Our First Trip to the ER

Well, Kaia made her first trip to the ER this morning...she's fine, but I'm reluctant to post this story because I feel so guilty. We were walking down the back steps (yes, the scene of the dreadful knee accident), I was holding her hand and she lost her footing, so I kept her upright by her arm and lifted her to the next step. I heard a pop and she started crying. She calmed down, we started our errands, but I noticed everytime I moved her arm, she cried. Upon further examination, I realized she wouldn't even move it, not to grab a cup, a toy, even suck her thumb. So we went straight to the ER. The nurse took one look and said it was probably Nursemaid's Elbow, which is a slight dislocation where tissue gets pulled between the two bones. It's very common in preschoolers and can be caused by something as simple as pulling an arm through a coat. It turns out, that was the diagnosis. Kaia cried a lot as the doctor popped it back into place and then cried some more when they did x-rays to make sure it wasn't broken. But now she's perfectly normal, using her arm like nothing happened. The doctor said there's no lasting effects, but she is more prone to have it happen again now. I still feel really guilty, but the nurses assured me I did nothing wrong. I thought for sure they'd investigate me for abuse.

Kaia had a good time there though, besides the painful parts, it's a good thing too, we were there for close to two hours. The first thing the nurse did was set her up in front of the TV so we could watch WonderPets and Dora. Kaia doesn't get cartoons at home (we only watch the inappropriate, violent stuff, kidding). Then they brought in a puppy! Turns out the doctor brought in his brand new puppy for the day. He looked just like Kylie did when we brought her home, only black. Kaia thought that was cool. Then she got stickers, her favorite! While we waited for her discharge papers, she wandered around squealing "Tickers! Tickers!" All in all, it was an eventful morning! Hopefully we never have to do that again!

Happy Birthday, Jared and Katrina!

It is the twins' (Mike's brother, Matt's, kids) 4th birthday today! We went to a little party for them this evening. Laura ordered them each a cake - one princess theme, the other car theme - can you guess which was which? I just can't believe they're four already!

I'm a Big Girl!

Kaia has been into eating like a big girl, with utensils and a plate. This includes eating bananas with the skin on, just like Daddy. You have to remind her, though, that the skin is yucky. You'd think with all this big girl business, she'd stop throwing everything on the floor when she's done!

We've had some beautiful days this week. Unfortunately we've had things to do every morning, and Kaia naps all afternoon (NOT complaining!) so we haven't gotten outside as much as we'd like. Last night Mike had to work late so Kaia and I went to Toddler Open Gym at ECFE and she got to run around and play with Connor. Mike didn't get home until 3:30am and he was up again at 6:30 this morning. Poor guy! Hopefully he'll get to come home to nap this afternoon. Well, that's all for today...busy, but not exciting.

Congratulations, Lora!

My sister, Lora, went and bought a house today! Actually, it's a condo. It's in DePere, just outside of Green Bay in a nice area. I went to an open house with her a few weeks ago and saw one with a similar layout, very nice! The best part is that this one is a new construction. It's not even finished yet, so she gets to pick out all the details - lighting, flooring, paint, woodwork, etc. How exciting! I have to admit, I'm a little jealous! But she deserves it, she's been working her tail off making big bucks as an accountant, passed her CPA this year, and has been living with Mom and Dad for the past few years. It's about time you move out! It should be done and move in ready by the end of May. I can't wait to see it. Here's a picture from the reality's website. Lora's is the second garage from the left. I'll post more when we have a chance to visit. Yay, Lora!

What a Beautiful Day!

Finally! Some weather we can appreciate! Isn't it sad that it's mid-April and all I could think of this past week was, "Well, at least it's not snowing!" We cannot let a nice day like today go by without golfing and grilling out. Mike did a little golfing this afternoon...scored a 42 on nine holes...nice job! The Saukes hosted a grill out with Kaia and I (Mike went to youth group), the Yearii, and the Bradbergs. I got some pics of the kiddos playing in the driveway. For anyone who doesn't know, the Saukes (Kelly and Tressa) live right next door to us, which makes our commute real easy!

Connor lookin all preppy in his nice spring outfit! Heather did her best to keep him out of the dirt.

Jakob, pushing his girl, Kaia in the coupe. He's such a gentleman! (That's our garage in the background. Our driveway is literally two feet from the Saukes'. )

I thought this was a cute picture of Kylie and Kaia. I like how it's hard to tell which is Kylie's tail and which is Kaia's ponytail. This is Kaia's favorite thing to do outside. Despite all her toys, she would rather spend her time climbing up and down Kelly and Tressa's deck stairs. Practice, practice, practice.

More Garage Sale Finds

It was another successful Saturday of sailing. I picked up some kids books, some girl clothes, a Halloween costume, and a Taboo game for 50 cents. My biggest finds, though, this Little Tykes slide for $3 and "Tuggy", a tugboat sandbox, for $5. You just can't go wrong!

So far, Kaia LOVES the slide! She's played on it constantly for the last two days. Everytime she, or one of her toys, slides down she says "Weee!" She tried to convince me Kylie should go on the slide too, I had to explain the slide is not for dogs. She learned that she can stand at the very top, and boy, was she proud of herself the first time she did it, clapping her hands and everything. But she soon learned, mom does not approve. Now as she climbs up, she says "Sit down, sit down".


Tuggy is OK, but just not very exciting without sand. We'll get some soon.

Thank you, Grandma!

Kaia got another package from the Vandy's today! She got a ball that Kylie keeps trying to claim as her own, some very cute clothes, and a big bag of cookies. She took the ball out and said, "Ooohh!", tossed aside the clothes, and as soon as she saw the cookies, she carried them over to me saying, "This, this,...open, open." As you can see, Kylie was also very interested in the cookies. When I gave one to Kaia, Kylie followed her around and Kaia kept bending down to her, saying, "No" in a very assertive way. She'll have no problem bossing her little sister around I'm sure.

Rollin with the Youth Group...Literally

I'm too sexy for my roller skates! In my Packer shirt from 1997....

On Thursday, Mike took the youth group kids to Chuck E. Cheese and HighRoller Rollerskating Rink in LaCrosse. I guess they had a good time. Mike admits he's not as limber as he used to be... back in his roller skating days...he took a nice digger!

Just Swingin'

Yesterday, Kaia and Tressa took the season's first swing in the hammock. Since it's finally nice out, we got to spend some time outside. The wind nearly blew Kaia away, but it was a warm wind. We laughed at how Kaia's hair blows around like a man with a combover, really, it's like a little Donald Trump. As promised, here are some pics of my garage sale finds from a few weeks ago.

Kaia cruisin in her coupe. Can't wait until she can motor herself, right now we have to push her.

She's not too into this one yet, pedals are too complicated. I think it's cute though. It reminds me of a Mickey Mouse one I used to have.

We put gutters on the house yesterday, don't they look nice? Hopefully this will help keep water out of the basement. Mike thinks they're installed incorrectly, we're looking into it.

Out for a Stroll

Since the weather has been nice, one of Kaia's favorite things to do is go for a walk. If I'm not careful, she will take off down the driveway as we're loading in and out of the car. Here's a picture of Mike and Kaia on their way to the Kelners for our Small Group meeting. I ran back to the house to get the camera because they were so darn cute I couldn't stand it!

Then I saw Tyler's little face in the window, anxiously awaiting the arrival of his friend "Taia". He's darn cute too! It was a good day for a camera.

Kaia's Ready for Summer!

We took no pictures this weekend, so here's one from a few weeks ago when Kaia insisted on wearing her swimsuit. We all have wishful thinking, don't we?

The Little Winona Loos Family (as opposed to the Big Winona Loos Family, aka Matt, Laura, and children) had a nice weekend despite the pooey weather. On Friday we had some friends over to visit and play some poker. On Saturday, I hit up a garage sale and the free clothing exchange while Mike and Kaia went to UBC and Menards. Winona put on a Family Fun Day at the high school. I worked a booth for MOPS and Mike brought Kaia to play. They got to run around in the gym and watch some dancing and juggling! Afterwards, went out to lunch with the Kelners and the Yeari (plural for Yearous). We spent the evening with Kelly and Tressa. Sunday was church and a stimulating afternoon of grocery shopping! For those of you in town, Hyvee is having a tent sale that's worth stopping at for some good deals.

Well, that's all - eventful and relaxing all at the same time! Looks like better weather is on it's way. Yay!!!

Baby Ya-ya's New Look

Kaia's hair has been getting unruly lately. It frizzes up in the back whenever she rides in the car or lays down. The cowlicks on top make it flop all over. The front hangs in her eyes. It's just crazy. A few friends have taken the initiative to give her hair a mini-makeover. Here are some pictures.

Cutie-patootie goofing around before bath time.

This one shows off the true power of the hair, but as you can see it's not Kaia's best. We had just gotten home from lunch with Daddy. Kaia managed to spill her entire cup of water on herself, she was tired and crabby, and I had just taken her out of the living room after telling her for the millionth time not to peel the labels off my totes. She was not happy!

Tell us what you think...should we keep the look?

Some Flood 2007 Stats

There was an interesting article in the Winona Post this weekend. There are scientists still looking at the August flooding and trying to determine it's cause and what can be done to prevent it in the future. It states that the area received over half it's annual average rainfall in a 48 hour period. One reliable rain gage south of us read 23.1 inches in the first 24 hours and then 21.04 inches in the following 12 hours. Unreal! They have maps that outline the 100-year flood plain and many flooded areas, including ours (the Saehler-Anderson subdivision) were not on even that map. Before and after photos showed a mild, 8-10 foot creek, turned to a 60-90 foot wide raging river! I read in a previous article that there are creek paths (specifically the creek running through Farmer's Park) that are forever changed. They cannot even force the creek to flow the way it used to. Anyway, I'm sure we'll hear about the flood for years. I know in our house, we'll be cleaning up after it for years! I find it interested and reassuring to hear what the specialists have to say about it. I know many of you were asking questions about its cause, so I thought you'd find it interesting as well. Here's a link to the article if you'd like to read more: http://www.winonapost.com/stock/functions/VDG_Pub/detail.php?choice=24018&home_page=1&archives=

Garage Sale Season Has Begun!

Now that I'm a mom, I have a new favorite season - Garage Sale Season! The deals you find on kids toys and clothes are unbelievable. Kari, Anna, and I kicked off the year with a garage sale-ing adventure Saturday morning. We hit up several sales in Winona and Nodine. I came home with a toddler-size big wheel, a baby doll swing, a shape sorter, a ride-in Flintstone-style car, some clothes and some other small things and I spent less than $25. Awesome! On Friday I stopped by another sale and picked up a Little Tykes basketball hoop and a Little People garage for $20. I was going to take some pics of Kaia with her new stuff, but my camera battery was dead yesterday, and it was rainy today. So here's one of Kaia with the baby swing that I picked up for $1. Doesn't it look just like the real thing? I'll post some more later this week.

Everybody Wang Chung Tonight!

On Saturday, we went out with friends to celebrate my birthday. Kaia got to stay home with Erin, our babysitter, and Tyler came over to play too. We went out to dinner at Jefferson's and then a handful of us went to the Blackhorse to see Brat Pack Radio, an awesome 80s band. We had a lot of fun! The band was great, very entertaining. They sang a lot of fun songs, we were even "Rick Rolled", meaning they played "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look up the video on YouTube. Fabulous! I danced so much, I was sore this morning. Those of you who went home - you missed out, big time!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was my 28th birthday. At first, I can't believe I'm that old, then I realize Mike is 32, and I feel pretty young yet. I'll never be as old as him! Mike and Kaia worked hard to make my day very special. They made french toast for breakfast, took me out to lunch, special ordered Olive Garden (delivered from LaCrosse by John Y, thanks John!), and made me a cake. It wasn't just any cake, it had two layers and homemade buttercream frosting! Yummy. We had some friends over to share it with us. Notice everything revolves around food! This Saturday, we have a babysitter coming to watch Kaia so we can go out with some friends to celebrate some more!

Speaking of Everyone Else's Business...

Oh the joys of living on the highway. Kelly called to inform me that there was a full out sobriety test going on in front of our house. I missed the test, but I did get to watch as the cop searched the driver's car, confiscate something, and give the guy a serious talking to and a ticket. I was a little disappointed there were no handcuffs involved. And I was surprised to see the State Patrol, not the infamous Goodview police we've all come to know and love. (Although Goodview did make an appearance late in the game.) I am so nosy...if only I had binoculars...

Congratulations to the Brynsaas Family!

Since nothing exciting is happening around here, I'll share someone else's news. My friend Sarah had a baby girl last week Thursday. Olivia Mae was 4 weeks early, small but healthy. Sarah sent me some pics today that I wanted to share. I think Olivia looks like Sarah. Kaia and I are excited to go down to Decorah to visit sometime next week. Congrats to Sarah, Nick, and big sister, Grace!