please ignore the bud light can

THE MEN AT 'BIG O TIRES' -

thanks for changing my oil and rotating my tires. 

i'm not a fan of getting dirty but i am a fan of spending money so our relationship works out. 

don't ya think?

while you all slaved over the protege, katers and i strollered up and down state street. 

we came upon this alley and stopped for some pictures. 

because mom + camera + time to waste = pictures! 

of course the kid wouldn't put down her treat cup full of goldfish for 2 seconds. 

i figured pictures with the treat cup beats pictures of a temper tantrum so she won that one. 

stubborn little child.

can't blame her. 

goldfish are yummy.

someday i'll capture her smiling...

best present ever

mom-

while i worked last nite, jank was at home "studying". now you know jancer- a very dedicated student and a obsessive studier but last nite he found my scrapbook in iphoto and got distracted for an hour or so perusing old photos of me (the good and the bad- eek!) he picked out his favorites and this was one of them:

i must agree. it's a fav of mine also... i'm just so darn cute! can't you just see a little bit of katers hidden in there? behind all the hair of course. 

anyway, just wanted to say thank you (again) for taking the time to scan each and every page of my scrapbook so we could have a digital copy. oh, and thanks for taking the time to make a scrapbook... i really should get working on kate's book.

peanuts? pretzels? toddler wailing in your ear?

dear katers:

today (well technically yesterday but i'm at work so i still considered it today) we flew home. back to real life. no more enjoying a house filled with uncles and aunts. no more sunday dinners with the fam that end up with brothers and sisters bickering- reminded me of growing up a little too much. no more nana to get you up in the morning so your dad and i could sleep in. no more snuggles with papa while kerrianne and brandon open wedding presents. (i'll have to post a pic of that when i get home and can sync my phone) no more tennis in the backyard. and no more cookies, cheesecakes, wedding cake, and candy overflowing on every countertop.

as sad as i was to leave, i wasn't all that stressed about the flight home. you did so well on the flight out that your dad and i didn't really give the flight back a second thought. we just deprived you of your morning nap and figured you would crash en route to slc. not so much... not even close to what really happened. instead you wailed and screamed and worked up quite a ruckus.

i felt so horrible for you, we had purposely tortured you out of your morning nap and you (and everyone within 10 rows of us) were suffering for it. but there was also a part of me that was so frustrated and mad at the situation and to be honest, at you . those feelings were unfounded, i know, but i still had them. and then i had guilt over having them. it sucked. for you and for jank and for me and for everyone else. it just sucked.

so i'm sorry little one. i don't know what more to say. i'm just glad you finally fell asleep... even if it was on the final decent into slc. stinker!

love you despite it all (and i always will)
i hope you are sleeping well.
i bet your happy to be back in your crib with your measuring cup, 4 blankies, 2 books and a lovie.


ps. as promised:

nana was sooo jealous.

2 options: purple or blue.

the wedding went off without a hitch. 

my dad did the marrying and i thought it was beautiful.

we're glad to have kerrianne officially be a part of the craziness that is the haskins.

i just wish i had a decent camera to capture the awesomeness of the coordinated outfits 

(it wouldn't be a haskins' affair without matching clothes)

until that day comes when we can buy a sweet camera, i will be content with my iphone and the fact that that it captured this almost-smile from my daughter. 

glad my uncles were there to make us all laugh

more to come...

please turn off all electronic devices

Dude who was trapped in the window seat:

glory, glory hallelujah 

this awesomeness lasted for 80 minutes!

 we warned you when you sat down that today's flight might be anything but peaceful. flying with a toddler in the seat next to you always has the potential to be a horrifying experience. you told us not to worry and that you had three kids of your own. then you proceeded to call katers "him" and we politely injected a lot of "her's" and "she's" in to our conversation which was probably a little rude of us but you started it. no worries though, you apologized and commented on how cute our daughter is so all is forgiven.

you were a wonderful flight companion. you didn't hog the armrest. you didn't complain when katers accidentally kicked you. you didn't try to go to the bathroom once the kid fell asleep (sprawled across jank and i). you just sat in your window seat with the shade half closed, playing poker on your iphone and listening to music. 

hope your stay in minnesota is a good one! we strongly advise going to the state fair which is currently going on. try the deep fried pickle and corn on the cob. you won't be disappointed. 

growing pains

daughter of mine:

you are growing up so quickly. i never understood why people would say "savor every moment, they grow too fast".  i always thought i would be different, that somehow i wouldn't think that way or that you would grow at a perfect pace.

i was wrong.

i love watching you discover how your world works but it comes at a price. you are no longer my baby. you are a toddler. a little person who like temper tantrums, hiding shoes ALL over the apartment and playing hide and seek.

jank said the other day that this is his favorite phase thus far and i must agree.

i love how you say "nooooooooo" in a quiet, somewhat whiny voice when your don't want to eat something. or how you blow kisses at me from your car seat. or when you greet me in the morning with a bounce and a grin.

but my favorite thing you've done up thus far was a few days ago:

i was drying my hair and you walked into my bedroom, stood in the bathroom doorway and fussed. you weren't crying or yelling... it was a frustrated sound- a mix between a grunt and a whine. i was confused. i asked "what katers? what do you want" and you looked at me with your gorgeous blue eyes and made that sound again. to which i replied "ok, show me what you want" and then you took my hand and marched me to the kitchen where you stopped, looked up and pointed at the counter. there sitting on the counter right above your head was a ziploc full of graham crackers. i opened the bag up, gave you one and you smiled. then you shoved the cracker in your mouth and walked off and i was left standing there marveling at our "conversation".

this will probably seem trivial to you by the time you are able to read this. but i want you to know how much those few minutes meant to me. we've had "conversations" before but this one stuck with me. don't know why and i don't care to analyze it.

i just know i love you and that's enough.