llama

Dolan Visit!

2011-05-11T15:52:00.010-05:00

Patrick & Melissa at Busch Stadium

Us girls ran a 5K on Saturday morning

Melissa & Kendy

Melissa and Patrick came down from Milwaukee for a visit. We went to the Cards/Brewers game on Fri nite. We ran a 5K on Sat morning & then later in the day we went to Grant's Farm. Fun times!

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T12:21:00.008-05:00

Alli's First Mother's Day

Uncle Jason & Alia

We had a great weekend! My cousin, Melissa & her husband, Patrick, came down from WI for the weekend. We pretty much kept busy the entire time. I'll have more pics of our activities later this week. Here are a few pics from Mother's Day. We had both our families over for dinner. It was a really nice day!!

March of Dimes Walk

2011-05-02T15:58:00.009-05:00

Real nice Jax!

Do they look tired??

What IS this face??

On Saturday, Kendall & I did the March of Dimes walk with Lenny, Gretch, Bella & Jax. We walked 3 miles and Kendall & Bella both walked the entire time. They did great!! Kendall had a fun time walking Jax all over the place.

Masquerade

2011-04-28T10:44:00.002-05:00

Kendall got this mask with her new Mickey Mouse DVD.

Big girl bed!

2011-04-27T09:22:00.006-05:00

Kendall is officially in a big girl bed! YAY! Her crib converts so Jason just took the front piece off the crib & then we bought a guard rail so she doesn't roll out of bed. I think she loves it so far. She's slept in it 6 nights in a row with no problem at all. I was worried she was gonna cry and maybe get up at night and run around but so far, so good. At the beginning of last week, we were having a lot of problems getting Kendy to go to bed at nite & she was also climbing out of her crib. So after talking to a couple friends about their experiences, we decided to make the transition. I really hyped up the whole "big girl bed" thing & we bought her new bedding and some new accessories for her room. I love it! I think she likes the freedom of just being able to get in and out on her own. Our little girl is growing up so quick!!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T08:09:00.018-05:00

Aunt Corinne

"I found an egg!!"

"Hmmm...jelly beans!"

Great Grandma

Teasing Zoe with jelly beans

Easter basket from us

Trying out her new gardening tools from Aunt Alli n Johnny

Found an egg

Giving her cousin a hug

Pretty dress! We tried coordinating Alia and Kendall's dresses.

I hope everyone had a nice Easter! My sister, Corinne & my grandma C came down from WI for the weekend. It was great to see them! I was able to spend all day with them on Saturday. On Easter, we went to church with my family and then went to my parents for a little visit. Then we spent the rest of the day with Jason's family & had Easter dinner over there. It was a nice time.

Mama Kendy

2011-04-21T11:39:00.006-05:00

GRETCHEN!! Look she's petting her head!!!

AND the dog obsession continues...

2011-04-18T12:57:00.003-05:00

Puppy Love

2011-04-14T10:48:00.009-05:00

Maggie & Lucy

She loves all the puppies!

Maggie (Magnolia)

Maggie & Rascal playing

Kendall loves seeing our neighbor's dogs. Our neighbor just got another dog the other day and named her Lucy. Kendall likes holding their leashes and walking them all over the yard. It's really cute.

Strawberry Season

2011-04-12T10:37:00.005-05:00

A few pics Andrea sent me. Kendall has been doing really well w/ potty training the past few days. She told me twice over the weekend that she had to go and then went. One of the times, I left her in the bathroom and the next thing I know she's flushing the toilet. She had dumped the pee out herself into the toilet! Luckily she didn't spill it on the floor, just a drop on the seat. Yesterday, she told Andrea that she had to go a few times at her house. So hopefully she will keep it up!

We all scream for ICE CREAM!

2011-04-11T10:59:00.006-05:00

Kendy & I met Gretchen for lunch at Winery of the Little Hills on Friday afternoon. It was a super nice day! Then of course, we had to go get some ice cream. Kendall loved it. Bday cake ice cream, Yum!!!

Let's go fly a kite!

2011-04-07T15:58:00.003-05:00

Jason bought Kendall a "Toy Story" kite last weekend. They decided to try it out last Sunday cuz it was super windy. It didn't work too well though! It kept dive bombing.

Proud cousin

2011-04-05T15:45:00.004-05:00

2 weeks old already!! (in these pictures)

More Alia pics!

2011-03-31T10:33:00.009-05:00

The proud parents!

I just realized I never posted these pics. These are from our 2nd hospital visit. Alia was 2 days old in these pics. Kendall just loves her.

Favorite picture ever!!!

2011-03-29T16:17:00.000-05:00

Water baby

2011-03-28T13:26:00.007-05:00

Getting out of the pool on her own

Kinda blurry, but she's getting her toy from underwater

Kendall has improved quite a bit since her 1st swim lesson. I think she really enjoys going now. Our last lesson is this Saturday. But I'm almost positive I'm gonna sign her up for another session. The instructor said they forget what they've learned very quickly so doing another session will keep it fresh in her mind. Then once that one is over, it will almost be time for our neighborhood pool to be open.

Pump it Up

2011-03-24T14:46:00.009-05:00

Bella helping Kendy up the slide stairs

Lenny and Kendy

Gretch & Kendy

Gretch & Bella

Me! This slide was actually kinda steep.

Last Sunday, we went to Pump it up inflatables. I think Bella and Kendy had a really fun time. Kendall was so excited to see Bella, it was really cute.

My first 5K

2011-03-22T15:27:00.003-05:00

Post race Bloody Mary's w/ bleu cheese stuffed olives at Rooster. I don't like bloody mary's though. They were making fun of me cuz I got a coke instead. But I also got this yummy breakfast burrito. Gretchen got a Nutella crepe. It was soo good. I'm hooked on Nutella now. I bought a jar the next day at the grocery store.

So I participated in my first 5K (3.1 miles) last Saturday. It was called the "Flying Nun Run". I've been running for the past 7 weeks to prepare. I didn't do all that bad. I got 33 min, 19 sec. So like 11 minute miles. I did have to walk a few times, so I know I can do better. I'm planning on doing another one in May and shooting for a goal of 31 minutes this time. These 5k's are good goals for me cuz they force me to work out and run and stay in better shape. :)

Introducing Alia Nichole!

2011-03-21T09:12:00.016-05:00

I bought this shirt online.

In the waiting room

Proud Daddy Johnny

Proud Grammi Orf

I love my new cousin

Auntie Alicia (Johnny's sister)

Another proud Grandma (Johnny's mom)

Isn't she cute?? She was prlly 1 hour old here.

Grampi Orf & his 2 granddaughters

Uncle Jason

1st feeding

So here's our new niece!!!!!! She was born on St Patty's Day via c-section. She was 6 lbs, 6 oz and 20.5 inches long. She is so precious & perfect!! Kendall is already enamored with her and kept saying "Hold her! Hold her!" They are so cute together. Allison is doing well. They were able to go home from the hospital yesterday.

Spring weather

2011-03-15T15:29:00.007-05:00

Last Friday, I took Kendall to the park since it was nice weather. Her favorite thing to do is swing! Now Emily (her doll) has to swing with her too.

Not camera shy!

2011-03-09T10:19:00.004-06:00

Kendall wanted me to take pics of her. She says "PICTURE!" Then she wants to see the pics on the camera. This is her bitty baby that we named Emily. Kendall calls her "O-ME" though. She also has dolls named Jessie, Cindy (Cinderella) & Molly.

Love/Hate Relationship

2011-03-07T11:20:00.005-06:00

Kendall likes Rascal to sit on her lap while she watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I don't think he's the biggest fan of this, yet he lays there. She likes to lock him in rooms though too. She can be so mean to him at times and other times she says "Hi Buddy" and wants to hug him.

K's 2nd swimming lesson went well. We did some of the same skills as last week. This week we started using the kickboard though and also retrieved a toy from underwater. I can already tell that K is getting braver, so hopefully this will continue every week.

My sis in law is almost due!!!! YAY! I'm gonna be an aunt soon! I can't wait!! She is due April 5th but I don't think she's gonna make it. She'll be 36 weeks tomorrow and she was put on modified bed rest due to high blood pressure. She spent some time in Labor/Delivery last week & I thought she was gonna end up having the baby, but she got sent home. Maybe she can make it to 37 weeks, Kendy was also born at 37 weeks.

Potty Time!

2011-03-03T12:30:00.003-06:00

I opened the door to let Rascal out this morning and the sky was beautiful.

So I kinda started with the potty training back in January. I've really been slacking on it though & Kendall hasn't show much interest. Lately she's been asking to sit on the potty more though. She told me last week "poop potty!" So I put her on the potty and she actually pooped. Awesome! Never thought I'd be so excited about poop! She peed on it one other time & she's peed on it over at Andrea's too. I haven't even had to bust out the bribery (candy) yet. We'll see!

1st Swimming Lesson

2011-02-28T09:02:00.007-06:00

She wasn't a big fan of floating on her back.

Last Saturday, Kendall had her very 1st swim lesson at the Y. She did ok. I think she was kinda scared at times, but that is understandable. These lessons are 30 min and run for 6 weeks. The instructor (Danielle) said we will be doing a lot of the same stuff every week so the child can learn it. The skills we worked on were letting your child hang onto the ledge & crawl out of the pool, Danielle said we could help by putting their knee up on the ledge, and Kendall did this. Then they were suppose to jump in the water on "Ready, set, go!". Kendall jumped in with me holding onto her. She practiced floating on her back with me holding her. She didn't like this at all though. They were suppose to throw a ball n then practice swimming after it. Then we swam in a circle & sang some songs. So we'll see how next week goes.

Parents as Teachers (PAT)

2011-02-22T12:17:00.002-06:00

So I finally called PAT to sign Kendall up. I really should have called when she was a baby, but I just never got around to it cuz ya know it's kind of a busy time then. For those of you that don't know what PAT is, I got this off their website:

Parents as Teachers helps organizations and professionals work with parents during the critical early years of their children's lives, from conception to kindergarten—and the results are powerful.

We develop curricula.
Grounded in the latest research, Parents as Teachers develops curricula that support a parent’s role in promoting school readiness and healthy development of children. Our approach is intimate and relationship-based. We embrace learning experiences that are relevant and customized for the individual needs of each family and child. As a result, individuals and organizations who use our curricula benefit from our understanding of the evolving needs of today’s families and children.

Me again, so anyway I called them and asked if it was dumb if I just sign Kendall up now that she's 2 yrs old. They told me it was never too late! So our coordinator came to our house last Friday. Her name is Karen & she's very nice. She was at our house for about 1.5 hours screening Kendall on various things. They do tests on communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving & personal-social skills. Kendall scored 60/60 in fine motor skills & problem solving. YAY! 55/60 in communication, 50/60 in gross motor & 40/60 in personal-social. Personal-social was a bit hard cuz one of the questions was "Does your child put on a coat, jacket or shirt by herself??" No, she doesn't do that yet, so we didn't get any points for that. The other question she didn't get points on was "Does your child call herself "I" or "me" more often than her own name?" Sometimes, but she still says "Kendall did it" more often than "I did it." So no points there either.

So now for some of the questions she rocked! Here were some of the questions she asked in the fine motor skills category & some of the activities we tried (the coordinator brings all these blocks, crayons and all the stuff she needs to test the child).

--Does your child use a turning motion w/ her hand while trying to turn doorknobs, twist tops, or screw lids on and off jars? YES.

--Does your child flip light switches off and on?? YES.

--After she watches you draw a line from the top of the paper to the bottom w/ a crayon, ask your child to make a line like yours. Does your child copy you? YES.

--Does your child stack 7 small blocks on top of each other by herself? YES.

--Does your child thread a shoelace thru a bead? YES. ( I didn't think she could do this one, but she did it in front of Karen w/ no problem at all.)

So there's just some examples. I don't want to bore you w/ every question and this is getting kind of long. Karen said she liked how we had puzzles and books all accessible for Kendall to get to. Overall it was a good visit & Kendy warmed up to her pretty quick. So we'll see how our visit goes in April!

Kendall & Violet

2011-02-16T14:03:00.007-06:00

Violet giving Kendall a hug

Time to cook!

Let's break the ice!!!

Kendall hated this boa. She cried when I put it on her.

Kendall & I went over to Gretchen's last week for a spray tan party. Our friend, Lauren, brought her daughter, Violet. V and K had a fun time playing together and they were playing with all of Bella's toys. Kendall kept calling Violet "Viler".

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T08:35:00.008-06:00

Our funny Valentine

PEACE!

Jason was telling Kendall to do different poses when I took these pictures.

Alli's Baby Shower

2011-02-07T15:58:00.015-06:00

They don't know the sex of the baby. Page is the last name.

Super cute diaper cake made by one of Alli's friend

Lots of gifts!

Mama to be!!!

Alli & her mom. She cross-stitched this quilt.

The little girlies hanging out

Addie & Kendall

Helping Grampi clean up

Kendall "helped" with the favor bags. Helped by eating the candies!

I helped host a baby shower for my sister in law, Alli, on Saturday. We had a good time! Alli got tons of gifts & I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Goofball!

2011-02-03T12:15:00.004-06:00

These are her baby's sunglasses

Watching "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse"

Meet Little Sam!

2011-01-31T11:09:00.007-06:00

Look at those cheeks!

Kendall & I went to Donnie & Jen's last Friday to meet Sam. He's 2 months old already! Kendall had fun taking like 20 pictures of him, most of the pics she took were of the carpet or she had her fingers over the lense though. She also wanted to put her baby doll in Sam's swing. I can't even remember Kendall being that little, but she was!

What's your favorite food?

2011-01-26T11:43:00.002-06:00

Jason & I like to ask Kendall what her favorite food is. This is what she normally replies--"Fries, pup pup (which is ketchup), panpakes (pancakes), MM Cookies (Jason gave her an M & M cookie one time and apparently it made a big impression on her) & cheese. It's funny when she says it though, cuz she adds "Um" before she replies. and yes, we do try to give her healthy food options but when is a healthy food someones favorite? You never hear someone say "Oh, my favorite food is carrot sticks!" I'd wonder what is wrong with that person then! :)

We like to ask her who her best friend is and she says "BEN!" every time. I also asked her who her favorite cat is and she said "Fletch!" (this is one of Ben's cats, they have 3). I'm sure Miles is gonna be sad to hear that.

A new stuffed animal named Miles

2011-01-25T15:02:00.004-06:00

This pic is from a couple weeks ago. Andrea's dad gave Kendall this stuffed cat for a Xmas present. Kendall is calling it "Miles". Go figure!

More snow

2011-01-21T11:45:00.005-06:00

Trudging his way thru the snow

Well, it snowed again. I didn't see on the news how many inches we ended up getting, but I'm guessing between 8-10. Rascal loves the snow. He can barely walk in it but he kept asking to go outside and then he'd go way out in the yard. I thought he would get stuck in it & we'd have to go out there and get him. But he'd make his way back. As for Kendall, Jason asked her if she wanted to go outside, she said "NO! Cold!" haha!

Bowling with Bella

2011-01-19T14:14:00.010-06:00

Check out the bowling shoes!!

Bella

Kendall liked rolling the ball down the ramp thingy.

These pictures are from almost a month ago. I forgot to post them with Christmas and everything else going on in December.

Magic House

2011-01-17T14:12:00.010-06:00

Last Friday, Kirstie & I took Kendall to the magic house. We had a fun time!