Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Almost two weeks have passed since I have blogged. Now Kensley is 14 months old! What's more, in those two weeks, we've celebrated a fantastic Christmas and the clock's stoke of midnight to end 2008 and begin 2009! I am out of breath thinking about it all. Kensley was fun this past Christmas season, which we had been told would be the case. Last year, Kensley shrieked a tiny 'yay' when her daddy showed her books and that was truly a highlight. This whole season seemed to be a highlight! She was eager to point out any "Anndaah" (Santa) and say, "Ho, ho, ho!" as well as "No Meh" (snowmen) to say, "Brrrrrr" with a tiny little shudder. Christmas Trees were another fun thing and very "piddy" (pretty). We instructed her from day one to use a 'one finger touch' and she has exercised great caution... whew! We had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with all of Kensley's cousins this year on Mike's side. She was smitten with them all. We name them and talk to all of them on our fridge o' fame, but seeing them in the flesh was icing on the cake! Mike was able to spend this Christmas with us in ATL on hiatus from training. We feel very, very blessed to have been able to spend so much time with family, yet time celebrating as our own family. We hope you had a wonderful Christmastime and will have a healthy, prosperous New Year! Grandmama - now Mimi - and Kensley got to spend lots of time together!

Grammy and Poppy got Kensley a wagon!

Marlatt grandkids - minus Grayson. ETA: March 2009

Dazed after all those presents!

Christmas in GA - barefoot!

Daddy and the girls

Just before the mass opening

Uncle Waaahb (Rob) hooked Kensley up with a too-cool tent market

All Things 13 Months

This past month has FLOWN by! We had a baby girl a month ago and now we have a full-fledged toddler. Kensley is all personality. She is outgoing, strong-willed and very motivated to carry out her agendas... and she still LOOOOOOVES books! What has gone on in the past month? LOTS!

• On the train ride to the Macy's Parade, we spotted Kensley's molars...all four of them! She chews so nicely with her sweet little mouth closed and really enjoys 'nak' time.
• Kensley, Libby, and I made a pilgrimage down south as bachelorettes. We had perfect travels! Everyone, including the driver [me], was on their best behavior and made the trip not only bearable, but slightly enjoyable - for a 14-hour car ride.
• The first night we slept at Nanna and Pop's house, Kensley woke up during the night and hopped into bed with me, which is normal if we are in a new setting. Amidst all of the wallowing, snuggling, and wallowing again, Kensley reached over, squeezed my cheeks, pursed her little lips, and leaned in to smooch me. She said, "Wuh u" and then fell asleep. Is your heart complete mush by now???

Now, I have to brag. Kensley may not be the smartest, but she catches on to concepts and interacts pretty well. As I previously mentioned, Kensley loooooves books. Teachers are encouraged to make connections for students so they can relate to the text. Kensley has done that herself a few times in the past weeks.

• The first time, Kensley got a new book and came upon a page where there was an octopus. She immediately started dancing like Henry the Octopus, a Wiggles character. I was floored! She continues to do this everytime she sees an octopus.
• The next time, Kensley and I were reading an ABC book and we came across a boat. I repeated boat a few times. I saw Kensley stop and look around then say, "buup." She walked across the room and found the book that has a "boat, boat, boat." Yes, we read ALOT!

The last couple of Kensley's interactions include books, but not necessarily while we were reading.

• Kensley often marches around or sits in her carseat saying, "Ay, BEE, Ayy, BEE." This either means she wants to sing her ABC's or sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider. (You have to watch to see if she is making the spider with her hand to know the preferred lyrics.) The other day, Kensley got a little fussy and I told her to go find a book and we would read. This usually buys us about 5 more minutes of smiles. Kensley immediately started with her "Ay, BEE, Ayy, BEE..." and found her ABC book to read.
• Finally, today I told Kensley to find a book for us to read. She pulled out a book and kept saying, "Bwa Bay-ah, Bwa Bay-ah." When she got to me with the book, she had chosen Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

We are so proud of our little girl and enjoy watching her grow by the day.

Are You REALLY Too Busy???

I have received this email many times since this war has begun, but just dawned on me to spread the info through the blog. We are sending more than one, since more than one military member is helping to fight this war. It is as follows: Subject: FW: Great idea to do! Folks, Let's spread this! When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to the address listed below. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful, special people who have sacrificed so much would get ? When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following: A Recovering American Soldier c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW Washington , D.C. 20307-5001

A bun...

in the tub (and you were thinking otherwise - SHAME on you!)! I couldn't help but snap this as Kensley played in the tub the other night. Yes, that's a little bun of hair on her head!

Oh, What Fun!

Thanks to Uncle Rob, we had the wonderful opportunity to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade live and in-person!!! Whatever wonder and delight you experience on tv, it is nothing like living it beat-by-beat, march-by-march. We sat on the first row of the bleachers right at 71st St, the front end of the parade. Mike and I were just as excited as (if not slightly more than) Kensley! We were awe stricken as we watched talent after talent come by, wave, sing, and wish us all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Kensley had strong opinions about clowns throwing confetti, but other than that, she was just as mesmerized as we were! Take some time to watch the video (when Blogger starts working again!). It really is magnificent at all of the work and precise coordination that goes into this timeless operation. Thanks, Uncle Rob!!!

A Little Bit of Everything

I think our family is sufficiently satisfied with this picture. Let's see... aAirplane - for Daddy aHairbow aSmile aDress aCute shoes aMatching socks aoh yeah... THAT "G" on the front of her dress!!!

Little Reader

OOOOOHHHHhhhhh! PLEASE let this be a sign of what we have in store for us: a little reader. This past week, I have 'caught' Kensley being really quiet for a few seconds. When I peek around the corner to check on her, this is what I find... Kensley reading "buups." (Say it like "book," but with a /p/ at the end.)

Whatchu Talkin' Bout, Willis?!?

Kensley gets it honestly. She talks non-stop. She babbles, she informs with a very matter-of-fact face and fingerpointing, and then, there are the semi-recognizable 'words.' Here's a run-down: Mama Daaa-da Wibbeeee (Libby) Nanna Pop (this also means Poppy) Ahh-ma or Wa-meee (Grammy) Annnah (Joanna) No Uh-oh Da-du (Thank you) Pllllbbb with a hand flipping her lips (Please - don't know how this came to be, but that's what it means) Dare-do (scarecrow) Mooo Wuf (in the sissiest voice you can imagine) Grrrr (this goes for horses, bears, tigers, lions, etc.) Hot Otch (ouch) Up Waadaah (water and also uses the sign) Mik (milk) Heeeeeey Bye Wu-yu (love you) Nak (snack) Dat (that) Mo (more) Wa-dat (what's that?)

Birthday Bash with the Grandparents

Kensley is lucky to have both sets of grandparents living close to one another so we can celebrate together. Nanna and Pop hosted Kensley's [third] First Birthday on Wednesday night as we arrived into town and just before the boys headed out for their pheasant excursion. Grammy, Poppy, and the infamous Uncle Mike came in to celebrate Kensley's big birthday. We had no preference on cakes, but Pop thought Kensley needed a pink cake...and the best kind of pink cake is made-from-scratch strawberry cake! Kensley would come across more icing, lick her fingers, and say, 'Mmmmmmmmmmmm!'

Never Too Far from HOME!

After the birthday bash and while the boys were on their bird-shootin' bonanza in SD, we headed south to see Grandmama. We hadn't seen her since February and it was overdue!

While we were on US-319 from Albany to Coolidge, we saw this Police Truck with his lights just a-blinking, but cars were passing it. We merged over to the left lane and gawked and rubber-necked to see the frenzy. We were surprised to see a Duluth Police Truck (about 230 miles out of its jurisdiction), a van, a large man on a road bike, then the GA State Trooper in front of him with his lights a-blinkin', too! I immediately knew this was a ride in honor of or for something and got all teary-eyed. Since Mike's marathon, I have such a soft-spot for people who commit to run, bike, swim, etc. an astronomical distance to honor or memorialize someone/something. In this case, the Duluth PD had its 2nd Honor Ride for fallen soldier, Lt. Michael Murphy. I looked all of this up on their website as the suspense just consumed me until I had answers. I am so proud of them and thankful for their dedication! See the video from their journey!

2nd Honor Ride

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

Halloween - not so baaaaaad!

Kensley had been home for about 6 hours when Halloween began last year. She was 2 days old. This year, being a year and two days old, Kensley participated in Halloween and approves of the occasion.

To start it off, Kensley went to the squadron's Halloween Party the day before. She had lots of fun and got lots of candy dressed as a sweet little lamb.

On Halloween night, Mike and I carved our pumpkins. As we were doing so, Joanna stopped by donning her Hallow's Eve best (ladybug) and got us moving along to start heading down the street.

Kensley was excited to go up to people's houses and see all of the, "Big Gu's" (big girls - and boys, too, for that matter) dressed up. Instead of saying "Trick-or-Treat," Kensley would walk up and say, "Hey!" and wave. Of course, she was loaded when we got home between her sweet little draw and the to-die-for lamb costume. We finished up the night with homemade pumpkin soup and Kensley enjoyed a sucker. What fun!

Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby!

Kensley had her very first birthday party on Saturday with all of her friends here in NJ! Kensley's REAL birthday is Wednesday, October 29th, but not wanting to equate her day with Halloween, we decided to have her party a weekend earlier. Sadly, Mike was out bringin' home the bacon, so he missed the party that we planned, but he will be able to celebrate at the Grandparents Birthday in a week. (Click on the picture to view it as a larger image on another screen.)

And...I just couldn't resist this picture that I took today. She was so sweet and peaceful all wrapped up in this blanket. It's little monogram says it all, "Thank Heaven for Little Girls!"

Here is a re-cap of the past year:

One Month: smile, follow objects~Two Months: clasp hands, laugh, follow movement, perpetual smile, vocalize, vigorous body movement, recognize food source,~Three Months: grasp objects, reaching, enjoys play,~Four Months: transfer objects, babble, eat cereal,~Five Months: sits alone, play with two objects, pull to stand, kiss and hug, drink from sippy cup,~Six Months: roll from tummy to back, waves, "mama," "dada," reach for people, bounce, TWO TEETH ERUPT, peek-a-boo~Seven Months: clap/pat-a-cake, "bah-bah" (southern for bye), twist and turn and support herself on all fours, DANCE~Eight Months: pull up, CRAWL for things, clap for Libby, "swim" (loves the water!),~Nine Months: pull up, cruise, smack her lips (like yummy), click her tongue, mimic, another tooth erupts (top left), climb stairs, blow kisses, clap with music, say, "Wow"~Ten Months: 2 front top teeth!; dance to just about anything; sign: "all done," "milk," "more;" say: up, Libby, baby, daddy (not just dada); answer/nod "yes" and "no;" repeat inflections and part of words; enter a room and say hi, hey, or hello; fetch with Libby;~Eleven Months: WALK!; dance; "snap" (video does it justice); stand alone; climb; say "Nanna," "Pop," "Wam-mee (Grammy), "Pop-ee,"

Come Here, YOU!

Kensley is so blessed to have little friends that she loves so much and their mommies that I love so much. Last week, the girls saw each other a few times and on that third day, Joanna just couldn't get enough of Kensley! I don't know if it was the cheeks, or being so excited they aren't 'stuck' with us all day or what, but Joanna would smooch on Kensley's cheeks and then giggle and then give her sweet hugs. Of course, Kensley sponged up all of the attention she could. We really are fortunate to have such wonderful and loving friends!

Not Baaaaaashful

This is the cutest little coat that my girlfriend, Johanna, got Kensley last year. It took her a while to grow into it, no time to grow OUT of it, and now that she is slimming up, she can wear it again! Yes, this is a froo-froo coat, but if you knew Johanna, you would know this is right up her alley and she stuck to Mike's guidelines last year of "NO Pink!" So this is our little cutie in her little lamb coat. She looks so proud to wear it.

Dancin' with Dora

Kensley doesn't get to watch much TV, unless you consider my hour's worth of the Today Show in the mornings, so she doesn't know anything about Dora. Kensley does, however, LOVE LOVE LOVE music and has a bit of soul, might I add. So Nanna and Pop were out piddling around one weekend and noticed that this Dora danced and thought Kensley had to have it. Well, she loved it, and loved all over it and danced with it while she lasted. That's right folks; three days later, Dora quit dancing. Apparently Kensley enjoyed Dora's technical foot more than the other and she shorted out, but not before we got the necessary pictures and videos!

The Joys of Toddlerhood

I just read that some parents consider toddlerhood at one, others when their child begins walking. Either way, we have a toddler, as Kensley's first birthday rapidly approaches. Below you will notice some of Kensley's latest tricks. For a little girl who is so afraid to fall when she walks, she has NO FEAR about climbing all over things. (Maybe it's because I hover more when she is climbing???) Also, Kensley has begun to show her inner nosiness. She loves to know what's inside of things. Once she discovers it, she tosses it all out like a cartoon character and then sits in the box or bag of whatever. We are working on her cleaning up after herself. Kensley is doing well with putting things into its container, but we are surely going to have to keep this habit going without compromise so not to train Mama and Daddy to quickly do all the work ourselves! Uncle Matt and Aunt Jenn sent Kensley some of Lane and Laura Catherine's clothes and Kensley relished the opportunity to pull EVERYTHING from the box and then climb in.

Climbing into a toy basket

Just exerting her inner nosy.

Kensley pushed this box over to the laundry basket (that she uses as a toy) and proceeded to climb up and down and all around. Give me a BREAK!

Nigh, Nigh

Bedtime used to be difficult for us. I was the mom that nursed my baby to sleep or gave her a bottle and rocked when the nursing was done. That worked ok until it gave Kensley the impression that when she woke at 3:30am, all of that riggamaroll was to occur as it did before naps and bedtime. I wasn't under that same impression when it proved to be a habit, so we resorted to Ferberizing after all else seemed to come back to bite us. I still wish I could just rock my little girl to sleep and that be it, but for her, it doesn't work that way, so Ferber it is. Since implementing this new plan, (we had a few tearful nights in the very beginning) our bedtime routine has worked best for us for an extended time. We have alot of B's to check off before bed, (bottle, bath, brush teeth, bed clothes, book, hum (not a 'B'), and bed) but the routine has become so pleasant. So tonight, I go through the B's with Little Miss, and just before her little head hits the mattress and I have whispered, "I love you," she proclaims, "Nigh, Nigh!" I was just floored! She will say "wu you," but has never done good night. Her sweet words just hit the spot tonight!

Pumpkin Picker!

In the true spirit of Columbus Day in New Jersey (it's a holiday for most people), we went pumpkin picking today! We just went to pick up a pumpkin, but got sidetracked by all of the great activities to do at Johnson's Farm! Kensley roared at all of the farm animals (we are still working on matching the right sound with the animals!) and played on the play equipment. She also loved the pumpkin patch. We had to take a hayride to get there and Kensley took it upon herself to stick out her little hand and wave to all of the passersby. Once there, Kensley could play in the dirt and eat the vines. It was a great time with great weather and great memories!

Heading toward the pumpkin patch Showing off her new skill - walking to the playground. I see you! Look! Goats! Funny flower! Waiting for the hayride! Our hay wagonClimbing around on the wagonHey y'all! I mean, yous guys!This one?This one?I like this one!Our family pumpkin