Thursday, June 30, 2011

don't be jealous of my glamorous life




jordan landing shopping center,

yesterday it was 90 degrees.
rain fell at random times but never lasting for more than 5 minutes.
and the wind was blowing hard enough to knock down my 24 pound child.

all this lead me in desperation to you.
lizamagoos, katers and i stopped by chick-fil-a, pet-smart and walmart.
[told ya my life is glamorous]

pet-smart was definitely the highlight.
sloooooowly kate is getting over her fear of dogs.
slowly.
it only took her 5 minutes to realize the dogs couldn't get through the glass.
and then it was a free-for-all of toddlers running into the glass and dogs barking.
good times.


ps. dear kate, you don't always have to be so worried when we visit a new play-land. you should try playing instead of standing in one spot and watching the other kids play. i bet it would be a lot more fun for you. [but still, i love your scaredy-cat ways]


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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

my little one



couldn't love this little stinker more.
well, maybe if she ate some fruit and waffle and not just the whip cream.
just the same, she's pretty rad.
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Monday, June 27, 2011

swimming



dear kate:

i think you had more fun with the raft on the grass than you did in the pool.
where did my little fish go?
my goal for the summer is to get you to love the water again.


love,
mommers

Friday, June 24, 2011

last saturday




dear vintage carnival rides at liberty park:

i really didn't think kate would want to ride on any of you.
she surprised me and [with some prompting from jank] demanded to ride the airplanes.
so we bought a ticket, buckled her in the metal bumble bee and waited for the tears.
lo and behold, the kid liked it!
maybe next time we'll ride the swings [which really do not look very safe so probably not] 
or the carousel or the ferris wheel.


and what summer day would be complete without a tiger's blood sno-cone?
after the treats were gone, i packed up and headed to work [stuck inside on a gorgeous saturday? bleh].
jank and kate stayed at the park and he pushed her on the swings for 30 minutes.
little stinker was so tired from all the fun she almost fell asleep swinging.
i think kate likes summertime.





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Thursday, June 23, 2011

what a day is like at our house



kate-

life just keeps getting busier and crazier.
with so many changes headed our way, it's easy to become overwhelmed.
thank heavens we have you to keep us sane.
your routine is what keeps us [somewhat] organized and happy-


0700-0800:
you walk into our room and say 'kate boke up' [you always refer to yourself in third person. always] then you try to hand me my glasses and say 'up mommie'. i fake sleep so that you'll go to your dad's side of the bed and bug him. he lifts you into bed and we all snuggle for about 2 minutes. unless you turn a movie on and then we're guaranteed a 20 min snuggle. heaven.

0800-1100:
movies, books, breakfast, a walk in the park if i'm feeling awake enough, possibly a visit to the library or grocery store. but honestly, our mornings are super lazy due to my inability to fully awaken before noon.

1100-1300ish:
naptime!!! lately you've been sleeping for 3 hours. i almost don't know what to do with all that quiet time. almost. i blog, nap, read, clean, makes lists to keep us organized. pretend i'm going to work out but never do.

1300-1730:
lunch, showers, swimming, outdoor time, errands. every day is different depending on the weather/your mood/if i worked the night before.

1730-1900:
daddy comes home. you stand on the bench by the big window and yell 'hi daddddeeeee' as loudly as possible. we play, talk about our day, eat dinner [we eat, you just sit there]. then your dad takes the scooter out for a spin while i anxiously pace the apartment. he comes back in one piece and we play until bedtime.

1900-2000:
bedtime varies depending on the day. most days it's 1930 [we love that you go to sleep so early]. a few stories are read, prayers are said, i tickle your back [if you'll let me] while you count to ten- one, two, tree, pour, bibe, sis, seben, eight, nine, TEN! then i kiss you a bazillion times until you say 'no more mommie'. oh how i love your squishy cheeks. and then i walk out of your room as you yell 'ni-night!' to me.

2000-0000:
we watch tv, clean up the house, your dad studies while i catch up on the bachelorette... and almost every nite around 2300 your dad says 'i'm going to go wake kate up so i can play with her. i miss her.' 




peanut butter, we love you more each day.
thanks for keeping us grounded during this time of stress and change.
i don't know what we ever did without you.

thank the heavens i have your little body to hug tightly.
a kiss and a hug from you are all i need when i'm feeling overwhelmed.



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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

our little family of three




jess-

you're amazing!
thanks for capturing our little family.
and thanks for being so patient with us non-photogenic people.
especially when our toddler insisted on making funny faces instead of smiling-
that's our shy miss kate, you captured her perfectly.

thank you.
thank you.
thank you.


ps. if you want to see a few more pics from the shoot- go here. and you should all use jess for your family photos- that girl climbs over fences, tromps through fields, and patiently waits out the rain just to ensure she gets the perfect shot. love her.
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Monday, June 20, 2011

in preparation for yuma




dear new toy whom we have yet to name:

welcome to the family!
can't wait to buzz around yuma on you.

you still make me nervous, but i'm excited to have you.
especially the fact that you get 90 mpg.
as kate says- 'yeehaw!!'


ps. thanks again to kevin [jank's dad] for picking up the scooter in park city. driving it through that canyon didn't sound like a good idea to us. thanks for always being willing to help us out- we love you!

pps. since we've been asked numerous times.... the scooter is currently living in our dining room. it makes me chuckle every time i see it parked next to the table. and our apartment smells like a garage- but that's better than it being stolen!

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Thursday, June 16, 2011

i can't stop smiling. it's the weather. i can't help it.


yesterday, after swimming but before a softball game. good times.

kate,

welcome to summertime.
it's the best.

the days are full of sun, swimming and running free.
at night, you'll be asleep before you head hits the pillow-
and you'll sleep more soundly than ever before.
it really is the greatest time of the year.

i wish for you the same wonderful childhood summers that i had.
this is the time when you get to be carefree and ridiculously happy.
soak it up little one.

i can't wait to introduce you to the ice cream truck, the splash pad at liberty park and ladybugs.
[although i'm pretty sure you'll cry when a bug crawls on you]
baby girl, this summer is going to be amazing.



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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

public parks are crucial when living with a toddler in a 900 sq foot apartment with no yard



liberty park,

i told myself that during this last utah summer i would branch out and visit more parks than just sugarhouse park.
but sometimes i get stuck in a rut [and new/different playgrounds frighten miss kate] so it took me awhile to visit you.
but i'm sure glad we did.



today we packed the picnic basket full of semi-healthy food and spent the evening enjoying the gorgeous weather.
jank and i both agreed that your park is one of the prettiest we've ever seen.
the lake, the rolling green hills, the trees... it all added up to a picture-perfect outing.

for dinner kate had grapes, water and chips.
and then she played with her bubbles for about an hour.
pretty sure my child is in love with summer.

thanks for the perfect picnic,
the jancers



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Monday, June 13, 2011

good thing the san diego zoo is only 2 hours from yuma




havyn,


thanks for helping with kate today-
she sure loves to hold your hand.
sorry she called you zoĆ« half the time.
and thanks for showing us all the dinosaurs at the zoo and for telling us their proper names-
sorry that they terrified miss kate.

you were right, the playground and the water ball near the exit were the most fun.
at least kate certainly thought so.

isn't this how every summer outing should end? soaking wet and driving home in only a diaper.


tell your mom thanks for taking us.
let's do it again soon!

sincerely,
kayla

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Friday, June 10, 2011

running free



dear green grass and evergreen trees:



soon we'll be living in the desert and have palm trees and cacti in our yard.
i know i will miss you greatly.
leaving all the green behind will be hard.
so we're soaking up as much time as we can running in the grass and sitting under big shady trees.

this morning was beautiful- utah is truly magical in early summer.
we're counting ourselves lucky to have one last utah summer.





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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

before you read: please know no one was badly injured


dearest people who drive past our apartments:

let's go ahead and slow it down a bit, ok?

kate and i were playing at our complex's playground when we heard a fire engine.
kate immediately imitated the siren and i clapped like an idiot at her [obvious] geniusness.
then i realized we were hearing more than just one siren.
i quickly packed us up and we went in search of the problem.
this is what we found-




the flipped car was t-boned while trying to pull out.
no one was seriously injured [i was being a nosy bystander and asked lots of questions- would you expect anything less from me?]
but they had to use all sorts of interesting equipment to extricate the driver.
what make my stomach drop was seeing a toddler car seat laying on the ceiling of the car.
thank heavens no children were in the car at the time.
but i couldn't help but imagine if that were us and kate had been with me.
thankfully, she was right by my side [so i could hug and kiss her and tell her how much i love her] playing with rocks and sticks while i took pictures of the wreckage.




the craziest part was how little damage was done to the other car.
it looked like it had just rear-ended someone, not t-boned and flipped a car.
it's scary to think how quickly life can change.




so, let's all take a lesson from this unfortunate scene.
i agree to slow down and mind the speed limit.
i'll try to be more courteous to other drivers and not honk at them so much.
and how about everyone who drives a car within 10 miles of my precious child, here and now agrees to drive 10 mph under the speed limit.

thanks.


ps. major props to the EMS crews who worked quickly and efficiently. i was impressed.

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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

anouncement


it's official.
come august [exact date TBD] we will be arizonians.
which means i need to burn all our long sleeve shirts and sweaters,
because we won't need them where we're going.
[just kidding, i could never part with my cardi's]


us on harry's blessing day. hate the thought of missing him grow up.


yesterday jancer mailed his signed contract to yuma.
where's yuma, you ask?
oh, about 5 minutes from mexico and ten minutes from california.
for the next two years we will call the scorching desert home.

things i'm looking forward to:
play dates in mexico
plenty of weekend trips to san diego [only 2 hours away]
kate learning to say 'border patrol' and 'scorpion'
328+ days of sunshine a year.
no more accruing debt!

why yuma, you ask?
the government has agreed to repay the majority of jank's school loans-
as long as he fulfills a two year work commitment.
now, that's not half bad.

the last few days have been stressful.
the decision was relatively easy, but the logistics of it all have me stressed.
in true kayla fashion, i've processed about half my concerns, shoved the other half deep inside my brain  and then picked up a book.
i like to lose myself in another world for a few days.
a highly successful [yet completely unproductive] coping technique.

thanks to everyone for the support.
it makes us sad to leave utah, our family and friends.
but you can all visit us this winter when you get sick of mountains of snow.

now, i'm off to find a house to rent with a pool.....


Friday, June 3, 2011

things i will miss about utah [if/when we move]





dear temple square groundkeepers:

i desperately wanted to take kate to see your beautiful tulips before they all died.
unfortunately the weather never really cooperated until this week.
so on wednesday- with the sun shining and the temperature rising,
kate and i headed into the city to view your handiwork.

the grounds were filled with activity-
men and women planting new flowers and tearing out the old [so sad to see the tulips go].
kate had a wonderful time running around and getting in your way
[sorry about her climbing into your trucks]
and when she paused for longer than a minute to watch one of you work with the dying tulips,
she was rewarded with a flower the size of her body.


another perk of toddlerhood- you can sit down [almost] anywhere/anytime you desire. 
extra smiles are given if you spend a moment counting your toes out loud.


many thanks to that groundkeeper who made my child's day.
she dragged that flower all around temple square with a smile on her face.
[i kept waiting for someone to reprimand me about letting my child pick the flowers. thankfully no one said a word about her souvenir]


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Thursday, June 2, 2011

my mailbox is full.


dear mailman,

thanks for the special delivery.
it made my day.


kate begs us everyday to take her to get the 'maiiiiiiiil'. she likes to climb into the dirty mailboxes [yuck].
then she sits inside [in the dark] giggling until i open the door again. such a simple life she lives.




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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

welcome june.


hey there summertime, thanks for finally showing up.


they held hands for most of the walk. kids are the coolest.


yesterday i took the girls on a walk around bb's neighborhood.
[although it feels like it was a month ago-- today was a long day]
we stopped to play at three different playgrounds/parks.
i pushed them on the swings for at least 15 minutes [that's a loooong time in toddler world]
they were silent and slumped over and completely mesmerized by the world around them.
i just stared at their faces wondering what they were thinking.
such beautiful girls.

so glad it's finally warm enough to wear shorts and play outside for long periods of time.



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