Bearly Toddler Class

Kaia and I ventured out to ECFE this morning. Thanks to Mike and the staff at ECFE for helping us in and out of the building and helping me keep track of my wandering toddler. It was good to get out - we both needed it. I have an appointment in Orthopedics on Monday. I'm anxious for some answers, and to get off of these crutches.

A special thanks to Heather for taking some pictures for me to post. This is Kaia riding on the teeter-totter thing - it's her favorite activity in the gym. She can really get that thing rockin!

Update on My Knee

So I bit the bullet and asked Mike to take me to urgent care tonight. Apparently I picked the right night because the doctor I saw used to be in Orthopedics - lucky me! He took a very thorough look at my knee, ordered x-rays, and even drained the fluid which he claimed an ordinary physician would not have done. He determined nothing is broken, but there is something wrong. The fluid he drained had lots of blood in it which, more than likely, means I have a deep tear in a meniscus or I tore my ACL. He said I need to be on crutches (YAY!) and I need to see an orthopedic specialist. I'll call tomorrow for an appointment and we'll go from there.

Right now I'm just trying to figure out what life is going to be like having a toddler and crutches. At least I don't have an infant, a toddler, and crutches!

I should have taken a picture of the 55CC's of bloody fluid sucked from my knee. Two giant syringes, gross. Sorry folks, no pictures this time!

All Beat Up

I was heading out the door this morning, carrying Kaia and all our gear. As I walked down the stairs, I looked at the ice patch on the sidewalk, and said out loud, "It's gonna be a slippery one today." I stepped very cautiously off the last step, and sure enough, I took a big digger. Thankfully, I held onto Kaia and she just landed on my hip. But I landed with my knee and ankle twisted underneath me. Ouch! So there I sit, in a puddle, in pain, Kaia crying out of fear, thinking I cannot get up, cursing Mike for not salting before he left this morning, and wondering how we're going to get back in the house. We managed to scoot up the stairs, peel off our wet pants, and rest for a little on the couch. Now, my knee and ankle hurt. I can walk, but not without quite a limp. I'm pretty sure nothing's broken, probably just sprained or strained or whatever. I'm just resting and icing and appreciating the fact that Kaia can walk and doesn't need to be carried all the time.

Kaia also has a little injury of her own. Yesterday, she fell off her rocking horse. I didn't see it, but today she has a cute little bruise under her eye. It's like a dainty black eye. It hardly shows up in the pictures, but everyone made comments about it this morning. How pathetic are we?

Marty, Jess, and Baby Alex Visit

This weekend Marty, Jess, and Alexandria came to visit. We discovered there's really nothing to do in Winona in the winter. But we enjoyed a relaxing weekend. The girls played...well fought over toys. And the boys needed something to do on Saturday, so they built a poker table! Here's some pics.

Bathtime for the girls! Is it a crime to publish pictures of naked babies on the internet?

Marty, Mike, and friends had to break in the poker table. No that's not a crazy Mexican in the hat, it's just Kelly.

Baby Alex giving Mike an open mouth kiss!

Baby Alex. Doesn't she look a lot like Kaia?

Kaia Is Eighteen Months Old Today!

I cannot believe that Kaia is one and a half already. On the other hand, it's hard for me to remember how little she used to be. Here are some pictures from those days.

The day she was born.

Sometime in the first month of life.

And today...she just gets cuter and cuter. Happy Birthday, Kaia!

Kylie Gets Pretty

We took Kylie to get a haircut today. She got pretty green bows in her hair for St. Patrick's Day. Isn't she cute? They just really don't fit her personality, but they make me laugh. At least she's not wearing a sweater like some other dogs I know... Hee, hee.

When we ride in the van, Kylie's not allowed on my lap while driving. If there's no other adult in the car, her next best option is to ride on Kaia's lap. It has nothing to do with being close to someone, but everything to do with being able to see out the window. From Kaia's carseat, Kylie can see out all sides of the van, I can see why she enjoys it. Kaia tolerates it. I think it's hilarious.


This is Kylie right now, taking a snooze after her exhausting adventure.

Rollin With My Roomies

This weekend a few of my college roommates - Sarah, Sara, and I - got together with our families in Decorah. The girls (Grace and Kaia) played, the women shopped, the boys bet on basketball games, we played a wicked game of Taboo (which the women won), and the adults enjoyed a night out thanks to Sarah's parents who offered to babysit. We caught up on stories, reminisced about old times, and laughed a lot. It's good to know some things never change. Mike's a nice roommate, but I really miss the girls, it was good to see them.

Grace and Kaia patiently taking turns on the rocking chair.

Kaia was a little clingy all weekend. She, Mike, and Grace caught some morning cuddles. Can't you tell from Mike's bedhead?

Tickle torture by Mike.

Mike and Nick enjoying an intense game of checkers before dinner at Hotel Winneshek.

Where do you go for a night out in Decorah?? The bowling alley, of course!

Mike beat us all and Sarah, 7 months pregnant, took second place with a 134. She doesn't let the belly hold her back!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Kaia got a Valentine's Day package in the mail from Grandma Mary. She got some very cute clothes, a pop up book, stuffed puppy, and a card that lights up! What a lucky girl. Guess what Mike and I got.....nothing. We're not important anymore! Just kidding, Mom!

The light up card was very cool. Kaia still hasn't figured out how to make it work though.
I think the puppy is her favorite. She cuddles it and carries it around with her. I like how when you hold it up by the heart in it's mouth, it looks just like Kylie fighting for her toy.
Kaia did some fingerpainting to make a Valentine's Day gift for Daddy. What a mess! She got far more paint on herself, me, and the rest of the kitchen than she got on the paper. She had fun though. Amazingly, Kylie stayed pretty clean, thank goodness.
Here's Kaia and Mike exchanging Valentine's Day gifts. Mike got Kaia a card that says "I know you, and you've got one thing on that naughty little mind of yours" and when you open it it plays "I Want Candy!" Those musical cards provide Kaia with more hours of entertainment than most of her toys.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

All Dressed Up

Mike's youth group had a fun little competition last night. The Challenge: Given a theme and a stack of newspapers, creatively dress your team members to fit the theme. The Theme: Disney

Team 1 chose the theme of classic Disney characters. From left to right: Pluto, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy. From what I hear, Goofy had a perfect Goofy laugh.

Team 2 chose Snow White and the Seven (Well, Two) Dwarfs. From left to right: Sleepy, Sneezy, and Snow White. I think it's funny that Brandon, who is almost as tall as Mike, was a dwarf. This team also performed an awesome rap about McDonalds, which had nothing to do with their theme, but was very entertaining.

Team 3 chose Pirates of the Carribean. From left to right: The girls (I don't know the characters names), Gibbs, and Captain Jack Sparrow. This team also acted out the final scene of the movie! Talk about talent!

Our Little Urkel

Mike thought it would be funny to pull Kaia's pants up as far as they would go - just inches from her armpits. She looks just like Steve Urkel, minus the glasses.


We discovered a jar of Grandpa's homemade applesauce in the cupboard. Grandpa uses home grown, VERY tart apples to make it, and he doesn't add any sugar. It has so much bite, I cannot eat it without adding sugar. But, Kaia sure loves it plain. She's been asking for it everyday. Thanks Grandpa!

Our Chilly Weekend

On Friday evening we went to Family Gym at ECFE. Everyone was there! Tyler, Jakob, Ava, and even Jared, Katrina, and Ian! Well, almost everyone, Connor was in Eau Claire, we missed him! Kaia had so much fun running around, climbing, and riding in the cars. Unfortunately, when I took out my camera, I realized I had left the battery charging on the counter at home. Darn, we would have had some good pictures.

On Saturday evening, we went to the Yearous home for some pizza and playtime. Jakob and Kaia spent some quality time building with Legos.

Below is a picture of Jakob giving Kaia her first Valentine (homemade, I might add). They are so cute. Later that evening it is reported that he was referring to Kaia as his girlfriend. Geez, that girl gets around!

To Eau Claire We Go

Kaia and I went to Eau Claire today to visit Kelly and Mason. We had a good time catching up with our friends and playing with new toys. Kaia especially liked the cats. She'd pet them and hug them, they'd run away, and she'd call after them "Kiddy, Kiddy". (Sometimes she'd get confused and call "Kylie, Kylie") Here's some pics from our day.

Here's Mason. How about those big blue eyes? He looks just like his Dad.

Mason and Kaia dancing to the flashy snow globe. I know what Kaia's getting next Christmas!

Sharing...again, a lesson we're working on. Notice that Mason is the same height as Kaia. He's only 11 months, six months younger than Kaia. She's a little shorty!

My Lil' Cheesehead

Kaia got a gift from her friend Connor yesterday - A Cheesehead! Watch out Tyler, Connor's a Packer fan, that puts him a head above Kaia's other potential suitors. Even though her cheesehead is baby-sized, it's still big on her tiny noggin. Perfect for next year when we win the Superbowl! Yes, I said it. I still can't believe those stinkin Giants won!

Date Night

Yesterday, Tyler came over to play. Mikey read books and sang Tick-Tock with the kiddos. Kaia learned a little bit about sharing her toys with her friends. On Friday night, Kaia went over to Tyler's so Mom and Dad could go to Red Lobster. Yum-O! So this weekend, Joel and Anna went on a date, Mike and I went on a date, and Kaia and Tyler went on TWO dates. I think this relationship is getting serious...