STOMP!

One of Katie's Christmas presents was a toy called the Stomp Rocket.  It is exactly as it sounds  --  a 3 part toy:  1)  Stomp Launcher  2) Air Tube attached to a stand   3)  Foam Rockets -- where you stomp on the launcher and send a foam rocket flying high.

The product brochure said it can go as high as 100 feet in the air.  We decided to put the statistics to the test about a week ago at a park nearby our house.  Aside from one incident where mommy landed the rocket on top of the restroom building at the park (and some random stranger had to give me a boost onto the roof so I could climb up and rescue the rocket) it was a BLAST. 

Pictures and videos below.  If any mommys and daddys are interested, you can find this toy on the FatBrainToys website.  Personally, I think I'm enjoying this Christmas present as much as she is.  Who doesn't love launching rockets??

SNOW!!!

Katie has been begging for snow for months!  It was even on her Christmas wish list.  Finally on Thursday evening we got our first snow storm of the year.  It started falling in Roanoke between 2 and 3 PM.  Katie couldn't wait to get outside and play.  So, we got her dressed in her snowsuit, boots, gloves, and hat....and headed out into the storm. 

Shoveling the walkway and driveway was one of her favorite activities.  Nana and I had gone to Walmart on Wednesday to get Katie her own shovel, plus a sled.  We shoveled for a little while, then took the sled down the street a few times (our street is actually perfect for sledding).  Around 5:30 to 6 we needed to head inside for supper -- and yes, there was a huge protest to put food above snow play.  When we were finished with supper, Katie actually asked to go back outside and shovel more.  Yeah - pretty sure this attitude toward shoveling will not last into the teenage years. 

Very early on Friday morning I woke up and noticed that I didn't hear Katie's fan in the room next door.  Then I looked at the clock.  Yep, no power.  I immediately got up and started calling AEP.  (Side Note:  Since moving to Roanoke, I have been extremely UNIMPRESSED by the general service and cost of electricity provided by AEP.  Matt and I have lived all over, and the product here is much worse than anywhere else we have lived.  My apologies if any of you and your family work for AEP!) 


When Katie woke up, she was itching to make a snowman.  We kept it small, so the snowman was about Katie's size.  After Frostie was built, I worked on booking a hotel room -- and finding some free Wi-Fi for the day, so I could work -- while Matt took Katie on her first sledding trip.  I really wish I could have gone with them....we don't have any pictures of the trip.  :-(

Matt and I viewed the power outage as a major inconvinience.  Katie saw it as one big adventure.  The hotel was a cool new place to explore, she got to play in the indoor pool, and we got to eat out that evening (pizza for her).  A pretty fun day in the world of a 3 year old!

By Sunday, most of the snow had melted.  Katie asked me why the snow couldn't stay.  I explained that as the sun came out and the temperatures got warmer, the snow melted.  Her next question was "when will it snow again mommy?"  I just told her that we would hope for one more snow storm this year, and maybe our wish would come true.  She certainly loves the white stuff!

Day Trip

Matt has had almost a 1 month break from school.  But last week that all came to an end.  So this weekend it was back to reality -- alot less family fun, and alot more studying.  Since the weather was so nice, Katie I and headed to Woolwine to enjoy some outdoor fun.  The "nice weather" part didn't hold true (notice her coat and how cold she looks).  It turned rather windy at Nana and Papa's....but we still enjoyed playing outside.

The first thing Katie does when she arrives at Nana and Papa's house is run (not walk) straight for the toy room.  Nana keeps quite the stash of fun things to play with, especially kitchen toys, and tea party sets.  It also doesn't hurt that Nana gives Katie real cookies during their tea parties.

In addition to tea parties, feeding Maddie (the neighbor's dog) 3 hotdogs, rolling down various hills in the yard, and throwing about 1000 rocks into the creek -- Katie got a special treat this weekend.  Horses are once again being boarded on the land.  As soon as Katie saw them she wanted to go see them.  Nana, fortunately, had a bag of carrots and some lettuce to spare.  So, off we went to feed them.  That was the highlight of her day (just check out the video below)! 

She was coming down the driveway, holding up the bag saying "Hey Mr. Horsey -- I've got some carrots for you!" 

Olympics 2028??

Climbers and Non-Climbers.  Kids fall into one of those two categories.  Katie is most definitely a climber.  Since she was old enough to walk she climbed everything in sight.  We had a baby gate around our kitchen table for months because if we didn't she would climb right up and have a little party up there.  As she has gotten older, her climbing has changed, but not subsided.  Her most recent climbing feats are.....

1) She climbs the outside of the staircase, her toes on the small overhand of the step and her hands holding onto the spindles.

2) She has discovered the ability to climb up her 5 drawer dresser by putting her feet into the groves and her hands on the knobs.  How did I find this out you might ask?  I went to get her after quiet time and she was playing with the jewelry from the jewelry box which is ALWAYS on top of the dresser.  When I asked how she got to the jewelry, she demonstrated quite proudly her newest techniques.

So, what to do with a climber....um, I don't know.  I don't pretend to be a parenting expert here.  I figure you just embrace it.  So we enrolled her in Gymnastics and today was her first lesson.  At first (as always) she was reluctant to leave Matt and I and join the class.  Then, she pouted through the first 2-3 minutes of class while they were stretching.  Once the floormat activities began, she decided she was going to like it.  By the end, she was loving it!

Its always a struggle for Katie to get acclimated to new people and new surroundings.  She did such a wonderful job today and made her mommy and daddy proud.

A Visit

Katie loves having visitors.  Last weekend, Matt's family came to visit us in Roanoke for the first time since we moved -- and Katie was counting down the days until they arrived.  Popa and Jake had been to Roanoke many times before, when Matt worked for the baseball team.  But, it was Abu's first trip to the Star City.

On Saturday, we took them down to the City Market to peruse the little shops/boutiques.  We also went to lunch at a place called Thelma's Chicken and Waffles.  Crazy restaurant name, right?!?!  They literally serve chicken and waffles -- together as a dish.  If they name their whole restaurant after a dish, I figure you better order it.  So, Katie and I shared -- and it was quite good. 
 

After the market and some lunch -- we packed in ice skating and a visit to the Hotel Roanoke.  That night after dinner and SweetFrog we headed up to the Star.  It truly is beautiful up there at night with all the city lights twinkling at you.  


If we learned only one thing from the family visit -- its that Katie loves her Uncle Jake (okay, we already knew that).   Jake takes such a sincere interest in his neices and nephew -- to me its a bit surprising for a 21 year old guy.  Over the weekend he taught Katie how to shoot the basketball properly (she will never listen to me!).  In return, she made him participate in a tea party and play dolls in her room.  She also insisted on holding his hand virtually everywhere we traveled. 

 

On Sunday, we stuck close to home.  It was so cold that we only went outside for a little while so Katie could show Popa and Abu how much she has been enjoying her scooter (one of their Christmas presents to her).

Before they left on Sunday she asked when Popa, Abu, and Uncle Jake would be coming back for another sleep over.  We all promised to do it again in the Spring when the weather is a bit nicer and we can do more outdoors....maybe even take in a baseball game, like old times.

Happy New Year

Matt and I were discussing our New Year's goals for 2013.  He set 2 goals:  To survive the next year of school, and to be a better father/husband.  He's always so concise and to the point....love that about him. 

As usual, I had a longer more verbose list.  No shock there right?  I can't say that I've been good at sticking to my resolutions in the past....and my list is too long to go through on a blog post - you guys don't really want to hear all of them!  So, I'll just share one for now.  I want to do a better job of taking pictures of this little girl!  As I put together an end of the year photo book over the holidays I realized that each time things get busy at work/home I stop taking pictures.  I'm resolving to do a better job with that in 2013. 

From our family to yours - we wish you a Happy and Prosperous 2013!!!

The pictures in this post are of Katie -- ready to head back to school.  You might be wondering what's in her hand - its turkey sausage (a breakfast must have in our house).

Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012 is certainly one I will remember.  Not for the family time, so much as the FLU!  Saturday night, the 22nd I started feeling a little off.  Katie had a cold the week before so I just assumed I was getting her cold -- no big deal.  Sunday was our Christmas gathering with mom's side of the family and I didn't feel any better, but still thought it was a cold.

Sunday night I took a turn for the worse.  By Monday morning, my fever was over 103.  There have been few times in my LIFE that my fever has been that high.  I just don't run high fevers.  I had to concentrate to even understand what Matt was trying to say to me that morning.  I basically told him I needed to go to the doctor and to keep Katie away from me. 

The good news (not really) -- I haven't established a primary care physician in Roanoke.  So, Matt and Katie drove me to an MedExpress urgent care facility and dropped me off.  I didn't want them near me -- or anyone else who would be there on Christmas Eve.  When the doc examined me, she said you look like you have a really bad sinus infection, not the flu.  She said "we usually don't see fevers this high with the flu, and the level of congestion in your sinuses is indicative of an infection."  I asked if she could humor me and do a quick-flu test to be on the safe side, since I had a 3 year old at home.  She agreed to do so.   20 minutes later, she came back into the room and said "you have the flu."  AWESOME!  Just what I wanted for Christmas.

Now, there are few times during the year when my job is calm enough for me to take 1-2 weeks of vacation and spend time with Katie and Matt.  And this is the first year in MANY years that Matt and I have both had Christmas vacation time together.  So -- to say that I was a little disappointed about being sick this Christmas -- would be a MAJOR understatement.  Not to mention, my family was scheduled to arrive Monday afternoon and celebrate with us.

Despite my concerns over others getting sick, my family came to the rescue (I am so fortunate).  Nana, Papa, and GG came to help on Christmas Eve.  They helped care for Katie, wrap presents, put together bikes and virtually everything in between.  I got out of bed long enough on Christmas morning for Katie to open her presents and then I went right back to bed.  Where I remained until yesterday.

Nana and Papa took Katie to their house in Woolwine on the afternoon of Christmas Day where she stayed (happ7 & healthy) for 2 nights.  Matt spent 2 days nursing me back to health and scrubbing his hands everytime he left my room (yes, I was quarantined).

So far - no one else in the family has gotten the flu (praying it stays that way).  Again, I'm disappointed that this Christmas didn't turn our how I had planned.  But I am so grateful to my family for all their help  -- especially my parents and my.  It is definitely a memorable Christmas, but not for the reasons I intended.  The pictures from this post are from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  I'm so glad Matt got some videos so that I could enjoy them later.