Zoo

Last week, we took time to go to the zoo. The weather was beautiful and Kendall was extremely interested in the animals this time. She especially loved the elephants and zebras. We finally bought a yearly membership. We also enjoyed a BBQ lunch. It was great to reconnect as a family since we have been extremely caught up in our busy lives. I love you Kendall and Steve.

Splash Fountain

Our local mall has a great splash fountain. We finally were able to make time to take Kendall. We had gone before but were unprepared to get wet. She's a water baby.

County Fair

During July, we were able to attend the county fair for the first time in the 3 years we've lived here. Which is kind of pathetic since we can see the fairgrounds from our backyard. Kendall was so excited to go even though she had no idea what the fair was all about. We had a good time as a family. I don't know if we need to go every year but it was a nice change. We even got to watch a tractor pull which is a very loud and "interesting event." Of course, the fireworks were a huge hit.

It Is Just A Car.....

I've owned my car for 9.5 years now and with last week's hail storm she's not the prettiest car to look at anymore. I remember dreaming about this car especially the color. What could be better than a car with a color of Jade. I admit I was foolish to buy this car. I had already purchased a new car two years before and here I was buying another one. Obvisouly, I lived at home with a good job and could afford to be frivilous with my money. I remember my dad cosigned on the loan but to prove a point, I went and got a loan all by myself. Of course, I ended up keeping the loan with dad for insurance reasons. I guess I can't complain about Kendall's independence, she comes by it naturally.

Looking back, I don't really have too many memories with the car. I guess that's it, it is just a car. I remember going across town to a friend's house. On my way over, I ran over a sharp metal object which proceeded to slice my tire along with the wheel. I continued driving not knowing the damage for at least 10 miles at 55mph. I was truly watched over that day. I should have been in a serious accident.

A more humorous incident happend in the Oklahoma panhandle. Steve was driving the car and getting ready to pass a semi truck. As he attempted to accelerate around the truck, the car did not respond. I thought he was joking and with oncoming traffic I thought what is his problem. Something was definitely wrong, the car's top speed was idle. We crawled to the next town and you would have thought we brought a spaceship to town. The local mechanic had never heard of an Infiniti and the guy pronounced it EYE..FIN...I...TEE. We tried to line up a trailer while we waited on Steve's dad, Mike, but the specs of the car would not work with the trailer. We crawled to the next town with Mike behind us and met up with Steve's mom, aunt, and uncle. I was so sad to see my car on a dolly but at the same time so upset it quit in the middle of nowhere. This is why I don't live in the middle of nowhere, I need the conveniences of life. As we continued to Steve's parents house, we were eventually pulled over by the State patrol. Yes, he really did wear a cowboy hat. I guess he thought it was a stolen vehicle or maybe the trailer lights weren't working, I don't remember. The car had to be towed all the way home from Texas because even the Nissan dealer could not fix it. Somthing to do with the acceleration but luckily it was covered under warranty.

I guess my best memory was bringing Kendall home for the hospital. I never imagined when I purchased the car it would someday carry my wonderful husband and beautiful daughter. It was wonderful driving home that Sunday afternoon with a precious spirit of God along for the ride. Unfortunately, this car won't be around for Kendall to drive it. You better believe it, she knows the color of mama's car...GA-REEN as she says.

Which brings me to last week and the hail storm, I knew there would be damage while watching this storm. I just never imagined that it might leave my car totaled according to the adjuster. I'm still waiting to get the official word but based on damages to Alisa and Jake's car it's not looking good. Our inclination is to keep the car, I can't stand car payments and we're still working on the truck. But we will have to decide what makes sense, once the insurance company has their say. The day after the storm, I felt embarrassed driving the car as if everyone knew it was damaged goods but I quickly realized that I did not care what people thought. Seriously, people are so wrapped up in themselves, few will probably notice. If anyone asks, I'll simply respond it was a domestic dispute and leave it at that. I might as well enjoy the bumps and bruises our car now carries. I hope to drive her for several years to come because I still need to save for my next green dream car.

Sorry no hail pictures, the car did not look damaged.

Swimming Lessons

Kendall started parent and me swimming lessons last week. Ever since she found out about lessons, it's all she talks about. We even had a few trial runs in our swim suit. For her first lesson, Kendall was dressed by 7 for a 9am class. We are really excited for her to learn since her fear of water is quckly disappearing. When you ask her, "What do we do on Saturday?" Her reply is "Swimming Lessons." Believe it or not, she likes wearing the swim cap even though it's not required right now. She is growing up way too fast.

July 4th

We had a wonderful 4th of July week that included a visit from Nana and Pops. We celebrated by going to a Church breakfast which included a parade for Kendall. It was extremely hot and we still decided to plant a tree. We have been looking for one for a while now and finally found one for the south side of the house. Kendall is finally able to enjoy her sandbox which sits in the shade of our Autumn Puple Ash. We ate a delicious dinner of ribs and potato salad. Later that evening we watched the fireworks and Kendall loved them. Unfortunately, firecrackers sound like a bad word coming from her mouth.

We also went Tiny Town that week to enjoy the sites and train ride. It was a great visit with Nana and Pops.

A Potty and a Checkup

On Thursday, 5/26, I wanted to try and potty train Kendall. I had five days off from work and thought it would be a great opportunity to see how see did. I ordered a book ahead of time, claiming I could potty train in less than a day. The book was mainly for me since I had no clue how to attempt potty training. It started out well that morning. She was very interested in all the steps. I had purchased a potty chair over a year ago. Of course, her favorite tasks were dumping the potty, flushing the toilet, and washing her hands. However, somewhere along the way, I lost her attention. She became very silly and accidents were happening. I think the game was getting boring. So I was pretty sure that she was not quite ready. Kendall went down for her afternoon nap and by the time she woke up, I had a completely different child. She had been paying attention that morning. This was a good lesson, no matter how many times we think our kids are not paying attention to our teachings and habits, they probably are. It was clear, we were not going to be using diapers.

So nearly two weeks out, potty training has been more successful than we ever expected. At the most she may have a couple of accidents a day but many a day has gone by completely dry. She stills wears a diaper for naps and nighttime. We are so proud of her. My book may have given me some tips but it is clear to Steve and me that she was just ready. No book can teach that.

Yesterday, Kendall had her 24 month checkup. We were especially interested to learn her height and how she stacked up. We noticed between the kids at church and in the neighborhood, she is usually the tallest one. She is now 35.5" tall (88%) and weighs 25.4 lbs (30%). She is still maintaining the tall and skinny trend. I once heard that a child is roughly have their height at age three. Granted I do not really care how tall Kendall is but we may have a 6 footer on our hands.