The Clark Bark

Song Medley

2012-02-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

In case you can't understand him, he starts with "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" then morphs into "Elmo's World." After that he goes into "Roll your hands" and finally the "Wonderpets" theme song. Enjoy. :)

--KC

Let's Talk Turkey

2012-02-16T06:13:00.000-08:00

Politics, religion, money.

The three things you are not supposed to bring up in polite conversation.

Well, I'm breaking the rules.

I'm talking money.

Because today we hit a goal that we have been working on for an entire year.

A year of scrimping and saving and working and babysitting and dog-grooming and making do and going without and ramen noodles.

We had a goal to save $500 a month, every month, and we exceeded it. On one income.

After all our savings, plus our tax return, plus TJ's bonus, we hit a grand total of over $18,000 in savings.

Then this morning we paid off TJ's grad school loan in FULL, all $13,000 of it.

That means we have $5000 left, and this is the beginning of our save-up-for-a-house fund.

I would say that I am so proud of us, but all I can really say is that I'm so incredibly grateful. We prayed for help throughout the year, made sure we always paid a full tithe before anything else, and we have been blessed enormously.

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,

that there may be meat in mine house,

and prove me now herewith,

saith the Lord of hosts,

if I will not open you the windows of heaven,

and pour you out a blessing,

that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

--Malachi 3:10

We are not completely out of debt. We obviously have what is left on our mortgage and one more undergrad loan. (But our car is paid off and our credit card has a zero balance!)

Our goal this year is to save up for a down-payment on a house; then once we are settled in, and if we could have another year like this one, we will only be indebted to our home.

And our Heavenly Father, but I don't think we can ever hope to pay that one off.

Happy loan payoff day!

--KC

Snow Under the Sun

2012-01-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

I want to climb the mountain, mommy!

I'll be right behind you if you should slip.

I made a no-ball, mommy.

You're so beautiful, Topher.

I made tracks with my boots, mommy.

You're getting so big, why are you getting so big?

I need to throw no-balls at the bad guys, mommy.

My gosh, I don't know if the sun is shining or if it's your gray eyes that are blinding me.

I need another no-ball, mommy.

The snow looks like sugar in your palm.

Let's play some more, mommy.

Someday you are going to fly.

I got your coat, mommy, with my no-ball.

No, you got me much deeper than that.

--KC

Budding Photographer

2012-01-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

We gave Topher our old digital camera. He's pretty excited about it. You should see how carefully he turns it on, stands two inches away from his desired subject, takes a blurry picture, and beams over it.

Here's a few of his favorite photos.

This last one is just one of many crotch shots, I might add.

It's pretty fun to see the world through the eyes of a three-year-old. And I actually think his point of view is a lot more interesting than my own. I've never thought much of our laundry basket, for example, until I saw his artistic take on it.

But maybe that's what kids do best...just continually expose you to new views. Take a breath, snap a picture, and keep going.

--KC

sewing, or something like that

2012-01-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

I have a hand-me-down sewing machine. Have had for a few years, in fact. But more often than not, I would glance at it and think, I don't sew. That's it, just I don't sew as though it were something I could not change. As though I were saying, My eyes aren't blue, never will be.

Well as Christmas was approaching and my fingers were knitting themselves into knots I started thinking, I need a new hobby. And there was my sewing machine, dusty and looking sorry for itself. So, just for fun, I started perusing the internet, looking for beginning sewing patterns. I came across one that I fell in love with.

So I begged my sewing-master friend Beth to give me a lesson. For a couple hours she walked me through how to cut fabric, topstitch, and add batting. With her help, and then finishing it myself the next day, I made what I set out to make: a Pyrex carrying cover. My mom always seems to be delivering a meal to someone, so I gave it to her for Christmas.

But then after adding up the cost of that little project I started feeling gloomy. Fabric is expensive (on sale for $5/yard--gee thanks), and I didn't know how I would ever accumulate enough to create a good stash.

Fortunately, I came across a blog that suggested buying fabric second-hand. Sheets, towels, tablecloths...anything made of fabric at a thrift store is fair game.

This was the most genius idea I had ever come across (in the world of sewing). So I ran to the Salvation Army and grabbed 4 sheet sets for about $8. There's a couple YARDS of fabric in EACH sheet so really, the cost per yard is negligible. (I then promptly washed them all because they had that certain Salvation Army smell. But now they smell just like my dryer sheets. And they also smell a bit like a bargain, if you ask me, which is a totally lovely scent.)

I decided this is the perfect way to learn how to sew. I can practice making things and if I mess up, it only cost me a few cents.

Sigh of relief. I can now continue to pursue my new hobby.

So the first thing I did was learn how to ruffle and, using one of those sheets, I made myself an apron. I did not use a pattern, but I knew what I wanted it to look like in the end. And after reading several sewing blogs and tutorials on line, all the info I needed was in my head somewhere, in bits and pieces.

Success (as long as I don't show you the back side)!

Then I made a little pin cushion for my sewing machine, so I'd have somewhere to put all the pins I pull out as I'm sewing along.

Then I decided that I wanted to learn how to quilt. I can't exactly explain why, except that I have a favorite quilt that I adore, and I can stare at it for hours and it always amazes me that someone made it.

So, an easy way to learn some quilting techniques is to knit yourself a potholder. Using the leftover Pyrex material, I did just that. This was also my first attempt at making my own bias tape (the edging, here in green.)

Then I saw a sprocket pillow and I knew I wanted to make one. So I got out some floral sheets and went to work.

I kind of love this pattern, and if you made it bigger it could be an awesome floor pillow. Perfect for a playroom and also so very zen.

But so far it was all just little things. What I really wanted to make was my first quilt. I found instructions for the "world's most simple quilt" and knew that was the one for me.

I no longer believe everything I read.

Seriously, if THIS is the easiest quilt in the world, I'm in trouble.

However, in the spirit of not giving up, I decided to finish it no matter what.

And last night, I did.

It's a small quilt, lap size (or Topher-sized, if it weren't so darn flowery), but it is a quilt.

And I sewed it myself. Without too much trouble.

Or something like that.

Now does anybody need a quilt and matching pillow?

--KC

My Literary Siblings

2012-01-04T10:07:00.000-08:00

I bet you didn't know that I come from a literary family.

I do.

At our big Christmas gathering, my brothers announced the completion of their first children's book.

Then my sister announced the completion of her first novel.

Both are phenomenal.

And I do not say that as a sister, I say that as an avid reader.

So without further ado, please allow me to introduce to you....

Jonny & Jeffy

A hilarious story about two brothers (based on true events) with pictures that are delightful. My brother Jeff illustrated it, and I love his signature drawings. It is Topher's new favorite book.

And allow me to also introduce to you a novel close to my heart...

On Little Wings

From the first page you will know that my sister Regina is a very talented individual. It is so easy to be swallowed up by her descriptions, to see the story like a movie in your mind. It's about a teenage girl who discovers a family secret and goes searching for the answers that her mother refuses her. If you love the cover, give my brother-in-law, Justin, all the credit. (In fact, that beautiful girl on the front is my niece!)

I feel like I need to step up my game in order to stay in this crazy-talented family.

Both books are available in paperback and Kindle formats.

On Little Wings is FREE on Kindle for a limited time.

A deep and heartfelt congratulations to my siblings. I'm so proud to be your sister.

Love,

Karen

A Brand New Year

2012-01-03T12:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone. It wasn't quite the week we had planned on as various illnesses worked their way through our family, but it was a long and (mostly) relaxing week. Even with a trip to KC followed by a trip to Minneapolis.

I don't know why January 1st feels so different from December 31st. But there's this feeling at the start of every year that maybe everything will just fall into place and that the year will be a beautiful one. I do know that this year we will pay off TJ's grad school loan (more on that later), we'll start saving for a down payment on a house, and we'll become the parents of a four-year-old. Other than that, the possibilities are endless.

Christmas morning 2011, messy hair and all:

If last year was my year of knitting, this year I think I'll delve into the art of sewing. As I was working on an apron this morning Topher sat in my lap and helped me feed the material through the sewing machine. He said it sounded like a tractor.

My other resolutions include being more patient (my ultimate downfall), more thifty (is that even possible?!), and more positive.

Christmas morning 2011, leaving for church. Topher has discovered how to make funny faces at the camera instead of smiling. He thinks he is hilarious:

I know what I am hoping this year to be but I also know that we are often blessed with alternate plans, so the key is to have a little faith. Here's hoping that this year is a wonderful one. Happy New Years!

--KC

Christmas Party

2011-12-21T07:12:00.000-08:00

Saturday was our church Christmas party. It was an interesting event, with a Christmas program followed by bag lunches in the cultural hall. (Our building is undergoing a big renovation right now so we had to improvise and eat on picnic blankets.) Topher found the Jell-O cubes quite confusing. Apparently we never eat Jell-O and he just kept licking it but was afraid to take a bite.

Our family in our "casual holiday attire".

The very best part was when they asked everyone to start singing Jingle Bells. The entire cultural hall full of people started singing, and then Santa walked in! I wish I had a picture of Topher's face at that moment. He looked utterly stunned. He was so brave taking a picture with Santa, too, even though he wouldn't talk to him.

The next day was Topher's last day in nursery. Now if you know me you know I love that my son is getting bigger and I never long for his baby days to return. However. However...knowing that my little boy is big enough to go to a Primary class now hit me kind of hard. (Come January, he will be a Sunbeam. There's even a song: "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, to shine for him each day..." It's adorable.)

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus here in Ankeny, Iowa. About a month ago Topher opened the doors of the electric fireplace, looked up inside it and called out, "Santa? Santa Claus?" I loved it. I love the magic of the season and the magic of Topher's age.

Tomorrow we head to Kansas City to visit my family. We'll come home on Christmas Eve so we can wake up in our own home on Christmas morning. We'll open presents, go to church and spend the rest of the day playing with presents and watching movies and drinking cocoa.

Here's wishing you all a wonderful holiday full of happiness and anticipation and the spirit of Christ~~mas~~.

-KC

Itsy Bitsy Spider

2011-12-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

Take it away, Topher!

--KC

Summing Up Oct and Nov

2011-11-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry I'm the worst blogger ever. Here's a quick recap of some (fairly) recent events:

OCTOBER:

After the big party came Halloween. At the church Halloween party, our family won this (for the life of me this picture would not load right side up):

For dressing like this:

Then on beggar's night TJ decided that pirates had been done to death, so he was Voldemort instead:

And Topher had fun and wore himself out.

NOVEMBER:

Not a lot to report in November. I hit a knitting wall and now I can't decide what else to make for Christmas gifts. Anything that saves me from getting carpal tunnel, I think. All our neighbors will be receiving decorated Christmas jars filled with homemade goodies. I just think that making gifts helps me to stay focused and in the "Christmas spirit." It's a way for me to inject a little love into everything I give.

Speaking of goodies, Topher really got into helping me make some cake balls. So maybe his needed a little help but he was SO proud of himself:

These were the finished products:

The OTHER thing that is happening now is the big PT (which in Parent World is Potty Training.) It's very gradual around here. One day Topher wanted his Wall-E underwear so we put it on him and kept trying the potty. He went twice that day and then had four accidents. After much laundry, we did it again the next day. Just kept him in his underwear until naptime or bedtime, at which point we'd stick a diaper back on him. We noticed that he usually woke up dry. And even though it's gradual there are no treats or presents involved, just a high five and a happy celebration each time he goes. Today has been his best day yet. He's used the potty four times (including a twosie!) and has had NO accidents. My baby is really growing up now! Although I have to say that of all the many "baby" things I was SO ready to say good riddance to, diapers have never really bothered me. Still will be nice not to buy them anymore, though.

Here's a picture of Topher last week when he made his first poo-poo in the potty. I'm pretty sure I'm obligated as a mommy to take this picture, but I was kind with the angle of the camera:

So there you have it. Some little events and some big events, all rolling around together and making up the mish-mash of our rather simple, but happy, lives.

--KC

Constructing a Party

2011-10-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

Well Saturday was the big day.

The construction party to end all construction parties.

Here's how it went down:

The Decorations:

The Food:

The Family & Friends:

The Presents:

The Cake:

The boy it was all for:

Happy birthday, Topher. We hope you had a wonderful day.

As for mommy and dadddy, we're just glad that we have a whole year before we have to put together your next amazing party. We can only imagine what theme you'll choose when you're FOUR!

--KC

The Adventures of Being Three

2011-10-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our baby boy turned three.

He really is a special kid, all full of life and humor and stubbornness, and dancing, and wrestling, and talking, and love.

He got a few presents yesterday, mostly of the knights and dragons variety.

(He will receive the rest of his gifts on Saturday at his big birthday party.)

Last night, we took him to Fuddrucker's because his dinner request was "chicken and fries". The milkshake was a bonus.

Oh yeah, the knight helmet came too.

Then we took him to the big indoor playground at Jordan Creek Mall. He loves it there.

It was a great birthday. But it didn't end yesterday. This is his birthday week, after all.

So for today I set up a private, after-hours tour of our local DOT garage.

The guy let us in the garage and told Topher he could climb in any trucks he wanted. He went straight for an enormous dump truck.

And I do mean enormous.

These are the trucks they use to keep Iowa highways clear of snow and ice.

That's a big job.

I think this was Topher's own version of Heaven.

Seeing him so happy and excited was our version of Heaven.

He ended up "driving" three of the huge trucks.

The man giving us the tour was so nice. He gave Topher a safety hat, a reflective vest, and a toy truck off of his desk. Then he gave TJ and I vests as well to wear at Topher's construction party on Saturday.

He also mentioned that we were pretty special to get this tour and that to his knowledge, no kid has ever been allowed to do this before.

Apparently cuteness will get you everywhere in life.

We can't wait to see what adventures await us in the coming year.

Happy birthday, puppy pie. Mommy and daddy love you endlessly.

--KC

Why the Clarks should never carve pumpkins...

2011-10-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the pumpkin farm and we each chose a pumpkin.

This afternoon, we thought it would be fun to carve them.

I asked Topher what kind of a face he wanted mine to have: happy, scary, sad, etc.

He chose happy, so I drew the following design:

Then we looked over to see what TJ was drawing for his face.

This is what we saw:

(If you're a little speechless right now, that's okay.)

Well immediately Topher decided that the happy face just wasn't going to do.

He wanted a scary face, too.

So I revised my pumpkin:

And Topher was happy.

And all the pumpkins turned out just the way they were depicted on paper.

But I couldn't help but notice that that pumpkin next to my pumpkin just looked silly.

So what can I say?

I jumped on the sick wagon.

And suddenly I realized that we really are the perfect couple.

And that, my friends, is why the Clarks should never be allowed to carve pumpkins.

Happy Halloween.

--KC

A New Love

2011-10-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Topher is in love.

With an alien robot species.

They are called Transformers, and the Autobots are sworn protectors of the human race. Their leader is Optimus Prime.

They wage battle against their enemies, the Decepticons, who would wish to obliterate us mortals and use our planet for their own gain.

Aren't little boy fairytales romantic?

--KC

Catching Up

2011-09-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long. Here's what has been happening in the Clark household in a nutshell.

I finished putting the hardware on the kitchen cabinets.

TJ has been busy reading the Harry Potter series. Topher loves to go to the library whenever the next book becomes available.

Two weekends ago Topher fell off the ladder at the park. He hurt his foot, but it never showed signs of being a serious injury. Just a few days of ice packs and Tylenol and he was back to normal. Plus the Ace bandage gave him some security and support. He called it his boot.

Topher has discovered the joy of driving with the windows down. He LOVES it.

Sassy and Squash both had their 7th birthday at the end of August. They show zero signs of growing older. If you put them next to their 2-year old selves, I would not be able to tell any difference.

Topher loves to do this puzzle (and most other things) all by himself. Really, don't help him. It only makes him mad.

I did it!

And I've been knitting a few odd projects. I made my first throw pillow, but I won't post pictures until I give it to the recipient. I like surprises and I figure other people do, too.

There's a woman I used to work with who has started her own photography business. She wants me to knit her some baby props and in return she will post my knitting projects on her website. I'm pretty excited to have my work photographed on cute babies. :)

I think that's all for now. The weather is beautiful, football season has begun, and we are happy. We hope you are, too.

--KC

Changes Changes Part II

2011-08-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, next up is the kitchen. Here's our kitchen. It's not large, and therefore improvement projects seem a little less daunting. So after our fireplace tiling success, we decided to buy some more clearance tile (20 sq. feet) and create a backsplash. This took us one weekend and cost about $50. It was actually the same weekend we did the fireplace. Bonus.

This is before the grout was dry. Once it dried, it blended with the tile completely (almost making the tile hard to see. But that's okay, we know it's there. And at least it's easy to wipe down now.)

And then this past weekend TJ was out of town to St. Louis. Remember how I painted the cabinetry in the half bath that dark mocha color? Well I really liked it. A lot. So I decided the kitchen needed the same treatment. And it was very scary making that first paint stroke. But there really wasn't any turning back after that. And so I took a breath and dove in.

Why I chose to tackle this project on a weekend when I was a single parent I have NO idea. I guess I was hoping it would help pass the time until TJ came home. It wore me out completely. Each surface needed two coats of paint and at least another two coats of a clear topcoat (my "Topher-proof" protection) Around this point I wanted to give up. I posted this picture on Facebook and begged my friends to tell me it was beautiful. Sometimes I run on compliments.

It worked. The encouragement fueled me on. I stayed up late into the night painting and then was up each morning at 6:30am when Topher pops out of bed like a Poptart on speed. But by the time TJ came home, exhausted in his own right, I was so glad I had this to show him. He was probably just glad he got to skip all the work.

These pictures make it almost impossible to see the backsplash but I promise it looks good in person. And if I ever get enough momentum to repaint the walls, it will be more noticeable. We still need to attach the new cabinet hardware (brushed nickel) but I'm so glad the painting is done. And now I feel like my cabinets have always WANTED to be this color. I feel that it matches the countertops so much better. I might start calling this our cafe instead of our kitchen. It's just a little fancier these days.

Oh, were you curious about the cost? One quart of paint was $9. One quart of topcoat was $13. (I only needed one of each, which amazed me. A little bit goes a long way!) The handles WERE $5 each, but I bought them on clearance for $1.83/ea so my total cost for those was $36, since I needed 20 of them. And since I didn't have to pay myself for my own time, that was it.

And now, even though we live in a complex with 250 nearly identical townhomes, ours is starting to look a little bit different from the rest. And I like that.

--KC

Changes Changes Everywhere

2011-08-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why, but we've been on a home improvement kick lately. I figure you have to jump on board when you're in the mood because you never know when it might strike again. So let's start with our corner fireplace. Here it is.

You know I hate imitation oak, right? Well, this had to go.

So we bought some clearance tile (11 sq. feet) and got to work. Our friends loaned us their wet saw, and TJ made short work of this project. He has some serious tiling skills. I was the mudder and the grouter. Glamorous jobs, I know.

We did this in one weekend for about $40. I still need to paint the mantle, but the fireplace is now a focal point instead of an eye sore. Hooray!

Next up is the kitchen. Just wait and see how we transformed it in 2 weekends. Are you ready?

--KC

How do YOU backup?

2011-08-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about memories and how to preserve them. We have, literally, tens of thousands of digital photos. And one of Topher's favorite activities is sitting down and watching videos of himself, of which we also have several hundred. So whenever I download new pics or videos to our computer, I immediately back them up to this little device.

Amazing that something so small could hold so much, right? But then I really got to thinking. We've been in a flood, after all, and we know that irreplaceable things can disappear in moments. And if this little device ever went under water, everything would be gone. Forever. That gives me panic attacks.

So I decided this week to back everything up a second time, on a different media. I bought a spindle of 50 blank DVD's (for $12.99) and laboriously transferred every folder, every document, and every movie over to the discs. It took 34 of them (each holds just over 4 gb). Because we learned from experience that DVD's can survive getting wet just fine.

I also made an index for each disc of which folders were on it, so if I needed to find photos of Topher at 6 months old, for example, I would know just where to look. This folder is not waterproof yet. (Enter some big baggies in my near future.)

So there you have it. My external hard drive, my data discs, and then the occasional third backup to Youtube and Shutterfly. Now all I need is a waterproof/fireproof safe to store it all in and I'll be able to sleep better at night. I'm pretty sure. Is there another way to backup that I'm missing? (We tried Carbonite for a year but it bothered me that it can only back up files currently on your computer. And having that many videos and pics on my computer, along with the Carbonite software, was really slowing everything down.)

So how do YOU backup? I know there are people out there as paranoid as me. Right???

--KC

My $22 Bathroom

2011-08-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Our half bath was purple when we moved in. Not an offensive shade of purple, just purple. The vanity and baseboards were oak. And the lights were the broadway style lights, all in a row and all the bulbs exposed. I didn't despise my bathroom, but I wasn't in love with it either. So I grabbed some leftover paint from the garage and attacked it. The only money spent was the clearance light fixture ($17), two handles for the vanity ($4), and a clearance towel ring ($1). I grabbed a metal leaf that was stowed away and hung it on the wall. TJ is going to build some shelves to go above the toilet and I'll put some baskets there for storage.

Ta-da!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

He's at it again...

2011-07-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Place: Petsmart
Time: 10am today
Reason: Background music. Feet that can move. What more do you need?

At the end of this clip you hear, "Mommy I'm all done dancing." Yes, Topher, but for how long? I know you too well. And the next time we're in Kohl's and Justin Bieber comes on, I think we both know what's going to happen.

--KC

Whose child IS this?

2011-07-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

It was a typical grocery run to Walmart. With our typical detour through the toy section. But some suppressed rhythm in my son refused to be squelched any longer. And so it broke free.

--KC

Birthday Weekend

2011-07-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

Topher and I decided that TJ needed a whole weekend of low-key celebration for his birthday this year. Here are the highlights:

Thurs:

Before TJ came home from work, Topher and I decorated the house and made a 3-layer cake for him. Even though his birthday was really on Saturday, this was the only day we could surprise him (since he was taking Friday off of work.)

His gift was a new bike seat and handlebars for his favorite bicycle. Topher helped with the installation.

Then we had to try that cake. The bottom layer is a homemade brownie, topped by two layers of strawberry cake. Scrumptious.

That night we grilled talapia and yellow squash. We also made coleslaw and wild rice. It was so good, and we discovered that our boy LOVES fish.

Fri:

We went to the zoo in the morning before the worst of the heat wave hit. It only takes an hour for us to literally see every animal in the zoo AND play in the zoo playground. This is the benefit of a tiny zoo.

Then it was off to TJ's parent's house where we celebrated with another grilled fish dinner and a chocolate pie. Topher helped blow out the candle.

Sat:

TJ had received a giftcard to Menards from his parents and bought a new miter saw with it. Saturday morning he took off to the lumber yard and came home with a car full of wood. Topher promptly wanted to sit in the back of the car with all the lumber.

TJ said he was going to build a workbench along this empty wall in our garage. I was a little dubious to say the least.

But he wasn't kidding.

Just two hours later he was finished. I might have exclaimed, a little too emphatically, "I didn't think it would look that good!" So sorry honey.

Happy birthday to a husband and dad who continues to surprise and delight us. We love you so much.

Love, your little monkeys

--KC

Waterworks

2011-07-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

Topher woke up sick the morning of July 4th. He has a knack for getting sick on that holiday. This happened the same weekend last year. Poor baby. Luckily it was just a quick bug and by evening, he was pretty much back to normal. Since we didn't want to keep him up late, though, we substituted fireworks with an afternoon of water balloons. They both explode, they both make people smile and squeal. They are both extremely dangerous in careless hands. It was a lot of fun. And since this has occured two years in a row, I think we have found our family's official 4th of July tradition--getting sick and then getting wet. Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! May God bless all our soldiers who have served and continue to serve in order to keep us free. --KC

Family Reunion 2011

2011-07-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well yee-haw! This year my family reunion (my mom's side) was no disappointment. Every single person made it, totaling 56 in all. We have these reunions every other year and this year it was held in Branson, MO. My family has been going to Branson since before I was born, so the good ol' fashioned fun of Silver Dollar City is in my blood, I suppose. TJ had to warm up to it a bit, but I think he's on-board now. If you'll remember, our last reunion was held in Bear Lake, UT when Topher was 9 months old and it was a miserable--sorry, I mean memorable--trip for us to say the least. This year was SO MUCH BETTER.

Our condo was amazing. We had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a laundry room, a living room and a deck all to ourselves, as did every family unit. Where we were frustrated in Bear Lake because the whole family stayed in one gigantic house and we could never get our baby far enough away from the fun and commotion, this year was a whole different story. If anything, we were too removed from everyone else. But it was gorgeous so I'm not complaining at all. I mean, just look at the view from our deck!

We made it to Silver Dollar City three days in a row. (This is how I know my husband loves me, by the way.) Topher tried a lot of rides, including the Carousel, Fire-in-the-Hole, the Flooded Mine, the Kiddie Coaster, the Flying Elephants, the Huck Finn boats, and more.

Oh, and he started embracing his roots in the gift shop. Please meet Davey Crockett as a toddler, learning to shoot with his cork-popping gun.

Two nights in a row we went out with family to do the bumper boats. Topher was skeptical and a little scared at first, but after awhile he really got into it, even when we got soaked.

The reunion lasted 3 nights and each night the family gathered in the main lodge and had food catered so we could all see each other at least once a day. This room was also home to our family talent show, family meeting, and swearing in of new family members (yep, there's an official oath). It is such a wonderful feeling to be gathered with everyone you love and to feel so complete.

Night two of bumper boats and Topher couldn't wait to pick out his boat and go "bumper" everybody.

After a change of clothes it was off down the Branson Strip for some Andy's yogurt.

The next morning we had to say our goodbyes. This picture is extremely near and dear to my heart. This is my grandad, the head of the family and the reason we're all here.

After checking out of our condo, we made one more stop in Silver Dollar City. On the Flooded Mine ride, Topher somehow managed to shoot two of the targets! I was amazed.

Then Topher was identified as the outlaw that he is and got locked up by the local sheriff.

One more milkshake in the sweetest little ice cream shop in SDC and we were ready to go home.

Then it was off to Ozark, MO to see my bestest bestie, who just bought her own house. I love you, Katydid!

And how did we fare after 5 days away from our own bed and living out of suitcases and driving way, way too much? Well we made it, but just barely. :)

--KC

First Theatre Experience

2011-06-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I spell "theatre" the French way, I just do. It's fancier. We've noticed lately that Cars 2 commercials are everywhere. Mater and Lightning are on our cereal boxes. A new section of our Target is devoted to new Cars 2 toys. So we thought that maybe this would be a good opportunity to take Topher to his very first movie-theatre movie. I bought the tickets early in the day yesterday, and I'm glad I did. Apparently you don't mess around with a newly-released Pixar production. We had to wait in an obnoxiously long line to be seated while trying to explain to Topher exactly what was going on. I think the gist of it was that we were going to see our Cars friends on a very big TV in a dark room. Topher wanted to know if there would be a table in there for his nummies. Maybe next time we'll take him to a dinner theatre. Luckily we ran into some good friends right before the movie who gave us this little treasure of advice: take the carseat in with you. It's genius really. The child is more comfortable, sits a little higher, and anything he drops (ie his new Cars toy) stays nearby and doesn't make a ruckus hitting the floor. When we got in there, Topher even asked us to buckle him in. Maybe he thought the experience would be more interactive. (TJ found the flash to be a little much in the dark environment.) Everything would have been okay, we like to theorize, if the movie had started on time and not 10 minutes late as they tried to get everyone seated. Then if we could have skipped through the 15 minutes of previews, we just might have made it to the end. As it was, we only made it about an hour and a half before Topher got out of his seat and started wandering. He finally told us he wanted to go and so we left Lightning in there, still mad at Mater and the championship still hanging in the balance. But it was a good first try. And in another two years when we try it again, Cars 3 will surely be the new must-see. --KC

Member's Night

2011-06-08T07:11:00.001-07:00

Being a zoo member has its perks, and at the end of last month we were able to preview the new dinosaur exhibit before it opened to the public. Topher was talking about it all week. Note to moms: don't mention something exciting to a toddler until the day you are going to do it.

Topher has been into dinosaurs ever since daddy showed him some clips from Jurassic Park. (I was not there for that decision.) Later, when I heard about it I thought Topher would be scared but instead he was grinning from ear to ear and telling me that the dinosaur says "Rawr!" And so a love of dinosaurs was born.

We also got a voucher for some free popcorn, so we took an intermission from the fun to snack and feed some eager blackbirds.

Then we saw some animals. It's a tiny zoo but it's the perfect size for toddlers. Then, as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, we told Topher he could ride the train. He's never been on a train before but he's talked about it many, many times.

It was a really fun night. Topher keeps asking if we can go back and see the dinosaurs and ride the choo-choo again.

If it means seeing that grin on his face again, you already know what my answer is to that.

--KC

Knitting Frenzy

2011-05-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

Because there are four women at church who are about to give birth (all of them are expecting little girls!), I have been knitting up a storm of pink gifts.

First up was a double shower, where I contributed bibs and booties to some combined gift baskets:

Next up was my friend Kristin's shower. At first she said there would be absolutely no pink in her baby's room, so I was going to try and match whatever colors she chose for her curtains, but then she changed her mind completely and decided it was pale pink all the way. This left me one month to knit the world's most everlasting blanket.

I don't know if it was because my needles were on the smaller side, if the yarn was super snaggy and hard to work with, or just that I made the blanket WAY too wide and had to keep lengthening it so it wouldn't look stupid, but this baby took me the entire four weeks. Kristin's son is Topher's best buddy, though, so I wanted her little girl to have something special. I wanted her to sleep in a cloud of softness. I almost threw a party the day I cast off and could say that I was done. All joking aside, though, it was a labor of love.

But because the best gifts come in groups, I threw in a matching hat (once again, the stuffed cat is the only thing in my house small enough to model my newborn hats.)

Last night was the last shower, and I wanted to try something new. So I made a hat and experimented with it a bit. Once I decided that I liked it, I made some booties to match.

All of these little girls are going to AMAZING families who are anxiously awaiting them. I hope everything goes well for everyone and I cant wait to see all the little cuties!

--KC

Five Weeks of Waterbabies

2011-05-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

For the last five Tuesdays, TJ has taken Topher to the YMCA for his Waterbabies class. It was daddy/son time and I would just hear about it afterwards. Since Topher has never had a positive experience with a large body of water, we wanted to try and get him ready for some summer fun at the pool. The first two weeks weren't pretty. Topher cried the whole time. We missed week three due to a cold, but then last week it went really well. Meaning he did not cry as much. So this week, for his last class, I snuck in to the stands to watch my little water baby. As soon as Topher got in the water, he started crying and I heard someone in the stands say, "That's the one that cries." Great. Anyway, as soon as the the shock of the cold water wore off, Topher relaxed considerably and really didn't cry much at all. I literally had to crouch behind a woman to hide from Topher (I explained that I wasn't trying to be creepy but that I was hiding from my son and she was very accommodating). I then had to hold my camera out to the side of her head, and zoom all the way in order to get these shots. Look what I captured here: a SMILE!!!!

I'm so proud of Topher for being brave, even when the water wasn't warm. I'm also extremely glad that TJ has infinite patience with him. Let the summer begin!

Or at least bring on the heated pools.

--KC

Yesterday

2011-05-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Topher, Yesterday was a good day. It was cloudy but not too cold, windy but not to distraction. As soon as you woke up from your nap you were asking to go outside, so outside we went. For awhile you insisted on pushing the stroller. Then, after about a block, you decided you would rather ride. We walked to a spot where we could look out over the busy road. As the cars drove by, I tried to name their colors before they were gone again. You laughed. Every time you spotted a truck, you would point and say, "truck!" as though it was the first one you had ever laid eyes on. You ran down the hill as fast as you could without tripping and into my arms where you would get scooped up and twirled around. You wanted to do it again and again. Every time your body weight would slam into me I felt whole. We walked down to the little pond. There were no ducks, but we had several sword-fights with long blades of grass. You beat me every time. I taught you how to say, "En guarde!" Nothing really happened yesterday. Not really. But I couldn't stop staring at you, at your little rows of sharp white teeth whenever you smiled. I stared at that freckle right at the corner of your eye. I stared at you whenever you would zoom off with your bouncy little run. I stared at your ears and how they angle out just so. I stared at your profile. I couldn't help it. I still can't believe you're mine.

I'm so glad I get to stay home with you and have all these "uneventful" days. Turns out that they are the ones that make up the majority of our lives.

I love everything about you.

Love, mommy

Sesame Street Groove

2011-05-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

There was a short segment on Sesame Street the other day that made Topher laugh and laugh. He kept asking me to rewind it and watch it again (thank goodness for DVR!!) After a few times, he started dancing to it.

--KC

Roadtrip Weekend

2011-05-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity this past weekend to take a roadtrip to Nauvoo, IL. Along the way, we saw signs in Eldon, IA directing us to the American Gothic house. You know, the real house used as the background of this famous painting:

We decided on a little detour. It was hilarious. The volunteer working at the museum could not have been more enthusiastic about the painting. Or about dressing us up and posing us just so right in front of the house. I'm so glad we stopped.

Then we got a silly picture to debunk the myth that Iowans are crabby, miserable farmers.

We arrived at Nauvoo and checked into our--wait for it--log cabin. I was SO excited about staying in an authentic log home. These log homes have been salvaged from the prairies, restored, and have been modernized with air, TVs, kitchenettes, and full bathrooms. But the charm of the cabin remains. It was the perfect setting for our Nauvoo weekend. Here it is, the cutest little cabin you could ever imagine:

A view of the inside. Along the other wall was a full bathroom, a futon, and the TV and fridge/microwave. Black and white photos of the original owners hung above our bed.

And the very VERY best part was our room key. It was an authentic skeleton key! I couldn't get over it.

That night we went to the Nauvoo temple. We tried to have this cowboy with an English accent (don't ask!) take our picture, but it ended up all blurry. This was the best we came away with.

The next morning we visited the Carthage jail. The entire weekend was gray and drizzly, but for the most part it was dry whenever we were walking around.

Back in Nauvoo, we visited the brickyard, the blacksmith, the print shop, and the Browning home/gun shop.

Then we took a few more pictures of the temple, grabbed lunch at the Nauvoo Mill & Bakery, and came home.

Topher stayed with Grandma & Grandpa, had a ton of fun, and talked their ears off. As soon as we brought him and Sassy back home from the farm, Squash could not have been happier to see us...or her furry best friend. I love how her face literally disappears into the folds of Sassy's jowls.

It's amazing how easy it is to travel when it's just the two of us, and how much fun we can jam into two days. It was perfect. I loved every minute of it. And I can't wait for our next mini-getaway. :)

--KC

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

This post is not about my own Mother's Day, but rather about my mother. (Although I did have a lovely Mother's Day.) I was lucky enough to have my mom in town for three days last week and it was great. I haven't seen her since Christmas, so it was fun to watch her discover all the things that Topher can do now. We had so much fun going out to stores, to the park, to eat, to the library...wherever our fancies took us. Even bull riding. And it goes without saying that Topher LOVES his Mar-Mar. Actually he must have gotten a little confused at some point because he simply calls her "Marble." That works too. So every time he'd wake up he would say, "Where's Marble?" and then I would have to hear an endless repetition of, "Marble be back soon?" My mom is great in a crowd. She can make herself stand out and be heard no matter how many people are gathered. However, I have to say that this is the way I love her best, just one-on-one, all to myself (and my son, I don't mind sharing her with him). It was a great week. We hated to see her go.

Thank you for everything mom, and most of all for just making so much time for us. Thank you for making Topher laugh so hard. Thank you for filling up our gas tank (if that's not pure love in this economy, I don't know what is!) Thank you for letting Sassy slobber all over you, Squash sit all over you, and Sheila slither all over you. We all love you so much. Happy belated Mother's Day! You are the BEST. Love, us --KC

Where's Topher?

2011-05-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Topher loves to hide and then say, "Where's Topher?" to prompt me to play hide-and-seek with him. --kc

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Easter was a 2-day affair this year. On Saturday we decided to go to the zoo for their Egg-stravaganza event. We did not anticipate that the line to get in would be a mile long. See the building waaaaay up there? That's where you enter the zoo.

Luckily it went really fast and once inside, the crowds magically disappeared. Also, due to lack of organization, we were able to nab a pic with the Easter Bunny after only a couple kids. Topher wanted to sit on his lap, but once there he was obviously a little curious about it. He would not look at the camera but rather just kept looking up at the gigantic rabbit. This was the first time he has sat on any character's lap, ever, including Santa.

Then it was a trek through the jungle...

A peek at the big cats....

A pretend excursion into the wilds to rescue the cats from poachers...

A daring romp through the playground...

Followed by daddy...

And finally a look at hundreds of hungry koi.

The Easter egg hunt at the zoo was incredibly lame (sorry zoo, but you gotta step up your game a little.) There was an open field full of thousands of eggs. The kids got to run in and pick up 10 eggs. They were all empty. Then the kids dumped their eggs into "return" containers on their way out and got a stamp on their hand. That's it. Not even a piece of candy! I kept laughing at all the kids walking through the zoo with Easter baskets in hand. What were they going to carry out?

That night Sheila needed some attention and Topher begged her to come in the bath with him. We compromised by giving him the tail end to "wash."

Once everyone was dry, Topher got to hold her for real. He is fearless and always goes straight for her head.

The Easter bunny visited Saturday evening and brought Topher the movie Cars, some Cars toys, and some new Elmo swim trunks (he starts his Water Babies class with daddy on Tuesday!) Aside from church, he hasn't taken off his Elmo trunks in two days now. And we've watched Cars three? four? times already. Good job, Easter Bunny.

Sunday was church and I was proud when I asked Topher, "Who do we think about on Easter" and he answered, without pause, "Jesus." I am very grateful for a knowledge of Christ and for having a family that loves Him and follows Him. Easter is such a beautiful, beautiful holiday.

After church we went to TJ's parent's house, where Topher had an egg hunt.

And got a Curious George movie from the Easter Bunny.

Then daddy showed him how to ride down the big hill in the wagon. Topher is such a daredevil. He laughs the whole way down, even as he is on the verge of tipping right over.

Happy Easter to all!

--kc

The Story of the Puppy and the Kitty

2011-04-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

I know this video is dark and a little long, but Topher is starting to create his own stories, and I just love seeing where his mind goes. I LOVE this age (minus the tantrums). It's so much fun to talk to my son and watch him draw and hear what he's thinking about. He's an amazing little man. --KC

Knitting This Week

2011-04-15T13:13:00.001-07:00

Actually some of these projects were done awhile ago, but I never posted pictures of them. These slippers were my first attempt at felting (fulling) which is where you knit something in a wool yarn and then wash it in hot water until the fibers all shrink and fuse together, becoming felt. These slippers were so nerve-wracking to make. My heart was literally hammering as I finished the last row and tried to see how this thing was going to become something recognizable. Seriously, sometimes knitting could go on a cardio workout list. I ended up loving them so much I tried to make another pair, but I botched those. So instead, I cut them up and used them to make the little flowers for this pair. I made these for my mother-in-law's birthday. Then my friend wanted some slippers for her friend's daughter, who was turning one. I tried a new pattern and the slippers ended up huge, so I had to modify it to get them shrunk down to size, but it worked out in the end. Then I added a matching headband so it would be more of a gift set. The slippers got some non-slip tread sewn on and then they were finally toddler-ready. After that, I dove into my yarn stash and decided to use up a bunch of chunky blue yarn by making another baby blanket. I threw in some stripes for fun.

I also kept seeing this "ball-band" pattern online and I finally decided to try it out just to see if I could. I guess I can. Regina, I was thinking in cool colors this might make a fun throw pillow because it looks like little bricks.

After that, I tried my hand at a golf club cover.

Then because I know about 6 people who are about to have babies, I started making some gift sets. This is my first one consisting of a bib and booties.

And finally when I saw this bunny hat pattern, I knew I had to try it. Here it is with floppy ears...

And then with the ears knotted.

It's a newborn hat so we couldn't fit it on Topher's big melon, but this stuffed cat was happy to model for me.

That's it for now. If you come across something you'd like me to attempt, just give me shout. As always, happy knitting!

--KC

Band-Aid

2011-04-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot has gone on this week. The usual babysitting, knitting in my free time, reading in any free time I can find beyond that, and trying to keep Topher's endless energy expended.

We were able to go to the park several times this week. Topher always rides there in his wagon or stroller, but coming home is a different story. He must pull the wagon or push the stroller all by himself the entire way. It's at least half a mile home. Do not offer to help him. He's two. He's perfectly capable of this impossible task. And it only takes about an hour to get back, so just chill out, mom. And don't walk so close to him. He's not a baby, after all.

The other day we were all walking home like this (at a snail's pace) and Topher kept pushing the stroller ahead of himself and then running to catch up. And several times he would miss a step and land hard on his right knee. It was an awful thing, watching him fall over and over and land in exactly the same way each time. But to his credit, he didn't shed a single tear. He's a tough little boy. By the time we got home, his knee was minus a few layers of skin (in a few different places) and we decided to give him a band-aid. Besides vaccinations, we have never put a band-aid on this kid, can you believe that?

You should have seen the way he wrinkled his forehead and breathed heavily as though we were performing some major surgery. You should have seen the look of determination on his face that he was going to be brave about this whole situation. You should have seen him try to stand up and then walk as though he was maimed because this strange thing was on his knee. Well, true to 2-year-old form, he's now a little obsessed with his band-aid. He wants me to change it once a day and he wants to inspect his scab each time to make sure it's getting better.

I know as he gets bigger, I won't be able to slap a band-aid on everything and fix it all so easily. But for right now I can. And it's lovely.

--KC

At the farm...

2011-04-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

My in-laws have a home and a lot of land out in the country and this past weekend we gathered there with TJ's family to celebrate his mom's birthday.

Over the weekend, Topher kept us highly entertained. First he found a Mickey Mouse hat that TJ got when he was a kid at Disney World, and he wouldn't take it off all morning:

Then he surprised me with how gentle he could be around his new cousin, Miles. He showed Miles the many features of his bouncy chair...

And even gave him a big-cousin kiss. My heart melted, of course.

Miles is getting so big! It was fun to hold him (and even more fun to hand him back to mom whenever he would cry because you know I can be a big baby-phobe.) Here's the handsome guy with TJ's mom. (How can grandmas always make babies fall asleep?? It's a gift I hope to possess one day.)

And when grandma got a new gardening hat for her birthday, Topher traded in Mickey and became Amish instead. I LOVE this picture.

Later, Miles got a kitchen-sink bath. He quickly covered himself when he saw me whip out my camera. Such a modest little fellow.

Meanwhile, in the shed, TJ gave Sassy a bath and Topher thought it was pretty funny to see her all wet like that. She has been smelling like oatmeal shampoo ever since and we all love to bury our noses in her thick, polar-bear coat. Then, because there are acres to run on, Topher did just that. I hear there was a Topher/Miles photo shoot that happened while TJ and I took a quick trip into town, but I haven't seen all the photos yet. I do know that Topher kept his arm around Miles the whole time, though. The weekend was fun, relaxed, and lovely. Happy birthday to an amazing mom, mother-in-law, and grandma! --KC

Hey Beyonce...

2011-03-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

If you ever need a new backup dancer, have your people call Topher's people. --KC

Bath Laugh

2011-03-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

To infuse your Saturday night with a little laughter: (In case you're wondering what I was doing off-camera, I was snapping the bath towel in the air. It would send a wave of air at Topher and myself, and would leave my hair all over the place. Then I would shake my head back and forth so I could see again.) --KC

Knitting Lately

2011-03-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

I can't post pictures of every item as soon as it is made because many of my knitted items are gifts and I need to protect the element of surprise. I am basically the knitting FBI, expertly stashing different things away depending on who is coming over to visit me. (I like to pretend as though people are waiting with baited breath to see what I have knitted. Humor me.) But here are some recent creations from my sticks and balls o' yarn.

Some sponges for the kitchen sink. My last store-bought sponge fell apart so instead of buying a new one, I just whipped one out. Oh, and you can toss it in the wash if it gets gunky.

I got my niece a necklace for her baptism, but I didn't have a gift box for it. So I knitted a little necklace pouch.

It was also my niece's birthday, so I made her a blanket for her dolls.

My sister-in-law finally got her fingerless gloves:

I tried out a pattern for a braided baby ball. This sucker took forever. Topher loves it.

This is my first attempt at a baby blankie. It's a smaller, car-seat size blanket. I added a loop on one corner so you could clip a pacifier or favorite toy to it.

And finally, some booties for my new nephew, Miles.

That's all I can post right now. There is just one more project that I could show you.

But then I'd have to kill you.

--KC

The best part of cookies

2011-03-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile! Last Friday we went to Wiggle Bug class again. It did not go as well as the first time. Topher woke up at 5am that morning, and by his 9am class he was already exhausted, which resulted in a 45-min tantrum to the horror of myself and the other mothers there. It was most unpleasant. He paused in his kicking and screaming long enough to go around the obstacle course a few times and then long enough to jump on the big trampoline (the one set into the floor that the bigger kids usually use). But other than that he was out of control, and I drove home in humiliated tears. Please be kind and tell me this happens to everyone. Even if it doesn't. Luckily, after a long nap, he was a lot happier and we drove to KC (to see my niece be baptized) in utter style. Topher had SO MUCH FUN with his cousins. I kid you not, he would disappear for hours at a time, lost in the giggling throng of cousins. It was amazing. This week is turning out to be a beautiful one. The sun is out, the weather is warming up, and we were even able to open the windows today. And with the crisp, fresh air blowing gently around the house, it just felt like the perfect day to bake chocolate chip cookies. Topher LOVES to help me cook and bake. But he is two and messes ensue. When things get too messy, the batter-covered shirt must be removed. Last week, Topher started randomly giving thumbs-ups. We don't know where he learned it, but the cookies got 2 thumbs up.

These are going to be good, I can tell!

And they were.

The best part of cookies? Hearing Topher say "more cookies" with his mouth completely full and crumbles spewing out at me.

--KC

Wiggle Bug Class

2011-03-06T13:24:00.001-08:00

Topher had his first tumbling class on Friday. He is in the Wigglebug class. For reference, that's higher than the Bugaboo class but one step lower than the Jitterbug class. That clears things up, yes?

He was very excited:

He was a little lost during the opening song, but once we got to the obstacle course, he was a natural:

Then it was on to the looooooong trampoline:

Finally it was on to the beams:

During free time, I told him to dive into the pile of foam. He decided to be more constructive than that:

It was a lot of fun, and it led to a 3-hour nap! Friday mornings aren't just the cusp of the weekend anymore. They are a bit more wiggly than that now.

--KC

Learning to S-P-E-L-L

2011-02-23T07:19:00.000-08:00

Our little boy is loving his letters!

--KC

An Outside Sort of Day

2011-02-19T06:55:00.000-08:00

It was warm enough to go outside! In the middle of February! We took a walk in the morning...

Followed by a walk to the park in the afternoon. Note that the pond is still frozen over but TJ is in shorts and a t-shirt. Crazy.

Finally, Topher tried his footie pj's from his mar-mar and thought it was funny that both he and Curious George had monkey feet. :)

--KC

Mom's Hat

2011-02-18T17:06:00.000-08:00

My most recent knitting project was a hat for my mom. She requested a "black hat with an aqua flower." (My family is very particular about the colors they want, in case you hadn't noticed.) I honest-to-goodness wanted to knit this hat in the round and I gave it a valiant effort. But it fell very flat. I'm going to need a formal class to learn how to do that. So I'm still limited to knitting things flat. Bummer. I did a lot of things differently from the first hat I tried. First of all, I divided the yarn into two balls and used a double yarn throughout my work so the hat would be nice and warm. (Actually the hat is quite heavy now!) Secondly, I tried a new stitch called a "seed stitch" because it makes lots of little "seeds" in the fabric that I think look interesting. Lastly, I found a pattern for a flower that I really liked, and attached it with a button. I didn't have a specific pattern for the hat (okay, I didn't even have a scrap of a pattern), so once again I was just kind of winging it, but it actually turned out okay! It almost has a Mary Englebright look to it. I was able to nab a picture of my favorite little model wearing it for me. He must really love me. Mom, I hope you like it! I wove a LOT of love into it for you. You're the best. :)

--KC

P.S. Aby, I'm working on your "black and white fingerless gloves", but my first attempt is a bit of a dud I'm afraid. And unless your hands are enormous (which I know they are not) they are just not snug enough. Plus they are not as interesting as I envisioned. Back to the drawing board, my knitting friends.

Katie's Scarf

2011-02-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law is an extremely lovable person. She's hilarious and bright. She's resourceful and surprisingly tough. She's gorgeous, too, on top of all of it. So when she said she wanted a sea-blue scarf, I knew it would have to be something special. (Spoiler alert, Katie, if you don't want to see your scarf yet, do NOT read on!) What's funny is that all you need are two sticks and a ball of yarn. It's archaic, really, this new hobby of mine. I might as well be Mrs. Flintstone and knit up a neck warmer for the family dinosaur. And yet I love it. The pattern I chose was a new one for me. It was impossible for me to memorize, so I made myself a set of flash cards that haven't left my sight for this entire week. It starts innocently enough. One little row of cast-on knots. I knitted a border and then the main pattern (it is an 8-row pattern, hence my 8 flash cards) four times before stopping to evaluate it. It was around this very point that I wasn't sure if I liked the pattern. At all. It looked like granny's potholder. I forged on, however, because once you're invested in a project, it's hard to quit. Luckily, by the time the week was over and the scarf was done, I had fallen in love with it. It really helps to know who you are making your scarf for. That way, with each stitch you can think about all the reasons you love them and how glad you are that they are in your life. Otherwise, when you realize (for the umpteenth time) that you messed up 8 rows ago and have to pull it all out, you might get a little frustrated.

Katie, I hope you like it. I chose a diamond pattern because we both know that diamonds are a girl's best friend. :) I can't wait to give it to you in person in a couple of weeks!

--KC

Master Bathroom Makeover

2011-02-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

When we first bought this townhome, there was only one room I really hated. Our bathroom. I was so excited to have a bathroom connected to my bedroom, but it was ugly. Not only were the walls an offensive green, but they were poorly painted. Oh, and before it was green you could tell it had been poorly painted red. It was like a Christmas nightmare. It's called painter's tape. Use it. I think we just stepped backstage into a local theater's dressing room. Plastic curtain rod with rust marks, plastic curtain rings. Oak cabinet with no hardware. Gag. Above the toilet, a glass shelf and a cheap chrome shelf. We tried to live with it but enough was enough. Also note the oversized mirror. All builder's grade.

A whole lot of ugliness in one picture.

This is what we had to work with.

You might think, it's just a bathroom. But it's not. I retreat to this room every single night to soak in a scalding bath and forget the world. Before the makeover, all I could concentrate on was the sloppy green paint slapped over the sloppy red paint. And now...

Our hotel bathroom. Small but elegant. The walls and ceiling are cream (after a hefty dose of primer.)

Ikea helped us choose a soothing print.

That's a metal curtain rod with sliding curtain rings and a spa curtain. Just the way it should be.

A real medicine cabinet in place of the glass and chrome. If you'll remember, this cabinet was so ugly but only $5 on Craigslist. I spruced it up.

We replaced the mirror and added a towel holder.

We replaced those hideous lights. We painted the bathroom trim white (and we used painter's tape.)

This Ikea find gives us a little dose of Restoration Hardware. I love it.

Finally, a creamy rug from Ikea contrasts nicely with the newly painted vanity. Heaven.

When I am taking a bath now, I feel like I'm in an old restored hotel. Most of the makeover came from Craigslist or clearance racks or a bucket of paint, but it feels rich and calming and beautiful. It's a tiny room, but I think it's my favorite one now.

--KC

Minne-vacation in Minneapolis

2011-02-14T15:55:00.001-08:00

Like I mentioned before, TJ and I had a chance to get away for 2 nights to Minneapolis this past weekend. It was our "Valentine's getaway" and the whole point was to be spontaneous and to try new things and to have fun. Done, done, and done.

Friday night we ate at Chevy's and got the exact same booth we had two years ago when we tried to take Topher to the Mall of America (big mistake). That night we sat in the hot tub and relished an uninterrupted night of sleep ahead. It was even better than our imaginations could dream. It was so luxurious. It is the single most obvious change of lifestyle since having our son (not sleeping anymore) and it was amazing to remember again how it feels to sleep through all the unholy hours of the night.

Saturday morning was exciting. We had a whole unplanned day stretching out in front of us. We knew we wanted to go to Ikea, but had no other plans. So we headed to Ikea.

We were there all morning, roaming the store, absorbing the Swedish design and dreaming of decorating our next home. At lunchtime, we decided to try the Ikea cafeteria (we had heard good things about those Swedish meatballs) and ended up with way too much food. It was all delicious (and cheap!!)

After about 6 hours at Ikea, we bought all the things we wanted (well, not all, not by a long shot--I literally wanted EVERYTHING) and stuffed it all in the car somehow.

From there, we decided to wander the Mall of America for a couple hours until dinner. By that time, we had been on our feet for 9 or 10 hours and we couldn't wait to sit down for awhile. We didn't want to eat in the Mall and we aren't familiar with Minneapolis cuisine, so we turned to the phone. One of our apps will use GPS to find out where you are, lists all the restaurants in a wide vicinity, and then will spin a jackpot-style screen and pick one for you at random. So that's what we did. We let our phone (and the universe) tell us where we were supposed to eat that night. Here's what it said:

Hell's Kitchen it was. So we headed into downtown Minneapolis and miraculously found this odd restaurant. We kind of thought it might have some affiliation with the TV show of the same name. Here we are in the car, having our adventure:

Well, it did NOT have any affiliation with the TV show. It was an actual hell-themed restaurant. So we ate in hell, weird Gothic art, red walls and all. Did you know they serve breakfast all day in hell? That's how TJ came to eat a Belgian waffle with mixed berries on top. And when I saw that they had a sandwich voted one of the best in the country (ham & pear crisp), I had to try it.

I loved this chandelier that greeted us as we descended down the staircase into hell. Those are assorted butcher knives. Good sign, right?

Some of the strange art. Inside the bathroom were pictures of ghouls whose eyes followed you as you moved. Classic.

I'm happy to say that we escaped hell as easily as we entered. The next morning we packed up and headed home to our little boy (who was GREAT for grandma & grandpa and flew into my arms like a linebacker when we walked in). We couldn't wait to show him some of our Ikea purchases.

His room now boasts a new nightstand and lamp.

This lamp is awesome when lit and looks like either an alien or a sea creature.

He also got new bedding and a new area rug. He was very excited about all of it.

For our room we purchased this series of Picasso line drawings. We still need to hang it, but you know we had to have it, being the animal lovers we are.

It was an amazing weekend full of memories and fun. I am so in love with the man I married, and I am so grateful that he is who he is. There is no one else for me. Happy Valentine's Day, baby.

--KC

While I unloaded the dishwasher...

2011-02-10T11:01:00.001-08:00

I turned on some music and bopped along to the rhythm as I unloaded the dishes this morning. I was vaguely aware of Topher playing in the living room but I wasn't specifically watching him. When I put the last spoon in the drawer and looked up...I wondered how a tornado had occurred right under my nose. The toybox had vomited. The couch had heaved every pillow off, leaving a trapped victim identified as Curious George underneath. Topher had found and emptied both of his backpacks. He had found daddy's Transformers and taken them all apart. He had gotten every single puzzle out and taken every single piece out of each one. All my library books were scattered on the floor. And I could not love him more. Instead of putting the couch cushions back we lined them up down the middle of the living room and jumped from cushion to cushion. We raced to see who could put the puzzles together fastest. And all I could feel is grateful that I have a little boy who is curious and healthy enough to make such big messes.

I love you, Topher.

--KC

P.S. Here is a little teaser of my current knitting project:

My Bipolar Self

2011-02-09T13:59:00.001-08:00

I have been bipolar since October 24, 2008. This also happens to be my son's birthday. Coincidence? Not a chance. I am lucky enough to be able to stay home with Topher. For 2 years and 4 months I have been home with him every single day. In the winter we don't have a car (and it's Iowa so it is -5 degrees) so we are within the same walls of our home every single day. I have attended to every diaper, every tantrum, every mess, and every injury. Sometimes staying home feels more like a test of my sanity than anything else. It feels as though Topher is wrestling me, pulling on me, or clinging to me every minute of the day. I am a very private person. I live inside the walls of my head and I need physical space to myself or I can't feel like a whole human. (Being pregnant was a challenge for me just because I could never, ever be alone. That baby was with me no matter where I went. I know that sounds horribly selfish. It's not my most attractive trait, but there it is.) And on days like that, I know it isn't fair to my husband who works hard all day but I will watch out the window for his car, clobber him the moment he walks in and declare, "I can't be around the baby right now. I need some distance." This gives him not a moment to decompress from work, not a minute to sit down or eat. And yet he always takes Topher without hesitation. I love him for that. But here's where I become bipolar. There are those days when I can form no other thought than, "I need a break from this. I can't do this. I need to go to work and be a productive individual." So TJ and I will plan a rare weekend away, and I will be ecstatically looking forward to it. A whole night of sleep? I think I can still count those on one hand. I will count down the days and become more and more excited... until my countdown gets to 1. Suddenly I start feeling guilty. I think about Topher waking up at night and asking for me. I think about letting him down by not being there. I wonder if he will feel abandoned or heartbroken. I imagine him crying for me. And then I want nothing more than to cancel my trip. Even if I have been counting down for 30+ days with unsuppressed glee. The thing is, we're so lucky. We have the best place to leave Topher. My in-laws are the most amazing grandparents in the world. They are calm and reliable. They have gardens and bird feeders and they bake their own bread and can their own salsa. They have a shed with a real tractor that my son is enthralled with. Grandpa takes Topher to his workshop and shows him what he is building and lets Topher watch and help. I love that about him. Grandma reads to Topher and lets him sweep the kitchen (even though it makes a bigger mess) and is never, ever too busy to just sit and rock him. I love that about her. They have room to run and play, indoors and out. Their home is clean and inviting. They always, always want to be around Topher. They love him as much as we do. When he leaves their house, I have to endure days of "Grandma grandpa be back soon?" from Topher. In fact, the more I think about it the more I realize how blessed we are to live close to them. They are the salt of the earth. But there's just something about being a mom that makes me bipolar. I want nothing more than a break from my son, and then nothing more than to never let him go. I have a feeling this is not something I can grow out of. I have a feeling that I will be bursting with pride on my son's first day of school, and then I will promptly have a nervous breakdown as his bus pulls away. I want to be more laid back as a mom and I'm really working at it. I know he's fine when I'm not there. He's more than fine. It's good for him and it's healthy. I'm the one who needs to work on feeling fine. And I do...once we're well on our way I can feel myself relaxing and looking forward to a little adventure with my husband. We have just such a trip planned for this weekend, a little Valentine getaway to Minneapolis for 2 nights. And I will NOT freak out about leaving Topher. I will drop him off, tell him I'll be back, squeeze him tightly and kiss him a million times. Then I will go and I will be happy. I will be overjoyed. I get a weekend away! I will have so much fun that I might never come home. :) So to the world's greatest grandparents: my apologies if I ever seem to panic before leaving my son with you. He could never be in better hands. I really mean that. I am so grateful to have married into this family. It's all within the walls of my head. It's a disorder. It's my bipolarity. And I blame it on my son. --KC

Tools of the Trade

2011-02-08T14:54:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day, all I wanted was more knitting stuff. TJ gave me money and told me to shop, so I jumped on Ebay and ordered a TON of stuff for really cheap (thanks China!) And when it all came in the mail yesterday, I was a bit overwhelmed. I had 18 sets of knitting needles (36 needles total), 11 sets of double-pointed needles (55 more needles), and a set of 12 crochet hooks. How in the world is a girl supposed to keep all this stuff together without getting all the different sizes mixed up? Well, I've seen these great roll-up knitting cases online but I just couldn't bring myself to buy one. Surely anyone with a brain could whip one of those out, right? So it was off to the fabric store with my friend Kristin and she helped me choose the cutest fabric in the store. And after a sale and a coupon, it only cost $3! Total bargain. And today while Topher was taking a long nap, I was sewing, ripping out seams that were all wrong, and re-sewing the case I had been dreaming of. It is completely unprofessional, but yet I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out. Kristin, I'm so glad you made me go with the fun fabric. :) All rolled up: Untie the straps and roll it out: Lift up the top flap to reveal a knitter's dream selection of needles and supplies: All those needles lined up like so many little soldiers ready to create masterpieces (or whatever I can manage to turn out): Roll it back up and voila! It is all organized, compact, and pretty:

TJ, thanks for a V-day present I can use again and again. I'm so excited to have such a wide selection of tools so that I can attempt more projects. I'll have to save another post for all the reasons I love you, but I have a feeling it will go on and on and on...

Love your little knitting valentine

A New Trend?

2011-02-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

Topher loves his Mr. Potato Head. Yesterday he was playing alone in his room and when I peeked in, I saw that he was borrowing Potato's best accessory (his chunky blue glasses). Only...he was wearing them in his own unique way. Maybe it will catch on. This boy loves to blaze his own path. I love that about him.

--KC

A Dancing Boy and a Yellow Hat

2011-02-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

To cap off this week, I thought I'd share a couple random things that have been going on here lately. Topher is more into dancing than ever and really wouldn't stop last night, so I took a video: I love to watch him dance. He is just so free and happy and it's as if even he doesn't know which direction his body will move next. Next, since I'm absolutely addicted to knitting, here are a couple more projects I completed this week: First, a scarf for my purple-is-my-favorite-color friend. This was my first time adding fringe. It was a little trickier than the tutorials suggested. At least for me. Last but not least is a project that was born from a conversation that went a little something like this: Me: Hey I knit now, do you want anything? My sister: Sure, I'll take a yellow hat Me: That's an odd request TJ: You own a yellow hat Me: Oh yeah, I guess it's not that weird This hat was my first attempt at a LOT of things. My first attempt at piecing together a few different patterns and improvising the rest (ie making up my own pattern). My first attempt at incorporating more than one color. My first attempt at an adult-sized hat. My first attempt at adding a little embellishment. Basically, it was doomed from the start. I started it yesterday and finished it this morning kind of holding my breath the whole time. And yet...I dare to say it's almost wearable. So without further adieu, Regina, here is your hat. It is a little sloppy but there's a lot of love woven in there. I hope you can tell. Love ya, sis. I want to do with knitting needles the things you can do with words. Make stories. Really good ones. --KC

My Marathon Scarf

2011-02-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

I know I should start a second blog for all this knitting stuff, but frankly I'm too lazy. So you, dear reader looking for updates on Topher, will have to endure the occasional knitting exposure. I found a pattern for a scarf I wanted to try, but ended up altering it so that the pattern would be enlarged and more obvious. The resulting texture turned out to be a large waffle-weave. Even though it's not at all complex, it was my hardest scarf yet. At one point I put it down to measure it, and Topher thought that I made him "tracks" for his cars. I had to backtrack several times when I would let my mind wander and I would realize that I had done an entire row in the wrong stitch. Around the time it was about 36 inches long, I wanted to quit. By the time I had reached the end, it looked...all scrunched up. This is when I learned what blocking was. Usually reserved for wool yarn, it is a way to shape a knitted piece using water or steam. I found a blog that insisted you could block acrylic yarn and decided to try it. Since I don't own a blocking board, I pinned my scarf down to the carpet and used my clothing steamer. Holding the steamer a few inches above the scarf, I slowly moved down the length of the scarf until it was damp from steam. (You cannot get acrylic yarn too hot or it will melt. This scared me very much.) Then I let it dry in place, still pinned down flat. The result was a perfectly un-scrunched scarf. Thank goodness. Package it up with a couple home-made pom-poms and ta-da! I broke the marathon tape. Phew. Here is my altered pattern: Yarn: 4-ply worsted acrylic Needles: US #6 (4 mm) CO 26 sts Row 1 & 3: *k2, p2 repeat from * to end of row, ending on a k2 Row 2 & 4: *p2, k2 repeat from * to end of row, ending on a p2 Row 5 & 7: knit across Row 6 & 8: purl across Repeat rows 1-8 until scarf measures 60 inches long Bind off, weave in ends Now what to make next? --KC

Meet Miles

2011-02-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

TJ's big sister, Lindsey, gave birth to her first baby early yesterday morning. She and her partner, Joanne, are very excited to welcome him into the world. He is Topher's first cousin on the Clark side, and we were very happy to drive to Iowa City yesterday morning to meet him. He's perfect. He's so perfect, in fact, that he didn't even cry when I held him (as all babies do). I have this feeling that he's going to be one of those babies. You know the ones...they only cry if they really need something, and they are easy to calm, sleep all night, and are just generally content. And even though I'd be madly jealous if that turns out to be the case, I'll love him anyway. And I suppose I'd be happy for the well-rested parents. :) Holding Miles felt good, and I can't wait to spend more time with him. Lindsey and Jo cruelly kept everyone guessing the gender and name for the full pregnancy (patience is not one of my many virtues). I was fully expecting a girl, but I was happily surprised to find out that Topher gained a little boy cousin. His name is Miles (which I love--good job, ladies) and he looks a lot like Lindsey we decided.

Oh, and not to brag but my hat looked killer on him. Topher wasn't quite sure what to do about Miles, but I suspect that it will take awhile for them to be very interested in each other. Lindsey and Jo, we love you guys and we're so glad that Miles is here and that everyone is healthy. Congratulations again.

We love you. We love him.

Welcome to Earth, Miles!

-KC

Knitting-ese

2011-02-02T08:20:00.001-08:00

Not to be confused with knitting "ease". What I mean to say is that knitting has its own language. It is foreign. I call it knitting-ese. A pattern might be written as follows (this is in fact selected excerpts from a pattern I might someday be confident enough to attempt): using dpn's CO 5 (8, 12) sts (color A) join, being careful not to twist 2: *kfb, k1, rep from * until end of row, 15 sts. 15: k2tog, k22, pm, k2tog, k to end of row, 43 sts 16-27: Work in St. st BO, gather sts. and knot to form a crown Etc. and so on. What the...? When I first looked at instructions like these, I created new wrinkles on my forehead. Why patterns cannot be written in English I have no idea. But after many, many cyber-trips to different knitting dictionaries and tutorials, I think I am starting to understand it. Well, it's a lot like French, really. I can read it better than I can speak it. And don't even ask me about everything else that can complicate a knitting pattern. There are double-pointed needles, straight needles, circular needles, and interchangeable needles. There are yarns of every material, width, and color. Then there are whole discussions devoted to things like cast-on methods and blocking. But sometimes it can be fun to jump in the deep end and see if you can stay afloat. So with each scarf I make, I try to increase (inc in knitting-ese) the difficulty of the pattern to strengthen my skills. So I'm a little scared to try and make something that does not have straight sides yet. Maybe I am still wearing my floaties. But it's a fun hobby to be bobbing around in. --KC P.S. I have one completed scarf and another one in the works. Pictures (and incomprehensible patterns, haha) coming soon.

Turning Wheels

2011-01-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you can just see the wheels in Topher's head turning. At times they churn in fast circles, every cog connecting and fueling another race around. Other times they slow, trying to place all the scattered pieces of the world together into a logical thought. Then occasionally they will grind to a protesting halt, creating a sudden meltdown for his two-year-old brain where patience sits lightly on a slippery slope.

A couple days ago, as he played on his toy computer and tried to find the letters it was asking him to find, the array of emotions on his face clearly projected the thoughts spinning through his active mind.

I love watching my son. I love it when his gray-blue eyes sparkle with raw-edged intelligence or when his little mouth forms an "O" as he grasps a concept and gasps softly. I even love it when his face folds into frustrated wrinkles because I'm the one who gets to untangle the problems and kiss the frowns away. I'm so lucky to be home with him, catching his every expression and bottling them up in the recesses of my own turning mind.

--KC

My New Obsession

2011-01-26T07:46:00.000-08:00

Not quite 2 weeks ago I had a church activity where you could choose a new skill to learn. I chose knitting. After about an hour of instruction I had learned one of the basic stitches and I had a couple rows of a scarf started on my needle. I kept at it for another day or two, only to notice that it was getting worse as I worked along. Finally I decided to call it my "practice scarf" and start over, this time being more careful not to make so many mistakes. Here's the first attempt (it's quite hideous, I assure you):

I was thrilled to find that my second attempt went a lot more smoothly. There weren't even any holes in it!

About halfway through the scarf, I decided I wanted a more challenging project. I went online and watched a zillion tutorials on how to do different stitches, etc. Thank goodness for YouTube! I then found a pattern for a hat that I could make without having to knit-in-the-round (something I'm still scared to try). This hat is knitted flat and sewn up the sides. Add some fun tassels on top and voila! I call this hat "Fraggle Rock." I originally made it for TJ's sister, who is about to have a baby. However it turned out to be way too big for a newborn. It is modeled first by Topher and then by the little girl I babysit, Erin. Since it is a more girly hat, I'm giving this one to Erin. Doesn't she look too cute in it??:

The hat took about 2 days (and had plenty of mistakes so don't look too closely!) After that, I decided to finish my scarf, but I needed a new ball of yarn to complete it. (I had to watch several more tutorials in order to learn how to switch to a new skein of yarn.) This is literally the easiest project for a new knitter because you are only making one stitch. You just keep making it a million times until your scarf is long enough. I like the simplicity and clean look of it.

Now that I had a couple projects done, I decided to try again to make a hat sized for a newborn. I found a great pattern (again, it is knitted flat and then seamed up the side) that I was able to start on Monday and finish the next day (which apparently is not impressive at all because there are people online who can whip this out in about an hour and a half!) Then I watched another tutorial on making pom-poms and added one on top for a little bit of flair.

So there you have it. After 12 days of actively knitting, I have 3 projects done and a new hobby that I LOVE. Let me know if you would like a link to the patterns I have used!

Happy knitting! :)

--KC

We're still here...

2011-01-23T13:41:00.001-08:00

I promise to post this week, we've all just been sick and/or busy lately. Plus I took up a new hobby...more to come. --KC

Vocal Diagnosis

2011-01-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

The bad news:

He might have inherited my singing abilities.

The good news:

He's stinking cute enough that it doesn't matter.

And yes, that was some form of singing in case you weren't quite sure.

The block-on-a-stick in his hand is working as his microphone.

I truly had no idea what I would find when I walked up those stairs, but that strange noise--sorry, I mean, singing--was just too compelling to ignore.

Ahh, two-year-olds.

Ahh, Topher.

--KC

Baby's First Snowman

2010-12-31T14:58:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday the weather warmed up enough to venture out. Topher donned his new snowsuit, his winter coat, his hat, his mittens, and his snow boots. Then we were off to play in the snow.

First we walked around the neighborhood, and TJ showed Topher how to make snowballs. I then showed Topher how to throw the snowballs at daddy.

Then, since the snow was packing together so well, we decided to build a snowman. It turned out to be just about Topher's size.

TJ has had this entire week off, and it has been amazing to just lounge around together as a family. After our fun in the snow, we headed indoors for hot cocoa. We were glad we decided to play outside because the next day it was unseasonably warm and our snowman disappeared completely with the rest of the snow. We hope he had a fun life while it lasted...his smile seemed to say he did.

--KC

Numbers & Letters

2010-12-28T15:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, he can count to ten and yes, he can say the entire alphabet all by himself (as of last week!) However, getting him to do it on camera all at once is a bit tricky:

We're so proud of you, Topher.

--KC

The Most Noble Breed

2010-12-21T06:56:00.000-08:00

We once heard St. Bernards described as "the most noble of all the breeds." We remind Sassy of it often, and you can practically see her sit up taller whenever we do. We just got a new camera this week so I thought I would put it to the ultimate test and see if it could capture so noble a subject:

In addition to being the most noble of all the breeds, we consider Sassy our clown, our panda bear, and our little (well, maybe not so little) girl.

--KC

The Many Uses of a Stick

2010-12-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

A stick is not just a stick when you hand it to a 2-year old.

A stick is a wand when you are playing Harry Potter. I'm not even sure what kind of spells Topher was casting here, but judging from his enthusiasm it probably had something to do with conjuring up chocolate chip cookies of magical proportions:

A stick can be a tool for when you just wish you had longer arms:

Lastly, a stick is a good kitty-poking device, but being an animal-friendly household we cannot condone using it in this manner:

We love how creative you are, Topher. We can't wait to see what you will do with a cardboard box someday.

--KC

Like this, Daddy?

2010-12-17T12:34:00.000-08:00

Crunches are tricky when you're two.

--KC

Echo Excitement

2010-12-17T11:58:00.000-08:00

Topher is hilarious with our keyboard. He loves to hit one note at a time and then listen for it to echo off the vaulted ceiling. And every single time, he shows the same amount of enthusiasm. I love it. I love his little gasp and then his little finger pointing up at the ceiling where he hears the sound.

And when he gets so excited about something, I can't help but echo it.

--KC

Christmas Postcard

2010-12-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

We had this genius idea to send out a Christmas postcard this year, but it didn't work quite right. The company cut off our paragraph after one and a half sentences and it makes no sense now. We are sorry but hope that you enjoy the picture of us nonetheless. Here is what the card was supposed to say: Front: Back: Merry Christmas, everyone. Sorry again! --KC Quick Update: I emailed Simply Postcard's customer service and a real person emailed me back less than 10 minutes later. He is working to fix the postcards and will be resending the corrected ones out in the morning. Even though I was upset about all of it, I have to admit I am impressed by their speedy response and desire to make things right! After being on hold way too many times this month with different companies (ordering gifts, etc.), this is the best customer service I have encountered and it went a long way towards making me feel better. Hopefully your correct postcards will be arriving soon!!!!

Usurped on Black Friday

2010-12-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

TJ was awesome and went out at 3:30am on Black Friday to visit 3 stores and trudge through my gift list for me. At his last stop, he picked up a new dog bed for Sassy. Well immediately upon bringing it in the house, it was claimed: And guess who was extremely confused and unhappy about that:

We feel for you, Sassy, we really do. Now please stop giving us those pathetically sad eyes.

--KC

The Reinvention of Sleeping

2010-12-06T06:53:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that there's not a lot of sleeping going on in our house. We had to get the child that requires alarmingly little rest without compromising his energy level in the slightest. (And okay, it doesn't help at all that Topher has a friend his same age that will literally sleep for 16 straight hours.) Well, there have been some big changes around here recently. 1) First of all, we moved Topher from his crib to a twin bed a few weeks ago and noticed that he seemed happier and even slept a little longer in it. (I sold his crib last week on Craigslist and expected to feel a TINY bit sad about it, but the sadness never came. I TOLD you I'm not a baby person!) 2) Next we decided to attack his bedtime routine. We started being even more strict about lighting, times, and doing the exact same things every night. Lights were dimmed at 7:30, we would read scriptures at 8, then we would read Topher his books and turned the lights off completely at 8:30. Unfortunately, this still meant holding him on the couch for at least another hour until he finally gave up and fell asleep. 3) This last Friday I decided that we were all too miserable to continue on this way. I feel very strongly about not letting a child "cry it out" alone in a room, however. So when it was time for Topher to take a nap, I explained to him what was happening and I carried him up to his room for a nap and laid him down in his bed. He was NOT happy about this at all. For over an hour I stood right by his bed and made sure that he stayed in it, remained laying down, and avoided hitting his head against the walls (something he is prone to do when he is really very angry.) It was awful to see him so mad and frustrated (and okay, there was a point where I wondered if he was even possessed), but I felt better knowing that I was not abandoning him. I was literally RIGHT there the whole time. Finally, with my ears ringing and resolve weakening, I curled up at the end of his bed. He was snoring within 5 minutes. 4) Since that first incident he has only cried one more time whenever I have laid him down for a nap or for bed. Usually I will just curl up at the end of his bed for a little while until he doses off. Last night I even was able to leave him alone in his dark room for about 20 minutes while he was still awake and he didn't cry or get out of bed once. And now when he wakes up in the middle of the night, I can just go in there, change his diaper, lay at the foot of his bed, and he generally falls back asleep within 5 minutes. (This is a VAST improvement over carrying him downstairs and holding him on the couch where he could be up for an hour or much much longer.) Maybe it has taken us over 25 months. Maybe we have complained more than any other parents in history. Maybe we made it so much harder than it had to be. Maybe I've prayed and pleaded for help with this problem for two years. Maybe we're just awful at this. However, I believe we ARE moving in the right direction. And once we finally master this sleeping thing, no one will EVER appreciate sleep more than we will. --KC P.S. I do realize it has been nearly a month. Our camera broke and our computer is being less than cooperative lately. And unfortunately, cameras and computers are the two main ingredients of blogging. :) I will try to do some catching up soon. Thank goodness our phones take useable pictures!

King Of Chicago

2010-11-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we headed to South Elgin, a western suburb of Chicago to see our friends Mat & Angie. They just bought an amazing new home and welcomed all three of us for the weekend. The first day there, Topher found a plastic crown laying around (from a recent birthday party I think) and thought it was the greatest thing ever. He wore it like a gladiator helmet most of the time: But occasionally put it on correctly (some of these photos have been edited by yours truly using a combination of new iPhone apps that I'm totally in love with): We never ventured into the actual city of Chicago, but we have another friend, Al, who took the train from the city to visit us. We haven't seen him in years so it was a really great surprise. Topher, as always, relished being the center of attention:

Saturday we went to a children's museum, but Topher fell asleep on the way there. We joked that we wouldn't pay admission for him until the museum roused him from his sleep.

It did, but he was still free. I LOVE having a 2-year-old. They are old enough to have fun but young enough to do most everything for free. First Angie helped him dig up dinosaur eggs:

Then he flexed for us in front of this weird dinosaur we found in the basement (this place was pretty strange, actually.)

His favorite part of the museum was the hot air balloon that would go up and down. My favorite part was the air-cannon that Topher is standing near.

It was colorful, if nothing else. Most of the exhibits were over his head (literally and figuratively--get a step stool, museum!) but I think he had fun running wild for awhile.

That night Angie and I went to Ikea while the boys stayed home. I didn't take any pictures there. I was too mesmerized by the whole experience. It was a fantastic weekend. Angie & Mat, your home is absolutely gorgeous and we felt so happy and welcome there. Thanks for putting up with our toddler and for all the delicious food. We are so lucky to have friends as wonderful as you. And Topher, thanks for being a total rockstar in the car. It took a few suckers, a few videos, and a couple naps, but he handled the 5-hour trip (each way!) like a total champ. We are SO proud of him. He also stole my yellow hat for the ride home, but personally I think it looks better on him anyway.

--KC

Halloween 2010

2010-11-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

Topher does not like costumes. We had to think long and hard before deciding on a "costume" that didn't feel like a costume. We finally chose this: Which helped him get all this: Because when you have a face like this: people just want to give you a lot of candy. :) He got the hang of trick-or-treating after about 2 houses and happily ran door to door for over an hour before wearing out. (It also helped that he LOVES to have his hair cut/styled so when we slicked it over and hair-sprayed it and tried to give him a forehead curl and then told him how handsome he was, he ran to the mirror in his bedroom and smiled and admired himself for awhile before grabbing his pumpkin bucket and demanding to go.) This is quite an improvement over last year's meager stash. Hope everyone had a frightfully happy Halloween. --KC

Birthday, Round Two

2010-10-28T06:26:00.003-07:00

Fair warning: this is a mega-post. In fact, I have my computer propped on the window-sill with the window cracked open so that the 37-degree air will keep my computer from over-heating as I download all these pictures (yes, we have a crappy computer.) This was the first year that we planned a big birthday party. (Last year Topher had no idea what was going on so we kept the celebration within the family as to not disorient him even more.) It was SO MUCH FUN to plan this for my little boy. Not only would we talk about the party and tell him how many days more until the fun, but he seemed excited. This only fueled me more, causing OcTopherFest 2010 to take over my house. The theme was Choo-choo: I'm turning 2! We chose this because Topher has recently discovered a love for Thomas the Train and all things with wheels and whistles and funnels and fireboxes. I will not detail the month of planning that went into this but will instead skip to the very best part: the actual party. Which townhouse is it? They all look the same...oh wait, that must be the place. Because our bank accounts are not especially overflowing at the moment, I made some of my own decorations. This train border was drawn on plain computer paper with my crayons and markers. This is why is looks like a 5th grade project. I love it anyway.

THE MENU

This is my favorite part. We start with some home-made caramel apples. I will not tell you what my first round of caramel apples looked like or, because of that first failed experiement, how last-minute these were.

The cupcakes. I opted for the simplicity of cupcakes rather than trying to make a fancy cake. Maybe next year.

The dessert spread.

Okay, now for some actual food. Perfect game-day snackies.

And don't forget the beverages. (Sodor Island is where Thomas the train lives, just in case you are grossly underinformed in all things Thomas.)

The other highlight of the menu would have to be the root beer float station. Not only were the floats served in these country-style mason jar mugs, but every adult got to take one home as a party souvenir. Not bad, huh?

And don't forget the float menu. Seriously, every combination was so delicious, it was impossible to pick the wrong one. Some whole-room shots before the guests arrive. Topher took a perfectly timed nap right before the party giving me a chance to snap some photos and get everything in place. Luckily, it also gave him enough rest to be happy and engaging for the whole 3 hours. He was smiling the entire time. It made everything so worth it.

And we didn't forget the kiddos. Placed by the door were the infamous train whistle favors. We made sure they were only given out as the kids were leaving so as not to have 10 whistles blasting at once.

Now just add my absolute favorite part: the party boy. My mom and step-dad, who came ALL the way from KC for this party, thought to bring him a perfect outfit. Doesn't he look adorable??? I can't believe I get to be this little handsome man's mommy. I must have won a lottery I don't even remember entering.

Sprinkle in a lot of friends and family and you've got yourself a great party. Better than great.

The birthday cupcake. He ate it all and kept his outfit clean to boot. That's my boy.

Topher and Daddy playing with the birthday balloons.

The enormous pile of gifts. Topher LOVES presents. (He inherited that from me.)

The day was just perfect. I could not have asked for anything better. Later, after the choas died down and we cleaned up a little, Topher continued to have fun playing with all his new trains.

This is the gift TJ insisted on getting for him...his first metal tractor. Like any little boy, he just loves that green farm equipment.

Later that night, Grandma and Grandpa Clark came back to watch Topher open their gifts. He was so excited about his Curious George movie and--surprisingly--some huge winter boots that he would NOT take off.

(As an HUGE bonus to this already-great day, our little good luck charm helped steer the Missouri tigers to a win over #1 Oklahoma. It was amazing. I wish we could have been in Columbia that night!!!)

The next morning was his actual birthday and he loved playing with all his new puzzles.

Happy birthday, Topher. You are SO handsome!

TJ and I saved our big presents for his actual birthday, so after church we gave him another train set to add on to his Thomas set (a steal on Craigslist)...

and his first tricycle (another Craigslist bargain, we spent surprisingly little money on him somehow, it was really kind of amazing!)

Topher, in a word you have transformed us. Into parents. Into a family. Into a role we didn't think we could perform. And for me, into a life I couldn't have known to wish for. Into someone I never could have otherwise been.

Thank you for coming to us. We love you. Happy two years.

--KC

Birthday, Round One

2010-10-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

For Round One of Topher's birthday we headed to KC last weekend. We thought it would be easier for all my siblings that way since they have more kids and don't make it to Iowa very often. First we took Topher to Crown Center's train-themed restaurant called Fritz's. There are trains that drive along the border of the ceiling and when your food is ready the train will drop off its "cargo" at your table. A pneumatic lift lowers the box containing your food order down to table level. It's very fun. And when my mom whipped out a cupcake for Topher, I think he was just in trains-and-sugar heaven.

We were lucky because both of my brothers joined us with their families, which meant that Topher had SEVEN cousins there to celebrate with him. Pictured here with Topher from left, clockwise: Mar-Mar (my mom), Capri, Anders, Rome, Topher, Ammon, and Sable. Cousin Aubrey and cousin Oz were both out of the shot.

Then we took the Sky-walk over to Union Station. I love Kansas City. It will always be home to me.

When the Sky-walk was closed for renovation just before Union Station, we hauled down to street level and got there the old-fashioned way. Please note my undying loyalty to my home team displayed here.

The next day we went to Olathe, KS where my sister and dad live. My dad made Topher a cake and he enjoyed it most thoroughly.

It was a WONDERFUL weekend that, as always, went way too fast. But I had to get back to Iowa because Topher's birthday party was not going to come together on its own...

Stay tuned, this one is going to be good.

--KC

Two Years

2010-10-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Topher,

Today you turned two years old. Honestly, it feels like you have been a part of our family for much, much longer than two years. Your daddy and I don't always know the "right" way to raise you, but I promise we are giving you all we've got.

I want you to know something. I want you to know that we need you and we love the person you have become. Your cries can sink our home into stormy clouds, but your laughter can pull us back into the sunshine. We constantly wonder about you, worry about you, and beam with pride over your accomplishments.

I cannot imagine our home without your toys scattered about, your sippy cups piled up in the fridge, or your tiny clothes in the wash.

It took us several months to start feeling like we were real parents, and those first months were rocky ones for us. We were scared of how tiny you were, and we were scared to take you out of the house for fear that you might get sick. I can see now that we were being a little silly, but if someone were to rewind the clock, I can't think of a single thing I would do differently.

To the little person who completely overwhelmed us...

I just want to tell you that we are completely overwhelmed with our love for you.

Love always, your mommy

--KC

P.S. Birthday posts to follow.

Do I sew? That's a no!

2010-10-13T06:01:00.000-07:00

So the party favors arrived for Topher's party (wooden train whistles, what else??) and while he was napping today I was busy making party favor bags out of Thomas fabric. This is no small feat for me as I DO NOT SEW. My sewing machine was a hand-me-down with no manual. I had to go online and download a manual for a similar machine and use that as best I could. So if you are one of *those* people who CAN sew please don't make fun of me and certainly don't look too closely at these pictures! Just a quick rundown of what I did: I cut (without measuring or special tools...just the kitchen scissors and my eyes, which is probably why nothing lined up right!) 4 pieces of fabric for each bag--2 small pieces for the handles and another two larger pieces to form the front and back of the bag. I sewed the little pieces in half to make handles. Then I sewed those handles to the insides of the larger pieces. I sewed the front to the back, turned it right-side out, and stuck a train whistle inside. Voila! This took me 2 hours. I made 12 bags in order to get 10 usable ones (there were 2 casualties.) I almost lost part of a finger, I had to use pliers once when the material got sucked into the machine, the cat was constantly trying to run away with my thread, it took me 5 bags to realize I was using something called a "stretch stitch" that kept getting the thread all jumbled, Thomas nearly got punched in his ever-smiling face, and the sewing machine almost became the victim of a hate crime. But I did it, wonky as some of them may be. I really am something sometimes. --KC

Pumpkin Paradise

2010-10-11T11:59:00.001-07:00

We found it, right here in Ankeny...Pumpkin Paradise, that mystical place so many search for and so few actually find.

Actually it's just an adorable little pumpkin farm, but we had a blast picking pumpkins, petting farm animals, and--as always--chasing Topher around.

Just for kicks, here is a picture from the last time we went to a pumpkin farm two years ago. We were in Illinois visiting our good friends Mat & Angie and we had no idea that Topher would be in our arms less than a month later. All we knew that day was that it appeared I was trying to smuggle a pumpkin out of that farm for free.

Here are a few of the lucky pumpkins and gourds that got to come home with us on Saturday:

Happy pumpkin season! (And Topher, you're still my most favorite pumpkin of all!)

--KC

Piles of Laundry

2010-10-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

When I was young, my mom would tell me whenever she was unloading the dryer. She would let me lay on the floor and then she would pour the hot laundry all over me until I was buried in it. It was a hot cocoon of softness that smelled so perfectly fragrant and clean. if I had a time machine, those are memories I would return to and relive again and again. I always thought it was pure love on my mom's part, thinking to give me that experience and letting me burrow alone in the clothes until all the warmth faded away. It felt like a delicacy that I didn't have to share with anyone else. Well the clock just keeps ticking and now that I'm a mom I have found that it's even more rewarding wrapping your child up in happiness than it is to experience it for yourself. So whenever Topher is awake and the laundry is done, I'll take a hot towel or blanket and I'll wrap it around his body and say, "Snuggle snuggle snuggle." He will tuck his chin into the fabric and close his eyes and smile. Then he will let himself collapse on the floor and he'll rub his face on the material and say, "Night night." He loves it. And I love watching him love it even more than I used to love getting buried myself. It's a small thing, I know. But it's a moment in the day when I know that Topher knows that I love him, and that I would surround him with warmth and softness forever if I could. I don't care that the laundry ends up scattered all around and sometimes collects stray puppy hairs off the ground or dribbles of drool as Topher relishes in the same simple joy my mom gave me. Would you care if this smile was the result?

Thanks, mom. The happiness of warm laundry flows through the generations because of you.

And I didn't even lose any socks.

--KC