Carving Pumpkins (pictures and 2 videos)

Click here to see the pictures.

Jumping from a plane

Well, they were both going to do it but because of scheduling, Dad was the only one who got a taste of the high life! Mom, Kari and I will have to go together on our next girls trip!

Dad's pictures
Dad's video

Dance Party USA...or Lancaster (5 videos)

We had a little dance party when we were in Ohio. Enjoy the dancing cousins! Click here to see the videos.

Boo at the Zoo

On Sunday we took advantage of our Zoo membership and when to Boo at the Zoo. It has been at night in years past but this year they changed it to the daytime. Not sure what I was expecting but it was just okay. Nothing fancy. But Millie looked really cute in her costume. The costume was a hand-me-down from cousin Chloe. Here she is in the same outfit from 2003. The funniest thing we heard all day was from a boy dressed as Spiderman. He passed Millie and so politely said "Oh, Hi Bear". So cute!


Millie once again seemed to enjoy the animals. We even got to see one of the gorillas close up and BOY did he stink! And I am not joking, the smell was horrendous! Enjoy the pictures of feeding time in the reptiles house. All the snakes and turtles seem to have a mouse in some sort of compromising position. It was gross! Anyway, click here to see all of the pictures.

Haircut

I have been wanting to do this for awhile. Finally I just took some scissors and did some clipping. I actually wanted to go a bit further but didn't want to mess up anything too bad. It is picture day this week at daycare so I am glad I finally did it.


But I do have to say that it helps her look a little more girl-ish. You wouldn't believe how many people still call her a little boy. No matter how much pink I put her in!! Ah well. Don't rub your eyes, they do not deceive you. Her hair is very very blond! Who would have thought! Click here to see the rest of the pictures.

Privatizing

I am considering setting Millie's blog to private.
If you want to keep reading it, let me know (kenzid@gmail.com) and I will change the settings so you will be able to continue to read it.

15 things for 15 months

1. She is clicking crazy with her tongue. Not sure how she figured out how to do that but she does it alot, especially in the car.

2. Dancing in the car includes clapping and bobbing her head up and down. Dancing on solid ground includes lots of arm flapping and bobbing up and down.

3. Millie is fitting the puzzle pieces in the proper places and almost matching the colors. Maybe on purpose? Not really sure.

4. She loves socks and shoes. She even grabs a sock or shoe, comes over to me and tries to raise up my foot to put on the sock or shoe. It's so cute!

5. Following direction. When you say "show daddy", she actually takes things over to Mat to show him. She also goes to get things when you ask her. Like "go get me a book". Or "go get that blue ball on the other side of the table".

6. Millie didn't even cry when Mommy chopped of the end of her index finger while trying to clip her nails. Mommy learned her lesson NOT to use big-people nail clippers.

7. She hasn't really cried since her big bottom molars appeared. We were prepared for pain but she never really showed any.

8. Millie is asking "hot?" to her food when she attempts to put it in her mouth. Or when she touches the warm oven. Everything is Hot? Hot? Hot?

9. We are starting to go places with no diaper bag. What a relief!

10. Last month she started running up and giving me a hug. Especially when I come get her from daycare.

11. She recently started shaking her head "yes". Also when Grandma T was here, she taught Millie how to "head bang" which is now one of her signature dance moves.

12. She is getting really good at stabbing food with her fork.

13. She is exclusively drinking from a cup a daycare. No more sippy cups! But I am a little afraid to do it at home.

14. She now says "water", "ball", her version of "balloon", "dog" and alot of words that we haven't been able to understand just yet. She specifically likes to point to these objects in books that we read at night.

15. We can pass anything in a store or walking in the airport and she will shout "BALL!" if she sees something round. We passed a Starbucks advertisement that had a dog silhouetted on it. Millie was yelling "dog! dog!" It took me a good while to figure out what she was looking at. Or while we were shopping we picked up a bag of dog food and there was a dog on the package. Millie yelled "dog! dog!" everytime she noticed it in our cart. Did you know how many balloons are floating around in Krogers? She points them all out and yells "bul". Sounds kinda like ball but with an "uh" sound instead. We are working on the two syllable words!

Famous Uncle Dan

Today we are so happy to wish Uncle Dan a very Happy Birthday! And just look how popular Millie's Uncle Dan is!!

Click here to read the entire article but here is the bit about Dan.

The Top 15 Going Green
The “green” craze has swept through the borough of Queens, and not just among the tree-hugging set. Everyone from event promoters to CEO’s to contractors are coming around to a more environmentally concious way of living and doing business in Queens. This issue, It’s Queens takes a look at 15 people behind some of the most innovative green projects in the borough.

Julia Corwin and Dan Tainow
Directors, Queens Compost Project
Organic materials decompose all over the place at the Queens Compost Project, so watch out and get hip to latest craze: urban composting. Julia Corwin and Don Tainow lead the Queens Compost Project, a program of the Queens Botanical Garden. Founded in 1994 by the city’s Sanitation Department, the composting program has taught thousands of New Yorkers about the importance of composting – a process wherein organic materials decompose rapidly, leaving nutrient-rich soil known as compost behind. Composting enriches city soil while reducing solid waste and sanitation cost. In Queens, Corwin and Tainow teach students, teachers, gardeners, and others to develop sustainable composting methods of their own. They run workshops, a demonstration garden, and best of all, sell compost bins so anyone can get started.

Happy Birthday Kari

Millie absolutely loves her sweet Aunt Kari and it's clear to see whenever she is around.

We love you Kari and Happy Birthday!
Love, Millie

Half Marathon Sunday

On Sunday we got up "bright" and early to venture up to Columbus. This year was a little bit different since I didn't have to pump right before race time! It was 37 degrees at the start and I didn't warm up like last year. So I was wearing two pairs of pants, two socks, two long sleeved shirts, a short sleeved shirt, a jacket, gloves and a hat!
I stayed pretty warm actually despite the fact that I sweated through everything! We stayed on the mark and really booked it for all 13 miles. We ran to each mile marker which was a relief to some of my muscles. We ran to the 11 mile marker and I couldn't be stopped! I had to keep running. I walk/ran the last two miles and finish 9 mins earlier than last year!

Kari and I finished together at 3:30:07.

Mom finished: 3:39:56 a FULL 15 mins faster than last year! WOW!

Katie finished 14 mins faster than last year! She booked it the last two miles and could not.be.stopped! Katie's time: 3:26:47

Following the race, and big post-race carb-o-licious lunch, Millie, Mom and I napped for about 3 hours! It felt great to be warm again. All and all it was a great race. I really can't wait to RUN it next year. Click here to see more pictures.

Evenings

Just hanging out in the evening. Also, a pictures of Millie's new hiding place.


Click here to see the rest of the pictures.

Hanging with the Ashes

We love getting together with the Ashes. Lillian is so great with her brother Jonathan and of course Millie. I love getting caught up with Margie and of course eating some delicious food! So we went over to the Ashes and the kids just had a ball. Never underestimate the power of a cardboard box! Click here for the pictures.

Savannah

On Saturday we took a quick (very quick) trip to Savannah to witness Jeevan's baptism. Jose's cousin, Benny, is a Deacon at the Hunter Army Airfield Chapel. Most of Jose's family came for the festivities. The godfather Roy Harris and godmother Angela were both there too. We had a fabulous lunch at Chart House Restaurant followed but a Gator victory vs. LSU. We were back on the road after breakfast at Clary's Cafe. Millie was great on the way down and slept the entire way home. I was a fun quickie trip and we were happy to be there for the Navarro's big day.

Click here to see pictures from the weekend.

New Shoes

When Grandma Terry was visiting, we tried to pick out some new shoes for Millie online. It's really hard to do that because you never know what size to get. Will she grow out of them? Will they slip off her feet? Mama D bought Millie her first pair of sneakers and white sandals at the beginning of summer so I wasn't really sure how to make sure I got Mil the right size.

So Millie and I headed to the mall to find some shoes that fit. Would you believe that Kohl's didn't have a single pair of size 5 shoes in stock? So I walked out into this unfamiliar mall (if you know me at all, you will know that I hate malls). Where to go? Well I looked directly across from the Kohl's entrance and to my surprise, there was an entire store of kids shoes! I couldn't believe it! I walk in not knowing what I would find. I had a price point in mind that I wanted to stick to. I knew I didn't want to deal with tying shoes, I was looking for velcro shoes only.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a big selection of kids shoes in various styles. The lady was really helpful and Millie was such a trooper. But they should really consider installing a gate on the entrance to that store! I found a pair of "church" shoes and a casual pair. Hopefully G-ma Terry approves! Click here for more pictures.

Click Click (2 videos)

Happy Birthday Mat!

Well, Oct 5th was the big day but we celebrated all weekend. I was happy to make this cake for Mat. Terry did some of the "dirty" work, aka: sifting flour. Pavan helped with the design, making sure I had it just right. The boys were quick to critique of course. At least I know what I am getting myself into each year. This will be his birthday cake for many years to come!

Mat is an amazing father and a wonderful husband. I am a very lucky girl to have him in my life. Click here for more pictures.

Head bopping like Grandma T (video)

Just a little something that Millie picked up the last time Grandma Terry came to visit!

Apple picking 2009

So after we picked out our perfect pumpkin...and yes after an outfit change, we headed down the road to BJ Reece Apple House. Not sure we would head to the same place again but we did get some great apples! Black Arkansas, Yates, Golden Delicious and finally Rome Beauties. So far I have made Applesauce in the crockpot, apple crisp, Apple Chicken. I am running out of ideas and I need to use the rest of these apples. Any suggestions?



Click here to see the pictures.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

This weekend Mat's parents came to visit for Mat's birthday. It was so great to see them and catch up. Of course, as always, we had a busy weekend planned. On Saturday we headed up to Dawsonville to Burt's Farm. You may remember that we made the drive up here to Burt's last year. We had so much fun and the pumpkins were giant, that we wanted to do it again!

Millie, dressed in her trick-or-treat "sweet as candy" outfit from Mama D, had a great time touching, hitting, posing with all the pumpkins. She also enjoyed all the mulch and rocks that she put in her mouth. We got a chance to take some great pictures. We went on the hayride again and Millie seemed to really enjoy it. Much more than last year when she was strapped to me in the baby bjorn!



After the hayride we picked out our perfect pumpkin as well as some others and headed to the exit. But not before we picked up as much "bad" foods as possible. Fried Apple pie, caramel corn, apple cider, peanut butter straws, etc etc. It was another great trip to Burt's. Click here to enjoy the pictures.

This is how I color

It's short but sweet...