Reflections

No Throwing Allowed

Holidays are a great time for the family to get together for fun and games. Over Thanksgiving Uncle Tom, Aunt Shelli and their boys Jacob and Jonas came out. One night we sat around the table playing cards and, of course, snacking. At one point James wadded up his napkin and tossed it at Kaylin who was busy drawing pictures on a piece of paper. We all, playfully, gave him a hard time for this and she took the opportunity to add a special message in her drawing meant just for him.

Notice the small circled item on the bottom left of this picture:

Recognize it? That's the universal symbol for "No Throwing Allowed!"

She is too clever...and makes me laugh really hard!!!

Below is a larger image. She included a smiley face this time.

Daddy Daughter Dance

Last month my darling hubby took my darling daughter to the Daddy Daughter Dance. I was very excited for them to have this nice bonding moment together. We told Kaylin about the dance a few weeks early and she talked about it often as her excitement built. She LOVES to dance. Daddy, shall we say, isn't quite the dancer Kaylin is so it was all the sweeter that he took her. As the time approached she was like a giddy school girl (okay - so she is a giddy school girl). She put on her special dress and I curled her hair (which didn't last long) and they set off to have a night they'll remember for a long time. She couldn't stop talking about it for days. She's all ready for the next one. Here are a few pics of my special duo from before the dance:

Spunky

Fourteen years ago this month I got a feisty little kitten and named him Spunky. That very first night, despite my own personal objections, I placed my new little kitten next to me in my bed. Every time I moved my hand away from him he reached a paw out to see if I was still there. He wanted to be close even then. In the beginning his personality fit his name to a tee. He played a lot, wrestled, and even practiced his combat skills. But as is the case with most kittens - Spunky grew out of his "spunkiness". His playfulness made way for seriousness. He was serious about two things in particular - eating and sleeping. He spoke when he had something to say. He did not blither blather. When he talked he wanted you to listen. Usually it was "Feed me!", "Wake up and feed me!", "Please sit down long enough for me to get comfortable in your lap." or "Tell that other fur ball cat of yours to leave me alone." (Okay - he usually said that with a glare.) He may have lost his playfulness along with his youthful figure but he definitely never lost his personality. He was a character through and through! And I really think he thought he was king (at least of this family). He was tough and macho in the house. It was a different story on the other side of the door. He always thought he was brave enough to handle the outside world but when given the chance he ran back in the house at the slightest sound. Those that knew Spunky knew him as being a little moody. But the two of us always had a bond. He was my "pet" and I was his "person" as they say. I will miss my little "babykitty". I love you Spunky!

Here are a few pics.

Here is Spunky in what James likes to call his "Jabba" pose. Spunky used to prop himself up on the couch and clean his belly. He's even been known to fall asleep in mid-lick. Here is my sweet baby. Funny how he looks so sweet when he's sleeping. Now he's annoyed that I'm taking pictures. I know this because he keeps slapping his tail up and down. The cat equivalent to waving his finger at me.

Kitty Yoga - stretch and touch your toes.

"Don't mock me and my weight. I can fit in this box and I'll prove it."

"Now - if I can just get this lid closed. Almost....got....it."

"I've been meaning to thank you for buying this throne for me. It fits me perfectly." These last two pictures were actually taken by Kaylin in September of this year. Spunky had lost a lot of weight but seemed to be doing okay on his medicine. After he got sick earlier this year - he became much more of a cuddler. It was nice to have him in my lap again.

Spunky (1996 - November 15, 2010)

We miss you!!

Halloween Sprout

If you know my daughter, you know she loves flowers. Well - this year for Halloween she said she wanted to be a flower. Uh...okay....I thought - how am I going to pull that off? I could envision it in my head. This actually kind of scared me because I can always envision Kaylin's birthday cakes in my head too (and we know how those turn out). My fear was that her costume would look like her cakes. But - alas - turns out I'm a better flower maker than cake decorator. I was just ecstatic that it all came together (and stayed together). James helped me cut out the petal shapes and frame (Thanks Babe!) Friday morning she got up and put on her stem (green outfit) and stepped into the dirt (her boots) and sprouted petals. She looked really cute and was quite the stand-out in her class at school (okay mostly because her head gear was larger than everyone else). She loved being a flower and I loved "saving the day". Here are a couple of pics.

Skinny girl, long legs, short jeans

Kaylin is growing taller and taller. It seems growing "out" is not happening right now. She's stretching. As you can imagine it is very difficult to find pants that fit both her waist and her legs. Thank goodness for adjustable waistbands. But - still it isn't easy. So - I'm trying out a new trick. I bought some 2 1/2 inch ribbon and sewed some to the bottoms of a couple pair of her jeans. I think they turned out cute. Just thought I'd share in case any of you ever run into the same issues.

Prayer-er in Training

I came up with this idea (although I'm sure it's not original) to help teach Kaylin the importance of praying for others. I made a list of all the kids in her class. Every night when it's time to say her bedtime prayer we pick a name off the list and pray for that kid. When we're done we put a check by that name. After we've prayed for all the kids (and the teacher) then we'll begin again. We've just started this exercise and I think she's into it. I know she doesn't fully understand what praying for them does but I know she will eventually. My hope it that praying for other people will become 2nd nature to her. It will just be something she's always done.