It's Christmastime at The Marlatts!

I just couldn't stand it. I decorated the house the weekend before Thanksgiving. Generally, I would have waited. However, Mike was away, so I gave myself permission to crank up the Christmas tunes and knock out my decorating since we would be away for Thanksgiving weekend. This has been a great Christmas - already! Kensley just loves all of the lights everywhere from Main Steet to our home. She tells me often how "beautiful" our tree is and how much she likes it.

~Kensley helping decorate~

Our "one finger rule" was overturned this season when it came to touching the tree as I happened upon Kensley gathering my ornaments from the tree and putting them in her sand bucket. Uh, no! Later that evening when Kensley showed Nanna and Pop the tree over the phone, Kensley told Pop, "Do not touch the tree AT ALL!" This was a direct quote from her mother only hours earlier. Since then, Kensley has been tempted, but has been VERY good about not touching the tree "at all!"

Over the weekend, a neighbor informed us about the town's annual Christmas parade, which we absolutely flew by the seat of our pants to make it there. It started at 5:30 and we left here at 5:15. Mike's super-duper parking skills came in handy and he snagged an awesome parking spot right by the town Christmas Tree. Kensley loved the parade, the candy everyone threw from the floats, and BEADS! There was a sweet family who shared their spot with us to absorb some candy. Just the right attitude, especially for the holiday season. Ahhhhh. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays one and all!

Kensley and Daddy

We three Waving to the parade stars!

A sweet family shared their spot with Kensley so she could score some candy.

Say Cheese!

Aunt Marilyn and Aunt Judy came down for the weekend and came bearing Christmas gifts. Because Kensley loves playing with cameras and makes anything a camera, they thought giving Kensley her own camera for Christmas would be the perfect gift! They were right, however the jaws of our house are completely exhasuted from saying, "Cheese" this past week. Here are a few pictures of Kensley opening her camera. The unidentified objects are random things throughout the house - taken by Kensley. I think this is our carpet, which means she was just holding down the shutter button.

How does this work?

Cheese, Elmo. Elmo! Say Cheese!

Contemplating all of the pcitures she was going to take and waiting patiently for batteries.

Ida-clare!

We started off the first part of the month with a crazy BANG! Hmmmm. Where to begin? Well, there's the Cat 2 hurricane/Tropical Storm that we dodged, yet still seemed to get hit.

 

The weekend before Ida made landfall, we ventured across state lines and tried a little furniture shopping. I am in search of "the perfect" sofa and just can't seem to fall in love.

 

While we were away, Mike was informed he may need to come back and take care of some preventative maintenance at work in the event Ida became stronger. The next day at work, they took care of what/who they needed to take care of, and in light of the mounting concerns of Ida's strength, no one would need to report to work on Tuesday. As Ida fizzled and became nothing more to us than a minor rainstorm, the waters (and stomachs) began churning at home. Kensley woke up Monday night to arrive in our room and tell me that she "spit" in her bed. After a couple more minutes with her, I realized she was telling me she vomited. Rest assured, it was gross, but Kensley's a champ and made it through what we initially thought was a 24-hr bug.

All day Tuesday, Kensley was tired, but really didn't show any other signs of lingering illness. That was until 5 o'clock that evening. I was waiting for years in the speedy checkout at Wal-Mart, while Kensley jumped and bounced and had the time of her life. Mike waited patiently and then I heard the most obnoxious belch come from MY two-year-old! I looked at her and realized she had gagged. At that point, I immediately sent her to Mike telling him to take her to the restroom and that she was going to get sick again. He didn't make it, and I was right. Ew.

There we were, Kensley getting sick in the not-so-speedy checkout line at Wal-Mart for everyone to witness. I jumped into action, remembering to leave my unpaid merchandise on the Coke kiosk, and swept Kensley into the restroom. There, I undressed her and cleaned her as much as possible while Mike cleaned up Kensley's mess. All the while, Kensley apologized profusely, "I sawry, Mommy. I choke in Wal-Mart." "I all better, now." And apparently, she was right. Again thankful we were in Wal-Mart, we emerged from the restrooms, Kensley half-naked with no shoes on. (Do you get the humor?!?) Mike gave her one of the shirts off his back and swept her away to the car. I paid for the four items and we went home.

With Wednesday being Veteran's Day, Mike had another holiday with us. I don't remember what we did to be so productive, but later that night, the storm reared its ugly head and struck Mike! Being the dedicated employee, Mike went into work, only to be immediately returned to us for his recovery. It took all day Thursday for him to recuperate just in time to nurse me back to health (and supervise Kensley) on Friday evening and the better part of Saturday morning. I was the most fortunate one to become the least ill. To this very day, Kensley reminds usthat she "choked" in Wal-Mart.

To rid ourselves of the "storm", we ventured down to the beach on Sunday and had a few pictures of the three of us. What a gorgeous way to end a stormy week!

 

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Lou Ellen Marlatt

To my teacher-friends

One of my faaaaaaaavorite teaching websites is doing a giveaway and I have to share it with you all to increase my chances. http://teachingheartmom.blogspot.com/2009/11/giveway-of-thanks.html

Halloween Pic

It was really hot on Friday, so Kensley couldn't wear her fleece costume, so she wore her orange and black instead. She doesn't look like a baby anymore!

Halloween

We had such an awesome Halloween! On Friday night, we went to Mike's office for the children's activities. There were lots of kids there and lots of really fun activities.

On Saturday, boy were we busy!!! We had our town "festibal" complete with bouncy castles, candy, games, and lots of ...er, costumes. (Some folks should seriously look in a mirror before they leave the house!) As we were coming home from the festival, the younger neighborhood kids were starting their trick-or-treating journey. We chose to stay home until dark and to trick-or-treat.

After the festival, Kensley and Mike carved the pumpkin. It was sweet to hear Kensley tell him that the eyes needed to be "um, triangle." She went on to tell Mike that the nose could be a "square." She loves her shapes and colors!

Just after the carving, our friend (we knew from Germany) came over and started the Halloween fun. We got gussied up and headed out the door with our favorite penguin. Kensley would tentatively walk up to the door and barely whisper "Trick-or-treat" and would more audibly say, "Thank you very much" when she left the doorstep. It proved to be quite the candy-having weekend!
 

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Lou Ellen Marlatt

Happy Birthday TWO You, Part TWO

Kensley turned two! Since we were fortunate enough to celebrate her birthday with the grandparents at the beginning of the month, we became less and less obligated to have another party and finally opted to only celebrate as a family.

Kensley ended the day with a bang! Initially, she saw all of her presents from us on the table and wanted to open them. Since Mike had already left for work, I told her we would wait and open them with Daddy. Kensley didn't protest at all and didn't even mention them again. We headed to Wal-Mart to buy cake decorations where Kensley chose all of the decorations for her cupcakes.

...Cupcakes. What an experience with a two-year-old! Kensley loved watching them bake and couldn't wait to put the icing on them! That's where it became hilarious. I set up the video camera to document what Kensley's first decorating experience would be like...it lasted maybe 2 minutes. Actually, it lasted just long enough for me to realize that "don't touch anything" doesn't apply on your birthday if there are tons of cupcakes staring you in the face. As I was looking for the spreading knife, Kensley had taken "mmmmm! yummy!" bites into TWO cupcakes. How fitting! I promptly sat her in her chair at the table, put a little icing on the cupcake she'd mostly devoured and finished frosting the cupcakes. Kensley told me which sprinkles she wanted as well as the colors. It turns out that they looked a little like a flower garden!

After Mike got off of work, we met him at a bouncy house. It was tons of fun, and since it was during the day in the work/school week, we had the place to ourselves! The nice lady even let us bring our cupcakes in (usually they don't let outside food and beverages inside)!

As we closed down the bouncy house, Mike wanted to take Kensley to eat at her favorite joint, "Chick-a-lay" (Chick-fil-a). She devoured her chicken fingers and then played on the playground.

When we got home, Kensley opened her presents from us. She became quite good at getting the wrapping paper off, which was an improvement from just three weeks before. She really is growing up quickly and catching on to mostly anything.

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Lou Ellen Marlatt

Pumpkin Patch 2009

We had an awesome time this year at the Pumpkin Patch! Kensley loved examining all of the pumpkins, large and small. The smaller ones were her favorite, as she would announce that each tiny one was for Libby. Kensley got to hug a goat, touch a bunny, quack with the ducks, and watch the chickens up close. For whatever reason, she has decided to forego the bouncy castles as of late, but enjoys herself people-watching. (Click on the picture to enlarge all of the photos)

Greekfest, "Wocks", Penguins, and The Dawgs

Where to begin?! With Fall on the calendar (not so much in the air...), we've had lots of festivities!
Last weekend we had an opportunity to head to a Greek Festival in the cool, fall air. Kensley loved the dancing, baklava, and music. While enjoying the entertainment, Kensley found a rock - and made use of her pockets... You do the math. She was so proud to secure her valuables in her pocket!

We decided on a costume for Kensley for Halloween. We toyed with a family theme, a neighbor theme, a toddler theme, and even asked Kensley. Once she told us she wanted to be a "pinciss." Her daddy melted, but didn't give into that request. We thought about her being a cheerleader. After all, she has an outfit for the two SEC teams represented in this house, but Kensley only supports one... GOOOOooooo DAWGS! That didn't make the cut, this year. Finally, we were out and about and found a penguin costume. She loves it. She even proclaimed her love for it to her buddy, John. This is what she said to him the other day as it was hanging up, "Dis my piguin suit, John. I am a piguin."

It was finally warm enough for Kensley to wear her GA windsuit. She looks so funny in it. I can't decide if she looks like a coach, cheerleader, or a track star.

Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival

Maybe there is something to the old addage: "Always be on your best behavior and wear clean underwear." What does this have to do with the Mullet Festival you ask? Here goes: As we entered the gates and made our way through food and craft vendors, I saw a man who looked familiar. The closer we came, the more I realized I KNEW the man! It turns out, my parent's neighbors made a trip down to the festival and we ran into them!!! What are the chances? Kensley loves Mr. and Mrs. Darlin' (that's the name she gave them this summer after seeing them quite often. Mrs. Debbie always greets Kensley with a, "Hey Darlin'!" to which she appropriately named them thereafter.

This was the 33rd Annual Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival. It celebrates the fish - not the hairstyle. However, in this area, apparently a mullet is fashionable in certain cultures. The festival is very much like a carnival complete with rides, craft booths, foods, and ALLIGATORS! Live entertainment this year included big names such as Chuck Wicks, Blake Shelton, and the mullet king: Billy Ray Cyrus.

A big smile after Kensley's first funnel cake

Happy Birthday TWO You!

Where has the time gone?!?! My baby will be TWO in two weeks. To commenorate her milestone and make her accessible to both sets of grandparents, we traveled to the ATL over Columbus Weekend.
If presents were a sign of how much she is loved, she's oozing with love from her grandparents. Thankfully, we know gifts are just a symbol of how much her grandparents love to love Kensley. More than anything, Kensley's grandparents are ever-present and she prefers BEING with them.
Happy Birthday, Punkin! Love Grammy, Poppy, Nanna, Pop, and Mimi!

~Stay tuned for Kensley's up-to-date birthday at the end of the month.~

Ummmm...PANCAKES

This is the answer we get every.single.time we ask Kensley what she would like to eat. Every.single.time. Kensley also loves Mickey Mouse. Being the wonderful dad that he is, Mike used his new pancake pan to make Kensley a Mickey Mouse pancake. We kept asking her what and who was on her plate...she kept insisting M&Ms. She so blondly noticed it was Mickey Mouse after she ate all of the M&Ms from the pancakes. Something about not seeing the forest for the trees comes to mind here!

I Love Her!

Having three headstrong people in this nuclear family is just enough some days to want to run to polar ends of the earth! Usually that isn't the case for 2/3 of us in this house. Kensley, however, is coming into more independent thinking (which I know is healthy) and does absolutely nothing for my "straigthen up and fly right" parenting style. This past week was a bit trying with all the rain and indoor splendor, but I think we are about to turn the corner and come to an understanding of the wills for a while - hopefully!

I was sitting in my rocking chair in Kensley's room tonight waiting for her to fall asleep when I had the urge to sit on the side of her bed and stroke her hair. It wasn't very long before the wrestling and rustling of the covers slowed and she was off to sleep. I sat there on the edge of Kensley's bed for quite a while and just looked at her and marveled. She is getting to be such a big girl, yet she is still a baby. Her little fingers still curl and her little eyes look like angelic little curves as she rests peacefully. She still has a heavy sigh just before she totally drifts off... It is unfathomable that God gave us a humans the ability to create something teensy weensy that grows into another PERSON who you love so much your own heart could burst! Yes, I love her...good days and not-so-perfect.

What's 'Blog'ging You?

It has been nearly two years since we began this blogging journey and what a journey we've had! Please leave a comment below and let us know how often you check our blog and how you found us. I have also done some cleaning with the blog on the side. If you don't see your name, leave a comment and we'll add you, as long as you blog regularly (at least a post a month).

Oh, What a Weekend!

It all began on Thursday when Uncle Rob arrived. The fun, the family, and the festivities were endless.

She looks so big and is so proud of herself for drinking like a big girl, now.

We took Uncle Rob to Fudpuckers when he arrived on Thursday where they have live gators (ew!) and a playground, just over the gator pond........

You haven't been pucked till you've been Fudpucked!

Then, Grammy and Poppy stopped in on Friday afternoon to have dinner and head off to their next stop.

Grammy and Poppy brought Savannah's Big Wheel down for Kensley to use.

...So Uncle Rob was the honorary tricycle motor! Gotta love Uncle Rob

Grammy read Puff the Magic Dragon to Kensley

What's a trip from Uncle Rob without fun and PRESENTS?

On Saturday, Pop and Mike went to a dove shoot while Nanna, Uncle Rob, Kensley, and I went shopping and to the beach. It was a fun-filled day for everyone.

BEACH TIME! We just love the beach!

LOVE the beach!

We took Nanna, Pop, and Uncle Rob to the base on Sunday for brunch and to see what they could see.

Group photo on the bay

What a fun weekend - what a great time!

Sunny in the Sunshine State

We have been busy unpacking, placing (WHERE did we have all of this stuff in that townhouse?!?), and purchasing that comes with a move. With our extra hands during the move (Aunt Marilyn and Judy), we were unpacked and placed in less than 4 days. They were a HUGE help and we are forever indebted. Libby and Kensley have made an easy adjustment into the new house. Kensley went straight from the crib to her toddler bed and sleeps there very well. She loves the independence of waking up and coming to our bed in the morning (I just wish she would wait till 7, though!). Libby loves having the deck in the back to secure her tan and to manage the birds and squirrels. So far, so good! Shhhh....she's napping! Our playset

The playground while we were shopping

These two! They love each other!

Take pi-chur, Mommy! Cheese!